The Nation Newspaper

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  • Okupe is ignorant, say Mark, Tambuwal

    Okupe is ignorant, say Mark, Tambuwal

    Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal fired back at the Presidential aide.

    Mark described Dr. Okupe as ill informed.

    Mark, who spoke through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Kola Ologbodiyan, said there is no basis for Okupe to claim that he derided President Jonathan in his speech during the presentation of the 2013 budget.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to media attacks on the Office and Person of the President of the Senate, by Senior Special Assistant to Mr. President Dr. Doyin Okupe to the effect that the President of the Senate derided President Goodluck Jonathan during the budget presentation on Wednesday.

    “It is instructive to state that Senator Mark and Mr. President are on the same page in the onerous task of ensuring the actualisation of the transformation agenda of this administration.

    “There was nothing derisive in the welcome address of the President of the Senate at the budget presentation.

    “We challenge Dr. Okukpe to revisit the speech and discover his misadventure.

    “It is therefore strange that Dr. Okupe would meddlesomely attempt to create unnecessary disaffection between the legislature and the executive.

    “It is common knowledge that budgets are estimates of revenues and expenditures of the Federation for the next financial year.

    “Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is very explicit. The position of the Senate which was expressed by the President of the Senate is that in line with constitutional provisions, the legislature has a right of appropriation.

    “Dr. Okupe as a public affairs manager, has a responsibility to make friends and create a harmonious working relationship between the executive and other arms of government. His job is not to make enemies and create unfavourable atmosphere for Mr. President.

    “We take exception to such unwarranted attack on the Office of the President of the Senate and we urge Dr. Okupe to know his limits.”

    Spokesman of Tambuwal Mallam Imam Imam said in a statement: “The attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been drawn to a news conference addressed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, where he made disparaging remarks about the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly with regards to the remarks of Senate President David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the presentation of the 2013 budget.

    “The Speaker wishes to state that the remarks of the two leaders are in conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and that all statements by the two leaders were backed by facts and figures from field studies by the legislators and expert advise.

    “It is apparent that Okupe is dabbling into areas where he is totally ignorant about.

    “The uncouth manner in which he replied elected representatives showed his apparent lack of respect for the legislature as an institution. The entire remarks he made gave him out as an overzealous official doing a hatchet job in order to be relevant in the scheme of things.

    Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media And Public Affairs, Victor Ogene said the House of Representatives was too busy to give attention to people like Dr. Doyin Okupe “who are worn – out politicians, seeking relevance, and so they must pander and speak to draw their principals into unnecessary confrontations.

    “It is for the Nigerian people to judge. If the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs is saying that the MDAs are incapable of utilizing legitimately approved funds, all he’s saying is that the entire executive branch lacks capacity to serve the Nigerian people.

    “It’s a serious indictment and it is not one that the House of Representatives will join in making merry over. Instead, we will be more determined than ever to correct this anomaly.

    “Talking about the Speaker being dictatorial, the Speaker since his emergence has never tended to act as Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. He has instead at every point and turn reflected the wishes and position of the entire 360-member House of Representatives.

    “Of course, if this were not so, if we disagreed with Mr. Speaker, it will show in our response to any issue that he speaks about. But as you can see from the standing ovation that the got intermittently, it shows clearly that the Speaker was speaking the minds of his colleagues in the House of Representatives.”

  • Speakers back financial autonomy for local govts, assemblies

    Speakers back financial autonomy for local govts, assemblies

    The Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly oyesterday affirmed its support for financial autonomy of local government councils and states legislative houses.

    The Chairman of the group and Speaker of the Gombe State House Assembly, Mr Inuwa Garba, stated the position at the opening of a public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution in Abuja.

    The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee for the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

    Garba said, “It is only when state houses of assembly have autonomy that their independence will be guaranteed.”

    He said that the local government administration was almost going into extinction and this could only be corrected through granting autonomy to the tier of government.

    Garba also said that it was imperative for state houses of assembly to have financial autonomy to ensure their independence from the executive arm.

    “It is only when state houses of assembly have autonomy that we will be independent from the centre, because where they don’t have autonomy, we cannot stop corruption,’’ he said.

