The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Ogun PDP unfolds reconciliation agenda

    Ogun PDP unfolds reconciliation agenda

    Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Chief Bayo Dayo has waved the olive branch to the faction led by Senator Dipo Odujinrin, stressing that a divided house cannot make progress.

    He stressed the need for the aggrieved party chieftains to close ranks ahead of the next general elections in the state.

    Dayo spoke in Abeokuta, the state capital, shortly after the party’s national leadership directed the State Executive Committee to start operating from the PDP Secretariat.

    The national body also wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) , Mohammed Abubakar, to provide adequate security at the secretariat.

    In the last six months, the secretariat has been a bone of contention between the two factions. Thugs have invaded the office last year, sacking Dayo and his team. Later, the secretariat was sealed off by the police.

    A party chieftain, Prince Buruji Kashamu, said the directive by the national leadership followed the recognition of Dayo as the authentic chairman.

    Kashamu said the IGP has directed the Ogun State Commissioner of Police to guarantee the safety of the party officials., including the police, from harassing or arresting him when he takes charge at the Secretariat.

    Dayo urged the members of the Odujinrin faction to sheathe their swords and embrace peace. He promised to be fair to all in the discharge of his duties,.

    He said: “We have been going through a lot of problem that is not known to many people after the National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed this present executive in Ogun State. Some people are not happy about it and they have been writing series of letters, telling the police to arrest me; that I have said one thing or the other. But I have gone to the court and the court has restrained them.

    “We got an injunction that no police must arrest me , no police must ask me for anything, until the conclusion of the case. I have gone to court to enforce my fundamental human right and the court has granted an junction restraining the police from harassing me anywhere, which means that I am free person”, he said.

     

  • My plan for 2015, by Bamidele

    My plan for 2015, by Bamidele

    House of Representatives member Opeyemi Bamidele spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on Ekiti politics and 2015 general elections.

     

    There are speculations that you want to run for the governor- ship election. Is it true?

    I am one man who believes in timing. I am one man who believes in strategy. whatever I want to do, there must be a strategy of doing it. There also must be timing for it. When I feel it is time for me to make an open declaration, I will. I have a passion for Ekiti. Politics is about love. I love this state passionately and I say without fear of any contradiction that Ekiti people love me. They love me genuinely. The only question that I have to answer myself is, as to when am I going to be running, am I running in 2014?, 2018? Whether or not I will or I will not run for governorship in Ekiti, I think have gone past that. Definitely I will. The only thing left to announce is the timing and that is why I say the timing strategy is something that I take very seriously and It is not going to be too long. But I am watching events. I am consulting and very soon, I will let the people know where I stand on this issue.

    So, you are not endorsing the governor for a second term?

    As far as I am concerned, the issue is not whether or not the two senators and five other House of Representatives members from Ekiti have endorsed Dr. Fayemi for second term. I consider it extremely unfortunate that in the last one year, people have tried to make the possibility or otherwise of Governor Fayemi spending a second term in office as an issue. I feel they have been unfair to the nation and Ekiti State and I also don’t think they are doing Dr Fayemi any good. We had his one year anniversary in office on the October 16, 2011 and some characters from that ceremony had begun to distribute leaflets and souvenirs announcing the second term bid of the governor. I thought it was immoral. I have no apology, if my objection to this style has attracted the wrath of some people. There has to be a clear line of demarcation between governance and politics. Politics has to do with our own narrow, sometimes selfish political or ideological interest and governance has to do with overriding public interest, regardless of what is political, ideological, religious or ethnic affiliations or origin. And I feel that there should be a time for politics. You cannot convince me that one year into office, you cannot spend the next two, three years making rigorous issues and campaign about second term. If you do that, you will mislead the governed and create a bad image for the administration. That is my own position on Ekiti. I have no objection for anybody endorsing Governor Fayemi for a second term, but I am convinced that one million endorsements from Senator Ojudu cannot translate to an additional vote for any aspirant.

    Are you aware of the difficulty of challenging a sitting governor and the peculiarity of your party ACN?

