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Tag: Lai Muhammed

  • Govt: looters bury cash in cemeteries

    Govt: looters bury cash in cemeteries

    SUSPECTED looters now bury cash in forests and cemeteries, the Federal Government claimed on Sunday.

    It said the anti-corruption agencies had been inundated with information on how looters resorted to hiding funds, suspected to have been stolen, in their backyards, deep forests and burial grounds.

    Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Lagos on Sunday, said the whistle-blower policy was achieving the desired results.

    According to him, the policy has led to the recovery of more looted funds in many currencies.

    The minister said all the recovered funds were safe and that the government will give full account to Nigerians.

    Thanking Nigerians for their enthusiasm and commitment in helping the government to tackle corruption through disclosure of useful leads to appropriate government agencies, Mohammed said: “Since we launched the whistle blower policy, we have received immeasurable support from Nigerians.

    “Yes, there is monetary reward for any information that leads to recovery of looted funds, but from what we have seen; most of the Nigerians who have come forward with useful leads were driven by patriotism rather than reward.

    “Nigerians, fired by a fervid resolve to help banish corruption from their country, have daily inundated the offices of the appropriate government agencies with valuable information.

    “We have been told how looters have resorted to burying stolen funds in their backyards, in deep forests and even in burial grounds.

    “Thanks to whistle-blowers, it is now clear that a rapacious few have pillaged the nation’s wealth through a vicious orgy of corrupt practices,” he said.

    The minister, however, noted that more funds were in the possession of looters than were available to government at all levels to meets its obligations including paying workers’ salaries and providing social amenities.

    He stressed that the government will not abandon the policy for whatever reason, but will continue to rejig it and make it more effective as an anti-corruption tool.

    The minister assured that as soon as the necessary reconciliation process and the litigation in some of the cases were concluded, government would give full account of the recovered looted funds to Nigerians.

    He re-assured Nigerians who have useful information on looted funds that the government will protect their identities and give them their stipulated reward.

  • Buhari’s case different from Yar’Adua’s- Lai Muhammed

    Buhari’s case different from Yar’Adua’s- Lai Muhammed

    The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that there is no basis for comparing the medical condition of President Muhammadu Buhari and Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

    Responding to reference to his past comments demanding for daily briefing on the health status of Late Yar’adua when the former President  was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia, Muhammed insisted that Buhari is not sick and hospitalised.

    Yar’Adua died in a Saudi hospital without transmitting letter to the National Assembly.

    Mohammed spoke with State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    “I think it was one of the newspapers that said when I was the spokesman of Action Congress (AC) I demanded for hourly bulletin of Yar’Adua’s health and that I ought to be giving hourly bulletin as minister of information on the health of the president. And I said you are comparing Apples and oranges. Mr. President is not ill, he is not in hospital, there will be no need to give anybody hourly bulletin about his health pure and simple.

    “I can assure you that Mr. President is well, is hale and hearty and no cause for concern. The Acting President speaks to him every day and he told you so,” Muhammed stated.

  • Olokun Festival Foundation lauds Lai Muhammed on cultural tourism

    Olokun Festival Foundation lauds Lai Muhammed on cultural tourism

    The declaration made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed that “I can assure you that by January 2016, when we will start rolling out our programmes, we will be able to mop up as many unemployed youths as possible using the cultural platform, what we have decided to do is to cooperate with all states and ask each state to give us 10 cities in their state, 10 festivals and 10 cultural industries,” has received the commendation of Olokun Festival Foundation.

    The promoter Olokun Festival Foundation, Otunba Gani Adams in his reaction to the Minister’s statement made in Lagos on Monday  said: “Ï must confess that this is the first heart cheering and soul lifting policy statement concerning cultural tourism  which ever emanated from this government and communicated to the people via a cultural event  in Lagos ,this is laudable , plausible and commendable “.

    Otunba Adams said that “ It seems there is now a clear vision and direction for cultural tourism promotion of Nigeria not only as an entertainment factor but as an employment generator machine, wealth mobilizer  and poverty extinguisher   going by the   the statement created to Alhaji Lai Mohammed .“

    He pointed out that “Our fortune as a nation lies in our culture which is the totality of our existence.

