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Tag: House

  • Rivers Ijaw mothers mobilise for riverine Brick House landlord

    Rivers Ijaw mothers mobilise for riverine Brick House landlord

    THEY  are mothers. They are Ijaw. And from Rivers State. Two days ago,  they gathered at the Atlantic Hall of the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt. The occasion was the Women Convention of the Eastern Delta People’s Association (EDPA). The Women Wing of the EDPA, a non-aligned socio-political group, is led by Mrs Manuela Izunwa. The wing has a strong backer in the wife of former Rivers State Deputy Governor, Sir Gabriel Toby, Dame Christy. She chaired the convention.

    At the meeting, the group’s four-cardinal objectives were stressed. They include: Pursue the protection and preservation of the ideals of equity,   fairness and     justice to enhance the building of an egalitarian society where the Ijaw-speaking people of the Eastern Delta can aspire to any height in Rivers     State; set the agenda for human capacity development of the   women of the Eastern Delta, Rivers State and Nigeria and promote unity, peace and harmony among the people of the Eastern Delta, Rivers State and Nigeria.

    A keynote address by Prof. (Mrs.) Bene Willy Abbey set the tone for the conference. Papers on the theme: “Equity, Equal Opportunity and Political Leadership: Role of Women in Rivers State”  was presented by Mrs. Mina Ogbanga. At the end of it all, the 500 registered women leaders, representing all Rivers Ijaw women spread in ten local government areas adopted a communiqué.

    The key point in the communiqué was a plea to other groups in the state to give the Ijaw the chance to produce the governor of the state after the upland people would have had it for 16 years.

    The politics of Rivers State has been played around a concept referred to as Upland/ Riverine dichotomy.  Before the incumbent, Rotimi Amaechi, who will complete a second term of four years next year, Dr. Peter Odili ruled the state for eight years. Both are from the upland.

    Aspirants from the upland, such as Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike and Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Magnus Abe, have shown interest in the race.

    The women said: “The session reviewed the process of succession in the leadership of Rivers State since the return of democracy in 1999 and as women who have the responsibility to be sensitive to the yearnings of fathers, husbands, brothers and children noted that the political mood of Rivers State today calls for caution, and the need to foster unity, brotherliness, peace and it’s corollary Justice, equity and inclusiveness. To this end, the session, especially appealed to other parts of Rivers State to, as brothers, give the Eastern Delta people (Rivers Ijaws) who live by the coastline, the necessary support and cooperation to produce the next Governor of Rivers State in 2015 in the spirit of equity and inclusiveness.

    The session, being conscious of the fact that our brothers from the upland part of the State have led the state creditably for 16 unbroken years advises that to deny their brothers and sisters from the Riverine axis of the state from producing the next governor will be laying the foundation for injustice and exclusiveness with its attendant consequences. Similarly, the session acknowledged the agitation by other groups to be given opportunity to govern Rivers State notably the people of Rivers South East Senatorial District, which includes the Elemes and Ogonis, as genuine but appeals to them to consider our geo-political history and politico historical conventions and support Rivers Ijaws with the firm belief that other groups will also have their opportunities in future. In the event that zoning along senatorial lines become inevitable, the session believes strongly that there are credible God-fearing Ijaws in all three Senatorial Districts in Rivers State.”

    The women urged the people of the state to participate in the electoral process. They said: “The session reviewed recent political events in Rivers State and expressed concern about rising political tension in the State. While commending Rivers people as peace loving and law abiding, the session condemns in its entirety the introduction of violence and intimidation in the politics of Rivers State and appeals to politicians to go about their political activities with decorum and the fear of God.

    The session advises politicians to know that power comes from God and no force or corruption of the system can give anyone power and thus cautions politicians against making inflammatory statements capable of threatening the peace of the State. Similarly, the session calls on all Rivers women to be vigilant, ensure that they register and vote in the forthcoming general elections to choose leaders who best represent the ideals that River people are known for. The session equally enjoins all Rivers Women to participate in a 21 day fasting and prayer programme in January 2015 to seek God’s face for peaceful and violence-free elections.”

    Dame Toby said: “If any Ijaw woman will cast her vote in the next general election in the state, I, therefore, beg the political parties in the state to pick their candidates from the Riverine area of the state to promote an egalitarian society. Riverine people should have an opportunity in the governance of the state.

    “It is time to define the role of women in the politics of Rivers State. We must make use of optimum opportunity of this gathering to ensure that Ijaw women take their right place in the politics of Rivers state.”

    Prof. Willy-Abbey said: “Today we gathered together for consultation and exchange of information and opinion on tackling the challenges facing the women in Niger Delta, particularly the Eastern Delta region.  We must take over the politics of Rivers State come 2015.

