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Tag: All Progressives Congress

  • Be guided in your utterances, Ngige tells Oshiomhole

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has asked the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be “verse in little basic issues” that guide public governance  so as to be properly guided in his utterances to avoid unnecessary character assassination and unfortunate misinformation of  the Nigerian public.

    The Minister said in a statement made available to The Nation that reports that he appropriated the powers of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in the award of contracts leading to the delay in inaugurating the board of the agency was false and misleading.

    Ngige who was reacting to a widely publicized statement by the APC chairman said the neither the Minister nor the board of the agency has the power to award contracts since they were not part of the Tenders Board.

    He insisted that the monumental fraud in the agency accounts for why the board of the agency has not been inaugurated.

    Read Also: Ngige threatens to revoke oil firms’ licences

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has been drawn to media reports that his office appropriated the powers of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in the award of contracts, hence the delay in inaugurating the board of the agency.

    “Such a blatant falsehood is either on account of fertile ignorance or outright mischief or both by the originator as well as the peddlers.  It is therefore imperative that the provisions of the Procurement Act 2010 which is clear and unambiguous on the process for the award of contracts be re-emphasized.

    “For clarity purpose, the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB) for the award of contracts in any Ministry is made up of the Permanent Secretary as chairman and his Directors, while in the parastatals, the Parastatals Tenders Board consists of the Chief Executive Officer (Director General or Managing Director) and his Directors.

    “The Minister is not a member and therefore does not award contracts. Similarly, members of Board of Directors being not members of the Tenders Board of the parastatals do not also award contracts.

    “It is therefore a stunningly crass ignorance for anyone to claim that part of the reasons for the delay in the inauguration of the board of the NSITF  or any parastatal was to enable the  Minister usurp the role of the board as regards the award of contracts.

    “When the threshold of the award is above a parastatal, such contracts are referred to the MTB for final approval. Such also is the case with the Ministerial Tenders Board threshold which is referred to the Bureau for Public Procurement and from there, to the Council of Ministers called the Federal Executive Council for treatment and ratification.

    “So in effect, the Federal Executive Council is not a contract awarding body and hence Ministers do not award contracts stricto senso.

    “It is our humble view therefore that those in authority should be versed in little basic issues that guide public governance  so as to be properly guided in their utterances to avoid unnecessary character assassination and unfortunate misinformation of  the general public.

    “Once more, the Honourable  wishes to state that the reason for the delayed inauguration of the Board of the NSITF was to enable the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up to probe a frightening degree of corruption amounting to over 48 billion Naira out of which N5billion disappeared in a day without vouchers, complete its assignment.

    “The panel has submitted its report while the committee implementing same report is already empaneled. It will finish its work very soon to pave the way for the inauguration of the Board of Directors.”

  • Defection of APC NASS members unhealthy for stable politics – Sen. Kaka

    … Stressing, ‘defection was their game plan from beginning’

    Senator Gbenga Kaka on Tuesday bemoaned the defection of some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the National Assembly (NA) to the opposition political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying it would not augur well for the “stability” of the  nation’s politics.

    Kaka who represented Ogun East at the Senate from 2011 – 2015, however added that the defection of the APC lawmakers during plenaries at the chambers of the Upper and Lower arms of the National Assembly on Tuesday, was not a thing of surprise.

    Speaking with reporters at the main campus of the Olabisi Obabanjo University (OOU), Ago – Iwoye, Ogun State, about the development, the Senator said a good number of party members knew that defecting to PDP was the game plan with the formation of Engr. Buba Galadima – led Reformed – APC.

    He also expressed worry that the action of the lawmakers could erode the power of political parties to achieve supremacy over members or enforce discipline on them.

    He, however, admitted that what the defectors had done was covered by the law of the land, especially if there is an alleged division within one’s political party.

    Read Also: Defection: No cause for alarm, APC assures members

    The former Deputy Governor of Ogun State added that the party can approach the law court and ask it to declare as illegal, the Reformed – APC which the defectors relied on to move to other political parties.

