The Nation Newspaper

Tag: others

  • Lagos Speaker, Commissioner, others preach harmony in Ramadan

    LAGOS State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, has urged Nigerians to ensure peace and harmony in the season of Ramadan and beyond. Obasa said this at The Blue Roof, St. Peter’s Primary School in Orile Agege, Lagos, during the 15th annual Sabaco Ramadan lecture, organised by the Lagos State Comisssioner for Waterfront Insfrastructure Development, Samuel Adejare. Obasa urged Nigerians to live as one and share in the joy of Ramadan.

    He described Adejare’s gesture as commendable, more so that it is coming from someone that is a Christian. “For a Christian to do something for Muslims, it is an attitude we all should imbibe so that both religions can live in peaceable harmony with each other.” According to him, Ramadan is a period to pray and seek for forgiveness. “This is also a time to have positive impact in the lives of others.

    We are to ensure peace and harmony. Let us use this season to serve God and we will reap the good fruits,” he said Speaking at the event, Adejare said Ramadan is a season for fasting, looking up to God for his mercy and grace, and for reaching out to the needy. He added that it is a season to look back at what we have done and what we should have done to make amends. “It is a season that we must look and care for our neighbours. This is why this program has been put together to give to others. We have also given out generators to the Mosque in this community so that no Mosque will be in darkness during the hours of prayers.

  • Gains, pains of school feeding programme, others

    How has education fared under the present administration, which celebrated its third anniversary on Tuesday? Nigerians give their verdicts on some of its intervention programmes, particularly its feeding of pupils and N-Power. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE reports.

    WHEN he assumed office in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari promised to feed pupils and provide jobs for youths. This gave birth to the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) and the N-Power initiative in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

    The government allocated N1.3 trillion for the implementation of the two and other programmes (Government Empowerment and Enterprise Programme -GEEP) to provide zero interest loans for over 1.2 million artisans and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to provide N5,000 to the poorest households.

    While the school feeding programmes provided mid-day meals to pupils in early child care development education classes as well as Primary 1-3, the N-Power was designed to create jobs for 500,000 graduates and an additional 100,000 unemployed youths.

     

    HGSFP- Feeding pupils and enriching

    criminals?

    With Nigeria home to about 10.5 million out-of-school children nationwide – the highest in the world, the HGSFP is regarded as one of those programmes that can boost enrolment and keep children in school.

    As at last February, the Special Adviser to President on Social Investment, Mrs Mariam Uwais, said the HGSFP had surpassed its target of feeding five million children nationwide – achieving its twin target of boosting enrolment and nutrition.

    This is apart from creating markets for farmers to sell their produce, and jobs for cooks/food vendors and others along the value chain.

    “Some 6,044,625 pupils are being fed daily in 20 states by 61,352 cooks in 33,981 primary schools,” she said in Lagos.

    Last week, the Presidency upgraded the number of children being fed daily to 8,260,984 pupils in 45,394 public primary schools in 24 states.

    The states are Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, Kaduna, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Jigawa, Niger, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Ondo and Borno.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, added that the initiative had also created over 80,000 direct jobs – with 87,261 cooks preparing the meals in the 24 participating states.

    He spoke of plans to extend the programme to the 36 states of the federation and the Federal capital Territory (FCT).

    Head Teacher of Local Government Nursery and Primary School, Jagunna, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mrs Beatrice Daodu, said pupils in her school were being fed meals regularly.

    “Our kindergarten children and Primary 1-3 pupils are fed regularly.They had moimoin (bean cake) and eko (pap) today,” she said when The Nation visited last Friday.

    However, despite the benefits of the school feeding programme, it has been dogged by corruption.

    Bilyaminu Usman Bungudu took to the HGSFP Facebook page to complain of sharp practices in Zamfara State.

    “In Zamfara State, the programme is very poor due to the (activities of) politicians. They come in and put their wives and relatives in some schools in Zamfara (who do) not feed (but) share (the) money (among) (themselves). All the ATMs of vendors are (held) by their councillors. We need this organisation to come in and investigate the matter,” she wrote.

