The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria News

  • Running mate crisis: doubts in PDP over Dickson’s proposed meeting

    Party members including stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State have raised doubts on the sincerity of Governor Seriake Dickson to hold a stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the crisis rocking the party following the choice of its running mate for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

    Party members, groups and other stakeholders descended heavily on Dickson and the PDP leadership for nominating a Senator representing Bayelsa West at the National Assembly, Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor, as the running mate to the party’s candidate, Senator Douye Diri.

    Critics of the nominee accused Dickson of driving a selfish agenda to replace Ewrujakpor, who hails from his Sagbama Local Government Area, at the Senate in exchange for the running mate slot against all political permutation by the PDP to win the forthcoming poll.

    Others insisted that the governor was blinded by his ambition, which they said was against his earlier principles of equity, balance and fairness and appealed to the governor to take the slot to Bayelsa East and consider giving it to Ogbia, the local government area of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Following the hullabaloo generated by the decision, Dickson promised to convene a stakeholders’ meeting to review the decision within the timeframe of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for substitution of candidates.

    But party leaders were worried that a day to the expiration of the INEC September 23 deadline for substitution of candidates, the governor had yet to fix a date for the stakeholders’ meeting.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have waited for the stakeholders’ meeting and left the state in anger.

    A PDP leader, who spoke in confidence, said there was no possibility of holding the meeting adding that Dickson only made the proposal to douse tension that erupted in the party following his choice of Ewrujakpor.

    He said even if the governor managed to convene a meeting, it would be mere formality as his cronies would be positioned to shoot down any opposition against his chosen running mate.

    He said: “The governor’s proposal for a stakeholders’ meeting was a smart but deceptive move. He discovered that the PDP was having many backlashes following his choice of a running mate. Having observed that the opposition was too loud, he decided to douse the tension by proposing the meeting. But by all indications, he has made up his mind on Erwujakpor.

    “He has set his sight on the Senate and we are suspecting that there is a secret agreement that Erwujakpor should resign from his seat as a condition for the running mate slot. Therefore, even if the PDP loses the governorship election, the governor will still contest the senatorial election to replace Erwujakpor before handing over in February 14.

    “But even if he eventually holds the stakeholders’ meeting, it will be a mere formality. His foot soldiers will be positioned at such meetings to endorse Ewrujakpor. The governor believes that he can still win with Ewrujakpor.

    “I can assure you that any attempt to allow the senator from Dickson’s local government area as a running mate is a calculated attempt to hand over the state to the opposition. We cannot win that election because it doesn’t make sense and the people of Bayelsa are not fools. Some people are telling the governor that he will win, but they are lying to him.

    “If you lose the entire Bayelsa East, how do you expect to win an election with Kolokuma-Opokuma that has the least number of votes in the state; Yenagoa, that is legendary for dry voting or is the governor banking only on his Sagbama vote?

    “If the governor is serious with this election, he should take the running mate to the East to ensure balancing. He must purge himself of his senatorial ambition first to see clearly and help the PDP unless he wants to be the last PDP governor in the state”.

    But other party leaders, who described Dickson as a listening governor, said the governor would change his mind on Ewrujakpor and seek his substitution before the end of the INEC timeline.

    Party stakeholders including members of the Bayelsa East Forum for Justice (BEFJ) appealed to Dickson to save the PDP from imminent destruction at the poll by changing his mind on his choice of running mate.

    The BEFJ commended Dickson for his decision to review the choice of Erwujakpor, saying everybody was waiting for the meeting,

    Chairman of BEFJ, Monday Eribo, said the governor by deciding to convene the meeting, had again proved that he was a leader that listened to genuine complaints.

    He said for listening to the loud outcry against the intended running mate, Dickson endeared himself to the heart of loyal members of the party, who were ready to stand with him till the end of his tenure.

    Eribo urged the leaders and stakeholders invited for the meeting to look at the issue of running mate dispassionately and ensure that it was zoned to the East.