    He hailed the new leadership of APC, Adams Oshiomole, for being “resolute” and working to set the pace for “party supremacy” over members, be it the executive or the lawnakers unlike his predecessor, Dr. John Odigie – Oyegun, whom he said adopted “laissez faire” approach during his tenure.

    According to him, once general elections are conducted and winners emerged on the platform of a political party, elected and appointed office holders must “obey and surrender to the supremacy of such party” that shut them into power.

    He urged the executive and the two arms of National Assembly to seek avenues to work together, pursue unity and justice in the interest of peace and stability of the country’s politics.

  • APC to Fayose: Pay workers’ salaries or face protests

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), Ekiti State, has asked  Governor Peter Ayo Fayose to perish his thought of spending the N5.52bn he recently collected as allocation from the Federal Government on the payment of his phoney contractors.

    The party said the money should be spent to pay salaries of workers who have endured the pains unpaid salaries for six months.

    In a statement by  Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said the constant skipping of workers’ salaries by Fayose had impacted negatively on the effectiveness of the workers and the economy of the state in general.

    According to Olatunbosun, payment of outstanding salaries should be a top priority  for Fayose, failure of which would result in total collapse of the state’s economy already in crisis over unpaid salaries for six months.

    “Workers in the employment of Ekiti State Government have passed through various stages of difficult times in the hands of the outgoing reckless and mindless Fayose-led government. Now they are seeing hell, starving seriously with many of them looking gaunt due to the pangs of hunger that have dealt with them.

    Read Also: Unpaid salaries: Ekiti workers give Fayose 14-day ultimatum

    “We are vehement in this demand to end workers’ plights. Enough is enough,” Olatunbosun said, adding that the only reason Fayose had not been paying salaries was because of financial impropriety and nothing more.

    He stresses that “this time around, we will compel him to see the welfare of workers as of topmost priority”.

    The APC spokesman said that if the rumour making rounds that Fayose intended to prioritise payment of his phoney contractors from the allocation he collected recently at the expense of the workers was true, then he should be ready to face not only the wrath of the workers, but also that of the APC.

    Olatunbosun added: “We are ready to seek all legal means possible to make sure he doesn’t waste the N5.52 billion money on his personal luxuries this time around.

    “Fayose is shameless and an unrepentant slave driver. We have said it time and time again that workers are not his priority.

    “His plan to pay the contractors is also not borne out of concern for those ones, but out of selfish interest, since he is expecting kickbacks in high percentages from them, whereas there will be nothing for him from the payment of workers’ salaries.”

    Olatunbosun said APC empathised with the workers who had been at the receiving end of Fayose’s wickedness all these while and pleaded with them to exercise a little more patience under his heavy yoke.

    Fayose, he said, was only acting in caretaker capacity and he owed it a duty to carry the incoming governor along in whatever actions he wanted to take that might affect the people until he finally hands over on October 16.

  • ‘My government will not depend on federations account’

    Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 22 governorship election in Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola has said that if elected as governor of the state, he will rely less of allocation from the federation Account, but seek other means of increasing Internally Generated Revenue.

    Oyetola also assured civil servants in Osun state that if elected governor of the state, he will pay all the outstanding salaries within 12 months of assuming office, while insisting that the current government in the state did not owe salaries to junior workers in the state.

    Oyetola who was at the APC national secretariat to complete formality for the submission of his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission also said that the resignation of the Secretary to the State Government Moshood Adeoti will affect his chances of emerging the governor of the state.

    Adeoti who was one of the aspirant foe the APC ticket withdrew from the race on the allegation that his Senatorial district of Osun West was being marginalized has however picked the governorship ticket of the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

    He said he will increase the Internally generated revenue of the state without necessarily increasing tax, but ensuring that those who are supposed to pay tax, but have not been doing so pay appropriate tax to the government.

    “First of all, most state has been challenged by the lack of fund over the years But there is this misconception on the issue of salaries about Osun state. We paid salary from level one to seven. We do not owe anybody in that category. We paid 75% for people on level 8 to 10. The only category of people we owe is actually from level 12 to 17 as well as pension.

