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  • Oshiomhole, Ezeife, Sagay disagree on restructuring

    Oshiomhole, Ezeife, Sagay disagree on restructuring

    Former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay; and a former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, yesterday disagreed on whether restructuring will lead to the development of Nigeria.

    They spoke in Benin City at the 20th Professor Wole Soyinka Annual Lecture Series organized by the National Association of Seadogs.

    Former Governor Oshiomhole, who delivered the keynote address, said those canvassing for restructuring were diverting Nigerians’ attention from the real issues of governance and leadership.

    Oshiomhole, who noted that it was not the right time to discuss on whether Nigeria should remain as one, said what was viable was to do things differently as a nation to make the country great and Nigerians benefit from its huge resources.

    He stated that many of the nation’s leaders, advocating restructuring, were the same persons that pushed for the creation of states since the days of the military.

    He said those pushing for the implementation of the National Confab report were doing so because part of its recommendations was that 18 additional states should be created.

    Oshiomhole, who insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari is fighting corruption the right way, said what should engage the attention of Nigerians should be how to make the Nigeria project a reality.

    His words: “There is no one part that is doing the rest of the country a favour more than the other parts.

    “These same people were there at the beginning. Some of the people talking now were those that said the regions were not balanced and states should be created to bring government closer to the people.

    “They said the centre was too weak. Today, they turn around to say the states are not viable and the centre is too powerful. We should be talking about how to apply our natural wealth to benefit Nigerians.

    “What we need to restructure are our values, the attitude to governance and the issue of corruption. There are structural problems because there are two main tribes in Nigeria, the tribe of the very rich and the tribe of the very poor.

    “We should be talking about how to apply our national wealth in a way it will bring about equality in wealth distribution. We need to restructure our attitude, character and value system in a way it gives opportunity to all Nigerians.”

    On his part, Sagay called for the scrapping of the federation account to make states viable.

    He stated that restructuring the country “means the return to true federalism and autonomy of the federating units”.

    Sagay said it was an insult to federalism for states to be paid allocations as currently being experienced in Nigeria.

    Sagay insisted that Nigeria would never develop, if it remained as a civil servant waiting for monthly salaries.

    He stated the only way out was to have a national conference on ways to have devolution of power.

    Sagay lambasted the organized labour, federal lawmakers and the northern elites for opposing true federalism and autonomy of the federating units.

    He said the organized labour “wants wages to be determined by the federal government instead of states.

    “The northern elites are so used to proceeds of oil that they abandoned the thugs that make them Great as a region. It it better for them to accept federalism and autonomy because it will be better for them.

    “The North will be the greatest beneficiary of autonomy. They have a great means of revenue which they are ignoring. They should convince cattle rearers to build ranches instead of whipping cattle to the south.

    “Federal legislators’ reasons are selfish. If you have true federalism, that free allowances will not be available for them.

    “Any act of misgovernance in Abuja reverberates across the country. The current unitary system is suffocating and states are struggling to grow. They are dependent on the federal government feeding bottle. It is imperative we return to the 1963 constitution to suit our present challenges, if we are to coexist in a crisis-free Nigeria.”

    Ezeife said Nigeria faced extinction, if there was no restructuring.

    Ezeife noted that only restructuring would free Nigeria from the plot by the British government to keep the country underdeveloped.

    He urged Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to before 2018 convoke a conference that would discuss the country.

    “Every honest Nigerian knows we are at the brink of extinction. Nigeria will cease to exist, if we do not restructure. It is a joke for people to think we should not restructure.

    “Northerners will lose most from the disintegration of Nigeria. We need to go back to the agreed Nigeria. Make the six zones federating units. Allow states in the zones to develop their own constitutions.

    “Osinbanjo should make sure the issue of restructuring is complete by the middle of 2018. Make sure the zones control their security.”