    Another resident of Zamfara, who worked as a monitor for the programme, Sharhabil Iyya, also lamented the fraudulent practices of the food vendors who reduced the food meant for the pupils.

    “I happened to be supervising the programme in some schools in one of the beneficiary states, but to no avail the programme manager discontinued us. Please tell Mrs Maryam Uwais to do something because there is massive fraud and connivance between the vendors and some head teachers and we have been able to exposed that, and also between the vendor’s and some influential peoples, especially in the villages. Because of the little allowances we are gaining, we did a tremendous work in fishing out erred vendors who refused to cook despite collecting money. Please the S.A. to the president on Social Investment Programme should do something. I so hope that this message reaches you,” he wrote.

    Mrs Uwais has admitted that corruption was the bane of the programme.  She said her office had received reports of diversion of funds by government officials meant to disburse to the cooks in many states and called for help from civil society organisations to monitor the programme.

    “We are struggling to battle with some issues.  In one state, state officials went as far as diverting 80 per cent of the cooks’ money from their account to a special account in connivance with the banks. In many schools, the programme is working well.  But we need feedback so we can catch the culprits,” she said.

    Mrs Uwais added that her team was aware of the need for collaboration to catch corrupt officials, but was hampered by lack of funds to mobilise independent monitors to support in monitoring the programme.

     

    N-Power

    The N-Power programme has a target of giving work to 500,000 graduates in education, agriculture and health sectors (for the graduates), and providing Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills for an additional 100,000 non-graduates.

    Vice President Yemi Osinabjo said so far, the N-Power programme had employed 200,000 youths and has plans to recruit 300,000 more.

    The participants are paid a monthly stipend of N30,000 for two years that the programme would last.  The hope is that they are able to move on to more stable employment or income-generating ventures afterwards.

    In the process of recruiting graduates for the programme, Mrs Uwais said the National Social Investment Office (NSIO) has been able to screen 2.5 million unemployed graduates, providing a veritable database for future planning for youths.

    “The N-Power portal, having processed over 2.5M applicants, hosts a database of unemployed graduates seeking employment and as such provides a veritable platform for engaging graduates for the country; private and public sector alike, with data providing details of qualifications, BVN, age, numbers, interests, etc,” she said.

    Challenges facing the programme include delay in deployment and payment of beneficiaries.  Many have complained about being owned backlogs of stipends or not knowing when payment would be made.

    Checks by The Nation revealed that a website, https://www.firstcalljob.com.ng/npower-monthly-salarystipend-latest-20172018-news-update/ which provides information by N-Power programme and deployment, was bombarded by beneficiaries seeking to know why their stipends were delayed in February.

    Some lawmakers have also been critical of the National Social Investment Programme, claiming the programme was poorly implemented.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje claimed that Nigerians did not feel the impact of the programmes.

    However, Mrs Uwais said not all the funds were released to the office.

    She said though N500 billion was appropriated for the NSIP last year, only N90 billion was released and this year, only N85 billion.

  • UI, others to offer herbal medicine

    THE University of Ibadan, University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, and Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU), Ogwa, Edo State have okayed herbal medicine for their curricula. This is following a deal with PaxHerbal Clinic and Research Laboratories.

    Its clinic Director, Rev. Anselm Adodo, broke the news at a briefing in Ikeja, GRA, Lagos.

    He said UNIMED would run a Bachelor’s Degree in Herbal Medicine, SAU, a higher certificate programme and UI, a Master’s and a Ph.D in African Traditional Medicine at its Institute of African Studies. Also, UI is running a course in Herbal Medicine, through the Pharmacy Department.

    Rev Adodo said: “An expert committee, with members drawn from key government research and regulatory agencies, set up by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to draw up standards for official identification of African medicinal plants has also made progress in its research findings.”

    The Institute of African Studies will also offer a professional certificate programme in Herbal Medicine.

    “This programme aims to empower traditional healers to professionalise their practice. It is also open to pharmacists and medical practitioners who need a working knowledge of Herbal Medicine with the attendant certification from a credible institution,” Rev Adodo explained.