    “So, when you talk about owing salary, people tend to forget that it is not across board. Salary is fully paid from level one to seven, up to date. Levels eight to ten, we pay 75%. It is only portion of 12 to 17 that is being paid 50%.

    Read Also: I’ll go any length to restore peace in APC, Says Oshiomhole

    “Yes, it is a challenge that we all recognize. But we believe that will not persist for too long. My attitude and the method I want to adopt is not to entirely rely on allocation that comes from the federal government but to look at the means to seriously develop the IGR, not necessarily by increasing tax, but by ensuring efficiency in terms of collection and by bringing people who have been evading tax to come into the bracket. You can still get more by doing all of that without necessarily increasing tax.

    “So we are committed to paying whatever that is outstanding and we are looking forward to be able to pay full salaries subsequently. In any case, why do we want to be in government if we can not think outside of box? We must be very creative, that is the essense of being in government anyway. I believe in another one year you would have seen that things would have changed to better.”

    “Well, SSG is my brother actually, I would have loved that he remains in the party. But as a matter of choice, he decides to leave the party. There is nothing anybody can do about that.

    “But as to whether it will affect my fortune during the election, I don’t think so. One, if you look at the result of that election, I had 127,000 votes. These are purely members of our Party. We are going to have opportunity of other voters.

    “On the average, we usually have about 600, 000 or so serious voters. If you look at the percentage of that from members of our Party alone and with the kind of programme I want to run, and the fact that people seem to have that level of trust in me, I believe I will have more not only from the APC which is our base, even from the generality of the people.

    “So, I wish him well. He is a somebody I have some regards for too.  Sometimes politics is like that. You path and meet again. I wish him well”.

  • Why we are meeting aggrieved APC members – Oshiomhole

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday explained why it became necessary to embark on last ditch push to persuade aggrieved party members not to dump the party.

    Oshiomhole was categorical that rapprochement aimed at pacifying aggrieved members of the party plotting to leave the party should not be taken as an act of cowardice on the part of APC leadership.

    The APC National Chairman spoke at a book presentation in honour of Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim in Abuja.

    He emphasized that the last minute rapprochement was all about working for peace and engendering justice and fairness for those who deserved it.

    He added that the political move to mend fences should not be taken that the party is jittery in anyway.

    The party chairman said that far from having sleepless nights as being insinuated in some quarters, he is only working to ensure peace in the party since peace cannot be decreed.

    Oshiomhole said, “Throughout the weekend and up till today, many of the national dailies reported different stories with the impression that I have not been sleeping within the last one week as a result of alleged midnight meetings with aggrieved party members who they say I have been begging not to leave the party.

    “In some of the reports, insinuations even went as far as saying that I made juicy offers to the aggrieved party members to stop them from cross carpeting.

    “While I will not be too direct in reacting to such reports here, I will only say though I have been meeting aggrieved party members over whatever injustice they felt the party or some chieftains of the party had done to them, but I have not been having sleepless nights as being reported and also not in anyway jittery.

    “Rapprochement move as far as I am concerned , is not an act of cowardice but a desirous endeavour in making peace since you can’t decree peace but only work for it .

    Read Also: Buhari, Oshiomhole upset R-APC defection plan

    ” So, in a nutshell, I am not ashamed of doing that as Chairman of a great party and to those rapprochement moves are being directed to , we want them to appreciate that we are more or less trying to prevent them from making blunder of dumping palm wine for kain kain”, he said .

    Oshiomhole further noted that the rapprochement maneuvers were necessary especially when stability of the country cannot be completely divested from stability of political parties.

    Those running the affairs of the country, he said, got to power through political parties.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who chaired the occasion, commended Ibrahim for chronicling his experience in politics since 1991 in the book titled “Poorlitics” .

    Saraki noted that Senator Ibrahim’s brand of politics centred on the people at all times.

    He said that it is the same brand of politics that Ibrahim adopted to secure the mandate of Yobe people to govern them three times and even representing them in the senate for the third time.

