Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday announced the reconciliation of Senator Joseph Waku and Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime with Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
He also stated that Waku and Jime had withdrawn their suit challenging the candidacy of Ortom in the last governorship election.
Addressing journalists at the conference hall of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat in Abuja, Dogara said the development followed the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Speaker said the President took the initiative with the objective of healing wounds within the ranks of the party and positioning it to deliver quality service to the people of Benue State.
According to him President Buhari lamented the hardship inflicted on Benue people by the last administration and reiterated the need for the APC government to redress the situation as soon as possible.
He commended the Governor for starting on a sound footing by paying workers’ salaries.
The Speaker directed that the parties involved should embrace one another to demonstrate that they had reconciled, and they did.
In his response, Governor Ortom commended the President for his intervention.
He also commended both Senator Waku and Rt. Hon. Jime for their spirits of sportsmanship and the sacrifice they had made in the interest of the party.
He noted the contributions of his colleagues from Sokoto, Plateau, Imo and Nasarawa states, and the personal presence of three of them. He also thanked the national officials of the party.
Ortom said with the reconciliation, he would perform better in securing the state and providing good governance and leadership.
Senators George Akume and Barnabas Gemade; state party chairman, Comrade Abba Yaro; Justice Augustine Utsaha rtd; Dr Fidelis Anweh; Titus Madugu; Hon Avine Agbom and Mike Gbe were among the politicians from Benue State who witnessed the event.
The protest that rocked the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Oto Ijanikin, Lagos, on Friday, has subsided. However, there are concerns that except the government finds a lasting solution to what workers and students described as “poor financial state” of the oldest tertiary institution in Lagos, the college may continue in industrial crises. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports:
Students of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Oto/Ijanikin, Lagos are not happy that their second semester examinations, which were to begin on Monday, have been put on hold because of last Friday’s protest by the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).
Many students, particularly finalists who are dreaming of signing off from the college after three years of strenuous academic exercise, are worried being victims of a development they are not responsible for.
• Police team from Ijanikin Police statiom on guard…on Monday.
After the protest, team of policemen from the Ijanikin Police Division was stationed at the college gate on Monday, to forestall further uprising. But, by Tuesday, the police vacated as NASU reopened the gates for activities to resume.
The Friday protest disturbed human and vehicular movements as the protesters blocked both ends of the Mile2/Badagry Expressway with AOCOED Students Union buses, a scenario that dragged for about two hours.
On Monday morning, many of the shocked students gathered in front of AOCOED gate discussing their predicament in hushed tones. Some were desperate to know how the exams would be rescheduled. Others simply walked away when it became obvious the exams would not hold.
Worse still, NASU began an indefinite strike that was nipped in the bud on Monday after its meeting with the government in Alausa same day.
The examinations will begin today (August 13) in the nearly 60-year-old institution. However, students insist until the problems that are causing incessant crisis in the institution are fully addressed, peace will remain an illusion in the school.
“We want the Lagos State government to address the problem of underfunding in our college. It has become alarming,” said the President of AOCOED Students’ Union, Waheed Ojoare.
“This and some other problems, such as inadequate infrastructure are generating industrial crisis and affecting our own future as students. We identify with the management and workers who are calling on the government to increase our monthly subvention and give us a financial bailout…” Ojoare told The Nation.
The Genesis
In October last year, the three unions in AOCOED – College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN), and NASU – locked up the college in a protest against the management. The workers were protesting the poor financial status of the institution, non-promotion of their members, management’s non-remittance of their pension fund to the administrators and owing the five cooperatives in the college hundreds of millions of naira.
The leadership of COEASU and SSUCOEN, especially, accused the management of not being open with the finances.
The strike dragged for about a month, after which it was suspended following a communiqué signed by both parties spelling out modalities on how the outstanding money owed cooperatives and pension fund administrators would be settled. The government also raised an Audit Committee as demanded by workers to investigate the finances of the college before considering a financial bailout or a raise in its monthly subvention or both.
Following a crisis by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising all four institutions in Lagos-Lagos State University (LASU), Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) Epe; Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) and AOCOED in 2009, former governor Babtunde Raji fashola agreed an increase in subvention for all the institutions after the iuuses were resolved in 2010. The Nation checks revealed that since that time government has subsequently released a bailout and a raise in subvention to other sister institutions, while AOCOED is being left out.
The National President of the AOCOED Alumni Association Comrade Adeyemi Adesanya, recalled that as a former chairman of COEASU AOCOED, he alongside others in other tertiary institutions owned by Lagos State, began the agitation for increased subvention to the college.
“The financial state of the college is something we have been discussing over time,” Adesanya lamented.
“Since 2010, we have been agitating for the payment of 53.37 per cent salary increase in the four Lagos higher institutions as approved by the Federal Government. The former administration agreed to increase subventions of the institutions. Though the government said they could only pay 25 per cent, but we all agreed just to let peace reign. But afterwards there has been an increase in the monthly subvention in other sister institutions in Lagos, but AOCOED was left out. What is our offence?” Adesanya asked rhetorically.
According to the management, it recieves N120 million as monthly subvention but spends about N180 million on workers’ salaries and other expenditures.
Workers accuse COEASU/SSUCOEN, of heating up the school
Workers have accused the leadership of COEASU and SSUCOEN, led by Comrades Micheal Avosetinyen and Wunmi Ombugadu, of complicating issues with their ‘strongly worded’ they wrote to the government demanding due process.
