Category: Featured

Operatives of Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS BEECROFT, have reportedly intercepted 32.9kg of cocaine on a vessel, MV Chayanee Naree.

The vessel and its crew including about six Asians were arrested.

The vessel which was said to have come into the country from Brazil allegedly had the narcotic substance in 30 slabs inside a bag kept in the vessel’s Cargo Compartment One.

It was gathered that naval operatives acting on credible intelligence from International Police (Interpol), monitored the vessel said to have left Santos, Brazil on September 19.

Read Also: Ogun Customs intercepts 72.5m contraband

The ship, it was learnt, was first spotted about 250 nautical miles off the coast of Benin Republic on October 1, where it drifted for about a week before sailing into Nigerian waters.

Briefing journalists at a joint press conference on Thursday, Commander, NNS BEECROFT Commodore Bashir Mohammed, said the interception was possible because of collaborative efforts between the navy, Interpol, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

He said the vessel was arrested by NNS EKULU upon entry into Nigerian waters, adding that the navy had trailed its movement through the FALCON EYE Maritime Domain Awareness system.

By Yusuf Alli and Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

Former Senate President Iyorchia Ayu was tipped for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman by the Northern Caucus because of his flexibility and capacity for compromise, it was learnt yesterday.

Party sources said Ayu was supported as a consensus candidate, following an assurance by him that he would be disposed to making concessions as may be dictated by the party’s presidential nomination.

On Thursday, Prof Wale Oladipo was endorsed for the position of Deputy Chairman (South) by the Osun chapter at an emergency meeting in Osogbo, the state capital.

Also in the race is former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

A source said: “With Ayu as chairman, there is the likelihood of having liberal rules that will accommodate the various interests regardless of the ethnic or religious affiliations of would be contestants.

“More so, he is perceived to be open minded on issues and he has always been known to be ready to make personal sacrifices when the need arises. He has always been a team player who puts the collective interest above personal pursuits”.

The source added that Ayu would be more disposed to open contest for the presidential ticket and he can be relied upon to make concessions and personal sacrifices in the interest of the PDP.

He added: “For instance, should another candidate from the North wins the presidential ticket, Ayu would not hesitate to work for the success of the candidate even if it would require him relinquishing his position to strike the needed balance”, the source added.

Another source added that it was on the basis of this mutual understanding between Ayu and the stakeholders that other chairmanship aspirants from the Northeast and Northwest withdrew from the race.

The emergence of Ayu may have confirmed growing speculations that the PDP merely used the zoning of its chairmanship seat to the North as a decoy.

Analysts have described the move as a red herring, aimed at misleading rival political parties on the choice of the party’s presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 election.

Ayu’s endorsement will be ratified by the party through affirmative voting at the October 30-31 convention.

Read Also; APC blasts PDP for criticising direct primaries

Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who unveiled Ayu, after the Northern Caucus meeting held at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge, said: “There is no vanquished and there is no victor in this meeting. We all came out united. Senator Iyorchia Ayu has emerged as a consensus candidate of the North. With this, we are fully prepared, we are ready.

“We will be talking with our colleagues from other parts of the country, especially the south that they see reasons for this consensus candidate and give us support during the 30 and 31 convention of PDP”.

Ayu said he was honoured by the decision to pick him as consensus candidate, adding that he would carry out his responsibilities without fear or favour.

He said: “I believe that at the end of the day, it will not only be the North, but it will be all Nigerians. The PDP will be back to its winning ways. And we will work tirelessly after the convention to rebuild the party to take over power to rebuild the country.”

It was learnt that a search team raised by the governors rated Ayu as “deep and stubborn enough to lead the opposition to victory in 2023.”

But despite Ayu’s emergence from the Northcentral, key presidential aspirants from the North have not given up.

A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and ex-Governor Sule Lamido have asked PDP to throw its presidential ticket open.

It was however jubilation in Atiku’s camp over Ayu’s choice because the new PDP national chairman-designate is an ally of the ex-Vice President.

Other presidential aspirants have cautious optimism on Ayu.

The battle in the party has shifted to the choice of a candidate for the office of the Deputy National Chairman, which is zoned to the South-West.

While some governors and leaders, led by Governor Seyi Makinde, want ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a few other leaders, including ex-Governor Ayodele Fayose, prefer Prof. Wale Oladipo.

Both Oyinlola and Oladipo were former National Secretary of the party.