    Well, let me put it this way. Mark my word, when I interchangeably use the word aspiration and ambition. An ambition has to do with the broad understanding of what ought to be, on what you expect to do or what you hope to be able to achieve. Aspiration has to d o with your specific desire, either you want to get to that place yourself or want to help someone get there, or be part of a platform to get there. As to ambition, my ambition in Ekiti is to have a better, united and well developed state where there will be security of life and property and infrastructural development. That is my ambition and that is what people are quarreling with me as far as I am concerned. My aspiration has been consistent and it is going to remain so, regardless of who is governor of Ekiti.It is about Ekiti first. Your question is whether or not I feel I could defeat an incumbent. I don’t think this is peculiar to Ekiti. About the party, I will say this again that I believe ACN as a party. Given the current political dispensation, giving international political best practices and given the much needed desire to have a united front within the party, I don’t think ACN as a party will encourage any kind of imposition. If I chose to aspire, there will be free and fair primaries and at best, the party will be interested in presenting a candidate that is capable of winning a general election for the party. I said that in order not to appear like I am running away from the question. But in the event that I choose to run for election in 2014, I will weigh the various options and come up with my own ideas of how best I feel I can emerge and it may be sooner than you think.

    Are you in good terms with the governor and the party hierarchy?

    I am in consultation with the party hierarchy and I meet with the governor from time to time. Do I have to visit the governor? If I find myself in the State House, for instance, it depends on what we called a visit. If the governor calls for a meeting I will attend; if the party calls for meeting I will attend. The governor might be there.I try to take personalities out of this issue, so that the whole thing doesn’t look like i a personality clash.

    When last did the governor call you?

    The only meeting that I remember not attending was when I was away in South Africa and the governor met with the National Assembly caucus. That was February, and the meeting was in Abuja and of course, the governor himself knew I was in South Africa. That is the only meeting that I can remember and everybody knew where I was.

    What about the speculation that you are planning to contest the governorship under another platform?

    I am glad you use the word speculation and I think the speculation has become open. Some people paid for posters announcing that I was running for governorship on the platform of Labour Party. They are trying to make it open. Again, I emphasize that whatever I am running for is going to be under the platform of the ACN, ACN of today, or if tomorrow we get registered as APC, on the platform of APC.

    Let me put it to you directly. Would you support Fayemi for a second term?

    I will put it this way. If this is actually an attempt to put me on the spot, I’d say it is a good one. The question you are asking is as good as asking Dr. Fayemi a similar question. I would say that Governor Fayemi is my person and all the other five governors elected on the platform of the ACN are my persons. Because you asked the governor a question specifically about me and he told you that Opeyemi is my person and I am also confirming to you that Governor Fayemi and all the other governors elected on the platform of the ACN. As far as I am concerned, the issue of second term is much more fundamental than what people are talking about. I will not talk about the second term of someone, just one year into office or two year into office. I will not celebrate the achievements at a time that I am supposed to join other leaders of the party and other elected representatives of the people to be encouraging the administration to do more work.

    When you see yourself as a change agent, it comes with a lot of risk, a lot of denials, but God sees my heart that I mean well for the state. I mean well for democracy and I am not the aggressively ambitious man that some people are trying to portray in different quarters and I am not apologetic for my philosophy, that I carry in my own head and my commitment to change and passion and drive for speedy change.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    What is responsible for the fued between you and Senator Babafemi Ojudu?

    I will say that Senator Ojudu is so paranoid about me and about what I do, and to the glory of God, what people say about me on the streets of Ekiti. He feels that at the very least, I would go after his senatorial seat in 2015 and in an attempt to do this, he also done everything that he can to build an alliance with other people. Early enough, he started creating the impression that I was preparing to run for governor. Ojudu also needed to fuel that kind of rumour to ensure that he got Governor Fayemi and I at loggerheads to protect his own interest. Senator Babafemi Ojudu, since April 2010 that he took the membership card of Action Congress of Nigeria, the party has not known peace in Ekiti and that is consistent with his own antecedents. He became a card carrying member of ACN in 2010 and before then, he had interacted very closely and very broadly with the PDP. Ask Ekiti people, who was standing next to Chief Ayo Fayose on the campaign rostrum of PDP in 2002 and 2003. He was the closest person to Fayose until almost two years into his administration, until they quarreled. And as soon as they quarreled he became the chief organizer of the anti-Fayose campaign to get him out of office. while all of us were campaigning for Dr. Fayemi to be governor of Ekiti State between 2005 and 2007, Senator Ojudu worked for Segun Oni and I don’t think any of us begrudged him for it. He was the closest person to Segun Oni and Governor Segun Oni gave him the only hotel of the state, Fountain Hotel, to manage.

