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Tag: retain

  • ‘We should retain death penalty in our statute books’

    Efforts are on by the Nigerian Law Reform Commission (NLRC) to review federal laws to ensure they meet today’s realities. NLRC Chairman Kefas Magaji speaks on this, the contentious debate over death penalty and other issues in this interview with Eric Ikhilae.

    How do you react to the argument that, with the National Assembly, your agency is unnecessary?

    The society is dynamic, and the law also has to change to meet up with the dynamics of the society, so that the law can remain relevant. Otherwise, the society will be far ahead, and the law, trailing behind. So, the essence of the commission is to make sure that we keep track of the development in the society, so that our laws can remain updated.

    The Laws of the Federation that we have is the Laws of the Federation 2004. From 2004 till now, there are some of these laws that have been amended. There are some provisions of existing laws that the courts have pronounced as inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution. There are also some laws that the courts have declared inconsistent with one another.

    Our duty is to review/revise/reform the laws that fall into these categories. During law review, we remove such laws from the statute books. Also, in a review exercise, you remove all obsolete laws, you merged amendments that have been made, so that you can have one single body of law. Law revision exercise also involves $correcting typographical errors and changing some identified ambiguous expressions. The essence is to ensure that the law is clear, direct and simple for the understanding of every reader.

    In June this year, the NLRC started  reviewing the Laws of the Federation 2004. How far have you gone?

    After we obtained the needed approval of the President, we engaged in a three-level approach to executing this project. First, we engaged consultants, who did the first level of work. What they did was to look at the current Laws of the Federation, the different amendments that have been made and identify where those amendments would apply.

    That stage has been concluded. We have constituted a group of experts, who are now reviewing what the first working group did. The idea is to come up with the law that is so precise and the law that presents the law as it is. The group has about one week to round up.

    The third stage will involve experts in legal drafting, who will do the actual drafting of these amendments into these areas that have been identified. We will also engage editors, who will do the editorial works, to make sure that there are no errors. The intention is to have the meanings of the laws, as intended by the National Assembly, preserved and protected.

    Are you implying that the ongoing revision will not be completed this year?

    We were working to achieve that, but it does not appear we will make it. The reason is simple. The challenge we have was with the first working group. It took a while for us to collate all the laws that have been passed by the National Assembly from 2004 till now. We also had problem getting copies of gazetted laws from the Federal Government’s printer. We were at the National Assembly, the Supreme Court and the Federal Government’s Printing Press and other places. So, it took us a long time to be able to generate these laws.

    We found that there were laws that were missing in the 2004 edition. We have tried to include them in this edition, because any law that has not been repealed by the National Assembly, even if it is not included in our body of laws, it is still part of our laws.

    So, it was in the process of getting the laws that were missing in the last edition and the ones made by the National Assembly, between 2004 and now, that we lost a lot of time. That was when we knew that record keeping in this country is not as good as expected.

    So, when do you hope to bring this exercise to a close? When do we expect the new Laws of the Federation?

    When we receive the work of the group of experts, we hope to, by the first week of December, assemble legal drafters and the editors. We already have the soft copies of all these laws. So, we do not envisage much delay.

    We expect that we will conclude this stage by the end of December. And then, we will move to the stage of printing. We are looking forward to early next year for the conclusion of the exercise, all things being equal, including funding.

    Don’t you get discouraged that your suggested reforms, which you are expected to submit to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), for transmission to the National Assembly by way of Executive Bills, are mostly unattended to?

    We are not discouraged, because some of our recommendations are adopted by the National Assembly. We have reformed so many laws in the last five years and some of our reports have been adopted directly by the National assembly.

    There have been cases where, after we have submitted reports of our revision of some laws to the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the National Assembly, invites our contributions to its efforts to review similar laws, we simply present the reports we had submitted to the AGF. We have done so in many occasions.

    A recent example was when the Speaker of the House of Representatives constituted a committee to review and reform the entire laws of the Federation. I was a member of the committee and we made our reports available to the committee.

    It adopted most of the reports and presented them to the National Assembly. Works are still ongoing on the process of the amendment at the National Assembly.

    So, the work of the commission is finding full expression in terms of enactment by the National assembly, even though not through the Attorney-General, but through another avenue. I must say, therefore, that the products of the commission are not wasted.

