Category: SouthEast

A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, has set aside the judgment of Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja division of the court, which nullified the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) primaries of May 28 and 29, 2022 in Ebonyi State that produced Dr. Ifeanyi Odii and other candidates of the party.

Justice Nyako had on December 8, 2022, nullified the primaries and directed the party to conduct a fresh one within 14 days.

Nyako’s judgment followed a suit by Mr. Okoroafor Okorie against the PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The court agreed with the counsel for the plaintiff that the May 28 and 29, 2022 PDP primaries that produced Odii and other PDP candidates were conducted in flagrant disobedience of the order of the Court of Appeal, staying the execution of the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, which had declared Joseph Onu as the Ebonyi State chairman of the party.

Not satisfied with Justice Nyako’s judgment, the PDP filed a motion to set aside the judgment on the grounds that it was obtained by fraud.

The matter was subsequently transferred by the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court to the Abakaliki division of the court, following Justice Nyako’s recusal from the matter, over allegation of being biased.

Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Fatun Riman of the Abakaliki division of the court agreed with the counsel for the PDP, Michael Igbo that the judgment by an Abuja division of the court nullifying the May 28 and 29, 2022 PDP primaries in Ebonyi State was obtained by trick by the plaintiff, Mr. Okorie and consequently set it aside.

The court also agreed with the PDP counsel that if Justice Nyako was made to be aware of the facts and circumstances of the matter, he wouldn’t have given the judgment in the first place.

The court further agreed with Igbo that “once a Supreme Court has made a pronouncement on an issue, you cannot by any trick bring back the matter again to a lower court for adjudication.”

A Niger Delta group, Policy Alert, has raised the alarm that the N120billion loan approved by the state’s legislature may be diverted for politicking rather than capital projects.

It said the loan approval fuelled the suspicion that the resources could be used for politicking rather than for capital projects, especially when Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the speaker of the assembly a governorship candidate.

The body urged the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) to cause an investigation of the loan approval by the Delta Assembly.

It enjoined the FRC to activate its power provided by Section 2(1b) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007), whether any person had violated any provision of the Act in the loan approval.

It described Delta government’s plan to obtain a fresh loan of N120billion, despite its heavy domestic debt burden, as “condemnable”.

Delta State House of Assembly on January 26 approved two loan requests of N100billion and N20billion for the state government.

The group, in a statement by its Programme Officer, Governance Reforms and Anti-Corruption, Faith Paulinus, said the fresh loans, when added to the current debt stock of the state, would drive Delta State closer to an unsustainable debt profile.

It noted that “these recent borrowings are in contravention of the federal and state fiscal responsibility laws, which mandate state governments to present to the public through the legislature, a clear cost-benefit analysis for proposed loans and to demonstrate that the loan will not push the government into an unsustainable debt situation and will be spent on self-liquidating capital projects.”

It called on the House of Assembly to “reverse this latest loan approval, in the interest of the state and future generations.”

Bayelsa State Government has expressed concern about the growing menace of substandard and fake drugs being sold and consumed in the state.

Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo bared his mind on the development yesterday when Bayelsa State branch of the Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs) of Nigeria visited him in his office at the Government House, Yenagoa.

He said pharmacists occupied a prime place in any fight targeted at curbing counterfeit drug distribution, lamenting that the predominance of patent medicine shops and outlets in the state encouraged the sale of inferior drugs to patients.

He advised members of ALPs to redouble efforts and partner their parent body, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and other statutory public agencies to take steps to address the problem.

Sen. Ewhrudjakpo said tackling the sale of counterfeit drugs and checking the indiscriminate sale of highly regulated, prescriptive and addictive drugs to the public must be taken seriously by the association and other stakeholders in the health sector.

He enjoined the Pharmaceutical Department of the Ministry of Health to carry out thorough inspection of drug stores before issuing out licences to prospective medicine dealers.

The deputy governor stressed the need for regular checks on already licensed drugstores and advised pharmacists to always uphold their ethical codes for the greater good of society.

He, however, commended the female pharmacists for their hard work and promised to support them in their public health awareness campaign programme and hosting of the South-South regional conference of the association.

Ewhrudjakpo said: “The rate of fake drugs, adulterated drugs as well as substandard drugs is becoming a menace in our society and all of us need to put our hand on deck.

“More often than not, the drugs people buy such as tramadol and some other addictive drugs are sold indiscriminately without any form of control. Is there a way we can insist on what we call KYC, know your customers?

“Sometimes, it is the greed that actually makes the society to fail, not the intention. This country will move forward if everyone of us can be less greedy.”

The Chairperson of the Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs), Bayelsa branch, Mrs. Obidake Ruth, said they had lined up programmes for children deworming, cancer awareness and anti-drug abuse campaigns to public schools.