    Up till 2010 he was not a card carrying member of any party.He would not have a leader to whom he could defer to. That is why no one could do to him what they did to me in Jnuary 2011 when people appealed to me to surrender a mandate that was freely and popularly given to me by Ekiti people. More than half of whatever crises that ACN has been witnessing today has been occasioned by the manipulation of Senator Babafemi Ojudu. It would be funny for somebody like him to say that he is endorsing any candidate for a second term. If you ask me with respect to the politics of Ekiti and the rating of the people, he is not more than a footnote.

     

     

     

     

     

    What is your reaction to the statement byto a senator from your state about Ekiti politics?

    Among other things I chose to react to two conclusions made by Senator Ojudu, the first one has to do with the state of the nation and the allusion that it will take God himself to come down and solve the problem, I want to say that I found that hypocritical and a disservice to the people of Ekiti Central Senatorial District who elected him into office.

    For the record I want to say again, that I ran for the senatorial race in Ekiti and for the record I want to say again that by the grace of God and the support of the people, I won the primary of the party. Again, for the record, I want to say that in the overriding interest of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the appeal made by the national leadership of the party and again as a Christian, who believe that it is God who makes princes and princesses, and that He has his own timing for every one of us, I chose to be the good boy of the party, unfortunately, a lot of people were assuming that I will always chose to be the good boy.

    In 2011, I chose to be the good boy of the party and concede it, not to Babafemi Ojudu, but to the national leadership of the party because I won that mandate and I gave it back to the leadership of the party to hand it over to Babafemi Ojodu. And this interview will be the third major statement that will be issued. Sometimes around July last year, Ojudu, through the PM News, issued a statement alluding to the fact that he wanted to set the record straight regarding the central senatorial election 2011 and said a lot of things, people called me, those who voted for me felt aggrieved; everybody expected me to react, till today I refused to react and I am sure that must have been the things that gave him the courage to also say what he had to say about me two weeks ago. But today, my position is that if you had served as a journalist for almost three decades and had served as Managing Editor of one of the respected news magazines in this country before being elected as Senator, one would expect you to have an idea of what you are going to do in the Senate and have an idea of what is wrong with Nigeria, because you don’t want to give me the impression that you are running a public office without having an idea of what you are going to do there or without an idea of what was wrong with Nigeria; that is the first thing, also I want to say that I am personally amused by the style Senator Ojudu has adopted, all the issues he raised in his interviews I believed, were issues that he could use the floor of the Senate to address. If you are elected as senator, and in one and a half years you cannot be found to have spoken two times. And if you are elected as a senator and in 21 months all you have is one motion to your credit on NSCDC which is to be debated by the Senate. If in 21 months you have not been able to state any categorical position and there is no policy statement that can be credited to you and you are using pages of newspapers to condemn everything being done in the Senate, condemn the leadership of the Senate, condemn the presidency and conclude that only God himself would have to come down to solve the problem of Nigeria, I feel that is disservice to the nation and to the people who elected him and as far as I am concerned, the Senate rules are clear, they provide for point of order; the rule says a point of order must be heard at all times.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Can Agbaso escape impeachment?

    Can Agbaso escape impeachment?

    As the plot to shove aside Imo State Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso thickens, Correspondent OKODILI NDIDI writes on the tribulations of an embattled politician caught in the web on 2015 high wire politics.

     

    The storm is gathering. The state is polarised over the sensitive issue. There is a big question mark on the move by the Imo State House of Assembly to impeach the Imo State Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso. But, to the lawmakers, there is no going back.

    Agbaso is under investigation for an alleged N458 million bribe. The number two citizen has denied the allegation. His supporters have cried foul, alleging that he was being victimised. But the camp of Governor Rocha Okorocha are insisting that Agbaso’s time is up.

    The actions of the House have been dismissed by the supporters of the deputy governor as stage managed to push Agbaso out of the way, ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    The proponents of this view were not swayed by the fact that the ad-hoc committee set up by the House to investigate the financial allegations against Agbaso by a contractor handling road projects in the state indicted Agbaso of the crime and subsequently proceeded to impeach him.

    Agbaso, a former Commissioner of Works and Transport, was accused of abusing the privileges of his position by corruptly enriching himself.

    But in a spirited attempt to belittle the weight of the accusations brought against him and to curry public sympathy, the deputy governor said that his travail was politically motivated. He alleged that certain people were eager to get him out of the way so that his boss would not be challenged in his second term bid.

