The Nation Newspaper

Tag: commissioners

  • Commissioners worry about Northeast

    Commissioners for Education from the various states in the country have expressed worry over the fate of education in the northeastern part of the country following incessant attacks by the Boko Haram sect.

    In a communiqué at the end of the Commissioners for Education Forum signed by its chairman and Cross River State commissioner, Prof Offiong Offiong, they particularly condemned the gruesome murder of about 59 pupils and teachers of the Federal Government College, Buni, Yadi, Yobe State.

    The commissioner urged all stakeholders in Nigeria to rise and protect education in the country particularly the northeast in the face of the Boko Haram insurgency.

    They expressed worry that the situation is likely to escalate the rate of out-of-school children in the geo-political zone that already has the highest number so far as many parents have withdrawn their children from schools due to insecurity.

    They further took a look at the current face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Union (COEASU) and the Federal Government and appealed to stakeholders to resolve the impasse amicably so academic activities can resume in polytechnics and colleges of education.

    They acknowledged the collaboration between states and federal ministries of education which has placed the sector in a consistent path of recovery.

     

  • Akpabio swears in commissioners, adviser

    •Urges them on service delivery

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio yesterday swore in commissioners and special advisers.

    He urged them to reinvigorate and strengthen service delivery to the people.

    Speaking at the event held at the Executive Council (Exco) Chambers, Governor’s Office, Uyo, Akpabio said: “What we have done today in bringing you into this Executive Council is to overhaul the wheel of the uncommon transformation of our state. This occasion therefore is a step in our efforts to reinvigorate and strengthen service delivery to the indigenes.”

    He went on: “We have within the last six years built our state in line with the dreams of our forebears. We have come to a critical point in our journey as a state that demands that we introduce fresh hands into the affairs of governance. We have faith that this gesture will accelerate the tempo of the uncommon transformation of our state.

    “Be reminded that we are a transformational government based on values, not ideology. We strive to provide leadership for all segments of our society. We are blind to politics of ethnicity and tribe in our governance of this state. You must, therefore, expand your perspective to embrace the state as a whole and see yourself beyond the narrow confines of your local government areas or tribes. You are not representing your local government in this exco; you are representing the state.”

     

     

     

     

  • NPC crisis: 24 commissioners insist on Odimegwu’s removal

    NPC crisis: 24 commissioners insist on Odimegwu’s removal

    *Pass vote of “no confidence on Odimegwu”
    *It is a family affair, says NPC

    In spite of a backdoor approach by some forces in the Presidency, 24 out of 35 commissioners are insisting on the removal of the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Mr. Festus Odimegwu.

    They asked President Goodluck Jonathan to direct Odimegwu to step aside due to alleged high-handedness and unguarded utterances capable of undermining preparations for 2016 Census.

    But the Director of Public Affairs of NPC, Mr. Simeon Otene, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said: “We are aware of the petition. The crisis is a family affair; efforts are on to resolve the issue.”

    Odimegwu was recently queried by the Presidency on some of the issues raised by the commissioners.

    While the response to the query was being attended to, some forces in the Presidency are demanding the retention of Odimegwu.

    But in an eight-page petition, the commissioners pleaded with the President to assign NPC to a more temperate person.

    They passed a vote of no confidence on the NPC chairman.

    They said “Your Excellency, the basis for continued confidence in the chairman has been destroyed irretrievably.”

    Those who signed the petition are Tunde Lakoju (Edo); Sulaimon Sani Sulaiman (FCT); Austen A.T. Paisor (Bayelsa); Yusufu Moh. Ankar (Zamfara); Muhammadu Haruna (Borno); David A. Garnvwa (Adamawa); R. Fola Adedayo (Ekiti); Aliyu Datti (Niger); T.T Dule (Benue); Abdullahi Abarshi (Kebbi); Muhammed A. Aikoye (Kogi); Stephen E. Egbivbie (Delta); Abubakar Ndakene (Kwara); Yau Usman Jama’a (Kaduna); Bala Muhammad Magar (Gombe); B. Yakubu (Cross River); Ohiremi Akinbobola (Ondo); Mahdi Bukar (Yobe); Mohammed Surajo Marshal (Kano); Hassan Bashir (Bauchi); Lere Oyewumi (Osun); Emmanuel O. Nwaogu (Imo); Abdulateef A. Gbadamosi (Oyo); and Abashe Iro (Katsina).