• Bashorun
During the college’s 25th convocation, news filtered in that the Provost, Mr Wasiu Olalekan Bashorun, had been reappointed.
However, The Nation reliably gathered that the failure of the management to meet all obligations as contained in the communiqué, compelled the unions to write a series of petitions, which many believed scuttled Bashorun’s reappointment. Worse still, many wonderad at the rationale behind the letters since all had agreed on the poor financial state of the school.
COEASU/SSUCOEN…Our positions
•Ombugadu
Although there is a division within the unions, Avosetinyen and Ombugadu stood their ground, awaiting the report of government’s Audit Committee.
Sources said during the convocation, Ombugadu and Avosetinyen were said to have met the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, to book an appointment with her.
On Tuesday last week, the government invited the unions in AOCOED, MOCPED) and LASPOTECH (LASU not included) for a meeting. Ombugadu who spoke on behalf of the unions, was said to have requested that the government should comply with the provisions of the college’s Condition of Service in respect to the appointment of a new provost. Ombugadu was reportedly credited with telling the government to place an embargo on recruitment and conversion of members, a claim she denied.
“As coeasu AOCOED, we have always insisted on due process in appointments,” said Avosentiyen.
“I will describe as unsubstantiated the rumour that our Provost has been given a second term without following due process. Bashorun is a beneficiary of due process.”
He continued: “An advertorial has to be placed and interested candidates would put in their application letters, while the Governing Council oversees interview of all candidates and eventually the shortlisting and appointment of a new provost. But that is not yet done before the news was all over that our provost has been reappointed.”
Ombugadu: I am being threatened
Ombugadu is alleging a threat to life by NASU chairman Comrade Femi Adebayo. Speaking with our reporter on phone, Ombugadu said following a series of letter the union had written to the government, Adebayo has been harassing her and some of her members with touts. Adebayo denied the allegation .
Ombugadu said: “In the communiqué, management promised to be remitting 26 months pension fund arrears twice every month, but later breached that agreement. Management did not also remit our cooperative fund to the five cooperatives. Management had promised to pay 55 per cent within three weeks of suspension of the strike but that was also breached. All these money has been deducted from our salaries. Cooperative had to secure loans from two banks as a form of bailout. We had written several letters of reminder to management, to no avail. Before, the Lagos State government once owed us arrears but has paid all, yet management is not living up to expectation.
“Second, the college has been in a state of impunity, In February 2015, the three unions in the college held a press briefing. That was disrupted by somebody we believe is close to the management. We reported the case to the management but they did not do anything about it.
“I met the deputy governor for the first time on convocation day. Government then called the leadership of the state tertiary institutions-AOCOED, MOCPED, and LASPOTECH for a meeting which was headed by Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Adebule on Tuesday (August 4) last week. I spoke on behalf of AOCOED and pleaded that the college needed a financial bailout and a raise in its monthly subvention. I also said the college has its Condition of Service which should be followed in the appointment of new provost. NASU, and COEASU were there but they never opposed my views.”
She went on: “Shortly after the meeting, the vice chairman of my union called me and said I told the deputy governor to place embargo on employment and conversion of our members. I immediately denied that. But before we arrived the college, the rumour was already all over the place and was generating lots of controversy.
“On Friday, the college was closed by NASU and I was blamed for protest. I was already on my way to work but I had to turn back immediately to avoid the escalation of the protest,” Ombugadu said.
NASU Chairman denies allegations
•Adebayo
“It is just unfortunate that you don’t know Ombugadu,” Adebayo said.
“It is a fictitious story and she is insulting my personality. She should show the public ‘some’ of the my touts that she claimed have been harassing her. This is an academic setting and that is abnormal
“I can tell you categorically that she made that reckless statement. The director of education in the Ministry (of Education) and several top government officials were in that meeting. You can ask them for confirmation.
“To me, It was like that meeting was stage-managed. She was the one that was asked by the government representative to speak on our behalf. I was not allowed to utter a word, despite my protest. We raised our hands but were prevented.
“In truth it was NASU that protested to again draw government’s attention to the financial state of AOCOED. Our grouse is that the pitiable financial state of the college is crippling us. We urgently need a bailout and an increase in subvention. That was what our union told government in a meeting on Monday. No one would shy away from the fact that the college is grossly underfunded and management within its power has been struggling to meet its responsibilities to workers. All we are interested is that government should pay our money because all unions are highly indebted. Since government gave a bailout to LASU, MOCPED and LASPOTECH, then AOCOED should not be an exception.”
Reactions from the floor
A teacher in the college who pleaded not to be named, described Bashorun as a good but gullible person.
“He (Bashorun) is a good person who means well for the institution. I remember his manifestoes when he assumed office and I can see he fulfilled many of them. The problem I have is that the man is surrounded by sycophants who are not telling him the truth. Unfortunately, he is too gullible to read in between the lines before things got out of hand.”
Another SSUCOEN member who pleaded anonymity said: “We all heard Bashorun’s second term appointment had been finalised; but SSUCOEN leadership appears to be his greatest enemy. Even here, (SSUCOEN), some of us are favourably disposed to his ambition. Nonetheless, I expected him to have immediately summoned the leadership of SSUCOEN and COEASU, after hearing the news of his appointment and appealed to them, either through entering a pact or pleading for more time to attend to their requests.”
