SIR: At the inception of eight Senate in June 2015, it was clear to all discerning minds that the executive and the legislative arms many not have a smooth relationship. This fear was predicated on the event that culminated in the emergence of the leadership of the upper legislative house.
Some optimists were however quick to dismiss this, as they believed the matter will be resolved as a family affair – a phrase which gained so much currency during the PDP-16 years rule. Two years on, the squabble still lingers.
Clear signs that suggested that all was still not well began to emerge on November 1, 2016 when the Senate rejected the president’s $30 billion dollars loan request and their refusal to confirm Ibrahim Magu for the second time as the substantive EFCC boss on March 15.
Don’t also forget the Code of Conduct trial of the Senate President, the forgery cases and all that.
This protracted Executive-Legislative feud took centre stage again when the issue of confirmation of the Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila was recently discussed on the floor of the Senate. It was another occasion to express their misgivings with the executive on the continued retention of Magu. They were also equally piqued with the acting President over a comment credited to him that executive appointment does not require legislative approval. With this, the battle line was again drawn as all nominations for confirmations were purportedly suspended until their powers are respected.
The acting President himself, an astute, erudite law professor and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria anchored his position on sub-section 2, section 171 of the 1999 constitution as amended which empowers the President to appoint and remove his appointees without any recourse to the Senate. Some law experts have however faulted the acting President’s stance, arguing that the quoted section has a specific application and only affects appointments into offices such as – Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Head of Service, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Extra Ministerial Departments (EMDs) and personal staff to the President. They are of the view that the chairman of EFCC is not included in this category of appointees.
The crux of this argument is whether Economic and Financial Crime Commission can be described as an extra-ministerial department. To help us here, it is pertinent to note that EMDs are appendages of ministries and are created for administrative purposes while commissions like EFCC are statutory (that is created by law). Ministers are in-charge of EMDs while Commissions, Agencies and Corporations created by law are fully or somewhat independent. Experts argue that, the Minister of Justice that supervises EFCC only exercises prosecutorial powers and does not have direct procedural and operational control over it.
In view of the disagreement, which this section of the constitution has generated recently, a further judicial interpretation from the apex court is the way to go.
The resurfacing of this Senate-Presidency altercation at the time the nation is experiencing a depressed economy, agitations, Boko-Haram/ herdsmen terrorism, the ill-health of our President is to say the list, not auspicious.
Our distinguished denizens of the Three Arms Zone should realize that Nigerians look up to them to make laws for their socioeconomic well-beings and not to further create tensions in the country. Therefore, the on-going war of attrition must stop. This egregious display of callousness among our leaders should not be our style of governance.
In this report, Medinat Kanabe and Dorcas Egede take a look at the cold war going on between residents of Dolphin Estate Duplexes and their neighbouring High-Rise section
In 1985, the then governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande began the construction of buildings in different parts of Lagos State. Those estates are now known, albeit unofficially, as Jakande Estate.
One of such estates was built in Obalende, but after some years and the emergence of another governor, the Obalende estate was demolished and Dolphin Estate Phase 1 was built. That was in 1992.
To compensate the victims of the demolished Jakande Estate, the then governor built a high-rise 2 and 3 bedrooms flats, which they called Dolphin Estate High-rise.
Now residents of Dolphin High-rise are complaining that residents of the Dolphin Duplexes are segregating them, showing ego and not allowing them enjoy facilities located within their section. The chairman of Dolphin Duplexes however insists that the estates are not the same.
Mr Taiwo Kosoko, Environmental Secretary for the Dolphin Estate High-rise, who spoke to The Nation said there is a big segregation, adding that it is a mere show of ego.
“First of all, it is one C of O (Certificate of Occupancy) that covers the whole area; but over there, we have a lot of things in common, which is like a commonwealth and should be accessible to us. An example is the open spaces.