    Would you subscribe to the argument that your commission will perform better if removed from the control of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation?

    I don’t really blame the Attorney- General for some of the commission’s problems. The main problem is that the presidential system, which we have adopted, is a marriage of the British Parliamentary System and the American system.

    In England for instance, the Law Reform Commission, submits its reports to the Attorney-General, who is also a parliamentarian. In that case, when you submit a report to the Attorney-General, it is as good as submitting it to the Parliament, because ministers come from the Parliament.

    But, in Nigeria, the Attorney General is not a member of the Parliament. When you submit a report to him, instead of him submitting it to the Parliament, as is the case in England, he submits it to the Executive. That is why we have a little challenge.

    However, I am happy to inform you that a process is ongoing to reform our law (the NLRC Act) to make provision for us to re-submit to the National Assembly, reports already submitted to the Attorney-General and on which he (the AGF) did not act within six months.

    By this arrangement, we will still remain part of the Executive, reforming laws for this arm of government, but in the event that the Executive fails to utilise the reports we are submitting, and since we are funded with public funds, our report should go to the National Assembly for their adoption, to prevent wastage of resources.

    The Bill to that effect has been passed by the Senate. What is left is just for the concurrence of the House of Representatives. Once that is passed, it will reduce out major challenges.

    The law establishing your commission did not limit you to reforming only Federal laws. It allows you to assist states or a group of states, who seek your services in such areas. How often do you get such request?

    We have not had any state made such request in recent times. This is because some states have constituted similar agencies. So, they allow their reform commissions to do any reform to their laws instead of engaging us.

    But, from time to time, we invite the states’commissions to assist them through training. We have also proposed laws for states to adopt.

    For instance, the Penal Code, which is applicable in the North and the Criminal Code, applicable in the South. There is the Criminal Code, federal provisions, that apply at the federal level. There is also the Penal Code provisions that apply at the federal level. What we did some years back, was to reform the Penal Code, federal provisions. But we did not limit our reform proposals to those federal provisions.

    We went through the entire provisions of both the Criminal and Penal Codes and we came up with a model for the states. The idea is that, if the Federal Government adopts our proposals, each state can then adopt, with necessary modifications, to suit its peculiar needs.

    We also came up with the idea of sentencing guidelines to guide judges in imposing punishments on convicts. We discovered over a period of study that there were discrepancies in nature of punishments given for similar offences.

    This is because the components of the laws that deal with sentencing give the judges some level of discretion. So, before now, this discretion has been used without defined parameters, which results in the imposition of various sentences for the same offence.

    So, the sentencing guidelines are meant to address this challenge. Although the guidelines were prepared for federal courts, some states have also adopted them.  There are other innovations that we came up with, which states have now adopted.

    How much are you involved in the reform of the Electoral Act to allow for an improved electoral process?

    It appears the National Assembly is more interested in the reform of the Electoral Act. So, we have not really been contacted to reform the Electoral Act. But, we have been invited to participate in the public hearings conducted for the amendment of the Electoral Act.

    There are so many bodies that have interests in the reform of the Electoral Act and they have made so much inputs. We have been invited to participate in the reform processes initiated by the National Assembly and its committees. But we, as a commission, have not undertaken a reform of the Electoral Act.

    How do you assess the success of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) since its inception in 2015? What aspects of the Act needs to be tinkered with?

    I will say we were part of the making of the ACJA, because we made contributions in many ways, including provisions for plea bargain, non-custodial sentence, among others. Certainly, there have been challenges with the implementation of some aspects of the Act.

    We expect that, as we keep applying the Act, areas that require reforms would become more glaring. We cannot afford to amend every little error detected, because of the cost implication. It is better to allow the law to run for about five to eight years before any reform could be made. You know the implementation too is gradual. So, we cannot be in haste in addressing any challenges identified now. Let us apply it for a while.

    How do you react to the argument that delay in the justice administration process is more as a result of human problem than inadequacies in existing procedural laws?

    I think it is more of human problem. This is because, despite the various provisions in the ACJA that are meant to address the problem of delay, we still have delay in many of these criminal cases.

    The point I am trying to make is that the law has made adequate provision, But, the human element within the process, is where you currently have problem. For me, the problem is not with the law.

    Can we then advocate the levying of punitive costs as a way of discouraging lawyers from adopting dilatory tactics?