    According to him, the undergraduate courses will be fulltime, while the certificate courses can be obtained part time.

    Besides, Rev Adodo said the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) has signed a Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) with PaxHerbals to research the use of plants as foods and medicine.

    “We have also signed an MoU  with PaxHerbals and its subsidiary, the Pax Integral Research and Development Initiative (OFIRDI), and Lagos State Coconut Development Agency (LASCODA) on research into coconut-based products,”  Adodo said.

    The Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), which last year signed an MoU with Paxherbals on research and development of Traditional Herbal Medicine, has established a Centre for Herbal Medicine, Alternative and Complementary Medicine Research, while the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), and the Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories have prepared a protocol for a clinical trial of the Pax herbal malarial medicine called Malatreat, which is awaiting ethical clearance from health regulators.

    “I, as Director of Paxherbals, have always been actively involved, either as a member of a curriculum advisory committee, curriculum review committee or a research committee. My participation brought awareness to several areas of neglect, especially the dearth of literature on herbal medicine from Nigeria and documentation of Nigerian plants and flora for students and researchers. This has compelled Nigerian researchers to depend excessively on foreign publications to help them in their local research, which is practically difficult and not easy to compare. As a contribution towards solving this problem, I decided to publish a research book titled: “Medicinal Plants of Nigeria: An Ethnobotanical survey and Plant Album’, to be released in July, this year,” Rev Adodo said.

    He explained that the book aims to serve as a workbook for students, teachers and practitioners in the field of ethnobotany and ethnomedicine.  It documents the plants that are traditionally used by the local population, the history of local use, and the traditional beliefs around the use in Nigeria. At a time when so much attention is being given to phytochemica l screening of plants.

    He added: “There is a temptation to overlook the philosophy of ethnomedicine and cultural use of plants, thereby losing the link between plants and the community.

    ‘’This research adopts a community-oriented approach to African herbal medicine research and argues for a return to a community-based approach to medicine, wherein the health of the individual is closely aligned with that of the community. Community in this context includes plants, animals and the environment.”

    One of the major weaknesses of Traditional Medicine, according to Rev Adodo, is that it has not yet moved from the realm of the subjective to that of objective as well as from implicit to explicit knowledge. It is crucial that traditional medicine evolves from implicit to explicit knowledge, from knowledge embodied in individual local healers to a community of knowledge that is available to all, he added.

    He said in Africa, it is difficult to separate the practice of herbal medicine from the herbal practitioner. “In conventional medicine, it is different; if a patient dies after a series of treatment and medication, people rarely blame or condemn the practice of medicine as a discipline, or declare it completely ineffective. Instead, it just means that a particular case was simply impossible, or not successful. If a medical doctor makes mistakes or acts contrary to the principle of ‘do no harm,’ or is noticed to have been negligent, he or she is penalised by the relevant authorities.

    “However, such individual mistakes and inefficiencies do not always mean that the discipline of medicine is bad, and the people understand. On the contrary, people often fail to make this distinction when it comes to traditional medicine, they often judge and condemn the practice of herbal medicine itself when an individual practitioner defaults or is negligent. This is partly due to lack of firm control and regulatory system as well, that ensures disciple and effectiveness. On the other hand, lack of documentation, illiteracy and little emphasis on knowledge sharing and research, has significantly retarded traditional medicine as a field of discipline.”

    Rev Adodo assured that Paxherbals will continue to work with the government and Non- Governmental Organisaions (NGOs)for the development of African herbal Medicine.

  • Apapa, Amuwo, others to experience power outage

    Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has said some areas under its operational territory would start experiencing power outage from this week.

    The company, in a statement by its General Manager, Corporate Communications, Godwin Idemudia, attributed the power outage to technical maintenance work being carried out by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) some facilities belonging to the power transmission company from which Eko DisCo distribution injection sub-stations servicing the affected areas receive bulk energy load.

    The areas to be affected by the power outage include Apapa, Amuwo, Festac, Ojo, Okokomaiko, and Ijanikin. Others include Iba, Agbara, Badagry, Ibeju, Ajah and their adjoining areas.

