The Nation Newspaper

Tag: crises

  • Crisis looms as AKHA declares another seat vacant

    The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on Tueday declared another seat vacant,  following a confirmation of the defection of the Nsit Atai representative, Mrs Sarah Elijah to Labour party.

    This brings the total number of seats declared vacant on the ground of defection to other political parties to five, having earlier declared seats of members representing Mbo, Uruan,Urue Offong/Oruko and Ini state Constituencies occupied by Mrs Alice Ekpenyong, Hon.Kufre Okon,Hon Bassey Etienam and Rt.Hon Paul Owo, following their defection to the All Progressives Congress and Accord Parties in the wake of the last PDP primary election.

    It could be recalled that the speaker, while defending his actions in a press conference last week, claimed ignorance of Elijah’s well publicised and public defection to Labour Party.

    While the plenary session which saw to the declaration of vacancy on the fifth seat could not last beyond 10 minutes, the speaker, Hon Sam Ikon also used the session to acknowledge receipt of  a letter from the Nigerian  Bar Association (NBA),  questioning the house against carrying out legislative duties with less than the required number of lawmakers.

    Defending his action, the Speaker reiterated his earlier claim to have been empowered by the provision of section 109(1g) of the Nigerian constitution which empowers the house to declare vacant, seats of members who abandon the political parties that voted them into office.

    Although openly criticised as going against the constitution which does not allow the house to operate with less than 26 members, the Speaker insisted that with 21 members, it was an act of ignorance for any to try to criticise or question him for still carrying of the full function of the house.

    As indication of tension, insecurity and uncertainty, the entrance of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly Tuesday was manned by heavily armed security operatives who described the day as ‘not as usual’ with thorough checks and confirmation before granting access.

    Meanwhile, one of the embattled decampees and member representing Uruan State constituency, Hon Kufre Etuk on a radio interview had claimed to have served the house a court injunction since December 16, long before their seats were declared vacant. And defended that why they refused to debate on the issue during the plenary which declared their seats vacant was because the case was already in court.

     

  • Odigie-Oyegun: Jonathan plunging Nigeria into crises

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of instigating constitutional, religious and ethnic crises in a manner never witnessed since the nation’s independence.

    Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke when he received a group of Ijaw youths under the auspices of Izon-Ibe Global Policy Network (IGPN) at the party’s national secretariat, said the Jonathan administration’s attitude was threatening the country’s corporate existence.

    He lamented that because of the president’s ambition, the country had been divided in a way never experienced before.

    The party’s national chairman said: “What is most worrisome is that we not only think that there has been no phenomenon development, but for some funny reasons, the whole country is being plunged into unnecessary crisis, constitutional and otherwise, which is in very real terms threatening the nation’s existence.

    “In all the history of this country, even before the civil war, the people of the Southsouth have been noted as those who kept the country going through thick and thin and through the period of the civil war.

    “Today, as we seat, we are not sure what will happen tomorrow. We are not sure whether the election of March 28 will hold; the country is divided so seriously in a way it has never been – along religious and ethnic lines, along the poor and rich, corruption, insecurity; all to the extreme. So, when I come across young people like you, who are professionals, I am always very impressed because the future belongs to people like you. With people like you, there is definitely hope for the Nigerian nation.”

    Expressing happiness about the decision of the youth to associate with the APC, Odigie-Oyegun said: “It is not easy to find particularly young men of Ijaw extraction ready to stick out their neck and say their own brother has failed them, their own son has failed them and that what is important is who is best placed to address the challenges and the ills of our nation.

    “Even outside Ijaw areas, the South generally, there are very few people who have that courage. We all seems to be trapped in the old antiquated mentality that once somebody is from us, whether he is right or wrong does not matter.

    “I am glad that with people like you, we have proven that we are getting out of that mentality of my brother is right or wrong. I must say that the President is someone who has been blessed by God in every way possible.

