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  • Tears, sorrows as floods devastate the FCT

    Torrential rain has continued to wreak havoc in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs owing to man-made factors. Correspondent SANI ONOGU reports that the situation has left a good number of the residents in tears, even as the authorities plan to approach the Ecological Fund for remedial measures that bring succor to the residents

    For humankind, rain is usually a source of blessing, as it serves several purposes. It boosts food production and enhances the exquisiteness of the environment when lush vegetation sprouts from the earth.

    It also calms nerves after hot weather must have become restless as a result of heat waves. Water is also used in cooking the food we eat, among other benefits of rain.

    However, there is ambivalence in the minds of residents of a particular area where there is torrential rain. People’s minds will be in a flux as to whether rain is a source of blessing or curse as a result of the havoc it wreaks.

    That was the situation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) when there was downpour which inflicted harm on some residents.

    In the circumstances, residents of the FCT seem to regard the blessing that is usually associated with the rainy season as something that brings pain with every rain drop. The ceaseless torrent which has become a daily occurrence seems to conspire with the elements in making life miserable for those living in flood prone areas.

    August 2, 2019 was one of those turbulent days for the hapless residents. It was reminiscent of the deluge recorded in Noah’s time, as captured in the Holy Scriptures. That day, the downpour claimed the life of one of the residents, Mr. Tony Okecheme who died as a result of the flood that engulfed parts of Apo, Galadinmawa and Lokogoma Districts. The death of Okecheme was fallout of an early downpour which astronomically increased the volume of runoff water in those areas.

    The late Okecheme, a Finance Director with the FCT High Court, left his home in the company of his driver. They were on their way to the Abuja Airport through the Galadimawa Roundabout to catch a flight. He did not make it to the airport, neither did he return home to his family.

    The Toyota Corolla car in which he was being driven was swept away by the violent floods a few metres to exiting the interchange on the outer ring road that links the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Expressway, leading to the airport.

    Eyewitness account had it that his effort to escape the raging waters was frustrated by the unwavering turbulence. Okecheme’s bloated corpse was found after three days of frantic search by rescue workers.

    His driver was, however, lucky, as he was rescued and taken to hospital where he was promptly treated.

    A paramilitary officer, who took part in the rescue operation, spoke to The Nation in confidence narrated how the incident occurred.

    He said: “What we found out was that it was like they (Okecheme and his driver) saw a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) moving through the floods ahead of them. They followed through, using the tail lights of the SUV as guide. The SUV was able to navigate its way through the flooded road, owing to its weight and higher suspension. But the floods knocked off the engine of Okecheme’s brand new car and it was submerged in the muddy water. They managed to climb to the roof as the car was being tossed back and forth.”

    Okecheme, said to be in his late 50s, must have been exhausted from the struggle, making him vulnerable and thereby succumbing to the raging floods while his much-younger driver got rescued at the point of getting sagged. The driver was found on a tree several metres away from the road where he was rescued by emergency workers. The car was later pulled out of the muddy water.

    Like Okecheme, many lives have been lost and property destroyed due to flooding in the FCT in recent times. In 2016, a man, with his three children was swept away in similar circumstances at the Lokogoma District.

    Floods also claimed the lives of four residents, including a man in the Dei-Dei area and another one in Lokogoma who died alongside his two kids, way back in July and August 2017 respectively.

    The recent death of Okecheme has, however, re-awakened residents in Lokogoma and the FCT authorities to the danger posed to lives and property in flood-prone districts, particularly Lokogoma.

    The FCT Department of Development Control has also responded by pulling down unapproved structures it claimed were built on waterways within the district and has equally marked several others for demolition.

    But why have many districts in the FCT become synonymous with flooding, with Lokogoma District its epicentre? Chief Lance Nasiru Momodu, a Real Estate Developer who also resides within the district, blamed it on lack of basic infrastructure and the selfish desire of some developers who go for the money by selling every available space on their plots to unsuspecting subscribers. He said some developers do not stick to approved designs and the need to give streams that flow across the estates the necessary right of way.