“We have documents to show that the facilities therein are for the use of both the duplex and the high rise estates. The case is like winner takes all. They are making money through our commonwealth over there and use it for themselves. That is why you see that we are not able to get enough money to put our environment in order.
“Because of this, we have no choice but to look up to the government to help put our environment in order and they have promised to help us with the road before the canal. There is also a piece of land that we have been given management by the government but to put it in shape, we will need like N 11 to N 15 million and we are looking up to some banks to support us as their part of their own Corporate Social Responsibility.”
He lamented that at the duplex area, there are about three fields but because they fall on side, they have monopolised them. “We have written to Lagos State Development/Property Corporation, LSDPC, and we were told that we must have unfiltered access to every facility within the estate but each time we call for a meeting for the commonwealth sharing, they will not show up. Although they come for security meetings, it doesn’t usually end well because we always bring the issue of the commonwealth sharing and the meeting will abruptly end.”
Asked when the segregation started, he said this was from the onset of the new estate in 1992 but noted that it became very obvious during the last administration of the estate. “The last chairman ordered that the boundary between us and them should be closed, so that we will not have easy access to their side of the estate.
They pretentiously told us that they were trying to drive their revenue, so we can allow them erect the gate. They told us that the gate will be opened and closed at certain time during the day, so we agreed and it was erected. But thereafter, we realised that their intention was to close the gate permanently so that we will be restricted to the Obalende exit while they use corporation drive.
“So we fought it and ordered that there should be no barrier anymore, as long as we are covered under one C of O and are supposed to be one estate.
“For you to know that it’s no longer a trivial issue, you will notice that we don’t have one security, we don’t have one shuttle, we don’t have one association, we don’t use the same PSP for wastes; we do everything separately. In fact, when you board a tricycle, you will stop in the middle and board their shuttle and if you don’t get a shuttle or vehicle to take you inside their own side, you will wait endlessly.”
Continuing Kosoko said, “Recently they did something else; there was a gate by the police station, which is for everybody to access the dual carriage road which is a federal road; but they ordered the closure of that gate indefinitely as if they are the pioneer of the estate.
“They claim this superiority all the time, but they’re not superior. They are not superior because we all purchased the houses from the same authority.”
Even with all these issues, Kosoko insisted that residents from the two estates live in peace, claiming there is no rancour aside the ego that the other party is showing.
An aggrieved resident of the high-rise section, who spoke with The Nation, said everything is about packaging. The duplex people package themselves very well, unlike us and that is because we don’t have the financial power. “The problem is that the Lagos state government has abandoned us.
“They have deliberately refused to come to our aid in terms of demolition of all the illegal structures that are devaluing the high rise section. Most of the residents are benefitting from the structure by renting them off or using them for some other things.
“We also have flooding problems because most of the drainage has not been emptied by the Lagos state government.
“The drainage has been occupied by mechanics and a gas station called ISA-TEL GAS, without our knowledge and proper documentation. They said they have the back up of the Ministry of Energy officials. When you are entering through our gate, you will also notice that the gate is so porous, making it look really ugly.
“We have written to the Ministry of Physical Planning, Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Urban Development. There was a time the Special Adviser to the governor on Urban Development, Mrs Yetunde Onabule invited us. We told her about abandoned vehicles on Ijeh Road and she promised to look into it and even said that they would dualise the road because it is the easiest access for us to town. She also said they will come and clear our drainage too but none of these has been done.
“They also said they would reclaim the land being used by the police people as market and convert it to shopping complex for us; but since then, we have not heard from them. We have also been calling her since then, but she is not picking her calls and when we send her messages, she will not reply. This has gone on for over a year now.
“Another effort we have put in is to reach out to the Surveyor General of Lagos State to come and erect a boundary between us and the police, so that the space will be demolished and we can build a complex there, instead of having our people build all these illegal structures as shops inside the estate that now make the place look unkempt.
