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Tag: governors

  • Governors seeking second term

    Some first term governors will be seeking re-election next year. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines their chances of winning their party’s primary and the election.

    Bello (Niger)

    Governor Sani Bello does not relish publicity. He hardly meets with the media. Thus, his government has been under reported. During the last Democracy Day Celebrations, however, he hosted a media parley, where he made a profound statement that, during the 2015 electioneering campaign, he never promised the people anything. Observers have tried to rationalise the governor’s statement by saying that it was strange that a person seeking to hold office as governor of a state had no programmes to persuade voters and yet, he was elected. But, they acknowledged that he only honestly stated the truth. As a result, no one can accuse him of non-performance, as there was a zero yardstick for assessing him. It can be therefore, concluded that he could be re-elected in 2019, if the electorate behave as they did in 2015.

    When he assumed office in 2015, he was unable to determine which of his supporters should be appointed commissioners. When he eventually did, he directed each commissioner at the inaugural meeting of the state executive council to submit his or her vision statement to enable the deputy governor work out the vision of the government. It appears Bello did not prepare a blueprint on how he would govern the state.

    Nevertheless, Bello has been applauded for reversing the old order of abandoned projects in the state. For instance, he has rehabilitated many schools with perimeter fencing, well-furnished dormitories, new classrooms, laboratories, workshops, libraries and staff quarters. The schools had not been touched since they were built in the last 40 years. The governor had also outlined plans to tackle the issue of lead poisoning for which Niger State was the second state to be affected in the country. There is also plan to establish a mining city in the state.

    He has formally declared his intention to run for a second term. There is no challenger within the APC for now. But, the major threat to his re-election bid is the defection of Ambassador Ahmed Ibeto from the APC to the PDP. The former ambassador to South Africa was deputy to former Governor Babangida Aliyu on the platform of the PDP. He joined the APC in 2015, after he failed to secure the party’s governorship ticket. It was gathered that Ibeto would likely emerge the PDP governorship candidate this time around. It was chieftains of the party, it was said, that put pressure on him to resign his appointment and renounce his APC membership, so that he could be the PDP governorship flag bearer in 2019.

    The former ambassador was a member of the PDP until the primary election in November 2014; he lost the governorship ticket to Umar Nasko, a former Chief of Staff to Aliyu. He resigned his membership of the PDP along with thousands of his supporters after complaining about the injustice meted to him by the PDP. Ibeto was the vehicle on which the incumbent APC governor rode to victory in 2015 leading his campaign to all the 274 wards in the state.

    Ambode (Lagos)

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s first term would lapse on May 29, 2019. He has the right to seek for second term in line with the 1999 Constitution, which prescribes a maximum of two terms for governors. Ambode is a tested administrator with a clear vision to make Lagos State the envy of all. The clamour by various interest groups for his re-election bears eloquent testimony to his excellent performance.

    Immediately he assumed office in 2015, he hit the ground running. In his effort to make Lagos work for everybody, he adopted an all-inclusive governance approach, realising the peculiar needs of a complex state.

    He rejuvenated the town hall meetings, where individuals are free to express their minds during the question and answers sessions. Such meetings allow the governor to feel the pulse of the people and respond appropriately; taking decisions on the spot and proffering solutions to problems and challenges facing the people. With this approach, projects are demand-driven and with the regular interactions from zone to zone no community or local government is left out.

    The governor came up with a blueprint to solve the problem of traffic gridlocks that had defied solutions in the past. He embarked on construction of intra-city roads, fly-overs pedestrian bridges and lay-bys. During the recent state visit by President Muhammadu Buhari, Ambode commissioned 21 border roads that link Lagos and Ogun States. This is in addition to 114 roads he constructed in the 56 local governments and local council development areas last year. He has awarded contracts for the construction of additional 181 intra-city roads to ease transportation in the state.  Most of these roads were selected by the Community Development Associations (CDAs). The Oshodi transport inter-change equipped with pedestrian bridges, shopping malls and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras is nearing completion. With this, Oshodi will be elevated to a first class business district. The Agege Pen Cinema fly-over is scheduled for completion in nine months.

    Ortom (Benue)

    The chances of Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom clinching the ticket of the PDP to realise his second term ambition are hanging in the balance. One of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the party, Tehemen Tarzoor, said he would vehemently resist any move to give preferential treatment to the incumbent governor who recently defected to the PDP from the APC.

    Tarzoor said he would resist imposition of Ortom. He said: “The issue of bringing a sitting governor and imposing him on us will not work. Let the governor come and struggle with other governorship aspirants. But, if you say go and adopt him, we will go to court. If we are treated as commoners, then we will show our nuisance value to the party; then we will see how it goes.”

    An elder statesman in Benue State and retired Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, has said that nothing and nobody can save Governor Ortom from losing re-election in 2019, because of the magnitude of his failure in the last three and half years that he has been in office. He said: “Head or tail, Ortom is bound to lose re-election, considering his abysmal performance and silly arrogance.”

    Tsav does not believe that jumping ship from APC to the PDP will make Ortom win his re-election. He added: “Within three years of his administration, Governor Ortom has not been able to pay full salaries and pensions, despite several interventions by the Federal Government and bank loans. He has not initiated, completed nor commissioned any project. His several visits to China have not impacted on the development and advancement of Benue State. Rather, his private businesses and farms are expanding and developing astronomically.”

    The retired police officer said Ortom’s conflict with Senator George Akume, his godfather that made him governor in 2015, was a divine intervention to ease the governor out of power. His words: “His clash with his godfather was ordained by God to get Benue State out of the clutches of deceit and evil and we welcome this.

    “In 2014, when Senator Akume transferred Emmanuel Jime’s mandate to Ortom, he saw Akume as a good and caring leader. Now, Akume is appalled by Ortom’s performance and wants to correct his mistakes by returning Jime’s mandate to him. But, Ortom now sees Akume as a villain. To us, Akume is not a villain, but a good, fair and just leader.