    We have the ingredients of culture in multitude   It is diverse. It is multifarious. It intertwined. Do we talk of the awesome geographical denotation in each of the regions, the spectacular landscape from the Sea of Lagos to the Plateau in Mamabila of the Taraba, the dessert of Yobe and the thick forest of the South?

    Do we talk of dances, songs, culinary values, sartorial indulgences, language, the visual, the perfuming arts as typified by the classical arts of the National Troupe and our Nollywood? Do we talk also of our exciting life style, our pristine heritage? We have all these in abundance “

    Otunba Adams pointed out that “I am happy and delighted that the present Federal government has come is seeing what the Olokun Foundation has been diligently prompting in the Nigeria since its inauguration and registration “

    He disclosed that “it is the  vision and mission of Olokun Festival Foundation to galvanize and mobilize  people in the South West state including Kwara  to embrace , love and promote their cultural values for tourism benefits that led into identification of 24 Cultural festivals Calendar  which the foundation has be

  • Nigerians must insist on good governance, says Lai Muhammed

    Nigerians must insist on good governance, says Lai Muhammed

    The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Muhammed yesterday painted a grim picture of the nation’s critical sector but assured Nigerians that with the continued support of Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari would bring the desired change.

    Speaking yesterday at the Annual Lai Muhammed Ramadan Lecture series in Oro, Kwara state, the APC chieftain said Nigerians must remain politically aware, demanding for good governance and preventing reactionary forces from sabotaging the change they voted for.

    Muhammed said that President Buhari faces a daunting task of rebuilding from scratch because all the sectors have become nearly comatose saying it is necessary for the new government at the centre to make haste slowly, and get it right once and for all.

    In an x-ray of the sectors, Muhammed said Nigeria’s health sector is worse than the average for African countries. “Let’s look at the statistics, 128 children die in every 1000 live births as at 2013 while mortality from malaria is estimated at 1,157 malaria deaths per 100,000 population, tuberculosis is estimated at 5 deaths per 100,000 population in 2013. About 900,000 children and mothers die each year in Nigeria, accounting for 14% of all maternal and 13% of all under-5 deaths globally, and second only to India.”

    He said Nigeria is still one of the three remaining polio-endemic countries, together with Pakistan and Afghanistan.  ”In addition, Nigeria has the world’s largest burden of HIV-positive newborns, with more than 50,000 children born with positive status each year.”

    In the Education sector, the APC chieftain noted that the current system is failing to equip Nigeria’s children with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in today’s rapidly changing society and economy.

    “The current situation of education in Nigeria depicts large numbers of children that is 10.5 million, remain out of school. Children who are from poorer households, rural areas and are female are more likely not to be in school.

    “Primary school attendance is 44% in the northeast compared to 81% in the southeast. Even when children are in school, a large proportion is not learning. To buttress this fact, nearly half of all children who have completed primary school cannot read a complete sentence,” Muhammed said.

    Muhammed also noted that a large proportion Nigerians live close to poverty line saying though the country recorded some strong economic growth since 2003 with the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaging 7 percent, however poverty rate in the same period has only declined slightly from about 48.4 percent in 2003 to 46 percent in 2010.

    “We do not have the figures of those who live in extreme poverty, which the UN defined as those who live on less than 1 US dollar a day. But from what we can see around us, it will not be wrong to say many of our countrymen and women fall into that grim category.”

    He said women, who constitute about half of the Nigerian population, are particularly worst hit, hence the need to focus the efforts to eradicate poverty among women.

    Muhammed also decried the increasing rate of unemployment among the youths describing it as a “time bomb” and one of the most critical challenges Nigeria faces at the moment.

    “From 8 percent in 1999, Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to an annual average of 13.3 percent in 2000 to 2008, and then increased again after the global crisis to an annual average of 21.66 percent in 2009, to peak at 23.9 percent by 2011.

    “Experts have said that unemployment is escalating in the face of high economic growth due to three reasons: (a) The growth character is ‘jobless’; (b) Existing jobs are being destroyed in the face of growth; and (c) Escalation in other “non-economic” variables associated with unemployment,” Muhammed said.

    He decried the situation where elected officials have been unable to translate growth to increased employment because they have left the task of budgeting, fiscal and monetary policy management in the hands of appointees who then made policy choices that have weakened growth, constrained domestic demand, and worsened unemployment rate.

