The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Dickson, TAN and First Lady

    The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), a campaign group for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid, is enmeshed in controversies with Governor Seriake Dickson.

    Keen observers expected TAN and the government to work harmoniously on the Jonathan project. TAN, at the national level, is known for its passionate and fierce campaign for Jonathan’s re-election. The group is believed to have been founded to explore, expound and express the benefits of the President’s Transformation Agenda.

    Dickson is not only the kinsman of Mr. President, he is also a Jonathanian advocate who from the inception of his administration vowed to pursue Ijaw national interest with the protection and projection of Jonathan’s Presidency the key element of the Ijaw affairs. In words and deeds, people believe that Dickson has not deviated from his averred support for the President.

    Despite similarities of purpose, TAN and Dickson have been living like cat and mouse Where then is the missing link? In fact, the subject of acrimony is  the fate of the Creek Haven, sobriquet for the state’s Government House, in 2016. The governorship election holds in the state in 2016 and it is expected that the governor will be seeking a reelection.

    There are reasons within the state government to believe that TAN has an ulterior motive in Bayelsa beyond the purpose of galvanising support for Jonathan’s reelection in February. The group is said to be working to ensure that the governor does not return to the Creek Haven. The group’s body language is also confirming the suspicions of the governor and his camp.

    First, was the sudden entrance of the group into a state considered by many people as lacking meaningful opposition to challenge Jonathan’s reelection. Curiously, the group has started gaining ground and setting up permanent structures in the state. Already, it has secured an edifice as its secretariat along the Isaac Boro Expressway in Yenagoa. The group is also making plans to inaugurate the secretariat.

    If the reelection of the President is the reason for TAN’s coming into the state, what then does it need a permanent structure for a secretariat especially considering the fact that the Presidential election is next month? This is the question agitating the minds of the camp of Dickson.

    Besides, the camp of the governor also reasons that TAN’s agenda in the state is a suspect following the sudden change in the group’s leadership structure.

    Initially, when Jonathan’s re-election was its only mission, the group was headed by the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Local Government Commission and former Speaker of the old Rivers State House of Assembly, Chief Talford Ongolo. But Ongolo and some loyalists of the governor woke up one day to discover that they had been unceremoniously stripped of their functions.

    The restructuring of TAN’s leadership undoubtedly became an issue and fueled the existing suspicion. Matters came to a head when it was reported that the interest and ambition of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, was the reason behind TAN’s rebirth.

    Dame Patience is said to have an ambition to remove Dickson and replace him with her friend and domestic aide to the President, Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa.

    Her sudden resignation as a super Permanent Secretary in the state’s civil service, her alleged influence in the posting of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, to the state and her other underground activities are said to be geared towards realizing this ambition.

    Therefore, TAN is said to be the first lady’s vehicle to drive her Dickson-must-go ambition. On this premise, TAN is suspected to be repositioning itself for the task of leading anti-Dickson’s campaigns, formulating and executing strategies to outsmart the governor and kick him out of his seat.

    Since the TAN imbroglio started, there has been sharp division in the state chapter of PDP. Opponents and enemies of the governor have run to TAN to form a formidable force with the First Lady against Dickson. The group is now headed by the First Lady’s associate and former deputy Governor, Chief Werinipre Seibarugu.

    The governor issued a pack-and-go order to TAN. Before pronouncing the order, the governor had accused TAN of subversion. But TAN fired back at the governor  saying he lacked the powers to order its exit from the state. It is only hoped that the gladiators will not use the innocent blood of the masses to settle their political scores.

     

  • Akpabio and his Legacies

    Akpabio and his Legacies

    By the time Godswill Obot Akpabio steps aside from the Government House, Uyo, as Governor of Akwa-Ibom State come May 29, this year, the story, if fair and honest, shall be “A man was here”.

    He would be likened to a poor wrestler that sent giants crashing vis-à-vis the level of development he engendered for the well-being of his people.

    Three distinct periods or eras could be realized since the creation of the state. They are BA, AE, and AA. While BA stands for before Akpabio; AE stands for Akpabio’s Era; and AA stands for after Akpabio.

    Godswill Akpabio, variously referred to as the emerging African Tiger shall occupy the Akpabio’s Era (2007-2015AE). Governments and Administrations that went before Akpabio, shall be classified as the BA Era (1999-2007) while Governments and Administrations that came after Akpabio shall be classified as the AA Era (2015-2019).

    Akwa-Ibom is both a state on course and one taking shape. The opening up of the state and moving it forward in terms of progress and development are some of the project areas in view.

    The new road networks, free education, free health care delivery, the pipe-jacking or the underground tunnel technology drainage system, the independent electricity power plant, with the largest capacity for job and wealth creation which is the catalyst for small, medium and large cottage industries, general infrastructural development and urban renewal, the revamped Akwa-Ibom State Transport Company (AKTC), the modern International Stadium, described as one of the world’s best, among others are some of Akpabio’s unsurpassable achievements.

    In the process of achieving these goals and more, records are broken and new ones created; some of which may be difficult to meet if not impossible to beat. This gives a cause of worry about the kind of succession that must definitely raise standards.

    While most projects require extra time to accomplish, continuity, in most cases, is the way out.

    Successive administrations in Akwa-Ibom State had failed to imbibe the spirit of continuity, a situation that had left most lofty government projects abandoned. Here is the root cause of our fears and worries. It is said that the employee is as efficient as the employer. It may also be the contrary though. Succession makes sense and must be both realistic and attainable.

    I believe that a leader should be found faithful. Public policy and administrative initiative characterized by transparency and accountability are reasons for my support for the people-driven policies and programmes of the Godswill Akpabio-led administration which have already taken Akwa-Ibom State to greater heights. The leadership element therefore should not be under-rated.

    Quality leadership which engenders robust policies and programmes must be dynamic, effective and efficient.

    There are only a few things that the administration of Godswill Akpabio did not successfully realize. This is so because no one is perfect and man does better than his best. The industrialization of Akwa-Ibom State therefore becomes the priority programme on his hand over note to his successor.

    It is this priority area that whoever succeeds him as governor of Akwa-Ibom State should focus attention on in order to ensure that the level of socio-economic and political developments already attend in the State are sustained

    •Ekong was Travel Manager with Daily Times Limited

     

  • Sorrow as fire razes market in Bayelsa

    Sorrow as fire razes market in Bayelsa

    Traders at a makeshift market in Bayelsa State are yet to come to terms with the damages done to their lives by a fire, which razed the market and their goods, reports SHOLA O’NEIL 

    There was weeping and wailing as a midday fire wreak havoc in Kaiama community in Bayelsa State on Monday. Properties, goods and wares worth several millions of naira were destroyed by the fire, which broke out at a make shift market located along the Kaiama-Patana stretch of the East-West Highway.