    “Ortom should stop running from pillar to post, but should be prepared to be an inmate to a federal VIP house to join his anti-social, cum deviant colleagues.”

    Lalong (Plateau)

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has bowed to pressure by his supporters to seek a second term mandate. His bid followed a motion by Edward Pwajok to compel the governor to seek a second term at a meeting of the APC stakeholders held in Jos, the state capital.  Since then, senior party members have been expressing solidarity for the governor.

    At the said meeting, various speakers, including a former Deputy Governor Dame Pauline Tallen, former governorship aspirant, Mr Pam Gyang; former Chairman National Population Commission (NPC), Samaila Makama, paid tribute to Governor Lalong for successfully steering the party away from crisis, following his committee report which gave an amicable solution to the crisis at the national level.

    Makama observed that Lalong’s integrity and character has endeared him to the leadership at the national level as a credible leader, stressing that “Governor Lalong represents humility, openness, simplicity and character to demonstrate honesty at all times which has endeared him to Mr President”.

    A youth activist, Mr Chikas Kumle, justified Lalong’s second term bid, “because Lalong is responding to the popular demands of Plateau people”. He described Lalong as a listening governor who is passionate about the youths. He commended the governor for sustaining the relative peace in the state, and for employment of teachers, improved infrastructure and promotion of agriculture. He said Lalong’s second term would make the state to fully return to the path of development.

    He said: “We the youth leaders from all the ethnic groups in Plateau have come out to unanimously endorse Governor Simon Lalong for another term of four years. This endorsement is premised on 10 key areas of education, welfare, peace and security, youth development, human capital development, agriculture, tourism, health and infrastructure. The governor has demonstrated good leadership qualities, if given another term in office, Plateau will fully return to the state where peace, justice, equity and development will be the order of the day.”

    However, leaders of the PDP are said to be putting its house in order to avoid the division that led to the defeat of the party by the APC in 2015.  The party is shopping for a strong candidate that could match Governor Lalong in 2019 either from Plateau Central or South.

    Okowa (Delta)

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is the first governor from Delta North Senatorial District since the state was created about three decades ago. He rode to power on the crest of the political influence of the former Governor James Ibori’s. Ibori who hails from the central senatorial district has built a political empire code-named Odidigborigbo, a political dynasty with membership across ethnic, political and regional divide in Delta State. In fact membership of this political group is pre-requisite for those seeking to hold political office in the state. Okowa, his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, and many political big wigs in Delta are said to be members of the dynasty.

    Analysts believe that Okowa’s re-election bid will put to test the popularity and political influence of Ibori after his sentence by a court in United Kingdom for money laundering. Against the backdrop that the Delta State chapter of the PDP had lost many party chieftains to opposition parties. The threat to Okowa’s re-election is not within but from outside. There is no doubt that the governor would scale the primaries but the governorship election is in contention.

    A group known as Indomitable Youth Ambassadors for Delta (IYAD) have assured that Okowa would get second term in office. The group’s chairman, who is also the Special Assistant to the governor on youth mobilisation, Mr Kennedy Ochei said: “From all visible analysis and works which the governor has done in his first tenure as the governor of Delta State, it is a thing of pleasure to declare that he is the best man for the office”.

    Ochei listed Okowa’s achievements to include public schools renovations, free healthcare, provision of power supply in most local governments in the state, road construction, empowerment programme and financial mobilisation for the youth. He said all these achievements just in a few years in office, has given IYAD a driving force and a positive hope for the future of all Deltans.

    Similarly, the Delta State chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has thrown its weight behind behind the second term bid of Governor Okowa. ALGON’s Chairman, Mr Itiako Ikpokpo said the decision to endorse Okowa was informed by his track records since he took over the leadership of the state in the last three years.

    He said Okowa has displayed immeasurable magnanimity and sufficient fatherly disposition towards the plight of the local government workers through constant augmentation of local government allocation to enable them pay staff salaries.

    However, it may not be an easy ride for Governor Okowa in 2019 because of notable politicians that have left the PDP for the APC in the state, the recent being Uduagha, the immediate past governor of Delta State. The combination of Uduaghan from Delta South and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Great Ogboru from Delta Central would enhance the performance of the APC at the polls.

    A former spokesman to ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Ima Niboro, predicted the fall of PDP in Delta State. He said APC would pull off a major upset in the state, where he said millions were yearning for genuine change and were increasingly finding the APC a realistic alternative platform to effect that change.

    To the Delta State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Oke Idenwe, Okowa is a failure; he has not executed major projects since he assumed office in the past three years. He said “if you compare Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Anambra and Rivers, we have no governor in Delta State because the governor has not performed.

    “When he came to office in 2015, the first thing he did was to increase the contract limit which Ibori and Uduaghan maintained during their tenures. Under Ibori and Uduaghan, any project above N50 million must be approved by the state executive council but when Okowa came he increased it from N50 million to N250 million.

    “Okowa is running Delta not as an elected governor but as a monarch. The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state is shrouded in secrecy. Nobody knows how much is generated in the state. I thought he came to lead but he came to rule. We are part of the people that brought him to power. I regret and apologise to all Deltans for supporting him.

    Wike (Rivers)

    Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has been overwhelmed by the gale of endorsements for his re-election by different political groups and ethnic nationalities in the state. He is now addressed as “Mr Project” in acknowledge of numerous projects he had embarked on across the state in the past three years.

    The leader of Rivers State ex-legislators,Senator Adawari Pepple said the governor deserved second term based on the massive infrastructural development being witnessed by the people of the state. He said “we are convinced by the Governor’s excellent performance and that he should continue to lead Rivers State beyond 2019.

    “As a forum, we call on the governor to re-present himself to contest the 2019 governorship election. We believe, he deserves a second term”, Pepple said.

    Similarly, the Ijaws in Rivers State have endorsed Wike for a second term in office in line with his pro-Ijaw disposition. A spokesperson of the Ijaw people, Madam Ankio Briggs said Wike deserves another term in office to consolidate on the gains of his first term.

