The Nation Newspaper

Tag: removes

  • Youth Party removes barrier for aspiring youths

    The Acting National Chairman of the Youth Party (YP), Mr. Suleiman Yusuf, has said  the party will give opportunities to youths to make their contributions to the development of the country.

    He said the youths have been marginalised for long, noting that the newly-registered party would break the barrier that has kept the youth on the back seat.

    Yusuf added that the YP was compelled to seek registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the hurdles faced by youths because they wanted to serve their fatherland.

    The Acting National Chairman, who expressed optimism after receiving the party’s registration certificate from INEC in Abuja, said Nigerians irrespective of age were free to contest election for any position under the platform.

    He said: “Let me say that this is not a party for moneybags. We are set to expand the restrictive democratic space through transparent political leadership and followership. The YP will eschew money politics, bribery, violence, rigging and corruption.

    “The party’s ideals and policies will focus on developing and improving the standard of living of Nigerians. The party aims to rebuild Nigeria through generational change in political leadership.”

    Yusuf maintained that the YP has offices in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja, stressing that with 5,664 members, the party was set to break new grounds.

    He said the party was not founded by career politicians, but by people of different backgrounds noted for their moral ideological goals.

    “The cardinal agenda of the YP which include quality basic education, universal healthcare, social housing and commitment to internal democracy will give Nigerians the opportunity to express themselves and determine the Nigeria of their dream.”

  • Assembly removes dead member’s name tag

    Assembly removes dead member’s name tag

    In line with its rules, the Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday removed the name tag of the late Kazeem Alimi from his seat in the chambers.

    Alimi died on July 18 at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja after a brief illness.

    The lawmaker, who represented Eti-Osa Constituency I, was buried the following day according to Islamic rites.

    The House, which was on recess at the time of Alimi’s demise, resumed plenary and dedicated the legislative activities in his honour.

    The Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade moved the motion for the removal of the lawmaker’s tag and was seconded by Victor Akande.

    “With heavy heart, I move that the name tag of Alimi be removed from where he sits and be handed over to the Clerk,” Agunbiade said.

    Earlier, the lawmakers took turns to praise the deceased who they described as an “embodiment of humility.”

    Also, Bayo Osinowo stated the House should set up a committee that would come up with plans to support the family.

    Olanrewaju Ogunyemi said: “Though it is often said death is an inevitable end, it will come when it will come, but as mortals, we always wish we live long.”

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the plenary, noted that the House did all it could to save Alimi’s life but it did not come out as expected.

    “We remember his good deeds; he was an embodiment of humility. You hardly heard him speak; all you see was smiles, as if the smile had been constructed on his face. He was loyal, dedicated and dutiful,” he said.

    While promising that the House would support his family members, Obasa advised his colleagues to learn from the death of Alimi by being good to others.

  • Tribunal removes Edo lawmaker

    The lawmaker representing Estako West constituency II in the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Yakubu Gowon, has been sacked by the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin City.

    Estako West II is the constituency of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

    The tribunal declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Gallant Peter Sylvanus, as the winner of the election.

    It said the votes garnered by the APC candidate were wasted.

    Delivering judgment, Justice E. Abuua, held that Yakubu was not duly nominated by the APC.

    The tribunal held that the notice of intention to hold party primaries sent to INEC by the APC was less than the mandatory 21 days.

    It further held that the notice of intention to hold primary was given on November 13 2014 while the primaries was held on December 1st 2014.

    Justice Abuua ruled that the first runner up, Sylvanus, who had 4001 votes during the election, should be the rightful person to be declared winner of the election.

    Sylvanus, who wept immediately the judgment was delivered, left the court hurriedly.

    The APC candidate was not in court.

    Reacting to the ruling, the state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, said the judgment was proof that PDP was in charge of the state.

    He said the judgment has kept the hope of Edo people alive.

    The Publicity Secretary of the APC, Comrade Godwin Erhahon, said the party’s candidates were duly nominated, adding that the party’s legal team would handle the situation.

