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Tag: ‘Ex-lawmaker

  • Four nabbed for allegedly killing ex-lawmaker

    Four persons have been arrested by security operatives in Anambra State for allegedly killing a former House of Assembly lawmaker, Chief Anthony Frank igboka.

    Although the command did not confirm the report yesterday, a senior police officer, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed it to The Nation.

    Police Commissioner Mr. Mustapha Dandaura will address reporters on the matter today.

    It was gathered yesterday that one of the four suspects was from Nimo in Njikoka Local Government where the deceased hailed from.

    Igboka, the president-general of Nimo Development Union, was murdered by gunmen in his Chevrolet Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) last week at about 7:30 pm.

    The police source said the suspects were from Obosi and Onitsha.

    It was learnt that they were arrested in Asaba, Delta State.

    The suspects are in the police custody. Investigation is on.

    The Nation gathered that arrests were made at Nimo community last Friday in connection to the murder.

    Police spokesman Mohammed Haruna refused to comment on the issue. He said: “The CP will address a news conference on Monday (today).”

  • Ex-lawmaker killed in Anambra

    A former lawmaker in Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr. Anthony Igboka, was on Tuesday night killed by gunmen.

    Igboka was reportedly shot dead at Oye Nimo village market square in Njikoka Local Government while returning from a meeting.

    The Nation gathered that the incident might not be unconnected to a lingering

    chieftaincy tussle in the community, following the death of the last occupant of the seat years ago.

    Confirming the incident, police spokesman Haruna Mohammed said the deceased was shot in his car near Nimo Market.

    Read also: Ohaneze youths condemn killings in Anambra community

    He said Commissioner Mustapha Dandaura had ordered investigation into the matter.

    Said he: “At about 8:18pm on April 16, there were sporadic gunshots around Nimo Market in Njikoka Local Government Area.

    “Police patrol team attached to Nimo Division rushed to the scene and discovered Chief Frank Anthony Igboka on the driver’s seat of his Chevrolet Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) lying unconscious in a pool of blood.

    “His body was riddled with bullets. The victim was taken to Beke Hospital, Nimo, where he was confirmed dead by a doctor. The body was later deposited at the hospital morgue.”

    Mohammed said preliminary investigation showed that the victim was shot at close range by four armed men, who escaped in a pickup van towards Abacha-Eziowelle Road.

    He said 25 expended 7.62 mm ammunition were recovered on the scene.

    “Commissioner Dandaura has visited the scene and ordered investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Mohammed added.

    He appealed to the public to avail the command of information that could help in arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

    Governor Willie Obiano has announced N5million reward to any person who can provide information on the identity of the killers.

    A statement by Information and Public Enlightenment Commissioner Don Adinuba said the governor had directed the police commissioner to lead a team to apprehend the killers.

    The deceased, until his death, was the president-general of Nimo Town Union.

  • Chieftains, ex-lawmaker deliver units, ward for APC

    The Vice-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Hakeem Bamgbola and former Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Abiodun Mafe yesterday described APC as a party with “great future.”

    The duo delivered their polling units for the party.

    Former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun also delivered his unit and ward.

    APC won in Bamgbola’s area namely Makanjuola, Ashabi Shonuyi, Imam Shuaibu and Kewulere units – all in Itire Ward, Surulere.

    In all, APC had 273 votes, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – 251 in the Presidential election. For Senatorial, APC scored 247 votes, PDP – 206 while House of Representatives results showed APC winning with 285 votes, PDP had 209.

    In Sanusi APC defeated PDP with 1,702 to 1,540 in the House of Reps. For Senatorial, APC had 1,826, PDP – 1,555. APC had 1,871 votes as against PDP’s 1,654 in the Presidential election.

    Bamgbola said the victory showed that the people appreciated APC government.

    The ruling party won Polling Unit 036 in Ward ‘G’ South area of Alimosho Local Government with 117 votes against (PDP) 56 for Presidential, 108 to 26 in Senatorial and 40 to 24 in House of Reps.

    Mafe said: “I thank God for helping me to deliver my unit for our great party, and for our candidates – President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Adeola Solomon and Femi Adebanjo. I am a loyal party man and I have been a community leader in this area for over 30 years. Irrespective of our differences here in Alimosho, I owe it a duty to ensure APC triumph in any election.”

    Ladi-Balogun also delivered his Polling Unit 028 Alayabiagba in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government with 99 votes as against PDP 11 for Presidential elections.

