The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Controversy

  • ‘PDP can’t foist life presidency on Nigerians’

    ‘PDP can’t foist life presidency on Nigerians’

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso spoke with reporters in Kano, the state capital, on what he described as the alleged plot by the Presidency to impose a new constitution on Nigerians through the National Conference. He also spoke on the resolve of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to sack the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Aso Rock in next year’s election. KOLADE ADEYEMI was there.

    What is your view on the latest controversy in the National Conference over the constitution amendment?

    In my last chat with you, when I mentioned the issue of the new constitution and the conference, many people thought it was a joke. But, this is a very bitter reality. Today immediately after the Council meeting, I received so many calls from Northern delegates attending the National Conference in Abuja that the issue of new constitution is now a reality at the confab. Of course, people who love this country and really understand the situation we are today; and the likely consequences of another brand new constitution, which the President wants to use to start another eight years, beginning from 2015. Certainly, it is a very dangerous development.

    Let me take this opportunity to thank all those who have rejected the issue of new constitution. Let me also take the opportunity to thank the National Assembly members because they were the ones that have received the earlier plan, earlier efforts by those at the Villa to have one single term of six years beginning from 2015, which they rejected. Now, they are smuggling it into the confab. Now, I believe that the delegates, whether from the North or from the South, whether they are Christians or Muslims, whether Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or any other tribe, should help in rejecting that constitution because that will not help this country. That is why we told our delegates very clearly that they owe this country a duty of rejecting that new constitution. We have seen some of the things contained in the new constitution, especially the issue of the six-year single term. And the issue of 50 per cent derivation, the scrapping of 774 local governments, listing additional 18 states, and limiting the number of ministers to 18. The only good thing that I saw there is the limiting of ministers to 18.

    Is the North not monitoring its delegates?

    We only hope that those who are pretending to be representing us there in Abuja will have no place when they will come back or remain there in Abuja. We will send them to the almajiri schools that were being built by Jonathan. And I believe that all of us should come and join hands and save this country. It is difficult to know their thinking in Abuja. The saying that the higher it goes, the cooler it becomes is very apt in apt in describing the situation in Abuja today. Those that are very high are in a very cool atmosphere while the masses, the people of this country, are suffering from poverty. Illiteracy is killing this part of the country; and of course, the issue of insecurity. Every day, people are being killed and maimed; everyday, properties are being destroyed. As we are sitting here, displaced Nigerians in Borno are now taking refuge in the forest. Many of them are in Cameroon, many are in Chad, and also thousands are in Niger Republic. What we are talking here is to change the tenure of Jonathan to life Presidency. It is very sad that this thing is happening now and I am one of those that have travelled across the world or have the opportunity to read a lot; the Nigeria’s history, geography and of course, political situation across the world. What is happening today in Nigeria, if 10 per cent of it can happen anywhere, that leadership cannot stand; and it is very dangerous for all of us. We are very happy here with what we are doing for the people of the state; but we are very angry because we have read the minds of our people because they are not happy with what Aso Villa is doing. We have never seen anything like this in this part of the country; and they seem not to care. They seem not to understand, they are very busy in the air, working for themselves and helping themselves to steal forever. I always remind people that, when terrorism started in the Northeast, little did many people know that, one day, it will come to this part of the country. We have it here; it is also in the Northcentral, and now, it is crossing over to the South. I am sure that you are aware that some parts of this country now have flags other than green-white-green. This is terribly ugly and unprecedented. It is up to us to appeal to our delegates and Nigerians to resist the temptation of the so-called dollars people are distributing in Abuja to come and save this country. Any constitution rather than the 1999 Constitution should be rejected because any thing less than that is an instrument designed by those who think it will help them. But, it will not.

    As an opposition figure, what steps are you likely to take to ensure that the new constitution does not see the light of the day?

    One of the steps is what we are doing here. We want to make our position very clear to them and the entire world, especially our friends across the world that we believe that what is happening now is very dangerous, not only in Nigeria, but for our neighbours. I believe the consequences will affect the continent. That is why I thought I should take this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians to shun the divisive tendency that we are seeing in Abuja. We have seen the division of the North and the South, the division of Christians and Muslims, the division and division of tribes. That is the keyword. The keyword now is the divide-and-rule, and I don’t think that will help. And from the information I have, which is not correct, that many people are saying those who are not supporting the new constitution are the minorities and that, whether they like it or not, tomorrow, they will push it to Nigerians, and the next thing is to organise a kangaroo referendum. They will cook the figures like they did in Ekiti and force themselves on us. I don’t think that is good enough. I appreciate the elasticity of Nigerians, but I think that elasticity has a limit. When you keep on pulling and pulling, there will come a time when it will not take anymore. That is why I think the good people of this country should speak because some of the consequencies, as many people are now seeing, will affect everybody.

    Your party, the APC won the Osun governorship election. What is the implication of that victory for 2015 general elections?

    Well, my party won the elections. My opinion and the opinion of my party is that we won the Ekiti governorship election. I think that is why the party is in court. The experience that we had in Ekiti worked for us in Osun because people came en mass and defended their votes and that is exactly what is going to happen in 2015. People will vote, and not only vote, they will stay and defend their votes. Let me thank the social media. Those who have cooperated with us and those who have supported us as a party that made it very very difficult for anybody to change the real figures. If they had done that in Ekiti, I am sure they wouldn’t have had the chance to rig us out. But to us, the Ekiti experience is a lesson. Also that of Osun. We have learnt from our mistakes. The INEC is improving and I hope the security agencies should also improve. We always tell them that, instead of militarising Ekiti and Osun with mass security agents, they should go to southern Borno and do their job there so that we can have free and fair elections and also have a peaceful country. So, we are happy that the people of Osun and Ekiti came en mass to vote for the APC, and I am sure, given an opportunity again, especially in Adamawa where they used the executive power from Abuja to force Nyako out of office because of his opinion, I believe that, when the election comes, people will come out en mass and support the APC so that we can have peaceful Northeast, different from what we are seeing now like the emergency in the state and other states in the Northeast, so that people can continue their normal businesses, people can come down from the rocks and hills and forests to go to their towns and villages. In that part of the country, nobody is talking about education, nobody is talking about agriculture, nobody is talking about business. People are talking about survival; what to eat and how to see the next day. These are the things that, by the grace of God, the APC will provide in 2015.

