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Tag: Nwuche

  • Diversion of N2.8bn for ex-militants: Kuku asks EFCC to hold Nwuche liable

    Diversion of N2.8bn for ex-militants: Kuku asks EFCC to hold Nwuche liable

    A former Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Kingsley Kuku, yesterday asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hold a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, liable for the whereabouts of N2, 864, 584, 979.00 for the training of ex-militants.

    He said the amnesty programme did not at any time obtain a loan from Nwuche’s company, Foundation for Youth Development (FYD).

    He said the firm was partly paid between 2012 and 2013 to provide offshore training for Niger Delta youths in construction, Information Technology and welding in Vietnam, Malaysia and at the World Maritime University in Sweden under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    He accused Nwuche’s firm of alleged failure to execute the contract.

    The investigators of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had uncovered how N2.8billion meant for the training of ex-militants in the Niger Delta was diverted to other use.

    According to Nwuche’s firm, the money was withdrawn 35 times on the alleged orders of a former Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Kingsley Kuku.

    The said funds were converted to dollars by six bureaux de change and disbursed through two aides of Kuku.

    But Kuku, who issued a statement from exile faulted claims by Nwuche and the FYD, said:

    “ Throughout the period I served as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, I never made the monetary demands by way of loan or any other guise from Chibudom Nwuche.

    “ I never ever requested that any money be handed over to Andrew Iyamu or  to any other person as claimed by Nwuche in his petition that is currently making the rounds in the media.

    “ Andrew Iyamu was never ever my aide or a staff of the Amnesty Office and so could not have been introduced to Nwuche or any one for that matter as a ‘liaison officer on ex-militants’ and stakeholders’ matters’ at the Amnesty Office. This dubious claim should be discountenanced.

    “ I vehemently deny knowledge whatsoever of all payments allegedly made to persons or firms by Nwuche or his firm as contained in the said petition”.

    The statement said:  “Given the current moves by the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, to evade prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his criminal failure to execute multi-billion Naira contracts duly awarded to him by the Presidential Amnesty Office, while I served as the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, I have deemed it extremely important to make the following clarifications:

    “Hon. Chibudom Nwuche is a drowning man who is determined to cling on to anything, including even a straw to keep afloat.

    “He is being investigated by the EFCC for failing to execute contracts the Presidential Amnesty Office awarded to him during my tenure as the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    “Requisite payments were made to him, but before I left office in May 2015, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche did not execute these contracts.

    “Series of reminders were sent to him, but he kept adducing spurious and unsubstantiated reasons to justify the delay in commencing the execution of the contracts, until I left the office May 29th, 2015.

    “The current leadership of the Amnesty Office, as I learnt, approached him and demanded why he had not begun the execution of contracts worth over N2billion.

     “Nwuche curiously informed them that he lent the money paid to him by the Amnesty Office back to the same Amnesty Office! How childish and laughable?

    “It is not true that I, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, the former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, at any time, particularly while in office, received in whatever guise (loan or otherwise) any money for myself or on behalf of the Amnesty Office from the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche.

    “The claim by Nwuche that I received money from him, by way of a loan advance to run the Amnesty Office amounting to the sum of N2, 864, 584, 979.00, is totally false.

    “I deem this claim by Chibudom Nwuche as not just a figment of his apparently warped imagination but also provocative, spurious and preposterous.”

    Kuku denied taking any loan from either Nwuche or FYD.

    The statement added: “Indeed, I wish to aver that throughout the period I served as the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, I never ever took any loan either in my personal capacity or on behalf of the Presidential Amnesty

    Office from Hon. Chibudom Nwuche or any one for that matter. “Rather, I can confirm that Hon. Chibudom Nwuche and his firm, Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), are the ones actually owing the Presidential Amnesty Office and the Federal Government of Nigeria the said sum of N2, 864, 584, 979.00 being part payment to him to fund the contract awarded to his firm, Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), by the Amnesty Office between 2012 and 2013, to provide offshore training for Niger Delta youths in Construction, Information Technology and Welding in Vietnam, Malaysia and at the World Maritime University in Sweden under the Presidential Amnesty Programme. “After being paid these huge sums of money to fund the contracts, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche and his firm, Foundation for Youth Development, failed to execute this contract as stipulated in the letters of award. “While I served as the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, concerted efforts were made to get Hon. Chibudom Nwuche to timeously execute these contracts but all to no avail.

     “As Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, I did not, and could not have obtained a loan on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria from Hon. Chibudom Nwuche. “There are clearly laid down procedures or processes that departments and agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria usually follow to obtain loan on behalf of the Federal Government from either institutions or individuals.

     “These, of course, include applying to the Debt Management Office of the Federation (DMO) and the Honourable Minister of Finance of the Federation for statutory approvals. “I challenge Hon Chibudom Nwuche to produce any iota of proof to back his rather curious claim that he gave a loan to the Presidential Amnesty Office under Hon. Kingsley Kuku. “Even when it is true that the Amnesty Programme is an interventionist programme, managers of the programme comply strictly with extant financial rules or guidelines of the federation.