    Rows of shops where petroleum products, mostly diesel and engine oil, motorcycle parts and other items are sold were razed by the inferno, which destroyed over 10 makeshift stalls and caravans.

    Eyewitnesses’ account of the fire indicated that it was sparked off by a petty trader, who lit fire at the back of the shop close to the River Niger Bridge in the town.

    “The woman, who owns a restaurant made the fire behind the shop and after cooking her food, she noticed that the fire was spread into the nearby bush. She and her daughter then tried to put out the fire.”

    It was further learnt that when the woman and her daughter thought they had put out the fire, they returned back to the shop and continued their normal services, not knowing that one of the cinders was still smoldering.

    “Some minutes later, we just noticed that the fire had started again and this time the way it spread was completely unbelievable. Within the twinkle of an eye, it had gone through over 20meters of the dried bushes at the back of the shop. From there it spread into the shops, starting from the places were drums of diesel are kept.

    “What we saw and heard was a very big ball of fire that engulfed everywhere, giving nobody time to move against the fire. The dry bush and condition of the harmattan did not help matters as the fire quickly went through dozens of shops in the makeshift market,” one of the sympathisers at the scene when our reporter visited said.

    The incident led to heavy traffic build up around the area forcing travelers going and coming from Port Harcourt to other south-south, west and other parts of the country to spend several hours at the scene because victims and supporters had taken over the road in their desperate bid to stop the fire.

    However independent check by Niger Delta Report around the scene revealed that apart of the dryness caused by the harmattan, the fire was aided by petroleum products waste that had gathered around the area over time.

    Our findings revealed that several of the shops that were gutted by fire were used to store drums and large quantities of petroleum products, including diesel and engine oil. The waste from the products, it was gathered, had drenched the area over time.

    “You know that unlike petrol, diesel does not evaporate or dry off when it pours into the ground; it can stay at the spot for several weeks, months and even years, if it is not properly disposed off. So, it was the collection of these wastes over time that became fuel for the fire that ravaged the shops and stalls,” a security office who visited the scene to assess the extent of the damage, told our reporter on condition of anonymity.

    Attempt by our reporter to get the comment of a police officer from the police post in the area was rebuffed. The law enforcement agent, whose name tag read ‘Binileke’, said he was sent to the scene for an on-the-spot valuation and not to make comment.

    Our reporter however noted that he concentrated on the owners of the shops where petroleum products were kept and overheard him asking for the details of their owners, who he directed to “report at the police station.”

    Meanwhile, as the traders counted their loss they appealed for relief from government. Some of the victims begged Governor Seriake Dickson to come to their aid by giving them financial assistance in order to help them pick up the pieces of their lives that were shattered by the disastrous fire.

    “We cannot hold the woman who started this fire to pay for everything; even if we do there is no way she can do anything because she has nothing to offer. It is only the government can do something to wipe away our tears and that is why we are appealing to the governor to come to our aid,” one of the victims said.

  • Between Oshiomhole and Igbinedion

    The relationship between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, is no longer a healthy one. No one knows how the recent face-off will end as the state government appears to have declared war on the Esama.

    The recent quarrel was over a news report by the Independent Television (ITV) in which Oshiomhole’s aides were alleged to have beaten up Reverend Father Peter Udo at Ujogba in Esan Central Local Government Area.

    Oshiomhole’s responses to what he termed offensive reportage were that the termination of the MOU the state government signed with the Igbinedion University for the training of the institution’s medical students , de-accreditation of ITV Correspondent to the Government House  and the expelling of Igbinedion varsity’s nursing students from using government facilities.

    Before then, there have been altercations between the duo. Igbinedion, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , is one of the most powerful, influential and perhaps the richest chief in Benin Kingdom. He owns chains of businesses and several landed properties across the state. He single-handedly made his son, Lucky, governor between 1999 and 2007.

    As at inception of the Oshiomhole administration, Igbinedion’s relationship with the governor was cordial and robust because Chief Igbinedion and his son Lucky, who was deregistered from the PDP, reportedly financed the activities of the defunct Action Congress (AC), the political platform under which Oshiomhole emerged governor.

    Their relationship turned sour after Oshiomhole introduced a new tax regime, which many government officials said affected Chief Igbinedion and many other rich individuals in the state who were previously paying negotiated taxes to the government. What further worsened the relationship were reports and commentary by the Independent Television and Radio about the state government. Both stations are owned by Chief Igbinedion.

    The ITV was in 2011 sealed up over accumulated Pay As You Earn Tax. It was the Court of Appeal that ruled in favour of the Edo State government over the matter. In 2011, some landed properties of Chief Igbinedion were sealed over alleged non-payment of Ground Rent.

    In 2013,  Oshiomhole stopped farmers farming in government reserves forest at Okada in Ovia North East Local Government Area  from paying N40m annual royalty to Chief Igbinedion. The land was leased to Chief Igbinedion who later sublet the land to farmers for some fees.

    Oshiomhole told the farmers that custodians of land in state was vested on the state government and the Oba of Benin.

    He said: “As far as I know, government policy across the country is that Nigerians cannot be tenant farmers particularly on government-owned lands, because the land in question is government-owned that was reserved for an individual for the purpose of farming by himself, not to sublet to actual farmers who then pay royalties to him. The only person who can collect royalties in Edo State is the Oba of Benin.”

    After the local government elections in 2013, Oshiomhole threatened to curtail the excesses of Chief Igbinedion if the latter did not desist from contravening the laws.

    The governor said: “There is evidence that he (Igbinedion) has undermined the prosperity of the state for a very long time. Those who live in glass houses do not throw stones.

    “I want to send a warning to Chief Igbinedion that he should take it easy. He has acquired a lot of government land that the people have not engaged him on. He walks as if he is above the law, he was a chief tax collector in this state, pocketing twenty five to thirty per cent of every kobo that accrued while his son was the governor. I have not looked back because my mandate is to look forward.

    “If he continues with elderly rascality, I will bring him to justice. He must never underestimate the fact that I have the will and I have the capacity to deploy that will. If he crosses the law, he will be cut to size.”

    Igbinedion has kept mute. But the Vice-Chancellor of the university says the school was shocked by the government’s actions. Oshiomhole has obviously gone beyond being swayed by such reactions. For him, it appears it is fight to the finish!

