Dignitaries from all walks of life on Wednesday stormed the Ikenne, Ogun State, home of the late ex- Premier of the old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, for the burial of his wife, Hannah Idowu Dideolu ( HID) Awolowo, who died in September 19.
Former All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman Lai Mohammed has asked a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja to stop the People Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, from further publishing “libelous” statements against him.
Mohammed, through his counsel, Wahab Shittu, prayed Justice Toyin Ipaye to grant his prayer as a matter of urgency.
The Minister of Information had on October 12, 2015 filed a N500 million suit against Metuh before the court, alleging that the PDP spokesperson defamed him in a statement issued on September 20, 2015.
He claimed that Metuh accused him of embezzling the funds meant for fencing of an airport in one of the APC-controlled states in the Southwest.
Metuh was alleged to have accused Mohammed of having obtained money to supply ambulances to one APC-controlled state in the Southwest, but which he allegedly failed to supply.
At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, Mohammed brought an application dated November 8, 2015, urging the court to “refrain the defendant, his agents, groups or associations from further publishing a libellous writing against the applicant pending the hearing of substantive suit”.
“We need a stop gap of this court. The claimant is accused of corruption and embezzlement, meaning the claimant is a fraudster and an economic saboteur.
“This is a claimant who has not been arraigned or found guilty of any corrupt practices and a legal practitioner of great standing. He is currently serving as Minister of Information.
“The claimant’s legal right has been violated and is threatened by the defendant who seems to be on rampage. The defendant should be restrained from further publication of libellous statements,” Shittu posited.
But Emeka Etiaba (SAN) counsel to Metuh urged the court to strike out or dismiss the application of applicant for incompetence.
“The application was not served within five days and there are no facts supporting the alleged libellous statement against the claimant.
“It was also not duly signed by the deponent, but the signature of the deponent was scanned…” Etiaba argued.
The trial judge adjourned the matter till November 23 for ruling.
END
The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday said it will not renege on its promise to pay N5, 000 each to 25 million vulnerable Nigerians.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this in a statement on Friday.
APC insisted it had devised creative means to fulfil its electioneering promises, including payment of social security allowance to the unemployed.
The statement said, “The non-implementation of the payment policy so far is due to the fact that it was not included in the 2015 budget.
“The Muhammadu Buhari administration has been busy putting in place measures that will make it possible to start the implementation of this project.
“Such measures include the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
“We are happy to inform Nigerians that as at the end of September 2015, over N1.4 trillion which hitherto was lying unproductive in various commercial banks has been recovered. The money had been lodged in the TSA.”
The present administration, according to the party, was poised to embark on a massive infrastructure renewal programme.
The All Progressives Congress on Saturday described the verdict of the Rivers State governorship election petition tribunal that nullified the victory of Nyesom Wike in the April 11 governorship election in the state, as a deadly body blow to impunity and hooliganism.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said the tribunal’s ruling has shown clearly that the era of impunity and hooliganism is over, and that the only way for elections to have legitimacy is for them to be free, fair and credible.
”What has come across from this judgment is that there is no shortcut to free, fair and credible elections. This is part of the wind of change that is blowing across the land and touching all arms of government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
”Elections are about the expression of the will of the people, and they must always be free to express themselves, irrespective of what some desperate politicians may feel,” the party stated.
According to the APC, politicians, especially those seeking or occupying elective office, must realize that they can only derive their legitimacy from the people, and that unless they respect the wishes of the people, they will not go far.
The party hailed its governorship candidate in Rivers, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, for his doggedness and strong conviction in the pursuit of his petition against the election of Wike that was not only marred by widespread violence and electoral malfeasance, but also acknowledged to be fraught with irregularities by local and international observers – and now by the judiciary.
The screening of ministerial nominees into the Federal Executive Council enters day two on Wednesday.