    To this end, the claim by Nwuche that Kuku ‘personified’ the Amnesty Programme and thus could obtain loan on behalf of the Amnesty Office is false. “Nwuche’s claim that the Amnesty Office under Kuku was not a juristic person or vested with any statutory (judicial) personality is clearly mischievous and a very poor attempt at standing truth on its head.

    “This claim must be discountenanced. The Amnesty Office under Kuku at all times complied with laid down due processes for the award of Federal Government contracts – these included the request and receipt of certificate of no objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement, Contract Evaluation Report, Inspection Report, vetting of company and contract documents by the Legal Department, consideration and approval requisite documents for the award of contract by the Tenders Board of the Presidential Amnesty Office and finally the signing of contact letters and other associated documents by both the Special Adviser, Head of Legal Services at the Amnesty Office as well as the benefitting contractor.

    “It must be clarified that the Amnesty Office does not advertise contracts or jobs because the Amnesty Programme’s contracts are treated as security/defence procurement by the government – the programme hence enjoys defence/security procurement status. However, at all times, companies bidding for contracts at the Amnesty Office must be cleared by the BPP and certificates of no objection must be issued by the Bureau. “ It is true that the Amnesty Office awarded to Nwuche’s firm, Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), the three (3) contracts contained in his claim. However, it is not true that after contracts were awarded to Nwuche’s firm that Hon. Kuku made a desperate call to him (Nwuche) sometime in 2012 ‘alleging that the Amnesty Programme was in danger of unravelling as the leaders of some of the militant groups were refusing to cooperate in the release of the ex-militants from their folds for training and threatening to return to combat in the creeks, if their various allowances, stipends as well as payouts promised them by the government were not immediately met.”

    “It is not also true that I informed Nwuche during this call that financial allocations due to the Amnesty Office had not been released by the National Assembly and that he was hamstrung in dealing with the situation and was appealing to Nwuche to come to my aid “by advancing him the money paid to him to execute one of the contract modules which money would be refunded immediately I received the Amnesty Office’s allocation from the Budget Office and before the names of the trainees are concluded.”

    “This sequence of events could not have happened given that monetary releases were usually made to the Amnesty Office by the Budget Office of the Federation and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and NOT the National Assembly as claimed. “Secondly, the Amnesty Office is in custody of the full contacts of persons enlisted in the Amnesty Programme (home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and so on) and never relies on leaders of militant groups to release list of persons slated for training to contractors or training partners.

    “ If need arises, leaders of camps are occasionally consulted or notified about the placements of their wards in particular training facilities either within the country or offshore. Even more important is the fact that while I served as the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, the Federal Government of Nigeria was properly funding the Presidential Amnesty Programme and this fact aided the rapid deepening of peace, safety and security in the Niger Delta, while I served as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme from 2011 to 2015.

    “Flowing from this fact, oil exploration, production and export from the zone peaked at 2.6 million barrels per day at some point. The Amnesty Programme was regularly well funded under President Goodluck Jonathan and there could not have arisen the need for the Amnesty Office or for me (Kuku) to seek and obtain a loan from Hon. Chibudom Nwuche or any other person for that matter to fund the Programme.”

  • Nwuche, Kuku trade words over N2.9b debt claim

    Nwuche, Kuku trade words over N2.9b debt claim

    Former Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche and ex-presidential adviser on Niger Delta Kingsley Kuku are trading words over a contract awarded by the Presidential Amnesty Office.

    Nwuche had alleged, in a suit which he filed on September 27 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, that the Presidential Amnesty Office under Kuku was owing him N2, 864, 584, 979.00.

    But, Kuku, through his lawyer, Gerald E. Ezeuko (SAN), denied borrowing money either in person or through his office from Nwuche. He said rather, it was Nwuche, who is owing the Presidential Amnesty Office the N2, 864, 584, 979.00, which formed part payment for contracts awarded to his company – Foundation for Youth Development (FYD).

    Kuku, in a statement yesterday by Ezeuko, added that the Amnesty Office awarded contracts to Nwuche’s FYD between 2012 and 2013, to provide offshore training for Niger Delta youths in construction, Information Technology and welding in Vietnam, Malaysia and at the World Maritime University in Sweden, under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    “Hon Kuku has informed me, and I believe him, that after being paid this huge sum of money to fund the contract, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche and his firm, Foundation for Youth Development, failed to execute this contract as stipulated in the letter of award.

    “I have been duly informed by my client, Hon. Kuku, that while he served as the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, concerted efforts were made to get Hon. Chibudom Nwuche to timeously execute this contract, but all to no avail.

    “Let me emphasis that as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku did not, and could not have obtained a loan on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria from Hon. Chibudom Nwuche.

    “There are clearly laid down procedure or processes that departments and agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria usually follow while seeking to obtain loan on behalf of the Federal Government from either institutions or individuals.”

    “We challenge Hon Chibudom Nwuche to produce any iota of proof to back his rather comical claim that he gave a loan to the Presidential Amnesty Office under Hon. Kingsley Kuku.