“We are calling the government to come and demolish the illegal structures, just the way it did in other estates in Lagos State like, Abesan, Isolo, Mile 2, Ifako Ijaiye and others.
“We know that government officials have failed to come here because they have been bribed. I can categorically state here that the government officials that are supposed to demolish the structures have been bribed. They just defaced the whole place with shanties, shops that do not befit the estate.”
A resident of Dolphin Estate Duplex, who prefers not to be quoted also insisted that there is no fight between the two estates; it is just that some people feel they are bigger than others so they insist on doing some things.
My paradise is better than yours
Tricycles used by the High Rise and shuttle used by the Duplex residents
As far as I am concerned, the idea is not a welcomed one; it is only in this part of the world that we feel that we are different. We are all the same in the eyes of God. All these things are nothing; we are the ones that feel that some people are not in the same class as us. There is a road that is supposed to be a major road going to Osborne but the duplex people have refused the high-rise people to pass there. They claim that it is for them and the whole place has only one C of O. As a resident of the duplex, I don’t support what they are doing; same applies to many other people living in the duplex section.
But a tricycle rider who conveyed these reporters from Ijeh Road to the Duplex entrance told his own version of the story.
He said when former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in power, he tried to work on the drainage without success. “When Governor Babatunde Fashola was in power, he also tried all he could to drain the water but he couldn’t. He was the one who did the canal side like that.”
He said the water is coming from the river across the express, adding that sometimes it flows to the estate and sometimes it flows away. He however said it never dries up even during Harmattan. The rider said the duplex people have not accepted that the people in the high rise section are living in Dolphin Estate, as they usually refer to them as barracks people.
“The duplex people call the high rise, barracks. In fact, they recently erected a gate, where the security men are stationed. But the high rise people fought and removed the gate. We (riders) are not allowed to enter the duplex area; that is why they have their own shuttle system.”
He said even with the segregation, a 3-bedroom flat in the high rise section goes for between N1million and N1.2 million.
Not the same estate- Chairman duplex section
The chairman Dolphin Estate Association, Mrs Bisi Awoniyi, who also spoke with The Nation, said everybody is being very cautious about making comments on the issue and that is because to the best of her knowledge, there has never been a time when the two estates were meant to be the same.
Speaking, Awoniyi said, “That is news to me because there has never been a time when the people in the high rise section are considered to be residents of Dolphin Estate. No! Dolphin Estate is Dolphin Upper Medium Estate. I don’t know how they are registered but they have never shared anything with us.
“We have separate security, we have different associations, different executive members; so if it is supposed to be one whole Dolphin, how come we have all these things separated?
On the claim that the estates are under the same C of O and that the LSDPC has given them the go ahead to use every facility in the estate, she said they had made that allegation in the past and they were told to show where it is written but they have not been able to.
“Everyone just goes around with all sorts of stories. If that is what they said, let them show where it is so written. What exactly are we sharing? If you look at the layout of our estates, there is a distinct wall separating the two estates. In that Ijeh, I am made to understand that there are two or three fractions; now when you have people of different background and orientation and a little bit disagreement between them and we don’t want to be part of that.
“To the best of my knowledge, what I am aware that they are claiming is the access way. You know there is an access way, which is our own Corporation Drive, which we allow them to pass through. We have never stopped them from passing through our gate because we know they use our estate as an access route to their own estate. Their own main gate is at Obalende.
“Everything they do is different. They collect their dues themselves and we don’t look at what they collect because it is not our business anyway. They too don’t look into what we collect as dues because it is not their business. So how can you be selective in what constitutes one estate?
On the sharing of a commonwealth, she said if that is the case, they should be sharing the same dues, liabilities and expenses?
She said, “All the maintenance we do in our estate, we don’t involve them at all. When it suits them, they say they are part of Dolphin; when it doesn’t suit them, they say they are on their own.
