Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

BAYELSA State Governor Douye Diri has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts to reimburse some state governments for funds used in executing federal projects in their states.

He spoke when he received members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Local and Foreign Debts at the Government House in Yenagoa.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, noted that the gesture would enable state governments to redouble their collaborative efforts in addressing the infrastructural deficits in the country.

A statement yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, Mr Doubara Atasi, said most state governments were discouraged from deploying their scarce resources to fix dilapidated federal projects located in their areas due to Federal Government’s reluctance towards repayment.

Speaking to reporters shortly after conducting members of the National Assembly round some federal projects, including the Ekoli Bridge along the Yenagoa-Oporoma Road, he expressed optimism that the inspection visit would facilitate the release of funds owed the state.

While thanking the joint committee for the visit, he urged the executive and judicial arms of the government to accord the legislature its pride of place in the scheme of democratic governance.

Read Also: Appeal Court reverses Diri’s sack as Bayelsa governor

According to the governor, democracy cannot survive without the legislative arm performing its core functions of lawmaking, oversight and representation in society.

Diri said: “The National Assembly is a very important institution which has not been given due attention and respect in this country because they see them as new entrants into the Nigerian hemisphere of governance.

“But they should not forget that if there is no lawmaking, no oversight and no representation, then there will be no democracy. It is on these three pillars that democracy actually stands.

“I believe that the National Assembly is the highest institution that must be respected by all. Having been part of that institution, we will continue to give it respect.

Agency Reporter

MINISTER of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has urged the people from Southeast and Southsouth to work together to enable them foster growth in the region.

Amaechi, in a statement to reporters yesterday, made the call during an interactive session with the Southeast, Southsouth Professionals of Nigeria (SESSPN) in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that SESSPN invited the minister to address some concerns of the people, which included security, power, economic and social integration and representation in government.

Amaechi said: “We fight a lot among ourselves. In Southsouth and Southeast we fight among ourselves. I’m saying this so that we can separate emotions from reality.

“Today, it is not about President Muhammadu Buhari. It is about us. This administration is doing a lot, but because it is President Buhari, we pretend not to see it.

“We complain about lopsided appointments. Apart from the area of security, have you checked other areas side by side?

“The President will appoint someone from the Southeast and people from the same region will fight against the appointment. If you are the President, how will you feel?

“When we took office, the President asked us to complete all projects left by previous administrations before starting new ones. We did that and it was across all regions.

“We completed Port Harcourt Airport, we are working on Enugu Airport; Enugu-Onitsha road, work is going on, no matter how slow.

Read Also: Amaechi: FG will complete Kano Dry Port

“The second Niger bridge in Onitsha is 48 per cent completed and we have assured the country that by 2022 it will be completed.”

On rail projects, Amaechi said: “What informs my decision of choosing which rail line to construct at any point in time is the economics of the project.

“And currently, the economics show that Lagos to Kano has the capacity to move 30 million tonnes of cargo per year. I do the same analysis for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, 11 million tonnes. We are currently doing the analysis for Lagos to Calabar to know how many tonnes of cargo can be moved there per year. So we started with the Lagos to Kano rail.”

Our Reporter

GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Monday  visited the defunct office of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force in Enugu.

The visit was made to confirm that the facility has been closed in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive based on the demands of the protesting youth against SARS brutality in the country.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who was accompanied by the  Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Miletus Eze and his Information counterpart, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, was received by the Commissioner of Police,  Ahmad Abdurrahman, who took him round the facilities, including the empty cells.

Speaking, the police commissioner confirmed to the governor, who he described as “the most-friendly and security-disposed governor” that the SARS unit has been closed accordingly and the 11 detained suspects evacuated from the cells. He said: “Today, we don’t have SARS in Enugu.”

 Nsa Gill. Calabar

CROSS River State Governor Ben Ayade has tendered an apology to the people of the state and lawyers in particular for the delay, which lasted for 48 days, before a Chief Judge was sworn in to head the judiciary.

The governor spoke at the State Executive chambers yesterday when he swore in Justice Eyo Effiom Ita as the acting Chief Judge.

The swearing-in of Justice Ita was done by the governor in a brief ceremony before a group of concerned lawyers in the state led a protest to the Governor’s Office demanding that the governor should rather do the right thing by swearing in a substantive Chief Judge.

Read Also: Ayade opens school, others

Governor Ayade said the swearing-in was in keeping with “the obligations and provisions of the constitution, particularly with reference to Section 217 of the Constitution.”

He apologised to the people of the state and lawyers for the delay in the appointment of a new chief judge, saying the state was waiting for communication from the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The governor said the ceremony was taking place because the NJC had Wednesday last week taken a decision “that the next in ranking be appointed as Acting Chief Judge.”

 Bassey Anthony. Uyo

AKWA Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network (AKIPCON) has hailed House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila for constituting an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate oil spills in oil producing states.

The Speaker had ordered oil companies operating in the country to submit their oil spills reports to the Ad Hoc Committee on Oil Spill Clean-Up and Remediation in the Oil Producing States for investigation.

AKIPCON said the probe was a good move to bring sanity to the affected areas as well as ensure a clean and sustainable environment for the well-being of Niger Delta region’s residents.

In a statement yesterday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, AKIPCON President General Dr. Ufot Phenson also called for oil spill clean-up and remediation in the oil producing states.

The statement reads: “AKIPCON commends the House of Representatives …on the constitution of the ad hoc committee to investigate oil spill clean-ups and remediation in the oil producing states.

“We describe the initiative as a bold step taken in the right direction as the action is intended to bring about clean and sustainable environment for societal well-being.

Read Also: Nigeria fighting for survival, says Gbajabiamila

“We and other collaborating socio-economic groups in the state, namely: Oil and Spill Minerals Producing Areas Landlord Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSCON), War Veterans, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Market and Church Associations, Policy Alert and Advocacy Coalition for the Survival of Oil Producing Communities (ACSOBEC) have observed certain omissions in the terms of reference given to the committee by the House of Representatives.

“The host communities of the oil producing states, which suffer the harmful economic activities of oil companies (oil spills, gas flaring and emissions, toxic waste dumping, gas leakage and emissions, etc), should be invited to make their representations and or calls for memoranda from oil producing communities. This is to enable the House to have a balanced and on-the-spot reports/information that will help the committee’s investigation.

“The terms of reference of the ad hoc committee to investigate oil spill cleanup and remediation in oil producing states should be amended to include details on compensation payments by oil companies to the victims to alleviate their prolonged suffering.