    While apologising for the inconvenience the power outage would cause EKEDC customers, the statement further appealed to customers to bear with the situation, adding that the outage was beyond its control as the facilities being worked on wholly belong to Transmission Company of Nigeria which is a completely autonomous body.

    The statement, however, added that enough assurance had been received from TCN that the facility maintenance work would be expedited to ensure restoration of normal power supply to all affected areas in good time.

  • Navy, others join forces against pirates

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) yesterday joined forces with her counterparts from West, Central African countries, China, France and Portugal in an exercise to rid the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) region of pirates, crude oil thieves, traffickers and other maritime criminals.

    The exercise, codenamed EKU KUGBE and organised by the NN as part of activities to commemorate its 62 anniversary, saw the deployment of 18 ships, two helicopters and a Nigerian Air Force  (NAF) Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) across the GOG to operationalise existing maritime security framework.

    Kicking off the exercise, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin said it was critical towards sustaining the resources and huge potentials of the GOG, which are constantly undermined by domestic, cross-border and transnational threats that limit economic development of the region with adverse political consequences.

    He said: “Major threats like piracy and attacks on shipping have become predominant in the region with negative consequences on the economy and overall wellbeing of GOG nations. The situation calls for measures to address it.

    “I am happy to note that within the limits of available resources, the NN has been focused and proactive in combating the myriads of threats and illegal activities in Nigeria’s maritime domain extending to the GOG. It goes without saying however that, the protection of resources and economic activities in the GOG is a collective responsibility of all nations in the region.

    “As a proactive measure, Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have established maritime security mechanisms. To facilitate the goals of the security mechanism, regional navies would need to operationalise existing maritime security framework.

    “Exercise EKU KUGBE is therefore timely and instructive as it drives home, the importance of regional cooperation in confronting threats to our common interest. It would also foster the spirit of togetherness among regional and friendly navies in the task of restoring order in the GOG.”

    In his welcome address, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas said the NN deployed 12 ships and two helicopters, adding that Cameroon, Ghana, Togo, China, France and Portugal each sent one a warship for the exercise.

    “The NAF is also a participant with its MPA. The exercise is aimed at promoting regional cooperation and coordination for the enhancement of maritime security in the GOG, which is rich in both living and non-living resources, including oil and gas and fisheries.”

  • 2019: INEC reviews guidelines for parties, others

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the review of the electoral guidelines for political parties and actors ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    It opened a five-day workshop for the exercise in Kaduna yesterday.

    INEC National Commissioner and Head of Election and Political Monitoring Department Prof. Anthonia Simbine said the commission had a number of guidelines and regulations by which it carries out its functions.

    Prof. Simbine said: “We have several changes in the process and management of activities of political parties as well as politicians.

    “We think that we should revise the guidelines in a way they respond to the observations and that’s what this group is doing today.

    “The review comprise of staff elections and party monitoring department as well as staff of legal and alternative dispute resolutions directorate of the commission.

    “One or two relate to the monitoring process of the activities of the political parties, the monitoring of party congresses or conventions as well as campaigns at their rallies, “she said.

    According her, “there are guidelines for monitoring these processes. We have been monitoring these activities since the last four years, since the 2015 general elections and we have made certain observations. We expect this review will look into that as well as put in place instruments for the monitoring process.

    “We also have larger number of political parties compared to what we had in 2015.

    “We will see how the guidelines will respond to the wider scope of the participants in the electoral process,” the commissioner said.

    The guidelines, which are expected to undergo the five-day review process, include:

    *Regulations for the conduct of political campaign by political parties, candidates, aspirants and supporters; and

    *Guidelines for regulation for political parties 2015 and guidelines for regulation of political parties 2014.

    Also included for the review is INEC guidelines for election observation as well as manual for monitoring of political parties, congresses, conventions and party primaries.

    Project Director, European Center for Electoral Support (ECES) David LE Notre said the review would enhance proper mechanism for monitoring political parties to ensure compliance with extant regulations and guidelines that conform to Democratic norms and practice.