“I quite appreciate the word perception. The general perception, which is very correct to an extent, is that the people in this our estate, are of a higher income bracket. I want to believe that it is normal for people to want to associate with things that are nice or anything that is more organised. I know that they have provided something like a field or park for them and we are not associating ourselves with it because we know we are not a part of it.
“They say success has many fathers and failure is an orphan. So this part of the estate is more organised despite the fact that it is not up to one third of what we bought into; and you cannot also say that the people that bought duplexes paid the same amount as the people that bought flats in the high rise section. So where is equity in the whole thing?”
On being the pioneer inhabitants of the duplex area, she said she is not aware of that.
“What I know is that the current administration is running what we met on ground and that is what we will continue. I am not going to dig into the past and start talking about things that happened donkey years ago. Of all the contentious issues that were raised at that time, I know the chairman at the time went to court and a lot of things were resolved. My administration is new; I cannot just come and start laying claim to things. I will not do that because there have been previous administrations in the past that have laid the foundation of Dolphin Estate.
“So I am not sure they have given you the correct information. And if there is a story like that, then they have misinterpreted quite a lot of things.”
Asked if her position is that the people in the high rise section are not living in Dolphin Estate, she said all she knows is that they don’t share anything with them.
She also denied the allegation that the people living in the duplex section refer to those living in high rise section as ‘barracks people,’ saying they refer to the estate as ‘Dolphin high rise not barracks’.
Her words: “I have never heard anybody call the place barracks; I have never heard people call them names. There is even no way people will call them names because we have some of our residents here who have second wives in the high rise and they are respectable men. Would we now be calling the high rise a barracks?
On the allegations of ego tripping and superiority, she said she is not aware of this. “If anything, we always reach out to each other for security; and that is because they use our estate as thorough fare to theirs. I am not aware that we show off any ego. When they want to do their dues verification, they write to us that they want to have a lockdown and we cooperate with them.
“When they want to do any major thing in their estate and require support from us, they write to us and we support them. When we also want to do our dues verification, we write them that we are going to have a lockdown and they support. But you can’t say we are the same estate because even in very little things, we are different.”
Explaining further, Awoniyi said, “One thing I will want to advice is depending on who you are talking to, they are bound to come up with stories that they know nothing about. I will not say I know 100 percent the full story of what they are talking about, but I have read what I met on ground and I have never seen anywhere where they said we should share common things together; even our security is different.
“Why is it that it is only when it comes to issues of the field that you think that you are the same estate with us? Why not in every other aspect? And the reason why we are very firm on the field is that we are the ones maintaining the field. We engage gardeners and sweepers to maintain the field. They are not contributing anything. They say you put your mouth where your money is, isn’t it?
“And then the few times we have even allowed them to use the place, we have had very high incidences of theft. They cannot control the people that come here. We had area boys who came all the way from Mushin and Ajegunle, so we just had to stop it.” Awoniyi concluded.
We don’t give permission for location of gas plant – Ministry of Energy
On the claim by the gas company that it got permission from The Ministry Energy to occupy the estate drainage, the Public Relations Officer, of the ministry, Segun Olawoye, who spoke with The Nation said they don’t give permission for citing of gas plants. He said that is the job of the Ministry of Physical Planning and they are licensed by Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR.
“Our job is to make sure that they follow the regulations and we are trying our best to make sure that they get all the proper papers. I will advice that residents of the high-rise write a petition and send them to the Ministry of Physical Planning and copy us, so that we can go and verify it.
Put your questions in writing- LSDPC
When The Nation reached out to the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, LSDPC to confirm some of the allegations and counter-allegations, information, the Assistant Chief Legal Officer, Ajetunmobi Lolade told the reporters to put their questions in writing.
She said: “Did they show you evidence that we said they should have access to the facilities. Ask them to show you the evidence that they have because all these things are based on evidence. They may have had a letter prior to this time regarding this issue… let them come to LSDPC.
“If they have a response, they should have a letter because LSDPC will not give you a response by word of mouth; so let them show you what they have.”