    “Ijaw women must be ready to pack out of Rivers State if they are not considered in the scheme of thing. But, how ready are women to take over position in the political environment of our region? We must be adequately equipped for the battle come 2015.”

    The women’s position is in consonnance with the men in the EDPA.

    An Ijaw activist, Alatubo Charles Harry, recently argued that: “Rivers Ijaws will not sit still and watch idly our posterity and heritage consigned to hewers of wood and fetchers of water in the political matrix of our state.”

    A Kalabari politician, Nimi Walson-Jack, also  said recently: “Upland/riverine dichotomy is something that has been on. We respect the sentiment that has held these two together. Everybody who is well-meaning will decide on the right thing to do at the end of the day.”

    Barisi Benson Nnah of the Centre for Peace and Development in Ogoni, a Rivers State-based non-governmental organisation, believes in the Ijaw cause.

    He said: “The selfish interest of some individuals who want to be governor against collective interest of the Rivers State people made the ongoing National Conference to exclude Bori State or Ogoni State from the list of states being proposed for creation.

    “It is regrettable that the lessons of the over 20 years of the Ogoni struggle for self-determination seems not yet properly assimilated and a golden opportunity as this will slip away and be sacrificed for a mere governorship ambition of some self-seeking individuals pretending to bear Ogoni interests.”

  • House concurs with Senate on N4.695tr budget

    House concurs with Senate on N4.695tr budget

    President Goodluck Jonathan is likely to sign the budget this weekend following the House of Representatives’ concurrence with the Senate.

    The Reps passed yesterday the exact figure that the Senate passed on Wednesday, making it unnecessary to raise a harmonisation committee.

    The estimate is N4.695 trillion.

    But Senator Bukola Saraki said yesterday that the budget may not be effectively implemented because it did not consider a valuable indicator of the nation’s revenue base – the oil production variation.

    Of the total amount, N408,687,801,891 is for statutory transfers; N712 billion is for debt service; N2,454,887,566,702 is for recurrent and N1,119,614,407 is for contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure.

    Education got the highest allocation – N373,532,095 – under the Recurrent expenditure component for various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    This is closely followed by Defence/MOD/Army/Air Force/Navy which got N314,347,339,871; Police formation/Commands got N295,561,812,085. Health got N214,946,652,273; Interior got N145,021,228,363; Youth Development N75,957,608,331; Office of the National Security Adviser N66,625,072,907 and Petroleum Resources N55,706,174,457.

    Figures under the Service Wide Votes and Pensions component show that N30 billion is for general election logistics support; N24 billion for contingency; N30,582,553,824 for payment of outstanding death benefit to civil servants (which is 5% of total personnel cost) and Group Life Insurance for all MDAs has N11 billion.

    With N106,321,293,055, Work came out tops under the capital expenditure components. Power got N59,814,290,389; Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) got N51.1 billion; Education got N50,781,035,231; Health got N49,535,699,601 and Niger Delta N49,403,704,194.

    Others are: Water Resources (N44,206,343,742); Agriculture and Rural Development (N35,551,172,583); Transport (N31,808,108,913) and Defence/MOD/Army/Air Force/Navy (N35.36 billion).

    N268.37 billion was appropriated for Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and N1 billion for 2011 election violence and civil disturbances (damage to properties and places of worship).

    For the debt service and statutory components of the budget, N663.61 billion is for domestic debts; N48.39 billion for foreign debts; N150 billion for National Assembly and N73 billion is for the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    Universal Basic Education (UBE) got N70.47 billion; N49.030 billion is for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with sum of N12.910 billion being additional funds for payment of arrears of fourth quarter; N45 billion is for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); N6.927 billion for Public Complaints Commission and N1.35 billion for the National Human Right Commission (NHRC).

    The budget had a smooth passage – thanks to Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s appeal to members at a meeting on Wednesday.

    Dr. Saraki in a statement yesterday, said: “Today (Wednesday) at the plenary, the Senate considered and passed the 2014 Appropriation bill. During my contribution on the floor of the Senate on the consideration of the report, I drew the attention of the Senate to a lacuna in the budget, which I considered critical to the effective implementation of the budget. My intervention is simple.

    “The Appropriation Act we passed today did not consider a valuable indicator of our revenue base- oil production variation. In other words, our national budget is predicated on oil production and price. So much emphasis has, however, been placed on the bench marked price but little consideration on the production side. In recent times, we have witnessed massive fluctuations in the production level with production going down sharply and other times going up.