    “The fact that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently investigating Hon. Chibudom Nwuche over this matter is well known and has been widely reported in the Nigerian media,” Ezeuko said.

    The lawyer added that, although his client was yet to be served with processes relating to the suit filed by Nwuche, his statement was intended to set the records straight and protect his client’s name.

    A statement by the media adviser to FYD, Mr Ik Anyaduba, last night  faulted Kuku’s position.

    The statement said:   “We challenge him (Kuku) to come back to Nigeria to answer to the various cases of fraud and embezzlement hanging over his neck.

    “We will not have bothered to respond but for the need to put the records straight for the benefit of the public.

    “If he is indeed innocent, why not come to court to clear his name instead of rushing to the media as a cover for his atrocities? Did the media take him to court? Has FYD rushed to the media?

    “We believe in the rule of law and that is why we are in court and not in the media grandstanding hoping to cow victims into carrying his cross.”

  • ‘PDP has hand in Nwuche’s ordeal’

    The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Ja’afaru Ahmed, yesterday, confirmed that 13 prisoners, comprising 10 pre-trial detainees and three convicts, escaped from Koton Karfe prison in Kogi State, last Saturday.

    Six pre-trial detainees were, however, recaptured and returned to the prison.  Others, including two robbery convicts are still on the run.

    Ahmed spoke during an on-the-spot assessment of the prison.

    Investigation showed the jailbreak was reportedly carried out by the inmates, who scaled the fence after breaking through the inner wall of the facility.

    A statement by the NPS spokesman, Frances Enobore, said a three-man panel was raised to investigate the circumstances surrounding the break.

    It said appropriate measures have been set up to address congestion, particularly among prisoners awaiting trial, in line with the Federal Government’s reform agenda.

    The comptroller-general added that security would be tightened to forestall a recurrence.

    A security source, who spoke in confidence, said: “It’s as if someone in the prisons did not do his/her job and prisoners took advantage of that to escape.

    “The negligence may be ‘intentional’ and I hope the authorities will probe the break to forestall a recurrence. The remanding of some kidnap kingpins, paraded by the DSS, last week, may not be unconnected with the break.”

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, at the prison, appealed to the Federal Government to set up a commission of enquiry to investigate the jailbreak.

    Bello, who was shocked at the frequent breaks, said the attack seems like a conspiracy.

    The governor, who was accompanied by top security officials, was not allowed into the yard to access the damage.

    He vowed to unearth the mystery behind the break.

    The 180-capacity all-male  facility, inaugurated in 2014, has 263 inmates. It was rebuilt and ‘fortified’ after the old structure, built in 1914, was broken into four.

    State Comptroller of Prison, Mr. Musa Maza, could not be reached for comments.

  • Nwuche heads APC Edo governorship screening committee

    Nwuche heads APC Edo governorship screening committee

    The National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Osita Izunaso, yesterday inaugurated a high-powered seven-member Screening Committee and three-member Screening Appeal Committee for this year’s Edo State governorship election primaries.

    The screening committee is chaired by a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudum Nwuche.

    Other members are: Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, Senator Caleb Zagi, Mrs. Mary Enwongulu, Hajiya Aisha Aliyu, Kizito Martins and Dr. (Mrs) Oyibo Obasi (Secretary).

    The three-member Screening Appeal Committee is chaired by Senator Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora.

    Other members are: Senator Nkechi Nwaogu and Abubakar Hussaini Moriki (Secretary).

    Izunaso urged the screening committee to carry out a comprehensive due diligence on all documents submitted to the party by the 12 aspirants.

    He said the candidates should meet eligibility requirements provided for in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended), the party’s constitution and its 2014 guidelines for the nomination of candidates for public office.

    Twelve aspirants (11 men and one woman) collected the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the state governorship election.

    They are: Mr. Blessing Abdulwarith Agbomhere; Maj.-Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere; Prof. Fredrick Ebegue Amadasun; Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula; Mr Austin Ilenre Emuan; Peter Ekhermhalomhen Esele; Kenneth Imansuangbon; Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki; Pius Egberanmwen Odubu; Mrs. Agbarha Justina Ebeyehi Ojehor; Christopher Osa Ogiemwonyi and Prof Oserheimen Aigberadion Osunbor.

    The time-table and schedule of activities for the conduct of the APC governorship primary election released by the party’s National Organising Secretary reads:

    1. Sale of Forms (APC national secretariat): Tuesday, May 17– Friday, June 3.
    2. Last day for submission of completed forms (APC national secretariat): Monday, June 6.
    3. Screening of aspirants (Abuja): Wednesday, June 8 – Sunday, June 12.
    4. Screening appeal (Abuja): Monday, June 13 –Wednesday, June 15.
    5. Primary election: Saturday, June 18.
    6. Election appeal: Monday, June 20 – Wednesday, June 23.

  • Lack of internal democracy, money politics driving members from PDP —Nwuche

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, yesterday emphasized lack of internal democracy and high monetization of politics as the two major reasons driving members out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to other parties.