Until press time, every attempt to reach Onabule, Special Adviser to the government on Urban Development, to hear the Ministry’s side of the story failed.
There is a gulf between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu. They are not on the same page over who gets the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the governorship election. Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR, who has been following the matter, highlights the problem and its implication for the party.
The cordial relationship between Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and his deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, has hit the rocks. Both men are on collision course over the party’s governorship ticket in the election. While Oshiomhole has left no one in doubt that Godwin Obaseki is his preferred candidate, Odubu is insisting on gunning for the ticket.
Before now, Odubu was described as the best deputy governor in the country, because of what many termed his unalloyed loyalty to his boss. But, that is no longer the case. He has set up his campaign office within the highbrow Government Reservation Area (GRA) in the state capital and notable members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) are flocking there to pledge their loyalty. But, Oshiomhole has made it clear that he would not support Odubu’s bid. “We came together, we leave together,” he was quoted as telling his deputy.
Odubu, a lawyer, hails from Orhionmwon Local Government Area. His supporters say he is the only experienced aspirant among those gunning for the ticket. This is attributed to his eight-year tenure as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives and his close to eight-year stint as deputy governor. They say Odubu showed his political relevance during the tussle between Samson Osagie and Patrick Obahiagbon; a contest where Obahiagbon, who is believed to be favoured by Oshiomhole, was narrowly defeated.
Apart from Odubu and Obaseki, top contenders for the APC ticket are: Blessing Agbomhere, Charles Airhiavbere, Prof. Amadasun Ebegue and Chris Ogiemwonyi.
Supporters of Odubu say the relationship between him and Oshiomhole has degenerated to a low level. Last year, the sacking of four commissioners by the governor signaled the parting of ways between them. The commissioners were reportedly sacked for holding political meetings with the deputy governor. Those affected were Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Chief Lucky James, Commissioner for Women Affairs Blessing Maigida, Commissioner for Basic Education Mr. Patrick Aguinede and Commissioner for Energy and Water Resources Chris Ebare. Oshiomhole, however, explained that the commissioners were removed for corrupt practices.
Several loyalists of Odubu have also been dropped from one political appointment or the other. For example, Osaretin Edoma, the member representing Orhionmwon in Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Commission (EDSOGPADEC), was kicked out for alleged corrupt practices. Osaretin told reporters he was being victimised for supporting the deputy governor and warned of dire consequences at the polls, if the governor succeeds in imposing a candidate on the party.
In January, the Vice Chairman of the APC and one of the key supporters of Odubu, Gentleman Amegor, was suspended from office. Amegor, who is also the Edo South Senatorial leader, was accused of providing a lacklustre leadership for the party.
Other accusations were that Amegor failed to implement objectives contained in the Article 13.9 of the party’s constitution; he failed to convene regular meetings of the district to discuss and resolve issues affecting the development of the party; and was also alleged to have been engaged in anti-party activities during the last presidential elections, which led to the loss of his unit and local government.
Attempts by Amegor to call a meeting of the APC in Edo South were resisted by some youths, who drove away those heading for the residence of the APC chieftain. The youths laid siege on Amegor’s residence till about 6pm.
Odubu, according to his loyalists, is now rarely invited to government functions or sent to represent the governor. For instance, he was absent at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Okpella Cement Company by the Dangote Group. He was also not present at the visit of the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom and Edaiken N’ Uselu, Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, to the Government House and in February, when the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, visited the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Edo. It was the governor’s wife, Lara, that was sent to welcome him.
Nevertheless, a peace move has begun to settle the political differences between Oshiomhole and his deputy. Sources told our reporter that a meeting was held in Abuja to prevail on Odubu to step down and that the deputy governor reportedly told those at the meeting that he would consult with his supporters. Those close to the Odubu, however, insist that he may have resolved to contest the primaries, even after settling the rift between him and his boss.
