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Cross Rivers State Governor Ben Ayade has declared he would function actively as project manager in his second term.

The deputy governor, he said, will act in his stead while he focuses on project management.

He spoke to newsmen at the Rice Seedling and Seed Multiplication Factory located along Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Bypass in Calabar.

On his new position as a Projects Manager of the state, the governor said: “Immediately I took the oath of office for my second term, I downgraded my position to that of a project manager while my deputy will be acting as governor.

“So, indeed, I have also given him approval limit up to N1 billion. He will do that without recourse to me.

“He is a professor and more experienced than me and I strongly believe that he’s got the capacity to run government to allow me bring my energy to bear in the various industries we have set up.”

Continuing, he said: “As you can see, I started so many projects, most of which are at 80 to 90 percent completion level.

“So, I’m just struggling to ensure that all the factories and our industrial clusters start rolling out products into the market.”

On how he intends to function, Ayade said: “As a project manager, I will be spending most of my time in Ikom Local Government Area to allow me properly monitor all my developmental projects in the central senatorial district including the cocoa processing plant and the superhighway projects as well as the ultra- modern vitaminized rice processing plant in Ogoja, amongst others.

“So, I will be shuttling between Ogoja and Ikom. For this reason, I am taking delivery of a mobile house soon to allow me a working space anywhere I will be going across the state.”

He said he will dedicate the next four years to “projects management to get all projects into finalization. You will not see me again in the office except during executive council meetings or I’m receiving investors or federal government delegations. I want to ensure that we deliver on all our projects and in good time.

“I want to prove a point to the world that it is not all black men that think from their stomach. I use my brain and I want to say that money is not everything otherwise, Cross River State would have collapsed.

Read Also; Ayade’s aides donate to orphanage, nursing mothers in Calabar

“Cross River State is trying to take a lead but with almost zero allocation relative to our overhead costs, but that is where the joy lies because if the governor’s job is to sit down and receive allocations, award contracts and approve payment then, any Tom, Dick and Harry can be a governor.

“The beauty of a governor comes when there is creativity, where the intellect comes to play and you take decisions that will affect the populace positively.

“I see the prosperity ahead and I feel a sense of pride that today, we are industrializing with visible factories and companies already employing our teeming youths.

“So, I can’t achieve these by sitting down in an air-conditioned office, I must move to the field.”

Challenging Cross Riverians to judge him after eight years, the governor said: “After eight years, when you look back at the income of the state and where I would have taken the state to, even if you are the son of a devil, you will say Ayade has done well. At that time, even my most ardent critic will say he was wrong.”

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) has threatened to sue the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), for defamation of character.

The Director General of the the Femi Gbajabiamila /Ahmed Wase Campaign Organisation, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kano) made this known at a world press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, the decision to sue CUPP leadership followed criminal allegations against Gbajabiamila which are untrue.

Jibrin insisted that Gbajabiamila has never been convicted nor served any court document hence he would be on the floor of the Green chamber to participate in the election on June 11 despite the campaign of calumny.

He also said that the Inspector General of Police had been petitioned and urged to go after the leadership of the CUPP with a view to investigating the source of their information and to identify their collaborators in the federal parliament.

The news conference followed series of reports claiming that Gbajabiamila was disbarred by the State Bar of Georgia in the United States of America for fraud and subsequently convicted.

He said that in the last few weeks, the media had been washed with what he described as “a reoccurring fabrication of false accusations and outright lies against the person of the Leader House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.”

Read Also: ‘Gbajabiamila not convicted for any crime’

Jibrin said that the latest was a live press conference addressed by someone, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of Coalition of United Political Party (CUPP).

According to him, but for the publicity the press conference attracted, we would have simply ignored the baseless and unfounded allegations.

“For the benefit of doubt, we wish to once again state emphatically that Femi Gbajabiamila has never been convicted for any crime in the United States of America, Nigeria or any other country around the world for that matter.

“He has never been accused of corruption and has no corruption case hanging on his neck in Nigeria or anywhere around the world.

“He has not committed perjury and has never committed perjury in Nigeria or any country of the world.