    “We have seen production fluctuate from 2.1mbpd to 2.5mbpd and back to 1.8mbpd to 1.9mbpd, all within two years. We have budgeted for on a baseline production figure of 2.5mbpd and ended up with 2.1mbpd average. All of these have impacted on the implementation of the budget significantly. This throws up a lacuna in the budget implementation process which now raises few questions, some of which are: What then happens if there is a significant drop in production? What happens if there is a significant improvement in the production levels?

    “While we may have set a benchmark on oil price (helpful as it may be), we have not set clear parameters on what happens with production fluctuations – a key determinant of revenues. We cannot deal with one and not the other if we want a level of certainty and predictability in our budget. Implementation outcome is a key factor and a stepping stone to the next level.”

  • House halts plot to force 37 APC lawmakers out

    House halts plot to force 37 APC lawmakers out

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal prevented yesterday a major crisis in the lower chamber when he insisted that the case on the defection of 37 lawmakers must run its full course.

    He asked the warring lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to put the interest of the nation above personal interest and not heat up the polity.

    But the Representatives from the two parties retreated to caucus consultations – in case the Speaker’s truce is breached.

    There were strong indications last night that the PDP Caucus in the House met at the behest of the Presidency to push for the vacation of seats of 37 members who defected from the party to the APC.

    The House leadership reportedly stumbled on intelligence alert of a likely rowdy session on Monday’s verdict of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

    It was gathered that the development forced Tambuwal to convene an executive session to iron out issues arising from the judgment of Justice Adeniyi Ademola, which some, particularly in the PDP, misread as saying the court asked the defecting lawmakers to quit their seats.

    It was learnt that the session, which began amidst rising tempers, later reached a consensus to “keep the House united while the case runs its full course”.

    A highly-placed source said: “The Speaker, with whom was his deputy, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, said the House leadership was of the opinion that the Representatives should allow the case in court to run its full course since the 37 lawmakers have gone to the Court of Appeal.

    “Tambuwal asked us to take it easy instead of postulating and interpreting for the court. He said recourse to self-help would not do any lawmaker any good.

    “He also pleaded with us to consider the interest of Nigeria, instead of heating up the polity because of pecuniary gains or partisan politics.”

    The source quoted the Speaker as saying: “We should not lose the sight of the mandate that Nigerians have given us. The way some PDP and APC Representatives are going, we may end up having a divided House, with the nation suffering in the long run. For the sake of Nigeria, let us do our work.”

    The source said the Speaker’s appeasement set the tone for the session where those aggrieved bared their minds.

    A principal officer said: “As members rose to speak, they opened up in unusual manner, leading to occasional shouting down of some of them.

    “The Majority Leader of the House, Hajiya Mulikat Adeola-Akande, found her voice for the first time at the session when she blurted out: ‘It is now everyone is suing for peace, I am the most derided’.

    “My silence is mistaken for weakness, but I am not what you have been thinking. Some of our colleagues went too far against me.”

    The Deputy Majority Leader, Leo Ogor, condemned what he described as recourse to blind partisanship in the House since the defection saga started.

    He explained why he felt bad about the attitude of some members of the opposition, including some of the defectors.

    Another source said: “Ogor recalled that based on the House Resolution, he raised a motion to reinstate a public officer who was unjustly removed.

    “He said he asked the House to summon the appropriate agency but his motion was dismissed even when the House had taken a position on it.

    “He said ‘This is the level partisanship has degenerated to in the House’.

    Minority Whip Samson Osagie pleaded with members “not to mistake the argument for and against a motion as partisanship in the House.

    “He said disagreements are normal in a legislative chamber and everyone should bury the hatchet.

    “At the end of the day, members resolved to work together in harmony and allow the court to be the final arbiter at the end of the day.”

    But, it was not immediately ascertained if the decision of the Executive Session would be acceptable to the Presidency and the PDP.

    It was learnt that the Presidency had asked Mrs. Adeola-Akande to table a motion asking the 37 defectors to vacate their seats.

    Another source said: “We learnt the Presidency and the PDP gave a directive to the party’s caucus in the House to demand the vacation of the 37 seats. But the situation changed with the rapprochement Tambuwal.

    “It was on the basis of the directive from the Presidency that the PDP Caucus in the House met before the Executive Session.

    “No one is sure if the Presidency and the PDP would still remain adamant on this directive.”

    It was gathered that in order not to take things for granted, the APC Caucus in the House also held a meeting after the Executive Session to “draw up a clear strategy in case the PDP caucus breaches the gentleman understanding at the Executive Session.

    “We are trying to strategise on this court case and its aftermath in order not to be caught unaware.”

    Deputy Chairman of House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Victor Ogene (APGA, Anambra) told reporters that the judgment on defections was discussed.

