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  • Oko: All eyes on new NDDC director

    Since the Federal Government announced the appointment of a new board of directors for the beleaguered Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Tuesday, August 20, tongues have been wagging in different quarters as to the competence of the people appointed into the board.

    First to raise the alarm were the governors of the Niger Delta states, including those of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Abia, Imo and Ondo. Rising from a meeting in Abuja penultimate Thursday, the governors said the process by which the board members emerged did not reflect effective governance mechanism, saying that they would seek an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss the issues.

    The Niger Delta Entrepreneurs Forum (NDEF) also faulted the dissolution of the Nelson Brambaifa-led board and its replacement with the one led by Pius Odubu, a former deputy governor of Edo State. The group alleged that the development did not respect Section 4 of the NDDC Act which stipulates rotation of the chairmanship position.

    But it has been discordant tunes among the region’s stakeholders as the governors themselves came under heavy criticism for rejecting the appointments, alleging that their position was politically motivated.

    In a swift reaction to the Niger Delta governors, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the opposition of the Niger Delta governors to the reconstitution of the board was shameful and disgraceful.

    In a statement issued by its National Vice Chairman (South South), Chief Ntufam Hilliard Eta, the APC asked the governors to concentrate on delivering the dividends of democracy to their people. The party said it was unfortunate that the opposed to the appointment of “qualified Nigerians” into the board of the NDDC.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to various reports in the news and print media on the very shameful and disgraceful steps taken by South South governors, on the recent appointments made by Mr. President, wherein very qualified sons of South South geo political zone were appointed into the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    “Ordinarily, we would have ignored such disgraceful steps by men we thought could have known better, but it has become imperative that we stand in the defence of justice and for the benefit of Nigerians.

    “It is sad that these governors of the oil rich states of the Niger Delta, who should be highly concerned by the level of poverty and deteriorating state of infrastructure in the zone, are rather being parochial, selfish and exhibiting the highest form of ignorance in governance.

    “They are only interested in ensuring that their family members, cronies and stooges are appointed to strategic positions to the detriment of the generality of Nigerians.

    “The steps by these self-serving governors just go to show that indeed their election into such high offices was just a direct product of the subversion of the collective wills of the people in the last general elections.

    “We view the steps taken by these governors as very dishonorable and it shows that governance in our zone is at the lowest ebb.”

    The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) took a swipe at the governors in a communique, saying that the governors’ action could result in unnecessary ethnic clashes in the region. The group said the governors were acting in futility, adding that they lacked both the moral justification and constitutional leverage to advise President Buhari on the appointments.

    Basis for rancour

    At the base of the wrangling impelled by the appointment of a new board is the poor manner the finances of the commission have been handled over the years. Many believe that the development of the region, which was the reason for establishing the commission, had suffered because its funds have not been well managed.

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, recently confirmed the fear and apathy of fellow Niger Deltans when he rated the commission low for not performing well in its main responsibility, which was the development of the Niger Delta region.

    Akpabio stressed the need for redirecting the affairs of the NDDC, saying it has more than N2 trillion debt to settle.

    But against this background some stakeholders in the region commended the appointment of Maxwell Oko as the new Executive Director, Finance and Administration (EDFA) of the commission.

    For instance, the pioneer president of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Dr. Felix Tuodolo, said with the appointment of Oko who himself had been in the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta as EDFA, funds belonging to the commission would be properly managed.

    He said: “We in the struggle in the human rights circle and those in the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta were very happy to hear the news of the appointment of Maxwell Oko.

    “Some of the things we have been talking about over the years, which is the essence of our struggle, is to develop the Niger Delta; the Niger Delta people controlling their resources and managing same.

    “These are the issues we are talking about, but most times, we realise that while we are talking and struggling on these bases, the little that is available to the Niger Delta is mismanaged by persons that are holding several offices.

    “But we are happy when a person that participated in the struggle gets into office. That person we know he knows the pains and the sufferings of his people, and that person tends to do things better than the ordinary man. He pursues his office with the eyes of somebody who is in the struggle.