Mgt praises Dep.Governor’s maturity
The Registrar, Olumuyiwa Coker, said the management promptly complied with government’ directive since the letter arrived on Friday.
Coker said: “Despite the rumour flying around, we want to thank the deputy governor for her magnanimity and maturity by calling the staff unions to hear their views and wading into the crisis and restoring peace. We are also absolving any top official in government of having a hand in our crisis. Government has the final say on all matters.”
The college PRO, Adebowale Odunayo, said: “The management regrets that the second semester examinations scheduled to begin Monday would now start today (Thursday). Calm has returned to AOCOED. Meanwhile, the management is currently reviewing and appraising situations and looking at issues and would make an official statement in due course.”
We shall not compromise due process…Govt.
A top government official, who also pleaded not to be mentioned, said the government would not bend rules for anybody.
“Our governor (Ambode) does not favour anybody. He is not the one that would circumv ent rules. He follows procedure. He follows everything to the letter.
“All the talk about second term is a mere rumour. That is why I’m advising journalists to always crosscheck their facts before going to the press,” the source concluded.
Peace has since returned to the institution as students finally begin their second semester examination today.
Peace has eluded Ago-Are, a sleepy town in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State. Since the death of the late Aare of Ago-Are, Oba Jubril Oyesiyi Oladoke Gbadewolu 1, the town has been without a king. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU, who visited the agrarian town, reports that the crisis sparked by the election of a new king threatens to dismember the community as some of those who lost out in the kingship contest threaten to pull it down.
FOR some time now, peace has eluded Ago-Are, an agrarian community in Oyo State. This was because of a tussle for the vacant stool of the Aara of Ago-Aro.
Fifteen contestants from the Ruling House of Ude, and eventually one won the election. This didn’t go downwell with others who insisted that the election should be annulled.
The residents and the British American Tobacco (BAT) Company share common business interest in tobacco trade, which has produced many wealthy individuals in the ancient town.
•Entrance of Ago-Are
Undoubtedly, in Ago-Are town, the residents have also had a pleasing taste of religious harmony among Muslims and Christians as adherents of the two faiths live in peace.
Indeed, the people have been enjoying relative peace and tranquillity for decades until Tuesday, July 7, this year, a day when the 15 candidates who were in contest for the vacant stool of Aare of Ago-Are presented themselves before the six kingmakers in a process that will produce the next king for the town.
Before the July 7 election, the Head of the Edu Ruling House, Alhaji Lawal Oyebisi Olaniyonu said opportunity was given to all the families of the Edu Ruling House for them to nominate their sons who are interested in the vacant stool.
Alhaji Olaniyonu related how several meetings were held in his house before the list of the nominees was forwarded to the Head of the kingmakers, who is the Agoro of Ago-Are, Chief Jonathan Kehinde Adetoro.
•Alhaji Olaniyonu
Alhaji Olaniyonu said: “We made sure that there was a level playing field for all the aspirants. We called for nominations which they responded to. There is no secrecy about this; every aspirant was free to come up to say anything he feels like. The process was open and transparent enough for all the aspirants.
“So, I don’t see any reason why someone will ask for the cancellation of the process. We made it clear that this is not a do-or-die affair. If you win fine, but if you fail also fine.
In a race, it’s one person that will emerge winner. Why should someone allow his selfish interest to over-ride that of the majority? All I know is that I have satisfied the provisions laid down by our forefathers and the law of the land in respect of the procedure for election of a new king to the vacant stool. “
Alhaji Olaniyonu noted that it will be honourable for those who lost the election to support the winner, and desist from setting the whole town on fire because of personal interest.
While calling for understanding and support, the Head of the Edu Ruling House, advised anyone who felt aggrieved to seek redress in court of law and avoid creating tension in the town.
After the nomination of the aspirants, Alhaji Olaniyonu said he forwarded a list of 15 names to Chief Adetoro for the conduct of election.
In a letter signed by the Head and Secretary of Edu Ruling House, Alhaji Olaniyonu and Secretary, Prince Salam Kazeem respectively dated June 30, 2015 to Chief Adetoro, the 15 aspirants were listed and forwarded to the kingmakers.
The letter entitled “Nomination of Candidates for the Vacant Stool of the Aare of Ago-Are Land” and copied to His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111 and the Chairman Caretaker Committee of Atisbo Local Government Area reads in part: “This is to inform you that, on receipt of letter with Ref. No ALG/782T/48 dated 23 June, 2015 from Atisbo Local Government Area, Tede; we the entire members of Edu Ruling House of Ago-Are chieftaincy family have nominated candidates to fill the vacant stool of the Ago-Are land in accordance with our customary law for the consideration of the Are of Ago-Are kingmakers…”
Attached along with the letter were the minutes of the meeting of the Edu Ruling House of the Are of Ago-Are chieftaincy family with names, signatures and telephone numbers of 83 members in attendance.
Also in attendance were officials of the Atisbo Local Government Area led by Head of the Local Government Administration, Alhaji K.O. Akeem.
There were eight kingmakers in the community, out of which two are dead and their seats declared vacant; six are still alive, with Chief Adetoro as the head.
The eight king makers are Agoro -Head, Maye, Jagun, Sobaloju, Egbe omo, Abese, Otun Agoro and Osi Agoro.
However, Maye and Osi Agoro stool remained vacant following the death of the occupants.