    “He became deputy governor riding on the goodwill of the governor; he became governor because your principal fell out with the federal system and so, they set him up and properly dealt with him.

    “You were asked to become vice president. You pleaded to be allowed to remain in your state to continue to be governor, but you were dragged screaming to become vice president.

    “Again, nature took its course. God called your principal home and without lifting a finger, the whole of Nigeria rose up  in your defence and you became President and you served the almost two years that was left. On your own, and with the whole country routing for you, you became President.

    “A man in the position will look up in the sky and say God, use me. Whatever you want to use me for, I am ready and available. At the end of the term he is serving now, he would have served six solid years as the No. 1 citizen of this nation.

    “Anybody in that position would knee down and say God, you have been kind to me and would want to write his name boldly in the annals of history, such that people will look back generations from now and be proud.

    “Those of us from the Southsouth will also be proud that when our brother was there, when our son was there, this name recorded phenomenal growth and we in the Southsouth will say, but for him.

    “We would not have known what a railway station is or what a train looks like; but for him. We would not have known what a true expressway is. But for him, we would not have known what it is to have electricity round the clock. But for him, we would not have had the industries that are now taking care of our children as they come out of schools.

    “For a man, who is so blessed, he would like to leave his name in the annals of history having been there for six years; two years short of the normal eight years, which is two terms of a normal president. So, it is a matter of concern.

    “I am also from the Southsouth, the Niger Delta, even though peripheral. But you are proper Ijaw from the various states of the Niger Delta. I particularly commend your courage for looking at these last six years and conclude that we can do better. Whether he is our son or not, we must have the courage to say no, ‘you have not done well; somebody else can do it better’.

    “So, I want to say that we appreciate the courage of what you have done; we appreciate the spirit of what you have done and to say to you that it is stuffs like you that nations are made of, that nations are built on, and that you should continue the good work that you have started and I want to assure you that at the proper time, you will be appreciated and acknowledged.”

    The group’s spokesman, Ayubalayefa Dennis, said its members have mobilised over five million youths from the Niger Delta region to carry on the gospel of change and ensure that General Muhammadu Buhari is voted into office.

    He lamented that the amnesty programme put in place for youths of the Niger Delta was badly managed by President Jonathan, alleging that he had politicised the programme.

     

  • Monarchs rally against post-election crises

    Monarchs rally against post-election crises

    Determined to prevent post-election conflicts in their domains, northern Christian traditional rulers met in Abuja to forge peace in the region, reports Sunday Oguntola

    They walked majestically to the hall, resplendent in their traditional attires. Not a few cast a fanciful look at the splendor they displayed. They had come from different clans, communities and environs. They are Christian traditional rulers from northern states in Abuja, the federal capital, for two reasons: One, according to the chief convener, Elder Olaiya Phillips, was to pray for peaceful polls next month.

    Two, according to the rulers, was to brainstorm how to prevent post-election crisis in their domains.

    Hell literally visited them in 2011 and many of them were determined not to allow a repeat of the orgies this time around.

    These were the moods last week during a parley by Christian traditional rulers in Abuja. The conference was organised by the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) as parts of its strategies to arrest worsening insecurity in the north-east.

    Welcoming the royal fathers to the forum, Phillips, who is the chair of NOSCEF, stated that their coming together was imperative to forestall any possible backlashes from the forthcoming elections. He lamented the untold hardships and ruinations that many of their subjects and communities suffered in the past.

    Except they rise to do things differently and build bridges of peace and harmony, worse scenarios might be experienced in their communities again, he warned. He said: “We can all remember the scenes across the North following the last general election. The needless loss of hundreds of Christians and Muslims in post election violence is a memory that still feels raw.

    “I do not know if we will see a repeat of such reprisals following this year’s elections but as a community we should be prepared. And as community leaders, those here today should be ready for whatever events unfold.”

    He added: “You must speak up for your communities. You must be the ones to make sure that politicians understand. You must pray that the Northern Christian community is better represented at all levels of Nigerian politics following elections.