It was learnt that many party leaders insisted on a former President of the Senate, Sen. David Mark but PDP governors were adamant on Ayu.

A source in the thick of the horse-trading, said: “In spite of the last minutes support for Mark, the governors opted for Ayu in line with their already-perfected script.

“The governors had raised a secret search team in the past few months for a candidate who can turnaround the PDP into a viable and constructive opposition. They said they needed a candidate who will stand against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Ayu was chosen because the search team rated him as ‘deep and stubborn” enough to address governance issues and reawaken Nigerians to return PDP to power in 2023. He is a good marketer.

“Also, the governors felt it would be easier for them to manage Ayu than Mark, who is a role model to all of them. Some of them alleged that old age is slowing down Mark.

“For Ayu’s script to succeed, what they did was to ensure the zoning of the PDP chairman to the North and the micro-zoning to the North-Central. And the North-Central micro-zoning was scaled down to Benue State where Governor Samuel Ortom sealed the fate of Mark.

“The entire process looked plain and consultative, but the governors have made up their minds on Ayu”

It was however, learnt that some Northern governors and PDP leaders launched a counter-plot by rejecting the micro-zoning to the North-Central.

The counter-plot strengthed the aspiration of Ibrahim Shema (North-West) and initially Sen. Suleiman Nazif (North-East) against Ayu.

According to another source, when the counter-plot to stop Ayu was intense, some loyalists of Atiku in the North-East overwhelmed the PDP Caucus in the zone and facilitated the emergence of a former Majority  Leader of the House of Representatives, Abdul Ningi.

The source said: “Immediately Ningi emerged from the North-East, we knew the contest was left to be between Ayu and Shema. Tactically, Ningi (an ally of Atiku) was just a shield to guarantee Ayu’s emergence.

“True to prediction, Ningi stepped down for Ayu and it was apparent that Shema could not garner enough support against the PDP governors’ anointed candidate. Having read the handwriting on the walls, Shema also withdrew from the race. This was how Ayu emerged.”

Atiku a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and ex-Governor Sule Lamido were agitating  that the PDP should throw its presidential ticket open.

“These presidential aspirants from the North are holding on to the last straw because their ambition is at stake. They have a 50-50 chance.

“To back Ayu’s candidature, they made the demand for open presidential ticket a precondition. There was no any written agreement but there was a common understanding on this. Some governors and leaders only tagged along for peace to reign, ” a NEC member added.

Some governors and leaders, led by Governor Seyi Makinde, wanted ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a few other leaders, including ex-Governor Ayodele Fayose, have shown preference for Prof. Wale Oladipo.

Both Oyinlola and Oladipo were former National Secretary of the party.

A former governor said: “The PDP governors were still weighing options last night between Oyinlola and Oladipo.

“If Oyinlola gets the slot, Fayose would have lost out completely in the South-West. If the slot is given to Oladipo, the camp of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo would be sidelined.”

Announcing Oladipo’s endorsement, Osun PDP chair Sunday Bisi, said. “The Osun PDP stakeholders and especially concerned delegates of the party, gathered here this afternoon to openly demonstrate our support for Prof Wale Oladipo in his quest to become the next Deputy National Chairman South, of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

“Professor Wale Oladipo is a senior member of our great party,  with adequate requisite experience in party administration at the national level. It is our belief that professor Wale Oladipo is eminently qualified for this post and we will support him.”

The meeting attended by the governorship aspirant, Senator Ademola Adeleke, former PDP chair, Ganiyu Olaoluwa, Peter Babalola, Sunday Atidade, and Teslim Igbalaye among others.

2021 National Convention: PDP extends sale of forms for national officers by two days

Yesterday, PDP has extended, by two days, the sale of nomination forms for national officers.

The closing date, earlier fixed for October 15, is now Sunday, October 17.

In a statement issued in Abuja by Kola Ologbondiyan, the National Publicity Secretary, who is also the Secretary, National Convention Publicity Sub-Committee, said:

“Accordingly, the date for the Screening of aspirants for various national offices has also been adjusted to Wednesday, October 20, while screening appeals, to consider appeals arising from the screening exercise, is now scheduled for Saturday, October 23.”

• VP urges states to drive their economies like sovereign nations

• Fayemi, Sanwo-Olu, Obaseki, El-Rufai seek favourable policing policy

States should think out of the box to grow their economy and boost their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), Vice President Yemi Osinbajo told governors on Thursday.