    Nwuche, who is a former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, said this at a seminar at the Nigerian Institute of Economic and Social Research (NISER), Ibadan yesterday.

    Speaking on the theme: “Party Primaries and the Quest for Accountability in Governance in Nigeria,” Nwuche said he was a victim of both factors which ultimately made him leave the party.

    According to him, while contesting as a senator in the last election, voters in his constituency wanted to vote for him in the primary but sensing that he could emerge as the party’s candidate, the party machinery worked against them by moving the primary to the Port-Harcourt state headquarters of the party where only those who were prepared to vote for the candidate preferred by the PDP were allowed to participate.

    Besides, Nwuche said he gathered reliably that huge sums of money exchanged hands in determining who emerged as candidates for the various elective positions. He said the flawed process made him decide to leave the party with his large followers.

    The former lawmaker emphasized that the experience has been the same for many high top political fliers who have left the party. He pointed out that the two factors were largely responsible for the decimation of the party as well as its defeat in the last general election.

  • Calls for probe of military is distraction, says Nwuche

    Calls for probe of military is distraction, says Nwuche

    Former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche yesterday faulted calls for an investigation into the role of the military in last Saturday’s legislative rerun in Rivers State.

    The former lawmaker noted that the clamour for a military probe was a distraction aimed at diverting attention from the role of those who organised the large scale violence.

    In statement in Abuja, Nwuche said any attempt to impugn the military by political interest groups should be condemned.

    The former deputy speaker said the military should rather be praised for its “highly commendable role in maintaining law and order in an anarchic situation”.

    The statement added: “Without the military, residents of Port Harcourt and other places in Rivers State would have left for other states as a result of the kidnappings, armed robbery, rape, murder and large-scale violence witnessed prior and during the elections.

    “I was present in Rivers State during the elections and I can attest to the fact that the military never went anywhere near the polling stations. Rather, it was members of the police force and personnel of other civil security agencies who provided security coverage at the polling units.

    “Politicians must not tell lies against the military. We must not impugn such a vital national institution, which has lost its officers and men in the prevailing anarchy in Rivers State, in order to serve our narrow selfish interests, even when some people appear to have now sold their souls for money.

    “The military appears to be the last hope of the common man in Rivers State, especially after the Judiciary endorsed the capacity for violence and polls manipulation as the yardsticks for the attainment of power in the state.”

    Nwuche urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take a firm action to restore normalcy in the state.

    The former lawmaker condemned the blackmail against Rivers indigenes, who spoke against the atrocities and what he called sponsored mayhem unleashed on the state.

    He reiterated his call for a thorough investigation into the murders in Rivers State with a view to bringing the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.

  • …Nwuche condemns killings, commiserates with Nigerian Army

    …Nwuche condemns killings, commiserates with Nigerian Army

    Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, yesterday condemned the killing of Nigerian Army personnel in Rivers State.

    Nwuche said the gruesome killing of soldiers who were on national duty to protect lives and property of Nigerians in the Rivers State waterways was completely unacceptable.

    The former Deputy Speaker in a statement released in Abuja noted that the “sad and unfortunate incident further highlights the frightening level of insecurity and break down of law and order in the state.”

    Nwuche said that a situation where even the lives of law enforcement officers and other security personnel can no longer be guaranteed was a clear indication of the break down of law and order in the state.

    He noted that it is on record that the police had also lost officers and men in the state.

    While commending the military for their efforts at protecting the lives of innocent

    citizens in the state, the former lawmaker commiserated with them on their loss.

    He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to further reinforce security in the state, including drafting more military personnel to effectively contain the senseless brigandage that going on in the state.

    Nwuche also described the recent High Court ruling restraining the military from deploying soldiers to assist in providing security during today’s rerun elections in the state as curious and inexplicable.

  • South-South supports probe of Jonathan’s administration -Nwuche

    South-South supports probe of Jonathan’s administration -Nwuche

    Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, in this interview with Assistant Editor, Jide Babalola, spoke on a wide range of political and economic issues. Excerpts

    Now that power has shifted northwards to President Muhammadu Buhari, the South-South zone must be relishing being in power over all these years.

    I would have to debunk the popular belief that the South-South benefitted from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration; the South-South did not. For instance the only road to the Refinery in Port Harcourt through my own place, Ahoda, to Bayelsa, Benin, Warri and to Lagos, the road was not done and it remains a death trap as we speak.

    You may recall that a tanker fell at Okobri in Ahoda Ekpeye and over 30 lives were lost as women who were trying to scoop fuel due to poverty were killed. Under Goodluck Jonathan, my tribe, Ekpeye had no member State Assembly, House of Representative or as ambassador, board member; my tribe benefitted nothing from Goodluck government, even there were no federal government projects. It was at the tail end of the administration that I was appointed chairman of NICON.

    The same goes for Itseekiris, Urohbo, Efiks, Ikweres and Ibibios. The only tribe that benefitted was the Ijaws, but as for benefits to the South-South, there is nothing. I can say that other tribes benefitted, like the South-East who were appointed into key positions.