    “With Maxwell Oko, who is part and parcel of the struggle, we know that he is going to leave his marks; excellent marks that we will appreciate and people will talk about. He knows the pains and suffering of our people.”

    ‘I’m ready for the task’

    Until his appointment on August 20, Oko was the executive vice Chairman of Eraskorp Nigeria Limited, an indigenous conglomerate with diverse interest in the Nigerian economy, spanning such sectors as power, oil and gas, security, agribusiness, infrastructural development and real estate.

    Born 45 years ago in Otuasega, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the upwardly mobile entrepreneur and investor is a holder of B. Tech in Architecture from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology as well as a post-graduate diploma (PGD) in Architecture from the University of Jos, Plateau State. He is also a former Commissioner for Energy in Bayelsa State.

    He was member, swearing-in sub-committee of Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee (PIPC); board member, Ellah Lakes Plc, a firm listed on the board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and board member, Secure Records Management Solutions. He is also on the boards of Eraskorp Nigeria Limited and Lake Oko Farms Limited.

    With the foregoing background, Oko believes that he is well prepared for the task of repositioning the commission to perform its core mandate.

    He said: “I pride myself as being innovative and action oriented with good knowledge and experience in management and administration. I am regularly involved in value creation within my community and the larger society through ground breaking projects which have provided economic empowerment for many rural communities, creating employment opportunities and alleviating poverty. I have also played leadership roles in different associations, including youth, political and volunteer groups.

    “I have been privileged to serve in various positions in government and thus been exposed to policy formulation and implementation of various programmes in different areas of the economy, both in public and private sector contexts. This has involved interaction and working with different stakeholders: government ministries, the legislature, regulatory agencies, local governments, private investors, representatives of multilateral agencies, and NGOs.

    “In the course of my career, I have acquired good contextual knowledge of local issues and socio-cultural constraints and realities. My work experiences have exposed me to regular field visits, monitoring and evaluation of projects, processes and impacts.

    “I have also learned how to overcome obstacles to achieve my goals. I always try to learn something new from every experience and seek new responsibilities and challenges because I believe there is always room for self-improvement, both personally and professionally.

    “My passion and self-motivation are the keys to my ability to identify and propose innovative solutions to solving problems and implementing improvement in all organisations where I have had professional engagement.

    “I consider myself a reliable and enthusiastic individual with a desire to excel in all I do, and diligent and committed to my set goals. Challenging tasks motivate me and I derive satisfaction in achieving demanding targets. I am convinced that I have the requisite experience and skills set to take on any challenge.”

    Stakeholders set agenda

    Affirming what he called the unassailable records of Oko in public life, the founding chairman, Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King W.S. Igbugburu, advised him to maintain his integrity and good name throughout the period of his service in the commission.

    Igbugburu said having known Oko during his days as commissioner in Bayelsa State, he was confident that the new EDFA would deliver if he refused to be hoodwinked by fraudsters whom he said were killing the commission.

    The president of Ijaw Youths Council, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, asked Oko not to disappoint those who believe in his forthrightness and ability to effect changes in the NDDC.

    The IYC president said Comrade Maxwell Oko as Executive Director of Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission is a round peg in a round hole.

    He said: “You know that Comrade Oko is a founding member of the Ijaw Youths Council who is passionate about the development of the region. He was chairman of IYC central zone.

    “He has held several other political offices including commissioner of power and energy in Bayelsa State under Chief Timipre Silver as governor. He also worked with the then petroleum minister, King Daukoru.

    “Maxwell is experienced and he is a man of the youth. We are very certain that he will use his office to redirect the vision of the creation of the commission and bring about desired peace and the long awaited development to the region.

    “Our agenda for him is that he should use his position to address the issues IYC has been canvassing for. As a former chairman, IYC central zone, of course he will not expect us to remind him that the Ijaw nation needs even development from the NDDC. He should ensure that all ongoing projects in Ijaw land are completely executed.