    He underscored the resolve of the houses of assembly to support the amendment of the provisions of the 1999 constitution that would guarantee full autonomy for the two institutions.

    He explained that they had made the mistake in the past when they had the opportunity to make the amendments.

    It will be recalled that the houses of assembly had rejected being given financial autonomy when the sixth Senate proposed it during the constitution amendment.

    Garba said that no amount of intimidation from whatever quarters would deter them from doing the right thing.

    According to him, members of the state houses of assembly will individually and collectively make sacrifices to make the constitution review process work.

    Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Olisa Agbakoba, in his presentation advocated decentralisation of the powers of the Federal Government.

    Agbakoba said that there was too much power at the centre, which needed to be devolved to the regions.

    He said that if six regions were to be created with six mini presidents, the quest for power at the centre would be minimised.

    Agbakoba also spoke in favour of decentralisation of the powers of the Supreme Court to allow for each region to have its own apex court that could handle cases to finality.

    The former NBA chairman said that the creation of state police would help in solving security challenges in the country.

    Citing the recent killings of students in Mubi in Adamawa and Aluu in Rivers, Agbakoba said that the decentralisation of police authority would have helped in prompt responses.

  • Nigerian farmers sue Shell for pollution in Holland

    Nigerian farmers sue Shell for pollution in Holland

    Four Nigerian villagers took Royal Dutch Shell to court yesterday in a landmark pollution case that campaigners said could open the door to more compensation claims against international companies.

    The fishermen and farmers, together with the Friends of the Earth campaign group, accuse the oil major of polluting land and waterways around their homes in the Niger Delta region of Africa’s top energy producer.

    Shell has denied responsibility, saying the leaks were caused by sabotage.

    The villagers launched their claim in a civil court in The Hague, where Shell has its joint global headquarters.

    It was the first time a Dutch-registered company had been sued in a Dutch court for offences allegedly carried out by a foreign subsidiary.

    Friends of the Earth said the claim, if successful, could open up a new way for plaintiffs to take on multinationals – by suing their parent companies in their home countries.

    The villagers, who appeared in court, want unspecified damages saying Shell and other corporations were responsible for pollution from three oil spills between 2004 and 2007.

    “My community is a ghost land as a result of the devastation. We had good vegetation. Today, people have respiratory problems and are getting sick,” said one of the plaintiffs Eric Dooh, from the Goi community, which lives between two pipelines.

    “Shell is aware of the whole devastation. I want them to pay compensation, to clean up the pollution so we can grow our crops and fish again,” the 44-year-old told Reuters before the hearing.

    Shell says the pollution was caused by thieves breaking into pipelines to steal the oil, and believes it has played its part in cleaning it up.

    “The matter has been resolved as far as we are concerned and we do not properly understand why Friends of the Earth has submitted the case,” Allard Castelein, Shell’s vice president for environment, told Reuters before the hearing.

    The biggest pollution problem in the Niger Delta was caused by thieves who steal oil from Shell’s installations, he said. Around 150,000 barrels of oil are stolen every day in the Delta. That is worth about $6 billion a year.

    Friends of the Earth said other companies could face similar claims in European Union cities if it won the case.

    “It opens up a range of possibilities for people from poor countries to use the legal system to seek compensation from companies,” said Geert Ritsema, international affairs coordinator at the environmental group during a break in the proceedings.

    WETLAND ECOSYSTEM The Nigerians’ lawyer Channa Samkalden told the court Shell had failed to maintain pipelines, clean up leaks and prevent pollution.

    “It was insufficient maintenance, not sabotage, that was responsible for the leaks … Shell did not operate as a conscientious oil company,” she said.

    With around 31 million inhabitants, the Niger Delta is one of the world’s most important wetland and coastal marine ecosystems. It is an important source of food for the poor, rural population.

    Last year, the United Nations said in a report the government and multinational oil companies, particularly Shell, were responsible for 50 years of oil pollution that had devastated the Ogoniland region, part of the Niger Delta.

    The government and oil firms have pledged to clean up the region and other parts of the Delta, but residents say they have seen little action.

    Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is the largest oil and gas company in Nigeria, with production capacity of more than 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

    It operates a joint venture in which state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has a majority share. Total SA subsidiary Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. also has a stake.

    Three judges are expected to deliver their verdict on the Hague case next year.

     

  • My flooding headache, by Jonathan

    My flooding headache, by Jonathan

    THE after-effect of the floods on victims and communities is giving President Goodluck Jonathan some sleepless nights.

    But there was cheery news for the victims as they would not stay longer than necessary at the relief camps.

    The President said they would be resettled in their communities once the floods have receded.

    According to him, the resettlement of the victims is the primary task of the 34-member National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.

    The committee, co-chaired by businessman Aliko Dangote and erstwhile chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), was inaugurated yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    It (the committee) immediately swung into action, setting for itself a N100 billion target.

    Shortly after the inauguration, the President began a tour of flooded states.

    The tour, expected to be in phases, started with Kogi State. Others in Category A are Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.

    Other states in the category but not listed in the first phase of the tour are Oyo, Adamawa, Benue and Plateau.

    The flood-ravaged states have been categorised into four groups, based on the present assessment.

    In Category B are: Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Taraba, Cross River, Edo, Lagos and Imo states.

    Kwara, Katsina, Gombe, Ogun, Ondo, Ebonyi, Abia and Rivers are in Category C, while Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Yobe, Enugu, Ekiti, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Borno states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) fall into Category D.

    The President on Tuesday announced a N500 million package each cash of the states in category A and N400 million each to the Category B states, Category C states (N300 million) each and Category D states (N250 million) each.

    In a short remark at the inauguration, Jonathan renews his assurance to the victims, saying that the government would do everything possible to ameliorate the impact.

    He expressed the hope that within 12 months, the victims would have been resettled to resume their normal live.

    The President said: “Let me also use this opportunity to assure Nigerians again that the present administration will do everything possible to ameliorate the impact of this devasting flood on our people.

    “We will do everything to cushion their pain, and we have put up a strong team made up of credible men and women who will also help government to achieve this.

    “The task of the committee is essentially to raise funds to compliment or augment federal government’s effort to cushion the immediate effect if flooding and the resettlement and recovery of affected persons.

    “This is most critical because when people are under stress, they can endure a lot but the floods will surely recedes we believe before the middle of November the flood will go if it is the normal flood we have witnessed before.

    “After that what happens to the people that is even what disturbs me more than when people are under stress.

    “When you raise the fund, we will be able to see how we can rehabilitate this people. We wouldn’t want people to begin to live in camps, they should be able to go back to their communities and settle down.”

    Explaining the reason behind the choice Dangote and Agbakoba a co-chairmen for the committee, and Chief Mike Adenuga as the chief fund mobiliser, the President said the committee has a mandate to raise funds to assist government in managing the victims.

    His words: “This is why in addition to measures we have taken in terms of releasing funds to government agencies and directly to state governments to assist in helping to manage this disaster, we feel compel to set up this committee to generate funds to assist government in managing these people.”

    Reiterating that the country was facing its own unfair share of the global phenomenon of flooding, the President also said his administration feels terribly worried and sad that these ravaging floods are really affecting so many Nigerians of our people.

    “There are so many states that are affected, with 50 to 70 per cent including my state are under water,” he said.

  • Oguta Lake: From tourist attraction to ravaging ocean

    Oguta Lake: From tourist attraction to ravaging ocean

    UNTIL recently, the Oguta Blue Lake was one of the wonders of nature. Located in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, it transverses the two oil producing local government areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta, providing aquatic splendor and bliss.

    Before it overflew its banks, the Lake was an awe-inspiring sight to behold for tourists.

    Oguta and other satellite communities near the Lake benefited from its fame.

    Although, predominantly farmers, residents of the communities in recent times witnessed an upsurge in commercial activities as small-scale businesses and the hospitality industry received significant boast.

    Recently, Governor Rochas Okorocha laid the foundation stone of the Oguta Lake Tourist Centre, with the intention of harnessing its huge tourist potentials.