    He said that it is similar brand of politics that propelled the political legacy and structure left behind by his father, the late Senator Olusola Saraki.

    He said, “Senator Ibrahim’s brand of politics as vividly captured in this book titled, “Poorlitics”, is not different from the model of politics my late father, Senator Abubakar Olusola Saraki bequeathed to us in Kwara State.

    “It is an all-time form of politics anchored on engaging the people at all times in knowing their problems and aspirations and assisting them in confronting their challenges in and out of election years unlike others who are fond of embarking on three and half years of sabbatical leave after elections only to rush back six months to new elections and yet expecting to get positive results.”

    The book presentation was also attended by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, Senators and members of the House of Representatives.

  • SHINA PELLER flags off campaign

    HOUSE of Representatives aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Shina Abiola Peller, has flagged off his campaign.

    Shina, the son of the late great magician, Prof Moshood Peller, has been telling whoever cares to listen that his desire to serve the people of his constituency motivated him to come out to jostle for the national assembly ticket, adding that his candidature will fast-track projects that would bring development to his constituency.

    Peller pledged purposeful representation of Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency if he becomes the party candidate and eventually voted into office.

  • 2019: What will Tambuwal do?

    As the preparation for 2019 General Election gathers momentum in All Progressives Congress, following the threat posed by the R-APC and the recent alliance, there is confusion in Sokoto State over Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s next political move, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    FOLLOWING the emergence of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), peopled by some members of the defunct nPDP block in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and  its participation in a coalition of political parties and groups, led by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as part of efforts to stop the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, the political future of a number of APC chieftains is now shrouded in uncertainty.

    While a good number of the R-APC chieftains have made it clear that they are headed out of the ruling party, strong indications continue to emerge that some leaders of the nPDP might not leave the APC, contrary to expectations. Many reasons, ranging from the ongoing effort by the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led National Reconciliation Committee, to personal and group political considerations, among others, have been adduced for this.

    Not surprisingly, one of the nPDP leaders whose political future remains uncertain is the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal. Leaders of the APC in Sokoto State, as well as the governor’s crowd of supporters and political associates are anxiously waiting for him to give an inkling of what he is planning to do as regards the R-APC and its defection plan as the 2019 general election draws nearer.

    Aside the R-APC issue, the people of Sokoto State are also uncertain about the next political aspiration of their current governor. While many gubernatorial aspirants, especially within the opposition parties, are currently traversing the length and breadth of the state in preparation for the next governorship election in the northwestern state, the people are daily inundated with talks of Tambuwal being interested in either the governorship of the state or the presidency of the country in 2019.

    While there have been speculations that Tambuwal intends to defect to the PDP where he would vie for that party’s presidential ticket and possibly mount a challenge against President Buhari and the APC in 2019, many of his close political associates back home in Sokoto State have declared his intention to stay put in the APC come what may. A good number of them are even optimistic that Tambuwal will remain in the APC and seek reelection as governor.

    Those expressing confidence that the former House of Representatives Speaker is on his way out of the ruling party have been analyzing some perceived political moves of his, like the visit last year to Delta State where he met with Governors Okowa (Delta) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers); a similar visit to Abia, another PDP state, as well as the most recent visit to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in company of Senate Presdient Bukola Saraki.

    Tambuwal described Wike as “Ekwueme” (promise-keeper) of Rivers State and said, “it only takes a leader with vision, passion and commitment to come up with this idea and implement it”. He said Wike’s projects were tailored to the needs of the people and in accordance with modern governance. Expectedly, reports had it that the Sokoto Governor had endorsed Wike, a PDP chieftain, for second term as governor.

    These dalliances and romances with the opposition, so close to a general election, coupled with the fact that unlike some of his APC colleagues like Abdulai Ganduje (Kano), Nasir El-rufai (Kaduna) and Aminu Masari (Katsina), he is not very visible in the ongoing nationwide political stampede to declare Buhari as the only credible candidate the APC can put forward in 2019, are reasons why Tambuwal’s supporters in Sokoto are uncertain about what to expect from him.