  • Oshiomhole criticises PDP’s comment on hospital

    Oshiomhole criticises PDP’s comment on hospital

    Former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has described as untrue comments by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that he deceived President Mohammadu Buhari to inaugurate the new five-star Central Hospital Complex by borrowing equipment to instal in the hospital.

    Oshiomhole said the comments of the PDP was the cry of a people still licking their wounds from the Supreme Court defeat.

    Oshiomhole told reporters  his administration paid 75 per cent of the total value of state-of-the-art equipment ordered.

    He said figures churned out by the PDP as cost of the hospital did not make sense ‘even to a fool’.

    Oshiomhole noted that the contractor got caught in the foreign exchange crisis and could not get enough forex to order for the equipment.

    His words: “First, it is good news for them to agree that a new hospital has been built because in some other statements they had said there was no new hospital. I have seen PDP turn out numbers that did not make sense even to a fool as regards amount of the project.  The only point that I think is worth commenting is when I read somewhere that we hired or borrowed equipment to bring to the hospital for the President to inaugurate.

    “Again, it shows how empty-headed PDP leadership in Edo State and their spokesperson are. If you borrowed equipment from someone, how come the lender has not come to recover his equipment. And those equipment are still there.

    “As you can see even from the one that has been delivered and installed. But the contractor which is not a one-man business, Verment, they are not one local contractor that PDP can go and sublet contract to.”

  • Oshiomhole disowns Aremu over IBB comment

    Oshiomhole disowns Aremu over IBB comment

    For merE do State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has distanced himself from a report credited to him calling on former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to apologise to Nigerians for helping to bring the country to its present level.

    He was reported to have made the statement in Abuja at the 5th Triennial Delegate Conference of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PEGASSAN).

    He said he delegated Comrade Issa Aremu to represent him as the guest speaker at the occasion and told him his position on oil and gas without a prepared speech.

    The reaction of Oshiomhole was contained in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Victor Oshioke.

    In the statement, Oshiomhole noted that his respect for Gen. Babangida has not wavered.

    He said he was surprised that such a statement was wrongly credited to him.

    Oshiomhole stated that he was invited to speak on the theme: “Emerging trends in the oil and gas Industry and its impact on labour movement in Nigeria”.

    The statement reads: “In order to guide and properly articulate his position on the theme, Comrade Oshiomhole had a telephone conversation with Comrade Issa Aremu, where he gave the latter his perspectives on oil and gas.

    “He did explain to Comrade Issa Aremu that the oil and gas sector needs diversification and deregulation to make the right investment that will lead to additional job creation and employment for Nigerians.

    “Since it was essentially a union affair, discussions were to focus on how best to create an atmosphere that will stimulate further enterprise in the oil and gas sector in the overall interest of the Nigerian worker.

    “It is true that there was no prepared speech handed over to Comrade Issa Aremu but the conversation Oshiomhole had with him spelt out the scope of the issues to be discussed.

    “There was nowhere during the conversation that the name of former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida featured with respect to his comments on restructuring or otherwise.

    “We wish to state unequivocally that the view so expressed is entirely that of Comrade Issa Aremu and does not in any way represent the views of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. When a speaker is representing another speaker in any public speaking engagement, the rules are very clear.

    “If the representing speaker wants to deviate from the mandate and brief given to him, he will clearly inform the audience without lumping his thoughts and views as though they represent those of the real speaker.

    “Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s opinion of former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida was eloquently captured in a personally signed paid advertorial to mark IBB’s 75th birthday on the 17th August, 2016 in several newspapers.”

     

  • Oshiomhole: Babangida owes Nigerians apology

    Oshiomhole: Babangida owes Nigerians apology

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Adams Oshiomhole said yesterday that former Military President and restructuring advocate General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida owes the nation an apology for helping to bring it to its present level.

    Oshiomhole also said that the clamour for diversification of the economy cannot succeed unless it begins with the oil and gas sector which, he said, employs about 40 percent of the working population.