    I hope the present administration would bring the South-South back into the mainstream. What you think or expect to come from your person may actually come from another person.

    It has been reported that stakeholders in the South-South are not happy with the ongoing investigation in NIMASA, the trial of people like Tompolo and others…

    Nigeria was headed in a dangerous direction where corruption had become almost a way of life. Many of us had advised those in government, both verbally and in writing, to fight corruption, build infrastructure, empower the youths and develop the economy. But those in government seem not to yield to our advice but rather, listened to the counsel of those who seem not to know what they are doing.

    What it takes to fight corruption is leadership which President Muhammadu Buhari is providing now and he is walking the talk. He is not seen to be corrupt and Nigerians are good followers. If Nigerians have had better leadership in the past, they would not have tended towards corruption. Even the corrupt that are being tried should see it as a sacrifice for national development and should cooperate with the government. Many of us are happy for the development that is happening as the country was on auto pilot and headed for the precipice, with ministers doing as they like.

    It got to a point where many businessmen were being punished for doing business, many are paid in some government agencies but the same government officials come collect more than half of the monies paid to execute projects. There were times when adverts were placed in Tender journals, the Ministers themselves did the tendering and deceived the public into buying those journals and paying tender fees.

    So, it is important that we fight corruption and support Buhari’s government to succeed. It is not easy to find someone like Buhari that would lead a country, preside over the commonwealth and work to fight corruption without getting involved in corrupt practices.

    Do leaders in the South-South region really support Buhari’s anti-corruption war?

    Our leaders know themselves and we know our leaders and they are supporting this fight. If our sons were empowered to be in position of authority, they should act right, they should not be corrupt. I don’t believe any genuine leader from the South-South would oppose Buhari’s anti-corruption war. What have we gained in the South-South? If the monies made in the past years were properly deployed, we should be having good roads and youth employment in the South-South but our people have no source of income and the Minister of Petroleum under the past government claimed that oil blocs were allocated to people from the North.

    We had the President and Minister of Petroleum for almost six years; did they allocate oil wells to people of South-South? No, they did not!

    Many Nigerians feel concerned that the Buhari administration does not seem to have a proper economic management team right now.

    I think perhaps they should expand the team by finding people with competency and experience who have done similar things in the past to work with the team they may have now. We need to empanel an economic team as a focal point and a goal driver.

    Also we need to fight security beyond Boko Haram; security is beyond Boko Haram which is one aspect in the North-East. Insecurity in the South and in South-South in particular is another; it is politically induced and must be fought.

    Several of those accused of corruption sometimes seem to be easily let off the hook by the judiciary; as a lawyer, how do you think the judiciary can further help the anti-corruption war?

    I believed in the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary because it is the last hope of the common man. Judiciary is supposed to provide succour to the down-trodden and it is the temple of justice. Occasionally, it may be slow but that is the nature of justice the world over. Nowhere do you see discharges same day because they must weigh the evidences, collate the facts properly and allow advocates to present them before judges and argue the cases.

    If what we are doing is not anchored on the rule of law, it would be on weak foundation and can be easily overturned afterwards.

    But many see the judiciary as making the anti-corruption war somewhat difficult?

    What we should do is to increase the capacity of the judiciary to perhaps employ more judges so that the cases can be decongested. We must find ways of automating the courts to make them faster. There is the need for the judiciary to re-orient itself as we are all Nigerians.

    The wheel of justice grinds slowly; this is the nature of justice. People may expect it to move faster, but the rule of law wants fair hearing, even for the accused. The rule of law assumes that someone is innocent until proven guilty. I think we should be patient with the judiciary.

    The judiciary must re-orientate itself and there is need for the judges to be more expeditious with cases and to support the war against corruption, for the benefit of all Nigerians.

    What is your opinion about the Buhari administration’s change mantra?

    The situation is that at a point where Nigeria was, if there is no change the country would have collapsed. There has been remarkable improvement in how the country is being governed. For once, I see a leader who had every opportunity to talk about corruption as this is our biggest problem. Also a leader should be a teacher who should be a mentor and should be able to tell the people where he expects the country to be in few years and what he expects of them.

    He needs to live a virtuous life. We had become a country of needless consumption as we lacked leadership, but we have a new one now and we must all support the government to succeed.

    What is your view about the current situation where almost all politicians, including those in the opposition, now want to become members of the ruling party?

    I believe people should be in parties based on conviction and not for short-term benefits. Many of us that left the PDP initially had to do so due to the incompatibility with leaders of that party.

    For instance, in my area, people like Peter Odili were in charge and I tried to go to the Senate three times. My people supported me and if elections were held three times I would win all the time. But these so-called god-fathers saw me as a threat and denied me, even after winning the primaries.

    Secondly, I also don’t like the corruption being encouraged in the PDP; at one time, the party ticket was for sale. Years ago, we supervised the primaries in Anambra and there was not a single case of corruption. Those that won did so without paying anything. But when the ticket is for sale, you cannot expect the people to change the party. For instance, ex-Speaker, Ghali Naabba was in the PDP but he was suppressed along with all of us because we stood firmly against the President’s narrow agenda. This was why close to 90 percent of us in the House under Naaba were marked out as people who should not be allowed to progress further because we opposed the then President.

