The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Invitation

  • Senate to CEOs: ‘honour our invitation or we arrest you’

    The National Assembly (NA) has reiterated its stand to  arrest any Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who fails repeatedly to honour summons by its committee, describing the act as an affront on the National Assembly.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Samuel Anyanwu, reiterated this position in a chat with newsmen on the sideline of the just-concluded retreat of the National Assembly Committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions in Lagos.

    Senator Anyanwu said:“I advise that each time you are invited, you come, if not the legislators can frustrate you.

    “If you are invited a couple of times and you do not appear, it is an affront on the committee; we will issue a warrant of arrest, it is in our Constitution in Sections 88 and 89. The Senate and the House of Representatives have every power to summon anybody in this country to give evidence in a matter they are handling.

    “For instance, if the CEO of an organisation is being invited, all the members of the Assembly are present. We are not there for nothing. We have sworn an oath to protect all manner of people,”he said.

    Commenting on the incessant invitations, Senator Anyanwu said: “What if it was a court case; would they not have been going to court multiple times before a judge? I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

    Recently, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA) called on the legislative arm of government to restrain its committees from what it described as “brazen attack on enterprise right” until the Supreme Court determined the case brought before it which sought clarification on the scope and extent of the constitutionality of investigatory authority/powers of the lawmakers in Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

    In a press conference by NECA in Lagos, its Director-General, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo, said there had been an unhealthy increase in the incidence of unwarranted investigations by the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, through countless various committees and ad-hoc committees into any aspect of the private sector’s operation that catches their fancy.

    Oshinowo said NECA has already dragged the House of Representatives to court over frequent summoning of companies’ CEOs.

    According to him, their actions  have undermined business sustainability and growth.

  • State Police an invitation to anarchy, says Mbu

    State Police an invitation to anarchy, says Mbu

    Former Commandant, Police Staff College  (PSC), Jos, Plateau State, Assistant Inspector General of Police  (AIG) Joseph Mbu (rtd) has described the call for state police as an invitation to anarchy.

    Mbu spoke at Effraya in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River  State  at the weekend at a reception held in his honour by the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC).

    According to the retired police chief, it was safer for only the Federal Government to be in control of the police than to have 38 ‘authoritarian people’ – 36 states, FCT and the Presidency.

    Mbu lamented that the police job was being hijacked by different people, urging those in authority to be aggressive in reclaiming the agency’s glory.

    He said: “The police job is being hijacked now by every Tom, Dick and Harry. Those in authority should know what to do, be aggressive about it and restore the glory of the police.

    “State police is an invitation to anarchy. It is impossible. I say so because I have been best opportuned to serve as Commissioner of Police (CP) in five states and AIG of two zones. It is better for us to have only one person who is authoritarian than to have 38. There will be anarchy.

    “It is better for the Federal Government to remain in control of the police. Then, the allocation that is given to the Governors as security vote should not be looked at as though it is their right. That money is supposed to be utilised effectively by assisting the police and other security agencies in their respective states.”

    “If such money get to the local government, the chairmen must use it to support the police. A situation where a local government chairman does not even know the DPO of his place cannot go well. Even at the state level where Governors send their SA on Security to be meeting or discussing with the Commissioner is very wrong. The Governors and the CPs must work together for better security. That is what they should do instead of canvassing splinter groups.”

    Advising young officers to shun bribery, indiscipline, Mbu said that they should embrace God and remain committed to doing good.

    “As a human being you must be determined and committed to doing the right thing. You have to do your job with passion and when you do that, God will bless you. If you want to be a courageous policeman, you must be upright.

    “Young officers have heard or read about me and so if they want to be like me, they must shun corruption and indicipline. You cannot take money and fight crime.

    “Once you take money, you are compromised. But if you remain firm and shun corruption, God has a way of compensating you. God has compensated me and I am very happy with that.

    “I decided to join the police after my NYSC. I was serving in Jos, then, they have not established the academy. I saw them and liked their uniform and that was how I went in.  I have no regrets. If given the opportunity to serve again, I will still do the things I did,” said Mbu.