    The former Edo State governor, who was represented by the General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, Comrade Issa Aremu, at the 5th Triennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum And Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Abuja, said it was under the Babangida regime that “the economy was restructured” and the naira devalued.

    The former National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who was the guest speaker, spoke on the theme: “Emerging trends in the oil and gas industry and impacts on Labour Movement in Nigeria’’.

    Oshiomhole argued that a lot of misinformation was being fed to youths –  that the Nigerian nation was too big and, therefore, needed to be divided. Nigerians must be careful about the ongoing clamour for restructuring and quit notice to fellow Nigerians to leave their place of residence, he said.

    He advocated a review of the constitution to replace citizenship with residency, pointing out that indigeneship should not have a place in the constitution.

    Admitting that the former Nigerian leader may have been converted, Oshiomhole said Nigeria “should not be a debating society, but a production economy.

    “The discussion now is about restructuring and I think those of us in the Labour circle must be careful about some words. I heard Babangida talking about restructuring. Although he could have been converted, this is a man under whose tenure the cabinet was dissolved and for almost a month, he was alone, ruling the country.

    “I thought that he should have apologised to the whole country, but there is nothing like that from him. But it is now fashionable for him to talk about restructuring. It was under him that the economy was restructured. He devalued the currency and downsized workers. It is important that we prioritise these terms.”

    In the former governor’s view, “what we need to do is organise and not agonise. Let us quit our problems and not quit ourselves. We are giving quit notice to ourselves and as Nigerians we cannot afford that,” he said, adding:

    “We are just victims of xenophobic attacks. How can we be looking for global sympathy when misguided South African youths are attacking other African countries that fought for their liberation only to come back home and be giving quit notices to ourselves.

    “I think we should quit poverty, lack of electricity, import dependency, exporting crude oil and importing refined products, unemployment, but we should not quit ourselves. It is time for us to make a case for the amendment of the constitution in such a way that residency should replace citizenship, not indigeneship.

    “There are many workers who have worked outside their homes for several years more than their home states. They should have a right to remain there, contest election. I think that is the way to go. Nigerian leaders should think ahead. Africa is the way it is now because Nigerians are no longer on duty. We must regain Nigeria for posterity. What we need is development and not disintegration.

    “Development is the way to go. South Sudan was lured into having a new country and today, they are in a permanent state of war within themselves. Nigeria cannot afford that. Nigeria should not only remain united, but lead the campaign for a United states of Africa.”

    Asking organised labour and all progressive minded Nigerians to rise up and speak for the country, Oshiomhole said “the conference is taking place at a time when Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges. There has been a lot of discussion about the future of this country.

    “The forces of retrogression and backwardness are at work. Progressives groups, which include organised labour, must wake up and speak for Nigeria. We should advice all those people who are trying to undermine Nigeria to learn from PENGASSAN.

    “There is a lot of misinformation, and misconception by our youths that Nigeria is too big and that the only solution for us is to break up. Yes, Nigeria is big when you compare us to Togo or to Benin or Ghana. But even Ghana, we are only bigger in terms of size, but in terms of budget per capital, Ghana is bigger.”

    He said though the government’s attention was on diversification of the economy from oil, diversification must begin from the oil and gas sector itself, with the nation adding value to its oil production by stopping the exportation of crude and importation of refined products.

    Oshiomhole said: “It is now fashionable for us to be talking about diversification of the economy, which is fine because of the collapse of price of crude oil as well as the challenges facing the oil and gas industry. But in most cases when we talk about diversification,  the assumption is that we move from oil and gas or other sectors like agriculture and solid minerals.

    “In spite of the challenges taking place in this sector,  oil and gas industry matters more than ever before and there is no diversification of any sector without the talk of non oil and gas.

    “As a matter of fact,  no diversification can take place in agriculture and solid minerals without the necessary available resources that are still accruable from oil and gas. It is obvious that 40 percent of national employment comes from this sector and 95 percent of foreign exchange earning of Nigeria comes from oil and gas, while 16 percent of out GDP also comes from  this sector.