    In a chat with The Nation, Momodu, who is a Quantity Surveyor by training and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (FNIQS) said: “Now we know that Abuja is a large construction site. Even though we are all here now, it is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa.

    “So, there is a lot of construction work going on. There are a lot of uncompleted projects- particularly road projects-which are intra-city roads linking one place or the other or providing access roads to various parts of the main city. These have not been completed and while work is in progress, there is bound to be some distortion in the movement of water that would create discomfort for the people. That is what is generally happening in Abuja.”

    This corroborates the position of the FCT authorities that have continually blamed developers for not sticking to approved designs. Momodu: “To some extent, they (developers) are responsible.

    “There is what we call green lands – places that you are not supposed to build anything on. But some desperate developers often connive with some members of staff of the FCDA who regrettably, turn a blind eye. These unscrupulous developers would then develop on such lands that are clearly along waterways, principally because such areas have not been fully developed. “They don’t know that FCDA has a master plan. Any area you think is not developed now has a plan for either a green area or a drainage or right of way for pipelines, cables or sewers. Whatever it is, they have their engineering drawings for these areas but most developers don’t stick to that. That is on the part of developers.”

    He added that after development, the beneficiaries of those structures – those who buy houses – do not know that they were built on waterways. As long as a developer gave them land, they build. Unfortunately, they end up falling victim.

    The penchant for grabbing reserved areas by some developers has stalled the construction of a water pipeline from Gurara Dam through the district. In Lokogoma, laying of water pipeline has been stalled because some estate developers have built on the right of way.

    He added that lack of approved engineering drawings from the FCDA at the inception of the district contributed to encroachment into supposed green areas and waterways by developers. “To be fair to some developers too, before we even started development in Lokogoma, we insisted that they give us engineering drawings so that we can properly be guided. But we know also, that engineering drawings take time and at that time, the FCDA said they have not been able to put the engineering drawings together.”

    On his part, the Director of the Department of Development Control of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Mr. Murktar Galadinma said Lokogoma District is one of the districts where the FCT authorities are experimenting with the concept of mass housing.

    On whether engineering drawings for the district are now ready and equally made available to developers, Galadinma answered in the affirmative.

    On allegations of connivance among developers and some members of staff of the Development Control in distorting approved drawings and encroach on green areas. Galadinma said as a human organisation, bad eggs are certainly in the system. He, however, declared that a day of reckoning is coming where they would be held to account.

    “No society is perfect. No institution is perfect. And we are not 100 per cent perfect. Definitely there are bad eggs among us. But as I always say, these people will not go scot free. Lives are being lost. Properties are being lost. So, who are those responsible? Who is supposed to act but failed to act?

    “So, definitely after the whole thing, we will sit down and give our own account. This is what happened and these are our recommendations”, the FCT Director said.

    On why Lokogoma is particularly susceptible to flooding in time of downpour, Chief Momodu attributed it to a river traversing most of the estates.

    He said: “What I observed about some of those estates is that there is a small river in Lokogoma that passes through several estates and those estates have land on both sides of the river. So, they developed both sides.”

    He added that flooding in the FCT and its environs such as Apo, Galadinmawa and Lokogoma may not be solved until ongoing construction works in the area are completed. He said the social and economic cost of flooding in Lokogoma has negative implications for the economy of the FCT in particular and the country in general.

    “Nobody can tell you precisely now what is the level of economic damage it has caused but it is colossal”, Momodu said.

    Continuing, he said: “The losses are colossal because many houses have been destroyed. Now, when houses are destroyed, it’s economic waste because those houses were built with money. So, when you destroy, that fund is lost from the economy.

    Now he is homeless with his family and you know the social effects of that homelessness. He becomes a liability entirely. That is the other side of it. So, you cannot pin any cost down in naira and kobo right now. The loss is human, social, economic and political to the nation.”

    Momodu observed that residents have been moving in droves out of the district while rent and cost of houses have significantly plummeted in value.

    On how to put a stop to flooding in Lokogoma, Momodu said developers in the area would be willing to partner with the FCDA authorities in the provision of infrastructure to mitigate the often perennial problem.

