The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

  • Edo Central Group questions Oshiomhole’s discretion, altruism

    Edo Central Group questions Oshiomhole’s discretion, altruism

    • Asks Obaseki to reinstate the Onoje of Uromi land or…

    A group from Edo Central Senatorial zone made up of  towns and communities in Esan land has criticised the immediate past governor of Edo State, Governor Adams Oshiomhole for what they called  his indiscretion and high-handedness in sacking the Onoje of Uromi Land.

    They said the action of Oshiomhole on their traditional institution is tantamount to rubbishing their tradition and rubbishing a whole race and generation.  In a media parley in Lagos, the spoke person for the group and a real estate mogul, the Esogban of Ubiaja, Chief Omo Aisagbonhi said the former governor throughout his administration treated Esan land as a conquered territory.

    He said, though, Esan land supported governor Oshiomhole’s administration and voted overwhelmingly for him, he looked for opportunities to deride their customs and traditions and everything and everybody the race had respect for.

    He said: “Esan land runs a progenitor; our kings are not nominated but are born. How does the government tend to fill the vacuum it has created by deposing our king? By this singular action the whole Esan land can be brought under a curse if our kingship is tampered with, we don’t select our kings. If the king as alleged assaulted a woman, then we ask that appropriate institutions of government be asked to look into it and not the totalitarian and condescending action meted to our collective allegiance, ancestry and belief system. Permit me to state categorically that Governor Oshiomhole by this action indirectly attacked his political enemies especially our leader Chief Tony Aneni. We ask all people of good will to impress on the new governor, Godwin Obaseki to redress the wrong done to us to give peace a chance in the state”.

    Chief Aisagbonhi said though Oshiomhole married an Esan woman the governor stopped at nothing at treating them with contempt. He explained that from time immemorial, the Onojie is born and not made; pointing out that it is an abomination to remove the monarch, as his removal could spell the end of the Esan people’s culture.

    He further said that unlike other places in Nigeria, the succession line in Uromi is very clear, saying the title can only pass from father to son on the demise of the monarch.

    “It is not possible to replace this man. If his aides had advised him properly, they would have made the former governor to know that in removing the Onojie, he was trying to destroy our culture,” he said.

    It will be recalled that Edo State Government deposed Ojuromi of Uromi, His Royal Highness, Aselm O Edenojie II according to a letter signed by Secretary to the State Government, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, dated Wednesday November 9, 2016 and addressed to “Mr Aselm O. Edenojie”.

    The letter entitled  “Deposition from Office as Ojuromi of Uromi: read please be informed that the initial Exco decision of 26th October 2016 has been further affirmed, “Consequently, you have been deposed as the Ojuromi of Uromi pursuant to Section 28 (i & ii) of the Traditional Rulers & Chiefs Law, 1979.

    It would be recalled that the government suspended the traditional ruler on November 4, 2016 for one year, citing the Onojie’s failure to apologize within the stipulated period to a woman, Ms. Betty Okoebor, whom he allegedly assaulted on September 28, among other infractions, as reasons for its action.

    The government statement went further in the statement and stated: “It is important, for record purposes, to recount what has led to the present situation. Discounting your previous conduct, on the 28th of September 2016, you left your Palace during voting and moved from polling booth to polling booth campaigning and trying to coerce voters to vote for your preferred party and candidate; you went to a polling booth which was not where you registered to vote and tried to compel others to vote for your preferred candidate; when one of the voters, Okoebor refused to yield to your threats, you assaulted her causing grievous bodily harm.

    “Following from this, the Government, viewing your conduct as utterly embarrassing, disgraceful and unbecoming of a traditional ruler, issued you with a query and directed that you reply within 72 hours.

    “You ignored the query, travelled not just out of your domain but outside the country without permission. The flagrant arrogance of power and disregard for constituted authority compelled the State Executive Council in Session to suspend you from office as Ojuromi of Uromi for 7 days in exercise of its legal powers. You were directed not to parade yourself as Ojuromi, carry out any activity as Ojuromi, to apologise to Ms. Okoebor and also to the Edo State Government.