    Muhammed said the Nigeria will be in trouble if the government does not act in a  ” deliberate, concerted and determined way to turn things around for the better.” He said the challenge is to understand the enormity of the problems and finding a lasting solution once and for all.

     ”The Buhari Administration has the blueprint to tackle the problems that have held down our country over the years. The government has worked out immediate, intermediate and long-term measures to ameliorate the challenges in all critical sectors, even in the face of paucity of funds.”

      He urged Nigerians to continue to play their part by making their voices heard and resisting all the reactionary forces who favour the status quo because it favours them and, above all, giving an unflinching support to President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • More federal lawmakers may defect to APC soon —Lai Muhammed

    More federal lawmakers may defect to APC soon —Lai Muhammed

    The senator representing the Lagos Central Senatorial District, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has predicted electoral victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming general elections.

    Senator Tinubu, who spoke at the 10th Town Hall Meeting of the senatorial district held in Lagos yesterday, assured the audience that the APC would usher in change and engineer development across the country in 2015.

    Her position was reinforced by the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, who was optimistic that theAPC would form government at the centre next year. He was a guest speaker at the event.

    Muhammed based his assumption on what he called the growing popularity of the party across the country in less than one year of its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He said:“In 2007, they gave us only one governor. But six years after, we now have 16 governors. In the House of Representatives, we have majority. In the next two or three weeks, about eight or 10 PDP members will join the APC in the House of Representatives.”

    Urging Nigerians to reject the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the polls, Muhammed alleged that the PDP members in government spent N49 billion on medical treatment abroad last year. He promised an APC federal government would not allow such reckless spending.

    In her address, Mrs. Tinubu stated that by the grace of God and with your active support, the APC will continue to gather momentum and lead Nigerians to a new democratic dawn.

    She said: “As you are all aware, the wind of change from the APC is also blowing through the National Assembly and indeed, the entire country. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) granted our collective request for registration of the APC on July 30, 2013”.

    The senator recalled that on September 17, 2013, a letter formally announcing the birth of the APC and the status of senators of merged parties was read on the floor of the senate.

    “Now, there is no looking back as we strive towards building a strong and enduring democracy”, she said.

    On her activities in the senatorial district, Mrs. Tinubu reported that ”last year, we got constituency projects ranging from N15 million to N21 million in education”. She gave the names of the schools that benefitted as follows: Jibowu High School, N21m; Banjo Primary Scool, Otumara-Ilogbo in Ebute Metta, N20m; Ansar Ud Deen Primary School, Oke Popo, Lagos Island, N15m; and The Holy Trinity Primary School, Ebute Ero, Lagos, N15m – the project was later transferred to Teslim Elias Primary School, Oja-Oba in Isale Eko due to space constraints at the former.

    “The construction and furnishing of one block of three classrooms and VIP toilet at Ire-Akari Primary School, Orile, Apapa Iganmu and Christ Cathederal Church Primary School, CMS, Lagos have been completed and we expect that work should be concluded at other project sites in due course,” she said.

    She said the pioneer trainees under the Youth Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Scheme (YESAS) were given a business start-up kit and a sum of N20,000 each to begin business.

    “In January, this year, the balance of N20,000 was paid to 160 beneficiaries and four additional persons were given N40,000 each, bringing the total beneficiaries to 164,” she said.

    Mrs. Tinubu reported that the bank account of each of the 26 beneficiaries under the ongoing Post-Secondary School Scholarship (PSSS) was credited with the annual sum of N100,000 on November 1, 2013.

    She explained further: “Under our Good Boys’ Programme, my intention was to empower 80 of our young men who are at the crossroad of life. On Monday, July 22, 2013, we empowered 43 of the Good Boys in the Lagos Central Senatorial District to enable them have a steady source of income through various commercial activities”.

    The senator extended her kind gesture to another 37 of the Good Boys and Girls yesterday when they received financial assistance to enable them start a new lease of life as gainfully self-employed persons.

    She told the audience that “constituency projects that I attracted to this senatorial district are ongoing, although I have drawn attention to the delays at the Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Gedegede and the ultramodern market project in Oke-Ira.