The Senate on Tuesday screened 10 ministerial nominees, including a former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Lt. Gen Abdulrahman Danbazzau, Chief Audu Ogbeh and the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
On Wednesday Another set of nominees will meet the Senate and reel out their programmes for Nigerians.
Those that will be screened on Wednesday are – former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, Dr. Chris Ngige, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Abubakar Malami (SAN), Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Barr. Solomon Dalong, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Senator Hadi Sirika and Barr. Adebayo Shittu .
THE NOMINEES:
Babatunde Fashola:
– Lagos success a team effort.
– Police decentralization is a must.
– Encourage diversification of economy through productivity.
– I don’t sign cheques or fix prices.
– Nobody has said I have corruptly enriched myself.
– Concept of loyalty is a very strange one. If tested you may be asked to take a bullet for your son.
– Nigerians invest more money outside the country.
– Nigeria needs loans that will grow the economy.
– Security is the toughest task any government can possibly take.
Dr. Ibe Kachikwu
– 50% of NNPC subsidy charges come from kerosine.
– Refinery has a lifespan of 50-60 years depending on maintenance.
– Nigerians to get free cylinders next year.
– PH Refinery operating presently at about 67% capacity.
-No routine maintenance in refineries in 10 years.
– No new PIB for now.
– Contracts processes in NNPC not transparent.
– Senators will get monthly report on NNPC and the petroleum industry as a whole.
– All requests or grants for refineries will be reviewed.
– NNPC is not owing salaries.
– There is massive fraud in subsidy scheme.
– I will support NNPC unbundling.
– NNPC has one of the best retirement packages in Nigeria.
Abubakar Malami
– Our laws cannot develop without input from National Assembly.
– Justice administration is incomplete without financial independence of the judiciary.
– There is development in justice administration, but there is need for greater collaboration among the three arms of government.
-No person should be detained in criminal matter beyond a period of three months before they are arraigned.
-Justice administration in respect of criminal cases provides that cases must be determined within 180 days.
– Prisoners should be made to acquire vocational skills while serving their terms.
Dr. Chris Ngige
– We introduced the first health committee in the Senate.
– We promoted primary health care service.
-Buhari is ready to serve Nigerians.
Aisha Alhassan
– My nomination is not a compensation for losing governorship election.
-Corruption has little or nothing to do with money.
-The bar and bench are key players in the corruption of the judiciary.
Solomon Dalong
– Criminal justice in Nigeria has a long history.
– There is need to reduce prison congestion.
-Lawyers must live up to expectations.
– Cattle rustling has international connection and must be tackled head on.
– We must have a clear perception about corruption.
-Over-dependence on oil makes Nigerians lazy.
– Nigeria prison system is punitive.
-Corruption cannot be reduced to opinion, it should be defined by act of the National Assembly.
Kemi Adeosun
– Non-oil sector is growing.
-We must implement strategies to improve IGR
-Identify sources of revenue leakages and plug them
-We must stimulate our economy
-Set aggressive targets to plug revenue leakages
-TSA reduces borrowing capacity.
-TSA improves visibility of revenue.
– We need FID to create employment.
-Nigeria a huge consumer market.
– In 2005, Ogun was ranked 35th out of 36 in worst states to do business.
-We cannot continue to spend 78% of our budget on recurrent expenditure.
-We need to look for other sources of funding.
ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed has sued his Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) counterpart, Olisa Metuh, at the Lagos State High Court for alleged libel.
He is demanding N500 million damages from Metuh for authoring and issuing a “malicious” press statement that was injurious to his reputation.
The claimant, through his lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said the PDP spokesman wrote and widely circulated a press statement on September 20, which contained libellous materials, entitled: Assault on democracy: ‘Address issues’ – PDP replies APC… Insists democracy sliding under Buhari.
In the statement, Metuh described Mohammed as “being ethically challenged” and “embezzling funds meant for fencing of an airport in an APC-led Southwest state”.
He also accused the APC spokesman of “fraudulently refusing to supply ambulances after collecting money from another APC Southwest state.”