Obidake, who thanked the state government for its good work so far in the health sector, appealed for support to enable the association host its South-South regional conference billed for June, this year in Yenagoa.

Edo State Commissioner for Mining and Energy Ethan Uzamere has said officials of the ministry are neither scared nor being intimidated by owners of filling stations.

He said the ministry officials were monitoring the supply and sale of petroleum products, to prevent hoarding or hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS/petrol).

Uzamere spoke yesterday in Benin at an interactive session with reporters.

He said: “Petroleum products are on the exclusive legislative list of the Federal Government. As a state, what we are doing is to help the marketers in Edo to get more petroleum products to be available for the residents.

“The Ministry of Mining and Energy has been monitoring the situation. We have a team that monitors the sale of petroleum products. We also assist the filling stations with security, as many marketers complain of not feeling secured while selling petroleum products at their filling stations.”

“Systematic solution must be taken to resolve issues. What we are doing is to monitor the supply chain of petroleum products and the filling stations for the sale of the products. The right to monitor petroleum products is on the Federal Government’s agencies. As a state, we are partnering Federal Government agencies to check the situation.”

Edo Chairman of Major Marketers Dealers Association, Tony Aghedo, described as most unfortunate what residents were going through.

He said: “In my over 25 years of being a dealer, I have never had it so rough like this that we had in the last two weeks. We have never had fuel (petrol) sold in Edo State for N500 or N600 a litre.”

The Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Edo chapter, Alhaji Abdulhamid Babasaliu, said the petroleum products being supplied to the state were not enough.

He said: “As at today, only the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) imports products. What NNPCL is importing is not enough to go round. They promised to deregulate, for the products to be surplus. The same way diesel, kerosine, cooking gas and lubricants have been deregulated.

“Petroleum products are no longer allocated to states. The new system is with NNPCL‘s portal and you can apply as many times as possible. NNPCL will approve, you will make payment, and when the product is available, you will load. The latest policy by NNPCL is that any product approved, within 21 days, you will get it, but it has not started.”

“The scarcity is not peculiar to Edo State. It is all over the country. The solution is deregulation. The modular refineries that President Muhammadu Buhari approved, most of them are producing, but they cannot produce PMS (petrol), because there is a ceiling that they can sell. The market should be allowed to determine the price.”

Worried by the continued security challenges in Imo State, despite government’s efforts to curb it, an Executive Bill has been sent to the Imo State House of Assembly to address the situation.

This was contained in a Bill titled: “A Bill for a Law to Supplement the 2023 Budget with an Additional Capital Expenditure of  N118,550Billion to address the Current and Emerging Security Challenges in the State”.

The Majority Leader and member representing Owerri-West State Constituency, Kanayo Onyemaechi, did the second reading.

He said the aim was to secure the state from insecurity and stop further destruction of lives and property.

Onyemaechi added that the bill, when it becomes a law, will enable the state government to further confront insecurity.

He urged his colleagues to lend their support.

The member representing Isu State Constituency, Mrs. Ngozi Obiefule, decried the killings and destruction of property.

She said: “We are aware of the catastrophe and threats to life and property. We need peace. I want peace to return to Imo. I’m in support of anything that will bring back peace.”

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Uno Eno, has interacted with professionals in the state at a special town hall meeting held at the weekend.

Speaking at the meeting organised by a group, Connect Initiative, Eno took the opportunity to unfold his economic blueprint goal, saying it would push towards poverty reduction and agricultural revolution.

He said he was committed to bridging gap between the poor and the rich through his ARISE Agenda, which cut across sectors of human need.

Eno said:  “I understand the language of the ordinary citizen. Poverty reduction is my foremost economic blueprint goal and I will do everything within my power to take steps to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich.”

He listed other economic blueprint goals to include job creation, price stability, sustainable economic growth, improved standard of living, environmental sustainability, highly educated youths, healthy and skilled populace, safety and security.

“The rate of unemployment is growing. We need to do so much to ensure our youths have work to do. We want to ensure they have a skill set that will help them do the jobs available. We need to improve our standard of living by giving people the basic necessities of life,” Eno said.

Acknowledging the speedy transformation of Akwa Ibom State by successive governors, the PDP governorship hopeful said he was out to consolidate such economic gains to expand frontiers of the state economy.

Setting out his plans for the health sector, Eno pledged to revitalise primary health care centres (PHCs), set up senior citizens health scheme, revive and upgrade existing PHCs across the state, establish a medical city and incorporate the aspect of wellness and health spas, among others.

“We will reassess the free maternal, newborn and child health care service for the less privileged and vulnerable people, to make it more sustainable.

“We will make the rural areas attractive that every doctor will want to go there. But you must stay there when you get the money. We will give you an incentive that you will not be able to reject. We will build rural markets, hospitals and make them attractive,” he said.