    “I think generally, government has the intention to put infrastructure in place but they are limited by fund. The other thing is that if you tell people what you want to do, they are willing to support you to do it. If government comes around to take inventory of all those network of roads and the roads that lead to particular estates, you come and engage the estates themselves and say ‘we want to do this your road, it is about one kilometre long, it would cost us maybe N25 million.

    “For us to hasten this job, we would want you to contribute maybe 30 per cent or 40 per cent of this money, and if you do that within a period of six months, we will come and do the job for you’, many estates will be willing to do so.

    “I think that is another approach because the enormity of the work is one that if you leave it for the FCDA, in the next 10 years most of those roads would not be attended to because money is a problem now,” Momodu said.

    To address the challenges posed by flooding in many parts of the capital city, Mr. Galadinma said the authorities may seek assistance from the Ecological Fund.

    “We will try out some solutions. We are looking at maybe collaborating with the Ecological Fund so that we can do first things first. We may try to come up with a flood-hazard map so that areas with this characteristic can be identified or mapped out so that no further development can take place there.

    In a related development, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, has called on government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to urgently put in place measures to prevent loss of lives and property in flood-prone areas across the country.

    Reacting to this year’s flood warnings issued by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Omo-Agege expressed deep concerns over the frightening flood signals from the NIHSA.

    In a recent call on stakeholders, the Deputy Senate President canvassed sensitisation of residents ahead of disasters, instead of offering condolences after the damage had been done.

    NIHSA, in the said report, had warned that federal and state governments might need to tackle likely re-occurrence of deaths and displacement through flooding in several parts of the country.

    “NIHSA’s 2019 flood warnings indicate that there is crucial need for adequate early flood prevention measures, mitigation and preparedness by federal and state governments.

    “It also indicated that coastal states such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ondo and Rivers states are very likely to experience heavy coastal flooding due to rise in sea level and tidal surge.

    “Indeed, severe flooding has occurred in several parts of the country, causing loss of lives and property but if appropriate and early preventive measures are not implemented on time, this could lead to high records of deaths, destruction of property, family displacement, disease outbreaks, agro-economic down turn and other negative effects associated with flooding.

    “In accordance with this warning, all states and Federal Government agencies, non-governmental organisations and all others who can play positive roles in mass sensitisation and other relevant activities should play active roles.

    commence early flood preventive measures before heavier rains commence in a few weeks”, Omo-Agege said.

    Omo-Agege, however, pledged full backing for all government agencies and aid partners towards ensuring that all necessary support is given to flood victims and their communities.

    He also advised people living in flood-prone communities to heed government’s flood warnings and be prepared to evacuate once such directives are given by their states’ emergency management authorities and other relevant authorities.

  • Up, up goes price of rice

    Consumers have expressed concern as the price of rice has continued to increase, a development, which has left vendors and consumers bitter, JANE CHIJIOKE writes

    Early this year, former Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Audu Ogbeh said the country had attained 90 per cent of rice production.

    He said the country had moved from being a major importer of rice to being self-reliant in its production. He said it did not only have the capacity to feed itself, but had also become a major player in agricultural export to other countries.

    Like Ogbeh, the Rice Farmers Association (RIFAN) said the country had attained a yearly production of eight million metric tonnes of rice, with a target of 18 million metric tonnes by 2023.

    The contrast

    These indices seemed to be farfetched from what was obtained in some markets visited. Rice vendors lamented the shortage. Since the border closure, they claimed that manufacturers and distributors had distributed short supply and the goods were rationed to get an even distribution in various markets across the country.

    They said sometimes they were  out of goods because the manufacturers did not have rice to sell.  The shortfall they noted has been the major cause for the constant increase in price as manufacturers cannot meet up with the demand.

    Barely three weeks after the closure of the border, the price of Nigerian rice skyrocketed from N12,000 – N13,300 to N15,000. At the moment, it is being sold for between N17, 000 and N19,000, depending on the brand. Brands, such as Famous, Lake Rice, Bigbull, Al-hamzad, Humza, and Olams Labana fall in this category.  A  derica of rice sells for N350 to N400. It is believed that, in few days, the price would go beyond N20,000.