    He disclosed that the governor, who he accused of witch-hunting him, signed an agreement with his elder brother, Chief Martins Agbaso, to serve only one term and handover to his brother who gave him (Okorocha) the platform to emerge as governor in 2011.

    Agbaso also accused Okorocha of inducing the members of the House with financial gratifications to move against him. “The contractor that has been falsely accusing me was actually nominated by Okorocha, who approved the payment of N1.3billion to the contractor for a job not yet done”, he added.

    The deputy governor’s brother, Chief Martin Agbaso, described the deputy governor as a victim of political manipulations, ahead of the 2015.

    “We are a hard working family and do not indulge in fraud. So, I can state authoritatively that the deputy governor, who is my blood brother, is framed up because of politics. He could not have committed the offence for which he is vilified”, he maintained.

    Hard as the deputy governor tries to extricate himself from the allegation, public interest in the ongoing probe of the contract scam by the House has continued to heighten with a call on the lawmakers to ensure that, if Agbaso was culpable of the financial crime, he should be impeached and prosecuted.

    The House of Assembly, in a swift response to the deputy governor’s claim, restated that he was indicted by the report of the ad-hoc committee, which independently investigated the allegation against him.

    In a statement signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon Acho Ihim, the House insisted that Agbaso was merely wiping up sentiment by employing cheap political blackmail to divert public attention from the issues of embezzlement and abuse of office.

    The Commissioner of Information, Mr. Chinedu Offor, also described his statements as diversionary and unfounded.

    “His Excellency, the Deputy Governor, should face the serious issue of corruption raised by the ad-hoc committee, which is investigating him over an allegation of N458 million scam, instead of trivializing the issue. Governor Okorocha does not interfer with the autonomy of the House and cannot control the on-going probe”, he said.

    Although Okorocha has kept mum on the probe, he is said to be embittered by the alleged actions of his deputy, who he trusted with the Works Ministry to give him a sense of belonging.

    A source close to the governor, who pleaded anonymity, said that “the governor took his deputy like a younger brother and had to allow him certain privileges, which saw him emerged as the Works Commissioner. This position made it possible for him to negotiate for the award and payment of contracts, but he seemed to have abused the privileges”.

    However, the travail of Agbaso started when a construction Firm, JPROS International Nig. Ltd, abandoned the construction of Sam Mbakwe Road, after receiving full payment for the job.

    The protests that trailed it prompted the House to set up a six-man committee headed by Hon. Simeon Iwunze to investigate the allegations of fraud and indiscriminate award of contract against the deputy governor.

    During the investigation, the Managing Director of the company, which earlier abandoned the three kilometer road after receiving payment, Joseph Dina, confessed that he paid N458 million to the deputy governor as inducement to get more road contracts.

    After series of meetings between the deputy governor and the contractor, the ad-hoc committee, in its report, insisted that the deputy g`overnor has a case to answer in the N458 million contract scam

    Even, some top government officials who watched the video tape, concluded that, with what they had seen, it will be difficult for the deputy governor to wriggle out.

    Many individuals and groups have called on the House to live up to its billing and resist any pressure to abandon the probe.

    The Imo State branch of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) expressed worry over the development. Its Chairman, Eze Duruiheoma (SAN), said that “the on-going indictment of the deputy governor by the House shows that all is not well in the state.

    “Something is definitely wrong with a system where the governor approves the payment of a whole contract sum without the certificate of performance and what is more worrisome is the speed with which the government embarked on new projects without designs and budgetary allocations.

    “The government has commenced one thousand road projects without designs and asked contractors to execute them and majority of those projects were not captured in the state budgets and today, they have not been paid for. Today, everyone has seen what we are talking about the government, which refused to pay indigenous contractors, but paid a Lebanese over a billion naira for a job not done”.

    The PDP chieftain however, clarified that the party is more concerned with the volume of fraud that was unearthed by the House than the impeachment of the deputy governor. “Who knows how many of such illegal payments have been made to contractors that have not been discovered? The system is truly sick. The House should dig deeper and it will discover other mind boggling fraud perpetrated by Okorocha’s government”.

    Another group, the Conference of Imo Progressive Youths (CIPY), supported the move by the House to probe Agbaso.

    The group, in a statement signed by its secretary, Wilson Ajawara, and zonal coordinators; Jude Oduoma (Orlu Zone),Ifeanyi Onweyiajoa (Okigwe Zone), and Ike Njoku (Owerri Zone), urged the lawmakers to resist pressure from politicians to jettison the probe.