The Chairman of the occasion, Prof Akpan Ekpo, hailed Connect Initiative for organising the meeting.

He hailed the PDP governorship candidate for accepting to interact with professionals across sectors.

Represented by Prof. Trenchard Ibia, Ekpo advised participants to organise themselves into sectors and sub-sectors and interact in a way that would benefit or add value to their professional groups.

Speaking on behalf of Connect Initiative, Dr. Frank Ekpeyong said: “The aim of the meeting is to provide a platform where Pastor Eno can directly engage with critical stakeholders on the concerns and challenges facing sectors of the society and provide opportunity for stakeholders to converse, inquire and secure commitments from the candidate as it regards his plans for Akwa Ibom State.”

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from the purported letter of suspension of its governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom, Pastor Umo Eno.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, in Abuja, said Eno remained its candidate in the March election.

“The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has been drawn to a fake letter purported to have been signed by Ologunagba and mischievously claiming that our governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Eno, has been suspended from the party.

“PDP states in clear terms that Eno remains the governorship candidate of the party in Akwa Ibom State for the 2023 general election.

“He is not suspended from the party; NWC has no contemplation in that regard and there are no issues whatsoever to warrant such,” he said.

Ologunagba said contrary to the claims in the fake letter, the NWC did not at any time hold any emergency meeting on any matter related to Eno.

He added he did not at any time issue any letter to Eno on any matter whatsoever.

“Moreover, there is no issue of violation of rules around our governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State either at the ward, state or national level to warrant any meeting of the NWC or any organ of our party at any level on him in that regard.

“The PDP therefore in very strong terms condemns the said fake letter, which is the handiwork of enemies of our party, whose aim is to cause disaffection and disunity in our party in Akwa Ibom State,” Ologunagba said.

He urged Nigerians, particularly PDP teeming members and supporters in Akwa Ibom, to disregard the fake letter, as Eno was never suspended from the party.

He said the party’s NWC had begun investigation into those behind the letter.

He stated that the NWC would take firm, legal and punitive actions against any individual found culpable, in accordance with the law as well as PDP constitution.

Rivers State Government has said it spent N3billion to register students in public schools for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) exams every year.

Governor Nyesom Wike, on assumption of office seven years ago, announced scholarship for students in public primary and secondary schools.

He said his administration would take over the payment of WAEC and NECO examination fees for senior secondary schools as well as the fees for Basic Education Certificate Examination for junior secondary schools.

Education Commissioner Prof. Chinedum Mmon said the three external examinations cost the state government N3billion every year.

He spoke while distributing educational materials worth millions of Naira to secondary schools across the state for improved quality of learning.

Addressing zonal directors, who came to receive the items on behalf of their zones, the commissioner said Wike had been consistent in paying the examination fees for the students since he promised it on assumption of office in 2015, “and he will continue until he leaves office in May.”

Some of the instructional materials distributed to the schools were registers, record diaries, textbooks, marker pens, chalks, among others.

Speaking ahead of the handover of the items to the zonal directors, the commissioner urged them to ensure they distributed the materials to school principals in their zone.

He advised the principals to ensure they put the items into use.

Responding on behalf of the schools, the state Chairman of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Ellah Ewoh and his counterpart from the Universal Basic Education, Christiana Nsirim, praised the governor and the commissioner for the donations of the items and promised to utilise them.

The Commander, 16 Brigade, Nigerian Army/Sector 2,’ Operation Delta Safe’ (OPDS), Brig.-Gen. Sadisu Yakasai, has said the war against crude oil theft and militancy in the Niger Delta was being won progressively and steadily.

He spoke yesterday during the end of the year 2022 West African Social Activities (WASA), held at Camp Tukur Buratai Barracks, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Yakasai said WASA is an annual event organised for officers, soldiers and their families to interact.

He recalled that the event dated back to 1901 when the Nigeria West Africa Frontier Force went to diverse cultural intervention of West African soldiers.

Yakasai said: “The year 2022 was eventful and highly successful for us in 16 Brigade in the Niger Delta. The war against crude oil theft and militancy is being progressively and steadily won.

“Here in Bayelsa State, our troops have been actively involved in ‘Operation Delta Safe’ against militancy, sea piracy, sea robbery and other forms of criminality in the state, especially in the waterways entrance and exit to the state with a lot of successes.

“The brigade has also been engaged in other exercises and operations in achieving the feat for the state and the nation’s sake. Some of these include ‘Exercise Still Waters 2022’, which is eventually called ‘Operation Safe Conduct’.

“Our troops will remain professional and apolitical throughout the 2023 general election.

“‘Operation Safe Conduct’ is aimed at providing an enabling environment for a peaceful and successful conduct of the general election. With our preparations so far and by the grace of God, the election will be conducted successfully in Bayelsa and the country at large.”