    Read Also; I won’t resign, Bayelsa Speaker dares Dickson, others

    Eribo, a former three-time Commissioner in the State Local Government Service Commission, appealed to the stakeholders to ensure the selection of a competent person from the East before the expiration of the INEC deadline.

    He said: “What the candidate of the PDP for the November 16 governorship election, Senator Douye Diri needs is someone who enjoys the support of not only Ogbia people but people across the state and it must be someone who is very committed to the Restoration agenda.

    “Picking someone from the East, particularly Ogbia will be a mark of honour and respect to former President Goodluck Jonathan and will balance the political equation in the state.

    “We thank individuals and groups who came out to voice their concerns over the choice of Senator Lawrence Ehrudjakpor, saying history will never forget them, as they spoke up when it mattered most”.

    Other party chieftains warned that the PDP was at the verge of collapsing if after the September 23 the meeting failed to hold to substitute the running mate.

    “What will hit PDP is an exodus beyond imagination. Those that will remain in the party will stay there to work against the governor and bring his leadership to an end. Everybody is waiting for the stakeholders’ meeting”, a source, who spoke in confidence said.

  • Jubilation in katsina as Masari floors Lado at Election Petition Tribunal

    There was wild celebration on the streets of Katsina, as the people jubilated over the decision of the election petition tribunal which on Saturday in Abuja upheld the re-election of Governor Aminu Bello Masari

    The Nation reports that the re-election of Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state was confirmed by a majority decision taken by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Katsina State which ruled that the election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate was lawful and valid

    The tribunal had by a split 2-1 decision, dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Senator Yakubu Lado, challenging Masari’s victory at the poll.

    This is the second time this year that Governor Masari is defeating Senator Yakubu Lado of the PDP, having defeated him in the March 9 Guber election

    While delivering its judgement, the Tribunal which delivered its judgment in Abuja, dismissed all the grounds of the petition, saying that the petitioner did not prove them beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.

    Reading the verdict on behalf of two other members of the three-man tribunal, Justice Augustine Ityonyiman affirmed that Governor Masari was the duly elected governor of Katsina State, having scored majority of lawful votes cast in the election.

    He said: “There is no shred of cogent evidence in proof of their allegations as required by relevant laws. In the circumstance, the petitioners are not entitled to any of the reliefs sought in their petitions. The petition is therefore dismissed in its entirety for lack of merit.”

    Read Also: We’ll retake Adamawa in 2023, APC vows

    The minority judgment, however, came through the Chairperson of the three-man panel, Justice Hadiza Ali Jos, who told other members that Governor Masari “does not have the requisite qualification to contest the election”.

    But her move was overruled by the other two members of the panel, leading to the victory of Governor Masari at the tribunal.

    Meanwhile, there was jubilation galore in at the Governors lodge in asokoro Abuja, as both the victorious Governor and top government functionaries, APC supporters present were seen jubilating and thanking Allah for the victory

    The State Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Shitu Shitu described the verdict as a victory for democracy and called on opponents to join hands with Masari to move the state forward

    Also reacting to the judgment, the state Chairman of the PDP, Salisu Yusuf Majigiri, expressed displeasure over the judgment, insisting that the party and its candidate would Appeal the court ruling

  • NBTE rates Edo high on readiness for technical education

    The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has scored Edo State high on its readiness to drive technical education on account of the quality and spread of training institutions and personnel for technical education to drive industrialisation in the state.

    A delegation from the NBTE led by its Deputy Director, Mallam Samaila Tanko, ranked the state highly after a tour of institutions and personnel for technical education in the state’s three senatorial districts during a resource inspection/assessment tour.

    Mallam Tanko said the delegation was impressed with facilities in the state, noting that they would soon release result of their findings and make recommendations.

    They urged the state government to continue in the positive trajectory it has started, urging the Governor Obaseki-led administration not to relent in its efforts to transform the state.

    Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs Birgitta Eno Okodugha, expressed appreciation to the team for taking time out to visit the technical colleges across the state.

    “I assure you of government’s readiness to transform the colleges to meet international standards. The grey areas you have identified in the course of your inspection will be addressed by the Governor,” she said.