  • Tears of Jonathan’s Otuoke neigbours

    Tears of Jonathan’s Otuoke neigbours

    They initially taught it was a joke but it turned out to be a shocking reality. The poor neighbours of President Goodluck Jonathan at Nikton Road, Yenagoa, Local Government Area, were recently evicted from their homes.

    They did not just lose their homes temporarily, they were permanently displaced by the President who bought all the property, including the land surrounding his exotic home in the area. Jonathan’s handlers, with the aid of bulldozers, pulverised the buildings in the hitherto busy neighborhood and swept away all the President’s neighbours.

    But investigations by the Niger Delta Report showed that not all the houses were acquired by the President. A few mansions owned by some wealthy friends and political associates of the President are still standing close to Jonathan’s building.

    For instance, an edifice owned by the King of Opueme Kingdom, King A.J. Turner, who is known to be one of the political backbones of the President, and the expansive compound of the former Commissioner for Agriculture and immediate past Chief of Staff, Government House, Abuja, Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, were spared by the bulldozers despite their proximity to Jonathan’s home.

    But other homes, shops, caravans and kiosks were pulverised. The road leading to his home, which hitherto was characterised by human activities, is now desolate creating an ambience of a reserved neighborhood. The “noisy” neighbours of Mr. President are gone. People who initially lived in the area with the President and perhaps occasionally waved and shared pleasantries with him had been forced to relocate.

    Why did the President dislocate his neighbours? Residents in the area gave Niger Delta Report many reasons. Some people said Jonathan simply wanted to expand his house. It is just lustful acquisition of wealth associated with politicians, they said.

    thers also opined that the President was sending a message that “levels have changed”. He could no longer stand the wrinkled poverty-stricken faces of the neighbours he once tolerated. They reason that Jonathan was conscious of his distinguished visitors and would not want his neighbours to constitute nuisances whenever they come. But some people were of the opinion that Mr. President just wanted to build a home that befits his status.

    Niger Delta Report gathered that the President spent a lot of money to compensate owners and tenants of the acquired property. The transaction was said to have been conducted by King Turner, his friend.

    Indeed, the planned acquisition initially hit Jonathan’s neighbors like a rumour. They were said to have doubted it. Some of them vowed to resist it insisting that they would not condescend to selling their life-time property.

    Others categorically dismissed it as falsehood. They were said to have reasoned that Jonathan, an agent of transformation, would rather prefer to take his bulldozers to any part of the vast virgin land and creeks in the capital city to erect an eye-catching edifice. This, they argued among themselves, would help to develop the city and perhaps act as a tourist site to visitors. In fact, they shuddered at the idea of Jonathan oppressing them by undertaking the project of recreating a house he built when he was a deputy governor.

    But they were wrong. Their fears manifested faster than they had thought. They had no choice but to forego their property after accepting compensation from the coordinators of the transaction.

    When the Niger Delta Report visited the area, the victims of the transaction shied away from talking about it. They were all scared of possible victimisation by the rich people who smiled to the bank after the transaction. However, some persons spoke on strict condition of anonymity. Most of the speakers were former tenants of the acquired buildings.

    A middle-aged man who owned a shop in one of the demolished houses said he was still trying to recover from the pains of the destruction. He said: “When we heard that the President was coming to acquire the property surrounding his house, it seemed like a rumour. But it later became a reality.

    “What kind of man is Goodluck? Why did he choose to expand a house he built as a deputy governor knowing that there are people who live around him? I am still confused because Yenagoa has many undeveloped parts and it yearns for development. I thought that a President would help in developing this town by going to one of these bushes and creeks to build his house. Doing that would have attracted people to such area.

    “Goodluck did not do that. He chose Nikton, a congested neighborhood without considering that there are many people whose means of livelihood depended in that area. This is oppression. I mean, how can Mr. President send us packing overnight from our ancestral homes and our business places? We have undeveloped parcels of land which the President would have acquired and developed to look like the Hiltop of IBB in Minna. This is man’s inhumanity to man”.

    Another  affected  shop owner said they were giving only six months to evacuate the area.

    “When the order came from the Federal Government, we accepted the offer with fear because since we are poor we have no voice. Who can represent us, or even plead on behalf of us? The caterpillars rammed through our property. They started the destruction overnight. Only few houses belonging to his rich friends remained in this same location we were sacked”, he said.

    The angry victims said their main problem was that persons who conducted the transaction failed to pay them adequate compensation. He said the amount of money given to the tenants could not rent another accommodation in Yenagoa. Specifically, he said only 30 per cent of the compensation they demanded was paid them.

    He said about 22 families were evicted from the site. He said: “Even the compasation fee we  ask the government to pay us was not paid. It was only 30 per cent of the money that was given to us.

    “Our  government officials are indeed heartless. They asked  22 of us to evacuate the area. We gave Mr. President a quotation  but only 30 per cent of the money was paid.”

    He said they demanded N2.6m for a room apartment but the government paid N45,000; N4m for self-content but they got 90,000; N6.6m for two-bedroom but they received N250,000 while shop owners were paid N150,000 each despite the sizes of their shops.

    “Where do we start from?” He queried. Though the Niger Delta Report could not locate landowners to gauge their feelings about the transaction, the shop owner said the landowners also got a bad deal. He said the money that was paid them would not even acquire land elsewhere to build a house.

    “The landowners are also brooding over the deal. They were paid chicken fees for the destruction off their ancestral homes and buildings they inherited many years ago

    “I am angry with the government and the initiator of this idea. Our government officials are just there to satisfy their own interest. Who said they have us at heart? To say that this kind of treatment is coming from the President who hails from this area is difficult to understand”, he said.

    There are fears on Nikton Road that the President was not through with them yet. Other buildings in the area have been marked for demolition. A woman who lamented the development said a building housing her shop had been marked.

    “This issue came up immediately I rented this shop. The building has not been demolished but it has been marked. We are afraid and because of this I have not been buying more goods. We are expecting the return of the bulldozers”, she said.

    She added: “The landlord told me that he would not settle for what they paid previous landowners if eventually they come for negotiation. I am angry  with the government. How can they punish me like this?

    “My shop is empty because am scarred of buying more goods since no one knows when the caterpillar will come for the second phase of demolition. We have vast land In this state the government should live the poor people alone.”

  • Why I want to be an Edo Rep, by ex-MTN General Manager

    Why I want to be an Edo Rep, by ex-MTN General Manager

    Gideon Obhakhan, who resigns his appointment as General Manager, Network Planning of MTN to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Esan West /Esan Central /Igueben Federal Constituency of Edo State, speaks in his Lagos office on the party’s primaries, and other issues. Emmanuel Udodinma met him

    When did you start taking interest in politics?