He said the chief executives should concentrate their investments in areas where they have comparative advantages rather than waiting for monthly handouts from the Federation Account.

The vice president spoke at the maiden Ekiti Economic and Investment Summit tagged: “Fountain Summit 2021” in Ado-Ekiti. It was part of activities marking the third anniversary of the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration.

He said the states should grow their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) like an independent country.

He, however, cautioned against double taxation so as not to discourage investors.

Governors Fayemi (Ekiti); Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) called for robust multi-layer policing system to protect citizens and investments.

They argued that the current policing structure that prevents governors from taking charge of security in their domains was negatively affecting investments, development and wellbeing of the people.

The vice president said: “The attractiveness of investments to any state should be radical, because that is the revenue hub and determinant of how happy the people of any state will be in terms of economic development in relation to their standard of living.

Read Also; Nigerians are better together, says Osinbajo

“But, while trying to grow investments, we must be cautious about multiple taxation; it weighs down businesses.

“Ekiti is a business-friendly environment. Ekiti has also excelled in the aspect of ease of doing business. You have vast arable lands for agriculture.

“Also, of recent, the government of Ekiti divested 76 per cent of shares in the Ikun Dairy Farm for Promasidor for the production of 80,000 litres of milk daily. Let me say that Ekiti has a bigger economy than many Africa nations.

“The question we should ask ourselves is that if I were the landlord of this nation, how do we survive?”

Recounting how the Lagos State grew its economy between 1999 and 2007, Osinbajo said: “During my time as a commissioner in Lagos State, we started with N600 million monthly (IGR) in 1999.

“The seizure of Lagos State funds by former President Olusegun Obasanjo made us to think like a sovereign state. Today, Lagos is making over N45 billion monthly.

“The surest way forward is to deepen investments in the areas where Ekiti has comparative advantage. We should also make good investment in technology to grow the knowledge-economy, which is education.”

The vice president commended the foresight of Fayemi, especially in the area of technology advancement, for promoting technology as the best way to go.

He said: “What is in vogue now is that, well trained people in technology are the game changers,” he said.

Osinbajo, however, urged the people of Ekiti to leverage on their values in education, which he said they had acquired for the development of the state’s investments.

“I believe Ekiti have not lost this value. It has to be Fountain of the Knowledge Economy, not just the Fountain of Knowledge,” he said.

Fayemi stressed the importance of creating a multi-layer policing system.

He said “This request does not mean abrogation of the central Police. If you have problem of security in Kaduna, Gov. Nasir el-Rufai can easily take charge.

“My recent experience and many of our governors were not even palatable where we wanted to procure drones and Mr President was with us on the issue, but the NSA (National Security Adviser) refused us; the end user certificate, but we got it one year after.

“As of now, security is on the exclusive list. Even, if the Federal Government is ready to allow us procure some arms, we have to sign MoU with the Nigerian Air Force.

“We have to work together collaboratively because investors consider security as number one in any state.

Fayemi said he had signed a Bill into Law establishing Ekiti Economic Council to plan and implement this summit and ensure that the outcome outlives his administration.

He said the dwindling revenues to states had encouraged  governors to block leakages in the revenue collection and leverage on areas where they could get support from the Federal Government, especially the social intervention programmes.

Fayemi said he had completed many of the projects bequeathed to him by the administration of former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

He noted that abandonment of projects on the basis of lack of interest and change of party constitute great impediment to growth and development.

Echoing the calls for state policing, Obaseki said police should be removed from the exclusive list.

He said: “If you have a business, you have to protect them and you must have the apparatuses. Security is on the exclusive list and we are looking up to the Federal Government to remove it for the states to take charge.

“We must provide facilities for the police to be able to train our local vigillance group, because in Edo State that was what we did.

“We raised a vigillance group to police our villages from the kidnappers and other criminals.”

Speaking about ICT as driver of the economy at the subnational level, Obaseki advised the states to use ICT to recast the primary education by making children at that age to see computer as part of their lives.

Sanwo-Olu noted that insecurity bedeviling the country posed a threat to investment, adding that investors only invest in a safer environment.

The Lagos governor said: “When you have investments, you would have to protect them and take also responsibility for whatever happens. The investors will rely on the governors for protection and it is sad that we are not in charge. This is the area where the federal government must look into the issue of state police.”

Suggesting how Ekiti can transform its IGR, Sanwo-Olu, said Ekiti should go digital to curb sharp practices.