    From what is happening, there are indications that 2015 may be violent. What are your fears?

    Our fear is not only about 2015. We are also praying for this President to take the ship to the shores of 2015. I think we are more concerned about that because the way things are going now, the way people are dying, the way people are being kicked out of their homes; when we are seeing the picture, I believe it is not the best; and I believe that Nigerians are being taken for granted. And we hope that 2015 is going to be peaceful and we will do everything possible to ensure that it is peaceful from our own end because we believe that everybody wants a united Nigeria where an Igbo man will continue to stay in Kano. You know here in Kano, we have what we call New Enugu. If you go close to the airport, you will see a whole area that we called New Enugu. It is looking like any part of Abuja. We are very happy that we have them here; and we hope one day, we will have New Kano in Enugu, New Kano in Port Harcourt, New Sokoto in Adamawa, and so on and so forth. Here, we are working to integrate our people, here we are together as Muslims and Christians, Hausa, Igbos, Yorubas—we are one and the same. We are all Nigerians. That is what we want in this country and that is the best way we can have peace. Otherwise, by the time every party like what they are doing, we begin to divide, I don’t think that it will be good. During democracy, all these tendencies tend to go down while the unity of people based on political parties will come up and that is why I always tell people we should see ourselves as brothers, irrespective of our religion or where we come from.

    Former Chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, has defected to the PDP…

    People ordinarily will think that my brother, Nuhu Ribadu, is a principled person; somebody with good ideology, somebody who is progressive; somebody who is always working towards the unity of this country. I remember during his days as the Chairman of EFCC, he has done so much to deal with corruption. As we are moving into democracy, water is taking its level, people are moving in and out of parties, meaning that people with similar ideologies are coming together, unlike 1998/99 when we were forming parties to deal with the military and install democracy. Everybody from all ideological tendencies came together. Now that we have gone deep into democracy, we are looking at our shoulders to say who is close to who and who is on the other side, and that was why some of us left the PDP to join our brothers and sisters who have the same ideology with us to bring about the desired change in this country. Now, for him who was, in my opinion, in the right place and together with the progressives, if he should just leave because he is looking for position or he is looking for a ticket to contest election, I don’t think that is good for him and I don’t think that is good for the country. At the end of the day, if that happens, God forbid, he will be the biggest loser. He will lose because most of them were jailed by him. I don’t think they will ever want to see him there, but in politics, there is this accommodation of people that they will bring you close, raise you up and dump you. At the end of the day, they will laugh at you and say, look at him now. If Ribadu is joining the PDP, whether he wins election or not, he will be the biggest loser. People can’t believe that all what we said about him was completely wrong. The biggest punishment for a politician is for him to be in a wrong place; because if he goes there, by the time they are talking about how to share $20 billion, I don’t think he will be happy, if he is the kind of person I use to know, unless he was just deceiving all of us. I don’t think Nuhu Ribadu will make that mistake because if he does, it will be the biggest political mistake of his life.

    Is the defection from the APC not worrisome?

    Well, it doesn’t worry me at all. It is something that we should expect. I wasn’t in the APC. I left the PDP because I realised it was not a place that I should be and that was why I moved. And of course, those who were in the ACN, the CPC, the ANPP and the APGA who are now in the APC, they would have moved and don’t forget, we are dealing with a government that has accumulated so much money to the extent that they see everybody as a commodity and attach price tag on him. I believe that not everybody will be on this side. When they start dangling some dollars, you begin to wonder whether you stay or go. That is not the issue. The issue I believe is the people. Some of us are lucky in the sense that we have so many people behind us. So, we are so heavy that it is not an issue for us to be flying from one pole to another. And once we decide to do it, we do all the arithmetic, we do all the calculations that are necessary so that we can go with almost 100 per cent and that is what we have done here in Kano. So, there is limitation, but those who align to it—it is very simple because they believe that their wives and children are behind them. It is very easy for them to change position. You see, in politics, you don’t sit down and start looking around and be chasing luck. Stay where you are and work hard. You don’t have to win elections all the time. I contested elections 12 times, including primary and secondary elections, and I lost one-that was the governorship election of 2003. It was a big lesson to me. I learnt so much. I was humbled and I am very proud of that particular election. One out of 12. I believe any politician who has never won election or never lost election or only had one—that to me is not a complete politician-you need to win, you need to lose election; with that, you have to know how to manage success, you will have to know how to manage failure. You cannot do anyone of them, if you don’t have both experience. That is the position under which I believe that we will continue to work together as progressives to make this country better for all of us.

  • Controversy trails SSS invasion of Lagos company

    Controversy trails SSS invasion of Lagos company

    State Security Service (SSS) operatives yesterday invaded the premises of a Lagos-based research and marketing company, TNS RMS, in Ojodu and whisked away some of its staff.

    The SSS men stormed the company’s premises about 11a.m and left about 2.pm.They were said to have ransacked its office and carted away materials from past research activities carried by the company.

    It was not clear at press time the reason for the invasion as initial online media reports linked the invasion of the company to an opinion poll currently being conducted by the company on the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.

    An impeccable source who spoke in confidence, however, said that the invasion of the  company by SSS operatives may not be unconnected with a recent assignment carried out by the firm in Enugu State.

    “Some officials of the company had allegedly taken photographs of a military facility in Enugu during field research and were trailed by security operatives to the company’s head office in Ojodu, a Lagos suburb.”

    TNS RMS is a research company that engages in business, marketing and political research and surveys. The company has conducted election polls in Edo, Ekiti and is currently handling the pre-election poll for the forthcoming Osun State governorship election.

    When our correspondents visited the company about 3pm yesterday, many of its employees were seen going about their normal duties while a patrol van was parked at the main gate of the company.

    Attempts to speak with some members of the staff of the company proved abortive as many of them declined comments.