    But, the former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has described as superfluous the popularity claim of Wike in the state. He said PDP won in Rivers in 2015 because they rigged everywhere wrote results and brought army and police to chase APC supporters away. He accused Wike of masterminding election mal-practices under Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.

    Amaechi said:  “We are sure of winning Rivers State in 2019 because President Buhari will not allow that happen. He will not allow any police man to stop any one from voting.”

    Ugwuanyi (Enugu)

    He was elected governor in 2015 on the platform of PDP.  The people of Enugu State have unanimously  endorsed  him for 2019 governorship poll based on his performance. All the traditional rulers of the 450 autonomous communities in Enugu State have endorsed him. The royal fathers said their decision was in line with their peoples assessment and endorsement of the governor’s re-election in 2019.

    The monarchs said “without a dissenting voice, all especially the religious and members of ecclesiastical orders; the elders; the political class; the professionals; the academic; the self-employed; the pensioners; the working class; the traders; artisans and the youths have continued to extol Ugwuanyi’s virtues and performance in the discharge of his duties.

    “All groups of people in Enugu State across political divides have separately approved the performance of Governor Ugwuanyi and have declared him their candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial election.”

    In spite of Ugwuanyi’s endorsement,  the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Mr Sullivan Chime has said that the APC would win the 2019 elections in the state. Chime boasted that his former party, PDP will be part of history in Enugu State. He said the once vibrant PDP was now dead following the national leadership crisis that engulfed it.

    He expressed satisfaction over the defection of notable politicians like former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Senators Jim Nwobodo and Ayogu Eze to APC.  He insists that APC is the party to beat in Enugu State in 2019.

    Bagudu (Kebbi)

    The Kebbi State chapter of APC has endorsed Governor Atiku Bagudu for a second term in office. The state chairman of the party, Alhaji Sani Zauro has re-affirmed the commitment of party members to re-election bid of the governor.

    According to Zauro, the endorsement was based on the fact that Atiku has fulfilled his campaign promises to the people of Kebbi State. He vowed that nothing would stop them from re-electing Governor Atiku  for second term in office, adding that his achievements speak volume to warrant his re-election.

    “I speak on behalf of all the party leaders in the state. We have four emirate council in the state and Governor Atiku  has touched all emirates in terms of developmental projects. He constructed roads in Yauri, Argungu, Zuru and Gwandu emirates; he renovated schools and health institutions; he created job opportunities through the rice anchor borrower for the teeming unemployed youths.”

    Observers noted that the PDP is very weak in Kebbi state following the defection of the former Governor Sa’idu Dakingari and other leaders to the APC.  PDP has been in coma in Kebbi.

    Umahi (Ebonyi)

    Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has boasted that he would be re-elected in 2019. He said 29 political parties have adopted him as their sole candidate for the 2019 polls. He said: “Anyone who tries us would be injured because if the person falls on us, he will be grinded into granite and if we fall on him, he will be grinded into ashes. I and my deputy have accepted to continue this divine work and anyone who tries to terminate it would face God’s anger and might not be there during my swearing-in ceremony.

    “No party would take Ebonyi because God has taken it for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Ebonyi would record more than one million votes during the elections as I challenge our opponents to even organise rallies and stop deceiving the people.”

    Umahi’s chances have been consolidated by the endorsement of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator  Anyim Pius Anyim. The endorsement has laid to rest the rumours making the rounds that the duo had fallen apart which could threaten Umahi’s chances of re-election in 2019.

    At a point, it was rumoured that Anyim had concluded plans with the leaders of the PDP to snatch the governorship ticket from Umahi while in some quarters, it was said that the former Senate President would sponsor another candidate from the opposition party for a total showdown with the governor.

    Anyim insisted that Umahi has done well and his second tenure was already guaranteed, noting that the other two zones from the state have taken their turn of eight years each which meant that Ebonyi South would complete their remaining four years.

    Analysts say that contrary to Umahi’s pronouncement that there is no strong opposition in the state, his second term bid may face tough opposition from the APC.

  • 10 APC governors seeking re-election as party screens aspirants

    No fewer than 10 All Progressives Congress (APC) governors are seeking the party’s tickets for re-election in February, next year. The governors  are Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Mohammed Sani Bello (Niger), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Jibrilla Bindo (Adamawa) and Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos).Governors Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) are not seeking re-election. The elections of Governors Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi) are not due.Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola is also not seeking re-election, having served his mandatory eight years. The election in the state will take place tomorrow. The inauguration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as Ekiti State governor will take place next month.

    The National Working Committee (NWC), led by the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, screened the returning governors one after the other at Oshiomhole’s personal campaign office in Asokoro, Abuja.The party leadership also screened some governors who are contesting senatorial tickets. They include Ajimobi, Rochas Okorocha, Abdulaziz Yari, Kashim Shettima and Tanko Al-Makura.The Nation gathered that Ganduje, el-Rufai and  Masari have nobody contesting against them in the primaries.Ganduje, who spoke with reporter after his screening, said: “The screening went on successfully but you know the number of governors that took turns to undergo the screening. My own took less than three minutes. Then I bowed and left because I have no challenger in APC governorship primary in Kano State.”He dismissed the effect of defections on the fortune of the party in the forthcoming elections, saying: “It is the opposite, meaning many more politicians are coming to APC.

    I know that they are nomadic politicians but and we have gained more from nomadic politicians than we initially suffered from.”When former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s defection was specifically mentioned, Ganduje simply asked: “And the coming of Shekarau?”Yari justified indirect primary, saying the governors will easily adapt to any of the options for primary election.He insisted that those who were clamouring for the use of direct primary were members of the party who “are not on ground” and afraid of facing the people through the delegate system.Ajimobi said he had no anointed person for any of the positions being contested, assuring all that he will not interfere in the process leading to the choice of his successor.”I am not God, I don’t anoint. I have not anointed any candidate.