    Kaduna State Resident Electoral Commissioner Abdullahi Kaigama, Director of Voter Education and Publicity Oluwole Uzzi and Director of Elections and Political Party Monitoring Department Mr. Aminu Idris are among those attending the workshop.

     

  • NLC, SERAP, Sagay, others call for probe

    Former President Olusegun Obasnjo came under fire yesterday following President Muhammadu Buhari’s remark that $16 billion was wasted on power projects, without result, during his administration.

    Although Obasanjo said the National Assembly had already cleared him of any wrong doing and thatb he was ready for probe on the spendings, a cross section of eminanet Nigerians who spoke to our correspondents said the issue should not be swept under the carpet.

    Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) said former President Obasanjo ran one of the most corrupt administrations in Nigeria’s history.

    He said Obasanjo acts like a saint when he is the “most stained” person around.

    Asked if Obasanjo should be probed over the $16billion allegedly spent on power without result, Sagay said: “, I think he should be probed. You see, President Buhari has been very generous and mild towards his predecessors, not wanting to cause discomfort and embarrassment for them out of respect for the positions they held.

    “But, Obasanjo is a man who does not respect himself, who thinks he is the President-General of Nigeria for life and has a right at any time to wade in and be very caustic and publicly insulting to his successors, just because he’s envious of the same position he held. He cannot detach himself from the Presidency.

    “I think he needs to be brought to order. He has been tolerated enough in this country. The President’s remark was very appropriate and more and more should come because Obasanjo ran one of the most corrupt governments this country has ever seen.”

    Asked if the Federal Government can prosecute Obasanjo, Sagay said: “It is possible but not likely. It is possible in the sense that there are issues like Siemens, Halliburton, funding for his library, and not to talk of this electricity thing.

    “But, because people decide to be quiet and let bygones be bygones, he won’t allow peace to prevail; he must raise dust and behave like a saint when you’re the most stained person around. He may bring it on his own head if he is not careful.”

    Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Emeka Ngige, urged the anti-graft agencies to do their work- no matter who is involved.

    He said:”I believe there was a report of the House of Representatives Committee on Power that indicted President Obasanjo in 2008 for various infractions on power sector contracts during his regime . The committee recommended that EFCC or ICPC should do further investigation and possibly prosecute him, if found culpable. That report was kept in a deep freezer till date.”

    Obasanjo says the report and that of the EFCC exonerated him.

    “So, the remark by President Buhari is not new. I still believe that the EFCC or ICPC should do the job as recommended by the House. The earlier we started jailing our present and past leaders who made Nigeria a fantastically-corrupt nation the better for our democracy,” Ngige said.

    A former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President and leader of the National Intervention Movement (NIM), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), called for strong measures against all those found culpable over the $16billon spending.

    He, however, said he does not see the present leadership as being capable of taking a tough action on the matter.

    “Unfortunately, our leaders always trade words and nothing gets done. A new government should get down to real business in 2019 and take a strong action against all who are culpable; enough of panels but very tough action. We in NIM will do it. Extremely strong measures,” he said.

    Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN) is doubtful if anything would come out of any probe.

    His words: “Given the history of probes in our country, it usually leads to nothing and the country ends up spending more good money to look for hay in the sack. If there are issues that are worthy of investigation on the matter, let us get world renowned auditors to do forensic audit since money was involved. The Elumelu House of Representatives probe on power – what came out of it?

    “Nigerians are tired of this blame game! People got elected to fix the country. Please let them fix Nigeria so that we stop the brain drain. We will have functional hospitals so that public officials stop wasting our money on external treatment of simple ailments. Name calling won’t change our situation.”

    Constitutional lawyer Ike Ofuokwu urged Buhari to face his job and stop playing politics, adding that he should be courageous enough to charge Obasanjo if there is evidence against him.

    He said: “The comment of President Buhari is simply a political statement geared towards 2019 election. This is a government that claims that it’s fighting corruption, so if it has thoroughly done its findings and is satisfied that former President Obasanjo has dipped his hands into the national treasury, the only reasonable thing expected of her is to be courageous enough to put the process of prosecution in place and arraign the former president in a court of competent jurisdiction.