    “The commission should also initiate youth empowerment programmes in order to engage our teaming jobless youths across the region. The purpose for which the commission was established has not been successfully utilised. The developmental response by the commission towards the region is still below expectation.

    “Now that we have a former national executive member of the IYC on the board of the NDDC, we are very certain that most of our demands will be achieved. All we care for is that the commission adequately responds to the developmental needs of the region which should be commensurate to its budgetary provisions.

    “I think Buhari making the choice of Maxwell Oko in the new NDDC board means he has listened to our yearnings and aspirations. I think this is a test case for Oko to show that he has concern for his people which is glaringly the reason why Buhari considered him. Mr. President must have noticed that someone having the spirit of our struggle will know our concerns more than others. The buck now stops in Oko’s table to prove Buhari’s sincerity to the Ijaw people.”

    Also, Dr Edmund Daukoru, a former petroleum minister, spoke in glowing terms about the newly appointed Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the NDDC, saying he can vouch for his capacity, integrity and capacity to deliver on his new job.

    Daukoru said his appointment was commendable, saying that “he is a round peg in a round hole.

    He said: “Maxwell (Oko) is very committed to his work and duties. He served under me as my SA (Special Assistant). He took over from Sylva. It was just revealing to see how much Maxwell parked into his brain. He is very committed, principled, disciplined person and it is just the kind of appointment that we anticipate.”

    He said with Oko’s experience in managing youths-related issues and having been involved in various development issues in the Niger Delta, he was confident that his former aide would perform.

    He said: “Dealing with communities is not an easy affair, especially because resources are always limited. He has the qualities to work with the MD, whoever he is to deliver. He has all the qualities needed to do the work.

    “He is a disciplined person; he understands priorities. When I say he is disciplined, I’m saying it based on what I know about him. He never accepted gratifications from people who tried desperately to see me; people who would want to try to break roadblocks to see the minister.

    “Maxwell was not like that. I never saw any fault in him. I can vouch for him. In terms of doing the job, I have full confidence that he will not let the authorities down. I am extremely proud of him.

    “As an elder and a king, I pray for him to succeed.”

  • Time to save this risky Bob from himself

    Idris Okuneye, the indolent male loafer who by some magical contraptions turned himself into a woman, is finally getting the attention he has craved for years, but certainly not in the manner he desired. Youths numbering more than 500 marched through the streets of Abuja on Wednesday, protesting the antics of the 27-year-old and describing his actions as ungodly.

    Until he plotted his way into national consciousness a couple of years ago, the Ebute-Meta, Lagos born dude was a haggard-looking, dark complexioned man with a face that would scare a child and cheeks only half as attractive as those of a horse. Today, he has transformed his near charcoal dark skin into a complexion that is almost snow white, thanks to a combination of bleaching creams. He walks about in feminine clothes and jerry-curled hair all in a bid to cut the image of a beautiful woman!

    In May this year, she adopted ‘she’ as his pronoun and claimed to have a male lover in clear contravention of the Nigerian law that prohibits same sex relationships; an offence punishable with 14 years in a penitentiary. At the slightest opportunity, he invades the social media, the market place of the youth, to flaunt the millions of naira he claims to have grabbed from wasteful politicians and other disoriented opportunists who think nothing of throwing our common patrimony around like rain water. Then in a plain admission of the clear and present danger he constitutes not just to the youth but the entire society, he felicitously adopted Bobrisky as his new name.

    Read Also: Inside the ‘risky’ life of Bobrisky

    In a society where inanities are easily elevated into virtues, Bobrisky is already building a huge fan base on the social media and is even being invited by certain event planners to deliver speeches at social gatherings. For years, the government ignored his antics, watching with insouciant mien as the iconoclast flaunted the millions he claimed were flowing in from deeds that add nothing to the national purse.