    My active participation in politics dates back to 1993 in the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and subsequently at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), where I was also actively involved in students’ union politics ,since my graduation from the university ,I have participated in politics of different levels. I joined the defunct Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN) from inception and support its activities at various level until the merger with other political parties which give birth to the APC of which I am a member till date.

    From, the cooperate world to partisan politics what are some of the challenges you see ahead of you?

    Although these are two different world with different rules of engagement, I would say I am not new to the world of politics .It is not a strange environment for me .However ,now that  I am going deeper into its as a candidate ,there will obviously be challenges because interpersonal relationship in the corporate world ,for instance ,is not exactly the same as political landscape  .But in my world ,adaptation techniques are not scare and I am confident that I will be able to handle the challenges as they come .The important thing is sincerity of purpose and genuine focus on what is important in order to  ensure that we deliver the dividends of democracy to our people.

    Do you think you are well prepared to swim in the murky waters of politics?

    Of course, yes. First of all, I am a Nigerian and I am well abreast with the political development in the country. I know it is generally noted that the level of maturity of the political class may not be where it ought to be today,but I am confident that as more people with  the right mindset continue to join and contribute their quota in their own little way, we will see significant improvement  across board. I’m more interest in what I am bringing to the table than the current perception out there  about politics and the political class .I am however ,mindful of the  fact that a man is a product of  his environment  and that my ability to deliver will be largely dependent on how I choose to react to that environment. This I am prepared for and I am very hopeful that I will make a change, there are many people who have done this successfully and I don’t think it is as difficult as brain surgery.

    How did you win your party primaries?

    In my humble opinion, I believe I have been able to earn the trust of my people and they are very conscious politically .I had what I think I should have in preparation for the primaries. These are the reasons the people queued behind me.However, it is the people that have the final say since they are the ones I am going to represent. My people have finally said goodbye to people who come once in four years to buy votes with peanuts and they sing their praises each time they come.

    How would you rate the Oshiomhole administration in Edo?

    Without mincing words, I will say that the Comrade governor has done very well.If I compare the Edo State of today with what it was when he took over the mantle of leadership, I will say he deserves commendation .He has touched all the sectors and you  don’t  need to be told about the infrastructural development  in the state because they are very obvious. The Edo is one of states in Nigeria today that you can see significant improvement not on the pages of newspapers, but in real life .It will probably take the whole day or more if I have to list all his achievements. It will suffice for now if I Just says so far, so good.

  • Fire compounds N23b Delta IPP’s woes

    Fire compounds N23b Delta IPP’s woes

    When fire broke out Monday last week at the warehouse holding multi-million dollar equipment acquired for the N23 billion Independent Power Plant in Delta State, the rumour mill immediately went on overdrive mode. There were speculations of sabotage, even before the cause of the fire and extent of the damage had been ascertained.

    Before the incident, many indigenes of Delta State had been apprehensive that the project located in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area may become abandoned. The fear grew stronger as the May 29, 2015 terminal date of the Emmanuel Uduaghan administration drew nearer. Even top government officials conceded that it would be a sort of the “8th Wonder of the world” to deliver the project after the fire.

    The dream of an IPP to bridge the wide chasm between electricity demand and supply was mooted by Uduaghan shortly after he assumed office in 2007. To actualise the vision, the governor inaugurated the Delta Energy Generation Company Limited (DELGENCO) to develop multiple electricity generation plants across the state using the abundance gas, hydro and other renewable sources.

    Speaking at a session during the sensitisation period of the project, Uduaghan said the project was critical to his ambition to wean the state off its over dependence on oil revenue.

    He said: “Whatever development we are engaged in, if we don’t get the power sector right, then we can’t move forward.” onceived to be executed in phases, the target of the Oghara (Oghareki) IPP was just over 400MW, with the first phase that kicked off in 2010 aiming to achieve a quarter of that goal (100MW). It was to be delivered through two Rolls Royce Trent gas turbine generators.

    Five years on, the project is appearing a pipe-dream, at least to the people of the state who are yet to see and feel its impact even though the gas turbine and other paraphernalia of the project have been bought and mostly delivered. It was learnt that the plants and accessories arrived the country a long time ago. They were brought to the state and kept at a massive warehouse owned by Ibru Fishing Company in Oghareki, ostensibly to await the preparation of the site. It was that facility that was gutted by fire.

    Firstly, the project award process was not without its controversy and allegations of underhand dealings. It was awarded to DAVNOTCH Nigeria Limited, a company in which a powerful member of the Delta State House of Assembly, who later became Speaker and now ex-Speaker, Victor Ochei, admitted to having “substantial interest” for 14 years. He later said he “divested my entire interest on June 3, 2011,” over three years after the contract was ‘captured’ by the company. The damage to the reputation of the project was already done before Ochei stepped away from the company.

    There were several petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and at least one to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (dated April 20, 2010), and ethical questions were raised over the deal to DAVNOTCH, in which a key member of legislative arm of the government owned “substantial interests”. Prominent Deltans, including Ijaw leader and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, queried the morality of the deal. The controversial contract is one of the fulcrums on which the elder statesman based his opposition to Ochei’s ambition to succeed Uduaghan as governor.

    Also, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Sunny Amorighoye Mene, told our reporter that the contract smirks of insider trading, because of Ochei’s involvement in DAVNOTCH and his closeness to the governor, with whom he enjoyed a very good working relationship until his removal as Speaker in 2014.

    Some critics of the deal insinuated that the contract was used to ’empower’ the former Speaker (to ‘settle’ him) as part of the game plan for him to succeed the governor. The then Commissioner in charge of the supervising ministry, Comrade Ovouzorie Macaulay, was widely touted as the would-be running mate. Others said it was awarded as part of a deal for him to keep the House in check.

    “Whatever the purpose, there is no doubt that it amounted to bribery and corruption,” an NGO said.

    Besides, it was gathered that the choice of the power plant supplier did not go down well with a section of the State Executive Council. Sources at the Ministry of Energy, then headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Comrade Ovouzorie Macaulay told Niger Delta Report that they were not comfortable with the choice of Rolls Royce turbine because it was felt that it might not be as suitable to a tropical climate like Nigeria as other alternatives. A source, who was a key member of the think tank that started the project, said the ideal equipment would have been a similar module manufactured by General Electric (GE).