    I do not think so, because the problem too is not always from the lawyers. I was into private practice for 23 years before my appointment here.

    So, you will agree that I am familiar with what goes on out there. You see, there are times the clients do not pay on time. So, the lawyer will try to delay a while to see if the client is able to pay.

    Sometimes, you discover that the client is not responding as fast as you expected. He is not providing the necessary documents and information on time. There so many other challenges that contribute to delays.

    But, the bottom-line is that some lawyers do not want some of these cases to be disposed of in good time, because they may not make sufficient money, if the cases are promptly determined.

    If you want to impose heavy fine as a way of discouraging delays, you will find out that you are punishing the clients, who end up paying such fines. It is only in few cases that lawyers are asked to pay fines.

    What is your take on the call for the abolition of death penalty?

    You see, for me, I support death penalty. Now, it depends on where you are looking at death penalty. There are people who are serial killers.

    For instance, a man has killed two, three, four or five people, and he is sentenced to death. And then, you say no, he should be released. Are those he killed not also human beings? For me, he should also be killed if there are sufficient evidence that he has been a serial killer.

    There are situations where the conviction is because the judge’s hands are tied. For instance, where a person commits murder and his senses were impaired as at when he did the act, but there was no evidence to show such impairment, either from the prosecution or the defence, on which the judge could rely to acquit him. In such a case, you do not have to kill him/her.

    But, there are cases where it is very glaring that the murder was premeditated. A person buys a gun, searches for the person, who is your target, he finds him and then shot him dead.  And such a person is tried and convicted for murder. Then, you say such a person should not be killed because of human right? For me, I do not believe in such a position.

    We should be able to differentiate issues. The different circumstances would dictate whether or not a murder convict deserves mercy. Even some of the religions prescribe that, if you kill, you should be killed too.

     

  • Okpekpe organisers retain Dr Amao as head of anti-doping unit

    Organisers of the IAAF Silver Label Okpekpe international 10km road race have said that Dr Akin Amao will continue in his position as the head of the anti-doping unit of the sixth edition of the race which holds on May 12 in Okpekpe, Auchi in Edo State.

    Amao, one of Nigeria’s foremost sports medicine practitioners and former head of the Medical Unit of the Ministry of Youth and Sports was in-charge of the doping control of the fourth and fifth editions of the race in 2016 and 2017 and has been retained for this year’s event.

    “We are delighted to announce that Dr Amao will continue in his role as the head of the anti-doping unit of the IAAF Silver Label Okpekpe international 10km road race. With the elevation of the race to a silver label status, the first of its kind in Nigeria nay West Africa, it is only necessary we retain the best hands that earned us the elevated status and Dr Amao is one of them,” spokesman of the race, Dare Esan stated.

    “Dr Amao is seen as a synonym for integrity and that is what is required in doping matters and we at Okpekpe want honour and integrity to continue to be our watchword.

    “We will be sending Amao’s name to the IAAF as well as the kind of sampling materials (urine kits) that will be used with the expiry date and the mode of transporting it to a WADA-accredited laboratory.

    “We have a doping station built in Okpekpe for the race. This is where the sample will be collected collection by doping control officers who have been trained and authorized by the Nigeria anti-doping agency with delegated responsibility for the on-site management of sample collection session.”

    Esan also revealed that testing kits needed for effective anti-doping in accordance with IAAF anti-doping rules have arrived.

    “We are ready for the race and those who qualified to be called elite athletes based on the times they have returned in the last 24 months are the ones open to testing. Those running for fun or charity are excluded.

  • Govt working to attract, retain investments in oil industry, says Osinbajo

    Govt working to attract, retain investments in oil industry, says Osinbajo

    The Federal Government says it is working on reforms and policies to attract and retain investments in the oil and gas industry in view of the increasing competition in attraction of capital into the sector as many African countries have become oil producers.

    The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, stated this yesterday at the 55th Business Anniversary event of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), an arm of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos.

    Osinbajo highlighted government’s achievements in the oil and gas sector despite the challenges oil price crash posed in the last three years as well as the prevailing issues and what the government is doing.

    He said: “OPTS has a rich heritage of promoting the best interest of the upstream oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy. It has the largest private sector investment and participant our nation. We all owe you a debt of gratitude for the positive contributions you made through the years.