Metuh’s statement added: “It is then a comedy of roles when Alhaji Lai Mohammed speaks on corruption, a topic he practices and has well learnt, being personal aide to one of the most corrupt politicians to ever bestride the political landscape of the country.”
Mohammed, a lawyer and former National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) member, served as public relations officer and later corporate secretary at the Nigeria Airport Authority between 1985 and 1988; and as chief of staff to former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu from 1999 to 2002, among others.
Mohammed said he distinguished himself meritoriously and without any blemish in all the positions and responsibilities he held over the years.
Mohammed prayed for an order directing the defendant to publish an apology to him and retract the libellous material in a widely read newspaper for seven consecutive days.
He also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining Metuh, his cronies, or any newspaper/magazine from further publishing or disseminating the libellous materials or something similar.
The claimant said Metuh “wilfully and maliciously made false, destructive and defamatory statements” designed to inflict damage on his reputation and goodwill and expose him to public opprobrium.
The allegations, Mohammed said, were unsubstantiated as neither him nor any of his companies ever embezzled funds meant for fencing of an airport or was involved in a contract to supply ambulances to any Southwest state and any other state.
“The claimant avers that the libellous publication against his person by the defendant is designed to damage irreparably the reputation of the claimant, lower his esteem in the estimation of right-thinking members of the society as well as expose him to shame, ridicule and public embarrassment,” Mohammed said.
He added that by the “defamatory words”, Metuh was implying that he (Mohammed) is a fraudster, a man who must not be entrusted with money, a man of dubious character, a corrupt person and an economic saboteur.
The APC spokesman said the publication has “seriously” damaged his personal and professional reputation and caused him considerable pain, distress and embarrassment, resulting in his suffering loss of esteem.
Metuh, through his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), in response to a letter by Mohammed demanding an apology, stated that the APC spokesman earlier accused Metuh of having “allegations of corruption hanging on his neck from his own party”.
But Mohammed said his statement against Metuh arose from a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and was “not a conclusion of guilt against the defendant in respect of those allegations for which the defendant is required to clear himself”.
Metuh is expected to defend the suit which was filed on October 8.
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Screening of the ministerial nominees is to commence on Tuesday, October 13.
Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki announced the screening date after announcing the names of the nominees contained in the letter from President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the curriculum vitae of the nominees will be circulated to the Senators ahead of the screening.
The nominees are :
Babatunde Fashola
Rotimi Amaechi
Dr Kayode Fayemi
Senator Chris Ngige
Dr Ogbonaya Onu
Malami Abubakar (SAN)
Aisha Jumai Alhassan
Mrs Amina Mohammed Ibrahim
Mrs Kemi Adeosun
Emmanuel Kachikwu
Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazzau (rtd)
Senator Hadi Sirika
Dr Osagie Ehanire
Senator Udoma Udo-Udoma
Ahmed Isa Ibeto
Engineer Sulaiman Adamu
Ibrahim Usman Jibril
Adebayo Shittu
Chief Audu Ogbeh
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Solomon Dalong
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The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lai Mohammed, has said it is too early to judge the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari based on few appointments made so far.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Mohammed said he believes the President will make the right decision on appointments and he will be gender-friendly.
He debunked reports that some members of the APC have expressed disappointments over the appointments made by the President, insisting that the party is happy about the appointment.
“I also read online that some APC leaders, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed dissatisfaction.
“But I can tell you that all the APC members are behind the President on these appointments,” he stressed.
He, however, disagreed with a statement credited to the National Chairman of the party, John Oyegun, that APC will be more involved in future appointments by the President.
“I read the full statement of the National Chairman of my party, and what he said was that, these are personal staff. It’s too early to make a judgment, you do not take part to be the whole.
“Future appointments will be different but these are personal staff,” he said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has listed new instances of the alleged looting of the treasury by some officials of the Jonathan administration, saying the corruption mess that characterized the government was so pervasive that until it is cleaned, Nigeria will not be able to actualize its potentials.