    “You must create and embody the forums of discussion between our community and Muslim community to settle disputes before violence occurs. You must make your communities understand that politics is not worth taking and losing life and limb.

    “You must provide the glue that our communities desperately need to hold our nation together, before the first blow lands or the first bullet is fired. We – the Northern Christian community – must make sure that whoever wins, the unity, secularity and integrity of our nation is preserved.”

    Phillips urged them to support “candidates that win elections in your communities and prevent post-election violence or crises.” This, he stated, must be their biggest preoccupation for the next few months until the incoming administration is stabilised.

    He added that the peaceful coexistence of political opponents and subjects with differing political inclinations should become their main objectives, stating that the more peaceful their domains are after the polls will indicate how much efforts and commitment they have invested after the parley.

    Phillips, a businessman, urged them to consider themselves as peace builders and agents of transformation. Royal fathers, he added, must ensure peace in their domains at all costs, stressing that the cost of allowing crises would be too much to consider for their communities and the nation.

    “We must provide the glues that our nation need to stay together. We must ensure that our communities remain one united entity regardless of our political differences,” he further stated.

    President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, commended the monarchs for coming together to work for peace in their domains. Lauding the forum, he said: “The more you know each other, the stronger you become. You are able to share challenges and be stronger than you used to be.”

    He bemoaned the spate of violence recorded after every election in the country, saying that all stakeholders, like the traditional rulers, must synergies to prevent such reoccurrence this time around.

    Oritsejafor called for the enthronement of a fair and just electoral system to minimise some of these backlashes, urging Nigerians to become committed to building a nation of equity and peace.

    Done with the niceties, the traditional rulers broke into groups to deliberate on why peace is always a challenge during election period and practical ways of working against breakdown of law and order.

    Rising from the closed-door deliberation, the traditional rulers resolved to build peace in their communities. They also vowed to accommodate all political leanings and work with candidates to prevent violence. They said they will mobilise their subjects to reject violence and candidates with such tendency, while also empowering them to peaceful choices.

    They also retired into a prayer session coordinated by the immediate former chairman of NOSCEF, Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye. Owojaiye challenged them to break down stereotypes and spiritual forces instigating violence in northern parts of the country.

    God, he said, has the powers to stop the devil in his track and restore peace to beleaguered regions. The monarchs raised their voices in utter supplication to God for peaceful elections next month as well as harmonious relations after the polls.

     

  • Fixing endless economic crises

    Fixing endless economic crises

    The world economies, especially those of sub-Saharan Africa, have come under pressure in recent months as Brent oil prices slumped. The impact has been worrisome as it has taken a toll on the naira and foreign exchange reserves. Charting a way forward was the focus of the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Africa Financial Summit hosted by Access Bank Plc in Lagos, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

    In the last one month, managers of the economy have known little or no rest. They have been taking pains to explain to local and international investors the way out of the ‘economic tsunami’ that has hit the economy.

    The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, used the opportunity presented by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Africa Financial Summit held in Lagos to explain to the world what the government is doing to wriggle out of the crisis. The naira and foreign exchange reserves have been badly hit.

    The minster who spoke on Positioning Africa in the context of an uncertain global environment stressed the need for African countries to adopt belt-tightening measures to cushion the effects of the dwindling prices of crude oil on their economies.

    She emphasised the need to plug leakages, increase the drive for revenue as well as develop the non-oil sectors in the continent.

    The naira has come under pressure in recent months over sharp fall in the price of Brent oil prices, and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) determination to save the currency has badly hurt the position of the reserves.

    The foreign exchange reserves stood at $37.5 billion on Monday and analysts insisted that the fall in the international price of Nigeria’s benchmark Bonny Light crude to about $78/barrel has fuelled fears that the CBN will be unable to hold the line on the naira exchange rate which closed last week at N176 to dollar.