    Encouraged by government’s aloofness, he took his escapades a notch higher recently with a gay party he reportedly organised at a venue on Lagos Island to mark his birthday. But that turned out his albatross as security agents reportedly stormed the venue before the party could begin and arrested some gay youths who were already there in solidarity with their mentor. It turned out, however, that the birthday ‘girl’ herself had to go underground to avoid arrest. Since then, he has lamented to whoever cares to listen that a whopping sum of N12 million was invested in the aborted jump.

    The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, also appeared to have drawn the battle line with his declaration of Bobrisky as a national disgrace. In a recent media interview with a national newspaper, Runsewe said: “Bobrisky is a national disgrace. He started by selling and using bleaching creams. Now he has grown boobs, bums and hips. If a Bobrisky is doing well with his immoral lifestyle, how do you convince Nigerian youths to do the right thing?

    “Bobrisky has the right, but not within the Nigerian environment. There are others like him, but they live outside the country. If we don’t address Bobrisky as early as possible, he will form a team that will spread like wildfire. This will result in a lot of suicide cases, because the typical Nigerian parent would not want to see their child become a Bobrisky.”

    Happily, the youth appear to have bought into the campaign to rein in the cross-dresser if the protests carried out by some youths in Abuja during the week are anything to go by. Numbering more than 500, the youths on Wednesday took to the streets of the nation’s capital city to protest what they called Bobrisky’s “moral decadence”. The protesters, under the aegis of National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN), did not only disown him, they also declared their support for the National Centre for Arts and Culture, the National Council of Women Society, the Christian Association of Nigeria and other bodies that have taken a stand against him and his activities.

    Describing the activities of Bobrisky as “ungodly, unhealthy and disgusting,” the Vice President of NYCN (North Central Zone), Mukhtar Jebba, said that what Bobrisky and his cronies were promoting was completely against the moral, cultural and spiritual values of Nigeria.

    He said: “Consequently, the NYCN today, September 18, 2019 declares Bobrisky as a persona non grata, as he is a man and not a woman. For national interest, we call on the ever-conscious, ever-ready, combatant Nigerian youths and comrades of like minds to, without fear or favour, kick out Bobrisky and his likes wherever they come across them. Nigeria is not a place for LGBT and we shall fight this to the end.”

    Bob Marley, the Jamaican reggae music sensation who died in 1981, is till this day perceived globally as one of the best things to have happened to the world. It is therefore one of the ironies of life that a Bob who died more than 38 years ago is still celebrated as a hero while another Bob who is very much with us is perceived as a gangrene that must be checked before it destroys the entire fabric of the Nigerian and African societies. I am not a medical doctor and would not pretend to be capable of identifying a syringe without being guided. Yet I know for a fact that the processes by which Idris Okunneye transmuted from a man into a woman are all at a great disservice to his own health. The ear2lier he is made to retrace his steps, the better for him and the society. His right to a lewd and licentious lifestyle must now necessarily end where our right to a decent society begins.

  • ADC collapses structure, joins Ondo APC

    The camp of the opposition parties in Ondo State depleted on Friday as several hundreds of members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) collapsed their political structure to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

    The members in Akure South Local Government Area include the executive and elders of ADC, with over 700 followers from all the eleven political wards in the local government area.

    The decampees were received into the party by the state chairman, Engr Ade Adetimehin, who handed them over to the governor of the state and leader of the party in the state, Arakunrin  Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

    The new members were received with funfair at the party secretariat along Oyemekun road, Akure at an event which had Governor Akeredolu and other leaders of the party in attendance.

    The state Chairman described APC as a “party of equality for members with clear-cut welfarist ideology for the masses.”

    Read Also: Ondo 2020: I will contest against Akeredolu

    He assured the new members of level playing ground, adding that they have equal rights and will receive same treatment as the old members of the party.

    Adetimehin said the unprecedented performance of Akeredolu across sectors and in all parts of the state have made the project of continuity easy for APC in the state.

    Hon Femi Bello, who led the decampees, said the collapse of the political structures of ADC in Akure South Local Government Area and the decision to fuse with APC was an unconditional and unanimous decision of all members of ADC in the local government, adding that the decision was also in appreciation of the remarkable performance of the APC controlled government in Ondo State.