  • GMO controversy: Adesina lambasts activists

    GMO controversy: Adesina lambasts activists

    Furore has continued over what some activists say is the sneaking in of Genetically Modified (GMO) foods into the country by the federal government.

    Recently, officials of Monsanto, a leader in the GMO foods industry visited the ministry of agriculture seeking inroad into the country.

    But some activists have kicked against this, saying the ministry of agriculture must not allow GMO crops to be introduced into the country.

    One of the activists, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, referring to a news report titled ‘Monsanto to introduce 40 new seed varieties’ questioned Monsanto’s presence in the country.

    In the report, Monsanto’s vice President Michael Frank said Monsanto would focus on maize, soybean, cotton, and oil-grape seed production in Nigeria.

    “There is nothing conventional or natural about Monsanto Transgenic modifications neither is there anything natural about inserting DNA from bacteria into cowpea,” said Rhodes-Vivour.

    Monsanto, on its blog blasted Vivour-Rhodes, saying his accusations are rants which “lack any credible substantiation.”

    However, reacting to the activists, the minister of agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, had said the activists wanted to misinform the population andGMO crops were not planted in the country.

    “What we have in Nigeria is biotechnologically improved crops to raise yields for farmers and not genetically modified crops as being speculated,” the minister said.

    According to Adesina: “Through conventional breeding and biotechnology we have safe nutrient enriched crops such as pro-vitamin A cassava, orange-flesh sweet potato, drought resistant maize, flood resistant rice and bananas resistant to virulent black sigatoka disease that can wipe out all of Nigeria’s and Africa’s bananas, and cassava varieties resistant to cassava bacterial blight that can wipe out Africa’s largest source of food. Does he (Rhodes-Vivour) expect us to fold our hands and do nothing and watch poor farmers go into such devastation?”

    Over the years, countries like Japan, France, Germany, and Russia have frowned against GMO products entering their country. And while Rhodes-Vivour agrees with Adesina’s assertion that Africa embraces modern technologies, he poses some questions for the minister.

  • Abia 2015: Controversy over zoning

    Abia 2015: Controversy over zoning

    The succession battle is raging in Abia State. The bone of contention is zoning. Which senatorial district should produce the next governor? EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the claims and counter-claims of the three zones competing for power.

    Next year, Abia State Governor Theodore Orji will vacate the State House, after completing two terms. Ahead of the 2015 polls, the governor has said that power should shift to the Ukwa/Ngwa Zone in the spirit of fairness and justice.

    As the contest gathers momentum, one salient issue that will shape the exercise is zoning. Now, the bone of contention is the controversial ‘Abia Charter of Equity.’

    Many observers believe that the zoning pact was exhumed to give an undue advantage to the Ukwa/Ngwa at the expense of credible contestants from other zones.

    Orji, who has endorsed the zoning, emphasised that it will give the zones a sense of belonging and reduce the fear of domination and margina-lisation. But, a partisan group, the Abia Consultative Forum, disagreed. Its Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Rita Okpalaugo, said that zoning is tantamount to the exclusion of qualified people from the contest without justification. “ it is analogous to a situation where a few oligarchs seize the structures of power and cause much alienation and discontent among the people. Since the creation of Abia State in 1991 and the return to civil rule in 1999, participatory democracy has been the norm, she added.”

    Abia is a heterogeneous state. The diverse ethnic nationalities are lumped together in three senatorial districts, despite their cultural and linguistic differences. Thus, competition for amenities and political appointments is stiff in the Southeast state. For example, the people of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi councils, which make up the  Isuikwuato District, have rejected the agitation for power shift to Ukwa/Ngwa, saying that it is their turn to produce the governor. In a statement by its leaders, the district pointed out that the agitation has the backing of the law, adding that the ethnic group has been marginalised in the Abia North Senatorial District.

    Last week, the leaders of Isuikwuato requested an indigene, Gen. Chibuzor Ihejirika to declare interest in the governorship.

    To avoid acrimony and disunity, Abia Consultative Forum maintained that the race should be thrown open to the three districts. “This will prevent the manipulation of ethnic politics and foster equity”, said Okpalaguo, who added: “The best candidate will emerge in a free and fair contest.”

    Eminent indigenes agree that, historically, this has always been so. Since the state was created on on August 17, 1991, the people have always elected their governors in an all-inclusive race without complaints by any zone.

    In 1991,  Dr Ogbonnaya Onu from Ohaozara, Afikpo Zone, won the governorship on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC). His rivals were Mr Gershon Amuta from Isiala Ngwa South(Ukwa/Ngwa Zone), Dr Chris Ukpabi from Arochukwu (old Bende Zone),a nd Chief Lambert Nmecha from Ukwa East (UKWA Ngwa). Also, Chief Samuel Eke  from old Bende, Chief Empire Kanu  (Umuahia, Abia Central), Augustine Alaribe, and Isiala Ngwa contested on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) without let or hindrance.  In that aborted Third Republic, zoning was a non-issue.

    Onu ceased to be the governor on November 17, 1993, following the military coup by the late General Sani Abacha, which threw out democratic structures,and sacked the Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government (ING).

    Following the carving out of the old Afikpo Zone from Abia State to Ebonyi State, in build up to the 1999 contest, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu from Bende North (Peoples Democratic Party), Chief Chris Ukpabi from Arochukwu also of the PDP, Chief Iboko Imo Iboko (Bende North) Mr Dan Nwakwo, also aspirant  candidate, from Obingwa  South, Mr Ike Orika from Umunneochi and Sonny Iroche all threw their hats into the ring for the primaries. Kalu became the flag bearer.

    In the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) the three zones put up their best forward for the primaries.   The aspirants included  Chief Vincent Ogbulafor from  Umuahia South, Chief Chukwunwachuku from Isiala Ngwa, South District, Max Nduaguibe (Isiala Ngwa, South District), and Senator Onyeka Okoroafor (Ohafia).  Ogbulafor,  who won the primaries, competed for the number one seat with Kalu, who was  declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    In 2003, gladiators from the three zones showed interest in the governorship primaries in the ruling PDP. They included Kalu (Abia North), Austin Akobundu (Ikwuano), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Obingwa) Henry Ikoh (Ikwuano) Dan Nwakwo (Obingwa) and Onwuka Kalu (Ohafia). After the Primaries, came the main election. Similarly, candidates from the three zones participated in the election on April 19. They were Kalu (PDP), Enyi Abaribe(ANPP), Onwuka Kalu (APGA), and Henry Ikoh (UNPP). Kalu of the PDP was  re-elected.