    “Any callous criminality against Imo State is unacceptable to us. The use of our mandate to rob us is condemnable and we condemn it in totality”, added the group.

    The group charged the legislators to remain focused in the discharge of their constitutional duties, stressing that, “it is the responsibility of the House of Assembly to check the excesses of the other arms of government, hence, our clarion call for the lawmakers to rise to the occasion”.

    The Owerri Zone Political Forum (OZOPOF) called for an unbiased investigation to unravel the true position of the matter to ensure that no one is punished unjustly.

    The chairman of the forum, Chief Charles Amadi, who led other members of the group in solidarity to the Agbaso’s family, said that, “although they are not in support of corruption, the lawmakers should ensure that no one is punished unjustly, but should extend the investigation to every party mentioned in the allegation”.

    A political analyst, Dr Temple Uzoaru, submitted that a financial crime has been allegedly committed by the deputy governor. “Whatever agreement the Agbaso family had with Governor Okorocha on 2015 is not the business of Imo people. What we are demanding is accountability from our leaders. We are watching to see how this whole drama will end. There should not be any scapegoat in the matter. All parties involved should be brought to book”.

     

  • Disregard petition against Akume, Nasarawa ACN urges Senate

    Disregard petition against Akume, Nasarawa ACN urges Senate

    Nasarawa State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has urged the Senate to disregard the petition on the certificate forgery against the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume.

    The party described the allegation as political blackmail aimed at creating a hollow in the good record of the former Benue State governor. The acting chairman of the party, Mr. Bashir Jabiru, a lawyer, lamented the plot by political foes to tarnish the image of the accomplished politician.

    He said the allegation was baseless and lacked substance, urging the Seante to ignore it.

    The party in the north central warned that they are capable of staging a peacefull protest to the National Assembly complex to present a contrary view if the political enemies of the senate minority leader persist.

    In his words: “We wish to condemn in the strongest term, the petition leveled against the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Gorge Akume by a faceless anti progress politician.

    “The allegation is mere balckmail of the Senator.We urge the Senate to disregard it, to protect the good image of the Senator.

    “If the enemy persist, our chapter is capable of moblising the whole North Central zone to stage a peacefull demostration at the National Assembly complex”, he said.

     

  • ‘No force can frustrate merger ‘

    ‘No force can frustrate merger ‘

    A  group, the ‘Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Total Loyalty’ has said that no force can frustrate the merger of the progressive parties. The group said in a statement by its leader, Alhaji Oluwatoyin Balogun, that the plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the All Progressives Congress (APC) will collapse, urging the merger leaders not to waver in spirit.

    Balogun said: “The PDP has lost is political relevance, making the birth of the APC more compelling”. The INEC threat is an empty one. If the electoral commission carries it out, it will be a deservice to democracy”.

    The group lamented that 14 years of PDP have been a waste, adding that it has no justification to remain in power beyond 2015.

    Balogun said: “If after 14 years of governance, they cannot provide the basic amenities, including good road, electricity, security, good health facility, despite huge resources at their disposal. What the country needs is good leadership.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Delta leaders hail Dafinone at 86

    Delta leaders hail Dafinone at 86

    Delta State leaders have praised the leadership qualities Senator David Dafinone, who recently clocked 86, describing him as “the most distinguished Deltan alive today”.

    They said that the renowned accountant and astute politician has served his state, country and humanity as an administrator and politician.

    Thehe Chairman of Delta Politicians, Businessmen and Professional Forum, Mr. Abel Minna, noted that Dafinone has erected legacies that cannot be destroyed, urging the younger elements to emulate him.

    He added:“ His contributions to the development of the Northern Nigeria, defunct Bendel State and the Urhobo nation are impossible to estimate. The home of the renowned accountant and politician for years was a fountain of quality advice, inspiration, encouragement, hope and material support to community leaders, politicians, professionals and businessmen”.

     

  • Can Mimiko weather the storm of litigation?

    The Ondo State governorship contest has moved from the ballot box to the court room. Correspondent DAMISI OJO writes on the litigation and the challenges that will confront Governor Olusegun Mimiko, if he survives the legal hurdles.

    Five months after, the October 20, 2012 governorship election is inconclusive in Ondo State.