    You find that in such circumstance, you don’t have a choice than to find a platform that allows vibrant people to thrive and that is what APC is and which they must keep doing.

    For those who are crossing over now, I believe they should ponder a while and ask themselves how they would be viewed, if they would be regarded and rewarded in any manner. They should think: ‘Would they see me as somebody who is an opportunist? There are some states preparing for elections; in those states, it may be useful to admit more numbers and with the change agenda of Mr. President, there would be less interference, there would be free and fair elections.

    APC is a national party. The PDP had 16 years of governance, now it is right to let another party come and implant the ideology of change and build large consensus.

    If you don’t have the critical mass to endure beyond one or two terms, you cannot implant the change agenda you are looking for.

    Are you asking for a second term for President Buhari?

    I think the Constitution allows the President a second term. I am not an advocate of frequent changes in government. I was a victim of that. If you want to stabilize the country and grow our economy, the vision must endure for a while, with the same actors acting for a while. Otherwise it won’t be implanted properly.

    Rivers State has been in the news recently, before, during and after the governorship election. What do you think went wrong and how can this be remedied?

    The Federal Government must look at Rivers State more closely because the crime level in the state is astronomically high. I describe it as an epidemic of crime, ranging from assassination, kidnapping, rape, extortion to armed robbery, among others. It appears that the state has no interest in curbing the crimes and may be indirectly encouraging it. Many stakeholders have spoken about it but the economy is dying because businesses are closing shop and moving to Lagos due to the nature of the crimes.

    For instance, in Ahoda East where I come from, in the past three months, there have been 39 kidnap cases and over 27 assassinations in one local government alone. I have been to the Inspector-General of Police for about four times in the past eight months on this matter. These criminals are known to the Police. These people carry guns openly in the afternoons, yet they cannot find them till date while they continue unleashing terror on communities.

    People have lost faith and confidence in the state government and they are paying these bandits for protection because the government has failed to arrest them. As we speak, our King and other traditional rulers tried to form a vigilante with the support of the Police and these vigilantes were harassed by the same Police and they stopped working, so criminals now have a field day.

    It is alarming and this is replicated in almost all the local governments in the state.

    Part of the genesis of this criminality was the way elections were held. The PDP deployed much violence to win the elections, they brought guns and armed the bad elements and they are unable to retrieve those guns and these are the guns that are in circulation now.

    This is why politicians must not be desperate to win elections at all cost; you must worry about those you will rule over and not just think all is about power.

    So, the federal government must look closely at Rivers and other states where much violence is taking place. My worry is that people may be fed up and rise up in protest because the Police has failed them.

     

  • South-South supports probe of Jonathan’s administration -Nwuche

    South-South supports probe of Jonathan’s administration -Nwuche

    Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, in this interview with Assistant Editor, Jide Babalola, spoke on a wide range of political and economic issues. Excerpts

    How that power has shifted northwards to President Muhammadu Buhari, the South-South zone must be relishing being in power over all these years.

    I would have to debunk the popular belief that the South-South benefitted from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration; the South-South did not. For instance the only road to the Refinery in Port Harcourt through my own place, Ahoda, to Bayelsa, Benin, Warri and to Lagos, the road was not done and it remains a death trap as we speak.

    You may recall that a tanker fell at Okobri in Ahoda Ekpeye and over 30 lives were lost as women who were trying to scoop fuel due to poverty were killed. Under Goodluck Jonathan, my tribe, Ekpeye had no member State Assembly, House of Representative or as ambassador, board member; my tribe benefitted nothing from Goodluck government, even there were no federal government projects. It was at the tail end of the administration that I was appointed chairman of NICON.

    The same goes for Itseekiris, Urohbo, Efiks, Ikweres and Ibibios. The only tribe that benefitted was the Ijaws, but as for benefits to the South-South, there is nothing. I can say that other tribes benefitted, like the South-East who were appointed into key positions.

    I hope the present administration would bring the South-South back into the mainstream. What you think or expect to come from your person may actually come from another person.

    It has been reported that stakeholders in the South-South are not happy with the ongoing investigation in NIMASA, the trial of people like Tompolo and others…

    Nigeria was headed in a dangerous direction where corruption had become almost a way of life. Many of us had advised those in government, both verbally and in writing, to fight corruption, build infrastructure, empower the youths and develop the economy. But those in government seem not to yield to our advice but rather, listened to the counsel of those who seem not to know what they are doing.

    What it takes to fight corruption is leadership which President Muhammadu Buhari is providing now and he is walking the talk. He is not seen to be corrupt and Nigerians are good followers. If Nigerians have had better leadership in the past, they would not have tended towards corruption. Even the corrupt that are being tried should see it as a sacrifice for national development and should cooperate with the government. Many of us are happy for the development that is happening as the country was on auto pilot and headed for the precipice, with ministers doing as they like.