    Confusion

    Pulling the lid off the confusion that currently pervades the political firmament of the state, a group of politicians within the ruling party, had few weeks back, given the governor a 48-hour ultimatum to declare his stand on President Buhari’s 2019 ambition and also tell members of the party whether he will be seeking re-election as governor in 2019 or not.

    The Adalci Buhari Saka group said Tambuwal must declare whether he is with President Buhari or not. The group also threatened further actions against the governor if his intention on the matter is not made known within the given time. Leaders and members of the group, who are also APC chieftains, had also accused the governor of anti-party activities.

    “We don’t understand his romance with the leading members of the opposition PDP which was widely publicized. He has a strong relationship with Governor Wike who is the perceived leader of the modern PDP and the national chairman of the party. He visits them and they come and visit him in Sokoto as well. We will do all that is necessary if Tambuwal does not state his position within the slated ultimatum,” spokesperson of the group, Bashar Lawal, said.

    On the contrary, arguing that he would stay put in the ruling party, the state chapter of the APC allayed whatever fear the people of the state, especially supporters of the governor and the ruling party, might be nursing in a recent press statement that assured all and sundry that Tambuwal remains the only person to be supported by the party for the governorship seat in 2019.

    While insisting no contender can match Tambuwal in 2019, the APC said with the governor as its candidate, it will take out other parties in Sokoto State before the next general election. The new chairman of the party in the state, Isa Sadiq Achida, said there was no political party in Sokoto other than the ruling APC and that if there was any it would be eliminated before the election. He said the party is still intact and waxing stronger , adding that they would win all elective positions in the state.

    According to the party boss, a former Commissioner in Tambuwal’s administration and one of his closest aides, APC will field the governor again as no candidate could match his quality in the next election because of his outstanding achievements. He said the governor had cleared liabilities amounting to billions of naira. “He settled gratuities and pensions of retired civil servants and severe allowances of local government employees,” he said.

    But another chieftain of the APC in the state, Alhaji Dahiru Yusuf Yabo, insisted that Tambuwal has some games up his sleeves ahead of the 2019 general election. According to the 2011 governorship aspirant of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the state, the governor is currently working against the interest of President Buhari and the APC.

    “We know him as a governor under the platform of APC but it has been reported widely that he is romancing some personalities from outside his party, particularly those in PDP. There are speculations that he (Tambuwal) was among the people who funded the new leadership of PDP and his frequent visit to Rivers State, which is literally the PDP headquarters and where the party national chairman comes from.

    “We are also aware about his deep and close relationship with the governor of Rivers State. Being old folks in politics, we can read along the lines and understand the movements of any politician, especially toward an election time. With what is happening now at the National Assembly, one can see clearly too that there are a lot of apprehensions.  “Also, knowing the relationship of Governor Tambuwal with the Speaker of the House of Representatives who everybody knows he galvanised support for, to become the Speaker, we knew he must have an influence on the current happenings in the National Assembly. All these things put together, we felt we are even helping him to clear the air on some public misconceptions about his personality and political moves toward 2019,” he said.

    Face off with Wammako?

    To further compound the uncertainty surrounding Tambuwal’s next political action, there are talks about a rift between him and his political godfather and former governor of the state, Senator Aliyu Wamakko. Sources within the state even claimed the crisis between the two associates may have led to the recent dissolution of the State Executive Council (SEC).

    The dissolved cabinet, according to party sources, comprised of supporters of both Tambuwal and Wammako supporters. Tambuwal sacked all members of the cabinet after two weeks of alleged political brickbats between him and his predecessor. Though the rift has been on for a while now, it allegedly blew open at the national convention of the APC where Abubakar Makama Mainasara, a known ally of Wammako’s ran against Inuwa Abdulkadir, an ally of the governor.