    “During this period of suspension under extant laws, you are hereby stripped of all the privileges and rights of the Ojuromi of Uromi and barred from performing any duties whatsoever in that regard. By virtue of this suspension from office, your remuneration from the 5 percent monthly FAC allocation to the Local Government shall be appropriated and donated to orphanages during this period.”

     

  • EU intensifies push for Nigeria to endorse EPA deal

    EU intensifies push for Nigeria to endorse EPA deal

    The European Union (EU) has continued its push to get Nigeria endorse the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), insisting that with globalization, Nigeria cannot live in isolation as it will hurt her economy.

    The propriety or otherwise of Nigeria signing into the EPA has since pitched manufacturers and other members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) against the EU, with most of them insisting that signing the agreement as it  is presently will hurt the manufacturing sector and the economy generally.

    But the EU appears unimpressed by such argument and has, therefore, continued its push to get Nigeria ratify the EPA deal. At a dialogue session on Nigeria International Trade Relations organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), last week, Head of Trade & Economics of the EU in Nigeria and West Africa, Fillippo Amato, said Nigeria has nothing to fear as far as EPA is concerned.

    He said the EU has shown goodwill with the release of 12 million euro to support the enhancement of the National Quality Infrastructure, to improve quality, safety, integrity and marketability of Nigerian goods and services.

    He wondered how smaller African countries such as Ghana, Rwanda, Gambia, Cameroun, Mauritania and the Southern African countries have signed on as a result of improved quality of production as against Nigeria with her large population.

    On how Nigeria can tap into the European market, Amato said it is only through the improvement of her production processes.

    Nigeria is already loosing so much by the rejection of beans and other export products to the EU because of the presence of a pesticide known as dichlorvos, which is harmful to health. Amato regretted that more than 70 percent of beans exported to the EU from Nigeria contained pesticide.

    The EU boss, however, stated that that EU is working with the relevant government agencies to address the problem.

    Some of the agencies include the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) among others.

    While noting that there is no short cut to standardization, he said Nigeria must do all within her means to improve on her products both for export and internal consumption. He said the EU has 100 per cent immediate market opening for products from West Africa and 75 per cent gradual market opening over a 20 year period for products from the EU.

    LCCI President Mrs. Nike Akande while denouncing multiple charges on manufacturers by the regulatory agencies urged government on the need for diversification. She stated that no country is fully self-sufficient, urging the government to come out with consistent and sustainable policies on trade relations.

    “Our huge population is a plus for investors. Return on Investment (RoI) is one of the highest globally, but as a country we need to strengthen our competitiveness by creating an enabling environment on the supply side,” Akande said.

     