    It got to a point where many businessmen were being punished for doing business, many are paid in some government agencies but the same government officials come collect more than half of the monies paid to execute projects. There were times when adverts were placed in Tender journals, the Ministers themselves did the tendering and deceived the public into buying those journals and paying tender fees.

    So, it is important that we fight corruption and support Buhari’s government to succeed. It is not easy to find someone like Buhari that would lead a country, preside over the commonwealth and work to fight corruption without getting involved in corrupt practices.

    Do leaders in the South-South region really support Buhari’s anti-corruption war?

    Our leaders know themselves and we know our leaders and they are supporting this fight. If our sons were empowered to be in position of authority, they should act right, they should not be corrupt. I don’t believe any genuine leader from the South-South would oppose Buhari’s anti-corruption war. What have we gained in the South-South? If the monies made in the past years were properly deployed, we should be having good roads and youth employment in the South-South but our people have no source of income and the Minister of Petroleum under the past government claimed that oil blocs were allocated to people from the North.

    We had the President and Minister of Petroleum for almost six years; did they allocate oil wells to people of South-South? No, they did not!

    Many Nigerians feel concerned that the Buhari administration does not seem to have a proper economic management team right now.

    I think perhaps they should expand the team by finding people with competency and experience who have done similar things in the past to work with the team they may have now. We need to empanel an economic team as a focal point and a goal driver.

    Also we need to fight security beyond Boko Haram; security is beyond Boko Haram which is one aspect in the North-East. Insecurity in the South and in South-South in particular is another; it is politically induced and must be fought.

    Several of those accused of corruption sometimes seem to be easily let off the hook by the judiciary; as a lawyer, how do you think the judiciary can further help the anti-corruption war?

    I believed in the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary because it is the last hope of the common man. Judiciary is supposed to provide succour to the down-trodden and it is the temple of justice. Occasionally, it may be slow but that is the nature of justice the world over. Nowhere do you see discharges same day because they must weigh the evidences, collate the facts properly and allow advocates to present them before judges and argue the cases.

    If what we are doing is not anchored on the rule of law, it would be on weak foundation and can be easily overturned afterwards.

    But many see the judiciary as making the anti-corruption war somewhat difficult?

    What we should do is to increase the capacity of the judiciary to perhaps employ more judges so that the cases can be decongested. We must find ways of automating the courts to make them faster. There is the need for the judiciary to re-orient itself as we are all Nigerians.

    The wheel of justice grinds slowly; this is the nature of justice. People may expect it to move faster, but the rule of law wants fair hearing, even for the accused. The rule of law assumes that someone is innocent until proven guilty. I think we should be patient with the judiciary.

    The judiciary must re-orientate itself and there is need for the judges to be more expeditious with cases and to support the war against corruption, for the benefit of all Nigerians.

    What is your opinion about the Buhari administration’s change mantra?

    The situation is that at a point where Nigeria was, if there is no change the country would have collapsed. There has been remarkable improvement in how the country is being governed. For once, I see a leader who had every opportunity to talk about corruption as this is our biggest problem. Also a leader should be a teacher who should be a mentor and should be able to tell the people where he expects the country to be in few years and what he expects of them.

    He needs to live a virtuous life. We had become a country of needless consumption as we lacked leadership, but we have a new one now and we must all support the government to succeed.

    What is your view about the current situation where almost all politicians, including those in the opposition, now want to become members of the ruling party?

    I believe people should be in parties based on conviction and not for short-term benefits. Many of us that left the PDP initially had to do so due to the incompatibility with leaders of that party.

    For instance, in my area, people like Peter Odili were in charge and I tried to go to the Senate three times. My people supported me and if elections were held three times I would win all the time. But these so-called god-fathers saw me as a threat and denied me, even after winning the primaries.

    Secondly, I also don’t like the corruption being encouraged in the PDP; at one time, the party ticket was for sale. Years ago, we supervised the primaries in Anambra and there was not a single case of corruption. Those that won did so without paying anything. But when the ticket is for sale, you cannot expect the people to change the party. For instance, ex-Speaker, Ghali Naabba was in the PDP but he was suppressed along with all of us because we stood firmly against the President’s narrow agenda. This was why close to 90 percent of us in the House under Naaba were marked out as people who should not be allowed to progress further because we opposed the then President.

    You find that in such circumstance, you don’t have a choice than to find a platform that allows vibrant people to thrive and that is what APC is and which they must keep doing.

    For those who are crossing over now, I believe they should ponder a while and ask themselves how they would be viewed, if they would be regarded and rewarded in any manner. They should think: ‘Would they see me as somebody who is an opportunist? There are some states preparing for elections; in those states, it may be useful to admit more numbers and with the change agenda of Mr. President, there would be less interference, there would be free and fair elections.

    APC is a national party. The PDP had 16 years of governance, now it is right to let another party come and implant the ideology of change and build large consensus.

    If you don’t have the critical mass to endure beyond one or two terms, you cannot implant the change agenda you are looking for.

    Are you asking for a second term for President Buhari?

