The Nation Newspaper

Tag: chairman

  • THE NATION EDITORIAL BOARD CHAIRMAN HONOURED AT NIGERIAN OSCAR

    THE NATION EDITORIAL BOARD CHAIRMAN HONOURED AT NIGERIAN OSCAR

    For their contributions to the growth of the country, Nigerian students, under the auspices of the Outstanding Students Choice Award for Recognition (OSCAR), last Sunday, honoured deserving members of the society.

    The event which took place at the Bespoke Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos, is the brainchild of Nigerian students in 118 tertiary institutions in the country, and is spearheaded by its founder, Sam Adegbola; a post graduate student of the University of Ibadan.

    The Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation newspapers, Mr. Sam Omatseye, who was among the awardees, presented the keynote address titled, Nigeria Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Lessons Learnt, Challenges, and Opportunities.

    The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, received two awards; The OSCAR Person of the Year Award, and Statesman of the Year Award. Other awardees include Sam Omatseye (Media), 2face Idibia (Music), Tunde Kelani (Filmmaking), Dr Taiwo Afolabi (Entrepreneurship), Steve Babaeko (Advertising), Ejiro Amos-Tafiri (Fashion), Dr Dapo Majekodunmi (Health services), Femi Falana (Legal services), Alhaji Mohammed Mutiu Anthony (Humanitarian services) and Oscar Onyema (National service/administrative leadership).

    Also awarded were Senator Babajide Omoware (Public presentation), Alhaji Mohammed Lawal Aliu (Public service), Prof Okechukwu Ukwuoma (Science and Technology) and Japheth Omojuwa (Social activism/advocacy).

    Speaking on the criteria for choosing the awardees, the founder of the OSCAR said that 852 names were initially nominated for the awards, but campus representatives scaled down the list to fifteen names. Speaking further he said, “There are four criteria for picking the awardees. They include performance, humility, contribution of the individual to national development and relationship with Nigerian students.”

    In response to his most outstanding media practitioner of the year 2015 award, Mr. Omatseye said, “Thank you and I am humbled by the award.”

  • Secondus to run as PDP national chairman

    Secondus to run as PDP national chairman

    Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, is being tipped to assume the position in a substantive capacity, sources have disclosed. The controversy that ensued over proposed election of a new national chairman of the party following the resignation of Alhaji Adamu Muazu a few months ago, had forced the party leadership to put the exercise on hold, but fresh facts indicate that Secondus is highly favoured by influential stakeholders of the party to run the affairs of the party ahead the 2019 general elections. But that would however not rule out other interested aspirants in the race from the South-West, South-East and South-South from competing for the seat following the zoning of the party’s 2019 presidential ticket to the North.

  • Ekiti monarchs get chairman

    The Ologotun of Ogotun Ekiti, Oba Samuel Oladapo Oyebade, is the Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers.

    Oyebade succeeds the Onitaji of Itaji-Ekiti, Oba Adamo Idowu Babalola, who has just completed his two-year term.

    The council’s chairman was sworn in by Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday at the Abiodun Adetiloye Hall, Trade Fair Complex, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Oyebade pledged his loyalty to the government and people of the state, promising that the council would embrace justice and fair-play in all its dealings during his tenure.

    Fayose promised to always accord monarchs with the respect they deserve and always tap from their experience in administering the state.

    The governor pledged the support  of his administration to the new chairman of the council to succeed in his new position, urging the  members to reciprocate the gesture by maintaining peace and security in their domains.

  • Gunmen abduct Odi compensation committee chairman

    Gunmen abduct Odi compensation committee chairman

    Odi community in Bayelsa State has been thrown into confusion following the abduction of Compensation Funds Disbursement Committee Chairman, Prof. Zibokere Daukiye, by unidentified gunmen.

    The riverine community has been engulfed in crisis since 1999 when federal troops under President Olusegun Obasanjo bombarded it to avenge the gruesome murder of security operatives by youths during the militancy era.

    The community was awarded N 37.6 billion by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State but was later paid N15bn by the government after negotiation.

    The N15bn compensation paid the community by the government after series of legal actions has also unsettled the people in the area following alleged diversion of a chunk of the money.

    It was gathered that Daukiye, amidst controversies, was appointed by stakeholders in the community to manage disbursement of the compensation funds which had torn the people apart.

    The unknown gunmen were said to have stormed the community on Friday.

    It was gathered that they arrived the area on a speedboat through the community’s river.

    The gunmen were said to have caused panic in the community by firing staccato of gunshots into the air to scare residents.

    Residents were said to have fled to many direction for safety as the gunmen invaded the residence of Daukiye.

    A source who spoke in confidence said: “They seized him and bundled him to the riverbank. They shot their way out of the community and disappeared in the creeks. It was a scary sight”.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident in Yenagoa.

    He said: “A manhunt has been launched by a combined team of Marine Police, anti-kidnapping unit and JTF to rescue the victim and arrest the abductors”.