    In 2007, no zone was exluded from the primaries and general elections.  The aspirants were Onyema Ugochukwu from Umuahia North, Theodore Orji Uzor, Ikechi Emenike, and Uzodinma Okpara.  From Ngwaland came Isiguzoro (Obingwa South) and Ihenacho Okezie Orji (Obingwa South).   Okey Nwadiuko, Capt Ogbonna. Emeka Atuma (Ikwuano) Henry Ikoh (Ikwuano) and Chinonye Macebuh (Ukwa) came from Isiukwuato.

    After the primaries, Orji (PPA),   Onyema Ugochukwu (PDP), Ikechi Emenike (ANPP), and Uzodimma Okpara (APGA) locked horns at the poll. Orji, who won the election, was not endorsed by any zone.

    In 2011, it was a big fight among  Chris Akomas (Obingwa), Paul Ikonne (Aba North), Regan Ufomba (Isiala Ngwa North), Bob Ogu (Isiala Ngwa), and Orji (Umuahia North). Orji was re-elected.

    Dismissing zoning as a factor, Okpalaugo maintained that Orji was not a beneficiary of zoning.

    She added: “The zoning of elective position is a recipe for mediocrity in a state that is brimming with star professionals, politicians and egg heads. We do no desire a situation where power is delivered  to surrogates under the guise of zoning”

  • Bursary of controversy

    Bursary of controversy

    A student, Ambrose Ezenweani, and the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board are quarrelling over funds disbursement.  He is alleging fraud, which the board denies.  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which he accuses of taking sides in the matter, says he will soon have his day in court. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, BLESSING OLISA and ADEOLA OGUNLADE report.

    •Board, student trade words over funds disbursement

    To promote education, the Delta State Government established a Bursary and Scholarship Board, which it budgets N2 billion for yearly. The board is expected to disburse the fund among students from the state in higher institutions across the country. But a student, Ambrose Ezenweani, is accusing the board of not handling the bursary aspect of its mandate well.

    Ezenweani alleged that the board and the Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Hope Eghagha, are mismanaging the fund. But the board and Eghagha denied Ezenweani’s claim, describing him as a fraud. They said he is antagonising the board because of its refusal to meet his demand for a N3 million bribe.

    Scoffing at this claim, Ezenweani, who fired the first salvo, says he is determined to fight the “corruption”, which is denying thousands of Delta State students bursary.

    Two weeks ago, he organised a protest at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Art (B.A) in Philosophy last year. Only 10 students were said to have attended the rally. The students hid behind the big banner detailing the reason for the protest so that their shots would not be taken by video and cameramen.

    The inscription on the banner reads: “Save Delta State; help Nigeria; Delta State students protest fraud in scholarship board.” It accused the board of “opening over 23,000 fake accounts”; “payment of students’ scholarship fund into fake bank accounts”, among others.

    The protest seemed not to have enjoyed the backing of the National Association of Delta State Students (NADESSTU), UNILAG chapter. Besides, the instituion did not grant the group permission for the rally.

    The Dean of Students’ Affairs, UNILAG, Prof Kayode Amund, told The Nation: “They wrote to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and copied my office; but they have not yet gotten approval from the management before they began the protest. So, when our security officials saw them, they had to chase them outside the university premises.”

    Ezenweani is not deterred by the low turnout. He told The Nation that a mega rally is being planned for next week to underscore his determination not to stop until something is done.

    He accused the board of siphoning scholarship funds through 23,000 fake accounts. He also accused Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, of failing to probe his allegations.

    Ezeanwani is heading for the court. His lawyer, Austin Kanu, said he would be suing the board, Prof Eghagha and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for what he called a breach of Ezenweani’s rights.

    “We are going to court very soon,” Kanu told our reporter on phone. “We are suing them all – Delta State Government, Prof Eghagha, the scholarship board and the EFCC because they are working hand- in -hand against my client. My client saw corruption in the board and was bold enough to report the matter to the EFCC; but instead of the EFCC to investigate the issue, they re-invited my client, brutalised and detained him for a week. That, to me, is a breach of his fundamental human right and we shall not take it lying low.”

    A April 10, 2012 petition to the EFCC titled: “A factual and progressive report of a case of fraud at the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board” by Ezenweani accused Eghagha of mismanaging the N2 billion disbursed yearly to the board by government since 2009.

    Ezenweani further alleged that Eghagha connived with bank officials to open over 23,000 accounts with fake names, passport photographs, unverified addresses, wrong phone numbers and signatures with various bank sort codes, which were approved for payment at the expense of real beneficiaries. He said Eghagha hired an incompetent Information Technology (IT) firm to facilitate the approval of the fake names for payment, many of which were published in various national dailies.

    Ezenweani, who visited the corporate headquarters of The Nation in Lagos last Monday with his friend, Yek Keme, said when he raised the alarm, the board removed the sort codes and other relevant information in subsequent publications in the dailies

    “The governor means well with the scholarship board because he foresees the future and sees the human capital that will develop Delta State in the nearest future. But these people at the board are not helping matters at all,” said Keme.

    Debunking these claims, Eghagha said the government released N600 million for bursary in 2009, adding: “By the time we were through with the bursary, we couldn’t exhaust the money and I had to refund the outstanding back to government treasury. For year 2009/2010, the approved sum was N514 million, beneficiaries were 24,000. Actual amount plus administrative charges came to N434 million. So we saved N80 million and I declared this to the executive. And I said next year, give us less N80 million. In 2010/2011, the approved amount is N643 million, beneficiaries are 28,000; actual amount was N481 million, and saving was N172million, which I declared to the executive. Except for mischievous persons, anybody in government who knows what I am doing will just laugh.”

