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Tag: SENATOR

  • Senator gives details of Plateau massacre

    The senator representing Plateau North, Gyang Shok Pwajok, yesterday gave details of the Tuesday murder of 45 people in four villages in Plateau State.

    Pwajok, who spoke at a briefing in Abuja, also raised the issue in the Senate.

    He said the relative peace in the state had been disrupted by the renewed attacks, where “men, women, expectant mothers, children and infants” were killed.

    The senator said “the coordinated attacks in Tatu, Rawuru, Bok and Dorang villages” were carried out “professionally.”

    He said it was baffling that the attacks took place a few days after Governor Jonah Jang raised the alarm of a possible terrorist onslaught.

    “The simultaneous multiple attacks on four communities left 45 people dead, including a family of seven,’’Pwajok said.

    Some victims, he said, were badly burnt, adding that the survivors were still in shock.

    He said eye witnesses recounted that some villages were under siege for over one hour, adding that “their (attackers) strategies showed they are professionals”, especially as “they spoke good English.”

    “Yet the Special Task Force’s (STF’s) statement simply described the attackers as ‘unknown gunmen.”

    According to him, some victims were two-year babies. “These are not just numbers, but human beings with names, ages and a future cut short by these merchants of death.”

    He added: “Plateau is in the news again for the wrong reasons, after almost a year of relative peace.

    “We have quietly worked hard, building the structures for a sustainable peace.

    “Such mass killings not involved in any form of conflict have become the hallmark of organised and specialised terror of killer groups external to the state.”

    The renewed attacks, he said, “set the clock of peace building backwards, generating mutual suspicion among peace-loving communities across ethnic and religious divides.”

  • Senator sues FRCN chief, others for stopping his programme

    Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yaradua (APC, Katsina Central) has sued the Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), the Companion FM, Katsina, and its General Manager, Yusuf Zayn Dogara, for allegedly denying him his fundamental human rights.

    Yaradua prayed the Federal High Court sitting in Katsina to compel the director- general and others joined in the suit, to pay him N10 million as aggravated damages.

    In the suit, the senator is asking the court to declare that stopping the broadcast of his sponsored programme, Tsintsiya Madaurin Ki Daya, was ilegal.

    The senator prayed the court to declare that “the illegal and unlawful stopping of the broadcast of the programme,” allegedly on the instructions of the respondents, ran contrary to Sections 39, (1), 42 (1) (A) and (B) of the Constitution.

    He also sought an order of the court directing the FRCN and other respondents in the suit to “tender an unreserved apology published in three national newspapers and same to be broadcast in Companion FM, Katsina”.

    Yaradua sought an order of the court compelling the respondents to “continue with the broadcast of the programme to enforce his fundamental rights of freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination.”

    The senator alleged that he had an agreement with the FRCN’s Companion FM to broadcast a sponsored 30-minute programme for which he was charged N400,000.

    Yaradua averred that he paid the amount for the first quarter in early January.

    He said the station collected the money for the quarter but returned it, thus refusing to continue with the broadcast of the programme.

     

  • What Agagu ‘ll be remembered for, by Senator

    What Agagu ‘ll be remembered for, by Senator

    In this piece, Second Republic Senator Michael Onukun extols the virtues of the former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu, who was laid to rest at the weekend

    Nicolo Machiavelli took more than 400 years after his death to earn a

    mark of greatness through an epitaph erected at his grave in Florence in

    Latin: “Tanto Nomini Nullum Par Elogium,” meaning: “Of this great man, no praise is adequate.”

    Chief Obafemi Awolowo was perhaps, luckier. It took his condolence register time before his interment to be named the best President that Nigeria never had. Ironically, this declaration was made by those who opposed the acclaimed leader of the people and constantly denied Chief Awolowo their votes to block his many chances of being elected President.

    Geniuses in a generation are very scarce indeed, not easy to find. The ones identified among us therefore should be accorded life-enchancing appreciation and encouragement while still alive, in order to maximize their resources for the general good of the people. The lack of candour and love shown towards our great men often hastened their death, so much so that the rush of post humous encomiums and eulogies became valueless to the dead but constituted a bad lesson to the living.