    Following the disappearance of foreign rice from the market, some rice vendors refill empty foreign rice bags with the local rice, branding it as ‘foreign’.  Such rice is sold for N21,000 and N23,000.

    At various markets visited, traders and consumers lamented the increase. They said it had become difficult to eat rice, adding that the food item was going out of their reach. They appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to reopen the borders as the country was yet to attain self-sufficiency in food production.

    For a consumer, Mrs. Gift Maduka, the increasing price of rice is a nightmare to cope with in her family of six.

    Traders lamented that rice had become a scarce commodity.

    A trader at Iddo Rice Market, Mr. Yemi Jelil said: “I requested for 25 bags of one brand of rice, they refused to sell to me. I only got 10 bags at N17,800 per bag. There is no rice. What they have is not sufficient. They ration the ones they have. It is not just about the popular brands, the scarcity affects all brands. When you request for a particular quantity, you get something lesser or, at worst, they tell you they don’t have.

    “On our part the sellers, we make do with the little we have pending when we are able to get some to sell. So the scarcity inflates the price and this is greatly affecting us. Our customers are complaining. They buy at a particular price, by the time they come again, the price would have increased. There is no regulation on the price. Going by the way the price is rising, it will surely exceed N20, 000 in few days,” he said.

    Another wholesale trader at the market, Mrs. Suliat said she had not been able to buy rice since last week.

    “I have booked for supply since last week, but no response yet.  At the moment, I don’t have rice to sell. I am a wholesaler that supplies to other traders in the market. So, imagine me unable to get rice, so how much more for  traders who buy in little quantity from me to resell in the market?” When it eventually becomes available, the price will skyrocket.”

    A trader at Orile Market, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, who refused to mention his name, said the government ‘s initiative to force Nigerians to consume homegrown rice was not  realistic given that there is shortage of supply and production  nationwide.

    Though a good initiative, he said the escalation of price was a testament to the short fall of basic requirements needed in the rice value chain.

    “How many rice farmers or millers do we have? How much of rice is produced on a daily basis.  In   what ways is government making agriculture attractive for the young one to venture into?  Are there seed or soft loans for them? Do we have enough mills in the country? Is the government subsiding rice paddy or regulating  price? he asked.

    He lamented that  a state with large  population, such as Lagos, depended on rice produced in the North. Also, the infrastructural deficit makes it difficult  to ferry  goods cheaply to their destinations.

    He advised the government not to depend on data from rice farmers, millers and distributors but also monitor the markets to get feedbacks from sellers and even consumers.

    This will help them to get robust information to use to boost rice production, he added.

    There is no scarcity of rice

    The Iyaloja of Daleko Rice Market, Mrs Jumlar Solaja, said there was no shortage of rice. She said new rice paddy would soon be out. She remarked that the market always received trailers of rice.

    Asked why the price is constantly on the increase she said: “The issue is that many people are not on the farm. We need more hands in the farm because there is market for it. When we have enough hands producing rice, there would be enough rice paddies and the price will crash. This is our reality.”

    On his part, the National Vice President of Rice Farmers Association (RIFAN), Mr Segun Atho, explained that there was no scarcity of rice as farmers were growing rice almost four times yearly.

    He noted that there was surplus rice paddy. Asked why the price is high, he said: “I will not speak on that. What I am sure of is that there is rice in the country. Let us be patient with ourselves.”

  • Fashola tasks youth on nation building

    The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola on Thursday called on the youth to rise up to the responsibility of nation building, as the future belonged to them.

    Fashola made the call during the 81st anniversary, Ikoyi Club 1938 Lecture in Lagos.

    Speaking on the topic “Youths and Leadership in Nation Building”, the minister said that there were several opportunities youths must seize locally by taking responsibility, instead of migrating to other countries.