“He was eligible to contest in all previous elections he won and indeed eligible and qualified to contest for the office of Speaker House of Representatives in the 9th Assembly,” he said

Jibrin said that Gbajabiamila had on several occasions, responded to the allegations and provided clarifications and set records straight that the allegations had been tested and struck out in our court of law.

According to him, the State Bar of Georgia has also written and categorically stated that there is no criminal conviction in the matter relating to Gbajabiamila and he is currently an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.

He said that Gbajabiamila had not been served any summons by a Magistrate Court neither has he been notified by the Clerk of the Mational Assembly.

Jibrin said the campaign team was worried that those behind the antics were trying to drag the Judiciary and revered judges to what was clearly a hatched Job.

The lawmaker said that the Judiciary must not allow itself to be mixed in such cocktail of dirt.

He urged the general public to disregard the falsehoods being peddled around as it was very strange that a private citizen or organisation file criminal charges against an individual.

According to him, Gbajabiamila in his usual manner has maintained a dignified silence knowing truth to be a constant.

“However, he has now instructed his lawyers to take every necessary legal step against all those involved, their three Parliamentary conspirators and sponsors to seek redress and sue for defamation with immediate effect.

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Justice Mohammed Idris has said he would inform parties of a date for judgment in the trial of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide Dr Waripamo Owei-Dudafa.

Judgment was initially slated for May 31, but the judge rather directed prosecuting and defence counsel to file further written addresses on an issue he raised suo moto (on his own).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Dudafa along with a Heritage Bank staff member Joseph Iwejuo on 23 counts of money laundering involving N1.6 billion.

Justice Idris, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal, concluded the case through a fiat.

He said: “I have carried out a page-by-page examination of the entirety of the more than 600 pages of the statement of accounts that had been tendered in evidence in this case, and the judgment has been written.

“Reading through my judgment, I discovered that I might have raised issues of law, which I thought are important. I call the attention of counsel so that I am addressed briefly on it.

“If any court of law raises an issue of law suo motu and goes ahead to make pronouncement without affording counsel the opportunity of addressing it on those issues, the entire judgment could be set aside on appeal.

“This is in line with the requirement of Section 36 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to fair hearing.”

The judge asked counsel to address him on the relationship, if any, between Section 27(3) (c) of the EFCC Establishment Act and Sections 7(2), 16 and 17 of same Act, as they relate to the charge.

He urged counsel to file the addresses on June 3, following which a date for judgment would be communicated to parties.

Prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo and defence counsel Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) and Ige Asemudara agreed to waive their rights to formally adopt the further addresses after filing them.

Read Also: Police discover shrine, recover over 20 inmates kept for ritual in Oyo

EFCC accused the defendants of concealing the N1.6billion through a company, Seagate Property Development and Investment Ltd, an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 17(a).

They were also accused of knowingly concealing proceeds of crime through Avalon Global Property Development Company Ltd in the sum of N 399, 470,000.00, among others.

EFCC said Dudafa, between June 1 and June 4 2015, “procured” Iwejuo and Ebiwise Resources to conceal N150million being proceeds of crime.

Other companies allegedly used in laundering the money include Pluto Property And Investment Company Ltd, Rotato Inter Link Services Ltd and De Jakes Fast Food and Restaurant Nigerian Ltd.

During trial, Dudafa claimed that EFCC “tormented” him in detention in a bid to get him to implicate Jonathan.
He said he developed a spinal cord ailment while in custody, adding that he was denied adequate medical treatment and forced to write statements, which the prosecution denied.

EFCC first arraigned Dudafa and Iwejuo on June 11, 2016 on a 23-count charge. They were re-arraigned last November 16 following an amendment to the charge.

The prosecution closed its case last March 16 after calling seven witnesses and tendering several exhibits.

Justice Idris last August dismissed the defendants’ no case submission, following which they closed their defence last November.

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) has never been convicted anywhere, the Femi Gbajabiamila/Wase Campaign Team said on Wednesday.

The Director General of the team, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kano) made this known at a world press conference in Abuja.

The news conference followed series of reports claiming that Gbajabiamila was disbarred by the State Bar of Georgia in the United States of America for fraud and subsequently convicted.