Chief Adetoro told Southwest Report that “following the receipt of the letter from the Head of the Edu Ruling House, he swung into action by calling a meeting of all the kingmakers, the 15 candidates on the list, the security personnel and local government officials to witness the election of a candidate to fill the vacant stool.
“However, among the 15 candidates, one Prince Amusat Yisau Adewale Oladoke wrote a letter dated July 3, 2015 informing the kingmakers of his intention to withdraw from vying for the vacant stool, which was duly acknowledged.
“At the end of the election, Prince Rasheed Oyewole Olakanla polled two votes, while Prince Bodunrin Oyetunji Olakanla polled four votes and was subsequently declared winner as the king-elect. The other 12 candidates had no votes.”
He also attached the minutes of the election and a copy of the result of the election signed by the six kingmakers and observers.
•Chief Adetoro
Chief Adetoro explained that, to his dismay, after the election witnessed by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the town, the State Security Service (SSS) official in the local government, the officials of the local government and other observers, some of the candidates who lost out of the election came to his house with over 20 men in protest against the outcome of the election.
The Agoro of Ago-Are wondered why some youths will choose to make trouble and disrupt the community’s peace.
He said the matter was promptly reported to the elders of the community, adding that the process to produce the next Oba was done under a free and fair atmosphere.
He further explained that after the presentation of 15 applicants to the kingmakers by the Head of the Edu Ruling House, there was an election where one of the applicants scored two votes, while the other one polled four votes and the rest 12 had none.
“Before the election, the kingmakers ensured that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ago-Are , the official of the SSS , the officials of the local government and all the applicants were present . We also invited other observers and there was video recording of the entire process. At the end of the election, all the applicants signed the result sheet, indicating that they accepted the outcome of the election, and we have forwarded the document to the appropriate authorities.
“So, if anyone now is complaining, I will advise that such a person should seek redress in the court of law and we will present all the facts and evidences at our disposal. No one can intimidate us, they want us (the kingmakers) to forge the document and this we cannot do,” he said.
Commenting on the issue, a community leader and former chairman of Atisbo Local Government Area, Mr Josiah Makanjuola (aka Makensi) who hails from Ago-Are described the development as very unfortunate.
Makanjuola
While expressing his determination to ensure that justice and truth prevailed, Makanjuola reiterated that no person or group of persons can drag the community backward, noting that the community is greater than any individual.
Makanjuola, who was the former Commissioner for Sports, expressed dismay over the reported protest against the kingmakers, saying that the leaders of the town would not fold their hands and allow a few disgruntled elements to set the community on fire.
He said what the Head of Edu Ruling House and the kingmakers had done were strictly in line with the provisions of the Oyo State Chieftaincy Laws of 1957.
When contacted, one of the candidates to the vacant stool who lost out in the election, Prince Taoheed Amusat condemned the alleged threat on the kingmakers and the attempt by some elements to incite people to violence in the town.
Prince Amusat, who described the election as free and fair, said: “Of course, I am one of the aspirants that vied for the kingship position in Ago-Are.
“Ordinarily, the election that was conducted by the kingmakers was free and fair because it began with opening and ended with a closing prayer. Definitely, the election was free and fair.
“And at the same time when we conducted our own, that is from the head of the family where they nominated an aspirant, it is also a free and fair exercise. It is unfortunate that when a matter did not favour an individual, especially in this part of the globe, he will want to disrupt the peace of the community because of selfish interest above the general well-being of the community. That is exactly what is causing the problem currently in Ago-Are.
“But, as far as Ago-Are is concerned, there is no problem in the town because if you enter the town, you will not find any sign of crisis. It is only a few disgruntled elements that want to disturb the peace.”
He further appealed to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi to consent to the election of Prince Bodunrin as the Are of Ago-Are and Governor Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi to give approval to the election.
While calling on co-contestants to give peace a chance, Prince Amusat said: “I just want to add that we are appealing to the Iku Babayeye , the Alaafin of Oyo to consent to the election of Dr Abodunrin Tunji Kofoworaola Olakanla as the new Are of Ago-Are. And at the same time, I am also appealing to Governor Ajimobi to give immediate approval to the election conducted by the kingmakers of Ago-Are.”
However, efforts made to get those aggrieved over the election process were futile. The Head of the kingmakers, Chief Adetoro refused to give names of any of the men whom he alleged came to his house threatening himto reverse the result of the election.
He only said he saw the agitators in the evening leaving the town in a convoy of buses, without anybody knowing their next line of action.
In a related development, the Oke-Ogun professionals; a group that seeks to promote peace, co-operation, unity and general well-being among communities in Oke-Ogun, has pleaded with the relevant authorities to expedite action on the process that will pave way for the coronation of the Oba-elect- Prince Kofoworola Abodunrin Oyetunji.
In a statement signed by the Secretary-General of the group; Chief Tiamiyu Adebayo, it praised both the Ruling House and the kingmakers for observing due process in the exercise leading to the emergence of the Oba-elect; by following all traditional practices and complementing same with openness and transparency which are features of modern day democracy.
It, therefore, urged other candidates to join hands with these institutions and the Oba-elect towards ensuring a smooth transition and avoiding unnecessary bickering or litigation.