    The minister also urged policy makers in the continent to strive to ensure economic prosperity, arguing that with the right policies, Nigeria and other nations in the continent would be able to sustain growth despite the economic headwinds.

    She admitted that events unfolding over the last six months have cast a shadow on global economic recovery in the aftermath of the 2008/09 financial crisis.

    Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said the slowdown in global economic activity, coupled with the end in the quantitative easing in the United States (U.S), will affect sub-Saharan Africa’s economy, in addition to other challenges  faced at the moment.

    She said: “Many countries on the continent depend on commodity exports as the main source of revenue. The ratio of commodity exports to total merchandise exports is very high in several African countries – and to give a few examples, the ratio ranges from 60 per cent in South Africa to 89 per cent in Zambia and Ghana, 96 per cent in DR Congo, and so on.

    “In Nigeria, our crude oil exports alone accounted for about 83 per cent of the value of our total exports in 2013, according to our National Bureau of Statistics.”

    The minister advised countries in the region to aggressively look for alternative sources of revenues and stem leakages.

    “It is now imperative to drive up domestic resource mobilisation, especially taxes. In several African countries, including Nigeria, tax revenue to Gross Domestic Product is below 15 per cent – the conventional (International Monetary Fund) IMF threshold for satisfactory tax performance. There are many leakages and gaps to be plugged, and more effective tax administration could contribute to improving revenues,” she said.

     

    Revenue leakages

    The Washington-based thinktank, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), said at least 60 per cent of the nearly $1 trillion in illicit flows from the continent is due to trade mispricing and international tax evasion.

    The minister said the GFI has been asked to carry out a study on Nigeria. This, together with the work being done by McKinsey to strengthen tax collection will go a long way to support efforts to drive revenues up.

    “Based on the results of the first few months of the year, I’m fairly confident that additional tax revenues from these efforts will surpass the $500 million previously estimated for 2014,” she said.

    She explained that based on 2013 data, about 70 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s merchandise exports go to countries or zones that are experiencing challenges at the moment- the U.S (10.01 per cent), Europe (26.5 per cent), Japan (three per cent), China (21 per cent), Brazil (three per cent), and India (seven per cent).

    The minister said a marked slowdown in these markets would weaken demand for commodity exports from the region, with immediate negative spillover effects on our external and fisscal positions.

    She said: “This year, we’ve seen a fall in the prices of several commodities, the most recent of which is oil. Our crude oil – bonny light, which traded at $110.2 per barrel in January this year, reaching $114.6 per barrel by June, is now trading at about $83 per barrel.

    “The price of gold, which peaked at about $1383 per ounce in March this year is now trading at around $1160 per ounce. Iron ore which traded at around $130 per dry metric tonne at the beginning of the year is now trading at around $76 per dry metric tonne, which is a loss of more than 40 per cent of its value this year.”

    Continuing, she said prices of some agricultural commodities are also on a downward spiral, with the price of cocoa falling by about 10 per cent from $3,252 per tonne at the end of September which is just a few weeks ago, to about $2,900 per tonne now. Cotton has also taken a hit, from about 93.5 cents per pound a year ago to 63.5 cents now, while coffee which traded at 221.4 cents per pound just a month ago, is trading at about 186.3 per pound now – which is nearly 20 per cent fall in price within a month.

    The minister said the end of quantitative easing by monetary authorities in the U.S. is resulting in a reversal of foreign investor sentiment in emerging markets including frontier markets such as sub-Sahara Africa.

    “Capital outûows are putting pressure on countries with large external financial needs. In addition, regional challenges, such as the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa is weighing down on the region’s short to medium term economic outlook,” she said.

    Okonjo-Iweala said the ensuing decline in activity may lead to reduced appetite for investment, with more long-term implications on the growth momentum in the sub region. She added that sub-Saharan Africa’s economy is expected to continue to perform respectably in the face of global economic challenges.