    Five political parties – Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Accord Party (AP) and People for Democratic Change (PDC), initially filed petitions before the State Election Tribunal sitting in Akure to contest the victory of Governor Olusegun Mimiko at the poll.

    They complained that the election was rigged in favour of the Labour Party (LP) candidate.

    However, before the pre-hearing stage, the petitions of the CPC, Accord and PDC were struck out on technical ground by the tribunal, chaired by Justice A. Kaka. But the tribunal has to contend with the petitions of ACN, its candidate, Olurotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and that of his PDP counterpart, Chief Olusola Oke.

    Akeredolu has closed his case after presenting huge documentary evidence to back his claim that the poll was characterised by massive rigging..

    Akeredolu brought 80 witnesses to testify that the election was manipulated in favour of the governor.

    Already, witnesses called by PDP’s candidate, Oke, have been appearing since last week to fault the same election.

    Later, the tribunal will give its judgment on whether Mimiko actually won the election or not.

    But there is no vacuum in the exalted office. On February 24, Mimiko took the oath of office administered by the Chief Judge, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi for a second term in office.

    The governor excited listed his achievements in the last four years, promising to build on them in his second term.

    However, many people have disputed the achievements. They say that Mimiko has not fully justified the confidence reposed in him by the people.

    According to the Coordinator of the Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership (MGGEL), Mr. Kunle Bello, Mimiko’s stay in power for a second term may be short-lived.

    He hinged his claim on the fact that the LP administration is unpopular, stressing that it did not win the last governorship election.

    Bello asked Mimiko to reflect on what he promised in 2009 and how he had failed to fulfil the promises.

    The coordinator said the promise to create jobs has become a tall dream, adding that the Arigidi Tomato Paste Industry, Okeluse Cement factory, Olokola Free Trade Zone, Okitipupa Oil Mill, Oluwa Glass Industry and other companies owned by the state are in distress.

    He said that unemployment had soared in the state because these companies have been on their knees.

    The spokesman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, shared this sentiment.

    Fadaka said the fortunes of the state have continued to dwindle since February, 2009 when the present government came on board.

    He said: “The present government has been celebrating the management of the economy of the state from credit to debit.”

    A political analyst, John Olaoye, described the past four years of LP administration as retrogressive and traumatic for the masses.

    He said many projects were abandoned, lamenting that industries that should provide jobs for the army of unemployed indigenes are moribund

    Olaoye complained that the government had embarked on projects that have no impact on the citizenry. He said the huge amount of money being allocated to the state regularly was being wasted on frivolities.

    “Ondo is an oil-producing state. Therefore, the people are full of expectation. Today, unemployed youths have become ‘Okada’ riders.

    “The road networks in the state are in bad shape.Many roads are in deplorable condition.”

    Observers pointed out that within the past four years, there was no road construction; not a single kilometer built on a virgin land, except mending and patching in few areas.

    Besides, there are some abandoned projects initiated by former Governor Olusegun Agagu, which his successor has not completed.

    Mimiko is conscious of these lapses. He has promised to take governance closer to the people in the next four years. He has assured the people of a better deal.

    Mimiko said: “We will ensure the completion of all outstanding projects; we will also unveil a new stream of programme that would improve the quality of our people”.

    The governor said his administration would focus on job creation through innovative and durable programmes that would engender sustainable livelihood.

    He said the government would undertake a 30 MW independent power project in Ore to provide electricity. Mimiko said this will attract investors to the state.

    On the controversial international events centre, ‘The Dome’, Mimiko promised to deliver the project this year as part of efforts to boost tourism.

  • ‘Jonathan should tackle marginalisation’

    President Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to redress the imbalance in the oil block allocations to erase the feeling of ethnic marginalisation and domination.

    A political scientist, Prof. Opeyemi Ola, said that the skewed allocation should be investigated further by the National Assembly, adding that other stakeholders, including the labour, bar association and civil society groups, should speak out against the discrimination and injustice.

    Ola, a Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, said the “outrageous, provocative and devastating” revelations by the National Assembly have vindicated the agitations by militants that the oil-producing states have been short-changed by the Federal Government for too long.

    He hailed the legislature for enlisting on the side of equity and fairness, urging the progressive wing of the National Assembly to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet.

    Ola enjoined the federal government to seize the oil blocks from those who have possessed them through foul means, adding that they should be re-allocated in accordance with due process.