    The petition, exclusively obtained by our correspondent reads in part: “It is with the greatest reluctance but with profound sense of responsibility that we the undersigned 24 National Population Commissioners from the six geo-political zones of this country, petition against the unfortunate and unbecoming conduct of the National Population Commission Chairman, Eze Festus Odimegwu, which conduct has precipitated the present seeming anarchy pervading the commission and generated the persisting unhealthy national debate on past census results in this country.

    “We have in our maturity avoided any physical showdown because we do not want to embarrass Mr. President, fellow Nigerians and our respective families.

    “Since assumption of office in June 2012, the Commission has been contending with the unfortunate, controversial and unbecoming conduct of its Chairman Eze Festus Odimegwu on sensitive national issues, particularly on past national head counts in this country.

    “The chairman has described all the censuses in this country from 1816 as a mess, fabricated, cooked-up and unreliable. He has in recent times insisted that the past national head counts were deliberately conducted to favour a particular section of the country.”

    The petitioners accused the chairman of continuous issuance of inflammatory statements in the media “and disparaging remarks about the Nigerian politician. In keeping with his style and without justification, he brazenly accused the Commission’s leadership during the 2006 head count of having sold enumeration area demarcation to unnamed politician.”

    They urged the President to investigate how equipment manufacturers (who are National Population Commission’s contractors in waiting) for 2016 census had been sponsoring some National Population Commissioners to and from Europe and America in violation of the Public Procurement Act.

    They alleged that the Commission has not been holding statutory meetings as required by NPC Act.

    The petition said: “For upward of three months now, the Chairman has refused to summon the usual Commission’s meetings and even the one he reluctantly called for was postponed without reason like many others before that at the venue of the meeting.

    “The Chairman has without the prior knowledge and or approval of the Commission appointed three Acting Directors to head substantive Departments in total disregard of extant laws on seniority.”

    They accused him of unfair practices in appointment and postings saying, “He has appointed three Special Advisers/Assistant from the private sector without recourse to the Commission and to whom he has issued the Commission’s Identity Cards and entrusted them with official documents of the Commission. The Special Advisers/Assistants attend official functions, seminars, retreat and receive allowances from the Commission.”

    A source, however, said: “The position of some forces in the Presidency is that Odimegwu should be retained because of his experience in the corporate world. These forces have stepped into the crisis with a view to finding a solution.

    “They said no one can deny his track record. His problem is that he cannot manage public office with the same speed and attitude with which he addressed challenges in the Nigerian Breweries.”

     

  • Fed Govt starving states of cash, say commissioners

    Fed Govt starving states of cash, say commissioners

    •N548.393bn allocation rejected

    Is Nigeria broke?

    Despite Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s denial, states left Abuja yesterday empty handed.

    There was no cash to share as the monthly Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting was aborted — for the second time this month.

    The chairman of the meeting, Minister of State for Finance Yerima Ngama, failed to show up. No reasons were given for his absence.

    Besides, the arrears of the N366 billion expected to have been paid in by the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) is yet to be paid.

    The chairman of the commissioners, Timothy Odaah, decried the situation.

    Odaah, who is Ebonyi State Commissioner for Finance, said: “It is like the states are being starved of funds by the Minister of State for Finance, giving us the theory of handle the dog with great starvation and whichever way you want him to turn, he will turn.”

    The states, he said, “are not dogs; we respect Mr. President and are calling on him to hear this.”

    He said commissioners and the state accountants-general were invited by the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Jonah Otunla, but he had nothing to tell them and was as confused as the state representatives.

    Odaah said: “For the second time within the month of September, the FAAC session has been stalemated. We were invited by the Minister of State for Finance, who is the chairman of FAAC, but we have not seen him.”

    According to Odaah, Otunla instructed him as chairman of the Commissioners Forum to invite his colleagues to yesterday’s meeting, but at the end, Odaah said, “he (Otunla) was more confused than anybody”.

    He said he wanted to let us know that there was no change.

    Angered by the action, the state governments, Odaah said, had warned the Ministry of Finance “not to invite us until all issues are settled”.

    Odaah added: “We have imperative demands, augmentations and differentials in benchmark, which we listed. We agreed that there would be no further augmentation in order to clear the backlogs.”

    At the first botched FAAC meeting in September, Ngama and the commissioners agreed that they would not “dip hands in the reserve which made us to believe that the NNPC has brought in something this time”.