    I have recognised the traits of a genius in Dr Olusegun Agagu and did not hestitate to tell him so. The realisation drew me closer to him to encourage and advise him and sometimes, to warn about pitfalls besetting the paths of great men. True, Dr Agagu was a loving personality, liberal minded and light-hearted man, who devoted his life and time to the service of his people totally, even at the risk of his own health. He overworked himself no doubt, shunning all admonition to embrace increased delegation to allow himself more time to rest.

    Like Ceaser, Dr Agagu did not fear death. He often argued that his father did not live long enough to make him believe he could do better at the rate he was going.

    Adolf Hitler was a genius of a special class. That cannot de disputed. Wasn’t Alexander the Great a genius too? Whether they had put their abilities and activities to a good use or not is beside the issue.

    In Berlin, on April 30, 1945, Hitler retreated to his room in the bunker, leaving his last two faithful, Jioseph Goebells and Martin Bormann, outside. With the sudden sound of a muffled gunshot from the direction of Hitler’s room, both men raced to burst the door and found the lifeless bodies of Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, lying on their bed. Goebells immediately ran outside and cried: “Our Fuerher (Leader) is dead, the heart of Germany has ceased to beat.”

    Now, Dr Agagu is gone! When comes such another?

    Come, let us join together to sipplicate Almighty God to grant Agagu’s soul eternal rest that he can no longer shun.

     

  • Senator: we started struggle for Jonathan presidency

    Senator: we started struggle for Jonathan presidency

    The lawmaker representing Rivers Southeast, Senator Magnus Abe, has said President Goodluck Jonathan became the head of state after intense struggle by eminent Rivers sons and other notable personalities from the Southsouth.

    He spoke at the third synod of St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church, Bera Deanery and at a sensitisation rally at Methodist Secondary School field, Bean, in Gokana and Khana local governments.

    According to him, the need to restructure the country propelled the agitation for a Southsouth president.

    This was as support soared for the Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at the Ogoni sensitisation rally held in Bean in Khana Local Government.

    Abe and other stakeholders at the Ogoni rally assured that they would support Governor Amaechi on the basis of his achievements.

    Senator Abe lamented that Rivers State was being neglected despite its agitation for a Southsouth president and support for President Jonathan in the 2011 election.

    He said: “First, we have not said we are against President Jonathan, we have not said so here. People need to remember that the Southsouth Presidency that we are talking about and enjoying today had an origin. In fact, the Calabar Declaration that was the beginning of the Southsouth struggle for the presidency was written by me in the office of the then Secretary to the Cross River State Government. I wrote it. Prince Tony Momoh was there, Mr. Egbogbo, the then secretary to the Government of Cross River State was there and a lot of other eminent persons from the Southsouth.

    “The reason why we fought for the presidency to come to the Southsouth was because we said we wanted Nigeria to be restructured. That we needed to change the structure of this country so that we have a more progressive, a more prosperous, a more successful Nigeria for all Nigerians.

    “Today, we have a president from the Southsouth and in bringing about that president from the Southsouth, all of us supported President Jonathan in 2011. We voted for him, we spent money on him. Nobody brought one Naira to Rivers State to campaign for Jonathan. Nobody brought one Naira and I challenge anybody who said he gave Rivers State money. It was out of our resources and our time, we settled our differences and ignored whatever challenges we had to ensure that we produced a president from the Southsouth.

    “Now, what is the problem today? We are politicians, you must look around you. Today, we are standing here, if we talk of the president from the Southsouth and the president is from Bayelsa, it means someone from Rivers State can no longer be president because it is our turn. It is as much the turn of Rivers State as it is the turn of Akwa Ibom, as it is the turn of Cross River, as it is the turn of Bayelsa, as it is the turn of Edo, as it is the turn of Delta because this is how Nigeria is structured. So this president it is our own turn. It is the president from Rivers State and the question that has brought about the fences between us and the Federal Government is simple: what has Rivers State benefited from it?