    “This is the revelations of all revelations. It has revealed the inequality between the North and the South. Politics is the science of allocation of values and sharing of the commonwealth. Equity should prevail. Why should the ownership of the allocation of the oil situated in the South be entirely in the North where there is no oil well? Those who did it do not mean well for Nigeria. This cannot augur well for national integration”.

    The former university don urged the National Assembly to resist pressures from powerful quarters in the course of investigating the skewed allocation. He queried: “Who did the allocation? The President or NNPC? Who owns these oil blocks? How much wealth have they made from this imbalanced allocation? Have they used them to develop the economy, the manufacturing sector? How many youths have they employed?”

  • Taraba acting governor in eye of storm

    Taraba acting governor in eye of storm

    Many challenges have confronted Taraba State Acting Governor Garba Umar in the last 100 days. Senior Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO examines the journey so far.

    Taraba State Deputy Governor Garba Umar did not anticipate the responsibilities now enthrusted

    on his shoulders. But when his boss, Governor Danbaba Suntai, was hit by the blow of fate, the mantle of leadership fell on him. One hundred days after be became the acting governor, the challenges are still undaunting. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

    From being a spare tyre, Umar started to exercise executive powers. Commissioners and special advisers who had snubbed him as a powerless deputy had to fall in line. Powerful elements who had by-passed him in the past had to curry his favours. As he inherited fame, his political troubles also multiplied.

    The man of the moment came to power by sheer providence. He had little hurdles to cross on the way to the pre-eminent position. He was selected by the ailing Governor Suntai to replace the impeached deputy governor, Alhaji Sani Danladi.

    Umar was sworn in as deputy governor on October 5, last year, at a ceremony witnessed by many stakeholders. His boss described his appointment as the number two citizen as an act of God, adding that he would be a dependable ally.

    Barely 20 days after, on October 25, Suntai was involved in a helicopher crash. He was the pilot. The governor was flown to Hannover, Germany, where he is recuperating. Consequently, the House of Assembly invoked Section 190 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowered Umar to hold forte for his boss.

    As he inherited power, he also inherited many challenges. These challenges had taxed his boss to the brim. Umar became the administrator of a polarised state. Civil servants are fractioned into camps. The division within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also stares him in the face. The acting governor’s challenge has been how to choose between two devil’s alternatives. He wanted to impress many. He did mot want to offend any.

    Umar is still at crossroads. Should he extend the olive branch to his boss’ perceived foes or continue to antagonise them? This is a big puzzle.

    When he was sworn-in, he promised not to betray the trust reposed in him by his boss, adding that he was a “child of circumstance”. As the governor, he is also the acting party leader. But the ruling PDP has witnessed a lull in party activities. Party chieftains are protesting the legitimacy of the election that brought the state chairman, Mr. Victor Bala, to office. The 67 year-old acting governor is also under stress as he tries to resolve the division in the troubled chapter. It is a hard nut for himto crack. Many think that he has chosen to be on the fence.

    Umar has promised to continue with Suntai’s programmes. This means that he will not change or appoint any commissioner or adviser. He also said that Suntai’s projects would not be abandoned. That also means that Umar has not really taken up the gauntlet to be his own man .The acting governor is afraid that, if he attempts a novel programme, he would be accused by Suntai’s men of disloyalty. Umar has consistently submitted that “it is one and the same government”. But his supporters are mounting pressures on him to vie for the governorship in 2015. This is distracting him from concentrating on the his current assignment.

    In the last 100 days, the state has witnessed religious and ethnic crises that led to the killing of over 310 persons and destruction of property worth billions of naira. It started in Ibi Local Government Area where a clash between Muslims and Christians left over 10 people dead, and churches, mosques, commercial and residential buildings torched. In Wukari, what started as a mere football pitch argument between two amateur players, sparked an orgy of violence. The acting governor was sad and infuriated. “I am shock. I am saddened. Everybody is saddened with what has happened”, he said,` after inspecting the scenes of destruction.

    Umar acknowledged that “the crisis has taken Taraba State several steps backward”. He blamed the hostilities on unemployment and promised to create “thousands of jobs this year to engage the youths, to curb youth restiveness”. He put traditional rulers and council chairmen on their toes, saying that they would responsible for any violent act in their domain.

    Local governments in the state depends on the federal allocations to survive. The rural state is poor and internally generated revenue is small. The acting governor said he will pursue an aggressive revenue-generating plan to ensure adequate funds for project funding. Although, he has not put in place for the machineries to generate the internal revenue, he had succeeded in bridging the financial loopholes.