    Engulfed in the beauty of its scenery and the huge oil deposits within its shores, Oguta adopted a community anthem sung in Igbo, “Oguta obodo oma, Oguta obodo oma, obodo oma, Oguta bu Obodo anyi maramma”, (Oguta the beautiful city, Oguta the beautiful city, Oguta our beautiful city).

    Still basking in the euphoria of their community, the once beloved Blue Lake, like a rampaging and monstrous beast, overflew its banks and submerged over 200 buildings.

    It washed away hundreds of acres of farmland and displaced more than 5000 residents from 15 communities, including Ngegwu, Abatu, Umuamam, Umuachiashi, Okposa and other communities.

    Narrating their ordeal, some of the victims told The Nation that despite the losses they suffered, they could not imagine life outside the banks of the Lake.

    An expectant woman, simply identified as Madam Rose, said that the flood came upon them in their sleep.

    She said: “The Lake was calm and beautifuls as usual, before we went to sleep, but suddenly there was a heavy noise like that of a mighty wind and the Lake suddenly became turbulent and surging.

    “At first, we thought it was one of those nights when the Lake experienced increased current but around 3.30am, water started rushing into our homes.”

    Others, who echoed the same experience, noted: “We fought hard to stop the surging wave by erecting obstacles. But they were washed away by the current and at that time we lost hope and started evacuating the little property we coulld get after we had rescued our sleeping children.”

    Most pathetic was the case of a man who relocated to the roof of his submerged building and refused to come down.

    According to his neighbors, the man, Kenneth, believed to be 38 years old, refused to evacuate his house after it was submerged by the flood because he had nowhere to relocate.

    His plan was to stay on the roof till the floods receded.

    Pa Rufus Ignatius, 70, described his ordeal thus: “Since I was born, I have witnessed ocean surge once but nothing can be compared to what we are seeing today.

    “My only building has been submerged. How can I build another house at my age? I lost my wife last year and two of my children equally lost their buildings to the flood. We have nowhere to go now.”

    During his visit to some of the flooded communities in Oguta, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha expressed shock at the level of devastation.

    He was accompanied by the House Committee Chairman on the Environment, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, the Chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Currency, Jones Onyereri and Deputy Committee Chairman on Gas, Gerald Irona.

    Ihedioha urged the victims to remain calm, adding that help was on the way. The House has resolved to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the 22 ravaged by the flood.

    According to him, the visit was to enable him have a first-hand information on the extent of damage done by the flood for onward passage to the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

    He said the incident would be built into the 2013 Environmental Hazard Budget.

    Ihedioha, who donated N800, 000 to the victims, regretted that both residential and public institutions had been to ruined by the floods.

    “We are studying the situations in the 22 states and we will engage environmental experts who will provide comprehensive information on the way out,” he said.

    Ekwunife and Onyereri in their separate reactions sympathised with the victims and assured them of their various committees’ assistance.

    Gerald Ironna, the member representing Ohaji-Egbema/Oguta Federal Constituency, described the flood as strange and destructive, adding that Oguta and Ohaji –Egbema council areas are not only the oil producing areas of the state but the food basket as well.

    He said that concerted efforts should be made to resettle and rehabilitate the victims by the state and federal governments to avoid possible outbreak of epidemic. “My people are passing through a horrific time, we appeal to international agencies and the Federal Government to come to our aid, our people have been rendered homeless by the flood, we want the oil companies working in our communities should be alive to their responsibilities especially in this trying time”, he appealed.

  • Uduaghan inaugurates committee to manage N500 million grant

    Uduaghan inaugurates committee to manage N500 million grant

    Delta State government plans a committee manage the 500 million naira flood disaster fund grand it by the Federal government.

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who announced this at a meeting with political appointees and House of Assembly members in Asaba, said the committee would decide how to utilise the fund to resettle flood victims.

    He said he would appoint men of integrity to manage the fund.

    The governor said: “I will not meddle in the committee’s work. I will not disburse this money and definitely will not be part of what they shall do. Whatever decision they take on how to disburse the fund shall be well with me. Let members of the committee decide what to do with the money.

    “This is not the time to quarrel and create tension. We should be our brother’s keeper. People are going through trauma and need to be comforted.”