    “Otherwise, Nigerians are simply tired of media trial and propaganda that brings no conviction. Sometimes, I begin to think that the Buhari government is barren of progressive ideas. Nigerians are aware of the many profligacies of the past, hence voted him to power. He’s almost run out of his four years mandate and instead of moving the nation forward, he continues to put the nation in reverse motion.”

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Ahmed Raji, urged Nigerians not to sensationalise the issue.

    “Both Baba Obasanjo and President Buhari have exclusive rare grace of presiding over the affairs of Nigeria in uniform and as civilians. And the history of Nigeria can never be complete without a substantial mention of their names, especially the great Ebora Owu.

    “When President Obasanjo wrote the recent open letter to President Buhari, it was reported that the President reluctantly allowed his Information minister to react by only listing their achievements.

    “President Buhari has tremendous respect for Baba Obasanjo on account of seniority in age and military service, hence he made it clear that his Information minister should not join words with President Obasanjo. I advise all to draw a lesson from that episode and not get involved,” Raji said.

    NLC calls for probe as SERAP asks Buhari to refer ex-presidents to EFCC, ICPC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said President Buhari’s comment on the “wasted” $16billion on power should be looked into.

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said thePresident should refer two of his predecessors to the anti-graft agencies for their role in the waste of public fund.

    NLC Secretary General Peter Oso-Eson said if there is evidence on the allegation, nothing shuld stop its investigation.

    He said anybody that is found guilty should be prosecuted, adding that there is need for transparency in the anti-corruption drive of the Federal Government.

    “If there is any evidence on this allegation, then those found guilty should be prosecuted because there is nobody above the law

    “This should be a sign that the government is serious about its anti-corruption campaign,” Oso-Ezon said.

    General Secretary National Union of Textiles, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) Issa Aremu said the former President is expected to account for the seed money. He said it is very wrong for the former president to say we should go and read his book.

    He said if such money is spent on power as alleged by the President, then the question is, why are we still in darkness? Where is the power?

    “Obasanjo should not be saying they should go and read his book. It is wrong for a statesman to make such pronouncement.

    “The former President is expected not to make a self defence, but he should defend or tell us the reason why the country is still in darkness. As I said, Obasanjo should not be saying, they should go and read his book. It is unlike a statesman. Having spent such amount on power and nothing to show for it, I think the former President needs to tell Nigerians what happened,” Aremu said.

    SERAP called for further probe of the alleged mismanagement of 16 billion dollars power projects between 1999 and 2007.

    In a statement by its Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation urged President Buhari to urgently refer the case to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for further investigation.

    It said the alleged squandering of over N11 trillion meant to provide regular electricity supply covering the governments of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, should also be investigated.

    It called for the prosecution of anyone involved in the matter “if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence’’ at the end of the probe.

    SERAP said it welcomed Buhari’s focus on the allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the power sector, and urged him to expand his searchlight beyond the Obasanjo government.

    “It is only by pursuing all the allegations and taking the evidence before the court that the truth will be revealed and justice best served.

    “This is the only way to conclusively address the systemic corruption in the power sector and an entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators.

    “Addressing impunity in the power sector should be total. This would help improve the integrity of government and public confidence and trust in their government.

    “It would also serve as a vehicle to further the public’s perception of fairness and thoroughness, and to avert any appearance of political considerations in the whole exercise.’’

    The organisation noted that it would be in the public interest in line with constitutional provisions for the Buhari administration to immediately pursue justice and recovery of any stolen asset in the power sector.

  • Mama G, Akpororo, others star in ‘Boss of All Bosses’

    Akpororo, Mama G, Nedu and Bishop Ime will be starring in a new comedy film, ‘Boss of All Bosses,’ slated for release in cinemas from June 15, 2018.

    Directed by Ike Nnaebue with Emeka Kachikwu as the Executive producer/producer and Tobe Osuno as the Associate producer, the movie also stars Senator (Bethel Njoku), Emeka Kachikwu, Adunni Ade, Sani Danja, Eniola Badmus and Babatunde Charles.