    Read Also; Obaseki, dignitaries storm Ekpoma for Ambrose Alli’s 30th memorial

    Permanent Secretary, Edo State Board for Technical and Vocational Education, Mr Bernard Oigbokie, said the state has met all necessary criteria set by the board on technical education.

    The Edo SEEFOR Project Coordinator, Mr Toju Onaiwu, said the interventionist agency has transformed the narrative of technical colleges from a state of infrastructural decadence into state-of-the-art facilities.

    Project Coordinator, Edo State Innovation and Effectiveness in Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project, Mrs Blessing Osahon Osemwota, expressed appreciation to Edo SEEFOR for working assiduously to transform Government Science and Technical College, Benin.

  • Obaseki, dignitaries storm Ekpoma for Ambrose Alli’s 30th memorial

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will on Sunday, September 22, lead a retinue of high society icons in business, academia and politics to Emuado in Ekpoma, Edo state, for the 30th Memorial Day Celebration of former Governor of old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states), late Prof. Ambrose Alli.

    In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the governor has made the Memorial Day celebration an annual event to mark the enormous contributions of late Prof. Ambrose Alli to the development of Edo and Delta states.

    He said, “We were in Emuado, Ekpoma last year to mark the 29th Memorial Day celebrations. This year, Governor Godwin Obaseki will also lead a large entourage to the same town to celebrate the late Ambrose Alli. We are proud of what he represents and his achievements while he lived.

    “A lot of middle-aged Edo people enjoyed the numerous projects and policies implemented by the late Ambrose Alli. They benefitted from him in one way or the other, so much so that their lives were positively impacted. A good number of them would have attended either one of the over 600 secondary schools or the Bendel State University (now Ambrose Alli University). So, for them, it is an opportunity to once again pay homage to a quintessential leader and an enviable son of the state.”

    Read Also: Obaseki nominates Iyase as commissioner

    The governor’s aide maintained that the former governor of old Bendel State has his name etched in gold in the state as, during his stint as governor, the state witnessed remarkable records in governance and probity in public life.

    He said the governor will be leading the delegation to Emuado, for the memorial mass service, which will host a lot of people from within the state and across the country.

    According to him, “A Memorial Mass will hold at the St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Emaudo, Ekpoma. There will also be laying of wreath and a lecture at Ambrose Alli’s compound, in Emuado, Ekpoma.”

    Late Prof. Alli was a Professor of Morbid Anatomy, and governed old Bendel State from 1979 to 1983.

  • Unauthorized activities: FAAN seals off business outlets at Lagos Airport

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) during the week sealed off some business outlets and shops at the cargo wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos over unauthorized activities.

    The directive to carry out the sanitization exercise, sources hinted was on the orders of its managing director, Captain Hamisu Yadudu.

    Part of business outlets sealed off at the cargo wing of the airport, it was learnt include food vendors, clearing and cargo agents offices and other businesses at the terminal.

    Investigations reveal that FAAN management was irked over the uncouth attitude of some of the business outlets, who besides operating crossed the threshold in terms of time of operations at the airport.

    Read Also: FAAN to close Enugu airport runway August 24

    Sources hinted that some of the affected outlets were using their premises for unauthorized activities not covered by the terms of their contractual agreement with the airport authority.

    Irked over the unauthorized activities, the FAAN boss, the source said has insisted that the sealed off premises will remain closed until the operators sign a performance bond to desist from activities that will subject them to ridicule.

    Investigations reveal that FAAN has set up a task force to sanitize the activities of persons carrying out business at the cargo section of the terminal.

  • PDP denies reported romance between Dickson, Petroleum minister

    The Peoples Democratic Party Youth Network has called on Bayelsans to ignore a wild rumour being peddled by unscrupulous characters about a purported meeting between Governor Dickson and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    The Secretary-General of the PDPYN, Mr. James Oputin, urged Bayelsans to ignore the unfounded rumour which he described as a product of mischief.

    He said that the politicians behind the rumour were scared of the growing internal cohesion within the PDP ahead of the April 16, 2019 gubernatorial election in the state contrary to their expectations.

