The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ex-envoy

  • Senator, ex-envoy, others quit pdp for sdp

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has lost some chieftains to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    The defectors include former Senate Deputy Chief Whip Clement Awoyelu, former High Commissioner to Canada Ambassador Dare Bejide, former House of Representatives member Hon. Yemi Arokodare, and former Commissioner for Commerce Mrs. Omotomilola Osunde.

    Rising from a meeting in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the defctors said they could no longer stomach the alleged dictatorial tendencies, impunity, lack of respect for elders and subversion of party constitution by Governor Ayo Fayose.

    They condemned the attempt by Fayose to impose his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as the sole candidate, ahead of the July 14 governorship election. They said the imposition was done in violation of party guidelines and the Electoral Act.

    They also berated Fayose for victimising party members who disagreed with him on principle and turning the party to his personal estate.

    Awoyelu was the first PDP Chairman while Bejide, who was the  Secretary, later served as Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

    Addressing reporters after the meeting held in his Ekute, Ado-Ekiti residence, Awoyelu, who represented Ekiti Central in the Senate between 2003 and 2007, said Fayose and his faction frustrated the peace moves to resolve the crisis in Ekiti PDP.

    He said a faction of the PDP, led by Chief Williams Ajayi, had defected, assuring that the SDP will work hard to win the governorship  poll.

    Ajayi was leading a splinter group before the Appeal Court  validated the pro-Fayose group, led by Chief Gboyega Oguntuase as the authentic faction.

    Awoyelu said: “We have been on this issue for long, particularly since Governor Fayose pronounced his deputy the sole candidate for the next election. We have experienced impunity, reckless imposition and lack of respect for elders being displayed by the governor.

    “As a leader, I could not have taken a unilateral position over issue that affects the corporate existence of all of us. So today, we met and we all agreed to move en mass to SDP .

    “We are receiving complaints everyday about how PDP members loyal to Fayose have been victimizsing their perceived enemies in PDP.

    “We could all see how a man has turned himself into a dictator  in a party we all laboured to build. Looking at all these infractions, we have agreed not to return to PDP, we are now to move en mass to SDP.

    “We deliberated well before taking this decision and since it was the voice of the people, I have to abide by it as a leader”, he added.

    Awoyelu said the decision to defect was not triggered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s association with the SDP.

    Awoyelu said: “We are old enough to take actions on our own, we are not neophytes in politics, so this is not true.

    “We are aware that Obasanjo has formed the a National InterventionMovement(NIM) , which he said was not a political movement.

    “But, we will be happy if this group is ready to work with SDP. Our aim is to take over Ekiti and Nigeria in 2019 and we are ready with like minds to achieve this task”.

    On whether the constitution of the executives from the wards to the State level may spark up controversies in the party between the old and new members, Awoyelu dispelled such insinuation, saying  there are no class differences in SDP.

    “We are all one, whether new or old and it is the secretariat that will give directive on how the executives should be constituted.”

  • Ex-envoy Ahmadu passes on

    •Buhari mourns

    The death has occurred of Amb. Hamzat Ahmadu, Walin Sokoto.

    He died at the weekend at a private hospital in Lagos. He was 92.

    An accomplished diplomat and technocrat, the deceased served as personal secretary to two Nigerian military leaders, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi and Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

    He served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Germany, France and the former Soviet Union (USSR).

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal described him as a peace-loving and committed family man, who contributed to the country’s unity and development.

    “He was an accomplished diplomat who distinguished himself in his chosen specialties. As an elder statesman, his wise advice served the older and the younger generations of leaders not only in Sokoto, but in Nigeria,” a statement from the Governor’s Office by Malam Imam Imam quoted Governor Tambuwal as saying.

    A funeral prayer for the deceased will be performed today at 10am at the Sultan’s palace in Sokoto.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the Sultanate, the Government and people of Sokoto State on the passing away of Amb. Ahmadu.

    In a condolence letter to the Sokoto State government, President Buhari described the late Walin Sokoto as a reputable public servant and a highly distinguished diplomat, who spent most of his life in the service of his country.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, believed that the demise of the former Nigerian ambassador, who served in London and Washington DC, was a great loss to his community and country.

    He prayed that the Almighty God would grant the soul of the deceased a peaceful rest and grant his family the strength to bear the loss.

     

     

  • Ex-envoy arraigned for alleged fraud

    Ex-envoy arraigned for alleged fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a former ambassador to South Korea, Akpang Odu, at the Federal High Court in Lagos, for alleged fraud.

    He and his company, Boster Nigeria Limited, were accused of defrauding a firm, Leasing Company of Nigeria Limited, of N20 million.

    EFCC alleged that the former ambassador pretended that the money represented the value of furniture processing raw materials, which he purportedly bought from Iterk Associates Limited, a claim he knew to be false.

    The prosecution claimed that he collected the money, but did not deliver the goods, an offence EFCC said contravened Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14, 2006.