    Odaah said: “It was agreed that the augmentation backlog till July should be paid because states had entered into financial commitments, relying on benchmark expectations, the tendency is that states are in a bad shape. Past augmentations should be paid but from August no state will enter into new contracts.”

    “However, up till now, there has not been any augmentation, no clearing of the backlog. The worst effect of this is that it is having a retrospective effect on the states and local governments. As a result of this uncleared backlogs, states rely on the budget in order to secure financial commitments and handle security issues and issues of contractors. We have issues of insecurity, among others. Just clear the backlog and we get along,” Odaah said.

    Ngama, according to Odaah, is “ playing levity with our case”. “We have been slighted; contempt has been poured against the states to the extent that the interest of our states and local governments is suffering. He has treated us with contempt and treated our states and local governments with contempt”

    The way forward, Odaah said, “is that the state accountants general, commissioners for Finance on the directives of our governors are going back and should not be called back until the conditions we give are met and the President must be informed.”

    The commissioners went on: “To have called us without any improvements in our demands is a great slight and has shown that the minister does not brief the President. We know the President as a good leader with listening ears who would have attended to these problems immediately if he was aware, but it is like Ngama tells him he will control us. We do not support this situation. The minister should be competent enough and show that level of competence. The minister is running FAAC as his own show.”

    Last week, Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi said states were short paid in their July allocation. According to him, of Rivers’ N19 billion allocation, only N14 billion was paid.

    Amaechi said this is an indication that the government is broke.

    He reiterated his call for Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to resign “if she cannot manage the economy well”.

    But the minister insisted that government was not broke.

    According to her, an indication of that is the payment of civil servants’ salary for September.

     

  • Ondo gets two commissioners

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday swore in two commissioners.

    They are Mrs. Nike Ademujimi (Commerce and Industry) and Mr. Ogundeji Iroju (Employment and Productivity).

    This brings the number of commissioners in the state to 20.

    Mrs. Ademujimi, a former chairman of the State Micro-credit Agency, is from Okitipupa Local Government.

    Iroju, a former senior special assistant to the governor on Project Monitoring, hails from Odigbo.

    Mimiko urged them to cooperate with their colleagues, avoid unhealthy competition and shun corruption.

  • PDP expels Amaechi’s SSG, 14 commissioners, others

    PDP expels Amaechi’s SSG, 14 commissioners, others

    Chief of Staff: action illegal

    The crisis in the Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened yesterday, ahead of Saturday’s mini convention of the ruling party.

    The party’s state executive expelled 18 associates of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who has been suspended by the party.

    Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan have been at loggerheads, with Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike leading the anti-Amaechi group in the Rivers PDP.

    Among those expelled is the immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Chief Sam Sam Jaja.

    They were expelled for “failure” to appear before the Osinakachukwu Ideozu-led Committee on Performance Assessment of Political Office Holders, elected and appointed, on the ticket of the PDP in Rivers State, which was set up by party Chairman Felix Obuah.

    Also expelled are: Secretary to the State Government (SSG) George Feyii; Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha and the Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority (GPHCDA), Mrs. Aleruchi Cookey-Gam.

    The expelled commissioners are Victor Giadom (Works), Augustine Wokocha (Power), Worgu Boms (Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice), Joe Poroma (Social Welfare and Rehabilitation), Ezemonye Ezekiel Amadi (Lands and Survey), Fred Igwe (Sports), Emmanuel Chinda (Agriculture), Joeba West (Women Affairs), Patricia Simon Hart (Water Resources and Rural Development), Okey Amadi (Energy), Charles Okaye (Chieftaincy Affairs), Dr. Nnabuihe Imegwu (Culture and Tourism), Ibim Semenitari (Information and Communications) and Samuel Eyiba (Local Government).

    The Rivers PDP also alleged a plot by the governor to scuttle the party’s August 31 special national convention in Abuja through a court injunction.

    Okocha, however, said the Obuah-led PDP had no power to expel him and other associates of Amaechi. He described as untrue, the allegation that the governor was planning to scuttle the party’s national convention.

    Sources said the decision was to prevent the expelled persons from attending Saturday’s special national convention.

    But Obuah told reporters in Port Harcourt that the 18 Amaechi associates were expelled for failing to submit themselves before the party’s performance evaluation committee.

    The Rivers PDP chairman noted that the party, acting on the recommendations of its disciplinary and the performance evaluation committee, decided to punish the 18 to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Obuah said: “The refusal of the 18 affected persons to send in written reports of their stewardship, if they were not chanced to put up appearance, despite the well-publicised sitting arrangements of the committee is considered as an affront, insubordination and lack of respect for constituted authority.