A Senior Special Assistant to Oshiomhole on Media, Curtis Ugbo, who was arraigned last week for illegal possession of firearms and making inciting statements against the governor, said his travails began when he started showing support for Odubu’s governorship bid.
Ugbo had posted the following statements on his Facebook wall after the groundbreaking ceremony of the Okpella Cement Company: “What is wrong with my boss? no senior member of government, Speaker and National Assembly member was present at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Edo State-owned cement industry, in partnership with a private company. “Is Edo State now a personal estate of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole?” Government sources said Odubu has distanced himself from the rantings of Ugbo and other political appointees who want to hide under the fracas to get at the governor. Many supporters of Odubu had wanted an all-out war with the Governor, but Odubu opted to remain calm and work towards getting the party’s ticket.
It is not yet clear how many local government areas Odubu could win at the primaries, but some party leaders claim that he has a good relationship with delegates from Orhionmwon, Uhunmwode, Ovia North East and Ovia South West, Owan East, Owan West and Egor.
A top government official, who expressed worry over the cold between Oshiomhole and Odubu, said the latter deserves some respect from the governor and that he is not a push over, as he appears on the surface. He said Odubu helped to stabilise Oshiomhole’s administration by being loyal and not becoming over ambitious in the last eight years.
•Governors grumble as President’s wife back aspirants in Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Bauchi, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Rivers •Aide: it’s not true
No fewer than five governors are in a “cold war” with First Lady Patience Jonathan over her alleged moves to impose their successors.
But the Office of the First Lady denied the claim last night.
In the crises are Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Bauchi, and Kwara states, where the First Lady is believed to have anointed some aspirants for the governorship tickets.
A highly-placed source with deep insight into the challenges facing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “We have a crisis at hand, pitching some governors against the First Lady. It is a cold war which will soon become a major one, if President Goodluck Jonathan does not intervene.
“Even Bayelsa, the President’s state is not spared the looming crisis.
In Bayelsa State, the First Lady is said to be backing the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic and Social Events, Dr. Waripomowei Dudafa, for governor of the state.
But Governor Seriake Dickson’s supporters are believed to be unhappy with the push for Dudafa, a plot that has become public knowledge.
Dudafa was Commissioner for Local Government under former Governor Timipre Sylva. He was to be nominated as Dickson’s running mate in the last election, until the decision was changed.
“In spite of denial by the Office of the First Lady, there is already a campaign office in Bayelsa for Dudafa called ‘The New Dawn.’ This is a derivative of The New Phase, which was Sylva’s campaign structure,” the source, who pleaded not to be named because of what he called sensitivity of the matter, said.
Dudafa’s purported endorsement has created tension, such that some Bayelsans are having a rethink on their support for the President, it was learnt.
The source said as a sign of this, the large turnout of party members and Bayelsans welcoming the First Lady to the state has shrunk.
Dickson, however, said Dudafa’s candidacy is a mere “rumour”. He does not think the First Lady is working towards supplanting him.
But Bayelsa is not the only state where the First Lady’s influence has sparked a cold war.
In Akwa Ibom, the First Lady is alleged to be teaming up with ex-Governor Victor Attah to back the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umana Okon Umana, from Uyo Senatorial District on the state as Akpabio’s successor.
Umana’s candidature is against the state’s zoning formula and power rotation pact. Akpabio is said to be unhappy about this.
Eket zone is favoured to produce the next governor, Umana is from Uyo district that produced Attah.
The governor is said to favour the SSG, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, although commissioners for Justice and Local Government are also in the race.
In Rivers State, Mrs. Jonathan is alleged to be interested in installing Senator George Thompson Sekibo, her kinsman from Okrika, as governor. There are fears that the First Lady may dump Minister of Education Nyesom Wike who has been the arrowhead of the “gang-up” against Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Said a source: “Many stakeholders are not happy that Wike, an Ikwere man like Amaechi, might be sacrificed in the end after leading the anti-Amaechi battle.