He said: “You must have robust technology and ensure people don’t collect money with hands, so that . Make sure your money is centrally collected. Also block all loopholes. Also encourage your staff by giving them smalll bonus, so that they can deliver more. Ekiti has the potential to think like a country.

El-Rufai described security as a big problem that every Nigerian should be concerned about.

Laying foundation for why the policing system should be decentralised, the Kaduna governor said: “We have 150, 000 personnel in the Nigerian army. Police was 400,000 by the time this government cane on board,but has gone down to 300, 000 now. We need multi-level police. Policing is local just like a unitary environment like Britain.

“Kaduna State is about 46,000sqkms in size. Boko Haram has been chased from Northeast by ISWAP and now occupying the Northwest. But if they are dislodged here, where would they go? This is why we should all be concerned,” El-Rufai said.

The summit was organised to proffer solutions to some of the socio-economic challenges confronting the state.

According to investments by states in the areas of strength would ensure the desired sustainable economic growth and make the states less dependent on the Federal Government’s allocation for survival.

He said it was high time for governors to start thinking about how to grow their economies like a nation, noting that they can achieve this by investing in most appropriate ways in areas of their economic strength.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Thursday gave itself a pass mark in the battle against insurgents and bandits in the Northeast and Northwest.

It said 13,243 terrorists and their families have surrendered to troops in the Northeast while 250 bandits have been killed and 600 others captured in the Northwest.

The DHQ also confirmed the death of  Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) leader Abu Musab al-Barnawi.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Lucky Irabor and Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, made these known at different functions in Abuja.

Irabor, who spoke at the ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, dismissed the alarm that suspected terrorists had set up camps around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Niger State.

He also spoke on the scaled-up military operations in the Southeast and on Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.

The CDS  said the operations in the Southeast were not discriminatory. On Gumi,  who has been leading negotiations with bandits, Irabor said argued that the military would not prevent anyone from playing a part in the fight against insecurity.

Read Also: Anyim, Emir blame poor leadership for rising insecurity

Asked why attack’s by bandits  have remained relatively high, he said: “They are essential, where they are. That is the reason why we are pursuing them. But more seriously, a larger number of the bandits remain in the Northwest.

“Of course, a few who are having in-road into the Northcentral. We are taking action so that they do not spread beyond the known locations.

”From the last report that I got on Monday, we have neutralized over 250 of the bandits, we have equally arrested well over 600 and because it is a continuous thing, the figures might also change.

“I will like to also indicate that the rescue operations have led to the rescue of many of those recruited by the bandits, which is also part and parcel of that action and is not limited to Zamfara State but it also extends to Sokoto and Katsina.

“I can also authoritatively confirm to you that al-Barnawi is dead. As simple as that. He is dead and remains dead.”

Irabor, however, did not give details.

There were reports more than a week ago that al-Barnawi had been killed in a crossfire with a rival group.

Al-Barnawi is the son of  Mohammed  Yusuf, the first leader of Boko Haram, which has been involved in insurgency in the Northeast since 2009.

The CDS also disclosed that thousands of kidnapped persons were rescued from various camps of bandits in Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Katsina states in the last five weeks.

Irabor confirmed that two soldiers lost their lives in an attack on Wazamai village, near  Funtua-Gusau, a border town between Katsina and Zamfara states

Reacting to the claim that terrorists had set up camps around FCT and Niger State, the CDS said: “That  report is not true.”

Asked why the military chose to scale operations up in the Southeast, while bandits in the Northwest and Northcentral are considered for negotiations, the Defense Chief noted that insecurity varies from region to region.

He stressed: “ What you find in the Southeast is different from what is obtainable in the North.

“But, let me tell you also that threat as it were, whether terrorism, banditry, or any form of criminality, they are not confined to boundaries.”

On Gumi, the CDS said: “What you find with Sheikh Gumi. Sheikh Gumi is not working for the government. You know him, he’s a he’s…for me as an individual, I may not speak to whether I share views with him, that’s not the issue. The point is that he’s an individual and he represents a group of people that he felt that he should use that approach to go to meet with the bandits.”

The CDS called on stakeholders to cooperate with security agencies to win the fight against insurgency.

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed all agencies of government to give priority to indigenous professionals for planning, design and execution of national projects.

The President spoke yesterday at the inauguration of the Presidential Monitoring and Evaluation Council of the Executive Order 5, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said President Buhari stressed that foreign professionals should only be considered where it had been certified that local expertise was not available.