    APC also won the former lawmaker’s Ward E (Tolu) by 4,955 votes to PDP’s 3,208.

  • Group endorses ex-lawmaker

    Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO), Lagos State chapter, has supported the aspirations of a former lawmaker, Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, as he seeks a return to the House of Representatives to represent Kosofe Federal constituency from 2019.

    Abdulwaheed Odunuga, the coordinator of the organisation, told reporters at the weekend during a visit to the ex-legislator in Lagos that Bush-Alebiosu was qualified to represent the constituency.

    He said the politician had served the interest and aspirations of the constituents and the country at large through his result-oriented strategic interventions and policy formulation, which had impact in terms of execution.

    “At the local level where the impact is more direct, Bush-Alebiosu’s support in the areas of ICT for selected educational institutions, provision of transformers to ease energy distribution and supply of solar and mechanised water borehole system have enhanced constituents’ lives.

    “The supply of drugs and pharmaceutical products at Alapere and Mende-Maryland health care facilities won’t also go unmentioned, as this initiative has supported the Federal Government’s policy on better health care for the citizens.

    “On the national front, particularly as regard policy formulation to direct the wheels of governance, Bush-Alebiosu has played great roles in representing Kosofe constituency.”

  • Ex-lawmaker declares bid for Ogun Assembly seat

    Former leader of Ipokia Legislative Council and South West Councillors’ Forum Chairman, Hon Tayo Oyekanmi, has formally declared his intention to vie for the 2019 Idiroko/Ipokia State Constituency Office under the auspices of All Progressive Congress (APC). He submitted his letter of intent to the party’s LG chairman, Hon Michael Olalowo,   during its council meeting held at the secretariat in Ipokia.

    Oyekanmi, who served as Leader of Ipokia Legislative Council for three years between 2012 and 2015, said his bid for the Ogun State House of Assembly on the platform of APC was borne out of his desire to contribute to the socio-economic development of his area, adding he was ready to put his legislative experience to bear if he is elected. He enjoined the party faithful to pick the right man for the job.

    “We must at a time like this look for an individual that can make our resolve and dream a reality. We must present an individual that can bring about and facilitate greatest happiness for the greatest numbers of people through his commitment and through his willingness to serve and ability to deliver on behalf of the party. Let’s not worry about the enormity of the tasks ahead. But let’s worry about the capacity, intellectual acumen, competence and propensity to deliver on behalf of our party and people.”

    A  graduate of Political Science of Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago –Iwoye where he also served as a member of Students Representatives Council (SRC), he later obtained a second degree  in Human Resources Management.

     

  • Ex-lawmaker gets excellence award

    A former lawmaker of Lagos State House of Assembly and an aspirant for the House of Representatives in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, Mrs Risikat Ajoke Adegeye, has won the Yoruba Youth Socio-Cultural Association (Y.Y.S.A) Award of Excellence.

    The award ceremony was held at the local government secretariat in Festac Town, Lagos.

    Olalekan Hammed, who presented the award to Mrs Adegeye, said: “The House of Representatives aspirant is being awarded for her relentless contributions towards youth development, preservation and projection of Yoruba culture and nation-building.”

    The association’s Secretary of the Advisory Council, Tijani Saheed Oluwadare, noted that the awardee deserved the award for her immense contributions to youth empowerment in the local government area.

    Oluwadare added: “We have been monitoring her contributions to the development of humanity since her days at the Lagos State House of Assembly.”

    The local government Chairman, Valentine Braimoh, congratulated the awardee, saying: “She needs to continue with her humanitarian works because her good deeds would speak for her, and this is part of the result.”

    Mrs Adegeye thanked the association for giving her the award and for preserving Yoruba culture and heritage.

    The aspirant also thanked the local government chairman for providing the enabling environment for people like her to continue to the community’s progress.

    She said: “The challenge before all of us present here is to ensure that we take our culture to the point where other clans would respect us for who we are and not for what we have been made to become.”

  • Ex-lawmaker to senator: focus on N1.2b fraud case

    EX-House of Representatives member from Akwa Ibom State Bassey Etim has asked Senator Bassey Albert Akpan to focus on his N1.2 billion fraud case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Etim, who represented Uyo/ Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Antai/ Uruan, said the Chairman Senate Committee on Gas should not use his case with the EFCC and others to justify his alleged poor performance.

    Akpan, representing Akwa Ibom North East, had told reporters at the NUJ Press Centre, Uyo, that cases against him by Bassey Etim, had impeded his performance in terms of delivering of democratic dividends.