“The party is also thinking of facing a dilemma in Rivers State because power ought to shift to Rivers Southeast, which include the Ogoni and the Kalabari.”
The popular thinking in Delta State is that the First Lady has sympathy for a woman as Uduaghan’s successor.
It was learnt that there is a plan to use Delta State for the experiment to produce the first woman governor.
The source said: “The anointed candidate is the Chief Executive of NSITF, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme.
“We learnt that a former minister and the wife of a former chairman of the PDP have been recruited to make a case for Olojeme,” another source said.
In Bauchi, Governor Isa Yuguda is opposed to plans by the First Lady to impose the Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, as governor.
“We may witness a repeat of what happened in Bauchi State in 2007 if Mohammed is eventually made the candidate without Yuguda’s support. The opposition will gain from it,” said the source, who pleaded not to be named.
“Yuguda wants to produce his successor and the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, may not allow him because this is his own opportunity to take control of affairs in his state,” the source added.
Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State is battling to convince the party to pick his successor. One of those believed to be in Orji’s consideration is the General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Aba Zone, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
But the First Lady might choose between an oil magnate and a retired military chief, although the businessman is rated higher.
“The First Lady’s mother is from Abia State; she sees herself as a stakeholder in the state,” the source said.
In Kwara State, Mrs Jonathan’s preference for Senator Gbemisola Saraki is creating tension in the party. Some stakeholders plan to work for the All Progressives Congress (APC), if the popular wish is not respected.
The First Lady’s Media Assistant Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, in an electronic mail to our correspondent’s enquiry yesterday, said: “The First Lady has no plan and she is not planning to instal any governor.
“There are party processes for primaries and election of governorship candidates and, to the best of my knowledge, she is not a member of the party organs responsible for that. It is, therefore another calculated attempt by mischief makers to use her name for their selfish interests.
“It is also expedient to state clearly that the First Lady does not meddle in the affairs and selection process of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Consequently, there is no way she can dictate or instal anybody in political offices. In the case of Rivers State, the First Lady wishes to state categorically that the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, is the leader of the PDP in Rivers State and he enjoys the followership of the people of the state. The First Lady is solidly behind Chief Wike. The people of Rivers State are also solidly behind Chief Wike and are prepared to follow him.
“It is, therefore, mischievous to insinuate that Mrs. Jonathan is working to ensure that the governorship candidate comes from one of the riverine areas of Rivers State, which may not be where the people are going.
“It is also imperative to state that the First Lady is always with the people and will continue to go with the wish and expectations of the people.
“Mrs. Jonathan has not withdrawn her support for Chief Wike at any time and will always work for the interest and the good of Rivers people.
“The First Lady is also portrayed as positioning some other candidates to take over from the incumbents in Bayelsa and Bauchi states in an attempt to pitch them against the governors.
“Dr. Waripomowei Dudafa is not only a son to the President, but his employee and very close to the family. Dr Dudafa is not ready to quit his job to contest the governorship election. Similarly, the FCT Minister has been a competent and loyal appointee of Mr. President. Both of them are loyal to Mr. President and their governors.
“They are sons of the First Lady, as the mother of the nation, who also has very cordial relationship with the governors in question and will never interfere in any process that will lead to the emergence of governorship candidates in the states.
“Mrs. Jonathan appeals to the governors of Bayelsa and Bauchi states to ignore the mischief makers who are bent on disrupting the peace prevailing in those states.
“The First Lady is a mother of peace who believes in the supremacy of the party and democratic principles at all levels and does not dump her friends because of politics, whether they are contesting or not.
“She, therefore, urges all Nigerians to uphold the truth at all times, and not be swayed by actions of mischief makers.