    He said the monumental performance of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu that have dotted the entire landscape of the sunshine state, coupled with the programmes of the administration, which are daily impacting the lives of the people are major attractions of the former ADC members to APC.

    While declaring the preparedness of his fellow decampees to work hard at consolidating the hold of the APC in Ondo State, Hon Bello said the transformations which the Akeredolu administration has brought to Akure could not have been surpassed if the governor were to have been an Akure person.

    In his remarks, Akeredolu, appreciated the new members of the APC and assured them that all loyal and committed members would not be disappointed having their party in government.

    He said despite the lean resources at the disposal of the state government, several landmark projects initiated by it have been delivered or in varying degrees of completion for the well-being of the people of the state.

    Akeredolu said the industrialization policy of his administration which gave rise to the Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub in Ore have berthed no few that seven different manufacturing and production companies with employment running into thousands for able bodied citizens of the state.

    The governor, who said that the state would soon witness greater development, assured that the much awaited exploration of the second world largest bitumen deposit in the state would begin very soon while the first flyover in the state would be delivered before the end of the year in Ore.

  • Five dead, 10 others injured as bus bursts into flame on expressway

    Five passengers were charred and 10 others suffered some degrees of burns on Friday when a bus conveying them burst into a flames, after it had somersaulted at the Onigari corridor of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    The lone crash occurred in the morning when a commercial bus coming from Sokoto stopped over briefly in Ibadan to pick Lagos bound passengers and shortly after taken off, the driver lost control of the wheel, smashed into the road median and tumbled many times over before balls fire erupted from the crash.

    The Route Commander and  Public Education Officer of Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Command, quoted the Sector Commander, Clement Oladele, as saying five persons died in the accident while 10 others were injured.

    She stated:  “The lone crash involved a commercial bus that  travelled all the way from Sokoto State but stopped briefly in Ibadan to pick other passengers. The bus was heading towards Lagos State before it lost control, at Onigari due to excessive speed, and collided with the road median with  the bus upturning and  bursting into flames.

    Read Also: Two die in Port Harcourt, Asaba accidents

    “The crash involved 18 passengers comprising 17 male adults and 1 female adult .

    “A total of 10 male adults sustained injuries from the crash but five of the passengers unfortunately died from the crash comprising four male adults and a female adult.”

    The commuter bus was a white coloured Mazda bus with registration number WWD 302CB

    “The FRSC Ogun State Sector Commander , Clement Oladele commiserates  with the families of  the crash victims and advised members of the public whose relatives travelled, requiring more information about the crash, should contact the FRSC Command at KM27 Ibadan – Lagos Expressway at Ogunmakin or the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) , Sagamu, where the injured victims were rescued to.”

    According to the Route Commander, the remains of those killed in the crash were also deposited at the OOUTH mortuary.

    She urged  motorists to drive cautiously on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway as it is still undergoing rehabilitation, recommending 50km per hour as safe speed at construction area while  passengers should always  caution their drivers observed driving recklessly.

  • Oyo redeems pledge of N500,000 bursary to Law school students

    The government of Oyo State has redeemed its pledge of N500,000 bursary to indigenes of the State in the Nigerian Law School.

    A statement by the Special Assistant (Print Media) to the Governor, Moses Alao, indicated on Friday that the 2019/2020 Backlog Session of the Forum of Oyo State indigenes in the Nigerian Law School had confirmed the payment in an appreciation letter to the governor.

    Governor Seyi Makinde had on August 6, approved the payment of N500,000 to each indigene of the state in the  2019/2020 Backlog Session of the Law school, who are 120 in all.

    The letter signed by the chairman of the Students’ Forum, Olaniyi Ogunlade and the secretary, Akani Christiana, showed appreciation to Governor Makinde for releasing the N60 million bursary he approved for the Forum in July.

    Read Also: Makinde’s victory God-ordained, says Bishop Wale Oke

    The Forum, in the letter dated 20 September, 2019, expressed appreciation to Governor Makinde following the issuance of cheques to the students by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Daud Sangodoyin.