    Dignitaries on the occasion included Ojora of Ijoraland, Oba Fatai Aromire; wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola; Prince Abiodun Ogunleye; Chairman, Apapa Local Government, Mr Ayodeji Joseph; Alhaji Mutiu Are; Col Rafiu Are (rtd); Alhaja Abba Folawiyo and Alhaji Musiliu Folami. They also included white cap chiefs, market men and women.

  • Reps to investigate cash- for – defection allegation

    Reps to investigate cash- for – defection allegation

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday commenced investigation into the allegation of cash- for- defection leveled against the Presidency and five members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that defected to the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday.

    The APC through its interim spokesman, Lai Mohammed, has alleged that members of the House of Representatives were offered millions of dollars to defect to the PDP.

    The APC lawmakers that defected to PDP are – Lawan Shehu Bichi ( Kano), Sani Ibrahim Doruwa ( Zamfara), Ibrahim Shehu ( Zamfara), Umar Bature (Sokoto) and Abdusalam Adamu (Kano).

    The House has referred the matter to its committee on Ethics and Privileges to establish the veracity of the allegation.

    The committee is to report back to the House within two weeks.

    The decision of the House was sequel to a motion brought before it by a member, Hon. Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers).

    According to the lawmaker, the allegation was not only a breach of his privilege, but also against the integrity and image of Rep members before their constituencies.

    His motion was met with loud shouts from both members of APC and PDP. While the APC members lauded the move to investigate the allegations, the PDP members shouted, “they should provide proof, they must prove it!”

     

  • APC and challenge of reconciliation in Kano

    APC and challenge of reconciliation in Kano

    Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the rivalry between Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and his predecessor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, and how the All Progressives Congress (APC) Reconciliation Committee led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is brokering truce between the two gladiators.

    The defection of Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to generate ripples in the PDP. Many observers agree that his exit is a loss to the party in its quest to retain power in the state in 2015.

    But, his defection to the APC has also imposed on the party leadership the challenge of reconciliation between him and his predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. Both of them have been locked in a supremacy battle in the Northwest state for over 10 years.

    Before Kwankwaso’s defection, Shekarau had emerged as the leader of the APC in Kano, following the consumation of the merger of the progressive parties. He was the undisputed leader of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), which merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) to form the APC. However, with Kwankwaso’s defection, the power equation changed. The governor instantly displaced his predecessor as the leader of the mega party.

    Shekarau’s supporters are irked by the turn of events. They complained that their leader was not consulted during the negotiation with the governor. They also pointed out that Shekarau may now play a second fiddle under Kwankwaso’s leadership. Since the defection, the two camps have been exchanging tirades in the media.

    It was the carry-over of the 2011 battle. Shekarau had defeated Kwankwanso in the 2003 governorship poll. The election was bitterly contested. He ruled for eight years. However, Kwankwaso bounced back in 2011 as Shekarau’s successor. Thus, the two players perceive themselves as political foes.

    A major event that aggravated the rivalry was the visit to Kwankwaso at the Government House by the APC leaders, when they were wooing him into the party. Although, the APC leaders later apologised to Shekarau for not carrying him along, the former governor felt that he was sidelined. The former governor said it was an attempt to cut his influence.

    Former Edo State Governor John Odigie-Oyegun, who led the party’s delegation to Shekarau, said: “Under no circumstances shall we turn our back on Shekarau, the APC and its leadership in Kano State because the state is critical to the APC. Shekarau is one of the architects of merger negotiations because when there was difficulty in the merger talks, he came up with a solution. Shekarau is very important to the party as he was among those who played a key role in the merger negotiations”.

    According to observers, there was the Buhari angle to the political rivalry between the strong men of Kano politics. They recalled that the frosty relationship between the retired General and Shekarau dated back to his tenure as governor. It was said that in the eight years that Shekarau was in office, Buhari did not pay him a visit, although he visited Kwankwaso, who was elected on the platform of the PDP.

    Party sources disclosed that Shekarau was not happy that Buhari did not protest when his name was not included on the list of chieftains that visited Kwankwaso.

    Thus, his supporters feel that, since Buhari has thrown his weight behind the governor, he had, through his body language, abandoned an old ally.

    Analysts are of the view that the Oyegun Reconciliation Committee has a lot to do in Kano State. The committee has been mandated to broker peace between the two gladiators.