  • Eagles’ invitation: It’s an amazing dream, says Edjomariegwe

    Eagles’ invitation: It’s an amazing dream, says Edjomariegwe

    Super Eagles invitee Tony Edjomariegwe has described his invitation to the national team as an amazing dream.

    The Nasarawa United midfielder was included among the 25 players invited for the double header Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Congo and South Africa this month.

    The Super Eagles head coach made the release on Friday.

    In an exclusive interview with NationSport, Edjomariegwe believes his time has come to play for the Super Eagles as he said he will use his talent to help Nigeria secure the qualification for the AFCON.

    He thanked God and the technical crew for the invitation adding that he will prove himself to justify the confidence reposed in him by the technical crew.

    “My brother it is an amazing dream and dreams come through. I thank God,  the management and technical crew of the Super Eagles for this opportunity. It is the dream of every player to play for his country and I really appreciate it,” Edjomariegwe told NationSport.

    “I will cherish this opportunity for a very long time because this kind of opportunity didn’t come so easy. I try my best not to disappoint the technical crew and Nigerians in general. I will justify the vote of confidence reposed in me. This invitation is not for play at all.

    “The invitation shows that my time has come to play for the Super Eagles. I believe that if God says it is your time and you are favoured. God will definitely crown your efforts. It is not all about the way you play, I have some of my teammates that have been playing for the national team before. All I can say is that my time has come and my time is now.”

  • Ighodaro delighted with Eagles invitation

    Ighodaro delighted with Eagles invitation

    Osaguona Ighodaro has been rewarded for his imperious display this season after he was named in the provisional squad list for vital African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa in September.

    The Enugu Rangers striker has admitted that he was surprised by the call up, but has vowed to justify the confidence reposed in him by the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF).

    ”I am happy to be invited for these games. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting the call up. I learnt about the invitation like everyone else; I found out when the list was made public on Tuesday,” Ighodaro told SL10.ng.

    ”Though it came as a surprise, it would motivate me to work harder. Assuming I had been expecting an invitation, I would have been more relaxed. Getting this news is the highlight of my entire professional career which I started six years ago.”

    The Nigeria Professional Football League joint highest goalscorer is the only uncapped striker that has been named on the roster, but he is unfazed by that statistic.

    ”Experience is needed in football. A lot of professionals are coming for these games, so I am praying to have the opportunity to prove myself to the coaches. I believe they invited me because I am doing well and I thank God for this opportunity because when he says it’s your time, nobody can stop you,” he concluded.

    Osaguona Ighodaro has smashed 13 goals for Enugu Rangers so far this season.

  • …invitation excites striker

    …invitation excites striker

    3SC striker Gbolahan Salami has promised “to go places” with the home-based Eagles after he was handed a recall for CHAN 2014.

    Coach Stephen Keshi has recalled Salami for next week’s training camp for next year’s CHAN in South Africa.

    Salami told MTNFootball.com he was surprised but thrilled to return to the national team setup.

    The Shooting Stars forward said: “I am so happy to be invited to the CHAN 2014 squad and I promise to deliver and make the final squad that will feature in South Africa next year.

    “I have been looking forward to return to Eagles and now that I have got the opportunity, I will give my best and with the experienced coach we have now, who has brought the best out of home-based players, I know we are going places.”

    Salami featured for the Nigeria ‘B’ team to win the 2010 WAFU Cup.

    He also represented the country at U20 and Olympic team levels.

    In the meantime, Salami is among the players who have stayed put at relegated Shooting Stars ahead of the kick-off of the Nigeria National League season next month.

    Others retained are Biodun Akande, Francis Edem, Okiki Afolabi, Taofeek Adepoju, Diran Oyelade, Sylvanus Ebiaku, Talabi Olumakinde, Thomas Adesina, Seun Akinyemi, Babangida Mohammed Adewale, Samuel Akinbinu and Yomi Adigun.