    He cautioned against playing politics with the disaster.

    His words: “I have short term plan, middle and long term plans for the flood issue and we are very serious and not playing politics. When politics come, we play it but not with flood issue where our people are suffering.”

    The governor directed the flood control management committee not to allow more than 800 flood victims in one camp.

    The chairman of the state committee on the management of flood disaster and Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Amos Utuamah (SAN), said more than twelve local governments areas have been submerged by flood.

    Anambra State government has concluded arrangements to build temporary structures for pupils whose schools have been flooded.

    The temporary structures would serve as their makeshift classrooms until the flood receded.

    Education Commissioner Dr Uju Okeke, who made the announcement, told The Nation the constructing of the structure became imminent sequel to the inability of the pupils and students to adapt to the new schools they were relocated to.

    She said: “We are feeding them and all other victims of the flooding in the various camps but the main reason why we are erecting temporary batchers to accommodate the pupils and the students in camps was because many of them could not cope with the situation and psychology in the new school environment.”

    Also, the displaced Nupe indigenes of Niger State yesterday sent a Save-Our-Soul (SOS) message to their home government.

    The more than 400 displaced residents, taking refuge in several camps in Edo State, urged the administration of Governor Babangida Aliyu to come to their aid.

    A leader of the displaced Nupe residents, Jibrin Mohammed, who spoke from one of the camps at Ogozima Osukpo Primary School, said the call became necessary following the plight of the victims.

    Mohammed lamented the attitude of the government to their plights.

    Lamenting the psychological trauma to which the victims have been subjected, Mohammed appealed to the government in Niger to intervene.

    He identified women and children as those mostly affected and said that efforts should be made by the government to relocate them from the camps to Niger.

    His words: “We are so shocked that since this flood sacked our homes, livestock and farmland, including all of our belongings, our state government has not come to see how we are doing or what has happened to us.”

    “If not for the Edo people, just look at our women and children here in their numbers what do you think would have happened to them?”

    The Council’s Secretary Dr. Adams Ojor urged the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to deploy psychologists and social workers to the various camps created in the three local government areas of Edo State.

    Ojor said this has become imperatives due to the trauma being suffered by many of the victims.

    He said: “I am appealing that psychologist be deployed to counsel these people because our medical records from the various camps show that many of them are traumatised.

    “There are reports of high blood pressure and this can lead to cardiac arrest and stroke. This is as result of their thinking; they don’t do what they used to do before. They are completely detached from their ancestral homes. So, their psyche needs to be worked on to prevent the breakdown of their nervous system.”

  • ‘This is the worst flooding in decades’

    ‘This is the worst flooding in decades’

    Some 1.3 million Nigerians have been displaced and 431 have died in what the authorities say is the worst flooding in over 40 years, with 30 of the country’s 36 states affected since July, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    Heavy rain has submerged much of Delta and Bayelsa states in the southwest, affecting some 350 communities and making 120,000 people homeless, according to the state authorities and the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC).

    Flooding started in Plateau State in central Nigeria in July, spread through Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Nassarawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina and Kebbi states in August, hit Taraba Benue, Niger, Kaduna and Kano in September, before affecting Delta and Bayelsa states in September and October.

    Thousands of people who had sheltered in dozens of temporary displacement sites in Delta and Bayelsa states have had to flee once again as they have been flooded, forcing agencies to build new ones on higher ground.

    In Bayelsa’s capital, Yenagoa, 3,000 people are sleeping in the Ovom State Sports Complex.

    Thousands of houses, some 20 health clinics and five hospitals, as well as dozens of schools, churches and government buildings have been destroyed or damaged in Delta State. Six of Bayelsa’s eight districts were flooded, according to Emenike Umesi, NEMA’s zonal coordinator in Port Harcourt.

    Most of the schools in the affected area are closed or currently occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs).

    It is not yet known how many hectares of crops have been destroyed but many farmers told IRIN they had lost everything – including this year’s yam, cassava and cocoa yam crop – while most of the fisheries were also flooded. “All my sources of livelihood are destroyed. I am pleading with the federal government to compensate us and find a lasting solution to the flood menace,” said Philip Ofodemu, a farmer from the Kwele community in Delta State.