To mark World Refugee Day, Antoinette Powell, Communications officer for Christian Aid, reports back from her recent trip visiting Syrian refugees in Iraq
Standing by her makeshift tent in the unofficial camp of Baynjan , northern Iraq, Nasrin showed me treasured photos of her life in Syria; her family immaculately dressed in beautiful clothes relaxing inside their home. They never expected to be refugees, until their house in Aleppo was bombed. When I met them they had barely eaten in days. She told me, ‘I would rather go back and die there. If they bombed me, I would die immediately. Here it is a slow death.’
Baynjan, an unofficial camp in northern Iraq, is home to more than 700 Syrian refugees. There are more than 158,000 Syrian refugees scattered across Iraq but as the spotlight remains on those in Jordan and Lebanon, their fate is often overlooked. Areas such as Baynjan in Sulaimaniya province, once inhabited by Kurds escaping Saddam’s chemical attacks, are now crammed full of makeshift tents and houses hastily constructed from breeze blocks.
Antonio Guterres, the UN high commissioner for refugees has said that the conflict in Syria is “more brutal and destructive than the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has turned into the worst humanitarian disaster since the end of the Cold War”.
The UN state the number of refugees pouring across the Iraq border has doubled since the start of the year. More than 800 Syrian refugees arrive in northern Iraq every day with fresh tales of destruction. The UN provides shelter, water, education and medical services in the only official camp of Domiz, but now that is so overcrowded new refugees have to make do with anywhere they can find.
Christian Aid is one of the few international aid organisations working in Iraq through local organisation REACH to support these forgotten refugees, who cannot find space in the official UN camp. REACH is providing support to 1,500 refugee families around Sulaimaniya and the nearby city of Erbil in the form of food, jerry cans so that the refugees can collect water and hygiene kits containing first aid equipment, water purifiers, sanitary products and other essential items.
Nasrin arrived in Baynjan with her husband, 12-year-old triplets and younger son just three days before I met them, having spent days sheltering in the hallway of their home from falling bombs. Nasrin and her family will receive help from UNHCR, but the large numbers of refugees’ means registration for this support can be very slow. Some families have waited more than a week for this vital process – too long when they have arrived with little or nothing.
In Baynjan there are no toilet or water facilities for the newly arrived refugees. The situation is so dire that men, who are registered with the UN and can legally seek day work, knock on people’s doors on their way home to beg for water. Nasrin and her family sometimes have to resort to asking to use the toilet facilities of an army post nearby.
The lack of water is particularly worrying as temperatures and cases of dehydration rise and risk of disease could add to the hardships these refugees already face. With temperatures set to rise to more than 40 degrees in the next few months, people in winterised tents will have to endure horrendous temperatures.
However, local communities have been a life line to the new arrivals, despite having not much themselves. When I was there, bundles of used clothes collected locally had just been delivered to the refugees, people eagerly took anything that might supplement the few clothes they have brought from Syria.
Refugees who have been there for some time help the new arrivals. Farhad was able to find work as a tiler when he arrived from Syria 14 months ago. His employer kindly lent him money for bricks so he was able to build a small home of breeze blocks. Farhad works hard to make a home that his four children can feel safe in, even if it is only temporary.
Farhad now helps new arrivals to find shelter and supplies to see them through until they can access official help. His wife, Khadija, gave birth to tiny Medyar just 10 days before we visited. It was a difficult and exhausting birth but she quickly resumed her role providing food and a place to wash for the new arrivals swelling the camp’s numbers.
But for all their hard work and the support they give to each other, Farhad and Khadija and many other refugees like them continue to live on a knife edge. Desperate to return to Syria, they do not know when or if it will be safe to do so. Nor do they have a guarantee of how long international support for refugees will last. ‘The problem is we have no guarantees,’ says Farhad. ‘We have no money for immediate problems. Everything we do is based on debts. But you have to carry on with life. I think about the kids and how to make a better life for them. Until I draw my last breath, everything I do will be for them.’
Christian Aid’s Syria and Middle East crisis appeal will help those most in need, working through partners such as REACH to provide food, medical assistance and other essential services.