    Oputin also advised the members and supporters of the PDP to ignore the false story designed to malign the leadership of the party in Bayelsa.

    He said that the surreptitious design to put unnecessary doubts in the minds of well-meaning supporters of the party in the state should be resisted.

    The PDPYN Scribe said that Governor Dickson and the leadership òf the PDP did not need any meeting with leaders of the All Progressives Congress to win the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

    He stated also while it was possible for Governor Dickson to host Chief Timipre Sylva in his capacity as the minister from Bayelsa in the Federal cabinet, it is sad that some APC members are peddling deliberate misinformation to deceive Bayelsans about a meeting that did not take place.

    Read Also: How I will govern Bayelsa, by Lyon

    Oputin stressed that the same set of people from the All Progressives Congress were behind the story that Sylva supported David Lyon because he wanted to give the governorship to the PDP.

    He advised the uninformed people behind the fake story to focus their attention on their electoral campaign rather than the failed attempt to plant discord within the PDP.

    Oputin noted that the PDP and its followers would not be distracted by disgruntled elements of the APC who are battling to divert attention from the challenge of marketing a gubernatorial misnomer as their candidate in Bayelsa.

    He insisted that Bayelsa is the stronghold of the PDP and would continue to remain so.

    He challenged those behind the rumour to prove the veracity of their story by providing photographic evidence of the said meeting to convince Bayelsans or remain silent.

  • Okene-Lokoja road an eyesore, says Bello

    Governor Yahaya Bello of Logo State, has described the deplorable condition of Okene-Lokoja federal road as an eyesore.

    He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to immediately commence with the rehabilitation of the road to alleviate the sufferings of commuters.

    The governor who made the call on Saturday, while on his way to Okene, said that his administration had intervened in the maintenance of the road in the past.

    He lamented that such maintenance work cannot stand the test of time due to heavy vehicular traffic on the road.

    According to him: “Constant damages done to the road by heavy vehicles, cannot be sustained through maintenance by the state government, due to dearth of funds.”

    Read Also: Kogi, Bayelsa polls: PDP steps up efforts to unite aggrieved members

    He expressed displeasure over the hardship suffered by commuters that Travers the road.

    “They are citizens who have fulfilled their civic rights by electing their leaders at all levels of government, therefore, they do not deserve to spend days on a journey they would have made in hours,” he said.

    He appealed to the Minister of Works and Housing, to as a matter of urgency look into the condition of Lokoja-Okene-Ekiti road, saying that, “as the major road that connects the North and the Southern part of the country, the road suffers heavy traffic and so, millions of Nigerians suffer the deplorable condition of the road.”

  • Air Force neutralises several terrorists in Borno

    Scores of Boko Haram Terrorists have been killed in three different locations in Borno State as the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole conducted air interdictions against them.

    According to the spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore, Ibikunle Daramola, several of the terrorists’ structures and hideouts were destroyed as well.

    Daramola announced in a statement that the airstrikes were carried out following credible intelligence information on the activities of the terrorists in the locations.

    Daramola said: “In continuation of its sustained air offensive against terrorist elements in the Northeast of the country, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), through the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, has neutralized scores of terrorists and destroyed their hideouts in separate airstrikes conducted at Durbada (also known as Bula Mongoro), Abaganaram and Tumbun Rego in Borno State.

    “The raids were executed between 13 and 20 September 2019 based on credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports, which were also corroborated by confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, that identified locations within the settlements that served as hideouts for the terrorists.

    Read Also: Airforce denies dropping weapons for herdsmen in Enugu

    “At Durbada, a staging post from where the terrorists launch attacks against own troops locations, the intelligence particularly indicated that a high value Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) leader had been haboured at the location for a number of days.

    “The ATF therefore scrambled its aircraft yesterday, 20 September 2919, to attack the identified harbour positions within the settlement.

    “The attack aircraft scored accurate hits on the targeted locations, destroying some of the buildings and neutralizing dozens of the terrorists.