    “With 37 billion cubit reserve of crude oil as well as 183 billion cubit of gas,  which makes us to have 30 percent of total gas reserve of the entire world, it is clear that we cannot ignore the fact that the oil and gas industry still matters. We should salute all workers in this sector,  keeping it alive in spite of all the challenges.

    “From the figures we have just been given of our reserve for oil and gas,  it is clear that he future of Nigeria lies in the fact that Nigeria is not just an oil producing country,  but is gradually becoming a gas producing country.

    “The point here is that when we talk about diversification,  it is not just moving from one thing to the other. It is an entire value chain.  In fact,  the diversification must start from the oil and gas industry first. We are just exporting crude oil and not adding value the way that we should because there are close to 120 derivatives from crude oil alone.

    “There are lots of upstream and downstream activities that can be generated to revive the industry. It has also become fashionable for major operators in the oil and gas to shift the burden on the working people through cut in jobs, downsizing, among others. I think it is time to revisit some of these issues.”

    In Oshiomhole’s view, the industry cannot be revived by shifting the burden  on the workers.  “It is time for corporate operators respected collective agreements and put an end to arbitrary sacking of workers.”

  • IBB owes Nigerians apology, not calls for restructuring – Oshiomhole

    IBB owes Nigerians apology, not calls for restructuring – Oshiomhole

    Former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, said on Thursday that former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd), owes Nigerians an apology for helping to bring the country to present level.

    Oshiomhole also said current clamour for diversification of the nation’s economy cannot succeed unless it begins with the oil and gas sector which he said employ about 40 percent of the working population in the country.

    The ex-governor, who spoke through the General Secretary of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, Comrade Issa Aremu, at the 5th Triennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum And Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Abuja, said it was under the Babangida regime that “the economy was restructured and the naira devalued.”

    Oshiomhole spoke on the theme: “Emerging Trends in the Oil and Gas Industry and its Impacts on Labour Movement in Nigeria.’’

    The former governor argued that a lot of misinformation was being fed to Nigerian youths that the country was too big and therefore need to divide.

    He stressed that Nigerians must be careful about the ongoing clamour for restructuring and quit notice to fellow Nigerians to leave their current place of residence.

    He called for review of the constitution to replace citizenship with residency, pointing out that indigeneship should not have a place in the nation’s constitution.

    Oshiomhole said: “The discussion now is about restructuring and I think those of us in the labour circle must be careful about some words. I heard Babangida talking about restructuring. Although he could have been converted, this is a man under whose tenure, the cabinet was dissolved and for almost a month, he was alone, ruling the country.

    “I thought that he should have apologized to the whole country, but there is nothing like that from him. But it is now fashionable for him to talk about restructuring. It was under him that the economy was restructured. He devalued the currency and downsized workers. It is important that we prioritize these terms.”

    “What we need to do is organize and not agonise. Let us quit our problems and not quit ourselves. We are giving quit notice to ourselves and as Nigerians we cannot afford that.

    “We are just victims of xenophobic attacks. How can we be looking for global sympathy when misguided South African youths are attacking other African countries that fought for their liberation only to come back home and be giving quit notices to ourselves.

    “I think we should quit poverty, lack of electricity, import dependency, exporting crude oil and importing refined products and unemployment, but we should not quit ourselves. It is time for us to make a case for the amendment of the constitution in such a way that residency should replace citizenship, not indigeneship.

    “There are many workers who have worked outside their homes for several years more than their home states. They should have a right to remain there, contest election. I think that is the way to go. Nigerian leaders should think ahead. Africa is the way it is now because Nigerians are no longer on duty. We must regain Nigeria for posterity. What we need is development and not disintegration.”