    “The theme of today’s event “Nigeria: An investor-friendly destination” is in line with government’s plan of transiting to the next chapter of maximizing our resources for the development of our nation.”

    The Vice President highlighting the performance of the oil and gas industry said more than ever, Nigeria needs closer collaboration with OPEC and non-OPEC in curbing oil production. All market sentiments have improved since OPEC and non-OPEC announced output cut.

    He noted that besides oil price slump, Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry challenged by the menace of upstream assets vandalism, which reduce production from 2.2 million barrels per day at the beginning of 2016 to all time low of less than a million barrels per day. The situation made upstream players especially the indigenous firms suffer.

    “However, government has embarked on sustainable engagement with stakeholders in the Niger Delta and production has ramped up to 1.8 million barrels per day including condensate. The incremental production being achieved with the peace in the Niger Delta will help the government achieve a pathway towards the implementation of incorporating the Incorporated Joint Ventures (IJVs). The IJV is a new sustainable funding model that will fully take over the funding of the Joint Venture operations with the multinationals as government exits cash calls, the counterpart funding for JV projects deemed unsustainable.”

    He said government will continue to channel more energy in resolving the downstream issues once and for all, thanking the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for sustaining steady fuel supply nationwide.

    He commended the achievement Local Content in increasing participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry, adding that local participation in the sector has increased by over 140 per cent in 2016 and expressed hope it would even increase further in 2017 and beyond.

    On challenges, he said: “We, however, have challenges in the areas of security and environment, institutional capacity, funding of investments, high industry technical cost, obsolete legislation and fiscal regimes, downstream sector issues and infrastructure constraints. These factors underpin our approach and consideration in reforming and repositioning the oil and gas industry.

    Other speakers include the President, LCCI, Dr Nike Akande, Chairman OPTS and Managing Director, NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, Shell Petroleum Development Company and Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of Total Upstream Nigeria, Nicholas Terraz, Managing Director, Seplat Plc, Austin Avuru, among other.

  • ‘PDP ‘ll retain Kogi’

    ‘PDP ‘ll retain Kogi’

    Kogi State Deputy Governor Yomi Awoniyi has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will retain power in the Northcentral state at the count of poll. The architect, who spoke on the Wada administration, the preparation for the election and conditions for a free and fair election poll, said eyes are on the state as it decides its future.

    Urging the stakeholders to cooperate to ensure a hitch-free exercise, Awoniyi said the impartiality of the institutions and agencies, including the Independent national Electoral Commission ( INEC), the police, and other support facilities are important.

    He said: “ I know the Federal Government is on that track of honesty, truthfulness and anti-corruption. Election manipulation is the height of corruption. It corrupts the democratic process. If we can ensure that the democratic process is not corrupted, there will be free and fair election and we stand to benefit from that type of arrangement.

    Explaining why Governor Idris Wada is seeking a second term, the deputy governor stressed the need to complete on-going projects and sustain the pattern of good governance.

    He added: “ His Excellency Captain Idris Wada is desirous of a second term to complete the projects he started in his first term and also to do more. When this administration came on board, the first priority was to complete all the on-going projects. These include the Secretariat Building, the waterworks in Lokoja, various road projects, the diagnostic centre, the vocational centre and other projects. With the completion of those projects, the governor embarked on new projects, which he was able to do by accessing  the bond market.

    “Many of the on-going projects include bus motor park in Lokoja, the College of Medicine, Akaragba, various water schemes, the construction of township road in Lokoja,  the by-pass road. We are striving to complete these projects and initiate new ones. “

    Urging voters to vote wisely, Awoniyi said: “There are many issues confronting our state at the moment. But, Governor Wada is always on top of every situation. He has not defaulted in the payment of salaries. Thus, there is not industrial dispute in the state.”

    However, he acknowledged the agitation for power rotation in the state, especially the complaint by Kogi West stakeholders that Igala has monopolised the exalted seat.

    He said:  “There is so much agitation by the people of West and Central senatorial districts for power shift. We in the PDP are committed to power rotation. The PDP is committed to power rotation in 2019 to either the West or Central. Other things that will shape the election will be the personality of the candidates. Our people are aware of the antecedents of the candidates. At the end of the day, they will make the right choices.”