    The Commissioner, who issued cheques to 107 of the beneficiaries, who had been cleared, stated that the determination of Governor Makinde to restore the glory of the State in the education sector made him approve the bursary award, noting that no stone would be left unturned in the administration’s effort to deliver quality education.

    He maintained that the State had rolled out different programmes to improve the standard of education in the State, including the free distribution of textbooks and exercise books to all secondary school students, the organisation of extra-mural classes for SS3 students and the general improvement of education infrastructure, noting that with the solid foundation being laid by the administration, there could be no doubt that the education sector would experience a huge turnaround in a short time.

    The statement recalls that the last time Oyo State indigenes in the Law School benefitted from a bursary award was in 2012, when they were paid N100,000 each.

  • APC governors to adopt uniform policies on security, education, health

    Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) plan to adopt uniform policies in their states  with a view to creating  a distinct identity for the party.

    They have already  set up a Governance Programme Steering Committee to examine how to go about the plan, advise them on improving  the governance structure in the states and at the federal level  and  ensure synergy between the states and the federal government.

    The committee is headed by the Governors of Jigawa and Plateau.

    Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee in Abuja yesterday, Governor Simon Lalong of  Plateau State said the APC governors needed  to aggressively settle all public debates around the distinction between the APC and other parties including the main opposition, the Peoples’ Democratic Party  (PDP).

    Read Also: APC Governors set to improve governance structure

    Lalong, who was represented by his Deputy, Prof. Sonni Gwanle Tyoden, said: “Given the challenge of ensuring that we achieve the vision of making our party, the APC, emerges as a distinctly social democratic party, the policy initiatives of all APC governments, particularly at the state levels, will be the defining credentials.

    “In addition, ensuring uniformity of policy initiatives among the APC states is a fundamental requirement.

    “Between 2015 and 2019, as Progressive Governors, we made quite some efforts to adopt common initiatives. Based on assessment of initiatives from our states and critical assessments of the challenges facing our states, the forum has already agreed to some priorities, which include revenue mobilisation, funding for security, education and health.

    “Through the work of our Secretaries of Governments of APC States, facilitated by the Governance Programme Steering Committee, the forum has already adopted Prototype Bills in the four areas mentioned above for domestication in our states.”

    Also speaking, Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of  Jigawa State said the performance of the APC governors was   in line with the progressive credentials of our great party, the All Progressive Congress, and “fulfils our campaign covenant of ‘Change’ to our compatriots.”

  • Bolanle Awe, Osuntokun, Dosumu, others for Kiriji war anniversary lecture

    Yoruba leaders from all sectors of life are set to meet in Ibadan, the Oyo Sate capital, to participate in a public lecture themed Yoruba: Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow.

    The event is to mark the 126th anniversary of the Kiriji War, the civil war that engulfed Yoruba land from 1877 to 1893.

    Read Also: Nigeria may not celebrate 100th Independence anniversary – Bisi Akande

    The public lecture is slated to take place at the House of Chiefs on Monday 23rd of September will start at 10 AM.

    The event will be chaired by Historian, Prof Bolanle Awe while the keynote lecture will be delivered by Prof Banji Akintoye, the newly elected Yoruba Leader.

    The event which was organized by the Yoruba Heritage Group will witness discussants including Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr Kunle Olajide, Chief Segun Odegbami, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosummu and Prof Jide Osuntokun.

  • Senate may review security architecture, says Lawan

    The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has hinted that the upper legislative chamber might review the nation’s security architecture to address emerging security challenges across the country.

    Lawan however said the proposed review would be carried out in collaboration with the executive arm of government, as he stressed the urgent need for improvement in the nation’s security situation.

    The Senate President, however, did not elaborate on the scope and sphere of the pending review. He spoke with journalists in Abuja yesterday shortly after his arrival from a foreign trip.