    Reacting to the claim in a statement, Etim’s Media Assistant Uyime Jonah maintained that Akpan’s mandate is a stolen one, and cited a newspaper report where Akpan admitted under oath that he received six vehicles, valued at N303 million.

    The money is said to be part of Senator Bassey Albert’s share based on the advice of ex-National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki .

    “The vehicles are gifts from Jide Omokore on the need to ensure my personal safety. I have known him for 19 years. They are also contributions to my governorship campaign in 2014” Akpan had told the court.

    The Media assistant, described as “ridiculous “Senator Akpan’s claim stressing that there has never been any politician in the country without one form of court cases or the other,  and yet they have been performing and representing their constituents effectively.

    “Senator Akpan should not tie his non-performance to court cases, as even in his secondary school days he had to take up a remedial programme at the college of Arts and Science to remedy his poor performance at the West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC)”.

    Jonah said the only performance that could be ascribed to him is the area of fraud as he is being alleged to have owned property in London, valued at one million pounds as shown by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the United Kingdom.

    The statement further added that “Bassey Albert was commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom for seven years after working in the bank and could not have legitimately earned so much as to own a property worth one million pound Sterling”.

    The duo are at the Supreme Court, where Etim is challenging the Appeal Court judgment, which set aside the ruling of a federal court sitting in Uyo in his favour  in the matter of eligibility in the 2014 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial primaries for Akwa Ibom North East.

     

     

     

  • Ex-lawmaker Ogunewe dies at 58

    A former member of the House of Representatives,  Independence Ogunewe, is dead.

    Reports said the ex-lawmaker died in his Abuja residence.

    He was 58.

    Ogunewe represented Ahiazu/Ezinhitte Federal Constituency of Imo State from 2003 to 2011.

    He was also the Chairman of House Committee on Aviation from 2007-2011.

  • Why Nigerians ‘ll re-elect Buhari, by ex-lawmaker

    Why Nigerians ‘ll re-elect Buhari, by ex-lawmaker

    Hon. Essien Okiemute, a former member of the Delta State House of Assembly, spoke with Polycarp Orosevwotu in Isoko on why President Muhammadu Buhari should be re-elected in 2019 poll.

    What is your assessment of the Buhari administration in the last two and half years?

    President Muhammadu Buhari, has performed credibly well, personally I will score him excellent, because within the two and half years of his government, the president has achieved a lot, particularly the reshaping of Nigeria’s image and integrity in the international community.

    Virtually, every Nigerians are very much aware that Buhari practically inherited a collapsed economy, a very rotten and corrupt system. Resources of the country were looted and mismanaged without considering the poor masses and the future of the country. It got to a point where few corrupt individuals were becoming richer than Nigeria as a country.

    Budgeted funds meant for projects and other purposes of national importance were diverted into the pockets of individuals. Buhari inherited a huge debt owed marketers who supplied petroleum products not paid by the immediate past administration, the President has paid these monies.

    What are other achievements?

    For the past two and half years, he has done everything humanly possible to restore the dignity of Nigeria as a country by initiating a clean spirit into the system, one area that the President has done well through the fight against corruption.

    When President Buhari promised to fight corruption, many never believed what he was saying, but from what we are seeing today, the various shocking revelations how government officials in the last administration looted the resources of this country, Nigerians have developed strong confidence in  President Buhari, and trust whatever the President is doing to transform the country.

    President Buhari is determined and genuinely fighting corruption as he promised, and that is why you can see that the President is getting the full supports of majority of Nigerians in the fight against corruption and it is on this note they want to re-elect him come 2019 because of the confidence Nigerians repose on him.

    Many people have described Buhari as a non-performing president. What is your take on this?

    It is not a surprise that the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party PDP is always criticising President Buhari, what would you expect from PDP when their members were actually the main beneficiaries from the corrupt system of the last administration.

    Apart from the PDP, some other Nigerians still criticizing Buhari, it could be that the President may have blocked their source of milking the country; certainly, they must fight back and criticize the President.

    More so, the only Nigerians that I think would criticize Buhari should be those who were benefiting from the corrupt system of the last administration.  Nigerians who are doing legitimate businesses and earning legally from the last administration till now would not criticise Buahri. The only “Sin” Buahri has committed is blocking leakages and stopping the looting of Nigeria’s resources by those criticizing him now on pages of newspaper.