    Odu, who retired as a major from the Army, pleaded not guilty. His lawyer urged the court to grant him bail on self-cognisance.

    “There is no way the defendant will run away from trial. He needs the trial to clear his name. He needs to show that it was a contractual transaction. This is one of those cases where EFCC is used as a debt recovery agent.

    “The business of the defendant, which is woodwork importation, was seriously affected by the country’s economic somersault, making it difficult for him to repay the money,” he said.

    Justice Buba granted Odu bail for N20 million, adding that he should be remanded in prison custody if he does not meet the bail condition.

    Trial will begin on May 26.

  • Ex-envoy for law conference

    International law and security experts, political scientists and diplomats will gather in Lagos next Wednesday and Thursday for the 39th annual conference of the Nigeria Society of International Law (NSIL).

    The conference, with the theme: International law extremism, will take place at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The programme, according to NSIL, will be opened by Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    The keynote address will be delivered by former Nigerian Ambassador to Australia Ayo Olukanni.

    Other agenda include international law; terrorism and insurgency; the problem of insurgency as a challenge to the Nigerian sovereignty: Boko Haram as case study and the sub-regional dimension of BokoHaram terror activities and possible application of international law to combat the problem, among others.

  • 2015: Kwankwaso, ex-envoy caution youths

    2015: Kwankwaso, ex-envoy caution youths

    Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State and a Nigerian former envoy to the West Indies, Ambassador Chris Nwandike have urged the youth not to yield themselves as tools to politicians desperate to subvert the wishes of the people in the next general election.

    They claimed that qualitative leadership needed for the realization of the much desired change will not be attained where the youths remain passive, but willingly lend themselves as tools to the same crop of politicians who ran the country aground, and are reluctant to quit the stage.

    Kwankawaso and Nwandike spoke in Abuja   at an event held by a group, Association of Writers on Human and People’s Rights (AFRIRights), in commemoration of this year’s World Human Rights Day.

    The governor, who was represented by the state’s Attorney general and Commissioner for Justice, Maliki Kurya, said his government resolved to accord priority to education for the people because it was convinced that education frees the people from ignorance, poverty, rights abuses and other challenges.

    Kwankwaso, who bagged an award of excellence from AFRIRights for his government’s pro-people education policy, urged the youths to learn to assert their rights and work hard in achieving their set goals.

    He regretted the growing inequality in the society, noting that “there is no job in government for you. They (those in authorities) don’t have jobs for you. They have jobs for their kids. Once you work hard, you will be able to make it. Something people from poor homes often excel because they have been taught to struggle and work hard, if they must make it.

  • Ex-envoy, PDP chief mourn ex-Ekiti acting governor

    Former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada Ambassador Dare Bejide and former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation Senator Ayo Arise have commiserated with the people of Ekiti on the death of former Acting Governor Friday Aderemi, who died on Tuesday at 74.

    Until his death, Aderemi was the chairman of the Ekiti State Education Trust Fund.

    In separate statements yesterday, Bejide and Arise said the late Aderemi served the state conscientiously in various capacities and contributed immensely to its growth.

    Bejide, a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said when the late Aderemi was the House of Assembly Speaker, he protected the people’s interest at “a critical political period”.

    He described the late Aderemi as “a rare statesman”, who served the people with humility, diligence, enthusiasm, selflessness and commitment to the cause of the common man.

    Arise said Aderemi’s death has robbed the state of a great leader and mentor.

    He said Ekiti’s history will not be complete without “a generous mention of the late Aderemi’s contributions as a teacher, legislator, speaker and acting governor”.

  • Nigeria spent $13bn on peace keeping operations, says ex-envoy

    Nigeria has spent $13billion on peace-keeping operations since 1960, former Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Grezgorz Walinski, has stated.

    He also stated that over 250,000 peace keepers have been sent by Nigeria to the United Nation’s sponsored missions worldwide.

    According to him, the country currently has about 6, 000 troops serving in various flashpoints with 4, 000 in Darfur, Sudan.

    He, however, lamented that despite these efforts, Nigeria has failed to take advantage of the economic, military and political opportunities from its participation in peace keeping mission.

    Walinski disclosed these in Abuja at a stakeholders’ dinner of Nigeria Security Exhibition and Conference organised by First Security Guards Limited.

    He said: “Since 1960, Nigeria has spent $ 13 billion on peacekeeping efforts. Some even assume that Nigeria has not taken full advantage of its active participation in the numerous peacekeeping operations around the world by not getting commensurate economic, military and political remuneration for its participation.

    “For example, countries like Ghana, which also participate in numerous UN mission generate funds through this process to defray the cost of sustaining its military. Nigeria, on the other hand, has largely deprived itself of such benefits.

    “Her contribution to the UN peace keeping operations is only surpassed by those of Indian, Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

    The Chief Executive Officer, First Security Guards Limited, Frank Ohwafa, called on security agencies to develop synergy to fight insecurity.

    Ohwafa explained that lack of synergy among agencies was a major concern to stakeholders on how to tackle security matters.