    Ogene denied insinuations that the Speaker was under pressure by either the ruling party or members to declare the seats of the 37 defected lawmakers vacant.

    He said the House during the closed-door session agreed to halt action on court cases till they ran the full course, adding that the decision was based on precedence.

    His words: “There were no pressure on Mr Speaker, if there were, we would have held this closed-door session yesterday but we decided to wait for all the parties in the case to get served.

    “We agreed to allow the different cases in court regarding defections of some members to go through the full course and in arriving at that decision, the House took cognisance of the fact that precedence had been set even before last Friday and Monday judgments.

    “If you recall the case of a certain member that defected from the Labour Party in Ondo State to the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), that matter is still in court, and that member is still participating in the affairs of the House.

    “There are some other instances that fall in that category,” he said.

    He denied reports that Tambuwal and his deputy Emeka Ihedioha filed an appeal against a High Court judgment against 37 lawmakers that defected from the PDP.

    “The two principal officers had no personal or individual interest in the case but were nominal parties to the suit, having been listed as defendants in the case.

    “We noticed that some publications tried to drag the person of the speaker into this. The speaker did not appeal on individual basis. He has no personal interest in the ongoing matter in court.

    Ogene said both the offices of the Speaker and his Deputy “ will address this issue so we shouldn’t try to introduce mischief into the ongoing process, remember that they were made nominal defendants in the two cases.

    “The appeal was filed by the 37 members that defected from the PDP. The National Assembly management as an institution has a right to appeal if they so desire”.

    Aside defection, the lawmaker said members also discussed the growing trend of partisanship in carrying out business of the House during the session.

    Partisanship, he said is tilting the arguments and decisions of members on the floor.

    “We decided to insulate the house from the growing trend of partisanship that is beginning to arise in the House during plenary.

    “We decided that in line with the decision we took during our inauguration, we should keep our parties aside to make good laws for order, peace and development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That is our core mandate as members of the House of Representatives.” Ogene added.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Oke Epia, said deputy Ihedioha “remains a firm and committed member of the PDP and associates himself fully with its ideals, principles, purposes and progress.”

    The statement was issued to “correct the impression conveyed by these publications that the Deputy Speaker is at odd purposes with his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party.”

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Deputy Speaker wishes to clarify that he is just a NOMINAL PARTY in the suit by virtue of his office and counsel briefed by the Management of the National Assembly to represent the House of Representatives as an Institution.

    “The Deputy Speaker will take steps to retain an independent counsel of his choice to take steps to protect his legal interests in the matter.”

  • Doctors in the house

    Doctors in the house

    The College of Veterinary Medicine of the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, has  inducted its fresh graduates. ABIOLA SOLANKE and TUNDE ADEROUNMU (600-Level Veterinary Medicine) report.

    The men looked resplendent in their well-tailored suits; the women appeared gorgeous in their skirt suits. They are graduates of the College of Veterinary Medicine of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State set to take the oath of their profession to be administered by Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN).

    Of the lot that enrolled six years ago for the course, 26 were lucky to complete the programme.

    They smiled as they were joined by family members, friends and well-wishers for the induction at the Prof Mahmood Yakub Lecture Theatre.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof O.B Oyewole led other principal officers to the ceremony, which was attended by wife of former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola, former General Overseer (G.O) of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Dr Wilson Badejo, VCN officials and veterinary medicine practitioners, among others.

    The Dean of the college, Prof R.O. Arowolo noted that the college had turned out over 130 graduates since inception. He urged the inductees not to tarnish the reputation of the profession. “Always seek for knowledge and make the best of your career,” he urged.

    The VCN president, Prof Garuba Sharubutu, who was represented by a senior VCN official, told the inductees to respect senior colleagues and pay attention to rules as they begin their practice. “One area that the council finds disturbing is lack of respect for senior colleagues and superiors in the profession by the younger ones. You must avoid that. Also, you must be very conversant with the rules governing the veterinary profession,” he advised.

    President of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association Interim Management Committee, Prof Onifade Tomori, represented by Dr Kunle Abiade of Pet Care Services, urged the graduates to improve on the knowledge they learnt in school, saying they must always be conversant with new techniques.

    He said: “The knowledge you have received is just the foundation; you are expected to improve on it. You must be abreast of the trend on the field and make a success of it. You need to continually develop yourself because the practice of today is different from what we had 10 years ago.”

    He added: ”You must uphold the culture of excellence the university is known for.”

    Prof Oyewole said: “Just as you have been advised, you must have mentors and define what you want to achieve with this profession. You need to be courageous and be change agents in your environment. You must distinguish yourselves as professionals and uphold excellence which the university is known for.”