The group said its stand was informed by the fact that the only ruling house -Edu met about five times in the house of the family head; Alhaji Lawani Oyebisi to enable it accommodate all interests, resulting in not less than 15 princes showing their intention. Their names were subsequently transmitted to the kingmakers as stipulated by the extant Chieftaincy Laws of Oyo State.
Thereafter, the kingmakers; in the presence of appropriate officials of Atisbo Local Government Area, the police, Department of State Services (DSS), Secretary of Atisbo Local Government Area Traditional Council voted to elect Prince Oyetunji as the next Oba of Ago-Are.
With this substantial compliance with the laid down procedure and rules therefore, the group said it is appealing to the consenting authority- His Imperial Majesty, The Alaafin of Oyo and the final approving authority; Governor Ajimobi to graciously expedite action on the process, so that pockets of discontent, which cannot be ruled out in most human contests, may not snowball into acts capable of breaching the peace of the community.
SIR: It is disheartening to note that the credibility crisis befalling the Senate may not be over so soon going by the latest confirmation by the police of an alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders used for electing the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The report, which was said to have been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, was said to have found the management of the National Assembly and the Clerk, Salisu Maikasuwa, culpable.
Acting on a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the APC, the police had earlier quizzed both Ekweremadu and Maikasuwa over the allegation. The petitioner had claimed that some parts of the 2015 Senate Orders were different from the ones ratified by the 6th Senate in 2010, which was used by the 7th Senate as Standing Orders in 2011.
Despite denial of falsification by the Senate leadership, some senators who served in the 7th Senate have disowned the 2015 edition of the Senate Standing Orders (as amended) just as members of the current 8th Senate across parties have denied being part of the amendment process. No doubt, the 8th National Assembly has been riddled with acrimony from day one thus affecting its credibility for a nation that is seriously yearning for good governance.
The crisis in the Upper Chamber has created avoidable tension and wreaked havoc by putting the APC leadership in disarray, making it virtually impossible for the legislators to do any significant work since inauguration in June.
We expect both the Senate President and his deputy to have stepped aside by now while further investigations continue since the police investigation has established that the rules used for their elections were allegedly forged. Unfortunately, politicians in this part of the world do not seem to be sensitive to such calls to allow for transparency and diligent investigation. Rather, what we heard after the police report was submitted was that the Senate unanimously passed a vote of confidence on its president, his deputy and other principal officers appointed by the various caucuses of the chamber following a motion sponsored by 81 senators from both the APC and PDP!
The crisis in both chambers of the National Assembly could have been avoided if members had obeyed and honoured the arrangements put in place by their political party; afterall they were voted into the parliament on that platform. The principle of party supremacy should have faithfully been observed and upheld. What those who have decided to work against the instructions of their political parties fail to realise is that they are gradually destroying their political future in the sense that by such disobedience, many people would perceive them as being untrustworthy, inconsistent and over-ambitious. Hence, what looks like a temporary gain could actually be a colossal loss for them on the long run.
As a way forward, the Buhari administration should ensure that those found culpable in the forgery saga are made to face the full wrath of the law within a reasonable time. The APC should explore a more decisive way to call their members to order in the interest of the nation as we cannot continue this way. The business of legislation is too sensitive, important and strategic to democratic governance that it should be sacrificed on the altar of mere party politics.
•Union gives agency ultimatum on arrears •Activists caution Buhari on ‘petitions’
Director-General of National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhii yesterday denied allegations made against him by the agency’s former Finance Director, Mr. Ademola Mogbojuri.
Orhii, who spoke to reporters in Abuja on issues affecting NAFDAC, said the allegations credited to the former director of Finance were false.
He claimed that the ex-director of Finance was removed because of incompetence and some sharp practices.
He insisted that he would “rather leave this agency than to allow such impunity to continue”.
Mogbojuri had accused Orhii of financial recklessness, saying he had evidence of inappropriate financial transactions involving the director-general.
He also alleged that Orhii had been spending money generated by the organisation to the tune of N9 billion yearly on phoney contracts to some of his cronies and business associates at the expense of the welfare of workers.
“Before he joined the agency in 2009, the annual total revenue of NAFDAC was about N2.5 billion and he met around N600 million in the account. Now, the total internally generated revenue is about N9 billion and the agency owes about N5 billion in debts,” he alleged.
But Orhii did not deny the fact that despite being a revenue generating agency, NAFDAC was indebted to the tune of N5 billion.
He noted that the law establishing the agency allowed it to generate funds and spend them.
Orhii said the law had been assisting the agency in carrying out its programmes and projects.
He said the removal of the ex-director of Finance was not to cover up, but to ensure that the agency functions properly unhindered.
On why he transferred the director, Orhii said as the chief executive, he could not just watch workers and contractors complaining about the attitude of the man without doing anything.
He said: “As chief executive, workers run to you that they are being owed and you find out that those who were paid had to bribe to get their pay. If you are the chief executive, would you just sit down and watch?
“Also, some contractors were not paid, do you want me to sit down here without doing anything.”
On the issue of the agency’s indebtedness to the tune of N5 billion, Orhii said: “For me, I would rather collect a loan from the banks to execute my projects. If I know that equipment in the laboratory has broken down, when I know that is where my money is coming from. So, when you refuse to collect a loan when the equipment is broken down, how do you generate revenue to run the agency?”
He maintained that it was through prudence that the agency owed N5 billion.