    Few days after the face-off at the convention the two camps traded words over an rally held in the state capital by party members to protest against Wammako. While the Senator’s people alleged that the rally was sponsored by the state government to embarrass the former governor, Tambuwal’s camp denied any hand in it and accused those making the allegations of whipping up crisis within the party.

    Announcing the sack of the cabinet, a statement by the Director–General, Media and Public Affairs, to the Governor, Mallam Abubakar Abu Shekara, said: “The Governor of Sokoto State,  Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has dissolved the Sokoto State Executive Council with immediate effect. The dissolution is aimed at restructuring and re-strategising the cabinet for optimum efficiency and service delivery to the good people of Sokoto State.

    “While thanking members of the Council for the dedication, sacrifice and loyalty to the administration, the governor  expressed appreciation to the people for cooperating with and supporting the outgoing members of the council towards achieving the successes recorded. The commissioners would hand over the affairs of their respective ministries to the Permanent Secretaries.”

    But sources within the party claimed the dissolution is aimed at easing out Wammako’s men from the government as Tambuwal prepares to dump the APC for the PDP in the coming weeks. “The dissolution is just the first step in a number of moves that will end with the defection of the governor and his men to the PDP. Even the leadership of the party will go with them.

    “Or why do you think he ensured the emergence of this aide as the chairman of the party in the state? Leaders of the party are very much aware of what is going on and we are working round the clock to prepare ourselves for the inevitable. But one thing you can all see is that we made more than enough sacrifice to prevail on the governor not to leave the party,” our source, a former Commissioner in the state, said.

    However, the new Publicity Secretary of the party, Honourable Yusuf Ilaris, said there is nothing in the story that claims the governor and his predecessor are at war. According to him, the APC in the state is united and stronger. He accused mischief makers of trying to create crisis for the ruling party at all cost so as to satisfy some pre-planned evil intentions.

    Ilaris added Tambuwal and Senator Wamakko,  leaders of the party in the state, were not only united but working tirelessly for the success of the party in the coming elections at all levels. He insisted that with the leaders united and the party more popular in the state than ever before, Tambuwal will easily win reelection in 2019 on the platform of the party.

    Before the national convention, Wamakko had also cautioned those who he said are ceaselessly trying to sow seeds of discord between him and his successor. “Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and I are one and the same, contrary to the machinations of some doubting Thomases. The respect my younger brother, the governor is according me is unparalleled. I am truly and sincerely very grateful to him for this and I am highly cherishing his enviable gestures,” he said back then.

    But observers of the politics of the state say it is not clear if Wammako will say the same of his relationship with the Sokoto governor today. Many are even recalling a recent statement credited to the former governor that he will not be dumping the APC like some other nPDP chieftains to mean that he has parted ways with Tambuwal, who, up till this moment, is yet to denounce the defection plot. The question for now is still, “what will Tambuwal do?

  • NEF’s Elders Summit and state of the nation

    It is the age of the alliance. As the nation hurtles towards the 2019 general elections, more Nigerians are discovering that there is power in making common cause on political issues.

    First, it was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) corralling more than 30 other parties into the contraption called Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), whose sole aim is toppling President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

    Then last Wednesday, an ‘Extraordinary Summit of Leaders and Elders of Nigeria’ was convoked in Abuja at the instance of Professor Ango Abdullahi’s Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Aside the grand title of the event, the list of attendees was equally impressive.

    It is not every day that you gather the NEF, Ohaneze N’digbo, Afenifere, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and sundry others in one room, and emerge with an agreement. For each of these groups set their stall as ethnic and religious champions whose interests hardly cohere.

    Into the midst of these sectional leaders, the conveners parachuted Buhari’s bete noire former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who loves to posture as the arch-nationalist, as guest speaker – thereby setting the stage for what you would have expected to be a fractious gathering.

    But agree they did. In a communique titled: ‘State of the Nation: The Rising Spate of Killings Must Stop’, the leaders and elders condemned the bloodletting, called for the emergence of a new dynamic and visionary leadership, as well as resolved to work towards the restructuring of the country.