    The movie tells the story of Tony, a classy, ego tripping, self-centered, arrogant M.D at Hemcorps Oil & Gas. In the light of an absentee CEO whose identity remains hidden, he abuses his powers and becomes the perfect ladies’ man. His loyal PA at his beck and call acts as his informant unveiling sizzling news unfolding in the company. He is living life to the fullest and nicknamed The Boss of all bosses, until Samuel is brought on-board as a Rival M.D at the CEO’s request. Special tasks are assigned to both as they compete for the exalted position deploying every trick in the scheming book to win or be fired. The employees are caught in the middle and camps are formed, alliances are made amidst the backdrop of comical scheming, romantic escapades and betrayal. Tony is fighting hard to win the affection of the slay Queen he’s dying for while focusing on the tasks but a bad move he makes threatens his ambition and sets him on course for what he never bargained.

    “I’m delighted that we have a good production with high end technical values synonymous with international standard,” said Kachikwu.

    And Osuno said: “The story though told in a comical way is invariably a true reflection of what obtains in the corporate environment. It’s a reminder of the corporate gymnastics, power tussle and the reward handed over to deserving employees for their hard work. It is a good movie and we urge folks to come out in mass to watch same.”

    ‘Boss of All Bosses’ is powered by Mind Bursters film ventures and distributed by Silverbird Film distribution.

  • APC to meet with Saraki, Dogara, Wamakko, others

    Buoyed by the olive branch from leaders of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party(nPDP),the All Progressives Congress(APC) is to meet with  Senate President Bukola Saraki, House Speaker Yakubu Dogara and others.

    Other aggrieved bigwigs on the radar of the party are Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,  ex-Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Wammako and Danjuma Goje.

    There are also senators and members of the House of Representatives.

    Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola stayed away from yesterday’s meeting in Abuja because “he has made up his mind to team up with his boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, to form a coalition against President Muhammadu Buhari”.

    The party will however submit a comprehensive report to the Presidency after consultations with all those aggrieved.

    According to sources, the APC opted for more talks, following  “positive signs” with leaders of nPDP at the meeting.

    The source said: “Our meeting provided more insights and we are looking at the next phase. In the second phase, the party will meet with nPDP leaders including Saraki, Dogara, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, Wammako, Goje and others.

    “There is likelihood that the party will sit down with these leaders and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before finally reuniting all. So, we take the meeting up to the highest quarters in the interest of all.

    “It is an election year, we will not allow them to go anywhere. The nPDP leaders warned that APC should “not push them to the wall to defect to any party. We will avert being pushed to the wall because time is not on our side.”

    The source gave insights into the talks by the two sides.

    The source added: “The defunct nPDP team was led by its chairman, Alh. Kawu Baraje and five members of the House of Representatives led by Ali Madaki from Kano State.

    “The party was represented at the closed door session by its Deputy National Chairman( North), Sen. Lawal Shuaibu and the National Secretary, Mallam Mai Mala Buni.

    “At the session, they stood by the contents of their letter to the party and insisted that they  were unhappy because the APC leadership did not play its roles as a party in government.

    “They complained over gross indiscipline in the party and how the party formed with good intentions has derailed.

    “These leaders said they never wanted to defect to any party if everybody and every group are respected and given a sense of belonging.

    “But they were forthcoming that they will leave APC if only they are pushed to the wall by APC leadership.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “Throughout the meeting, they made it clear that they have no grudges with President Muhammadu Buhari, they only blamed the leadership of the party.”

    On the outcome of the meeting, the source added: “The situation is redeemable if the issues raised are adequately addressed.

    “The leader of the  APC team, the Deputy National Chairman ( North), Sen. Shuaibu  will brief  the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other members of the National Working Committee( NWC).”

    “After all the phases of meetings and consultations, APC will then write a comprehensive report to the presidency which will serve as a guide on how to address the grievances of the nPDP leaders.”

    APC said yesterday it would address the grievances of the members of the defunct nPDP in its fold, who complained of marginalisation.

    The party’s Deputy National Chairman Lawal Shuaibu said the party was taking the complaint seriously.