    Eghagha also said he met the IT consultant on assumption of work as commissioner, adding: So, to say I brought him in is not true at all. Two, the e-payment was introduced to curb fraud in the system. I taught at UNILAG before I came in to office, and I can tell you, confidently, that none of my kids enjoyed the bursary. When I resumed on January 2, 2009, I found that money had been released by the state government but most students never got them. Two days after, students staged a protest. They came here and protested that they had not been paid their bursaries. I then sat them down, listened to them and asked them questions. Some of those people that protested then are employed by the state government now. They were leaders at the time and these are the people now fighting Ambrose.”

    Reacting, the board chairman, Monsignor Buchi Aninye, said he initially warmed up to Ezenweani until “he (Ezenweani) demanded for bribe.”

    He said: “The first time he (Ezenweani) came up with this, I thought he had something credible. I listened and was prepared to find out those who are responsible and how to handle them. But when I referred him to the Executive Secretary (ES) so that the two of them can come up with something, the secretary told me he was asking for money to be settled and I said forget it.

    “It was then I began to ask myself, are you sure this man is honest with what he was doing or he is just trying to get money? If he is honest, he won’t be asking for money. Actually, what he would have done is to show the ES these fake names so that we can go to the bank and investigate who these people are. Some students did that for us in the past and we were able to save some money which we refunded to the government. The students later demanded for compensation, but we told them point blank that we were not giving any compensation because the money had been given back to government. However, we promised them automatic scholarships at least to show our appreciation whether they passed the exam or not which is a prerequisite for the scholarships by the board.”

    The Executive Secretary, Mr Peter Amromanoh, said the board discovered while processing the 2008/2009 bursary that the fraud was perpetrated mostly by students acting in concert with junior members of staff in the Dean, Students Affairs (DSA) units of various institutions to inject spurious names into the lists submitted to the board. This, he said, led to the introduction of the e-payment system and a rise in bursary the following year.

    He said: “When we completed that process, we discovered that almost half of those that applied were not students. So, we saved nearly half of that money and we now recommended to government that by the following year, the bursary should be increased from N10,000 to N20,000. But the State Executive Council said since you can save almost half of this money let them start immediately. So in 2009, we started paying N20,000. Then the following year, we started the e-bursary system to be able to consolidate on what we did in our first year.”

    With the e-payment, Amromanoh said all a student needed do is to buy a N300 scratch card with which to access the website. This, he said, has stopped fraudsters.

    Amromanoh showed The Nation reporters files containing fake names, on which Ezenweani appeared. He was registered twice – one as Ezenweani Ambrose, with application number 216518 from the University of Lagos, and another as Ezenweani Ugo, with application number 222427 from Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), but with, same account number (UBA, 00890520082842).

    Amromanoh said the board has replaced the local government authentication with that of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). He said JAMB’s involvement in the exercise has been successful.

    He said: “The students complained that they cannot be going to their local government areas because of the expenses involved. Maybe, in some cases, they may have accident on the road. So, this time, we contracted it out to JAMB. We said, don’t go again; stay in your schools and register where you are. This time around, you enter our site with your JAMB registration number. The advantage is that it saves the student the stress. If you are coming from Sokoto, the amount you spend on transportation will reduce the N20,000 government is giving to you as bursary. It also saves the board the back and forth verification that we have been doing. The third advantage is that once you fill in your JAMB registration number, we can know immediately that you are a Deltan because that was what you filled during your registration. But if you are a Deltan and you enter the university through another state, you cannot get it. Two, it will show your year of entry into the university, and your course and department. So, if you are reading English, for example, it is a four- year course if you don’t enter through direct entry, you are now having six years, it will throw you out,” Amromanoh said.

    Amromanoh questioned Ezenweani’s proof of studentship since he has graduated from UNILAG, and cannot lead a protest as a non-student.

    On why the board refused to investigate the fake names, Amromanoh said that was considered unnecessary since the DSAs of the various institutions had written to the board, denying studentship of such names, and the board acted by deleting them.

    “It is not in our position to investigate names because that is the essence of sending the list. If they are not genuine students, we remove them from the list and they are not paid, and are subsequently removed from the system. The school should be able to sanction these people if they are trying to impersonate, but now, they are faceless people. Supposing they were actually paid, we will now enter the bank and investigate to know who actually took the money. But now, we didn’t lose any money.” he said.

    But Ezenweani said JAMB was included in the exercise becauase of his efforts. He accused the board of doctoring the two forms to smear him. He said the software malfunctions, making the students to start afresh once it rejects or takes them to another format when they attempt to submit.

    He denied demanding a N3 million bribe, insisting that the board has been approaching him through the EFCC for “settlement” and a job in the state civil service.

    “The EFCC invited me and said the board wanted me to be settled and that they will give me a job in the state civil service but I declined. It was after that that the EFCC invited me again and detained me for a week that I was causing problems for the state,” Ezenweani claimed.

    EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren absolved the commission of blame in the case.

    He said: “The EFCC is a law enforcement agency duly empowered by law to investigate and prosecute all economic and financial crimes. It is not a settlement agency; therefore claims that it has become a ‘middleman’, to use your words, in a case reported to it borders on mischief.”

    Giving reason for Ezenweani’s detention, EFCC said: “It is true that Ambrose Ezenweani sent a petition to the EFCC, alleging corruption in the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board. In the course of investigating the petition, it emerged that the petitioner is a suspect in the scam which necessitated his invitation for questioning. He made statement under caution and being a Youth Corps member, he was released to a surety, with instruction to report to the commission on a given date which he never did until his surety was arrested.

    “The investigation has reached an advanced stage as charges are already being prepared. Indeed, very soon Ezenweani will have the opportunity to pursue his litigation in court.

  • Fresh controversy over committees

    Fresh controversy over committees

    Unlike the previous week, this week could be described as largely peaceful as delegates, after debates largely agreed on most of the issues brought at the table.

    Delegates adopt 70 percent to resolve voting procedure puzzle

    The week opened on a happy note as the contentious three-quarter or two-third consensus voting mode was finally resolved on Monday, March 31, 2014.