    “Have we built that spirit that we will not give up on our country? There is a lot of goodness here in Nigeria, unless you change your mindset, you will not see it,” he said.

    Fashola urged youths to change from that mindset of entitlement only to include duties to the nation, to ensure development of the country.

    Read Also: How research can solve social problems, by Fashola

    He said that every generation had duties it must carry out and challenged Nigerian youths to take initiative to change trends.

    The minister said that youths locally and globally who chose to act to fill leadership vacuum had changed the way things were done in various sectors, lifestyles and livelihoods.

    “Youths should have a sense of duty, every generation of youths must understand their duty and rise up to it. That sense of duty and responsibility is what is important.

    “Everybody has a space to contribute if we move away from our sense of entitlement,” he said.

    Speaking on duty and leadership, he said young people had the responsibility of defending a nation.

    He said that the responsibility to build Nigeria fell “squarely on the shoulders of the young people”.

    Fashola prayed for God’s blessings on the nation and Ikoyi Club.

    “We must applaud government when they do well and not wait till our leaders die to begin to roll out encomiums,” he said.

    He said that we are better in Nigeria than we think, while reeling out ugly sides of other countries which they cover up.

    Fashola said that several of his mates in law school who ran abroad had returned home.

    Leaders of the club earlier took turns to shower accolades and encomiums on the minister, who is also a member of the Ikoyi Club.

    (NAN)

  • Alleged $8.4m fraud: Court insists on Pinnick’s, others’ appearance

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has insisted on the appearance of the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick and four others to answer to a criminal charge pending against them.

    Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu gave the order on Thursday at the resumed hearing in the charge brought against them by the Federal Government, through the now disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP) on the recovery of public property.

    Those charged with Pinnick are NFF Secretary, Sunusi Mohammed; the 1st Vice-President, Seyi Akinwumi; the 2nd Vice-President, Shehu Dikko and an Executive member, Yusuff Fresh.

    Pinnick and others are, in the charge 17-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/93/2019, accused among others, of misappropriation of $8,400,000 belonging to the football body.

    The money was said to have been paid by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to the NFF as appearance fees in the group state of the Russia 2018 World Cup.

    They are also accused of “moving dishonestly and intentionally the sum of about N4bn” belonging to the NFF without the consent of the NFF.

    Read Also: Pinnick removed as CAF First Vice-President

    When the case was called on Thursday, the defendants were absent, despite the court’s order of July 1, 2019 for bench warrant compelling the defendants to appear on the next adjourned date.

    SPIP’s lawyer,  Celsius Ukpong drew the court’s attention to the fact that his agency, (the SPIP)  has been shut down  on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Ukpong said, because of the development and subsequent directive by the President, SPIP’s activities and functions have been transferred to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

    He added that part of the SPIP’s activities transferred to the AGF was the case file containing the Pinnick and others’ charge and related processes.

    Ukpong said: “It was the panel that file the charges. But, we have been disbanded and President Buhari directed us to handover all our activities to the office of the AGF.

    “In view of the new development, we believe that the office of the AGF will do justice to this matter.”

    A lawyer, who said he was from the AGF’s office, Abubakar Musa confrimed Ukpong’s explanation, but said he believed the case file was in transition to the office of the AGF, following the closure of the SPIP by the President.

    Musa said the office of the AGF was in the process of harmonising all pending cases involving the defendants.

    He prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him access the file and comply with the orders of the court made when the case last came up.

    Lawyer to the defendants, Mohammed Katu confirmed what the other two lawyers said.

    Katu confirmed that they were before the office of the AGF to harmonize pending cases against the defendants.

    After listening to the lawyers, Justice Ojukwu expressed displeasure at the defendants’ absence.

    She noted that it was a slight on the court for its order to be ignored by the defendants, and threatened to excuse herself from the case.

    The judge noted that had the defendants been in court, she would have excused them in view of the absence of a competent prosecution counsel before the court.

    The judge said: “there is nobody that is bigger than the law and therefore, if a court made an order, it must be obeyed.

    “I don’t understand, if I make an order, it must be obeyed by all parties. Is the AGF conducting this case?