     

    Access Bank CEO speaks

    The Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe said banks are not fringe players in global economic equation, arguing that many of the lenders have helped in building multinational companies that have made Africa proud.

    Wigwe said: “At Access Bank, we believe in the future of Africa. We have set ourselves the ambitious target of becoming the world’s most respected African Bank. For us that means more than being the biggest, the fastest growing, or even the most profitable in the short term.

    “It means building a strong, sustainable institution that sets new standards in governance and transparency and which actively helps other financial institutions to do the same. It means driving financial inclusion by extending banking services to a new and growing cohort of businesses and individuals who will be the growth champions of tomorrow. And it means keeping our customers at the heart of everything we do.”

     

    Africa rising

    Wigwe said Africa’s private sector has woken from its slumber and a new spirit of entrepreneurship is sweeping across the continent.

    “The criticisms in the 1960s that Africa has underdeveloped middle class that does not contribute to the growth of capital would be ludicrous today. A vibrant, growing consumer class is increasingly serviced by innovative local capital. From Fast Moving Consumer Goods to telecoms, street vendors to sophisticated local retailers, the African private sector is driving economic growth.

    “When taken together, the investment case is clear. We have the market, the market environment, and the entrepreneurial zeal that means that business can thrive,” he said.

    Wigwe said Africa must align with global standards and best practice while maintaining the cultural identities and local knowledge and worldview which allow it to act and react to local economic realities.

    “We must take on board and test new innovations in banking while ensuring that we maintain the best aspects of the ways we work today. And we must also take advantage of the technological revolution that is changing the face of banking all over the world but be careful to ensure that we do not become slaves of data; that it doesn’t replace judgment and experience.

    “Technology has enhanced access to capital, expertise and distribution, and aided the storage and use of data; it presents us with a profound opportunity to deepen and widen access to financial services to people and companies across the continent and we should ensure that we use it for good,” he said.

     

     Africa economies

    Senior Manager at IIF, Andrew DeSouza, said South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and Zambia constitute one of the fastest growing areas of the world this year estimated at 4.9 per cent. However, several factors, both internal and external, have stopped it from growing  faster.

    He explained that prospects for stronger growth next year and beyond are encouraging, but there are pockets of concern.

    He said:  “Lower commodity prices and faltering global demand in recent years have hit export earnings and weakened the current accounts in several countries. The impact has not been uniform, however, due to varying degrees of natural resource dependence and deviations in price movements across different commodities. Diversifying economic activity, broadening the export base, and adding domestic value to natural resource extraction will be key to sustaining growth and reducing vulnerability.”

    Hydrocarbons are becoming more important in Africa, and will continue to do so going forward. Oil and gas discoveries in East Africa could be a game changer over the next decade, providing revenue for much-needed infrastructure development and turning around large current account deficits, he added.

    DeSouza explained that a major constraint on growth and economic diversiûcation has been the grossly inadequate power generating capacity in most countries. The tide now appears to be turning, however, and plans are already being implemented in a number of countries to ramp up generation and improve transmission and distribution.

    For him, fiscal pressures have intensified and government debt is on the rise. “The biggest challenge is to increase revenue without dampening growth while shifting resources towards development spending. The countries with the largest deûcits tend to be those that have let their wage bills spiral,” he said.

    The IIF manager said the rapid adoption of mobile technology in recent years has led to a marked increase in ûnancial inclusion in many countries. Kenya was at the forefront of this revolution with the introduction of M-Pesa in 2007, but this has spread to other countries and the technology is becoming increasingly more sophisticated and widely adopted.

     

  • ‘I’ll resolve Rivers judicial crises’

    Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) has expressed concern over the lingering crisis in the Rivers State judiciary, vowing to find a lasting solution to it.

    He said lawyers and litigants have suffered so much in the past six months, with court activities at a standstill.

    The state and the National Judicial Council (NJC) are at loggerheads over the appointment of the Chief Judge.