He said: “When compared with its United States (U.S.) counterpart, it is by prudent management that we are owing N5 billion. If you compare our budget with that of U.S. agency, we should be spending close to N400 billion a year. And as I said, the law allows us to generate and spend ‘user fees’.”
The money spent, he said, “is not money we should pay into the Federation Accounts”.
On the allegation that the agency had not been remitting money in the past one and half years, Orhii said it was the responsibility of the former director of Finance to pay workers and contractors.
But he said Mogbojuri was not doing that.
Members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN, NAFDAC chapter, have given a week ultimatum to the management to pay outstanding allowances owned the workers, otherwise the union would embark on another strike.
The union, led by its chairman, Ibrahim Attah yesterday at a news briefing shortly after its congress at the agency’s Isolo Operational office, lamented that the outstanding arrears that led to the last year strike were not settled by the management despite available resources.
Attah argued that with the latest revelation that the organisation was generating about N9 billion annually, it had no cause to owe workers.
He said it was unfortunate that all along the management had been economical with the truth that the agency was broke.
A coalition of 14 civil societies has urged Buhari to be cautious of fake petitions.
The civil societies under the aegis of African Arise for Change Network said they decided to warn the President because some “fifth columnists are already positioning to truncate the gains of change”.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition yesterday in Abuja, its Secretary General Mr. Samson Bello revealed that the target of the protest was the director general of NAFDAC.
The coalition called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), NAFDAC and the citizens to disregard the distractions constituted by the protesting groups as well as their sponsored petitions.
Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo has described the National Assembly crisis as a “national embarrassment”, saying he was “embarrassed, disappointed and ashamed”.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), who chaired the 10th remembrance anniversary of the late Prof Poju Onibokun at the International Conference Centre, Ibadan, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the United States was a step in the right direction.
“It shows what others think about us and how we think about ourselves. We can leverage on that. We should tidy up all the mess going on in this country because people are watching us. We must behave like adults,” he said.
Banjo described the late don, who died at 63, as one of Nigeria’s bravest scholars.
“As far back as 1990, the late Prof Onibokun established the Centre for African Settlement Studies and Development (CASSAD).
“He was involved with the big Abuja project under the supervision of Prof Akin Mabogunje.”
Describing the late Onibokun’s legacies as unforgettable, Banjo called for massive overhauling of universities.
He said: “Our universities need massive overhauling to make them a veritable engine of development, producing scholars working within and outside the university system, who will ensure a consistent rise in the level of development in the country.
“Prof Onibokun has bequeathed a legacy, which should challenge generations after him to be in the vanguard of efforts to develop the country and enhance the well-being and happiness of its inhabitants.”
In his lecture, Prof. John Bade Falade advised Nigerians to always obey town planning rules, because they are panacea to many health challenges in the country.
Speaking on the roles of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in sustainable community and national development, Falade observed that it was easier for the government to work with NGOs to achieve success in all areas.
He said: “Government, through the planning agency, is supposed to have plans for our communities. What we find in Nigeria at the moment is abnormality as people do not see town planners as their friends.
“Now, the case of Ibadan is a quite interesting. I grew up in Ibadan to some extent. I was here around 1969 till 1974, when I travelled abroad.
“The problem was that the planning was truncated, following the Agbekoya incident. That was the time of Maj-Gen Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd).
“Residents protested that town planners were extorting money from them, some people were killed. The protesters went to Agodi Prisons to set some people free. “Then the governor went on television to say that there was no town planning again. It was a law. So, all the development you see towards and around were as a result of how people began to build without government approval.
“This is the genesis of narrow roads in Ibadan today, and so till today, you see a lot of people building their houses without approval.
“Town planning came as a preventive arm of medical service. We have to make sure that town planning works. We need to obey town planning rules. It is for our own good. In England where I practice, they don’t joke with it. So, we must learn to obey it for our own good,” Falade added.
Mabogunje described the late Prof Onibokun as an enterprising Nigerian, who was concerned with the problem in the country.
“He paid attention to ways in which we really don’t pay attention to our cities. And he wanted to come and see what can be done to improve the conditions in the cities.
“Although he worked for many years in the public sector, he took his money to start what is presently known as CASSAD. And so, he gave examples to people that you don’t wait for government to solve a problem.
“Ten years after, some things have changed, some are just as bad as when he left. This celebration is to show that we have not forgotten him and his contribution and to use it as an example which people can copy and improve upon,” he said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives yesterday urged the APC leadership in the Green Chamber to get its act together and end the crisis on leadership positions.
The lawmakers chided the Department of State Security (DSS) on the allegation of treason against the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), saying the DSS would be invited on resumption of the House to clarify its allegations.
The caucus, which spoke after a closed-door meeting at the National Assembly yesterday, said the crisis had become embarrassing, as it had stunted legislative activities.
The lawmakers warned that any attempt, once again, to shift the resumption of the House (which was moved from July 21 to 28) would be resisted.
Its warning came as fears are heightened that the House might not meet the 181-day mandatory sitting, following the recess over the June 25 battle for principal offices and other impending holidays.
Leo Ogor, leader of the Caucus, said: “The new resumption day should be non-negotiable because resumption must take place.
“We are ready to work, we were elected to legislate and there are issues having negative impact already.”
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Ogor flayed the manner the DSS had been carrying out its duties.
He urged the DSS to clarify its search on the home of Dasuki and the arrest of Gordon Obua, the chief security officer to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Let’s know these other people that are within and planning treason.”