    Lawan said: “In the Eighth Senate, we had an ad-hoc committee that I was privileged to chair, to review the security architecture of the country. We are going to look into that report and, of course, in addition, other contemporary issues that affect security in the country.

    “We intend to do those things that would ensure that the security situation in the country improves and this we would do with the executive arm of government, as this cannot be done alone.”

    The Senate President disclosed that the National Assembly had received the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which he said was sent by the executive while he was away.

    “I have been informed that the executive arm of government has sent the request for the MTEF to the Senate, and I am sure that will be the first thing that would be looked into when we resume next week.

    Read Also: Troops kill seven key commanders of Boko Haram terrorists in Lake Chad

    “We hope to take on the MTEF within the first legislative week.

    “Our committee on finance will be saddled with its first major responsibility; that it works expeditiously on the FSP/MTEF request of the executive arm of government, and the budget will come after that,” Lawan said.

    He also expressed the readiness of the National Assembly to receive the 2020 Appropriation Bill anytime soon, saying that the executive was working assiduously to ensure that the document is presented to the legislature by month end.

    “We are hopeful and optimistic as well as hungry and thirsty to receive the 2020 appropriation bill. I am aware that the executive arm of government is working assiduously to ensure that the appropriation bill for the year 2020 is presented to the National Assembly at the end of this month.

    “The National Assembly will work so hard to ensure that the 2020 budget is passed before we go on Christmas break.

    This is one issue that we hope to take head-on to ensure that we reverse the undesirable trend of the budget.

    “We believe this can be achieved, as doing so would make the economy better and predictable. We also think an early passage of the 2020 appropriations bill will have a desirable impact on Nigerians,” he said.

    On the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, Lawan said the Senate would look into the matter on resumption.

    “You recall that this issue was reviewed before we went on recess. The Senate felt as an institution, that our citizens’ diplomacy must be protected wherever they go in the world.

    “The government must be there for them, and I am happy that after the xenophobic crisis, the federal government was able to take a position.

    “We need to be much more resolute. Whatever the situation is, our citizens must be protected. If someone runs foul of the laws of a country, there are processes and procedures on how such a person can be prosecuted.

    “Therefore, we must try to protect our citizens. I also think we must be proactive to tell our citizens that if they choose to live in any country, they must ensure they stay within the limits of the laws of that country, just as we expect of foreigners in ours.”

  • Motorists, commuters stranded in Lagos as fuel tanker falls on Otedola bridge

    A diesel tanker fell on Otedola Bridge, Lagos, last night causing a massive gridlock at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    The brake of the tanker was said to have failed.

    Emergency workers rushed to the scene to prevent a fire outbreak.

    Read Also: Video: Tanker falls, spills fuel on Otedola bridge

    The Lagos State Traffic Management said the tanker was evacuated at 9:40 PM yesterday about   five hours after the incident occurred.

    Thousands of motorists and commuters were stranded on the route for as long as the gridlock caused by the accident lasted.

    Many commuters were seen walking to get to their destination.

  • Oshodi miscreants devise plot to escape police raid

    Suspected miscreants in Oshodi, who escaped police raid by the whiskers may have devised new plan to beat further arrest by law enforcement agents.

    No fewer than 71 suspected miscreants were arrested by personnel of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences on Wednesday.

    When our reporter visited the area on Thursday evening, a number of the boys were sighted loitering around the railway line.

    Sources said the boys now come around in the evening when personnel of the Lagos Task Force are not around to apprehend them.

    Read Also: Task force nabs 71 miscreants in early morning raid at Oshodi

    It was said that a number of them who escaped the recent police raid still sleep in shacks along the railway line.

    ‘’The boys no longer come out in the morning. They would go to other parts of the state and return in the evening from 7 PM when Task Force operative are no longer around.

    ‘’They still come around to smoke Indian hemp and indulge in pick pocketing as usual. Operatives of the Lagos Task Force would need to step up their surveillance in order to discourage the boys from regrouping to further their nefarious activities like snatching people’s bags and valuables here,’’ said a source who asked not to be named.