He said that in the last few weeks, the media had been washed with what he described as “a reoccurring fabrication of false accusations and outright lies against the person of the Leader House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.”

Jibrin said that the latest was a live press conference addressed by someone, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of Coalition of United Political Party (CUPP).

According to him, but for the publicity the press conference attracted, we would have simply ignored the baseless and unfounded allegations.

“For the benefit of doubt, we wish to once again state emphatically that Femi Gbajabiamila has never been convicted for any crime in the United States of America, Nigeria or any other country around the world for that matter.

“He has never been accused of corruption and has no corruption case hanging on his neck in Nigeria or anywhere around the world.

“He has not committed perjury and has never committed perjury in Nigeria or any country of the world.

“He was eligible to contest in all previous elections he won and indeed eligible and qualified to contest for the office of Speaker House of Representatives in the 9th Assembly,” he said

Jibrin said that Gbajabiamila had on several occasions, responded to the allegations and provided clarifications and set records straight that the allegations had been tested and struck out in our court of law.

According to him, the State Bar of Georgia has also written and categorically stated that there is no criminal conviction in the matter relating to Gbajabiamila and he is currently an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.

He said that Gbajabiamila had not been served any summons by a Magistrate Court neither has he been notified by the Clerk of the Mational Assembly.

Jibrin said the campaign team was worried that those behind the antics were trying to drag the Judiciary and revered judges to what was clearly a hatched Job.

Read Also: ‘Rejection of Lawan, Gbajabiamila by some APC members breach of constitution’

The lawmaker said that the Judiciary must not allow itself to be mixed in such cocktail of dirt.

He urged the general public to disregard the falsehoods being peddled around as it was very strange that a private citizen or organisation file criminal charges against an individual.

According to him, Gbajabiamila in his usual manner has maintained a dignified silence knowing truth to be a constant.

“However, he has now instructed his lawyers to take every necessary legal step against all those involved, their three Parliamentary conspirators and sponsors to seek redress and sue for defamation with immediate effect.

“Indeed Gbajabiamila on his own has put this matter out there in the public domain in the biography titled fearless written by Wale Okediran, a former colleague six years ago.

“Whatever they choose to do, and however, Gbajabiamila and the Deputy Majority Leader, Rep. Idris Wase (APC- Plateau) will be on the floor on the 11th live and direct to be elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

“They are to take over from Speaker Dogara, who ceases to be Speaker from Thursday, June 6, 2019 after our valedictory session,” he said.

Jibrin said that the team had written a petition to the Inspector General of Police and other security agencies to get to the bottom of the matter and take all necessary action against CUPP and the sponsors.

He said that Gbajabiamila had a successful private legal practice career both in Nigeria and abroad and had a distinguished career in the parliament being a five term Member.

He said Gbajabiamila rose all the way in the legislature to be the Minority Leader and subsequently Majority Leader, a feat he holds in the history of Nigeria parliament.

Jibrin described Gbajabiamila as a loyal Nigeria, party man, upright, honest, hardworking, competent, level headed, a team player and a uniting force.

He said that the candidature of Gbajabiamila had received the largest number of endorsement across party lines by any speakership aspirant.

Jibrin said that Gbajabiamila had been endorsed by his colleagues members-elect, the president, party leaders, governors and other stakeholders across party lines.

After the failure of state governors to stop the take-off of the guidelines issued by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit on the operation of local government funds, the guideline has finally taken off to the admiration of local government workers across the country.

A Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital had rejected an application brought before it by the Akwa Ibom state government seeking to stop the commencement of the guideline which many have seen as a way of President Muhammadu Buhari bringing to bear local government autonomy in the country after state governors frustrated the passage of the local government autonomy bill by the National Assembly.

The local government workers under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC); are full of praises over the smooth take-off of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in the country.

The two unions commended the Federal Government and the financial institutions who have adhered strictly to the guidelines of the NFIU on Joint State-Local Government Account and local government funds.

President of NULGE, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, told journalists in Abuja that the smooth take-off of the guidelines and the way the banks have cooperated for its smooth take off was encouraging despite stiff opposition from the governors who were only bent on their selfish desires to mismanage funds meant for the local governments.