    “We have challenges that started right from the time of Dr. Peter Odili between Rivers State and Bayelsa State over some oil wells in Rivers State. Presidents came and went, the problem was still there, we were in court, the boundary commission had written to say that the matter would be settled and all that, but today, those oil wells had been ceded to other states. The money that was in escrow account when we didn’t have a president from Rivers State is no longer in escrow, it has gone to Bayelsa.

    “You look at the Bodo-Bonny road, when we came, the governor (Amaechi) offered to do the Bodo-Bonny road, all he wanted was a letter from the Federal Government…we didn’t get that co-operation, today what is the fate of the road?”

    Senator Abe expressed displeasure at the delay by the Jonathan administration to implement the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoni, saying it gives a wrong impression about the president.

  • Taraba deputy governor is power-thirsty, says Senator

    Taraba deputy governor is power-thirsty, says Senator

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, yesterday accused Taraba State Deputy Governor Garba Umar of plotting to be governor.

    Bwacha (PDP, Taraba South) also described as “ridiculous” the position of some National Assembly members from the state who backed the House of Assembly’s stand that Umar should continue to act as governor.

    Bwacha, who spoke in Abuja, said due to desperation to assert himself, the deputy governor had been going round “poisoning the minds of our Muslim brothers” that Taraba people do not want a Muslim to be governor.

    He said Umar had forgotten so soon how Governor Danbaba Suntai “picked him from nowhere and made him his deputy”.

    He noted that “if Suntai had liked at the time, he would have brought a Christian to be his deputy and heavens wouldn’t have fallen because it wasn’t an election.”

    Bwacha said: “This man did not run election with him (Suntai), he just brought him, sent his name to the House of Assembly and he was confirmed.”

    He said Umar is also busy visiting traditional rulers in the North.

    In his view, the way out of the crisis is for Umar to revert back to deputy governor.

    Bwacha said: “The way out of the situation, except if the deputy governor has refused that he is no longer the deputy governor; the way out is simple – the deputy governor was a deputy governor when he was brought in.

    “Your principal has returned, you revert to your position of a deputy governor. But the deputy governor is refusing to revert back to his position as deputy governor.

    “He wants to assert himself. What sort of heartlessness is this? He can’t be patient, for God’s sake? Has he forgotten so soon how he joined the governor?

    “Barely two weeks after the governor brought him, the governor had accident. Has he thrown morality to the dust bin that he flies all over the place visiting traditional rulers in the North, telling them lies?

    “Does he know that there is one God that rules over the affairs of men? Let me tell you, the deputy governor remains the deputy governor, Suntai remains the governor.

    “Why is the deputy governor refusing to accept the position he was before. Must he be substantive governor before he begins to act?

    “If you know that this is your principal that brought you and if loyalty is there, you can go to him. Suntai doesn’t necessarily want to come around and start jumping around as if he wants to play football. He can delegate power to his deputy to represent him anywhere. What are Nigerians talking about?”

    On why he was not at the news conference addressed by some National Assembly members from Taraba on the issue, he said: “I was not there because I cannot be associated with illegality. At this level of my legislative experience, I don’t feel I can condescend so low to behave as if I were a local government councillor.”

    “What do I mean by this, with due respect to my colleagues, they veered into a territory that does not belong to them.

    “First and foremost, there is no law backing what they did. It was a total illegality. It is a nullity; it does not make sense. In a civilized society, nobody is expected to do what they did.

    “You cannot wake up by a mere news release and ask a governor who is protected by law of the country to proceed on a sick leave.

    “This is a governor who has just been discharged from a hospital in the United States and he was asked to come home and stay with his family, stay with his associates so that he can have full recovery.

    “Now for you to wake up and say you are passing a resolution that he should go back for treatment, that sounds ridiculous.

    “It is as ridiculous as it is bizarre. It is never heard anywhere. That is why you did not see me there because I cannot ridicule myself.”