    You will agree with me that President Buhari has not done anything wrong to attract such unnecessary criticism. Evidently, President Buhari is enjoying the supports of Nigerians because of his good intentions toward the country. He is repositioning the country to greatness. Nobody can instigate Nigerians against the present government of Buhari, such attempts would definitely fail.

    Buhari has ensured that the country is gradually moving to the right direction, people are now doing things properly, even public office holders are more careful not to fall under the hammer of Buhari.

    The President’s objective is clear on why things must be done properly and funds judiciously used for assigned purposes. That is the only way this country can move forward.  Buhari is rebuilding a Nigeria where whatever you are asked to do as a public officer, or even as a Nigerian, you are expected to do it rightly, diligently which will eventually produce good results.

    I can assure you that by the end of 2018, when Buahri’s achievement must have been unveiled, most of the persons criticizing him now would turn around to praise him’

    There is protest against marginalisation by the people of Niger-Delta region. What is your view?

    It will shock you to know that Isoko South local government is the only local government won by President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC  in the entire Delta State, South South and  South East geo-political zone in 2015 presidential election. In my local government, Isoko South, Buhari and APC won with 10,000  votes, but despite my efforts I have not been given appointment.

    I am a founding member of APC in Delta state including  late Senator Okpozo, Akamukali and Senator Ewherido. Also,  Olorogun Ortega Emerhor,  Hon. Rufus Akpodiete and  Hon. Okpoko.

    Remember, the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was from the Niger Delta region, he was President of Nigeria for six years, if we the people of Niger Delta are sincere and fair to ourselves, we should invite Jonathan to a Niger Delta conference to tell the people what he did for the region, when he was in office as President, but I doubt if there is anything he can lay claim to as his achievement in the region.

  • Ex-lawmaker raises hope on 2018 budget

    A former lawmaker is optimistic that next year’s budget will be better run.

    Former House of Representatives Finance Committee Deputy Chairman, Abayomi Ogunnusi said indicators showed that the economy is picking up, with positive growth, which will lead to an increase in wealth and job creation.

    He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) anticipated global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.7 per cent this year. “Emerging markets and developing economies are expected to lead with GDP growth of 4.9 percent of which Nigeria is one of the emerging markets, while advanced economies are projected to grow at a slower rate of two percent,” he said.

    He said Nigeria had assumed a GDP growth of 3.5 per cent for fiscal 2018. “Nigeria’s journey out of recession was a revealing one and also an indication that the country is on the part of growth and a true reflection of the optimism expected next year,” he said.

    Ogunnusi said on-going discussions and peace initiatives in the Niger Delta region and the enforcement of the Amnesty programme to ensure and maintain relative peace in the economic zone which so far has yielded moderate success. Therefore, the expected revenues in the oil and gas sector are projected to be actualised.

    “The successes recorded in the fight against insurgence and terrorism attacks in the North-east have led to relative peace in that region and with the various government’s social rehabilitation programmes. Recently, the signing into law of the Northeast Development Commission Bill will enhance and restore the economic life of the region. This should allow citizens to return to their farms and create economic activity yielding better food security and tax revenue to government,” he said.

    He said there must be reform in the area of ease of doing business. “A recently released World Bank business ranking report announced that Nigeria had moved 24 places to 145th position in 2017. The report also stated that Nigeria is among the top 10 reforming countries in the world. To ensure these reforms are institutionalised, an Executive Order on the Promotion of Transparency and Efficiency in the Business Environment was issued in May 2017,” he said.

    “The Order contained measures that ease the process of business registration, approval of permits, granting visas and streamlining port operations. These are critical to attracting new investments, growing the economy and creating jobs for our people,”he said.

    He said unrealistic revenue projections in budgeting always lead to a poorly implemented budget.

    He said that in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), the Executive first projected N5.646 trillion as revenue for Fiscal 2018.

    “I raised concerns over this amount considering particularly, a clearly over ambitious sub head of FGN independent revenue which was projected at N847 billion when only N155 billion has been achieved as at September for Fiscal 2017,” he said.

    He said the 2018 budget has been said to be a budget of consolidation. The main aim is to consolidate on the previous gains of the past years.

    “The major projects to drive the desired economic growth, development and foster the desired change is largely dependent on the sustainability of capital expenditure which will boost infrastruc-tural development and proffer a veritable economic environment conducive for businesses to strive,” he said.

    He explained that some key priority capital projects cut across power, works and housing with special emphasis on roads infrastructure and , transportation (with emphasis on railway projects), housing sector, agriculture and rural development, education, health  sector, Niger Delta economic areas, zonal intervention and northeast region development and integration.