Khaleel said “the Federal Government, especially President Muhammadu Buhari should be commended for standing on the side of the people, rule of laws and the development of the country, by insisting on NFIU guidelines. Also, the Financial institutions must be commended for strict adherence to the rules, while we praise the Unit itself for leading the way in doing a very good job.”

The Guidelines issued by the agency commenced June 1, 2019 after the governors failed to secure a court order stopping its implementation.

The agency had on May 6, 2019, issued the guideline to reduce the vulnerabilities created by cash withdrawals from local government funds throughout the country and restored the full mandate of the operations of State/Local Government Joint Accounts to be used solely for the distribution of funds directly to the accounts of the local governments.

Banks were requested to ensure the full implementation of the guidelines with effect from June 1, 2019.

Comrade Khaleel said the NFIU initiative will halt the looting of local government funds and bring about development that have been lacking under the previous system, to the local government.

“Effective regulation of arbitrary withdrawals of local government funds by state governments from the joint local government/state joint accounts by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), as we have seen with the take off now, would reduce looting of council finances,” he said.

The NULGE President described guideline as a giant step towards granting financial autonomy to local governments, saying he would do everything to see that his earlier promise to work with the relevant agencies of the Federal Government to ensure the successful implementation of the guidelines; is achieved.

Read Also: Police recover 834 arms, 19,009 live ammunition in two months

“To encourage the Federal Government, President Buhari, the banks and other financial institutions and the NFIU itself, the union will train its members across the length and breadth of the country to keep eagle eyes on the operations of the funds going to local government councils henceforth. I am assuring you, we will ensure that flagrant abuse of the system and the funds is stopped,” Khaleel said.

Similarly, SSASCGOC General Secretary, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi, applauded the agency for the initiative, adding that state governors have over the years frustrated development at the grassroots by refusing to allow financial autonomy for local government councils.

He commended President Buhari, for sanctioning the guidelines; which has renewed the faith of Nigerians and the Labour movement in the anti-corruption fight of the present government.

The Nigeria Police Force said it has recovered 834 arms, 19,009 live ammunition, two rocket launchers, and other exhibits in the last two months.

The Force also said a total of 2,175 suspects have been arrested for kidnapping, armed robbery, murder and cultism since the launch of Operation Puff Adder.

According to a statement by the Force Spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu disclosed this while addressing a delegation of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) from Nasarawa State Chapter, led by Alhaji Aminu Muazu Maifata who paid him Sallah visit in his official quarters in Abuja.

Briefing the delegation of the successes recorded in the fight against crime and criminality in the country, the IGP also stated that since the launch of Operation Puff Adder on 5th April 2019, till date, a total number 63 Kidnapped victims were rescued unhurt by Police Operatives.

Giving a breakdown of the various offences they were arrested for, the Police chief said: “2,175 suspects were arrested for the following offences: kidnapping – 852, armed robbery – 865, murder – 359 and cultism –99.

With respect to arms recovery, the IGP noted that 834 arms, including two rocket launchers were recovered, 19,009 live ammunition were also recovered with Oyo State recording the highest number of 9,500 live ammunition.

The IGP stated that the Police are rejigging their strategies to ensure proactive interception of illicit weapons destined to Nigeria and at the same time mop up unauthorized weapons in circulation.

The IGP also hinted that a good number of the cases are already being prosecuted in courts across the country, while many of the cases are still under active investigation owing largely to the complexity of investigating and managing organized crimes.

Read Also: Police rescue abducted siblings in Anambra hotel

Following the spate of the various crimes across the country, the IGP also advocated for tougher laws against kidnapping and banditry including possible state seizure of assets linked to illicit proceeds from kidnapping and other heinous crimes.

The IGP said he believes the law will act as a strong deterrent to potential kidnappers and other violent criminals.

He explained that the call has become imperative because of the increasingly daring resort to these forms of crimes by criminal elements in the society.

While commending his men for a good job, the IGP stated that the mind-boggling size of the arrests and arms recovered so far is a testament to the efficacy of Operation Puff Adder and to the unwavering support of the public to the Nigeria Police and other security agencies.