    It follows last weekend’s adoption of 70 percent majority proposal by the “50-wise men.” It would be recalled that the committee of the wise men was strategically constituted last week by the leadership of the National Conference to help resolve the voting procedure paradox.

    Presenting the report of the outcome of the group’s consultative meeting, the Deputy Chairman of the conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, said, “The committee met on the 25th and 26th March, 2014. Deliberations during these meetings were cordial. Delegates worked in harmony to develop and put into effective use, the spirit of consensus building with the national interest at heart.

    “At the conclusion of deliberations, members reached a decision to amend Order VI Paragraph 4, XI paragraph 2 and XII paragraph 4 (e) as follows:

    “In the case of failure to reach consensus, the matter shall be decided by majority vote of 70 percent of delegates present and voting. That is the recommendation that committee is bringing to you, distinguished delegates.”

    Third Republic Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu, representing the Former Senators Forum, moved a motion that was seconded by former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Victor Attah, representing the Former Governors’ Forum, for the adoption of the recommendation. The resolution was thereafter adopted.

    Debate on President’s inaugural speech

    Another issue at the conference this week that caught the attention of concerned Nigerians was the debate on President Goodluck Jonathan’s inaugural speech.

    Former Senate President, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, commenting on the speech said: “I stand to praise nor vilify the president’s speech. It is the speech of a leader who is worried about his country. It is a speech of great expectation and the whole country expects a lot from all gathered here.

    Speaking in the same way, former Minister of Information, Dr. Dora Akunyili, who was the previous week specially mentioned in the media for not making any contribution, allegedly traced to her health condition, said she was proud of Jonathan for convening the conference.

    She said: “Nigerians have for long clamoured for this National Conference. I regard this National Conference as President Jonathan’s best Centenary gift to Nigeria; it is a testimony of the fact that he is a listening President.”

    The praises notwithstanding, many delegates said the agenda set in the speech is high, but that the challenge remains if the government structure would allow the conference to translate the expressed ideals to reality.

    Ripples over committee chairmen, deputies

    As at Thursday, the controversy over the alleged reversal of already agreed way of electing committee chairmen and their deputies was still reverberating across the country.

    The delegates were squarely divided on who should be vested with such powers. But after Dr. Sam Egwu explained that contrary to the provisions of the standing orders of the conference, where the chairman has the powers to review the performance of committee chairmen, the norm should be reversed since the chairman lacks the powers to appoint them in the first place,

    Kutigi reluctantly agreed and thereafter transferred the powers to review the performance of committee chairmen and their deputies to members.

    But to some delegates, the matter was so touchy that they formally protested the decision to withdraw the power of committee members to select their chairmen and deputies.

    A group, which described itself as “Aggrieved Delegates,” addressed a press conference on the matter before the plenary on Thursday. The group’s spokesman, Mr Abdulwaheed Omar, said: “We are protesting against something that is being brought through the back door; the decision for the committee to select their chairmen and deputies at the committee level .

    “This decision was concluded by delegates at the plenary, only for it to resurface through the Committee of 50, who are only mandated to talk about the voting pattern.

    “The leadership of the conference is using the Committee of 50 to come up with something they were not originally mandated to discuss and we are saying this is the beginning of a dangerous pattern.’’

    He warned, “we are afraid if we go by this trend, only God knows what other things will be manipulated again in the same way.

    “We are saying we have to practice democracy and we are demanding that this decision be reversed so that we will go back to the popular decision.

    “In 2005, it was the committees that selected their leaders, why will it be different this time?.’’

    It would be recalled that on March 20, an amendment to the Rule was proposed at the conference that committee members should select their chairmen and deputy chairmen from among themselves.

    Pledge to be Nigerians

    It was not however all fire. The delegates also agreed on certain fundamental issues like the issue of serving at the conference first as Nigerians before the various interests they represent.

    President Jonathan had set the tone in his inauguration speech when he said  “Even though you come to the conference as representatives of different interest groups, I urge you to make a united, stronger, indivisible and prosperous Nigeria your preoccupation and reference point.’’

    So, when the Secretary of the conference, Dr Valerie Azinge, announced that delegates would sit in alphabetic order, the delegates overwhelmingly supported the arrangement. It was reported that they raised their voices in unison, saying they were at the conference as Nigerians.

    “I think I have come here as a Nigerian. We should sit in alphabetical order. If any group wants to confer on anything, they can do that after the plenary.

    “I did not come here to be Yoruba; I want to be able to interact with others and see how we can have a pan-Nigerian discussion,”  Chief Segun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State was quoted as saying.

    On this note, so much is expected the coming week as the proper business of the conference begins to take shape.

  • Controversy surrounds woman’s death in Ekiti

    Controversy surrounds woman’s death in Ekiti

    The circumstances surrounding the death of a 21-year-old woman, Damilola Vincent, in a church in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have continued to generate contradictions, writes Sulaiman Salawudeen.

    The late Damilola loved Christmas Day. As a devout Christian, the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago meant a lot to her and she always prepared for this special day with prayers and other activities.

    Sadly, this year’s Christmas will be different, at least, for her family. Damilola will not be there to celebrate the birth of Christ. She died on Thursday, November 14, on the premises of the Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C., Fountain of Peace), Off Tinuola Maximum School rd., Onola Street in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    The late Damilola, a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), wanted to study Medicine and Surgery. She had passed the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) and written the Joint University Matriculation Examination (UME).

    She was the dream of all parents – bold, beautiful, respectful and focused. The late Damilola’s movement on any day was predictable. Whenever she was not in church, where she belonged to

    many groups, including the choir, she was home reading.

    Her life revolved around reading and serving God. But like drops of the early morning dew on the flora, Dammy (as she was fondly called), who had promised her aunt, Mrs. Toyin Aladejana, not to know a man until the night of her wedding, vanished alongside her dreams, leaving her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Olu Vincent, bereaved.

    Her remains have been buried in her Ijero-Ekiti country home, where she lived with her parents, but the mystery surrounding her death in the church house of Pastor Ayodele Julius (40), founder of the C.A.C. in Onola, has continued to generate questions.