  • IEI-Anchor PFA removes chairman

    IEI-Anchor PFA removes chairman

    The Board of Directors of IEI-Anchor Pension Managers Limited has removed its chairman, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, following a vote of no confidence passed on him by the directors.

    Zwingina, who has been the chairman since the firm’s incorporation in November 2004, was removed due to allegations of interference with the  management of the company.

    The PFA is believed to have had five managing directors in its 10 years of existence under the Chairmanship of Senator Zwingina, a development, analysts say, does not augur well  for the organisation.

    Stakeholders are hopeful that with this development, the management and the Board would  focus on building value for the stakeholders and remain competitive in the industry.

    A source in PenCom, while confirming the development, said: “We were notified of the action by the management of the organisation. It is within the confines of the organisation to do what it feels right for its smooth operation.”

    On measures put in place to ensure that the problrm does not happen again, the source said: “This is why we have the fit and proper requirement for appointments into any organisation and we shall continue to enforce and monitor it.”

    A former Managing Director of the PFA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the removal of Senator Zwingina as long overdue, adding that his tenure did not reflect  much on the fortune of the company.

    He blamed the senator for the setbacks the PFA has suffered   on his overbearing influence on the management.

  • ‘Chairman disowns’ lawmaker

    ‘Chairman disowns’ lawmaker

    A factional chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Oyo State, Adeola Adepoju, yesterday “disowned” the lawmaker-elect representing Ogbomoso North/Ogbomoso South and Oriire federal constituency, Segun Ogunwuyi.

    Adepoju, at a briefing in Ibadan, said his party “disowned” Ogunwuyi because he was not duly nominated to vie for the position, having allegedly not resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), prior to contesting under the LP.

    “It is bizarre and it is only in a ‘Banana Republic’ that a person would not join a party properly and he would be parading himself as a member, and candidate of a party.”

  • Our chairman has done it again – a fable

    Once upon a time in a publicly quoted company, let’s call it Njinji Plc, matters had come to a head. In other words, the company faced a certain extinction unless drastic measures were taken urgently. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) had been schedule; far-reaching decision must be taken, indeed, it was poised to be the most explosive meeting in the annals of the company.

    Actually, at the root of the roiling in Njinji Plc is its chairman, call him Chief Gedegede kponukpo. He is a confounding enigma in the sense that he had been a corporate mogul for over 25 years yet he seems not to know the difference between a balance sheet and profit and loss accounts. In fact, everything for him is income or profit or both. Since he was appointed chairman of Njinji the company’s fortunes went on the decline.

    But the irony of it is that Chief kponukpo had no clue the firm was in dire straits. As far as he was concerned, so long as the cash register rang, the company made money. Njinji was the largest producer of edible oils in the land. How then could the MD and his management team convince Chairman that the company ailed?  “Have vegetables and nuts finished in the land or have the people stopped making soup? Perhaps you people are tired of producing oil?” he would ask sarcastically each time he was shown the red figures.

    “It is when I request for money that you people will tell me that the company is dying but when you people pay yourselves fat bonuses and allowances there is always money,” he was wont to say in his pedestrian elocution. And did he raid the firm for funds? No week passed without one request or the other; always drawing beyond his statutory limits and putting the MD and his team on edge. He knew no  control or restraint. The company’s position was made the more hopeless because he was a nominee of the major shareholders who knew not much more than him. In fact, he was their eyes and ears.

    But the die was cast: he was either chucked out or Njinji died. This was the decision before the AGM in one week. Chief Kponukpo saw the danger signals, he may be on his way out as management has prepared a damning report to convince the shareholders. He moved swiftly, filibuster the Board and got them to postpone the AGM insisting the company wasn’t ready.

    Chief Kponukpo got his wish. He got a six-month postponement. Presently he set to work to get the MD discredited and sacked before the AGM. He tried every trick he knew but none cut ice because the MD was a man of integrity and untainted character. All accusations against him fell flat. Then one day, Chief Gedegede Kponukpo, Chairman of Njinji Plc did the incredible and outright irrational: he took full-page colour advert in all the national newspapers to discredit his MD, someone he headed the board that employed him.

    When the MD, his management and staff saw the barrage of adverts signed by the chairman with his picture to boot they were shocked beyond words.

    Ha, our Chairman has done it again! Some of them exclaimed.

    Moral of the fable: a desperate man is a crazy man

  • Re: President can sack INEC chairman

    SIR: I read Dr. Kayode Ajulo’s interview published on page 42 of The Nation of Tuesday, February 24, particularly as it concerns the powers of the president to sack the INEC chairman.

    Ajulo in his interview gave affirmation to the question whether or not the president has the right to sack the INEC chairman. He claimed that his position stem from the provisions of the constitution and other extant laws even though he cited no particular section of any law or constitution. He finally concluded by asserting that the president appointed Jega, therefore has the right to fire him.