    I think we have opted for indirect primary but more importantly, we have so many people who are eminently qualified aspirants and, for me, I have given them free hands. Let them talk to all party members. And whoever they pick among them, I am okay. There is none of them who is not eminently qualified.Niger State Governor Mohammed Sani Bello whose state is one of the few that settled for direct primary said that the party’s stakeholders decided on it.When asked about the party’s chances, the governor said: “With the adoption of the direct primary, the party is becoming more popular. We will try as much as possible to uphold fairness and justice in the party, and give everyone equal opportunity to vie for any posution they want. We will ensure that by God’s grace we have outstanding victory in 2019.”

     

  • Osinbajo, Oshiomhole, governors, Akande, Tinubu: vote Oyetola

    •Aregbesola canvasses votes for Oyetola

    Osogbo, the Osun State capital, literally stood still yesterday, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) kicked off its campaign for the September 22 governorship election.

    Gboyega Oyetola is the party’s candidate.

    At the event, which was graced by National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, members of the National Campaign Council and chieftains of the party from the Southwest region, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) raised the hand of the party’s candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, and handed over the flag to him.

    The rally, which was held at the Oshogbo Township Stadium, was attended by National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Kano State Governor Ganduje, who chairs the committee; Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi; Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; their Ondo State counterpart, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and Ekiti State Governor-Elect Kayode Fayemi.

    Former Osun, Ogun and Ekiti governors Bisi Akande, Segun Osoba and Segun Oni were also on the train.

    The APC is one of the leading candidates in the election.

    Also in the race are: Sen. Iyiola Omisore (Social Democratic Party), Ademola Adeleke (Peoples Democratic Party), Moshood Adeoti (African Democratic Party) and Fatai Akinbade (African Democratic Congress).

    The stadium was filled with supporters who also occupied  the spaces outside the stadium.

    Welcoming the crowd, Ganduje said what they saw confirmed the socio-economic development of Osun under the APC in the last eight years. He pointed out that the mammoth crowd also confirmed the love the people have for the party. He urged them to vote for continuity. He also said the APC believes in free and fair elections.

    Urging the electorate to vote for the APC on September 22, Amosun said Osun is a state of the progressives. He said: “Let nothing change. Let’s troop out in large numbers to speak for the APC with our votes. If you love President Buhari, vote for APC.”

    Aregbesola sang a number of songs at the rally and urged the people to vote for Oyetola. Ajimobi described Oyetola’s candidacy as God’s project. Akeredolu said ensuring success for Oyetola requires collective efforts like the broom, which is the party’s logo. For Fayemi, Ekiti has been restored to the progressives circle. He added: “Osun has been in our kitty. So, let’s keep it intact. Oyetola has been a long member of this struggle. He is trustworthy and reliable. Whoever loves Buhari and other APC leaders will support Oyetola. We shall all get to the promised land.”

    Oshiomhole spoke of the need to sustain the good legacies of Aregbesola. He recalled that he was in Osun several years ago to organise workers strikes. He pointed out that the transformation of the state under Aregbesola in the last eight years has been massive.

    The National Chairman reminded them that Aregbesola  took over eight years ago after years of rot.

    His words: “Oyetola is a finance expert who has passion for the development of the state. No one can help you govern if u don’t have the skills. He has worked very hard and was very successful in the private sector. He has the capacity to translate his vision to reality. He worked hard as a loyal Chief of Staff to Aregbesola. We hereby present to you a tested and trusted human being to be the next governor of this state.”

    While presenting Oyetola with the flag of the party, Osinbajo said God brought a blessing to Osun in Oyetola.

    Tinubu described Oyetola as  a reliable transformation agent, who is loyal and capable.

    He said: “Oyetola is God’s promise indeed. He has been our engine room in years past. He is now coming home to serve you. After succeeding in the private sector, it is good to come back home and serve one’s people. The team will help Osun succeed like Lagos. Youths will gain employment under his leadership.  We were surprised when he declared his intention. He is coming to reform the state. Be patient, jobs are coming. He is not a corrupt leader. He is coming to work for you. We held direct primary and the popular candidate emerged. Don’t let anybody deceive you.”

    Osoba said he came to thank God for having been born in Osogbo 79 years ago. He urged residents to vote for Oyetola.

    Akande explained that the party is the supreme house no member should attempt to destroy, because it is bigger than any member. He added: “Let’s support APC to keep it strong.”

    Oyetola thanked God for the day, describing it as special. He said some refer to him as a Lagos boy to discredit him. ” But I’m a true son of Iragbiji. Look at the good works Aregbesola’s APC government has done in the last eight years. Vote for me for sustenance. I have learnt the ropes before coming out to contest. Just do it right on September 22.”

     

     

  • Governors yet to submit proposal for new wage

    Committee hasn’t agreed on figure, says Ngige

    The new wage structure is still a long way to go, going by indications from Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige.

    According to him, governors, the most critical group in the process, are yet to submit their proposal on a new wage system.

    The minister told reporters in Anambra State that without a proposal from the governors, there cannot be an agreement on a new wage structure.

    Ngigi is the deputy chairman of the 30-man Tripartite Committeeon on the minimum wage set up by President Muhammadu Buhari  last November. A former Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple, is the chairman.

    Members of the committee are drawn from the public sector (federal and state), the private sector and the labour union. There are six governors – one each from the six geo-political zones.

    President Buhari, while inaugurating the panel, said the current wage structure had expired.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has proposed a minimum wage of N56,000 but  employers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, have rejected the proposal.

    Goverors have also said they were  not elected only to pay salaries, adding that the bulk of their revenue would not be devoted to paying workers.

    Ngige said although the Tripartite Commmitte would conclude its assignment this month, the delay by the governors to submit their proposal would delay action.

    He said: “I am the deputy chairman (of the committee); I drive it. We have a timetable and we will finish everything about it this end of August, but it is not attainable anymore because even in the committee we have not all finished dotting all the i’s and agreeing on a figure

    “We couldn’t agree on a figure because of two reasons, partly the state governors have not come up with a figure and the state governors are a critical constituent of this discussion. They have six governors in the committee, one from each geo-political zone”

    “So the Governors Forum has not come up with their figure. They say they  are still working on it. That was the last submission they made to us and the federal government team. We are working through the Economic management team.”