    Speaking after his inauguration as the 27th NBA President during the association’s annual general conference in Owerri, Imo State capital, Alegeh he would ensure the crisis is resolved sooner than later.

    Alegeh said:  “I will personally intervene in Rivers State to ensure that the courts are open for lawyers to do their legitimate business.

    “I want to make the NBA a responsible organisation, to cater essentially for the welfare of its members, to serve the nation better, to get involved much more deeply in election matters, to get involved in consumer protection, because I believe that the role of the NBA as a defender of human rights must also include the defence of economic rights and that is what I believe that the NBA must stand for.

    ‘’So, I must make an impact not just for our members and their welfare, but also for the society at large. I want every Nigerian to know that there is an association of lawyers in Nigeria, that they can benefit positively from and that can do something for them even though they are not members of the association.’’

    On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) at the National Assembly, Alegeh said it should be passed into law for the country’s benefit.

    “I don’t understand why people who have taken an oath of office to legislate would keep a bill through several legislative sessions. It is unconscionable. We will meet with the leadership of the National Assembly and whatever the problems are, we will make them known to Nigerians.

    “Petroleum is our major source of revenue and the Petroleum Industry Bill is to protect that source of revenue for all of us. So, anybody that is toying with such a bill is toying with our collective destiny and we cannot sit down idly and be watch that happen.’’

    On what he intends to with the committees he set up, he said: “Well, when you set up a committee to guide you on something, you cannot jump the gun.”

    He also spoke on the need for a reform of association’s electoral process.

    “Electronic voting has the capability of offering suffrage. The committee will reach out to all stakeholders. It is not what I want that matters because I may want universal suffrage but what do all lawyers want? It is not going to be the decision of Mr. President alone. It is going to involve a constitutional amendment. We may have an emergency general meeting and all members who are entitled will vote on it and the result will be announced  there and then,” he said.

    Alegeh urged lawyers to show more commitment to NBA.

    “I want every lawyer in the association to be responsible to the association. I want them to know that it is not going to be business as usual as it has been for sometime now.

    “I expect all lawyers to work in their communities for the defence of the rule of law, for the promotion of human and economic rights of all Nigerians.

    “I hold the strong view that  fighting for human rights alone without economic rights is a failure on our part. We must fight for both of them,  because a man who has not eaten food is more deprived of human rights,” he added.

  • Why there are crises, by Wogu

    The declaration of redundancy by employers without consultations with workers’ representatives triggers industrial crisis in work places, theMinister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, has said.

    Speaking at a forum in Lagos, Wogu said: “One major cause of this conflict and grievance in the workplace is the issue of un-procedural declaration of redundancy by the employers/management of labour in the country without wider consultations with the workers’ representatives, which triggers industrial crisis in the workplace. This falls short of the provisions in the extant labour legislations particularly Section 20 of Labour Act CAP LI LFN, 2004 of Nigeria”

    Arguing that no economic relationship can survive under a stiff and tense industrial atmosphere, he added: “This error or omission is not in tandem with the sacred principles of industrial democracy and social dialogue.”

    According to the minister, limiting the representation of the vulnerable employees and their influence on decisions that have far- reaching implications on their survival can cause industrial crisis at the work place

    “There is a need for respect of the sanctity of duly-signed collective agreement, which is expected to come into being through dialogue between the employers and workers. It should be kept sacrosanct until it expires,” he said.

    On expatriate quota, the Labour Minister said: “I urge the employers and unions in the workplace to cooperate with the government agencies in ensuring that expatriates are not indiscriminately allowed into the economy under the camouflage of any technically imagined job titles.”

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar in his goodwill message, called on employers respect their union for industrial harmony to thrive.

  • PDP has always been in crises, says Ndoma-Egba

    BrisEs have been court of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since it was formed, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba told reporters in Calabar yesterday.

    “I don’t remember a time there has not been a problem in PDP,” he said.

    He said the party had survived bigger crisis than the one rocking it now.