    With due respect to Dr. Ajulo, I greatly differ. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a creation of section 153(1) (f) of the 1999 constitution as amended and not a creation of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. By the provision of section 154(1) of the constitution aforesaid, the appointments of chairman and members of INEC are made by the president subject to confirmation by the senate. In essence, in the appointment of chairman and members of INEC, the president has the originating powers of the process of installing an INEC chairman. However, once the INEC chairman is confirmed by the senate, the president loses the powers to initiate the process of his removal from the office and therefore cannot originate or activate the process of removing the chairman or members of INEC.

    By the provisions of section 157 of the 1999 constitution which deals with removal of a person holding the offices created by section 153 which includes INEC (but excludes members of National Population Commission), for such an office holder to be removed by the president, the president will act on an address supported by two-third majority of the senate requiring or praying that such an office holder be removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any other cause) or for misconduct.

    The implication of section 157 of the constitution is that for INEC chairman or any member of the commission to be removed, the process of such removal must be initiated by the senate through a panel or committee who must investigate the allegation during which the officer affected must be heard.

    Following the investigation, and report of the panel, the senate of the whole of 109 members shall in a session by not less than 73 persons pray the president to remove the affected chairman or member of the commission. The figure 73 is next approximate to two-third of 109 as held by the Supreme Court in the case of INAKOJU Vs. ADELEKE (2007) 143 LRCN @ 89.

    I hope Dr Ajulo knows that the commission enumerated under section 153, (INEC inclusive) is separated from such federal bodies that draw their lives, existence and operations from ministries and executive departments like the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    The power to remove INEC chairman is not domiciled with the president but requires a joint effort of senate and the president.

     

    •Victor C. Nwaugo Esq.                                                                                    

    Hospital Rd, Aba, Abia State

  • CBN approves chairman, vice for Unity Bank

    CBN approves chairman, vice for Unity Bank

    The Central Bank of Nigeria has approved the appointment of Mr Thomas A. Etuh and Alhaji Aminu Babangida as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Unity Bank Plc.

    A statement from Unity last night, said this approval was contained in a letter to the Bank dated January 23, 2015 and signed by the Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs Tokunbo Martins.

    It noted that “their appointments followed the resignation of the former Chairman, Alhaji Lamis Shehu Dikko from the Board in December 2014 to pursue his political aspirations.”

    Unity Bank said Mr Etuh, who was appointed pioneer Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, on April 22, 2014 has varied experience, gained from over two decades of contribution to the public and private sectors of the economy, especially the agric sector of the economy.

    The new Vice Chairman Alhaji Aminu Babangida, is the son of former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, an Entrepreneur and a co-founder/CEO of Phoenix Energy, Abuja. He was appointed to the Board of Unity Bank Plc in 2011.

    He has held chairmanship and membership positions in a number of board committees, including Credit Committee, Audit Committee, Information Technology & Strategy Committee, among others.

  • Osun PDP slams chairman of being ‘high-handed’

    Osun PDP slams chairman of being ‘high-handed’

    •Party spokesman cautioned

    Some members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State have accused the Chairman, Ganiyu Ola-Oluwa, of working against the success of the party.

    The party’s Director of Media and Strategy, Diran Odeyemi, in a statement in Osogbo yesterday, accused Ola-Oluwa of high handedness.

    Odeyemi said instances abound of Ola-Oluwa’s high handedness, which has “at those critical moments cost us a lot as a political party.

    “ I am only making our stand on him known now before he inflicts irredeemable damage on Osun PDP and jeopardises our chances in next month’s elections”.

    He said many SWC members were becoming less concerned and committed to the party’s cause as a result of “the divide and rule and dictatorial tendencies” of Ola-Oluwa.

    The statement added: “We have done a lot of work to make PDP a viable platform for political office seekers, including President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “We know as a group of concerned and committed party loyalists that going into important elections what is at stake is higher than the way the chairman is taking it. The disposition of our chairman is at variance with what a good team player should do in a situation we face at the moment in Osun State.

    “None of the SWC members and the members of Osun PDP has an idea of how Ola-Oluwa runs the party, we consider this very dangerous.

    “We call on the party’s national leadership and President Goodluck Jonathan to move quickly to save the situation before permanent damage is done.”

    Ola-Oluwa has cautioned Odeyemi against unguarded and unauthorised statements.

    In a reaction to the allegations, he assured that the PDP is not divided, warning that the party would not tolerate divisive comments from “someone with a questionable character”.

    He said Odeyemi was given a portfolio out of magnanimity, maintaining that he is not a member of the PDP exco.

    According to him,  Odeyemi is yet to clear himself of a query issued to him after the August 9 governorship election.

    He insisted that for unity of purpose, all media related information that do not emanate from him, secretary and publicity secretary should be disregarded.

    Ola-Oluwa said: “The sense of purpose which the PDP in Osun now enjoys should not be sacrificed by any individual. So, I expect Odeyemi to clear all matters hanging on his neck without adding to his problem.”