    “The committee duly notified all concerned and was willing to accept any written report from such persons where necessary but did not receive any supervening circumstance that made it impossible for any of them to honour the invitation.

    “We had no choice but to show them the way out of the party, because we cannot continue to operate in this disorderly manner, being a serious and disciplined political party.”

    The chairman also said the PDP members who did not appear before the committee escaped the sanction because they reached both the party’s leadership and the committee, but most importantly, sent in documentation of their performances, which he said the committee accepted as satisfactory.

    The Chief of Staff, however, said: “The PDP does not have such powers to expel me or any member of the state executive council. The matter involving Felix Obuah’s executive is in court. So, it is subjudice.

    “We challenge them to publish the names of the eight commissioners who they said wrote to them, why they could not attend the invitation of the so-called performance evaluation committee and which yardstick.

    “What they are planning is to use fake delegates to the sub-convention of the PDP that is coming up this weekend. The thing to ask is, why is PDP fighting PDP? A house divided against itself cannot stand. The whole thing looks like people who are ignorant.

    “The matter is in court and we are not perturbed. Who are those they said they wrote letters inviting them to appear before a committee? Let them also show us the letters they claimed to have sent out.

    “We all know that the PDP in the state has two factions: the original one led by Chief Godspower Ake and Felix Obuah’s.”

    Okocha also stated that those alleging that Amaechi and some prominent Nigerians were floating a new political party must be soothsayers.

    The chief of staff stressed Amaechi had said he is still a member of the PDP, but declared that if he is suffocated in PDP, he would leave.

    On the claim by Rivers PDP that Amaechi and the Rivers Chief Judge, Justice Peter Agumagu, were plotting to get a court injunction to prevent the state’s delegates from attending the convention and to stop the convention in Abuja from holding, Okocha noted that anybody who knew Amaechi would confirm that he would never engage in “a fight of fools”.

    Okocha went on: “There is no plan by Governor Amaechi to seek a court injunction to stop the PDP’s convention. Why it is that the party is trying to reduce the number of the state’s delegates, when others are thinking of increasing.

    “We expect the party to act wisely by respecting the matter in the Appeal Court.”

    The Obuah-led PDP also stated that it had uncovered a “subterranean move” by Amaechi and the newly-appointed Acting Chief Judge of Rivers state, Justice Peter Agumagu, to prevent the state’s delegates from participating in the convention.

  • Police redeploy 14 commissioners

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar has ordered the redeployment of 14 Commissioners of Police (CPs) to various commands and formations across the nation.

    The affected officers and their new postings are: Lawal Tanko (CP Borno); Ibrahim Ahmed (CP Zamfara); Hilary Okpara (CP Bayelsa); Maigari Dikko (CP Ebonyi); Adebayo Ajileye (‘E’ Dept. FHQ); Adeola Adeniji (Border Patrol); and Waheed Salau (CP Airport).

    Also affected are: Marcus Danladi, Commandant, Police College, Maiduguri; Tonye Ebititibuwa, CP, Training, FHQ; Hyancinth Dadala, Deputy Commandant, POLAC, Kano; Lawal Shehu, Admin., Force Headquarters (FHQ); Ibrahim Adamu, Deputy Force Secretary; Abdul Danwawu, CP, Armament; and Salisu Abdullahi, CP, ‘X’ Squad.

    Despite the National Assembly’s directive that Rivers State Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu be moved, his name was not on the list of the redeployed police chiefs.

    A statement yesterday by the Deputy Force spokesman, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said the postings take immediate effect.

    The statement urged the affected officers to step up the fight against criminality in their new commands and formations.

    “They are enjoined to leverage on the cordial relationship among sister security agencies in their beats, to ensure that criminal activities are reduced.

    “They have also been charged to ensure that officers and men under their supervision are mindful of the rights of the citizenry, while cultivating the trust and confidence of the public in the discharge of their statutory responsibilities,” the statement added.

    Also, six Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) and 13 Commissioners of Police (CPs) from various police commands and formations are to proceed on leadership and strategic management courses for senior officers.

    They are to report at the Centre for Management Development, Shangisha, Lagos, for the course, which began on August 19 and ends on Friday.

     

  • LMC warns match commissioners

    LMC warns match commissioners

    The League Management Company (LMC) has stated that match commissioners were wrong to prevent accredited journalists from covering Glo Premier League matches.