    The highpoint of the occasion was the administration of the veterinary oath on the graduates. The session was performed by Dr Amang Markus Avong, VCN Registrar, who was represented by the Deputy Registrar, Dr Josiah Kantiyo. The ceremony also featured awards of excellence to private veterinary practitioners and fund raising for the furnishing of the newly-built Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

    The best graduating student, Miss Jahsola Quadri, who spoke on behalf of her colleagues, thanked their lecturers and parents for labouring to make their dreams come true. “We thank the management, the college authorities, our parents, friends, and well–wishers for the roles they played in ensuring that we are being inducted today. We specially appreciate our parents for the financial support,” she said.

    She was awarded N50,000 as cash-prize for being the best graduating student.

    Other guests at the ceremony included Dr Tunde Lawal, Managing Director of Turner Wrights Limited; Dr Musa Alasa, Chief Executive Officer of Adamore Nigeria Limited; Dr Tunde Agbato, President, Animal Care Consult; Dr Dotun Sorunke, Director, Ogun State Veterinary Services and Dr O.B. Adedeji of Vet Public Health, University of Ibadan.

     

     

  • From the Villa: Jonathan’s decent houses for Nigerians

    From the Villa: Jonathan’s decent houses for Nigerians

    There is no doubt that rats, cockroaches and other household insects are very destructive and carriers of some deadly diseases.

    These must have informed the support of President Goodluck Jonathan in wiping them out from all human habitation in Nigeria through committed efforts to give Nigerians decent homes to live in.

    It is, however, not too clear if the dislodging rats from houses in Nigeria will really go down well with the ethnic groups in Nigeria that enjoy rats as delicacy. If they are gotten rid of from homes, they may face total extinction or continue to flourish in the bushes.

    While inaugurating 270 flats built by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria at the Aviation Village and the National Housing Fund electronic card in Abuja this month, the President declared that all Nigerians deserve to live in decent houses as he vowed to do everything to improve the living standard of Nigerians.

    To adequately tackle the housing deficits in the country, he said his government is facilitating access to affordable houses through long-term financing and creating enabling environment through appropriate policies.

    He stressed the need for estate developers in the country to concentrate more on delivering high quality houses rather than flooding everywhere with sub-standard, rats and cockroaches-infested mass housing estates.

    President Jonathan said: “I will always advise real estate developers not to begin to think about money for 10,000 or 20,000 units, but small estates that you can manage so that when people go there, they will know that they are in a place where human beings will live and not where human beings will compete for space with rats and cockroaches.”

    Reacting to the remark by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Adulwaheed Omar concerning his friends’ fears that the 270 flats were too small for a President to inaugurate, President Jonathan said: “When my comrade President mentioned that his friend was worried that Mr. President was coming to inaugurate an estate of only 270 housing units, in fact, as he was saying it, I laughed because a number of people don’t know that what makes changes is not the big things we do but the little things we do and do very well.

    “What will transform this country are policies that are workable and sustainable. So, it is not going to be one mega city and the inauguration of a housing estate of thousands of units that will transform a country, but your ability to recreate and replicate these small units across the country.”

    While it is not bad to make sure that rats and cockroaches have no place in new houses being built for Nigerians, it is worth mentioning here that another killer insect in many Nigerian homes which requires the urgent attention of Mr. President, are mosquitoes.

    Even though so much money has been spent on malaria drugs and on insecticide-treated mosquito nets under different programmes, many Nigerian children are still dying from the disease while many production hours are still lost when workers are down with malaria.

    Many countries, including Malaysia, have been able to eliminate malaria from their societies. One hopes that real attention will also be paid towards eliminating the disease in Nigeria.

  • ‘Demolition has ruined us’

    ‘Demolition has ruined us’

    There was confusion among traders in Dutse Market in Bwari Area Council as a result of demolition of the market by the council’s administration.

    Our correspondent gathered that the traders were seen scrambling to rescue their goods even as the bulldozer tore down their shops. People who came to the market to buy things had to go home without buying half of the things they had wanted to buy.

    “You know today is the usual day when many people come to the market to sell their wares. So, with the confusion, some people do not know where to get what they wanted.  I would have expected the demolition to come on a day that is not as busy as today,’’ Ngozi Okeke, one of the people who had come to buy things in the market, said.

    Some traders who spoke with our reporter stated that the council’s idea to modernise the market and bring it to the contemporary standard was a good one, though they lamented that the time given to them to vacate the market was very short for them to afford the money for the shops.

    One of the traders, Mrs. Dorcas Kanayo stated that the new market is commendable, but added that considering the amount for the acquisition of the shops which ranges from N1.5m to N2.5m , the time was too close for them to get the money.