  • CBN removes $250,000 limit on FOREX sales to BDCs

    CBN removes $250,000 limit on FOREX sales to BDCs

    The maximum weekly forex sales to Bureau De Change (BDC) operators were, yesterday, removed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    The action, contained in a circular to Authorised Dealers and BDC operators, said the action was meant to shore up liquidity in the FOREX market. Dollar scarcity in the market had affected naira exchange rate in recent months, hence the policy review.

    The circular, signed by CBN Director, Trade and Exchange, Batari Musa, said the policy review followed the circular of September 26, last year in which a limit of $250,000 was put in place.

    “All authorised dealers are hereby informed that the provisions of paragraph (1) of the circular under reference have been reviewed with immediate effect. Consequently, the limit of $250,000 as the maximum weekly forex sales to BDC is hereby removed in order to shore up liquidity in that segment of the foreign exchange market,” he said

    Henceforth, authorised dealers are free to sell FOREX to BDCs subject to compliance with the provisions of extant Anti-Money Laundering/Financing Terrorism laws and regulations in the disbursement of forex.

    “Furthermore, all transactions between authorised dealers and BDCs as well as the latter and end-users must be supported with appropriate documentation,” he said.

    Musa said authorised dealers and BDC operators are to continue to render weekly returns on their transactions to the CBN and other relevant regulatory agencies, failing which appropriate sanctions, including revocation of operating licence, shall be imposed.

    The regulator had in September replaced Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS) with Retail Dutch Auction System (WDAS) because of the ineffectiveness of the former in addressing hitches in the forex market.

    It also withdrew the licences of 20 bureau de change (BDCs) operators for violating forex rules, an indication that more licences withdrawal may be seen in future, should the violation continue.

    Under the RDAS, banks and other authorised dealers place bids on behalf of individual clients who qualify to buy forex at the official auction. The change from WDAS to RDAS allows the authorities to monitor more accurately various sources of forex demand and any potential duplication of forex demand in the system. Banks will remain responsible for all documentation requirements.

  • PDP removes Oyinlola’s portraits from secretariat

    PDP removes Oyinlola’s portraits from secretariat

    The civil war in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is far from over, with yesterday’s removal of sacked National Secretary Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s portraits from the national secretariat.

    Oyinlola’s office has been locked. All 19 staff of the embattled former governor have been stopped from coming to the national secretariat.

    But some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have rejected the disciplinary measure taken against Oyinlola while a case is pending in court.

    Oyinlola’s portraits were removed in a special operation allegedly coordinated by the National Director of Administration Gurama Bawa.

    The action may have sealed Oyinlola’s hope of returning to the office.

    Prior to the action, it was gathered that the portraits in all the offices were that of President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and Oyinlola.

    A source said: “I think the party leadership has foreclosed the return of Oyinlola to office, irrespective of the outcome of the ongoing suit in court. It means that even if Oyinlola wins the case, Tukur might not work with him again.

    “The portraits of the former National Secretary were all removed on Wednesday, in a sudden operation coordinated by the Director of Administration who acted on a directive from the party.

    “So, all the portraits were brought down, signifying the level the crisis between Oyinlola and Tukur had degenerated.

    “This is the first time we are really seeing real war among NWC members, who are still pretending that all is well.”

    Bawa reportedly told Oyinlola’s aides to stay away to avert any act capable of causing a breach of peace.

    Bawa’s logic is, according to sources, that since Oyinlola is out of office, there is no basis for the staff to be reporting for duty.

    Four of the aides confirmed the stay-at-home ban.

    One of them said: “In spite the fact that we are card-carrying members of the PDP, they said the 19 staff should not come near the vicinity of the National Secretariat. They said we risk arrest, if we come to the place.

    “They based it on security grounds. But it is strange that a PDP member cannot go to the national secretariat of the party. What they have done is to infringe on our fundamental human rights to free movement.

    “We have not even been allowed to clear our desks from the office of the National Secretary.”

    Another said: “Some of us may go to court against this restriction of movement to the National Secretariat of the PDP. This is certainly strange.”

    But, some NWC members have queried the removal of Oyinlola’s portraits which they considered subjudice.

    It was learnt that some NWC members yesterday complained about the alleged maltreatment of Oyinlola.

    A member of the NWC, who spoke in confidence, said: “We were all shocked by the latest development, which we least expected.

    “They have locked up Oyinlola’s office and the portraits have been removed. These actions have been taken at a time we are working on reconciliation within the party.