    He spoke after a meeting of the party leadership with the nPDP team at the party’s secretariat.

    The meeting was called in response to the call by the nPDP members for action to be taken on their complaints.

    Shuaibu, who led the APC NWC team to the meeting on behalf of National Chairman Oyegun, said: “We have not yet resolved. They wrote a letter to us, they are partymen, they have grievances, we looked at the letter,their grievances are genuine. And they requested a meeting within seven days and before the seven days expired, I called them and they were not ready to come, they said we should shift the meeting till today, which we did.

    “So, we are listening to them, we have listened to them and we are taking up their matter seriously, we will address it. We don’t ignore our people except if you don’t send your grievances to the party, but if you send, we will always address your grievances.”

    However, the nPDP leader  Baraje expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the party to address their complaint, saying “So far so good, we have just started and when you start a race, you don’t say whether somebody wants to see you until you are getting to the middle or to the end. But it is a good start, it is a good beginning”.

    Baraje said: “As you are aware, we requested that we wanted to see the party, and the party, very sensitive party, very responsible party, responded to our requests adequately and we think it is a very encouraging time.

    “Since last week, they have got across to us but because of logistics  we couldn’t come until today. We begged the party to shift the date till today and we have seen our party. We are party members; this office is our office, we have only come home to discuss those observations, which we wrote in our letter. The meeting was very beautiful.”

    Baraje refused to respond to the allegation by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu’s group, saying “I am not ready to do that because somebody has earlier responded to them adequately. I think the former Youth Leader of the defunct nPDP, Timi Frank, responded to them and once somebody has responded, there is no need beating around the bush.

    “In any case, in any group, particularly political groups, you are bound to have a splinter; why they splint is best known to them. As far as we are concerned, the group that   sent us here are 95.9 per cent intact.”

  • Troops kill 36 herdsmen in Benue, others

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said troops eliminated 36 militia herdsmen at the weekend in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara states.

    Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) has begun in the two states.

    A statement by Acting Director of Defence Information Brig.-Gen. John Agim said  a soldier was killed and two others injured.

    They have, however, been treated and discharged from hospital.

    Gen. Agim said eight bandits were arrested and handed over to officials of the Department of State Sevices (DSS)  in Taraba State, adding that arms were recovered from the militia gang.

    The statement reads: “Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara States, conducted a four prong clearance operations at the weekend. At Umaisha and Toto villages of Nasarawa State, troops ambushed the militia following a tip off.

    “In the ensuing melee, 1xG3 rifle; 193×17.62 mm NATO; 81xG3 rifle ammunition; a locally-made pistol and a FN magazine were recovered. One militia was killed.

    “A suspected herdsman, Adamu Abdullahi, was arrested at Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. He was in possession of an ID card of the Vigilance Group of Nigeria, Nasarawa State Command, and a photograph where he posed with an AK-47 rifle.

    “The suspect is being interrogated and will be handed over to the police thereafter

    “Similarly, clearance operations across Gwer West, Logo and Guma councils of Benue State was conducted at the weekend. Troops made contact with armed herdsmen around lower Benue and a militia camp at Chetarer village.

    “The troops engaged the militia and followed the pursuit with M135 Helicopter of their air component. This led to a many of them being neutralised.

    “In all, 35 herdsmen were neutralised and many of them escaped with injuries.

    “However, a soldier was killed in action (KIA), two sustained injuries but have been treated and discharged. Also, one soldier is still missing in action.

    “Musa Habu (32) was also arrested at Kolo, Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Items recovered from him include one-locally made pistol; 2xcartridges; a mobile phone and N130 cash.

    “Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect is linked with some suspected militia in that locality. He has been handed over to the DSS for necessary action.

    “Troops of OPWS sector 3 Taraba, on patrol through Kwesati, Manya-Garagun axis, made contact with eight bandits who were arrested and armed with two AK-47 rifles; 1xK2 rifle and 2 x locally-made guns.

    “Ammunition recovered from them include 56 rounds of 7.6mm, 25 rounds of k2, 3x cartridge, charms, and phones, among others. The suspects and items will be handed over to DSS for further investigation.”