  • Nigeria, Russia explore areas of mutual economic cooperation

    Nigeria, Russia explore areas of mutual economic cooperation

    A Russian Government delegation and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) announced during the week that they are exploring areas of possible economic cooperation.
    The Russian Government and her Trade Mission met their Nigerian counterparts in a programme organised by the LCCI tagged RuNiTrade (Russia and Nigeria Trade launching ceremony), an E-commerce platform where areas of possible cooperation were encapsulated.
    LCCI President, Mrs. Nike Akande said the Nigerian and Russian economies have similarities in some ways, saying that both economies are oil producing countries and are also rich in natural gas. She, however, noted that the Russian economy is much bigger and more advanced technologically.
    ‎While stressing the need to diversify the Nigerian economy through increased ‎global trade, Akande regretted the low level of trade between both countries. She pointed out that with a closer cooperation between the private sector of both economies, the level of trade can be improved.
    “We can benefit a lot from Russian technology in many fields. There are also tremendous opportunities for cooperation and investment ‎relations in infrastructure development, especially power and engineering infrastructure,” she said, adding that LCCI was excited by its collaboration with the Russian business on the e-commerce platform.
    She said the launching of the platform will further boost trade and investment relations between both countries. “There is great value in deploying technology to promote trade. Already, e-commerce has gained wide acceptance in our retail trade sector,” Akande said.
    She added that as a country, Nigeria has a lot to offer in business and economic ‎relations. She said, for instance, that the Nigerian economy offers the largest market on the African continent.
    “Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over $500 billion is the largest on the continent. We are richly endowed with natural resources. Our macroeconomic fundamentals are still strong despite the current global issues with commodity prices.
    “We have one of the most enterprising population in the world and our democracy is stable for the past 17 years,” she said, assuring that the Chamber would extend all necessary support to‎ improve trade and investment relations between both countries.
    “I believe there is a great deal of benefit in the promotion of trade relations between countries. It makes it possible for countries across the world to complement one another. No country of the world has ‎competitive advantage in everything,” Akande added.
    The President, Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Vladimir Zubov, said a platform such as RuNiTrade has been a long awaited and necessary tool, which the business community needs not only in Russia but also in other developing countries.
    He added that the project gives participants the opportunity to promote new products, which serves as a bold step forward for trade development, investments and international relationships between both countries.
    “We are ready to support Business to Business (B2B)-RuNiTrade project on its way to success. I have high hopes for this project and I believe that according to the recent events and agreements reached on political and economic issues, we will work towards organizing more trade missions between our countries. This will help us continue the development of mutually beneficial partnership and cooperation in the area of trade and investment,” Zubov said.
    Head, Russian Export Centre, Mr. Pavel Borisov, in his presentation encouraged Nigerian businesses, especially those in banking and insurance to key into the programme. He said Russia has engaged smaller countries such as South Africa and Sudan in various segments of the economy. He said since his country shares certain similarities with Nigeria any partnership would be mutually beneficial.

  • History of collapsed building in Nigeria

     

    Collapse of buildings is a universal problem that  has  eaten  deeply  into  the  fabrics  of  the  construction  industry,  of  which  very  little  has  been  done  to  curb  the menace.

    Nigeria like  many  other  countries  is  witnessing  building  collapse  at  alarming  rate.  In  Abuja, the  Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Lagos State, Port–Harcourt, Rivers State, Ibadan, Oyo State and Kaduna, Kaduna State to mention but few, many cases of collapsed buildings have been noted.

    Example of collapsed building abound, namely Multi-storey building, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo  State  (1974),  Barnawa Housing  Estate,  Kaduna,  Kaduna  State  (1980),  Mosque  building,  Osogbo,  Osun  State

    (1986),  Uncompleted  Two-storey  building,  Isinkan,  Akure,  Ondo  State  (1998),  Two-storey  residential  building, Funbi Fagun street, Abeokuta, Ogun State (1998),  On-going construction of one-storey building, Benjamin Opara street, Port-Harcourt, River State (2006),  Nigeria

    Industrial Development Building (NIDB), Lagos (2006)  a two-storey  market  plaza  in  Oshodi,  Lagos  (2010), killing  at  least  four  persons  and  leaving  many  others wounded.

    Others are a  three-storey building at 15, Alli Street, collapsed at about  11.00 pm and fell on a bungalow at  number 13 of the same street, leading to its collapse in the same year.

    The cause of the collapse, then was not  immediately ascertained but it was suspected that the three-storey building may be distressed as hundreds of distressed buildings have been uncovered on Lagos Island.

    Chief among the terrifying incidents of building collapse in Nigeria is the July 2006 collapse in Surulere , Lagos state were  three buildings caved in causing pandemonium among residents  killing no fewer than 28 lives and left 50 others severely injured. Also in Lagos, about 37 people lost their lives in four-storey building misshape at Ebute Meta, same month in 2006.

    Another tragic collapse occurred in September 2014, where over 100 worshipers were killed in a six-storey building under construction collapsed in the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos state.

    Before now, in another account in 2011, the residents of Gimbiya Street, Area 11 Garki, Abuja, an uncompleted building collapsed killing five people including a pregnant woman, with over 40 squatters trapped in the house.

    It is also on record that no less than five worshippers died following the collapse of St. Anthony Catholic Church Cathedral in Oduma, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State. Several other building collapses took their queue from the overwhelming failure of the Saque Comprehensive Primary and Secondary School, Port Harcourt, River state, resulting in the death of over 50 pupils in June 1990.