     

  • Jonathan, Dangote, Oshiomhole, others bid Anenih’s wife farewell

    Jonathan, Dangote, Oshiomhole, others bid Anenih’s wife farewell

    The remains of Patricia, wife of elder statesman Chief Tony Anenih, who died on Easter Monday in a London hospital, have been interred at the family’s country home Uromi, Esan North East local government area of Edo State.

    Patricia’s interment was witnessed by few friends and family members.

    Before her interment, a requiem mass held at the St Anthony Catholic Church, Uromi.

    In his homily, officiating Priest, Reverend Father Gabriel Dúnia, Bishop of Auchi Diocese, urged the congregation to be bothered about how the world celebrate them when they die.

    Bishop Dúnia noted that one has not lived at all if nobody was there to bid farewell after life.

    He described the deceased as a good wife, a mother and a proud Catholic.

    According to him: “What Chief Anenih became was because he had a peaceful wife.

    “Chief had a wife who kept the home to which he returned. Patricia laid down her life for Chief to move on.

    “She spent the best parts of her life with Chief. I urge you to live well so that the Priest will not struggle with what to say when you depart.”

    In his tribute, Anenih said: “My treasure is gone.”

    Chief Anenih said the peace of mind his late wife gave to him proved indispensable for the successes of all his undertakings.

    According to him: “She remained an understanding wife, who steered the course of my life along the path of resounding success.

    “As a police officer, I benefited from her wise counsel, which I so often needed.

    “As a businessman, she brought in for my benefit that sober and restraining voice that leads to appropriate reassessment of means and methods as well as priorities which is indispensable for success.

    “As a politician, I needed someone to cater and Patricia catered for all my associates and friends cheerfully and willingly without any sign of weariness, displeasure or frustration.”

    Dignitaries present at the funeral included former President Goodluck Jonathan; former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; business tycoon, Aliko Dangote; former Governor of Delta State Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan; former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori; Governor of Gombe State Dr. Idris Dakwambo; Senator Barnabas Germade; Senator A. Mahdi; Senator Matthew Urhoghide; Senator Clifford Ordia; Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion; former Minister for External Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi; Hon Omosede Igbinedion and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

  • Oshiomhole hails Obaseki for sustaining Okpekpe Race

    Oshiomhole hails Obaseki for sustaining Okpekpe Race

    Immediate past Governor of Edo state Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has hailed his successor Godwin Obaseki for continuing the tradition of hosting the IAAF Bronze Label Okpekpe international 10km road race.
    Oshiomhole,who is the grand patron of the race believes Governor Obaseki should be appreciated and congratulated for following up on a good programme.
    ”The point I want to amplify is that we should all appreciate and congratulate Governor Obaseki for sustaining the tradition because there were a number of people who thought that once Comrade Oshiomhole was out of office,Okpekpe 10km road race would be out of the way.What Governor Obaseki has done by coming here and by his own participation as a runner is to give affirmative action to our commitment to continue with the things that are good.I am happy the race has already oulived my tenure as Governor,”said Comrade Oshiomhole on the sidelines of the fifth edition of the race held last Saturday in Okpekpe near Auchi in Edo state.
    Oshiomhole insists one of the best things that happened during his tenure was the staging of the Okpekpe race which not only brought the rusty Okpekpe clan and the entire North Ibie on the map of the world,but also for its health benefit.

  • Osagie faults Obaseki’s separation of governance from politics

    Osagie faults Obaseki’s separation of governance from politics

    Former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Osagie, has warned of impending crisis in the Edo State chapter of the All Progressive Congress over Governor Obaseki stance on separating politics from governance.

    Hon Osagie said any gulf created by Obaseki’s refusal to interfere in the running of the APC could create political problem for the governor.

    Osagie warned that the people the governor would leave the affairs of the party to would use the party as an instrument for fighting political opponents and personal aggrandizement.

    Speaking to reporters in Benin City, the former Minority Whip described suspension of some leaders of the party across the state as unfortunate.

    Hon Osagie said those that carried out the suspension capitalized on the policy of Governor Obaseki to concentrate on governance rather than partisan politics.