    The communique must have made for grim reading at the Presidential Villa as the summit returned a damning verdict on Buhari’s stewardship with regards to the economy, security and corruption – the three pillars of his 2015 election campaign. On each item they handed him a failing grade, rounding it up by dismissing his performance as incompetent.

    Their call for a ‘new visionary and dynamic leadership’ to lead Nigeria out of its present crisis was certainly no endorsement of the president’s second term bid.

    The Presidency hit back in a cutting response by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, which dismissed the gathering as an unholy alliance of selfish leaders motivated by hunger.

    HeHHe accused them of shedding crocodile tears because they felt alienated by an incumbent who had introduced a transparent and accountable system which disrupted their disproportionate survival on resources of the state.

    Shehu then reels off a number of ongoing security interventions in Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna and Niger States to debunk the suggestion that his principal was merely sitting on his haunches while the country bled to death.

    With the battle line between Buhari and the old political elite – north and south – sharply drawn, it is tempting even if you are not a presidential spokesman to question the motives of the summiteers. Many have been active participants in government at all levels from as far back as the 70s. They, Obasanjo included, had every opportunity to move the country in a better direction but blew their chance.

    They could have restructured the country economically and politically but were among some of the most vociferous voices that have pushed for the sustenance of our virtually unitary system of government. They could have been visionary and foreseen signs that the minor economic and sectarian problems they left to fester would one day threaten to break up the country.

    So, Shehu may have a point that a lot of the finger-pointing is hypocritical coming from many who helped to create the mess that now requires cleaning. The downside for the president and his team is that, our history notwithstanding, they were elected to clean it all up. It is too late in the day to moan about the scale of the exercise or the motivations of the ever-present army of faultfinders.

    No matter how unfair the critics may be, Buhari and his team must ask themselves whether, in the context of what the nation is passing through, their solutions are enough? Defensiveness would not do. Saying that the killings didn’t start under your watch, or that the body count was higher under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, is a totally unacceptable position.

    Although Shehu listed several ongoing military operations, it should alarm everyone that in spite of all he says is being done, so much bloodletting continues. It really goes beyond effort; it is all about the efficacy of what is being done. When Boko Haram was bombing major cities back in 2013 and 2014, the Jonathan administration also regaled us with all it was doing to battle to sect.

    To be fair, the Buhari government has done well with blunting the insurgency. The Islamist group is no longer the frightening force it was in 2014/2015.  The government equally deserves commendation for the number of Chibok girls it has rescued, as well as its quick response that led to the return of almost all the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls – leaving only Leah Sharibu as a sore point.

    Boko Haram maybe on the wane, but the overall security picture is bad news for the government. In terms of numbers and perception, the bloodshed of the last few years clearly surpasses any other period in recent peace time Nigeria.

    Herdsmen killings in the Middle-Belt, savage banditry in the Sokoto-Zamfara axis, and the swarm of kidnappers around Kogi, Abuja, Kaduna and many others parts of the country, have obliterated whatever feel-good dividend Buhari expected to reap from his successes in the Northeast.

    Indeed, the gravity of the situation was captured recently by former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa who said the kidnappers had become so evil they have taken to abducting poor Almajiris from isolated farms and asking for ransom as low as N3,000.

    A person who would abduct another human being for as low as N3,000 is really not much of a kidnapper; he’s just a desperately hungry fellow whose only solution is base criminality.

    One direct consequences of the abduction epidemic is that farming takes a hit. The herdsmen killings also have the same effect – compounding poverty and the country’s larger economic problems.

    What is happening is very complex and cannot be easily attributed to just one or two reasons. Clearly, the parlous state of the economy is a major factor. A clichéd expression speaks of the devil finding work for idle hands.

    There are environmental problems at play as desertification forces herdsmen down south where their unrestrained encroachment on farmlands sparks conflict and killings.

    There are the x-factors. Many of Nigeria’s immediate neighbours to the east and north are seething with conflict: from separatist groups in Cameroun to the untamed regions of Libya, there is unceasing flow of small arms that end up in the hands of criminals.