    The deputy governor described his boss as ahardworking, humane, diligent leader who has the interest of the people at heart, adding that he has sacrificed a lot to ensure that Kogi State made a lot of progress within the context of the scare resources.

    Reacting to the claim that the All progressives Congress (APC) candidate, former Governor Abubakar Audu, is the pathfinder, he said Wada has now assumed that title because of his achievements.

    He added: “Prince Audu was the first civilian governor of Kogi. He was also the first governor in this dispensation in 1999. Prince Audu had the benefit of being the pioneer governor. But, some of the things he had done, we are re-doing them again. May be, because they were done over 20 years ago. They are decaying. For example, the Lokoja Township Road, for the first time, we are trying to do proper drainage.

    “After the completion of the drainage, the road will last much longer. Development is a continuous process. Alhaji Ibrahim Idris was there for about nine years. He did a lot of things-roads, schools, clinics. Within the limit of resources we have today, Captain Idris Wada has done marvelously well. So, that title also fits Captain Wada.”

    Awoniyi said, if re-elected, Wada will jerk up the internally generated revenue and promote agriculture.

    He added: “Kogi is number one cassava-producing state in the country. This is as a result of some of the constructive programmes put in place by Governor Wada. The production of cassava caught the attention of the Federal Government. We also have dry season farming in Kogi State. The present government wants us to embrace all-year farming. We will improve on these during the second term.

  • CBN to retain currency controls

    CBN to retain currency controls

    • Apex bank raises N127b T-bills

    • DMO to issue 10-year bond

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will retain foreign currency controls because of concerns about slowing growth, a senior bank official has said.

    The apex bank also says it plans to raise N127.07 billion in treasury bills with maturities of three months to one year at an auction on October 7.

    It  said it will issue new 91-day paper worth N25.40 billion, N33.49 billion in 182-day bills and N68.18 billion in one-year debt, using the Dutch Auction System. Results of the auction are expected to be released the following day. Nigeria issues treasury bills twice-monthly to fund the government budget deficit and manage liquidity in the banking system.

    Nigeria’s economic growth was 2.35 per cent in the second quarter year on year, compared with 6.54 in the same quarter last year. “We are concerned that we are having declining growth,”  CBN’s monetary policy director, Moses Tule, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

    He defended the bank’s decision to impose currency controls to preserve foreign reserves, which fell 23 per cent in the year to September 23, according to CBN data.

    “We have to protect the nation before we protect businesses,” Tule told a conference in Lagos.

    Meanwhile, the Debt Management Office (DMO) plans to re-issue its five- and 10-year bonds in the last quarter of the year to raise up to N270 billion after JP Morgan’s index delisted half of the maturities belonging to Nigeria’s economy.

    The 10-year bond, among those to be delisted on the influential index, edged higher to yield 15.09 per cent after the DMO released its calendar showing it will re-introduce the benchmark paper, which was not issued in the third quarter.

    The DMO said it will sell between N60 billion and N90 billion each in five- and 10-year bonds in each of the remaining three months of the year as re-openings of outstanding maturities.

  • ‘APC will retain Lagos’

    ‘APC will retain Lagos’

    Alhaji Lateef Raji is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State. In this interview with Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN, he explains why the party will win the governorship and the House of Assembly polls.  

    What is responsible for the low turnout of voters in Lagos during the presidential election?

    A lot of things were responsible. Many voters were discouraged by the mal-functioning of the card readers. Lagosians are impatient. After staying on queue for several hours, they were disappointed that they could not be accredited by the card readers. So, many of them returned home in annoyance.  There was also issue of violence that preceded the election in Lagos. Hell was let loose before the election as hoodlums sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) invaded All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rallies.  There were gunshots everywhere in Lagos the day preceding election. All these scared people from coming out to vote. On the day of election, the police turned back APC agents in some polling booths on flimsy excuse that they did not display party tag. Thousands of voters were not allowed to cast their votes even when the card readers had authenticated their voters’ cards.

    What measures have you put in place to forestall the recurrence of this experience in the governorship election?

    The APC in Lagos State will continue to mobilise the people to come out and vote this Saturday for its governorship and House of Assembly candidates. We hope the electoral umpire — the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) — will do the needful by ensuring that voting materials and electoral officers get to their respective polling units on time. INEC should tell security agents that it is not their responsibility to turn back party agents. Where the voter’s cards are accepted by the card reader, the voters should be allowed to vote. INEC officials should not be stumbling blocks in the accreditation process.