    The rivalry started in 2003. It was the build up to the 2003 elections and the reintroduction of the Sharia legal system. Shekarau, who was a Permanent Secretary, was attending meetings for the resuscitation of the Shari’a law. Kwankwaso objected, saying that the meetings had political undertones. Shekarau maintained that he had a fundamental right to attend the meetings. Consequently, he was removed as a Permanent Secretary and posted to a public school as a teacher.

    Shekarau’s predicament brought him into the limelight. Many people had sympathy for him. They believed that he was unjustly demoted. Many rights groups chided Kwankwaso for the victimisation. Following his redeployment to the classroom, Skekarau retired from the civil service. He joined the ANPP and emerged as its governorship candidatte. Although he lost the primaries to Alhaji Aminu Little, the party insisted on his candidature.

    Shekarau defeated Kwankwaso at the poll because of what analysts referred to as the ‘Buhari factor’. When he assumed office, Shekarau instituted a probe into the Kwankwaso’s tenure.The commission, in its report, indicted Kwankwaso for embezzlement. A White Paper was released to that effect. The probe truncated the ambition of Kwankwaso to re-contest the 2007 governorship election. But, he fielded one of his close associates, Alhaji Garba Bichi, who was defeated by Shekarau. But, in 2011, Kwankwaso defeated Shekarau’s anointed candidate, Sagir Takai.

    Between 2003 and the defection of Kwankwaso to theAPC, it was fashionable for both leaders to accuse one another at public functions. That is why some people feel that political cohabitation may be difficult for the duo, unless there is reconciliation.

    An indication that all is not well with the Kano APC manifested recently when Shekarau and his supporters stormed the party’s national secretariat in Abuja to register their displeasure over the powers conferred on the five PDP governors, who have defected to the party.

    Shekarau complained that the labours of the old APC chieftains were being ignored by the party leadership. He said that the old and new members deserved equal treatment.

    The former governor said: “If a governor comes into the APC today and wants the structure of the party in his state to be handed over to him, we may have to critically look at it. This is because there are structures on grounds in the state before such a governor came in. It is not possible to ignore this reality when you are discussing the terms under which a new person is coming into the party, else there could be confusion”

    But, not all the associates of Shekarau are with him in his battle to maintain the status quo. There is a crack in his camp. Some leaders of the defunct ANPP, including a former presidential candidate of National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa, and Senator Kabir Gaya, have visited Kwankwaso and pledged their support to his leadership.

    But, another associate of Shekarau and former Chairman of the ANPP in Kano State, Alhaji Sani Hotoro, dismissed the delegation to the governor, saying that Tofa and his crew visited the governor in their individual capacities, and not on behalf of the defunct ANPP.

    According to Hotoro, members of the defunct ANPP had written a letter to the APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, about their grievances.

    “It is in the public knowledge that members of the APC coming from the defunct ANPP, Kano State, have on December 18, 2013 under the leadership of our 2011 presidential candidate and former Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau , delivered a letter to the APC interim leadership in Abuja conveying our concern and the way forward.

    “In it, we requested for clarification on the rumour going round that the five aggrieved new PDP governors who decided to decamp to the APC did so as a result of an alleged agreement they reached with a section of the APC leadership that they will be given special privileges that are clearly against all fairness and democratic norms. These included the state leadership of the party, automatic tickets for all their members of the state and national assemblies and also the handling the registration of members.”

    Hotoro said that, as far as “the ANPP section of the APC in Kano State” was concerned, Shekarau remained the leader of the party in the state.

    Will Shekarau group dump theAPC, if the party is adamant on its constitutional provision that confers the leadership of the party on the governors? Hotoro said Shekarau and the other aggrieved members had no plan to defect to other parties.

    It was also learnt that the bickering is rampant among those currently eyeing the Government House in Shekarau’s camp in 2015. Prominent among them are Malam Sagir Takai and Hon Kawu Idris Sumaila, a member of the House of Representatives.

    Kwankwaso has pledged to treat every member of the party with fairness. He also promised to carry everyone along in the decision making. He has urged them to join hands with him for the progress and success of the party.

    The party elders are not relenting in their bid to reconcile the two leaders. A source said that truce is possible, but added that confidence building may take some time.