    “The  Economic management team dictates the economy of the country and they will now take whatever the governors say and fine-tune with that of the federal government, so that is where we are”

    “The national minimum wage tripartite committee is still at work, and is until it brings out its figures, brings out its recommendations pertaining to the national minimum wage. It is only after that that a Bill can be sent to the National Assembly for processing and be sent to Mr. President for assent and for it to become a National Minimum Wage Act.”

    After the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) meeting last week, NGF Chairman and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, gave an account of why the governors were yet to agree on a figure.

    He said: “We have a committee of six which represents us in discussions in the committee headed by the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige.

    “The committee has yet to give us the final report. They have given us an interim report that at the Federal Government level, over 82 per cent is being spent on overheads which cannot move the country forward in terms of infrastructure development and development that we need now.

    “So, on our own part, we are saying we are going to look at how our income is taken from our final account from 14 years ago so that we can come up and stay in the middle.”

    He added: “I don’t think you people voted us only to pay salaries. You are looking for good roads, electricity, education and others. So, we can’t do magic. It’s only when we have the funds that we can do all those things.”

    Ngige also told reporters that the hike in National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members allowances had not been finalised.

    He said: “We’ve not concluded because no recommendation has come to the Federal Executive Council.

    “As a matter of fact, some ministries, Youth and Sports, Labour, Women Affairs and Budget and Planning have been asked to make input on the proposed allowances of the NYSC members.”

  • Governors, deputies: Torn apart by defection

    Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu examines how defections have always led to the parting of ways between governors and their deputies. He points the way out of the logjam.

    POLITICS of defection has often created a gulf between govenors and their deputies across dispensations. In some states, the parting of ways were managed with maturity and tolerance. In others governors simply turned the heat on their deputies to either whip into line or force their exit through removals by the legislature.

    In Sokoto State, crisis may be brewing in the Government House. The politics of defection has created a gulf between Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Ahmed Aliyu. The governor has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but the deputy governor has reiterated his loyalty to the APC, the vehicle on which the duo rode into office on May 29, 2015.

    The implication of the political abnormality, as an observer put it sarcastically, is that Sokoto may still be described as both APC and PDP state. Reason: The governorship is a joint ticket between the governor and deputy.

    Politically, it is a delicate balance. The governor is a senior partner within the framework of a joint ticket. His deputy has no specific power under the constitution, except the functions delegated to him by his principal. But, despite his limitations, the number two position has potentials. The deputy is the direct inheritor of the throne, if his boss dies or is incapacitated. Thus, when there is a divided political interest, there will be mutual suspicion.

    In the ‘Born to Rule’ State, while the governor has been presiding over PDP meetings, his deputy has been an active participant in the APC’s agenda to checkmate him. As Tambuwal is planning to get a second term, Aliyu is working with the leaders of his party to install a successor to the governor on the platform of the APC.

    In the history of defections, the Northwest state stands out. Since 2007, Sokoto has established a pattern of discord between governors and their deputies over the change of camps and allegiance. Defection is not totally a rosy affair. Not every politician is falling for the bug. Curiously, in previous dispensations, former governors did not make a fuse over the unwillingness of their deputies to follow their footsteps as they jumped ship.

    Towards the tail end of former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa’s tenure in 2007, a crisis of confidence over succession broke out between him and his deputy, Aliyu Wamakko. The deputy governor wanted to succeed his boss. But, the governor had a different agenda. To pull the rug off the feet of the then ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the PDP strategically made an overture to Wamakko. The former Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Mukthar Shagari, who had earlier been tipped for governor, was asked to surrender the ticket to Wamakko. He accepted to become Wamakko’s running mate. Both were elected governor and deputy governor.

    In 2014, Wamakko defected to the APC, following the crisis that hit the party under former President Goodluck Jonathan. However, his deputy, Shagari, maintained his loyalty to the PDP. Although he lost out during the governorship nomination, the former minister consistently maintained an abiding interest in the PDP. Despite the friction, there was no threat of impeachment against the deputy governor. But, Shagari had to slow down his participation in official functions.

    Tambuwal’s defection is consistent with the trend in Sokoto. A source said he has the backing of prominent monarchs to call it quits with the APC. Reminiscent of earlier dispensations, Aliyu has refused to defect along with him. Although the governor has dissolved his cabinet, Aliyu is not affected by the dissolution, which was meant to do away with the anti-defection members and make it a wholly PDP cabinet.

    The deputy governor, a loyalist of Wamakko, is on the side of his the senator, who is perceived as the Sokoto APC leader. Instructively, the Sokoto APC chairman and 12 members of the House of Assembly have also refused to desert the APC on principle.

    While a governor is at liberty to hire and fire his commissioners and advisers, some of whom may not be a member of his party, he cannot fire his deputy. The deputy governor can only be removed by the legislature, if he commits impeachable offences. What constitutes an impeachable offence can only be determined by the parliament or the court of law. But, the refusal of a deputy governor to jump ship may not be a convincing reason for his removal.

    What fate awaits Aliyu? Will he defect later? Will he resist the persuasion to cross over? If he does not defect, will the House wake up to the possibility of dangling the impeachment hammer? Will he resign?

    In Kano State, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, the deputy governor, resigned after defecting from the APC to the PDP. If he had waited for a week to take the decisive decision, the House of Assembly, motivated by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, would have issued the red flag. The signs of defection were ominous. He and his boss had been in a cat and mouse relationship.

    In the Northcentral, defection is taking its toll on the governor/deputy relations in Benue where Governor Samuel Ortom had called it quits with the APC, but his deputy, Benson Abounu seems to be adamant. Abounu, an engineer and loyalist of Senator George Akume, appears to be sitting on the fence as he is silent on whether he will go and join his boss in the PDP or remain in the APC to join forces against his principal’s comeback bid under the PDP platform.

    Sources said the camp of the governor is mounting pressure on his deputy to emulate his Kwara State counterpart, Elder Peter Kishira, who defected along with his boss, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, to the PDP.