    He said the rate of suspension witnessed in Edo APC in the last six months did not occur when Adams Oshiomhole was Governor.

    “There can be no difference between the government of a state and the party that brought the government to power. If there exist a gulf, strictly speaking, it can create a political problem for the governor and I pray that he does not allow that to happen. 

    “A governor cannot ride on the platform of a party to governance and then totally neglect or run away in the running of the affairs of the party. There are dire political consequences for that action because those he will leave it to will create political problem for him. They will use the party to take political decision that can create instability for his government. Governance that is party based cannot be separated midway. It will be my advice for him not to allow people to create confusion for his government because that can affect the performance of his administration.

    “It is quite unfortunate that it is happening at this stage. Thank God Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the Leader of the State Caucus of the party. He will be able to intervene and halt the gale of suspension across board.

    “It is because these persons are capitalizing on the policy of the governor to concentrate on governance rather than partisan politics. They are exploiting what looks like a gap. If you go down the records, the people behind this are almost political liabilities who cannot produce results during election periods,” he said.

  • You still have a lot to contribute, Tinubu tells Oshiomhole

    You still have a lot to contribute, Tinubu tells Oshiomhole

    Former Lagos State governor and All Progressives Congress national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has congratulated the immediate-past governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for turning 65, saying the former governor still has a lot to contribute to the nation.

    Oshiomhole clocked 65 on Tuesday, April 4. Tinubu said Oshiomhole has attained an “impossible-to-ignore status of eminence” in the country.

    In a letter sent to Oshiomhole and personally signed by Tinubu, the APC national leader said: “My dear Comrade,

    It is a great pleasure for my family and I to join your teeming admirers and well-wishers to rejoice and thank God with you on the commemoration of your 65th birthday on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.

    “Your journey on this terrestrial sphere so far has been a truly remarkable and inspiring one. Surely, you are not to be counted among those who were lucky either to be born great or to have greatness thrust on their laps on a platter of gold. Rather, you have attained an impossible-to-ignore status of eminence in our immensely blessed country in your three scores and a half years through sheer determination, perseverance, resilience, commitment, discipline, focus and hard work.

    “From the shop floor of the textile industry, you pulled yourself up by the bootstraps and through consistent courage, integrity and fidelity to truth as well as the best interest of Nigerian workers, you rose through the ranks to establish yourself as easily the most outstanding national labour leader of contemporary times. Your successful trajectory from trade unionism to party politics is indeed a unique one, made more notable by your emergence as elected governor of Edo State.

    “I most certainly speak the minds of millions of members of our great party when I say that your outstanding performance as two-term governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016 remains a reference point and a source of pride to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Apart from skilfully steering the ship of state and charting the course for Edo, the ‘heartbeat of the nation’ for eight years, you demonstrated your innate leadership endowment by identifying, nurturing and handing over to a worthy and capable successor well placed to take Edo to greater heights from where you stopped.

    “At 65, you still brim with energy, dynamism and vibrancy, while your mind continues to bubble with ideas ever so useful for national development. There is no doubt that you still have a lot to contribute to the country as our party continues to grapple with the Herculean challenge of remedying the grievous damage it inherited in virtually all sectors and laying the foundation for the realization of Nigeria’s immense but trapped potential.

    “It is my prayer that God Almighty will continue to bless you with good health, divine wisdom and long life as you dedicate yourself anew to the cause of service to Nigeria, Africa and humanity.

    “As my family and I wish you a very happy and fulfilled 65th birthday, I am confident that the best for you is surely yet to come”.

  • Anti-corruption war: Things are changing under Magu, says Oshiomhole

    Anti-corruption war: Things are changing under Magu, says Oshiomhole

    A former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday said things are changing in the war against graft under the leadership of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

    He said Magu’s job is the most difficult and challenging job in the country but should be supported.

    He said contrary to insinuations, Magu was not selective in the way he is waging war against corruption.