    Already, party sources said that Shekarau has reconciled with Buhari. The reconciliation, according to sources, was facilitated by former Minister of Agriculture Alhaji Sani Zango Daura. A deal was struck that Shekarau should drop his presidential ambition for Buhari, the source added.

    Currently, Odigie-Oyegun and his team are in Kano. The former Edo State governor has said that both leaders will work together for the party in an atmosphere of oneness. The APC interim Publicity Secretay, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, also said that the APC will not neglect crisis resolution.

    “To take care of some of the grumblings and protests that may come up in the affected states, we have set up some committees that will take care of the concerns of our leaders in those states and ensure a seamless integration of the new members. The committee will take care of whatever crisis that may ensue in the on-going process of integration,” he said

  • APC sets up state harmonisation committees

    APC sets up state harmonisation committees

    The National Interim Executive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has approved the establishment of State Harmonisation Committees (SHC) for the party, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    In a statement issued on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the committees would regulate activities of the party at the state level and the Federal Capital Territory.

    The party said the decision to set up the committees followed the adoption of the report of the Aminu Masari Committee by the National Interim Executive in Abuja.

    It said the committee comprised of former presidents and vice presidents, governors and deputy governors, Senators and members of House of Representatives, as well as Speakers and Minority Leaders of State Houses of Assembly who were members of parties that crystallised into the APC.

    Also included as members were serving and past ministers, immediate past National Executive members, gubernatorial candidates and their running mates, who were members of the parties that formed the APC.

    According to the statement, in any state where the party does not have an incumbent governor that was a member of the coalition parties, nine persons, comprising of three elders, three youths and three women selected from the three Senatorial Districts, State Chairmen and the Secretaries of the legacy Parties, members of the National Interim Executive and Federal Commissioners who were members of the party, would be co-opted as members.

     

  • APC sure of 23 governors after registration, says Lai Muhammed

    APC sure of 23 governors after registration, says Lai Muhammed

    All Progressive Congress (APC) is sure of having 23 governors once the party is registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) spokesman, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, has hinted.

    His words: “One of the governors told us there are 23 governors waiting for the merger to take place before joining the new party.

    “The merger process is very much on course. No cause for alarm. As of today, we have submitted our application to the INEC. It was submitted on June 5. People are wondering why has it taken so long. Not that we are slow, but the process of merger is complex.

    “The PDP illness started the day we announced the merger plan. It has destabilized them and they are yet to recover. “

    On the appointment of interim leaders for the party, he said: “We are being careful not to appoint those that can be bought over or those that have cases with the EFCC. Also we would not appoint those who sold June12 mandate. That is what is taking our time on this issue.”

    On 2015 elections, he urged party members to guide their votes and make sure their votes count. He said the outcome of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum election result is a pointer to what the PDP should be expected from the PDP during the general elections. He said if they could manipulate 35 votes what would happen to millions of votes in 2015. That tells you 2015 elections will be do-or-die for the PDP.

    He blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the role he played in the NGF crisis. “The president initially told us he was not interested in who wins the election, but he has recognized Governor David Jang, the loser of the election. We can’t trust the President on whatever he says anymore. For 2015, we are preparing for them,” he said.

    Muhammed, who spoke yesterday at the seventh Town Hall Meeting of the Lagos Senatorial District, assured the audience that the registration of the APC is on course.

    It was commendation galore for Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the meeting with the people of the Lagos Central Senatorial District in Lagos yesterday.

    Those who spoke at the meeting said they were impressed by her style of representation which includes holding periodic consultations with the people she represents in the senate, facilitating federal projects to the district and her empowerment projects that have brought comfort to many who had lost hope.

    Presenting the report of the senate activities in the last three months as they affect her senatorial district, Mrs. Tinubu said the Senate Committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) had facilitated the approval for N48.9 million projects in two of our schools.

    This, according to her, includes the N23.4 million for the construction and furnishing of three classroom blocks at Aje Comprehensive High School in Sabo, Yaba. Similarly, N25.5 million has been approved for the construction and furnishing of three classroom blocks with VIP toilets and hand- pump borehole at Jamatul Islamiyyah Primary school at Igbo Efon village in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

    Other projects approved under the MDG Committee’s 2013 Constituency and Special Zonal Intervention projects would cost N49.940, 000. She gave a breakdown of the projects thus: “Library with furnishing at Ansar Ud Deen Primary School, Bishop Aboyade Street, opposite Mobil House, Victoria Island , Lagos at a cost of N38, 500, 000; Solar street light (3) at Alaguntan Road, off Mobil Road, behind wonder city, Ilaje, Ajah, Lagos at N980,000 each, totaling N2, 940,000 and one 500kva transformer at Barrister Akabogu Street, off Adetoyese Olagunju Street, Paradise Estate, Sangotedo, Lagos at a cost of N8, 500,000.