    In contrast, there was no open hostility between former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu and his deputy, Alhaji Musa Ibeto, when the later moved to the APC, leaving his boss behind in the PDP. Ibeto did not resign. Aliyu was aloof to his defection. There was no pressure on him to vacate his office. However, Ibeto, until recently the Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, has retraced his steps to his former party.

    Feeling remorseful, Ibeto apologised to the PDP for jumping ship in the run-up to the 2015 general elections.

    Perhaps, other states may have to learn from the Sokoto and Niger example of temporary tolerance, especially when the administration is winding up. The crisis of confidence imposed by the parting of ways between governors and their deputies, have been managed without permitting the escalation of tension.

    The scenario contrasted with the Ondo experience. When former Governor Olusegun Mimiko defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the PDP, his deputy, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, declined to defect. He complained that the governor did not carry him along. Besides, he said there was no moral reason to return to a party, from which he defected to the LP, based on complaints against victimisation and injustice. Olanusi was impeached for not jumping ship, although the court later ruled that he was shoved aside in error. The old man later joined the APC. Ironically, Mimiko is back in the LP.

    What was the pattern in the Second Republic? Deputy governors who defected from the party of their governors honourably resigned their positions to avoid conflicts. In those days, there was much devotion to ideology. The corridor of power was not avenue for private accumulation. Politics was vocation, and not occupation.

    In the Old Ondo State, the former deputy governor, Chief Akin Omoboriowo (now late), even resigned, following his declaration of intention to rule the state, at a time his boss, the late Chief Michael Ajasin under the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), wanted a second term. He later joined the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN. His colleague in the Old Oyo State, the late Chief Sunday Afolabi, also resigned before he defected to the NPN.

    In 2007, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who defected from the PDP to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), stayed in office till the end of the administration. When former President Olusegun Obasanjo moved against him, he ran to the court for justice. He survived the onslaught.

     

    The odds against deputies

     

    Why are deputy governors reluctant to defect with their governors? In many states, the deputies are not the preferred choice of the governors. They were either imposed on them by the party or selected as running mates for ethnic or religious balancing. They do not always belong to the same caucus within the party. They may not be united by similarity of vision, ideas and goals.

    What is the position of the 1999 Constitution on the import of a joint ticket? Can the joint ticket be separated by broken allegiance and differential loyalties to political parties? The constitution has provisions for the position of the deputy governor as a spare tyre of sorts. While the governor highlights the conditions for electing and removing deputy governors, it is silent on what should happen to the deputy governor, if he defects from the party that brought him to power or he refuses to defect when the governor defects from the party.

    This obvious gap or omission may be a subject of constitution review in the future.

     

  • N250b security votes: TI indicts top security chiefs, governors

    LEADING non-governmental anti-corruption organisation Transparency International (TI) yesterday revealed how about N250 billion is being siphoned from the nation’s treasury annually, using the security votes as a conduit-pipe.

    It indicted top security chiefs and governors, who it noted, deploy security votes to create insecurity in different parts of the country.

    Mr. Adeolu Kilanko of TI (Defence and Security Unit), in a report titled: “Camouflaged cash – How security votes fuel corruption in Nigeria”, presented at the Zonal Official Launch in Ibadan yesterday, alleged that among average Nigerians, the words “security votes” were synonymous with official corruption and abuse of power .

    The event was organised by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).

    Though, top security chiefs and governors were indicted in the slush cash, TI hailed some governors for transiting from security vote to Security Trust Fund (STF).

    He specifically hailed Lagos State for shifting toward using a public private security trust fund to provide supplementary funding to security services.

    Asking for a legislation to abolish security vote, he stated that TI estimated that the expenditure is about N241.2 billion annually.

    He said: “In just one year , these extra-budgetary expenditures add up to over nine times the amount of United States (U.S.) security assistance to Nigeria since 2012 ($68.6 million) and over 12 times the $53.5 million (£40 million pounds) in counterterrorism support the United Kingdom (UK) promised Nigeria from 2016 to 2020.

    “Looking at it from another angle, security vote spending exceeds 70 per cent of the annual budget of the Nigeria Police Force, more than the Nigerian Army’s annual budget, and more than the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force’s annual budget combined.”

    According to him, it is noteworthy that Security Trust Fund established in Lagos State was typically set up by legislation and managed by a board of trustees drawn from government and private industry.

    As part of its recommendations to tackle the growing corruption, TI called for a ban on the use of security votes to be accompanied by legislation specifying budgetary procedures and criteria for security expenditures to meet international best practices.

    “The Federal Government and Nigeria’s international partners should work with state governments to established Security Trust Funds as a transitional measure. Security Trust Fund best practices should be enshrined in an Act passed by the National Assembly, to ensure that their funds are used accountably and in the public interest.

    “The Lagos State Trust Fund could be drawn upon as a model. To succeed, these funds must be professionally managed, cost effective, transparent and free from political and security force interference,” IT said.

  • Falana to governors: meet Buhari on policing

    Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the 36 state governors to request President Muhammadu Buhari to convene  an urgent meeting of the Nigeria Police Council to deliberate on the organisation, administration and general supervision of the Police.

    He said the meeting should design strategies for effective policing of each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    In a statement issued yesterday in Lagos, Falana said he suggested the meeting in view of the worsening security situation.

    The Lagos lawyer based his request for a meeting of the governors and Buhari on seven legal grounds.

    According to him, “The Nigeria Police Council is one of the Federal Executive Bodies established pursuant to Section 153 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended;

    “By virtue of Paragraph L, Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution, the council is constituted by the President, the governor of each of the states of the Federations, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission and Inspector-General of Police;

    “The functions of the council include the general supervision, organisation and administration of the Nigeria Police Force and other matters relating thereto;

    “The council is also required to advise the President on the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police in accordance with section 215 (1) of the constitution.”