He added that “a motion will come on the floor inviting the DSS to explain this issue of treason.
“There are also issues about the chief security officer to our former President, we are told he was detained and nobody provided reasons for his detention.”
Continuing, Ogor said “…every agency must work within the confines of its responsibility. If care is not taken, we may end up creating a scenario that may bring in dictatorship.
According to Ogor, the DSS is derailing.
His words: “There are developments in Rivers State and Akwa Ibom State where the DSS invited the rest of those various states and even the INEC officials.
“I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the DSS act stipulates that clearly the responsibility and functions of that agency, the responsibility of that agency borders purely on internal security and private security for government functionaries. I don’t know how they found themselves in electoral business because first we need to understand the act, the electoral act stipulates very clearly that all issues must be handled by the tribunal.
“We find ourselves in a scenario or situation where we see some level of creeping in, intimidation partly, and what I want to call some level of dictatorship. We will try as much as possible as a party to stand by democratic principles and ethics. We must do everything within our laws to protect this great institution.
“A scenario where a government functionary has been saddled with the responsibility of clear internal security of the nation is finding itself in electoral matters is an issue of concern to us, everybody and every Nigerian.
“I think the time and power has come for all of us to stand and allow the law process, the court process and the tribunal process that are setup by our various courts to carry out some of these clear responsibilities.
“We need to look at all these issues collectively and as soon as the House resumes, there is the urgent need to raise some of these issues so that Nigerians will know where they are.
“We are in a democratic system of governance and we must do everything to protect this system.
“I believe that the DSS should wake up to their responsibilities, concentrate purely on their internal security and leave politics aside, if they are interested in coming to play politics then they have to resign and come in and contest for political offices.
The German parliament has voted in favour of starting negotiations on Greece’s €86bn (£60bn) bailout deal.
The motion passed with a clear majority, with 439 MPs in favour, 119 votes against and 40 abstentions.
Prior to the vote, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of “predictable chaos” if the Bundestag did not back the plan.
The Greek parliament has already voted in favour of the hard-hitting austerity measures required by the eurozone for a third bailout deal.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank (ECB) raised the level of emergency funding available. This has paved the way for Greek banks, which shut nearly three weeks ago, to reopen on Monday.
Greek banks have only been allowed to open briefly to give pensioners access to their cash
But credit controls limiting cash withdrawals to €60 a day will only be eased gradually, officials say.
Separately on Friday, the European Council approved a €7bn bridging loan for Greece from an EU-wide emergency fund. The loan was approved in principle by eurozone ministers on Thursday, but required consultation with non-euro states.
It means Greece will now be able to repay debts to two of its creditors, the ECB and International Monetary Fund (IMF), due on Monday.
The German parliament has voted in favour of the proposal. But the mood is ugly. Forty-eight of Mrs Merkel’s conservative MPs had indicated in advance that they would defy her. Others went along with the party line but grudgingly; many here struggle to justify a third bailout to taxpayers in their constituencies.
This morning a poll revealed 49% of Germans don’t want to enter talks over the deal.
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble can expect a tough time too; his notoriously hawkish stance has upset some MPs who worry that Germany’s reputation has been damaged as a result.
Interestingly, Mr Schaeuble used an interview on the eve of the debate to raise the prospect again of a temporary Greek exit from the eurozone.
Chancellor Merkel told MPs ahead of Friday’s vote that the deal was hard for all sides, but said it was the “last” attempt to resolve the crisis.
Media caption The BBC spoke to some Germans who said Greece needed EU support
“We would be grossly negligent, indeed acting irresponsibly if we did not at least try this path,” she said.
According to Reuters, 60 members – almost a fifth – of Mrs Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrat party voted against the motion.
Austria’s parliament voted in favour of negotiations earlier on Friday, before the outcome of the German vote was announced.
Germany and Austria are among several eurozone states requiring parliamentary approval to go ahead with bailout talks. France and Finland have already backed the negotiations.
Meanwhile, there have been fresh calls for Greek debt relief measures from International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde – echoing a call from Greek PM Alexis Tsipras.
Ms Lagarde told France’s Europe 1 the IMF would participate in a “complete” Greek package that includes debt restructuring, as well as an “in-depth reform” of the Greek economy.
Media caption Tanya Beckett spoke to tea shop owner Sakis Papatheodorou who is struggling to pay his suppliers
Greece has debts of €320bn and is seeking its third international bailout. Last month it became the first developed country to fail to make a repayment on a loan from the IMF.
The bank closures have been one of the most visible signs of the crisis.
From Monday, a weekly limit on withdrawals may replace a daily cap, Greek Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas suggested.
“If someone doesn’t want to take €60 on Monday and wants to take it on Tuesday, for instance, they can withdraw €120, or €180 on Wednesday,” he told Greek ERT television.
The announcements from the ECB and the Eurogroup came after Greek MPs passed tough reforms on taxes, pensions and labour rules as part of the new bailout deal.
A rise in value added tax (VAT) from 13% to 23% will kick in on Monday, affecting food and drink in restaurants, taxi fares, selected supermarket items, public transport and plane and ferry tickets.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faced opposition to the deal from MPs within his left Syriza party. He is widely expected to announce a cabinet reshuffle on Friday.
Organised labour has threatened mass action against the National Assembly (NASS), if it fails to nip in the bud the leadership crisis bedevilling it.