    On constituency projects, she noted that work is on-going on the N222.3million Drug Rehabilitation and Counselling Centre approved for the Lagos Centra District through the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development under the 2012 budget in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

    Mrs. Tinubu also disclosed that the Federal Government “is about to commence construction work on a N223 million ultra modern market at Oke-Ira in the Eti-Osa East LCDA under the 2013 budget. I believe that through such an initiative, we can realize sustainable results for rural development and economic empowerment in years to come.”

    She noted that the post-secondary scholarship scheme launched on August 11, 2011; the Elderly Citizens’ Assistance Scheme launched on December 11, 2012 and the Petty Traders Empowerment Capital Scheme that began on February 29, 2012 have continued to manifest robust dividends in the lives of beneficiaries.

    The high point of yesterday’s Town Hall Meeting with the theme: “Making the Sacrifice for Development” was the distribution of 220 GCE ‘O’ Level forms to the youths selected across the senatorial district by Mrs Tinubu. According to her, she decided to purchase these forms to assist the youths who need to make up additional subjects required to get them admitted into higher institutions.

    On the rejection of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review to accord Lagos State special status, she said the three senators from the state had sponsored a Bill pursuant to section 164(1) of the Constitution which seeks the provision of financial grants to Lagos State in recognition of its role as the economic nerve centre.

    Leading the pack of those who poured encomium on Mrs Tinubu, Lagos State chairman of the ACN, Chief Henry Ajomale, described her as a leading light of legislators in this country.

    “I have not seen any senator doing what she’s doing, creating opportunities for the masses. In fact she made proud of having her as representative of the Lagos Central District in the Senate,” he said.

    Ajomale hinted that the Lagos chapter of the ACN is monitoring all political office holders in the state, be it elective or appointee.

    Wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs Abimola Fashola, commended Mrs Tinubu for her activities in the upper chamber and for fulfilling her promises to the people of her senatorial district.

    Those who attended the meeting included Chief Ajomale; Mrs Fashola; Chief Tajudeen Olusi, ACN leader in the Lagos Central; Senator Gbenga Obadara; Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, minority leader, House of Represesentatives; Alhaji Ademola Seriki; Alhaji Lai Muhammed, ACN Publicity Secretary; Hon Lola Akande of the House of Reresentatives.

  • ACN alleges irregularities in Ondo poll

    ACN alleges irregularities in Ondo poll

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has raised an alarm over acts of thuggery, irregularities and delay in the distribution of election materials during Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State.

    In a statement issued in Akure, the state capital by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party t called on INEC officials and security agencies to move fast to rectify the situation.

    According to the ACN cases of irregularities have been reported in many localities in the state, with the worst-hit areas being Idanre and Okitipupa.

    In Idanre, for example, the party said thugs on motorcycles are harassing voters and agents of the opposition.

    “There are also reports of stuffed ballot boxes being moved to polling booths with the protection of Labour Party thugs.

    “In Owo, a state government Commissioner has been arrested by soldiers after he was found with weapons.

    “The widespread insecurity has led to apprehension by voters, and there is the need for security agencies to urgently deploy additional security to the affected areas.

     “Many agents of the Action Congress of Nigeria whose names were forwarded to INEC were not given accreditation tags in several polling units across the state, raising fears that ACN agents may not be able to monitor the election. INEC must immediately remedy the situation.

    “Though election materials have been distributed to many polling units across the states, they are yet to get to several polling units, more than one hour after the election ought to have commenced.

    “Specifically, materials have not been brought to Ese Odo LG Ward 1 Unit 11, as well as Akure South Ward 8 Wofere Unit.

    “Also at both Units, INEC officials have not been sighted while at the Ese Odo LG, Apoi 4, Unit 1, duplicate EC8A was presented”, Mohammed stated.