    Reacting to the allegations of lack of due process and his involvement in the deal, Ochei, during a news conference to clear the air in Asaba, the state capital on July 19, 2011, stated that DAVNOTCH clinched the contract in a transparent manner. He said the company proved itself in several other contracts, adding that it did not need his influence to win any contract.

    “In fact,” he said, “the entire process and contract sum were succinctly captured in the Delta State Government (DTSG) Due Process Journal of January-March Edition, 2010. Item 15 of the aforementioned document was specific on the nature; sum and expected delivery date of the contract.”

    The journal specified that the contract was for the supply and installation of two Rolls Royce Trent gas Turbine Generators for the Delta State Independent Power plant (IPP). It was awarded on June 23, 2009, to DAVNOTCH Nigeria Limited at the cost of N21,750,000,000″.

    However, the contract sum was reviewed shortly after the award to N23,207,826,566, in 2011. Reports of at least one more upward review could not be independently confirmed at the time of this report.

    Several attempts made last year by our reporter to get the company’s position and details on the contract and its current state were unsuccessful; officials were either not capable or refused to comment. An employee of the company simply referred to as Anazia, to whom the company’s telephone operator referred one of our inquiries, said the IPP was beyond his purview. Anazia, despite several proddings, insisted that only a member of the very top echelon of the company was competent to respond to our reporter’s inquiries on the matter. Several telephone calls to the company’s switchboard yielded no result as the ‘Director’ with such clearance and capability was always “not available” or “engaged.”

    Our independent investigations revealed that prior to the award of the contract, the company had no prior experience with a contract of that magnitude or track record in an IPP project. In fact, it was learnt that the only major ‘electricity’ projects the company had handled were the installation and maintenance of LED boards for signs and outdoor screens and installation of solar-panel street lights.

    DavNotch also had to fend off claims by those opposed to its handling of the deal that the award of the contract predates the existence of the company. Ochei described the assertion as “sheer lie!” maintaining: “The company was registered on July 4, 1997 and was 12 years old when it was awarded the contract in June 2009. In retrospect, DAVNOTCH Nigeria Limited won the contract because of its track record, integrity and enviable sense of corporate responsibility,” he insisted.

    Over five years after the award and nearly N20bn payment after, the site of the project remained almost as fallow and forlorn as it was when DAVNOTCH got the contract in 2009. The contract documents obtained by Niger Delta Report indicated that contract was for 24 months (two years) from the award date. The state government and company officials painstakingly clarified that the two year period was barely for the procurement of the gas turbine, which cannot be purchased off the shelf.

    The former Commissioner for Power and Energy, Mr Charles Emetulu, who succeeded Macaulay, in an interview with Niger Delta Report in Asaba, the state capital in August 2014 had assured that the project would be ready for inauguration before the end of last year.

    However, a top engineering consultant working with the state government told our reporter in confidence that the declaration by commissioner was not feasible and true to the doom prediction, a week after the end of the year, the facilities have been ravaged by fire. The feeling of the consultant was reechoed by Mr Moses Nwaokonye, an architect and civil engineer, who was involved in similar massive installation projects within and outside the region. Nwakonye said laymen might not understand the technicalities of installing the equipment.

    He said: “This kind of project is not as easy as you think. There are processes involved and it starts with site acquisition and possession taking of the site. Thereafter, you move to location preparation – bush clearing, scooping of the top soil (if that is necessary) and filling.

    “After that, you commence the preparation of the civil engineering job like preparation of foundation for the equipment that is coming in. All these require proper timing and precision because even the difference of a meter in the foundation can alter the entire process and lead to delay of several months.

    “Bearing the sheer size of some of the equipment, you cannot cast a foundation before the equipment is ready. When it is ready, you can’t just cast and mount the equipment, you need a curing period – that is the time needed for the foundation to settle and be ready to bear the weight. The curing period could be as much as three to six months,” he added.

    It is was against this backdrop of back and forth in the multibillion naira project that the latest fire incident elicited mixed, mostly negative, reactions from Deltans.

    Anazia refused to comment on the fire incident or respond to our inquiry to ascertain the decree of damage to the facility and how it could affect the project.

    “This is not something we don’t want to talk about in the press,” he said in a brief telephone chat with our reporter.

    The Commissioner for Special Duties, Pastor Powell Tos Ojogho, who spoke with our reporter from the scene of the fire, allayed fear of sabotage. “It was not sabotage; just a result of careless bush burning by somebody around the facility and the fire has been brought under control now,” he told our reporter.

    He explained that a similar fire, at about the same time, almost ravaged the multibillion state-of-the-art DELSU Teaching Hospital, adding that it was while fire fighters were dealing with that inferno that report about the fire at the IPP equipment at the Ibru warehouse, came to them.

    Speaking further, Powell disclosed that just some panels and other equipment were destroyed. He said the major plant was intact and untouched by the fire. He, however, refused to speculate on the cost of the destruction and effect on the delivery date of the IPP.

    “We were lucky that the power plant was not destroyed because the fire fighters were able to contain it. The indigenes of Oghara community who sighted the fire acted very quickly and helped to bring the fire under control; they must be commended for being good citizens. They acted very swiftly; some of them put their lives on the line by climbing to the top of some equipment to take off the trampoline that could have easily caught fire and laid our efforts and equipment to waste.”

    While lamenting the devastation, Powell, who was the first government official at the site, disclosed that the governor had been determined to inaugurate the facility before May 29.

    He said: “Everything is almost ready; as far as the bolts needed are on ground, the turbine is here and the site has been prepared.”

    The commissioner explained that the delay in completion and preparation of the site owed to the need to ensure that there was no mistake in the installation. He noted that it was important to get the specification to the minutest detail, assuring that there was no cause for concern.

    “The good thing, like I said earlier, is that it is just a few of the panels that were affected, at least from my initial observation. When the Commissioner for Energy assesses the situation, we will be able to know the full extent. But I can say without equivocation that it wasn’t sabotage, except those raising allegation of sabotage know something that we don’t.”

    Our visit to the site, our findings seemed to tally with the government’s view that the fire was likely caused by bushfire set by errant persons around the area. Indigenes of the area said the harmattan period was usually like that in the area because of the propensity for fire to escalate within a short time.

    Nevertheless Powell’s assertion and ascertaining the cause of the ill wind will neither provide comfort for Deltans who are eagerly awaiting the inauguration of the project nor will it assuage the government’s critics on the handling and pace of the project. And only time will tell the extent of the fire damage and when the IPP project will improve power supply in the state.