    Is it true that Nigerians from the Southsouth and the Southeast zones worked against the APC during the presidential election?

    There are allegations that they did. But, we don’t want to believe that it was the only reason why the margin was slim. We understand that their decision was informed by religious and ethnic consideration. I implore them to vote for the ruling party in Lagos where they earn their living, so that they will continue to benefit from the government that is providing them infrastructure to make life worth living.  They should be more concerned with the place where they are living and earning their living. They are largely accommodated in Lagos, they are part and parcel of the Lagos community.

    Nevertheless, over confidence contributed to the result. A lot of our people did not come out to vote on March 28. The expectation was that the APC would deliver at least two million votes during the presidential election. In any case, the party’s leadership in the state have gone back to the drawing board to address the lapses.

    Are you confident that the APC will win the governorship and House of Assembly elections?

    Oh yes, APC will come out victorious on Saturday. Our governorship candidate will win with landslide. We will win all the 40 seats in the House of Assembly. The presidential election is quite different from the governorship. The result of presidential election cannot demoralise us. Rather, it has galvanised us into working for landslide victory on Saturday. The APC is endowed with a strong fighting spirit. Remember in 2011, Governor Babatunde Fashola, the APC candidate, polled  1.3 million votes as against the PDP candidate who came a distanced second with 300,000 votes.

    We under-estimated the desperation of the PDP; the over confident was our undoing. They have shown their hands, we will amputate them. We will not allow the PDP to destroy the state we have built to the envy of the whole world since 1999 without Federal Government support. Now that the progressives have won at the centre, Lagos will for the first time be in tune with the Federal Government. The PDP can’t take over Lagos.

    Lagos was the epicentre of the struggle for nationalism. Since then Lagos has not enjoyed federal presence. The formation of the APC started in Lagos. We will not allow the PDP to reap where they did not sew; we will not allow them to come and destroy what we built in Lagos. We will fight and put in everything we have to ensure we enjoy the patronage of the Federal Government for the first time.

    Some say Jimi Agbaje is the selling point of the PDP in Lagos State. Do you agree?

    Agbaje lacks capacity to rule a complex state like Lagos. Where does he want to start from? Can he cope with the problem of flood? Ask him the number of teachers in Lagos public schools, he can’t tell you. He has no track record of public service. Agbaje lacks cognate experience in public administration. That was why he didn’t get our party’s ticket in 2007. People are not just thrown into office.

    He has not come up with new ideas in his campaigns rather he has been repeating APC promises. His pharmacy shop remains what it was 30 years ago. We can’t entrust the administration of Lagos to someone lacking public administration experience. We have mirrored his private life to determine what he will offer us in public service. The problems of Lagos will overwhelm him. By the time when receives 200 phone calls ??? a day, he will capitulate.

     

  • Kwara Utd drop 17, retain 22 players

    Kwara Utd drop 17, retain 22 players

    The management of Kwara United have announced it has dropped 17 players and retained 22 from the group that represented the club last season in the Nigeria National League (NNL).

    The secretary of the club, Elder Dele Oguntokun in a statement on Thursday said the technical crew have informed the management of their decision to drop the players.

    “The Technical Crew have given us the list of players they want to work with next season”

    “We (Management) have given them the free hand to operate and take a decision to ensure they are successful at the end of the current season.

    “We are determined to do well this season, hence the need to drop these players and move on,” the statement said.

    The statement thanked the dropped players for helping the team returned to its rightful place and wish them success in their furure endeavour.

    It said they are dropped because of the ongoing restructuring in the club not because they are not good as a player.

    Oguntokun pledged that the club would assist the outgoing players whenever the club’s service is needed to help their career.

     

  • PDP ‘ll retain Enugu, say Nwobodo, Nnamani

    PDP ‘ll retain Enugu, say Nwobodo, Nnamani

    Former Governor of old Anambra State Senator Jim Nwobodo has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will win.

    Nwobodo made this declaration while addressing a huge crowd of supporters at the PDP campaign rally held at the headquarters of Enugu South Local Government Area.

    He said there is no opposition in the state as far as the election is concerned, adding that members of the PDP that left the party to contest elections in other political parties are wasting their time.