    His supporters have applauded his decision to cut down this year’s budget by N436.5 million, when compared with his boss’ appropriation bill of last year. Suntai’s budget for this year was N73.8 billion and Umar’s is N73.4 billion. “I want to avoid a deficit budget, which would give me problems”, he said.

    Many have alleged that Suntai had starved some ministries of funds and other ministries get more than what is usually appropriated for them in the annual budgets. Following the allegation of skewed budget implementation, Umar, who described himself a different manager, said that “funds will be released to implement programmes and projects that are only built in the budget”. He also promised to provide monthly running cost for the ministries, which Suntai did not provide for many years. If he does that, he would be putting smiles on the faces of the commissioners. But at the same time, he would have offended his boss.

    Another challenge is the pressure mounted on him by his allies to dissolve the cabinet and appoint new commissioners and special advisers. But Umar is treading softly. He has publicly said: “I will continue with everything Suntai”. This means he will not temper with any of Suntai’s appointees, even, if they are not loyal to him.

    The acting governor has established a cordial relationship with the legislature and the ruling party. The House of Assembly and the party is also supporting him. After he was empowered to act, the lawmakers approved for him a supplementary budget of N10 billion for last year. The Assembly also passed a vote of confidence on the acting governor, describing his leadership approach as legendary. The PDP national secretariat also applauded him for effective service delivery.

    Umar has tried to be more frugal with the state resources. He is said to have saved about 30 percent of the state’s wealth. “If he was a profligate, he would not have paid the debts, which the state hitherto owed some banks via less than-transparent processes that resulted into over N3.5 billion overdraft”, said a source.

    Tackling corruption is a big challenge for Umar. He owes the state vivid explanations on how the flood relief funds were expended. Before the crash, Governor Suntai had put in place a committee chaired by Umar to ensure that the N400 million given to Taraba by the federal government impacts positively on the flood victims. Unfortunately, the funds were allegedly misappropriated. The affected persons are reportedly crying foul.

    It has not been easy governing a religious-conscious state where Christians and Muslims fight over the soul of Taraba. Initially, Umar was perceived as a religious chauvinist, when his Muslim brothers jubilated Suntai’s crash with the rumour that the governor had died. Umar changed the perception when he stopped Muslim-led pressure groups from protesting the prolonged absence of the governor, although the protests would have been to his favour.

    In his response to those urging him to instigate a process that could make him become the substantive governor, Umar said: “An acting governor is the governor. When you are acting, like in my case, you are the governor. I have all the powers that the constitution gives a governor. I prepared the 2013 budget and I am paying workers’ salaries. So, what power again? And it is the same government. The only difference is that the people are feeling the absence of my boss.”

    Umar is uncomfortable with the surging population of aides. His personal aides and those working with his boss often clash over who should do what. He has applied the brakes effectively to prevent both groups from nursing hostile grudges against one another.

    The acting governor has friends and foes. His friends want him to become the governor. His foes are aggrieved about the prospect. If he acts well in the absence of Suntai, Umar would silently turn the people’s worry into hope. He has an opportunity to shine; to correct Suntai’s wrongs, complete the projects initiated by his boss and defend his programmes. But, if he fails, he will incur the public anger and make the people feel the absence of the governor.

    What Taraba people want is good governance. They yearn for transformation. With or without Suntai, they yearn for socio-economic and infrastructural development.

  • ‘APC will rule Taraba’

    Former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Taraba State, Senator Joel Ikenya, has applauded the birth of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that it will successfully wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

    The politician said that the people of Taraba State looked forward to the formal registration of the mega party buy the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Ikenja, who spoke on the phone with our correspondent, lamented that PDP had ruined the economy and puaperised Nigerians, in spite of the vast natural resources in the country.

    He said the people of Taraba State have continued to groan under the yoke of the ruling party, adding that its leaders are insensitive to the plightof the masses.

    Ikenya described the 2015 as the year of liberation from the PDP, advising Nigerians to gird their loins. He said, with the birth of the APC, rigging by the PDP will become a hard option.

    He said: “The birth of the APC is laudable. It has given up to the people of Taraba. ACN and CPC are strong in Taraba. With ANPP now in the fold, we will defeat the PDP. We look forward to the national conventions of the ACN, ANPP and CPC when the merger will be formally consumated. PDP has nothing to offer to the people of Taraba. We are tired of a party that cannot perform”.