    He also said there was nothing wrong with the media trial of corrupt suspects in the country.

    Oshiomhole , who  spoke  at the 1st National Anti-Corruption Stakeholder’s Summit at the EFCC Academy  in Karu, Abuja, also backed the Nigeria Customs Service on the enforcement of payment of duties on imported goods.

    The theme of the workshop was  ‘Building National Anti-Corruption Consensus in a Multi-Agency’.

    He  said:  “From what I have seen sir, you have the most difficult and challenging job in this country today; more challenging than the job of a governor, the job of a President, the job of a Senate President or any other person because those ones are clearly defined and the values are there but this one is really problematic.

    “In the past, we were made to believe that you could not probe the armed forces because of security reasons because they could overthrow so army accounts were never touched.

    “But we are beginning to see changes. Today, even former service chiefs are being made to account for the money that was meant for insurgency was diverted and kept in pit latrines.”

    Oshiomhole insisted that there was nothing wrong with media trial of suspects.

    He said: “I can see both people in opposition and government being made to give account. Something is changing but I see people who say corruption should not be fought in this manner. They say there is too much newspaper trial.

    “There is a purpose for the media such that as you are trying to hide, somebody’s business is to expose because if it is not exposed, it becomes a matter for boardroom conversation and rumours for the rest of society. I

    “I am convinced sir that under your leadership, things are changing. We just need to see how to sustain that and as you can see, there is no particular segment that can be completely said to be insulated.”

    Regarding the enforcement on payment of duties, Oshiomhole said as long as there is a law in place that duty should be paid, the  Service must go ahead with the  enforcement.

    He added: “When I was governor, I went to the Villa to visit a former President and many governors were there. And I said look at us, we have all made laws about contrabands and somehow all of us governors and Presidents and Vice-Presidents and ministers sitting here are wearing contraband.

    “And I said to the President, if we cannot enforce a law, don’t make it. If we must make the law, it must be enforced because somehow we have been able to turn our country into a duty-free country.”

    In spite of the fact that N70million has been frozen in his account, a  human rights lawyer, Mr. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), described Magu as a “great man”.

    He commended the EFCC for inviting him to the summit  despite  his disagreement  with the anti-graft agency on the  investigation of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.

    The senior advocate, who had last week, challenged Magu’s legitimacy as the acting Chairman of the EFCC following his rejection by the Senate, said he had nothing against Magu as he had known the EFCC boss since 1997.

    He said: “When I received the invitation to come for this summit, I was quite intrigued. I said to myself that Magu’s EFCC which had just seized my money from a court ordered unfrozen account is involving me. I said this man has a very large heart and I must attend it.

    “Let me make this point clear, I don’t discuss individuals, I discuss institutions; that is why I believe that our institutions should be strengthened and not individuals. I have known Magu and Lamorde since 1997/1998/1999 during the failed bank tribunals and these are great men.

    “These are great men with integrity. So, when we disagree, it is simply on how to move the nation forward. It has nothing to do with individuals or personalities. I still believe that he is a great man and a man of integrity.”

    He, however, questioned the methods being employed by the commission regarding the fight against corruption.

    Ozekhome joked that he would continue to defeat the EFCC in court because the problem the commission had was its shoddy method of investigation and not the judiciary.

    He disagreed with Oshiomhole regarding the effectiveness of ‘media trials’.

    Ozekhome said media trial was flawed as it had a way of presenting a person as already guilty even before being taken to court.

    He also accused the commission of being selective in its fight against corruption and dared the EFCC to arrest just one of Buhari’s men to convince Nigerians that it was not being selective.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, said there was a need for the EFCC to respect the rule of law while carrying out investigations.

    Utazi said it was wrong of the EFCC to detain suspects for long periods with the aim of gathering evidence, adding that media trial was prejudicial and must be stopped.

    He added that there was a need for the commission to inform the legislative of its activities as regards recovery of funds and seizure of assets as this would promote transparency.”