    Nwobodo however urged such people to return to the PDP as the umbrella of the party is big enough to accommodate their various interests.

    The former governor also expressed confidence that the governorship candidate of the party, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will continue with the good works of Governor Sullivan Chime, having distinguished himself creditably as a three-time member of the House of Representatives, who has held important portfolios, including the position of the Chairman, House Committee on Marine Transport.

    Also speaking at the rally, former Senate President Senator Ken Nnamani decried the antics of fifth columnists within the party, especially in Enugu East Senatorial District, and charged party members to be watchful and not to relent until victory is achieved.

    Nnamani said that Enugu South Local Government Area was a fortress for the PDP, having produced him and Nwobodo, adding that the good works of Chime will make it easy for the party to coast to victory, in the forthcoming elections.

    Hon. Ugwuanyi thanked all the stakeholders that voted for him during the primary election for their overwhelming support, and assured them of his resolve to continue with all the policies and programmes of Chime’s administration for the overall interest of Enugu State.

  • I’ll retain 37 LCDAs in Lagos, says PDP candidate

    I’ll retain 37 LCDAs in Lagos, says PDP candidate

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in  Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, has said he will  retain the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by the Bola Tinubu administration, if elected.

    Agbaje told reporters in Lagos that he would grant greater autonomy to the LCDAs and the original 20 local government areas.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 37 LCDAs created in 2003 are yet to be listed in the Constitution and recognised by the Federal Government.

    The Federal Government still deals with Lagos State on the basis of the original 20 local government areas but Lagos State has been running the grassroots through the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.

    Agbaje said if elected, his administration would move on with the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.

    He said the LCDAs had been recognised by political parties.

    On reconciliation with Musiliu Obanikoro who went to court after losing the party’s ticket to him, Agbaje said the party had a unity of purpose.

    He said the APC administration in the state had good policies, made achievements in some areas, but recorded poor implementation of many policies due to “vested interest”.

    “Vested interest will prefer building commercial houses to constructing low cost houses,’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that, if elected, his administration would construct low cost houses and offer free quality health care services through a health insurance model, in partnership with the private sector.

    “PDP will do things differently. We will have the boldness to do it,’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that if elected, his administration would allocate five per cent of the state procurement project for young entrepreneurs and graduates, adding that he would ensure transparent public procurement process.

    The governorship candidate also said the administration would exploit the aquatic nature of the state to develop its economy.

    “We have not tapped the ocean’s resources. We will take advantage of our living on water and take what is there to build our economy.

    “We will ensure that Epe and Ikorodu are national fisheries processing hubs and the focal points of the new ocean economy,’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that his administration would ensure 100,000 vocational and internship places annually as well as local and international certification and standards for artisans and technicians.

    He added that his administration would ensure that companies operating in the state employed a certain percentage of their workers from their host communities.

    Agbaje said his administration would avoid multiple taxes, cancel tolls and expand the tax system.

  • Gombe United to retain Eguavoen

    Gombe United to retain Eguavoen

    Gombe United will keep faith with former Super Eagles’ coach, Austin Eguavoen and his other technical crew members for the next season, despite the Desert Scorpions‘ demotion to the lower league at the end of last season.

    The Gombe side struggled to remain in the elite division and even thrashed Abia Warriors 4-1 in the concluding fixture of the season but the maximum points couldn’t secure their place in the premier league for another season after Bayelsa United and FC Taraba picked up unlikely wins at Owerri and Port Harcourt against Heartland and Sharks.

    The club’s Camp Commandant, Garuba Tanko in a chat with SportingLife said the good works of Eguavoen and his other lieutenants during the second stanza proved that they would be able to take the club back to the elite division after a season in the lower league.

    Tanko enthused that Eguavoen has been charged with ensuring that the Desert Scorpions gain instant return to the top flight at the end of next season.

    To this end, Tanko revealed to SportingLifethat all the players that featured for the club were retained while a few are being watched to add more fireworks to the team next season.

    “We are not changing Austin Eguavoen at all because he is our coach for the next league season. He tried his best with the assistant coaches that we have and they have been charged with ensuring that Gombe United returns to the premier league at the end of the season.

    “We have also retained all the players that we used last season so as to fast track our return to the elite league. We were very close to remaining in the premier league before we narrowly missed out,” Tanko told SportingLife.