     

  • How to resolve Rivers crisis, by PDP Senator

    How to resolve Rivers crisis, by PDP Senator

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, Senator Wilson Ake, spoke with BISI OLANIYI in Port Harcourt on the way out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis in Rivers State.

     

    The National Assembly’s resolution that the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, should be redeployed has been ignored by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar. What is your reaction?

    I do not know what the IGP means by asking Mbu to be professional in his duties. The National Assembly has taken a position. The Senate carried out investigation, to know what led to the crisis, before taking the position. Two heads are better than one. The Senate and the House of Representatives declared that the commissioner of police should give way, to ensure peace in Rivers State.

    If we desire peace in Rivers State, the first person to be sent away is Mbu, because his actions were very obvious and everybody saw that he was playing politics out of the whole thing.

    The National Assembly members are on long recess. By the time we come back, a decision will be taken on the issue, because we are the largest representatives of the people, who gather together in one place. If 439 persons took a decision, a reasonable person should look at it critically and in-depth. It is very unfortunate that the IGP is yet to redeploy Mbu.

    You cannot have somebody in appointed position being in contention with a popularly elected governor. Where the two of them cannot work, it becomes mandatory that the commissioner of police must go.

    The governor of a state, as the chief security officer, has the right to request for the change of a police commissioner. The governor has done that severally and other people have joined their voices to say so many times, insisting that Mbu must be redeployed.

    Is it not hasty for the National Assembly to take over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly?

    The action is not hasty. The impunity of the past should remain in the past. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides us with the opportunity to react the way we did, to save elected representatives in the state.

    The Senate sent a team to Rivers State to investigate the crisis. With what they saw, it was sufficient to take over the functions of the House of Assembly of 32 persons, with 27 of them indicating that the National Assembly should take over the functions of the House of Assembly, because of the huge risk involved in sitting. The five lawmakers (anti-Amaechi) insisted on sitting, while the 27 persons (pro-Amaechi) said they would not be able to sit. In democracy, you have to listen to the larger number of the people, who believe that it will be very dangerous for them to sit. Taking over the Rivers House of Assembly will save additional problems, by letting the tempers come down and people begin to talk to one another, for reason to prevail. It is not an indefinite take over.

    When are the members of the Rivers House of Assembly likely to sit?

    The moment peace is noticed in Rivers State, everybody will know. They will sit when police can provide adequate security for the whole members. We want a situation where the 27 lawmakers will not feel intimidated and the five legislators (anti-Amaechi) will not feel overwhelmed. We want them to go into the House of Assembly, as one body, representing the interest of Rivers State. For now, it is still unsafe to allow them to sit, which will amount to taking a big risk, because of the political crisis.

    How can the Rivers crisis be resolved?

    The crisis is because of political interest. All the grandstanding is for political relevance. Peace will definitely come. The only concern is that anybody who has gone too far, how does he retrace his steps? We must always put the interest of the state first, because the state is bigger than individuals.

    The Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, allegedly said he would make Rivers State ungovernable for Amaechi. How will you react to this statement?

    This is an unfortunate period in our lives, in the political history of Rivers State, that some of these things are happening. We are not proud of the crisis. Rivers State has civilised, well educated and well exposed people, but what is coming out of the state is shocking to many people.

    First, the comment by Obuah is unfortunate and condemnable. It is not an educated comment. It was made from an uninformed point of view. He should know that there is protocol and the protocol puts the governor ahead of other individuals in the state, whether he is suspended from the PDP or not. The governor remains the father of the state, whether anybody likes it or not.

    Anybody who is addressing the governor must know that he is addressing the political father of the state. If you are addressing him in any way short of it, shows that the person does not know where he stands.

    Obuah is disrespectful, not only to Governor Amaechi, but to the whole Rivers people. It is not an issue to be taken lightly or in a comic way. Governor Amaechi is the head of Rivers State. Desperation should not push you to regret many years later, your actions of today. Your children, too, will be shocked seeing the playback, that their dad spoke in a manner not expected of a public officer.