    “I am happy that Dutse Alhaji is going to have a befitting standard market where traders and buyers would feel comfortable to operate. But our concern is that the council should have also considered the traders who would move to the new shops, by giving us enough time to look for the money. They should stop the demolition so that we can run around to gather the money for the shops.

    “For me, I do not have enough money now to acquire one of the new shops when completed, but if we are given up to March, I believe most of us that truly desire to trade in the market will be able to get the required amount,” she said.

    Another trader, Emmanuel Augustine whose shop was among those demolished in November last year, said t since the demolition of his shop, he has been selling outside the market so that he could make enough money to acquire the new shop when completed. He expressed his worry over how he would survive now that the market was being demolished.

    “Since my shop was demolished in November last year, I have been doing my best to make enough money to enable me to afford the new shop in the market that is being constructed. But the truth is that it has been very difficult. I want to appeal to the leadership of the council to consider the plight of the traders by making the process of getting a shop less cumbersome and stopping the demolition.

    “This is where we get our livelihood and many people depend on us. They should assist us by making the processes easy, so that at the end, everybody will be happy and ready to support the government of the council led by Mr. Peter Yohanna,” he said.

  • Lawmakers warn against studying in Cyprus

    Lawmakers warn against studying in Cyprus

    The House of Representatives’ Committee on Diaspora has warned Nigerians seeking admission in Cyprus International University, North Cyprus, to be cautious.

    “From all indications studying in Cyprus International University is not safe and Nicosia North Cyprus is also dangerous for our students,” the committee said.

    In a statement by Oladipupo Akinkunmi Joseph, the Senior Aide to Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Committee on Diaspora, some Nigerians have died mysteriously in the school and at Nicosia North Cyprus.

    The committee said North Cyprus was not recognised by Nigeria and other countries, except Turkey.

    The statement reads: “The Committee on Diaspora is drawing the attention of Nigerians to a suspicious move by the authorities of the Cyprus International University, Nicosia North Cyprus, to lure Nigerian students.

    “The committee warns on the dangers of sending Nigerian students to Cyprus International University, Nicosia, North Cyprus, as Gabriel Soriwe died as a student in the university under mysterious circumstances.

    “Gabriel Soriwe, (20), was a student of Electrical and Electronics at the Cyprus International Nicosia, North Cyprus. The university alleged that he was knocked down by a female drunk driver on July 17, 2013. The university, in connivance with the North Cyprus police, released the driver and shielded her identity from the family.

    “Till date, there has not been a word of condolence to the family. Soriwe’s body was sent as an unaccompanied cargo to the grieving family, without any of his belongings.

    “The Soriwe family has since buried their son and has not been reached by the authorities of Cyprus International University, four months after, and has expressed pain at the callousness of the university authorities.”

  • ‘What did they forget in Government House?’

    ‘What did they forget in Government House?’

    •Residents ask as Ladoja’s, Akala’s posters flood Ibadan

    Ahead of the 2015 gubernatorial election in Oyo State, the likely gladiators are beginning to test their strengths with posters and messages flooding strategic locations in Ibadan, the state capital.

    Former governors Rashidi Ladoja and Adebayo Alao-Akala were the first to hit the streets with their posters which have been generating mixed reactions from the general public since they first appeared around last Christmas and New Year festive period.

    Ladoja, whose tenure was marked by infighting with his deputy Alao Akala on one hand and his godfather, late Chief Lamidi Adedibu on the other hand was elected the governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he fell out with Adedibu who reportedly masterminded his removal to pave way for Akala to become governor. He is now a member and leader of Accord Party (AP) in Oyo State while Akala remains in the PDP.

    Akala’s posters which did not indicate the office he is eyeing in the next general election were prominently displayed along Sabo, Mokola roundabout, Elizabeth road, UI/Ojoo road, Sango, Secretariat road and PDP party secretariat on Queen Elizabeth road. The poster was tagged: “2015: Alao-Akala mbo, Baba mbo” meaning, Alao-Akala is coming, father is coming, as slogan strategically placed under the PDP logo.

    While Ladoja’s own which flooded Sango via Eleyele area was tagged “Emancipation 2015, you are welcome to Oyo State Government House”.

    The sudden emergence of the posters of the two former governors has been generating reactions from the general public with some questioning the wisdom behind it, while others sees it as a welcome development.

    Alhaji Bello Nasiru, a Bureau de Change operator at Sabo area of Ibadan mused: ”I wonder what they forgot at the Government House that they are coming to pick. Both of them contributed in no small ways to our problem before Ajimobi came on board to rectify it. Even, if we are dissatisfied with the status quo, we don’t want old men in that seat again. They should either support a younger candidate or fizzle out”.