    “It is a simple family irritation and it would be resolved soon,” he said.

    He said the presence of crisis meant the party was alive.

    “If there is no crisis, it means the party is either dead or run by a single individual. Crisis is what assures the individual that it is alive. The bigger the party, the bigger the crisis. It is a normal thing. In due time, it would be resolved. The PDP still remains one party. We don’t have different logos or colours or motto. So we are still one,” he said.

  • PDP plans emergency NEC meeting over crises

    PDP plans emergency NEC meeting over crises

    An emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been convened for tomorrow in Abuja.

    The 62nd NEC meeting is coming two months after the last one, held on June 20. The party’s constitution stipulates that NEC meeting should hold every three months.

    Notice of the meeting was conveyed through an internal memo, signed by Acting National Secretary Aderemi Akitoye. The memo said the meeting starts at 2 pm and urged members to be punctual.

    Although the memo did not state the agenda, sources close to the party secretariat said crises rocking the national and the various state chapters are to be given priority attention.

    The meeting will also regularise the various resolutions reached at the June 20 meeting, especially on the position of the acting members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

    The acting members were initially given a July 14 timeline but they are still functioning in their various positions till date.

    The division in the Anambra State chapter where the party operates under two factional chairmen and the plethora of court cases instituted by various groups and individuals against the party leadership are also said to be on the card.

    Southwest congresses are billed to hold on August 14. The Anambra State governorship election will hold on November 16.

    It was gathered that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who complained that he had been excluded from party activities, will attend the meeting.

  • Almakura worried about communal crises

    Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State has said he is worried about the incessant communal crises that have affected development in the state.

    The governor, who spoke yesterday when he swore in the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs. Zainab Abdulmunin, at the Government House in Lafia, said: “The scarce resources that ought to be channelled towards the well-being of the people are being used to maintain peace and provide security.”

    He went on: “This is unacceptable. It is for this reason that I urge everybody to embrace peace. A harmonious co-existence is essential for the realisation of our developmental aspirations.”

    He said no government could afford to toy with the security of life and property of its citizens.

    Almakura told the new SSG to eschew primordial sentiments and corrupt tendencies.

    He said: “You must see the entire state as your constituency by treating all and sundry fairly, equally, objectively and above all with the fear of God.”

    The governor described Mrs. Abdulmunin as a time-tested academic and resourceful bureaucrat, whose track record has qualified her for the new assignment.

    He added: “I trust that she will live up to the expectations of the government and people of Nasarawa State.”

    Governor Almakura said the dissolution of the previous executive council was part of the process of reinvigorating the public service for enhanced performance and productivity.

     

  • ACN meets to resolve crises in Abia, others

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Zonal Working Committee in the Southeast yesterday met in Anambra State to discuss how to resolve the crises in some states.

    The states are Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu.

    They are currently embroiled in various crises.

    The meeting was summoned at the instance of one of its leaders, Senator Chris Ngige, who is representing Anambra Central.

    The party’s zonal working committee was led by Uche Onyegeocha.

    The committee sought to address matters affecting the states’ chapters.

    On Ebonyi, the Zonal Working Committee welcomed the influx of old and new members to the party.

    It warned against an attempt by any person or group of persons to prevent new or old members from joining the party.

    The committee described such action as undemocratic and capable of tearing the party apart.

    On the Enugu crisis, the party cautioned against acts that could draw the reconciliation process back.

    It urged the various parties that are at loggerheads to sheathe their swords.

    The committee expressed its readiness to win future elections in the region.

    It promised to win the Anambra State governorship election later this year.

    ACN also promised Anambra residents that it would produce a candidate to liberate the state from poor governance.

    The meeting was attended by distinguished ACN members, including former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa; ACN National Vice-Chairman, Dr. Chudi Nwike; Chief Obi Anam, Mr. Angus Aniebonam, Mr Emeka Ibe, Mr A. C. Ude as well as the chairmen of each state chapter.