”Those who would rather give comfort to the looters by dismissing the media exposure of looting cases as mere hell-raising should realize that no sane person can be silent in the face of what is unfolding as the worst cases of brazen stealing of public funds in Nigeria’s history,” the party said in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
”On Aug. 16th 2015, we listed some instances of the breath-taking looting of the treasury by some officials of the immediate past Administration. Today, we bring three more heart-rendering cases to the attention of Nigerians. We will not relent until closure has been brought to this issue,” it said, listing the new cases as:
– A mind-shattering 2.2 billion-US-dollar arms scandal.
– A 6.9 million-dollar fraud by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to
President Jonathan, committed under the guise of buying three mobile
stages for the President.
– A 2.5 billion-Naira scam involving the rent of house boats.
”While those charged with handling these cases are finalizing the details of bringing the suspects to justice, our immediate concern is the attempt by the PDP, under whose umbrella the looting took place, to blame the Buhari Administration for the mess and then infer that things have been worse in Nigeria in the past three months under the APC-led federal government than in the 16 years under the PDP. This is totally provocative, shameless and uncharitable.
”They say we are yet to fulfil our campaign promises to Nigeria, but they have forgotten that if only the PDP/Jonathan Administration had not stolen Nigeria blind, there would have been more than enough money to give school children in Nigeria not just one but three meals a day and even pay 5,000 Naira to 50 million most vulnerable Nigerians, not just the 25 million we promised in our manifesto,” APC said
Despite the discovery of alleged cases of corruption under the Jonathan Administration, the APC assured Nigerians of better days ahead, as all its campaign promises will be kept because of the commitment and determination of President Buhari not only to cleaning the Augean Stable but also ensuring purposeful governance for the benefit of all Nigerians.
”It is clear to all Nigerians that the debilitating impact of 16 years of PDP’s misrule cannot be reversed in just 3 months. It is an obvious truth that it is always easier to destroy than to construct, but nothing will stand in the way of the Buhari Administration’s commitment to improving the quality of life of Nigerians and making our country to function again,” it said.
APC said that a major clog in the wheel of faster progress for the new Nigeria under President Buhari has been the discovery that the pot housing the commonwealth has been licked dry by the looters of yesterday.
” Hence, the need to work meticulously to recover the looted funds and facilitate the delivery of good governance that will manifest in abundant jobs, strong economy and improved welfare and security for Nigerians.”
APC said while the PDP presents the recently released data on job creation and economic growth as ‘clear signals’ that President Muhammadu Buhari is failing Nigerians, the party omitted the fact that those numbers are basically a manifestation of the final days of President Jonathan’s economic policies.
”The PDP omitted the fact that these numbers measure job creation and economic growth for the second quarter of 2015, which covers April to June 2015, a period in which President Jonathan was in office for two months while President Buhari was only just settling in to discover even more of the mess left for him to clear. No one in his or her right mind will hold someone more accountable for actions in just one month and exonerate another who was in the same office for two months.
”Since the PDP has become insular to global events, the APC will also like to educate the party that every country in the world is struggling to adjust to the effects of a global downturn at the moment. Only very few countries, if any, are growing as fast as they did, in say two years ago. From China, India, Russia, South Africa, to Ghana, Malaysia and Brazil, every country is feeling the effects of a sustained slowdown in global growth.
”The APC will also like to categorically say that it supports the policies of the CBN in its quest to ensure greater transparency in the Forex market and eliminate currency substitution in our economy. The CBN’s policy to stop cash deposits of foreign currency is in line with global best practices and has led to a drastic reduction in the BDC exchange rate for the Dollar, the party said.
It commended Nigerians for showing absolute understanding and faith in the leadership of President Buhari to change the way that Nigeria has been misruled in the last 16 years, and assured that, in the days ahead, the painstaking efforts of the President will manifest even more than Nigerians have already witnessed.