    Mr Abass Akande, a businessman who resides in Yemetu area of the state said there was nothing bad if Ladoja and Akala expressed their interests through posters.

    His words: “The duo may not contest but eventually support a neutral person that could take over from Ajimobi in 2015, Ladoja supported Ajimobi in 2011 but he betrayed him,” he said.

    In the opinion of a PDP chieftain, Alhaji Rasheed Adebisi Olopoenia, the two former governors are only advertising themselves ahead of 2015.

    “If they have pointed out that they are vying for the governorship position I would have said that it is too early” he said, “I see their posters as an advertisement of their interest in contesting for a specific position. Anyone can paste poster all around the state and that doesn’t mean he will win, to me it is not a threat”.

    Even though the development has unconsciously put the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and his All Progressives Congress (APC) on the alert, a chieftain of the party in the state, Mr Niyi Adeagbo agrees with Olopoenia that the posters were no threat. According to him, the actions of the former governors were not out of place.

    “It is only normal for everyone irrespective of what platform, intention or ambition to contest any of the elective posts to start showing interest publicly from now,” he said.

    Adeagbo also stated that: “The electorates are wiser now and no amount of propaganda or promises can change the mind of the people against APC and Ajimobi because it is continuity all the way till 2019”.

    But Adeagbo believes that no matter the level of perceived goodwill Ladoja enjoys, Ajimobi and the APC have nothing to fear.

    His words: “We in the APC in Oyo State are ready for 2015 election since we were sworn in 2011. It is only obvious with the high level of development and uplifting we have brought to the good people of our great state. What we have witnessed in Oyo State is real transformation.

    “The government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi has brought excellent governance to the door step of people of Oyo State and the only thing I am sure you can expect in 12 months time is a total vote of appreciation from the good people of the state, by using their votes to say thank you to Governor Ajimobi for him to do more till 2019”.

    But on the contrary, a chieftain of the Accord Party in the state, Dr Nureni Adeniran stated that the posters are a threat to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, stressing that although none of the former governors have indicated the position they are vying for in 2015, but the appearance of the posters indicate that Ajimobi will lose to any of the aspirants the way Otunba Akala did to him in 2011.

    “Anybody has the right to contest for any position in Nigeria, and what happens in the political terrain of this country now is that anybody brings out posters even when they have not been picked by their party. This is just to tell you the number of aspirants that will be contesting, and these posters are not for the electorate but their immediate party members to know that they will be contesting.  Senator Ladoja defeated an incumbent late Alhaji Lam Adesina, while Akala was also defeated by Governor Ajimobi and in 2015 someone will defeat Ajimobi too,” he said.

    However, a graphic designer Adisa Damilare, believes “it is up to the electorate to decide what they want for themselves and shun all these irresponsible politicians”.

    Damilare also dismissed Akala’s chances based on the fragmentation within the PDP.

    The Nation investigation revealed that Akala has been having series of meetings in Ibadan and his home town, Ogbomoso, in order to bring together aggrieved PDP members. At a town hall meeting held at Plaza de Aruna in Oyo in December 2013, he met with some of the members from Oyo Federal Constituency, comprising Afijio, Atiba, Oyo-East and Oyo-West.

    A teacher, who spoke in confidence, believes Akala’s step could yield fruits even though there was no decision yet as to the position he would be vying for. He, however, expressed concern that though the former governor was working according to his love for Oyo people, but “to be truthful all what people want from him is the money he doles out anyhow, bearing in mind that Akala is only spending the money he took from tax payers”.

    As for Ladoja, he said: “There is nothing bad in Senator Ladoja coming back to office, because I believe he did not complete his term in office and his mandate was stolen by the late Ibadan political gladiator, Chief Adedibu and Akala. The workers admire his style of leadership and the masses need him at this critical time when the so called progressive are mortgaging the Southwest states”.

    Another resident who wants to remain unanimous said: “What we are about witnessing in Oyo State politically is what can be referred to as Political Comedy Season 2.

    “Both Akala and Ladoja are expired and tired legs. May Oyo State never witness the setback which the duo stands for,” he added.

    Taking a different stance, the President of Federation of Oyo State Student Union (FOSSU), Ahmad Olansile described perceived interest of Ladoja and Akala in the gubernatorial contest next year as a welcome development and a challenge to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, stressing that the two are political gladiators with support that could win them election again.

    “It is normal and expected of anybody to do that at a time like this, because everybody will want to advertise his own product. The two of them are strong stakeholders in Oyo Sate politics if not Southwest as a whole. However, so much is in the hand of the electorate; so long as the two of them have been tested in the past including the presiding governor, so if any one of them is worth coming back, it will be decided by the good people of the state”.