    “Some of us have decided to raise the issue with the Leader of the party, President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    “The irony of it is that most of the administrative officers claimed to have acted on instructions from above.

    “The initial plan was to have the acting National Secretary of the party, Mr. Onwe Onwe, to take over Oyinlola’s office but the legal implications far outweigh political considerations.”

    Southwest leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday lamented their descent into irrelevance. They described their present situation as dark and gloomy.

    The leaders who converged on Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja yesterday, said they are now dangling on a precipice of irrelevance and dark, bitter ruination.

    In a mournful speech read by the former deputy national chairman, Chief Bode George, the party lamented the stunted growth, chaotic situation of their lot in the scheme of things.

    George said: “We stunted without growth. We are frozen in chaotic tumult without movement. We are halted in muddle and misery by our own contrivances. Alas, we are orphaned, detained in self-inflicting conundrum and despair.

    “Pray, where is the way forward. How do we plow through this prevailing murkiness. How do we restore our path to the desired road of redemption and collective progress.

    “We dwell in retrogressive circles, frozen in perpetual blame game, halted in bickering and muddle, thereby creating a leadership vacuum now absorbed and seized by charlatans and the avatars of dubious and unknown pedigree.

    “We steer our ship in different directions. We are led by different, contrary captains on the same boat of life. We all cry and shout progress but we still move and hurry in separate directions. We lack clarity and a unifying articulation.

    “There are no easy solutions. There is no magic wand anywhere. Our collective salvation dwells within us all. We must plunge within our culture and sift through the depths of our ancestry for the way forward”.

    Present at the meeting were all past and serving cabinet ministers from the southwest, former governors, former federal legislators and PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

  • Taraba House removes deputy governor

    Taraba State Deputy Governor Sani Abubakar was yesterday impeached by the House of Assembly for alleged ‘gross misconduct.”

    Abubakar was accused of sundry allegations including the conversion of a Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) project to his private school- the Yagai Academy.

    Other businesses, owned by the embattled former deputy governor include: Yagai Water, Yagai Printing Press and Yagai Resturant.

    The Assembly described such act as “gross misconduct” and abuse of public office.

    The House also said locating the MDG ICT Centre and sinking motorised boreholes in Yagai Academy were unacceptable, as the school was his private venture and members of the public could not access them.

    They also alleged that Abubakar used his influence to acquire “a large expanse of land in Jalingo on which he built the school. With all other multi-million naira business ventures sited therein, such as Yagai Water, Yagai Printing Press and Yagai Restaurant), the empire was valued at about N1 billion.

    The lawmakers said his total emoluments could not justify such investments, adding that he had breached the Code of Conduct for public office holders, which requires that he shows transparency in the act of governance.

    He was also accused of undue interference in the postings and transfers of indigenes of his local government, Karim Lamido, and working against the interests of other stakeholders of the area.

    Replying the lawmakers’ allegations, the deputy governor said the Yagai Cybercafe was an initiative of a member of the House of Representatives and its current Chief Whip, Ishaka Bawa, representing Wukari/Ibi federal constituency.

    He said the project was carried out by MDGs Projects for Yagai Academy, noting that the school neither requested nor solicited either in writing or orally.

    He said the MDGs office put its logo on the projects as a confirmation of its school’s contribution to the development adding that Yagai, as a profit-making venture, could sink a borehole from its profits.

    He added that the contract for solar lights and street lights at Yagai were not awarded by his office, adding that all the contracts were awarded by the state government after being subjected to due process.

    He also said his office was not assigned the responsibility of monitoring and supervising the contract and therefore could not be held responsible for the diversion of such projects.

    Danladi presented a document to show how he acquired and built the Yagai Academy.

    He also tendered evidence of bank loans obtained from Zenith Bank and First Bank, with which he developed the institution.

    He pleaded with the law makers to be objective in their deliberations and promised to be more committed to the party and the people of the state.

    During the investigation of the allegations against the deputy governor, the Assembly denied receiving N100 million bribe from Governor Danbaba Suntai to remove his deputy.

    However, there are indications that the removal of the deputy governor is the fallout of a strained relationship between Suntai and some influential indigenes of the state.