    Mrs. Aladejana said the deceased came (from Ijero) to visit her in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, November 10, adding: “She used to come and return to Ijero as often as she liked.”

    She said: “On Tuesday, November 12, Dammy led the morning prayer. After which we ate and dressed up. She requested for some money and I gave her the little I could afford. When I returned, I saw that she had washed my dirty clothes.

    “I asked her why she did not go to her pastor’s place in the morning as she had planned. She said she phoned him and he said he was not around. My last born, Adeniran, was ill, so I took him to the State Hospital on Wednesday. By the time I returned home, I was having headache. “She suggested I took my bath and rested, which I did and slept. I was still in bed when she left for her pastor’s place around noon, with a promise to return soon. When the day started getting dark and she did not return home, I phoned her, but she stopped the call and phoned me back immediately, saying she would not be returning that (Wednesday) evening. She said her pastor urged her to stay overnight for a special prayer.

    “She gave the phone to the pastor, who I did not know, and he repeated the same thing, assuring me that Dammy would come home the following morning. The pastor said he would come and know my house soon. Although that was not the first time she would be staying at the pastor’s place, I was not comfortable with her decision to sleep outside”.

    Mrs. Aladejana said the pastor phoned her with Damilola’s phone around 6am the following morning, saying “Dammy has come again with her strange ailment; she is behaving funny; please come over”.

    Mrs. Aladejana said: “My husband and I rushed there and met Dammy’s body in a car in a sitting position. When I touched her, she was cold and stiff, which means she had been dead and in the car for some time.

    “The pastor’s neighbour, a man, told him he should have taken Dammy to the hospital immediately she started uttering funny sounds.  We later took a dead Damilola to the state hospital, where the doctors confirmed what we already knew. She was dead.”

    Pastor Julius said: “Around 5am, I told my son, Joshua (13) to go and wake her up for morning prayer, but he came back to tell me she did not answer him. I went to her and shook her, but she uttered a strange sound, ‘khooooo, khooooo, khooooo’.

    “I carried her and started shouting her name. My wife joined me and people gathered. I remember there was a day she did like that and her sister sent for me, and she was eventually revived.”

    He said Damilola came to his place around 6pm on Tuesday to collect her dress from his wife, Janet (a tailor) and spent the night with them.

    Pastor Julius denied speaking with Mrs. Aladejana on November 13 and telling her to allow the late Damilola spend the night at his place for a special prayer.

    In an encounter between the pastor and the aunt, witnessed by The Nation, the issue of the phone call led to a hot argument.

    Pastor Julius insisted that Damilola only came to collect her dress from his wife.

    The contradictions were not resolved when The Nation spoke with Janet, who said she had not sown the cloth the late Damilola reportedly came for.

    Janet said: “When I got home around 6pm, I told her I had not finished sewing her dress and she decided to stay. When we wanted to sleep around 10pm, she slept in the sitting room where she normally slept while we went into the bedroom. This is how we normally treat female visitors. But when we sent my son to wake her up in the morning, he said Sister Dammy did not answer him. That was when we knew there was a problem.”

    While the late Damilola said she was going to the pastor’s place and reportedly left her aunt’s house at noon on Wednesday, the pastor said she did not get to his place until around 6 pm? So where was she between noon and 6pm?

    Did the pastor speak with Mrs. Aladejana on Wednesday evening? Why didn’t the deceased phone Janet to inquire if her dress was ready before going to the pastor’s house? Why would she decide to sleep overnight for a dress that had not been sown?

    The deceased’s family said they do not want any trouble and have left everything to God.

    Mr. Vincent said: “I sent a vehicle to go and bring her body immediately and we have buried her. I have left the case to God.”

  • Controversy trails Fed Govt’s N15b grant to BoA

    Controversy trails Fed Govt’s N15b grant to BoA

    There is controvesy over the status of the N15billion the Federal Government advanced to the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) for on-lending to farmers, The Nation has learnt.

    Vice President Namadi Sambo had said the Federal Government has extended a N15 billion grant to the BoA to lend at a single-digit to farmers for this year’s farming season.

    But a source said no such grant has been released by the government, saying what the Vice President referred to was the recapitalisation fund injected into BoA.

    The source, who asked that his identity be veiled, said as civil servants, they are not in a position to contradict the Vice President on such a sensitive issue.

    He denied the existence of the grant, insisting that what Sambo was referring to was the recapitalisation fund, “but we cannot say the Vice President is wrong, but what he said is not as presented.”

    At the closing of the 19th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja, Sambo had said the government was aware of the problems farmers faced, such as access to financing and the high interest rate charged by banks, adding that to solve them, the Federal Government had to take steps to remove the bottlenecks in the agricultural sector to allow for growth and development.

    He described these policy initiatives as short-term measures, saying the government was putting in place mechanisms to facilitate long-term access to credit to farmers.

    In February, this year, the Federal Government okayed N15 billion to recapitalise the BoA. Earlier, the BoA had received N30billion of the N50billion approved share capital in about 13 installments, since the merger of its legacy institutions in 2000.

    Also last week, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, boasted that the Federal Government had paid civil servants their September salary.

    However, days after, investigations revealed that civil servants have not been paid. Many civil servants said they  were  paid their August salary in the first week of September.

    In addition, the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting for August allocation, from where September salaries would be paid, did not hold on Thursday as planned, but is now scheduled for today.

  • Imo rerun: Controversy as PDP, APGA lay claim to victory

    The controversy trailing the rerun election in Oguta Constituency, which was held last weekend, has continued to mount as both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are claiming victory in the election.

    But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the election inconclusive.

    Both parties, relying on results with different figures allegedly signed by INEC officials, insisted that their candidate won the election and should be issued Certificates of Return.

    They accused each other of bribing officials to falsify the result.

    Governor Rochas Okorocha was the first to congratulate the APGA candidate, Walter Uzonwanne, for emerging the winner after he was said to have scored 9,595 as against the PDP candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu, who got 7,584 votes.

    But the PDP insisted that it won the election with 7,585 votes. APGA got 7,241 votes, it said.