    “If there are multiplicity of cases on the subject matter of this charge, your duty is to come to court on the issue of abuse of court process.

    “The AGF will not constitute a parallel court on this matter.”

    The judge thereafter adjourned until November 5, 2019, but insisted that the defendants must attend court.

  • Power Supply: Gbajabiamila frowns at unpatriotic public officers

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila says that unpatriotic activities of serving and retired public office holders are responsible for the socio-economic misfortune in the power sector.

    Gbajabiamila spoke while declaring open the investigative hearing into the Federal Government’s abandoned power projects from 1999 to date.

    The speaker, represented by the Chief Whip, Rep. Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno), expressed his displeasure with the state of power in the country.

    He said that the motion on the need to review government’s expenditure on the power sector to ensure sustenance of the power reform programme in Nigeria was referred to the Ad-hoc Committee on Thursday.

    “You will agree with me that from 1999 to date, the National Assembly has appropriated huge sums of monies in the power sector and there are lots and much to be desired from the sector.

    Read Also: Reps urge Fed Govt to curtail Lassa fever outbreak

    “The problem is you and I; we are not patriotic enough in the discharge of our responsibilities to our nation.

    “Again, I want to state that it is embarrassing that when you pick-up newspaper, what you read is probe, probe, and probe; many heads to roll; EFCC to investigate.

    “It is time in our nation building to rethink and press the reset button on what we do, how we do them with a view to ensuring that we get value for the monies appropriated for projects,” he said.

    Gbajabiamila said that Nigerians were virtually in every part of the world largely in search of stable electricity supply, good medical health facilities, quality education among others.

    According to him, it is time we out our hearts correcting all that is wrong so that we can create an enabling environment for our children.

    “The constitution of this Ad-hoc Committee is to enable the House in moving forward, take a critical evaluation of monies appropriated vis-a-vis their utilisations.

    “However, in the course of carrying out this assignment, the committee is at liberty in line with Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to invite any organisation, agency, person, either still in active service or retired to make clarification where necessary,” he stressed.

    Also, Rep. Usman Kumo (APC-Gombe) Acting Chairman of the ad hoc committee, explained that the exercise was aimed at reviewing government’s expenditure in the power sector from 1999 to date.

    He said that committee was constituted on Wednesday with a clear mandate to investigate the Federal Government’s abandoned power projects.

    Kumo said that the aim was to find the major encumbrances affecting the projects and to make appropriate recommendations on the ways to complete the projects within the life span of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    “Having established the powers and legitimacy of our action, we are here today to provide all relevant stakeholders the platform and opportunity to make their informed submissions and contributions on the matter.

    “We therefore, urge you to be objective, truthful and observe decorum throughout our sitting here today,” he said.

    Stakeholders at the event include Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), management team from all the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and GENCOS, among others.

    (NAN)

  • Legislative Agenda: Senate to focus on anti-corruption, education

    The Senate on Thursday resolved to focus its legislative agenda on mitigation of poverty, corruption and revamping of education, among other developmnent programmes.

    It also resolved to stimulate fiscal prudence, promotion of unity among Nigerians and housing as interventions for Nigerians.

    The resolutions was made after a debate on the presentation of a report of the ad-hoc committee on Legislative Agenda for the 9th Senate.

    Leading debate on the report at plenary, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi (APC Niger), said that it was important for the Senate to focus on how to take 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

    He said that the senate must provide legislative interventions to use agriculture as a veritable tool to achieve the aim.

    “The Senate must focus on providing interventions on food security and development of the solid minerals sector,” he said.

    Read Also: Senate to pass Petroleum Industry Bill in 2020

    Sen. Mathew Urhoghide (PDP Edo), said that the Senate should be concerned about the growing public debt of the country occasioned by external borrowing.

    He also raised concerns on the inability of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation(AGF) to audit agencies of government yearly.

    He said that the agencies were not accounting for monies allocated to them at the end of the year.

    This,he said was because the Federal Audit Bill passed by the 8th Senate had not been signed.