    It is sad that Wike could say he would make Rivers State ungovernable and life uncomfortable for Governor Amaechi. He should be called to order, he should stop the unguarded utterances, for peace to reign in Rivers State.

    Governor Amaechi and Chief Wike are both from Ikwerre,. Will it be ideal for another Ikwerre person to succeed him?

    I am not against Wike’s governorship ambition in 2015 or anybody showing interest in any position. There is no law against it. We only have moral and political understanding that allows people to indicate their interests, according to the dictates of the moment.

    If you are interested in a political office, you should not cause mayhem or problem for people, especially with Wike’s declaration that people will no longer be sleeping with their eyes closed. It is condemnable. When Amaechi was contesting, he was not the only person. People showed interest, but the understanding was there, like an unwritten rule, for positions to go elsewhere, not to be retained in the same place. All of us are reasonable about it, because we want peace in Rivers State. We want everybody to have a sense of belonging. That is why we feel that no matter how good you are, you should allow others to partake. Wike’s ambition is not wrong, but the way he is going about it is heating up the polity.

    How would you describe the roles of President Goodluck Jonathanin and his wife, Dame Patience, in the Rivers PDP crisis?

    If not that Dame Patience Jonathan stated that the problem with Governor Amaechi started four years ago, when they visited Okrika, I will not hang the problem of Rivers State on anybody. Individuals in Rivers State allowed themselves to be used.

    If they did not allow themselves to be used, all these things (crises) would not have happened. The President and his wife should show interest in what happens in Rivers State and how the problem can be solved. Not doing anything is not good enough, because if Rivers State boils, Bayelsa will be affected. If Bayelsa State boils, Rivers will be affected. Rivers and Bayelsa states were together in the old Rivers State. President Jonathan is a Rivers man. There should be peace in Rivers State, before going out to ensure peace elsewhere.

    What is your reaction to the fracas in the Rivers State House of Assembly?

    Bipi has no case whatsoever. Some of them are just instruments that people are using. The moment the people who are using them as instruments stop, they have no role to play. It is just unfortunate that some of them allow themselves to be used that way. Bipi is not the issue. The issues are the people who are the paymasters.

    There are people with major interests. Bipi has no role to play. Bipi is just talking for the sake of trying to prove that he can be speaker. He is ignorant. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very clear on how a speaker can be impeached. How can five lawmakers, in a 32-member Assembly, impeach the speaker (Otelemaba Dan Amachree)?

    Is Governor Amaechi not being distracted by the crisis?

    The crisis is not distracting Governor Amaechi. It is exerting him more. He is putting in more man hours to his job, than what it used to be. In the thick of the crisis, he still sent the budget to the Rivers House of Assembly, after the five pro-Wike lawmakers took over the place. The 27 lawmakers still went back and sat.

    The interest of the opposition is to distract Governor Amaechi and to later use it against him, but he is surprisingly relaxed, doing his job.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Senator: I remain in APC

    Senator Bode Ola has said he is still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Ola, a former representative of Ekiti-Central Federal Constituency, spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, at a local government meeting of the APC.

    He said politics has “an up and down side”, adding that a faithful politician would see both sides as possibilities in his/her efforts to serve the people.

    Ola said although he has “a legitimate grouse”, he has decided to rest “every ill feeling” so that the party can move forward.

    He said: “I am here to tell members of our great party that I remain part of you. I do not have any other party. Only progressive thinkers can align with a progressive party like the APC.

    “The party is greater than any individual. The rumor that I have left the party is unfair. It has been circulating since after the 2011 primary election. It was the strategy of opponents, who were desirous of forcing me out of the party.

    “I am not here to praise or condemn Governor Kayode Fayemi. As a Christian, I often pray for him to succeed as a leader as urged by Timothy 2: 1-2.

    “The experience I had with the party has come and gone. The party will make restitution at the appropriate time. What I want is a greater interest in the unity of the party facilitated by both leaders and members. Only this can assure the success of the party now and in the future.”