     

     

     

  • Doctors say I couldn’t conceive, now I have a baby boy

    When human efforts failed to solve her predicament, Blessing Nanna said she turned to God. When she was diagnosed with fibroid sometimes ago, doctors and medical reports gave her little chance and all ruled out her chance of having a child. She told Niger Delta Report that she was declared unfit to give birth, unless she undertook a surgical operation.

    However, the mourning of the woman was turned into joy recently when she was blessed her with abouncing baby boy, who she aptly christened ‘Miracle’.

    The mood of the joyous woman contrasts with years ago after some medical experts in Port Harcourt declared her unfit to conceive, unless if she had another surgical operation on her womb. The advice did not go down well with her due to her terrible experience during her last fibroid operation which, she said was complicated and led to frequent discharge from her womb.

    According to her, at a point she became restless and hopeless over her plight and how to stop the discharge. Doctors warned her to act fast over her failing condition so as not to endangers her life.

    Her search for solution took her to the General Overseer of ‘I-Care Ministry International Church’, Bishop Maxwell Okoro. “The man of God noticed my condition and became spiritually angry that such a thing could happen to me. So he prophesied to me and said, ‘if I am a true man of God, before you get to your house the pus will dry off’. And behold before I got to the house the pus dried off.”

    Narrating the genesis of her problem during her child’s dedication at I Care Ministry International Church, Mrs. Blessing said, “It all started in 2012, I went for fibroid surgery operation, and after then there was so much complication surrounding the operation and my womb was not only discharging pus but terribly smelling. I was ashamed of my condition; to go out was a big problem because I was afraid people could notice me. I did not tell my relatives and those around me what was happening to me except one or two persons. The worst thing is that everywhere I go people would notice the odour coming out of me. Sometimes when I go out or mingle with people they will be looking at themselves searching for where the odour is coming from. But I know where it was coming from. To ensure that people did not notice the pus I use to cover it with extra wrapper and wrap myself very well so that it will not soak for people to see.

    She continued, “When I went to the hospital that operated me, they told me that they are going to operate me again, I remember, one of the nurses at the hospital once advised me to act fast and prepare my mind on the second operation before I die. But I told them that they will not operate on me again. To the glory of God when the men of God prayed for me everything dried off. The Doctors said I will not conceive again except I undergo another operation but today this baby is the evidence that when human effort fails, God begins His work. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith and if the God of I Care Ministry can do it for me then He can also do it for another person.”

    But while she was rejoicing for the victory over fibroid and her conception, she didn’t know that she was heading for another spiritual battle during delivery. “I almost gave up the ghost during delivery. “When I took in I did not believe it. I also hid it from my husband at the early stage. During the month of delivery I was in labour for five days. When I called Bishop Maxwell he told me that since I had come in contact with I Care Ministry I will not die. When the nurses told me that the baby was coming out that was the only thing I could remember. I became unconscious and in that situation I saw myself in a forest being dragged around. The only thing I was shouting was please leave me I want to go back to see my baby. At a time I saw someone that look like Jesus watching those dragging me and He ordered them to leave me but they said no that they want my head. While I was arguing with them giving reason why I should go back to see my baby I immediately came back alive on the hospital bed. This experience shows that every man and woman that died, if allowed to come back alive, have a story to tell.”

    Bishop Okoro, the General Overseer of the Church who was born deaf and dumb before God reversed his situation, said his church is a miracle centre for those who believe what God is doing in his life. He noted that though, Blessing Nnana case is now a history and a testimony that everybody wants to hear because God is on the throne. He said God does not want any man to take His glory which he believe is the more reason children of God should not panic in a difficult situation but to look up to God.

    The man of God said because she came in contact with his ministry that was why she escaped from the land of death, “When I saw her the first time her body was decomposing, her situation was worst but God does not look at the level of your situation when He wants to proves himself before men. Before coming to my church she had gone to other places where money was collected from her. But God showed her mercy and today she is carrying her baby. It proves that God is the Almighty, wonderful and can always do miracle, the bible said there is nothing impossible for him, if you can only believe. The doctor said the only way for her to conceive was to undertake the second operation. But today she has delivered the baby free, it is only God that can do it for those who believe and that is the kind of Miracle that God has been doing in this place.”

  • Amnesty deal, Jonathan and I, by Edem

    Amnesty deal, Jonathan and I, by Edem

    The former Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Ambassador Sam Edem, has kept silent for a long time. In this interview with reporters at his residence in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, he broke the silence.  Kazeem Ibrahym was there. 

    It’s on record that I conceived and delivered the Amnesty being enjoyed today (in the Niger Delta). (Militancy) was a serious security challenge and was not an external challenge but an internal challenge. Boko Haram started as an internal challenge but somehow it has accorded quasi external involvement. Now, in conflict resolution, you must use the carrot and stick approach. So, government must continue to use carrot and the stick to address Boko Haram.

     

    Lessons from Niger

    Delta Amnesty

     

    During the peak of the Niger Delta security crisis, I did what nobody did. I took a flying boat to the Creeks to sit down with the militants to understand their problem because I had told the then President that nobody was born a militant. While in Rwanda, one of the ministers told me he loved the Nigerian proverb that says, ‘Na something make crayfish bend!’ Incidentally, I sat down with them and saw their problems, I almost shed tears. There was no drinking water, what they drank was as black as charcoal. There was a hall, which served as a classroom during the day and at night they all slept there.

    The ground was permanently wet. My shoe was soaked all through and when I returned I told Mr. President, we have a problem. We had a listening president, so we started working on the problem. I told them they were living in sub-human conditions; mosquitoes were our guests, even drinking water was a severe challenge so why don’t we have a piece of understanding? I got all the assurances that the militants will honour the Amnesty and went back to inform my bosses that the boys had accepted a conditional Amnesty, which was what I asked for. It’s was “embrace liberty, surrender arms” and today there is peace in the Niger Delta.

    If there is a problem you don’t overreact, you address the problem. If you travel on the road and the bridge collapses do you curse the river or God? No, you see how to build a bridge to cross the river. That was what I did and thank God today everybody is crossing it happily. I believe with a good approach something good may come out of this problem with Boko Haram. Also, confident building is very important. The first thing I learnt in Management was Peace Building, Peace Enforcement and Peace Sustenance. You build the peace, enforce it and sustain it.

     

    Power sector reform

     

    His policies are good, the power sector reform is very vital. Without power there is no industrialisation, you cannot build industries running on generators. He is taking on the power sector head on and we must recall when this problem started. It started right from when Nigeria abandoned Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, ECN.

    ECN was compartmentalised; every city or state in Nigeria had ECN, Ibadan had theirs, which powered the entire city just as the one in Lagos powered the entire metropolis. ECN functioned very well and there was no power failure, but then the whole system was abolished and centralised, when Kanji came on board, it became a problem.