    Sports journalists were barred from two match venues of the premier league last weekend on the orders of the match commissioners at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Ibadan and the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri when 3SC entertained Dolphins and Heartland played at home to Warri Wolves.

    When the journalists at Owerri and Ibadan asked why, the two match commissioners stood their ground and only allowed the players and top officials of the four clubs to enter. The referees, ball boys and the medical officials, were, of course allowed in, while others were shut out.

    A top official of the LMC who spoke to SportingLife in anonymity said no match commissioner received orders to bar any accredited journalists from covering league matches, be it closed door or open encounters.

    He said the match commissioners should not have carried out such actionss without consulting the LMC.

    “I am shocked to hear the information you have just told me. It is shocking to me that match commissioners do not know their duties again.

    “I see no reason why they should disallow journalists from covering league games because it is closed door.

    “They are supposed to meet with the media officers of the punished clubs so that he could help identify true journalists through the normal accreditation tags or their press identity cards.

    “It is disheartening that at this stage match commissioners could make such mistake. They ought to ask questions that they are not clear about.

    “I am going to prepare a letter that will be circulated round to all the match commissioners reminding them of their duties and also to tell them not to disturb identified journalists from doing their job,” the source revealed to SportingLife.

    3SC and Heartland were handed three-game closed door bans and started their suspension last weekend during the Week 22 clash against Dolphins and Warri Wolves.

    The game ended goalless in Ibadan while the Naze Millionaires pipped Warri Wolves 1-0 at Owerri.

    Both clubs are serving bans because of the unruly behaviour of their fans and officials during their Week 20 ties against Kwara United and Enyimba which ended 1-1 in Ibadan and 0-1 in favour of the People’s Elephant at Owerri.

    Ajibade Babalade, Philip Asuquo (3SC) and Promise Nwachukwu (Heartland) were also placed on six-match bans for their alleged involvement in the ensuing violence after both matches.

  • Mimiko swears in commissioners

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday swore in 18 commissioners; the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Rotimi Adelola and the Chief of Staff (CoS), Dr. Kola Ademujimi.

    The commissioners include Akin Adaramola, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), Kayode Akinmade, Clement Faboyede, Gboye Adegbenro, Dayo Adeyanju, Yele Ogundipe, Nicholas Tofowomo, Sola Ebiseni, Bade Omoloja, Lasisi Oluboyo, Bekekhimi Idhiarhi and Remi Olatubora, who were part of the former executive council.

    They all retain their former portfolios, except Olatubora, who is now in charge of the Ministry of Technical Education.

    The rest are Bamiduro Dada (Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs), Jide Adejuyigbe (Education), Lady Yemi Mahmud (Women Affairs) and Tunde Atere (Natural Resources).

    Mimiko said: “The old executive council was a formidable team. That is why many of its members have been re-appointed. We have also brought in a few new hands for the desired mixture of experience and innovative perspectives.

    “In any case, they are all products of painstaking and rigorous appointment processes and have been screened by the House of Assembly. I assure you all that the new executive council is made up of a broad array of tested technocrats and development experts.”

     

  • Akwa-Ibom swears in four commissioners, special adviser

    Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, has warned the four newly appointed commissioners and a special adviser to disrobe themselves of the fanciful idea of power and influence.

    He urged them instead to join hands in building a state that would create conditions and opportunities for Akwa Ibom persons to fulfill their aspirations.

    The governor gave the warning yesterday after swearing in four commissioners, a special adviser and chairman, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Service Commission at the new Governor’s Office, Uyo, the state capital.

    According to Akpabio: “If you came with fancy ideas of power and influence, I warn you that the principles of our administration are founded on loyalty, dedication, integrity, service and humility.

    “If you are a politician, remember that as from today you have disembarked from the boat of politics and joined the ship of statesmanship.”

    The new commissioners are Engr. Iboro Ekanem, immediate past Chairman of Akwa Ibom Rural Water and Sanitation Agency; Dr. Glory Emmmanuel Edet, former lecturer of Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Uyo; Prof. Atim Bassey Antai, former Dean of Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Calabar and Dr. Emem Baassey, former Chief Consultant, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo.

    The new special adviser is Akparawa NtukUdeh, a one-time International President of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio.

    The chairman is Obong Cornel T. Udoh, former Chief of Staff to Governor Godswill Akpabio and a retired Permanent Secretary.