    Falana added: “But due to the failure of the council to hold regular meetings in line with the provisions of Section 159 of the Constitution, its functions have been performed exclusively by the Presidency since civil rule was restored in the country May, 1999;

    “Instead of insisting on  joint control and management of the Nigeria Police Force with the President as envisaged by the Constitution, the 36 state governors are currently campaigning for the establishment of State Police, thereby giving the impression that what we have in place is a Federal Government Police Force; and that

    “It is doubtful if the governors are familiar with the case of the Attorney-General of Anambra State V Attorney-General of the Federation (2005) 9 NWLR (Pt 932) 572, wherein the Supreme Court held that, “The Constitution in section 215 subsection (1) clearly gives the Governor of Anambra State the power to issue lawful direction to the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, in connection with securing public safety and order in the state.”

    He said like majority of concerned citizens, he has watched with dismay and frustration, the unabated killing of thousands of innocent people, including children and the wanton destruction of properties by terrorists, herders, kidnappers, armed robbers and other bandits.

    “Having taken over the monopoly of violence the armed gangs have continued to unleash mayhem in various communities despite official assurance that the Federal Government is committed to the protection of the life and property of every person living in Nigeria.

    “In view of the worsening security situation in the country, I am compelled to call on the 36 state governors to request President Buhari to convene  an urgent meeting of the Nigeria Police Council to deliberate on the organisation, administration and general supervision of the Nigeria Police Force with a view to designing strategies for effective policing of each state of the federation and the FCT,” he said.

    Falana told the governors to take advantage of the proposed meeting to direct the Attorneys-General of all the states of the Federation to embark on the immediate prosecution of the hundreds of suspects that have been arrested by the combined teams of the Police and the Army for culpable homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery and arson which are state offences.

     

  • Buhari wades in governors, FAAC row

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has waded into the deadlock in the meeting between the Federation Accounts and Allocation Committee (FAAC) and the governors.

    Nigerian Governors Forum Chairman and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun briefed State House correspondents yesterday after a meeting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Yari said: “Initially, it was supposed to be a private meeting, but it has turned to be official. We were supposed to hold the FAAC meeting since last week, which became deadlock. That is why I came to discuss with the President.

    “And in further discussion, the Chief of Staff decided to invite the minister so that we can discuss further and to know how best we can deal with the issue at hand.”

    Asked whether there is any headway, he said: “Yes, there is headway because the President and the Minister of Finance will meet with NNPC officials, where the problem is so that we will solve it.”

    On the fruitfulness of the meeting, Mrs. Adeosun said: “As you know, the FAAC meeting was inconclusive last Wednesday and since then, we have been having series of engagements between ourselves, governors, the commissioners and the various stakeholders.

    “Today’s meeting was for me to brief the governors and the Chief of Staff, and by extension, the President on the progress we have made so far on our position. The President has promised that he is going to take the next step and to that extent, we were very successful.”

    Asked if the NNPC finances are not under the TSA, she said: “They are. Every agency is in the TSA. You know FAAC is unique. All the revenue generating agencies make their returns every month in FAAC. And those returns are net of their expenses. So, it is in the area of expenses where we have dispute.

    “It is not in the gross revenue. The area of dispute is what has been deducted from the gross revenue to give us the net, which is brought to the FAAC account.

    “But I think this is a healthy process. We must be satisfied with figures before we sign up. We must as stakeholders ensure that all our agencies are aligned with the programmes of the government in terms of getting this economy really moving. It is more of reconciliations than stand ups. I’m sure we will have the FAAC in the days or so resolved.”

  • Governors to Buhari: sack security chiefs if they can’t stop killings

    The 36 state governors say they will ask President Muhammadu Buhari to sack security chiefs if they cannot stop the current wave of killings in the country.

    But the governors first want to interface with the security chiefs to let them “understand where we are and how this thing (killings) is depleting the relationship among the citizens”.

    Their chairman, Abdulaziz Yari, said yesterday in Jos, the Plateau State capital that the security chiefs must keep going  or “else, we have no option than to ask the President to relieve them,” of their responsibility.

    Yari, governor of Zamfara State spoke when he led a delegation of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to Jos to commiserate with Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau on the recent murder of 86 people in parts of the state by herdsmen.

    The killings occurred  in Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Jos South Local Government Areas of the state on Sunday, June 24.

    The governors stressed the need for an immediate end to the killings lest the killers turn on the rulers in the  course of time.

    Yari said:“We want to come together as a family to fight this menace because the killers are everywhere. How can we watch these evil people killing our people ?

    “We encourage Mr. President that whoever is found wanton in these killings should be brought to book.

    “In my state, I said  I will step down as chief security officer because the situation was so tight for me over the killings and incessant attacks on my people.

    “We must do something as leaders now;if not, the killers will soon come after us the leaders of the people.

    “We encourage you as governor not to lose focus.Plateau state has been enjoying relative peace over the years under your administration, but all of a sudden these killings took place.

    The Zamfara governor said the NGF  would not relent in ensuring that the security agencies are up and doing.

    “We are going to, very soon as we have agreed collectively, have a one-day interface with the security chiefs, to ensure that they understand where we are and how this thing is depleting the relationship between the citizens and as a nation the threat that we are under, as we are under a time bomb as leaders,” he said.

    “They (security chiefs) should do their jobs perfectly or else, we have no option than to ask the President to relieve them, that’s the only point.”

    The NGF Chairman said Zamfara alone experienced  115 attacks between March 1st and June 1st, 2018, which he said claimed the lives of 435 persons.

    He donated  an undisclosed amount of money to the state to help alleviate the plight of the injured persons and those displaced.

    Also speaking, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State expressed the support of all governors for Lalong at this point in time.

    “We are with you in this fight, don’t lose focus,” he said.

    “What we are lacking in this fight is the unity of  purpose.”

    Lalong thanked his colleagues for their visit and declared that “no one has any reason to take somebody else’s life.”

    He vowed that the perpetrators of the killings will be fished out and be made to face the consequences of their action.

    “We will make efforts to fish out the perpetrators of this evil act. We are not going to sleep over this.We pledge  not to betray the thrust bestowed on us by the people of Plateau state.