    Once, in my interaction with a former president of this country, who was my guest in Uganda, I told him, ‘Sir, if we had a Mercedes Benz bus, mechanically fitted, running from Sokoto to Lagos every day, with Mercedes engineers running the car, after a year the car will start breaking down and will affect the journey between these two cites but, if there are 50 Mercedes buses, running alternatively on the same route, we will have transportation between Sokoto and Lagos forever’.

    So, diversifying the power sector, as we are doing now, is the best thing to do. You can see that there is a lot of improvement. Nigeria cannot industrialize without power, so the President knows that the power sector is so vital to the growth of the economy, he tackles it equally.

     

    Railway reform

     

    In reforming infrastructure, he makes sure that the roads are no longer death traps and there are improvements. Above all, you have the rail way system because no country in the world can undertake haulage on the road.

    I was in Russia, Canada, India and other countries. In Russia, the major system of transportation is the rail system. What hundred trucks would carry, one coach in the railway system could carry it. So, he is tackling the railway system seriously too, except someone who does not want to see it.

    Like the biblical story of Moses and the bronze snake, there are some people who do not want to see what Jonathan is doing at all no matter how commendable they are because of their mindset. Nevertheless, that changes nothing because he is doing a good job.

     

    Aviation reform

     

    The aviation industry is another instance; if you were to go round the airports to see what is happening there, considering how they were ten years ago, compared with what they are today,  you will appreciate that somebody with good vision is tackling its reforms and that Jonathan has done a good job.

     

    Education reform

     

    There was an industrial action in the school system for about 11 months, there were “need assessment” by all the Universities, but all those challenges have been solved. When I spoke to my professor friend recently, he told me with a smile that they are doing well. They are faring better than before because government shut its eyes and gave over N100 billion for the reform of the University system, that is a statement for you.

    You cannot solve all the challenges in one day.  The President is not a magician, even if he was, for those who read the Bible, they say God, created the world in six days, he was so tired that he rested on the seventh day. So, those expecting Jonathan to transform Nigeria in one day are not realistic. It cannot be done in one year, not in two years, not in three years; I believe that in eight years the President can make a history. Eight years is almost like one decade, we can make our history and when you look at his score points in the past four years then there is hope for the next four years.

    Let us say he has scored 60 percent these past four years, by the time he ends the second term he might have scored about 95 percent because he is not starting but continuing with the projects. He is heading towards the continuation and finishing point for the projects. So, this group (Good Governance Support Group) totally supports President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term. We appeal to all Nigerians to support him for a second term.

     

    Building legacies

     

    Let us look at national problems as national problems and not the president’s problem. He is only trying as an umpire to see how best he can rally resources to solve these problems. Once in India, I was in a big park called Gandhi Park. In the park was a small house, inside which was a pair of eye glasses, a loin cloth and a pair of slippers, that is all the property Gandhi left behind yet he left something more than the eyes can see. He left a name behind; Nigerians should be working toward leaving a name behind. It is said ‘when wealth is gone, nothing is gone, when health is gone, something is gone but when character is gone, all is gone’.

    Let us therefore stop apportioning blame, let us identify national problems and address them, and let the president be. He is doing his best being at the helm of affairs of this terrible class room called (Nigerian) politics as the head master.

     

    Good Governance

    Support Group

     

    This Good Governance Support Group (GGSG), which I have initiated, will be in support of President Goodluck Jonathan, standing on the principle that governance (in Nigeria) is by rotation, for the first time in the history of this country as a nation state the Southsouth (Niger Delta) has produced a president.

    I also believe that the region has the full right to complete its mandate, which are two terms per zone; the South West completed theirs, the North West’s mandate was interrupted (in the first term) by natural intervention and Goodluck Jonathan, who was the vice president then was constitutionally appointed to complete that term before being elected to start his mandate for the Southsouth.

    Looking at the issue from two concepts firstly, that the Southsouth has a mandate to complete, they have finished one mandate and now about starting its second mandate. The Southsouth, which has been at the fore front of Nigerian unity since the civil war should be given a chance. If the region had worked against Nigeria during the civil war there would have been no Nigeria today.

    So, the Southsouth, which had been on the fore front of Nigeria’s unity and progress, is today asking the whole country to support its son, who is aspiring to contest the presidency for a second term. I have this to say, if you are driving a car on a rough terrain you adjust you gear as you drive along. There is something called the starting gear and the driving gear, so wherever the road is very rough you slow down and change gear. As you approach your destination or midway, you also wish to repair the bad portion of the road that has been giving you stress, that is governance.

     

    Meeting challenges

     

    As you go along in governance, you meet a lot of potholes and challenges, so you slow down and change gear, but come back to address those challenges. I believe in my heart that Jonathan is doing well, very well. But, Nigeria is a rough terrain that he is driving through. He cannot go at full speed, the car could break down. He has to drive very carefully and where he takes note of bad portions of the road he comes back to repair them, that is why we have the transformation agenda today.

    He is coming up with new ideas. Such rough terrain was the power sector. It was a rough terrain, which he tackled head on. He tackled infrastructure, head on. Oil sector, he tackled head on, so I believe that he needs the support of everyone. I stand by the conviction that he needs the support of everyone, people should support him.

    If you look at him as a person, he is a very humble person, very considerate and humane. I have a quotation at the entrance of my house by one great historian, which says “Of all the manifestations of power, restraint impresses me most”. So, to restrain the use of power is an attribute of leadership and that is what the president does. From a humble Christian family, taking on the rough terrain called Nigeria. He cannot go at reckless speed, he has to drive carefully.

    He has another four years, by the grace of God, to repair some of the very rough terrains and by the time he is through very few terrains will be left which are rough. I see that some criticism of Goodluck Jonathan is borne out of sentiments, ethnic analysis and religious convictions. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious therefore to harmonize these conflicting interests together and make it work is not an easy task. From all indications our president is doing that very well.

     

    Need for unity

     

    I have served in a country, as an Ambassador, where the president was a Muslim and the wife was a practicing Christian. So, on Sunday the wife goes to church while on Friday the husband goes to the mosque, it never affected their home. Therefore, if our central point is Nigeria, the focus is Nigeria, our interest Nigeria, our vision Nigeria, whether somebody is going to a mosque or to church should not be a factor because when they come back they will be under the same umbrella, the same building called Nigeria.