“The Federal Government shall introduce Margin of Preference in National Competitive Bidding in contracts, in the evaluation of tenders, from indigenous suppliers of goods manufactured locally over foreign goods.

“All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) shall ensure that any professional practising in Nigeria must be duly registered with the appropriate regulatory body in Nigeria.

“All MDAs shall ensure that for all consultancy contracts awarded to foreign companies, engineering drawings, necessary calculations, design, among others, are made available to their corresponding Nigerian partners, including arrangements with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as partners towards local production of needed materials,” the statement said.

It explained that Executive Order Number 5 was made to place Nigerian professionals and manufacturers at the centre of the nation’s economy.

Read Also: Buhari lists achievements

The President said his administration would use the Executive Order 5 to midwife a new beginning that would transform Nigeria’s economy from resource-based to a knowledge-based and innovation driven.

President Buhari said suppliers and contractors under national competitive bidding process shall disclose local material (processed or unprocessed), where available and needed for the execution of projects. He added that designs for all contracts, programmes, projects, among others, shall be in English language before signing.

“The Ministry of Interior shall ensure that Expatriate Quota for projects, contracts, and programmes are granted according to the provisions of the Immigration Act and other relevant laws.

“This will apply where qualifications and competence of Nigerian Nationals are not available or cannot be ascertained, which shall be contingent on training such number of persons as may be required for the execution of the contract or project,” he said.

The President, who is also Chairman of the Presidential Monitoring Evaluation Council, said the team would oversee the general implementation of the Executive Order 5, while the secretariat would be domiciled at the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, supported by the Strategy Implementation Task Office for Presidential Executive Order 5 (SITOPEO-5).

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Ogbonnaya Onu assured the nation that the Council would harness the human and natural resources of the country, reduce exportation of jobs and remove the current renting pattern, which fuels inefficacy.

Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale of the Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, UI on Thursday was named the 13th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

The Chairman, Governing council, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday announced that Adebowale defeated the incumbent acting vice-chancellor, Adebola Ekanola, and 14 others in a keenly contested process at the Senate chambers of the institution.

Adebowale was first appointed as the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) by Council in June 2018 and re-appointed for a second term in June 2020.

The Nation reports the process of electing the institution’s VC in the past months, had been marred with various allegations, counter-allegations and engulfed in a series of crises due to clashes and misunderstandings between various interest groups.

It was gathered that crisis in the institution started in 2020 when the indigenes of Ibadan land under the aegis of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) insisted that it was time for the host town to produce a VC who is an indigene of the town after 73 years of its existence on their land.

Read Also; Prof Olatunji-Bello is new LASU VC

Due to inability to resolve these crises, Professor Babatunde Ekanola of the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts was appointed by the Senate as the acting VC in November, 2020 for the period of six months, and his tenure was extended in June for another 6 months.

However, the process commenced afresh after a decision to restart the VC selection process was reached at a meeting of the university Council presided over by its Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

Born on January 11, 1962 in Ibadan, Adebowale attended UI for his first, second and third degrees respectively.

He was employed in 1987 as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Chemistry, and was promoted to the professorial cadre in 2006.

Adebowale held many administrative positions and served on several Committees of the University of Ibadan.

These include Examinations Officer, Department of Chemistry, 2003-2005; Postgraduate Coordinator, Department of Chemistry, 2000 – 2002; Sub-Dean (Postgraduate), Faculty of Science, 2002-2004; Dean, Faculty of Science, 2009-2011; Member, Committee of Provosts and Deans, 2009-2011; Member Committee on the Appointment of Emeritus Professors, 2012 to date.

He was Convener, Investigative Panel on the Determination of the Class of Degree of two students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, 2013 and the Director, Special Duties, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, between 2015 and 2016.

He has won several awards and distinctions. Some of these are: Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science, FAS 2012; Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria, FICCON, Research Fellow, Alexandra von Humboldt Foundation, Germany 1996 to date; Regular Associate, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, (ICTP) Trieste, Italy, 2003-2006; recipient, International Foundation for Science (IFS) Grant, 2002-2004; and recipient, African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award for Science, Technology and Innovation, 2013.

He has also supervised many B.Sc projects, over 150 M.Sc dissertations and 15 doctoral students. He has published over 120 articles in both local and international journals of repute. He also has one patent to his credit.

Adebowale is married to Dr. ‘Yemisi Ajibola Adebowale and the marriage is blessed with three children: Temitayo, Ayobami and Ayomitunde.