    “I urge you as go to continue praying for us leaders and the state in general.”

    Also on the NGF delegation were Governors Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi  Okowa  (Delta).

  • Salaries may be delayed over FAAC deadlock, Says Adeosun 

    …Says NNPC’s explanation on cost not justified

     

    The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun on Thursday warned that if the issues that led to the federation accounts and allocation committee (FAAC) meeting with governors that ended in a deadlocked is not resolved; salaries might be affected in the states.

    The committee members of FAAC, she said, felt that some of the costs presented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) couldn’t be justified hence have decided that rather than approve the accounts, the negotiations continue until the agreements are reached.

    She also explained that President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, have been fully briefed and have supported the Ministry of Finance and the commissioners of finance not to approve those accounts until further explanations on some of the cost being implemented are given.

    The revenue sharing meeting had ended in a deadlock on Wednesday for the third time since January 2018.

    Read Also:FG receives N263.28bn from FAAC allocation in Feb – NBS

    The National Economic Council (NEC) presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has demanded explanations from the NNPC for unclear costs the corporation made from FAAC.

    State Commissioners of Finance, who had converged on Abuja with the expectation to collect their states’ share of the monthly allocation, reportedly walked out of the FAAC meeting as they protested the deductions.

    Adeosun, who chairs FAAC, said she brought the matter to the NEC chaired by Osinbajo, with State Governors, Central Bank Governor, and others as members.

    Briefing the State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting, Adeosun said “Also in my capacity as chairman of FAAC, I briefed governors on the deadlock that we have got currently in the federation account and explained what happened. And there was quiet and extensive debate on what to do.

    “For the purpose of this briefing, we operate NNPC as a business, we have invested public capital in that business and we have expectations of return and when that return fails lower than our expectations then the owners of this business which in this case is the federal government and states need to act. So, that was what caused the deadlocked yesterday (Wednesday) and we really felt the figures the NNPC was proposing for FAAC were unacceptable. We felt that some of the costs couldn’t be justified and so we have decided that rather than approve the accounts, we will go back and do further work.

    “So further negotiations and interactions is going on with NNPC as we speak. However, we did briefed both Mr. President and Mr. Vice President on the deadlock and asked for their support and their forbearance in this because the consequence of this is that, salaries might well be delayed in many states as a result of this. But we feel that in order to get to the accurate figures that we need, we have asked for forbearance and the governors and the federal government are all in agreement that we need to get to the bottom of those figures.

    “In particular, now that the oil price is now $76 per barrel in the spot market which means that bonny light is about $78, we want to be aggressively putting money away into the excess crude account. So we are very conscious that this period, this window of relatively high oil price might not last and we will like to be able to save. If we cannot get into the federation account the sort of revenues we are expecting then we will not be able to save. So it was a very important point really underscored by all the governors and they really want action taken and they are fully in support of the positions of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the commissioners of finance not to approve those accounts until we get further explanations on some of the cost being implemented.

    On the exactly issue with the NNPC, Adeosun said, “Based on oil price, oil quantity you can pretty much calculate what you are expecting to see in the federation account and if the figure is less, then the right question that any stakeholder must ask is why.

    “So we have been going back and forth with NNPC to try and understand these figures before we can accept them. Remember that the FAAC figures have to be formally accepted by the federation-account committee and we were simply not comfortable with the quantum of some of the deductions made and therefore we could not approve those figures. So even as we speak, there is an interface going on between the commissioners forum, ministry of finance, office of the accountant general, CBN and NNPC but we hope to be able to convene FAAC within next few days.”

    While giving updates on the balances of the federation accounts, Adeosun said, “Items to note on the excess crude account is that in May we had an additional credit of $80.6 million that accrued into the excess crude account.

    “The balances on the excess crude account $1,916,742,289.60, stabilization 18,892,864,216.65, Natural Resources N133, 715,427,387.37.”

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, who briefed the press alongside Adeosun, disclosed that the NEC approved the financial report of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), for 2016 and update for 2017.

    He said the report indicated a positive profitability over the past five years, at about $8m per year; and $1.25m as assets at a rate of 6.6% return on assets.

    He said, “At the meeting today, we did take the annual reports and accounts of National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the year ended 2016 and an update on 2017 activities.

    “The main issue was the NSIA report on five years so far of profitability in all forms with core profits of about N26.28 billion which is about $88 million in 2016. NSIA also reported that the total profit on that management was about $1.25 billion for most part of the year but they had received an extra of $250 million that was received in the third quarter of 2017.

    “It also did report that the returns on assets was up to 6.6 per cent in dollar terms which we considered to be quite good in terms of returns. It is actually shifting its focus now to infrastructure and direct investment locally in the country which is of great benefit to us as a nation.

    “The 2017 activities of the NSIA also include the implementation of Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) in 2017. They commenced the construction of free health projects in Lagos, Kano and Umuahia, Abia State. They continued with the work, the funding of the work on the second Niger bridge in which they had been involved in the past.

    “They also did invest and own 13 per cent of Bridge Academy Ltd, a network of schools which delivers high quality affordable primary education to lower income earners and it is hoped that they will do that too in other states of the federation.

    “They also did invest in Babagona, an agricultural franchise, that empowers small holder farmers across the country, and in 2018, they intend to focus on executing infrastructure investment across the nation which includes roads, investment in agriculture and health.

    “We are hoping that all this will impact on infrastructure development and development of industrial real estates across the country. Council eventually resolved that the account of NSIA presented to us should be approved and council so approved.”

    The NEC also resolved that a Committee comprising Governors of Kano, Osun, Delta, Anambra, CBN Governor and the Minister of Education should look into what needs to be done urgently in the education sector at the State level and report back to the Council.

    The minister of education said this was in recognition of the fact that more investment is needed in the education sector, while emphasising that collaboration among the Federal, States, Local Governments, Private Sector and Development Partners is very necessary, as the standard of basic education at the State level has fallen drastically.