    The president and his team would also have us believe that some of the killings are sponsored by politicians. My problem with this is that the government with all its powers has not moved against those it accuses. That is hard to understand.

    At different times agents of government have highlighted these points. But to my mind the biggest challenge remains economic. Until the economy is sorted out, a thousand military taskforces would not pacify this land. We would never have enough soldiers and policeman to keep watch over isolated villages, farmlands and highways north and south.

    The Elders Summit communique mentioned new statistics that claim Nigeria now has more poor people than India. It should surprise no one that this dubious distinction coincides with the nation’s serious security crisis.

  • APC crisis: Akume urges APC Supporters to be calm

    Leader of the All Progressives Congress in Benue state Senator  George Akume has charged APC supporters in Benue not to panic but stand still to see the marvelous things that God Almighty will do in a short time.

    Akume gave this charge today at the funeral ceremony of his domestic staff, the late Imo Shom also known as Orshoja.

    The Zone B Senator said he was aware of all the political shakings in the state but described them as a sign of better things to come and urged those who believe in the APC never to swerve positions noting that he was not in a hurry  to curry public sympathies with words but when men decide not to tell the truth, God who sees in the secret judges their actions.

    While describing the deceased as a focused and diligent person that was appreciated by all who knew him, Senator Akume said men like the late Imo Shom were very rare to come by.

    He pledged to take up the sponsorship of the deceased’s children in their various schools of learning.

    The former Senate Minority Leader insisted that despite so many betrayals that he has faced in life, he was more poised to help as many as the Lord would bring his way using the little resources at his disposal, rather than amass primitive wealth for selfish gains; assuring his supporters that he would always be there for them.

    Read Also: No going back on my APC exit – Ortom

    He prayed God to protect the family of Mr. Shom as they prepare to face life without a father. The Senator Akume also prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari to find a permanent solution to the lingering security challenges facing Nigeria and also prayed for Governor Samuel Ortom to provide good governance to the Benue people.

    Earlier in their separate funeral orations, the Executive Chairman, Tarka Local Government Council,, Hon. Anthony Sende who described death as an end to life but not an end to human existence urged the deceased family to be strong, while the Ter Mbakor, HRH Chief Gandeorun said Mr. Shom said the deceased will be missed greatly for his numerous community development efforts while alive.

    Born on the 15th of August, 1948, the late Imo Shom joined the Nigerian Army in 1969 and fought the Nigerian civil war. He retired from service on the 31st of December, 2002 as Assistant Brigade Chief Clerk and has been into active politics until his sudden death on the 23rd of June, 2018 at the age of 69 years.

  • ‘Ondo, Ekiti political, cultural ties remain solid’

    The cultural and political affinity between Ondo and Ekiti States will always be fortified.

    The Ondo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ade Adetimehin made the observation at the weekend when he received a delegation of APC leaders from Ekiti State, who were on a thank-you visit, and led by the State Chairman, Chief Jide Awe.

    According to a statement by the party’s spokesman, Alex Kalejaye ,the chairman noted that the support and efforts of Ondo State APC in Ekiti, during the campaigns, were informed by what the State chapter benefited from Ekiti, particularly,  the governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in the past.

    He said “In 2012, Fayemi was at the forefront of our governorship campaigns here in Ondo State. Though we lost that election but he was not deterred. Again in 2016, he presented himself a pillar to lean on till we emerged victorious”

    Read Also: 10 docked for vote buying in Ekiti

    Speaking earlier, Chief Awe, thanked leaders and all organs of the party in Ondo State, for what he termed massive support and encouragement given to them during their electioneering campaigns.

    Awe said that though the Ekiti office was still basking in the euphoria of the electoral victory, the leaders considered it expedient to offer timely appreciation.

    Awe said: “We are full of appreciation to the leaders and every member of APC in Ondo State for their support and encouragement. It is difficult to go to individuals for this, we are therefore using this corporate office as a means of contact to all members.

    “It will be needless counting the number of ways through which you rendered assistance for us to get victory at the just concluded gubernatorial polls in our State.”