General-Secretary of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, who handed down the threat in Lagos, said labour would compel the lawmakers to do the work they elected to do.
“The crisis seems to be getting out of hand and if the lawmakers fail to address it, labour will take a mass action,” Aremu said.
Aremu, who is also the factional Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), charged President Muhammadu Buhari to deeply look into the crisis, while the lawmakers must also learn to be good leaders.
He implored the Federal Executive and NASS to set a machinery in motion to review the 2010 minimum wage, adding that devaluation of the naira and inflation have eroded the value of the minimum wage.
He said: “Indeed, minimum wage has become a starvation wage. In 2010, minimum wage was fixed at $120 per month. Today with devaluation, it is $81. 8, meaning that in real terms the minimum wage has fallen by 31.8 per cent’’.
He expressed concern over the level of insecurity in the land and advocated the need for organised labour to partner the Federal Government on ways to tackle it.
He advised Buhari to block all leakages and demand accountability from public officials.
He also urged Buhari to take a second look at his proposed visit to America in the wake of incessant terror attacks in the country.
He said Buhari should not follow the unhelpful roads of his predecessors who spent more time attending wasteful summits abroad while governance at home suffered.
He said: “African leaders must definitely think global, but they must act local. They must implement the wish list of the African electorate not the agenda of foreign powers and donors who put us in mess in the first instance.
“African Union (AU) needs original initiative in Africa not in Washington and Paris. We must act local and think global, not running around the globe instead of staying at home’’.
Aremu praised Buhari for the intervention funds to states to settle accumulated workers’ salaries, saying that the gesture shows the latter is labour-friendly and sensitive with respect to payment of salaries.
He, however, warned state governors against mismanaging the N400 billion given by the Federal Government to offset the backlog of salaries owed workers.
He said the governors should ensure that they use the money judiciously since this was the first time the Federal Government was giving such an intervention fund.
He said: “The governors should ensure that the money is used for what it is meant for. They should be prudent and live as debtors. They should live within their means. It is unacceptable that governors live on bail out, yet fly around with chartered aircraft, behaving like kings. “The state governors must partner the Federal Government to re-industrialise their states. Governors must depend on companies and personal income taxes not oil money bail out. The Governors Forum must declare state of emergency on industrial revival’’.
NLC’s General Secretary, Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson, said appropriate measure should be taken for the pay back of the bailout, adding that the intervention, no doubt, was a gesture that will go a long way in enabling the states to discharge their obligations to the citizenry.
Also, President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, expressed strong reservations about the total liquidation of the excess crude account, stressing that it would have kicked against the bailout but for its mindfulness of the pains of millions of workers and their families who would benefit from it.
“The move is tantamount to eroding and eating up the future of unborn generations. But we shall allow it because of the innocent workers and their dependants and on the condition that sufficient arrangements are made to guarantee early repayment of the money by the states,” he said, asking, “How can a governor who is also head of a family owe workers up to 10 months salary in a country where there is no price control?’’
He insisted that such laxity is totally unacceptable, and a typical example of man’s inhumanity to man.
Kaigama warned that the Buhari administration must guard against the presence of fifth columnists in its midst so as not to give Nigerians any reason to regret voting it into power.
“It appears some people in the administration are only there for themselves, their families and cronies instead of working for the improvement of the lot of the people. The increasing spate of bomb explosions that have claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed property in the once peaceful North-Eastern part of the country, financial waywardness, profligacy, impunity and the awkward belief in business as usual must come to an end,” he said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the over six weeks strike embarked up by workers of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, over corruption allegation against its Medical Director (MD), Dr.Angela Uwakwem.
President of the Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in a letter addressed to Buhari, said the situation in the institution has been worsened by the outright refusal of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, to bring to Mr. President’s attention for approval, the Management Board’s resolution which recommended that the MD and the top management proceed on leave to pave the way for a thorough investigation into the matter.
He said: “You might wish to know, Sir, that a prima facie case of gross financial misconduct and embezzlement has already been established against the Medical Director. This was by way of an illegal withdrawal of personnel costs meant to pay staff promotion arrears for 2013 and 2014, the siphoning of funds meant for the running of the centre through channels of questionable privatisation process of some sections and services rendered by the hospital.
“It was on the strength of the prima facie case established by the board that the FMC Owerri board halted the privatisation process and passed a resolution that the MD and indicted members of her Top Management Committee (TMC) should proceed on compulsory leave to enable full investigation take place as prescribed by law and the public service rules.”
Wabba however, said the MD and the compromised members of the TMC have refused to budge, leveraging on their ally, the Permanent Secretary’s cover for their nefarious acts and an utter disregard to the powers and authority of the board of the institution to make recommendations to Mr. President on matters of this nature.
Wabba said the perpetuation of illegality and illegitimacy by the MD and her team must not be allowed to continue, while the Permanent Secretary must not be allowed to continue to usurp the powers of the President by holding onto the board’s recommendation to Buhari.
He said: “Our prayer, thus is for you to urgently step into the matter, and consider and approve as necessary the recommendations of the board or give a directive as you may deem fit in the circumstances.
“A decisive action, Your Excellency, shall surely restore our confidence that under your watch, it is zero tolerance to corruption and impunity.”
He urged Buhari to urgently effect the payment of all outstanding entitlements of the affected workers, saying the development would ensure enthronement of greater productivity and better industrial harmony in the Centre.