    “The earlier attacks on Abaganaram and Tumbun Rego, which are both on the fringes of the Lake Chad, similarly resulted in massive destruction of the terrorists’ structures as well as the killing of several Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters.

    “The NAF will sustain the tempo of effort, operating in concert with surface forces, to completely destroy all remnants of the terrorists in the Northeast of the country. “

  • Ngige to APGA: 2021 is end of your reign in Anambra

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige, says the dominance of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA in Anambra State, will come to the end in 2021.

    The former Governor of Anambra State, and Senator who represented Anambra Central senatorial zone, spoke with The Nation at the weekend.

    He declared that the All Progressive Congress APC, had made mistakes in the state before and would not allow such to repeat itself again during the forthcoming Governorship election in the state.

    Ngige took APGA government in the state to the cleaners, adding that in the party’s many years of leadership, that everything had collapsed including roads, hospitals education among others, noting that only the roads his administration built in the state were the only ones standing.

    Ngige, said his Party, APC would do everything possible in 2021 governorship election to ease APGA out of the way, saying ‘enough is enough ”

    Going further, he said the Specialist hospitals his administration planned to build in all the Senatorial zones in the state to stop our people traveling to India and dying, was stopped by the APGA government till date and it was not fair to our people.

    According to the Minister, “I don’t think APC will lose the state again, we will work hard not to lose this state, we shall put whatever we can, we put it in because we need this place, we need it more than APGA”

    ” APGA handled this place in the last 16years and they have not shown us progress. Look around, the roads that are motorable today are the roads I built as governor, should that be the situation after 16years?

    ” the answer is big no. look at the hospitals, all the general hospitals you can’t point at one and say it’s very functional or there’s a good referral centres”

    ” Federal government should actually concern itself with polices of and do pilot programmes like they are doing of one teaching hospital in every state, if you don’t have, they will give you a free medical centre. It’s a pilot programme as far as I’m concerned on tertiary health”

    The state government should build their own teaching hospitals and call it state teaching hospital, fund it and refer their people there”

    ” Most of the state universities are not well funded as we speak today, is only federal universities that are founded, only federal universities you will see lectures teachings and doing research. The state tertiary institutions, be it their university, be it polytechnic, colleges of education are not working ”

    “So, we need actually the state government to know what their responsibilities are, if they don’t know, they should go back to their constitution or go to school or come to their house to be tutored ”

    “After our last Senatorial election, we noticed some cracks and those cracks were more widened and because of the way the presidential election was managed here and national assembly elections too”

    ” we know we didn’t perform well at all but we have still gone back to the drawing table, we have started asking ourselves the reason for the failure to deliver and we are getting the answers,” Ngige said

  • DPR seals 12 filling stations in Sokoto, Kebbi

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), says it has sealed 12 filling stations in Sokoto and Kebbi states for under dispensing and operating without valid licence.

    Mr Muhammad Makera, the Zonal Operations Controller of DPR in charge of Sokoto and Kebbi states, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Sokoto .

    Makera said the erring stations were sealed during unscheduled inspection by the department’s officials between Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 19

    He said that five filling stations were sealed for under dispensing of petroleum products while the remaining seven were sanctioned for operating without valid licence and non-adherence to required safety precautions.

    According to him, the DPR officials visited no fewer than 99 filling stations in Sokoto and Kebbi staes within the period.

    Makera expressed dismay that most of the stations’ managers feigned ignorance of the regulations of the Department.

    Read Also: DPR seals five Adamawa petrol stations for under-dispensing

    He warned petroleum marketers to desist from such sharp practices, saying severe sanctions awaited offenders.

    According to him, fuel stations ought to update their operational licences and regularize their operations promptly to avoid clampdown.

    He called on consumers to report any suspicious or sharp practice noticed in any fuel station to the department for necessary action.

    Makera said that current trend of short-changing customers by filling stations was unacceptable.

    According to him, the department’s surveillance team is working to ensure availability of petrol at regulated price of N145 per litre

    He cautioned marketers against flouting government regulations and customers against panic buying.