    Whether you speak Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Efik or Oro, you do so under the same umbrella called Nigeria. Without this umbrella, where will you speak from? So, it is so pertinent and important that we must protect this umbrella called Nigeria and in doing so, we must be realistic with leadership because leadership habours challenges. Even in the home there are challenges between the husband and wife, how much more for one man to take responsibility for over 160 million people?

     

    Akwa Ibom politics

    When I was in War College as a participant, we visited Nigeria Army 1 DIVISION Headquarters, Kaduna at the Auditorium there is an inscription saying “When you come here, what you see here, what you hear here, what you say here, when you depart here, leave it here”. I found that so wonderful. So that is my principle.

    Let me state it here clearly and stand to be challenged that if I had wanted to be the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2006, there were no serious challengers. People came to me saying ‘Sir, if you are contesting, we would like to step down for you’. I told them I’m not greedy for power that I have the challenge to bring peace to the Niger Delta and I’m not finished with that project, so I will not get in involved with the government of Akwa Ibom State in terms of governorship but will support whoever that the people believe will be a governor and I did exactly that.

     

    Relationship with Akpabio

     

    I don’t think we have told the world that we are quarrelling. Governor Akpabio is running a government and I don’t interfere in his government and I’m running my home and Akpabio is not interfering in my home. He minds his business and I mind my business. On my interest in the state, I’m seeing development in the state and I’m happy about it. I have seen the airport, the roads and stadium and I’m clapping for him.

  • A psychiatric hospital’s search for peace

    For peace to reign at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu in Benin City, the Edo State capital, heads have rolled. Will this now guarantee the peace that has eluded it since 2012? Osagie Otabor reports that all seems well now

    SUnday Olotu, the Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu in Benin City, the Edo State capital, can now sleep with both eyes closed. At least for now. His supposed ‘enemies’ within the hospital cadres have been kicked out.

    The hospital has known no peace since 2012 when Olotu was appointed Medical Director. Some of the hospital’s employees who felt that the most senior officer in the hospital should have been made MD put up a fight against Olotu.

    Moments after news of his appointment was leaked, the workers embarked on a three days warning strike to press the Federal Government to rescind its decision. Leaders of the workers union then said the appointment did not follow due process.

    At a joint press conference by the former chairman of Senior Staff Association (SSA), Kennedy Oriakhi, chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Clement Ogbezuode, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nosa Osatohanmwen, they said interview for the position “was tainted with massive fraud”.

    They had alleged then that a special promotion interview was conducted for Olotu few minutes before the interview for the post of an MD.

    Olotu resumed duty but the workers who felt former Acting Medical Director, Dr. Charles Ikeji, should be confirmed as the substantive head of the hospital, put up a fight.

    The petitions forwarded to former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu were much that the minister on a working visit to the hospital said the medical centre was not a designation for politicking.

    Prof. Chukwu warned workers of the hospital against raising unfounded allegations against Dr. Olotu and said Dr. Olotu was qualified for the job.

    He said: “There’s no gain when workers are on rampage or instigate media reports. I therefore implore trouble makers who want to play politics to resign because I will not tolerate such in a work place.

    “But if you have genuine petitions, be bold enough to put your name; and I assure you that the petitions would be looked into”, he added.

    Last month, four of the employees opposing Dr. Olotu’s appointment were sacked. The four affected employees were Mr. O.J Ugiagbe-Ogbeide, Theophilus Osifo, Dr. Ambrose Lawani and Pharmacist Kennedy Oriakhi. Two others including the former Acting MD, Dr. Ikeji and Mrs. O.U Morgan were placed on suspension.

    Trouble started for the affected staff when they were allegedly caught attempting to steal an official file belonging to a co-worker, Mrs. Taiwo Ifueko Agho, a former staff of the Edo State Primary Education Board who transferred her services to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric hospital.

    They were alleged to have given N2000 to one Sunday Adeche to help steal Mrs. Agho’s file and a driver to Dr. Ikeji, Onero Akerele was arrested at the scene of transaction after a tipped-off.

    Three days later, the hospital management pasted photographs of the affected staff around the hospital premises announcing their dismissal and suspension but the action did not go down well with the affected staff.

    Some of the affected employeesd a peaceful protest to the hospital and sealed up the premises. It took the intervention of policemen from Okhoro division before the hospital gates were opened. They were arrested, handcuffed and taken to the police station.

    Orhiakhi, one of the protesters said: “Management has been maltreating us. We only came here to demand why our names were removed without any letter and they beat us up.

    “We were kept at home for five months illegally without pay. I have never seen this kind of thing before. Those of us that came here were beaten up. We don’t know if it is a crime to ask for our money.”

    Dr. Ambrose who denied attempting to steal file said he was being victimised to be eased out of service.

    He urged the Ministry of Health and Federal Civil Service Commission to take necessary steps to redress all acts of injustice meted out on imaginary enemies of Dr. Olotu.

    Explaining why the staff were sacked and suspended, Chairman of the hospital management board, Dr. Abieyuwa Osemwenkha, traced the problems to the appointment of the Dr. Olotu as the hospital’s MD.

    According to her, “Some staff believe that appointment should be based on seniority and I made them understand that in the Civil Service, there is nothing like seniority in the appointment of MD. It is strictly a political appointment. All you need to qualify for MD is to have post five years of the field you belong to. You must be a consultant. You must be a psychiatrist.

    “The current MD came first, then acting MD came second. The President appointed who took first and that did not go down well with some staff who believe that the oldest person should be made the MD. The interview was done with guidelines from the Ministry of Health. These same individuals went to court and the court threw the case out.

    “We appeal to them and had meetings for them to sheath their sword. The cause of this recent incident was that a staff here transferred her services from the state to the federal. When you do a transfer of services, you merge your services and when you are due for promotion, you are promoted. She went for promotion interview and passed. These persons went to her former place of work and wanted to get her document. They paid money to a staff there and the persons they paid informed the woman.”

    Olotu said it took him six months to realise that the actions taken against his emergence were distractions.

    He said: “I decided to jettison all those side issues and focus on the mandate of Mr. President. I still see them as distractions. The extant rules of civil service has taken care of those distractions.

    “The dismissed staff remained dismissed and those suspended remained suspended until investigation is concluded. They had criminal charges preferred against them by the Nigeria police. They have been charged to court for falsification, threat to life and attempting to steal official document of a worker from where she was transferred from. It is a serious offence to be charged to court under the Public Service Regulations.

    “Talking about the past really doesn’t help, so the focus of my administration and management team is to move this hospital forward. I have been in this institution since June 1994. I started my training here and I finished my training here. I have been working as a Consultant for the past 12 years.”