    APC Chairman in Ado Local Government Pa David Adigun described Ola as one of the reliable politicians in Ado-Ekiti. He, however, complained that Ola stayed away from the party for too long.

    A chieftain of the party, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, said “Ola’s legacy will live long in the party and with members”.

  • Senator seeks improved funding for FCT Schools

    Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Smart Adeyemi, has called for improved funding of education in the FCT, a sector which he described as critical.

    The lawmaker made these remarks during the committee’s oversight visit to the FCT College of Education, Zuba.

    Adeyemi, who also revealed that the enabling law for the college has now been passed by the National Assembly, praised the Secretary for Education for improving the college academic standard.

    The committee equally visited the permanent site of the college where ongoing projects were inspected.

    They include the School of Technical and Vocational Education, library complex and the School of Education.

    While pledging more funds in the 2014 budget to enable the completion of the projects, Adeyemi sought ideal building designs for future structures which according to him, will reveal its status as a tertiary institution located in the FCT.

    He argued that future structures in the Abuja should be of world-class standard to reflect the status of FCT as the capital of Nigeria.

    Speaking earlier while receiving the committee, the Provost of the institution, Prof Tijanni Ismail, noted that the college had all its courses accredited by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), adding that management also enjoys a cordial relationship with the students, and unions.

    With the successful passage of the enabling law, Prof Ismail hopes the college will henceforth carry out its statutory responsibilities.

     

  • Senator seeks more funds for FCT schools

    The chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Smart Adeyemi, has called for adequate funding of the education sector in the FCT, a sector which he described as critical.

    He also revealed that the enabling law for the college has now been passed by the National Assembly.

    The Senator made these remarks during the committee’s oversight visit to the FCT College of Education, Zuba as part of its visit to the FCT Education Secretariat.

    He also commended the Secretary for Education for improving the academic standard in FCT schools.

    The committee visited the permanent site of the College of Education Zuba where ongoing structures where inspected. They included the School of Vocational and Technical Education, the library complex and the School of Education.

    While pledging to appropriate more funds in the 2014 budget to enable the completion of the projects, he called for the use of better building designs for future structures in the college to reflect its status as a tertiary institution in the FCT.

    Continuing, he said that future structures in the Abuja should be of world-class standard to reflect the status of FCT as the nation’s capital.

    On the passage of the enabling law for the College of Education Zuba, Senator Adeyemi commended the efforts of the Provost of the College and the Education Secretariat for all their efforts in ensuring its passage.

    Speaking while receiving the Senate Committee on the FCT, the Provost of the FCT College of Education, Professor Tijanni Ismail revealed that the institution has had all its courses accredited by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and that the College management has a cordial relationship with all the students and academic unions.

    He expressed his joy at the passage of the enabling law of the college by the National Assembly, even as he said that the college will now be able to carry out all its statutory responsibilities which hitherto had been hampered by lack of enabling law.

  • Suitai will return soon, says Senator

    Suitai will return soon, says Senator

    Taraba State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Senator Emmanuel Bwacha is sure that Governor Dambaba Suntai will return to the country soon.

    The senator, who represents the South District, said that those calling for the swearing in of the acting governor as the substantive governor are oblivious of the provision of the 1999 Constitution.

    Bwacha, who claimed to have visited the ailing governor in New York, United States, said that he is on the fast lane to recovery. He said the rumour that his health has worsened was unfounded, adding that there is no cause for alarm.

    The legislator, who spoke with reporters in Lagos, urged those calling for the swearing in of the acting governor to study the constitution before intensifying their agitation. Bwacha said: “The constitution does not specify the time frame for an acting governor. He can be there as the acting governor till the end of the tenure. But the governor will soon return to the state to continue his work. He is on the way to recovery”.

    The senator also defended President Goodluck Jonathan against the critics of his administration, saying that he is performing. He said: “People point to what he has not done. They do not point to what he is doing, especially in the areas of light rail in Abuja, agricultural revolution and road construction. He is qualified to re-contest in 2015 and those of us in the north will support him”