    Another trader at Sango market, Mrs Juliana Amope, where one of Ladoja’s posters was pasted on the wall behind her, wondered what the two former governors are looking for, she noted that they have ruled the people in the past and if they think the present administration is not performing they should bring in another candidate instead of contesting.

    According to Amope, the people of the state are tired of past governors and godfathers who intend to contest and strongly believe that they should give the younger ones the opportunity to rule the state.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Defections row likely as Senate, House resume

    Defections row likely as Senate, House resume

    A row is likely in the two chambers of the National Assembly over defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The lawmakers are due back in plenary on Tuesday after an end of year break.

    Before they went on recess, 37 members of the PDP in the House of Representatives defected to the APC, giving the opposition party the majority of 172 members.

    Some senators are expected to announce their movement to the APC next week. The PDP is jittery.

    Senate President David Mark said yesterday that the PDP would do its all to halt the defection of its members to the opposition party.

    Mark admitted that the gale of defections from the PDP posed a major challenge – in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan.

    Also yesterday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, said elected representatives who defect to other parties would automatically lose their seats.

    Enang, who spoke to reporters in Abuja, said the consideration of the 2014 budget, conclusion of the Constitution amendment process, amendment of the Electoral Act and the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would top the Senate’s agenda on resumption.

    Mark’s statement, which comes ahead of the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, also fixed for next week, said the party’s leaders would unite to save it.

    The statement quoted Mark as saying: “We will arrest the current situation and save our party from further disintegration.

    “Some Nigerians are talking about Tsunami in the PDP because of the defection by some members of our party holding elective and non-elective positions.

    “But, as leaders, we will not sit by and continue to allow this drift. We shall do the needful and ensure that we save our great party.”

    The Senate President admitted that the development is a challenge but assured that “genuine efforts would be made to reconcile our party men and women and bring peace and unity in the party”.

    He was optimistic that the Senate remained a united family, saying that what affects the welfare and well being of Nigerians would be the interests of the Senate.

    Enang insisted that those who defect from their political parties after they are elected automatically lose their seats since electoral positions are contested on party basis and not on individual basis.

    He said: “The party is sovereign and if one is not granted the ticket by his party, the political ambition of the person suffers a setback.

    “Therefore, when legislators are elected into the National Assembly, they are voted in on the basis of the political party to which they belong and not on individual grounds.

    “It is the political parties who win the elections, and as such the seat belongs to the political party and not the individual.”

    The lawmaker admitted that the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights guarantee freedom of association, and thus “every Nigerian has the right to join a political party, merge with a political party and form an alliance with another political party”.

    On the agenda of the Senate on resumption next week, Enang said the Upper Chamber would give priority to the consideration and passage of the 2014 budget, amendment of the Constitution and the Electoral Act and pass the PIB.

  • Stakeholders seek diversification of economy

    Stakeholders seek diversification of economy

    HOUSE of Representatives Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has urged Nigerians to get involved in the development of the country to enable it overcome the present petro-dollar economy.

    Gbajabiamila spoke yesterday at the second anniversary of January9Collective (J9C) at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja. He represented House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

    Speaking on a topic titled: Nigeria: Beyond Petrodollar- A Realistic Perspective, the Minority Leader said Nigeria would not become better by legislations alone but with the collaboration of Nigerians doing the right things always.

    He said: “There is no amount of legislation that you put in place that will make the country better, if you do not practise what is expected. Legislation will help but it is not going to get us there…

    “If people apply for loans to enable them invest and you demand for somebody father’s head before you grant the loan, is that good for development? How is that possible?”

    “I have a bill in the House which is to prevent bankers from sending young ladies out to solicit for funds, because they want to reach ‘unattainable’ target within six months. The bill came up for public hearing. I was surprised at the calibre of female bankers who came there and spoke against the bill.”

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said it was time the country diversified and developed its agriculture.

    The governor, who was represented by Rev. Adetunji Adebiyi, noted that Nigeria achieved so much when it invested in agriculture in the past.

    Renowned economist and the Chief Executive Officer of Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba, noted that the country had experienced remarkable growth since the 1999.

    He said: “In the last 10 years, the global environment has become really favourable to Nigeria, not just on account of oil but also on account of non-oil commodity. Things have never been this good for the Nigerian economy.”

    The Chairman of Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue Tunde Fowler said Nigeria was the least country in the West Africa sub-region to make money from taxation.

    He said taxation would enable the government to provide essential services to the people and make the environment conducive for investors.