    I think the Constitution allows the President a second term. I am not an advocate of frequent changes in government. I was a victim of that. If you want to stabilize the country and grow our economy, the vision must endure for a while, with the same actors acting for a while. Otherwise it won’t be implanted properly.

    Rivers State has been in the news recently, before, during and after the governorship election. What do you think went wrong and how can this be remedied?

    The Federal Government must look at Rivers State more closely because the crime level in the state is astronomically high. I describe it as an epidemic of crime, ranging from assassination, kidnapping, rape, extortion to armed robbery, among others. It appears that the state has no interest in curbing the crimes and may be indirectly encouraging it. Many stakeholders have spoken about it but the economy is dying because businesses are closing shop and moving to Lagos due to the nature of the crimes.

    For instance, in Ahoda East where I come from, in the past three months, there have been 39 kidnap cases and over 27 assassinations in one local government alone. I have been to the Inspector-General of Police for about four times in the past eight months on this matter. These criminals are known to the Police. These people carry guns openly in the afternoons, yet they cannot find them till date while they continue unleashing terror on communities.

    People have lost faith and confidence in the state government and they are paying these bandits for protection because the government has failed to arrest them. As we speak, our King and other traditional rulers tried to form a vigilante with the support of the Police and these vigilantes were harassed by the same Police and they stopped working, so criminals now have a field day.

    It is alarming and this is replicated in almost all the local governments in the state.

    Part of the genesis of this criminality was the way elections were held. The PDP deployed much violence to win the elections, they brought guns and armed the bad elements and they are unable to retrieve those guns and these are the guns that are in circulation now.

    This is why politicians must not be desperate to win elections at all cost; you must worry about those you will rule over and not just think all is about power.

    So, the federal government must look closely at Rivers and other states where much violence is taking place. My worry is that people may be fed up and rise up in protest because the Police has failed them.

  • Stop distracting Jonathan, Nwuche warns Amaechi

    A former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, ChibudomNwuche, has urged Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to allow President Goodluck Jonathan concentrate on his determination to transform the nation.

    Nwuche advised the governor from distracting Jonathan with unnecessary confrontational statements and activities.

    He said: “What I have sought to do is to urge our governor (Amaechi) to govern in a more competitive manner and to also understand that our people, the entire people of the South South zone, will prefer to have President Jonathan run for another term as our president.

    “He (President Jonathan) embodies our hopes and aspirations. Nobody should distract him or undermine his government. I want to urge governor Amaechi to deploy our resources in the state to touch our people.”

    Nwuche, an indigene of Ochigba in Ahoada east council, who is also the Acting Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenged Amaechi to face his primary assignment of delivering developmental projects to Rivers State.

    He added: “The people lack basic amenities; they lack water, no road. He should face those things. Rivers State is losing so much from the centre, because of governor Amaechi.”

    The governor, however, fired back, saying those fighting him are after their stomachs.

    “I hear the governor (Amaechi) said I met with him, two or three weeks ago. That is not true. I last met the governor about three months ago and it was in connection with the state of the road to my place.

    “I also understand governor Amaechi said I did not bring development to our people, when I was the deputy speaker, House of Representatives.

    “As lawmakers, there is little we can do. We do not control budget but I attracted many projects to the area, the Orashi region, from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The projects are there for anyone to see.

    “I do not have personal problems with Governor Amaechi, but we probably only disagreed on principles.”

    Nwuche noted that his stay as the acting deputy national chairman of the PDP would be short, but assured that he would contribute his quota to move the party forward.

    But Amaechi, while addressing the people of Orashi region of Rivers State, comprising Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Abua/Odual, Ahoada East and Ahoada West council at the Government House, Port Harcourt, declared that he would place emphasis on good governance and not sharing government money.

    The NGF chairman said: “I met with Nwuche, two weeks before he went to them. He said, ‘look, I am your supporter.’ We had breakfast in my house. Ask him. He criticises other people very well. Let them remove me if they want to remove me.

    “My brother, ChibudomNwuche, said we are not running an inclusive government. My brother, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. KayodeFayemi, told me that they call it stomach infrastructure.

    “Part of the problems we are having is that our brothers, who have gathered in Abuja, have been hijacked by those who are not from Rivers State, to cause confusion in Rivers State.

    “We are trying to complete the road to Nwuche’s village and we must complete it. If we have done that, what else is inclusive? What they mean by inclusion is stomach.”

    He went on: “Governors in this country have two choices to make. You either stand by the people or stand against the people.

    “Nwuche said we are not performing. Ask him when you were deputy speaker, what did you do? Let him not do it in Ahoada, let him do it in Ochigba. As a speaker, I can show you the people I trained in the university.

    “I can show you one person, as a speaker, I took overseas to study in the university and he is back. He is working now. Let him (Nwuche) not say you are comparing because you are a governor. When he was deputy speaker, I was speaker. I can show you the people I paid their fees in the university.

    “If you want to be included in government, bring the ideas for development. Sit me down and criticise me for not developing your area. Tell me I am developing my village more than the other areas. Put facts. Let us argue. Let him (Nwuche) come for election.”