    Aid agencies have been “overwhelmed” by the extent of the damage and the response needs stronger coordination, said Abdul Mariga, an NRC disaster management coordinator.

    Most IDPs IRIN spoke to were in desperate need of food aid. “We have not been given food since we arrived,” said Evelyn Oyatu, who fled with her four children from Ebedebiri to Yenagoa, which itself faced severe flooding. “I’m weak. The state government should come to our aid,” she told IRIN.

    Another flood survivor in Yenagoa, Gloria Ozuo, told IRIN, crying, that she and her children had been given a small loaf of bread the day before. “We die for hungry here,” she told IRIN.

  • Senator faults Fed Govt on Lagos flood status

    Senator faults Fed Govt on Lagos flood status

    The Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District Gbenga Ashafa, yesterday faulted the Federal Government for listing Lagos among the Category B of states prone to flood disaster.

    President Goodluck Jonathan, had in a live broadcast on Tuesday, divided the states into four categories. The states in Category A are to get N500 million, Category B (N400 million), Category C (N300 million) and Category D (N250 million) each.

    He urged the government to change the status of the state to Category A.

    Ashafa said: “Due to heavy rainfall, excess water from the Oyan Dam is regularly released to the environment. This occurrence usually displaces thousands of families as communities like Ketu, Ikosi, Mile 12, Owode, Isheri, Agiliti, Ikorodu and Itokin among others are always flooded. It always results to loss of lives.

    “To worsen the situation, the excess rainfall consistently cause the Atlantic Ocean to surge, thereby causing incalculable damage businesses in the nation’s industrial hub. This has happened four times this year alone.”

    A group, the Faithful Friends Association of Nigeria, has praised the Federal Government for its assistance to flood victims.

    In a statement, the group’s president, Mr. Samuel Oku, said President Goodluck Jonathan acted well by releasing funds to cater for the victims.

    He praised some Ndokwa indigenes for raising funds to mitigate the effects of the floods in Ndokwa area of Delta State. Oku thanked the chairman of Obielum Foundation, Chief Godswill Obielum, for presenting relief materials to the victims.

  • Suspected LP thugs attack ACN supporters

    Suspected Labour Party (LP) thugs yesterday at Owe Akala in Akure attacked two supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    One of the victims, Ajayi Gboyega, was in a critical condition at the General Hospital, Akure at press time.

    Sources said the hoodlums allegedly attacked the victims for wearing ACN vests and caps at Oke-Aro ward eight.

    A chieftain of the ACN in the ward, Tayo Abidakun, flayed the development, saying the intolerance of Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his party is becoming unbearable.

    Abidakun, an ex-lawmaker who represented Akure South Constituency, said everybody has a fundamental human right to associate. “I wonder why Mimiko wants to remain in power by force,” he added.

    The former legislator, who visited one of the victims in hospital, prayed for his recovery.

    He urged ACN supporters to remain consistent in their resolve to vote out LP, which, according to him, has brought backwardness to the state.

    The Director, Aketi Campaign Organisation (ACO) for Akure North/South Federal Constituency, Mr. Saka Yusuf Ogunleye, reiterated his appeal to the Commissioner of Police to curtail the violent act of the LP.

  • Sensitive poll materials in CBN’s custody

    A head of next Saturday’s governorship poll in Ondo State, the sensitive materials for the conduct of the election were yesterday brought into the state from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarters in Abuja. The materials, which were brought into the state in an aircraft, were received by CBN officials, witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, political parties’ agents and reporters. They have been kept in CBN Akure branch vault.

    The materials are expected to be kept in the bank till a few days to the conduct of the election when they will be transferred to the 18 local governments.

    Speaking with reporters at the airport, the Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mr. Kayode Oladimeji, said the CBN is known for keeping sensitive items including money, and it has been keeping items for INEC over the years.

    He assured of the safety of the materials in CBN’s custody.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Akin Orebiyi, said INEC is not officially involved in the issue of sensitive materials now.

    He said INEC officials were around to witness the arrival of the materials, which would be in the custody of the CBN, Akure branch.