    He said that if the bill is signed into law, it would strengthen the AGF to audit the agencies of government.

    In his contribution, Sen. Orji Uzor-Kalu (APC Abia), said that the Senate should focus on how best to ensure implementation of the budget for Nigerians.

    According to him,senate must work towards ensuring that 70 per cent of the budget be channeled to capital projects and recurrent 30 per cent.

    He said that the 9th senate must work towards having a working economy for the people by developing legislative interventions that would foster creation of small industries for employment generation.

    Also, Sen.Dino Melaye (PDP Kogi), said that the legislative agenda should focus on how best to drive the unity of Nigeria.

    He also said that there was an urgent need to revamp the educational sector, health sector and intensify the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

    Melaye said that the major areas where corrupt practices were endemic were in government procurement processes and the petroleum sector.

    He maintained there was no technology deployed in the country to determine the volume of crude oil production in Nigeria.

    Other senators hinged their contributions on the need for the Senate to focus on providing legislative inputs on how to improve the power sector, ease of doing business and development of science and technology.

    President of the Senate Ahmad lawan, who presided over the debate that said 45 senators contributed, commending the committee for their input on the agenda.

    He said that the senate was hopeful that the issues reflected in the agenda when worked upon would make a difference in the life of Nigerians.

    Lawan, who decried the high number of agencies of government,said that there was the need to trim the number of agencies given the paucity of funds to manage them.

    He said the funds used in running the agencies could be channeled into capital projects.

    Lawan, therefore, charged the various committees to look at the areas of concern to them in the agenda and design ways of improving the life of Nigerians.

    Earlier, the senate had mandated Committee on Finance and National Planning to look into the Medium Term Expenditure Framework submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    (NAN)

  • PDP condemns protest against Ambode at Lagos Assembly

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has condemned the recent protest at the state House of Assembly, calling for the probe of  former Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode.

    A statement by Mr Taofik Gani, Lagos PDP spokesperson on Thursday in Lagos, said that the protest lacked sincerity of purpose and obviously calculated at embarrassing the immediate past governor.

    A group, under the aegis of the Lagos Youth Vanguard, led Rasak Olokooba, and Ibrahim Ekundina, had on Tuesday stormed the Lagos Assembly, demanding a probe of the former governor.

    “Disturbing is the tendency of such protests to overheat the polity and increase the already created loss of confidence in the government,” the PDP said.

    Read Also: Protesters storm Lagos Assembly, demand probe of Ambode

    The PDP accused Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu led APC government of being behind the protests.

    “The governor himself is sponsoring such protests against his predecessor, unfortunately overheating the polity and to distract Lagosians away from his abysmal performances.

    “To the PDP, Governor Sanwo-Olu has created “Official Vendetta” in Lagos governance; unfortunately for him, his ranking is going down whilst he needlessly goes after his predecessor,” the statement said.

    The PDP, however, called for a holistic probe of the administrations of Bola Tinubu, Raji Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, rather than restricting it only to Ambode’s regime.

    “Lagosians are eager to know the stewardship of their former governors.

    ” From 1999 till 2018 over N17 trillion was realized as IGR, royalties, Federal Allocations, investments and crude oil discovery.

    “Unfortunately, much of these monies are linked to Hotels, Airlines, Oil Companies, construction companies, home & Abroad,” the PDP said.

    (NAN)

  • ICPC recovers three ambulances, 500KVA Transformer from Senator Buruji Kashamu

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday said it has recovered three ambulances and a 500KVA Transformer which are Constituency Project items from Sen. Buruji Kashamu.

    The agency said the items were part of 2016 Constituency Projects meant to be distributed to Ogun East Senatorial District.

    The items were discovered at his Constituency Project Office in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

    A statement by the Spokesperson for the Commission, Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, mni, said the commission uncovered the items following intelligence alert by a concerned citizen.