    At a media briefing, the governor, who displayed a result sheet allegedly signed by the Returning Officer, Dr Cynthia Oguike, ordered the Commission to declare Uzonwanne the winner and issue him a Certificate of Return.

    But the PDP leadership, which also congratulated its candidate, insisted that the party won the election, despite what it called intimidation and harassment by security operatives.

    The State Chairman, Eze Duruiheoma, alleged that weeks before the election, traditional rulers and senior civil servants in the area were directed to deliver the APGA candidate or lose their positions.

    Duruiheoma also alleged that even commissioners were assigned areas to deliver in the election or risk dismissal.

    The PDP boss lamented that the development had ridiculed the state.

    Duruiheoma said the result presented by the PDP was based on the valid result of the votes cast.

  • Again on NGF controversy

    It does appear the crisis generated by the disputed election into the chairmanship of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum NGF will for long, dominate public discourse. If some governors are not blaming their colleagues for alleged betrayal, some others are seen talking of collective failure for the pass that has become the outcome of that election. There are also others rooting for an amicable resolution of the matter. Yet, the same election is before the court as Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola has challenged his colleague of Plateau State, Jonah Jang for parading himself as the chairman of the forum when Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers state was actually elected by a majority of the votes cast.

    At another level, the presidency which should be working to resolve the impasse is neck deep in fuelling the controversy. At least on two occasions, it has taken actions that have portrayed it as the unseen hand behind the schism in the forum. President Jonathan has not only gone ahead to recognize Jang as the chairman of the forum, he also fixed a dinner for the governors on a date and time the first meeting of the Amaechi group was slated.

    This is so even as Jang and his group have held meetings in their newly rented office without being challenged or have their meeting clash with key events at the presidency. And after one of such meetings, Jang’s faction proceeded for a meeting at the presidency in which Jonathan recognized him as the chairman of the NGF, which he is not.

    The maiden meeting of the NGF called by Amaechi since the crisis came up last week. After notices of the meeting had been circulated, the presidency curiously summoned all the governors to Abuja for what it termed a mid-term dinner for the same day and time. The immediate reading of that meeting was that it was a subtle attempt by the presidency to throw spanners into the NGF meeting so as to promote the claims of Jang to its leadership.

    What had promised a test of power was maturely handled by 15 governors that attended the meeting summoned by Amaechi. Having shown their presence at the Rivers State Governor’s lodge venue of the meeting, the governors resolved to adjourn in deference to the dinner called by Jonathan. But they succeeded in making their point. From there, they proceeded to the venue of the dinner, though after the president had arrived.

    It is equally instructive that there were at least five PDP governors from the north in Amaechi’s meeting. This is very instructive as it goes to show that the so-called consensus within the PDP fold before the election was nothing but a ruse. If anything, the level of attendance has shown that those supporting Jang are being less than honest. The level of response and solidarity with Amaechi despite obvious attempts by the presidency to mess up that meeting is also very revealing.

    It leaves no one with any shred of doubt that those who voted for Amaechi were not ghosts. It also speaks volumes about the purported consensus to have Jang as the NGF chairman. And as the governor of Niger State Babangida Aliyu succinctly put it, though northern governors agreed on Jang’s consensus candidacy, “when the election took place, the conscience of the people prevailed over consensus”. That is the real issue.

    It is therefore puzzling that some governors who really took part in the election that produced Amaechi are latching on to a very questionable consensus when the ballot box has said it all. Having voted, its outcome takes precedence over whatever agreement previously arrived at by any other group. That is the only reasonable way to look at the matter.

    But rather than accept the outcome of the election, some 16 governors who voted for Jang opted to float a parallel forum with Jang as their leader. They rented an office and have been holding their meeting there. If this had come from some other quarters, perhaps we could have excused it. But since it involved chief executives of states, the matter becomes more puzzling. If anything, it casts the integrity of those governors in a very bad light. That is the point Delta state governor Emmanuel Uduaghan made when he said in a radio and television programme that the turn of events at that election has shaken the people’s confidence in them. Hear him “I think we (governors) owe Nigerians apologies for the turn of events at the forum. We have no excuse for what has happened at the forum because the people expect so much from us.” Uduaghan has said it all even though he was one of those who pitched their tent with Jang after he failed to secure the mandate of his colleagues. The lamentations of the Delta State governor mirror vividly the inherent contradictions in the raging disputations over the authentic leader of the governors’ forum. And as he rightly argued, there is no excuse for what happened. There was no excuse for forming a splinter group despite the fact that things did not go the way some highly placed government functionaries wanted them. It is one thing to be dissatisfied with the outcome of that election and a different kettle of fish declare Jang the winner when such a declaration did not tally with the facts on the ground. That is the very grave error those supporting Jang have committed. It would have been neater if those governors had stopped at rejecting the outcome of the election.

    Had it been so, discussions will now focus on how to resolve the areas of difference. Now a loser has claimed he is the authentic leader having rented an office and recognized by the president, the matter has become more complicated and messy.

    It is a mark of this mess that the sitting arrangement at last week’s National Economic Council NEC meeting had to be altered such that none of the disputants was recognized as the chairman. That is part of the monsters we create. But then, the NGF is a voluntary organization. Why it has attracted the kind of heat it is now generating can only be located with the ambit of partisan politics. It all has to do with the politics of 2015.

    Otherwise what is there in that seemingly inconsequential organization that should make the rest of us lose sleep? But politics is involved and Jonathan’s desire for another term is at the centre of it all. Those who support Amaechi both from the opposition and the ruling party are all united by one goal. And it is to ensure that Jonathan does not make it this time around. They could differ in their approaches but their goal is the same.

    But more fundamentally, by attending the meeting summoned by Amaechi, those PDP governors have made a very bold statement. They have said very unambiguously that the simmering schism within the PDP has come to stay. They are saying very boldly that they have a different political agenda that runs at cross purposes with that of Jonathan.

    Viewed within this context, it becomes clearer why the crisis within the NGF will not easily abate. Being irretrievably tied to the politics of power shift, its fate will depend on the direction of the unfolding political competition. Whether Amaechi can appropriately fit into that change agent, is a matter for another day.