    Read Also: Constituency projects: Our findings will shock Nigerians – ICPC

    The statement said: “The three ambulances which were procured at the cost of N6m each, were meant to be supplied to Obada Healthcare Centre, Oke Sopin in Ijebu North Local Government Area; Community Health Centre, Itele in  Ijebu East Local Government Area; and Community Health Centre, Ogijo in Sagamu Local Government Area respectively.

    “The transformer is the last of an initial eleven meant for distribution to various communities of Ogun East Senatorial District which were procured at the cost of N3.6m each, bringing the total for the entire eleven transformers to N39.5m.

    “The commission received intelligence about the items from a concerned citizen who became aware of the commission’s Constituency Project Tracking Group initiative which exercise has so far covered 12 states of the federation.

    “The recovered items were seized and the vehicles were moved to a Police Station while the 500KVA Transformer was marked with the Commission’s seizure seal and in the interim, kept in the custody of the Manager of the Senator’s office.

  • Members’ posters for 2023 presidency, ploy to cause distractions, disharmony – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has distant itself from posters of its members contesting for 2023 presidency.

    The party says that such posters were posted by mischief makers and not from the party members.

    The National Publicity Secretary of APC, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who said this at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, said that the party did not have any activity about 2023 elections than to focus on governance.

    The posters of APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu, Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State and the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, had been sighted in some parts of the country.

    Read Also: PDP will struggle to get 25 per cent of Kogi votes, says APC DG Adeyemi

    Issa-Onilu, who said that the governing party was faced with challenges of governance, security, economy and corruption, said that it would focus on policies, projects and programmes that were imperative to Nigerians.

    “As a party, we want to state clearly that having won elections convincingly and having been given the mandate to run government for the next four years, our major and only focus now is governance.

    “We are not engaging in any other activity about 2023 elections.

    “Wherever you see such (posters) you can be sure it is from mischief makers to continue to take actions to cause distractions for the governing party.

    “We are to deal with the challenges of governance, security, economy and corruption as well as other associated issues. That is what we are focused on.

    “So, as a party, we understand that the social contract we have signed with the people of Nigeria with the renewal of our mandate,” the party’s

    Issa-Onilu also urged the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) not to undermine the order and security, particularly the judiciary as an important institution of the country.

    (NAN)

  • ‘Slandering Osinbajo won’t stop the will of God’

    A group, Southwest Youth Congress, has declared Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the target of a campaign of calumny because of his perceived presidential ambition in 2023.

    It however stated that no amount of gimmicks or lies that can stop Professor Osinbajo from becoming president if God so wills.

    The group in a statement on Thursday said: “The campaign of calumny against a decent character like the Vice President would not hold water in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians.”

    The statement was signed by Comrade Bamise Akintomide, leader of the Ondo state chapter of the group.

    It added: “While we are confident that the perceived threat against Professor Osinbajo bears the imprints of a desperate cabal’s wicked strategy for relevance, sadly they have also enlisted the support of agents of calumny of an equally desperate opposition.

    “It is our considered opinion that such a campaign of calumny against a decent character like the Vice President will not hold water in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians.”

    The group continued: “We do know that the orchestrated allegations against Professor Osinbajo, especially the baseless accusation of misusing a non-existent N90 billion campaign fund, are all targeted at achieving the singular objective of dissuading the vice president from considering the idea of running for the presidency in 2023.

    “While Mr. Vice President has not told anyone that he will be running for office in 2023, the South West Youth Congress will like to emphasise that the leadership shown by Professor Osinbajo over the period he has worked alongside President Muhammadu Buhari to pilot the affairs of this country has proven his capacity for effective and result-driven governance, and it is our hope and desire that come 2023 he is on the ballot to run for the highest office in the land.

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    “If he decides to contest, it’s our belief that he is immensely qualified and therefore he has our support and deserves the support of all well-meaning Nigerians.

    “While it’s true that there is no amount of gimmicks or lies that can stop Professor Osinbajo from becoming Nigeria’s president if God so wills.”

    The group called on all stakeholders and political leaders in the southwest “to be circumspect and unite in support of the vice president who has displayed the attributes of competence and loyalty, both of which have brought honor to the entire Yoruba race and the southwest region.”