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Tag: ultimatum

  • Minister gives ultimatum on undeveloped plots in Abuja

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has given owners of undeveloped plots of land in Abuja, including agents and groups, three months’ notice to either develop them or have them revoked.

    It said the move would tackle land freezing and speculation in the FCT.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, gave the ultimatum yesterday in Abuja at a ground breaking ceremony of one of the land swap pilot projects in Dallas Carraway District.

    Mohammed said the FCT Administration would take appropriate measures at the expiration of the three months’ notice.

    He said: “I wish to announce that we are giving a three-month notice to all ministries, departments, agencies and cooperative societies that have been allocated land by this or previous administrations for housing development for their workers or members to begin the development of such plots of land or risk revocation.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, we shall take appropriate stern measures at the expiration of the three-month notice. We shall no longer accept any excuse for non-commencement of development on such lands.”

    The minister assured Nigerians that the Transformation Agenda has begun with the march towards a comprehensive development of the FCT.

    Mohammed added: “We are very optimistic that by the year 2020, the FCT will certainly rank among the league of 20 leading cities in the world.”

    The minister described the ground breaking event as a fulfillment of the FCT’s dream for a new model of city development and the need for a unique partnership between government and the private sector.

    According to him, the event laid the foundation for the effective and pragmatic development of the Federal Capital City in line with the aspirations of the territory’s founding fathers.

    Mohammed noted that the process that led to the event has enriched both parties, particularly the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCTA) and the Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre, to deploy the model in other identified greenfield districts in the Federal Capital City.

  • ASUP gives Fed Govt 21-day ultimatum

    ASUP gives Fed Govt 21-day ultimatum

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over unresolved national issues that border on education and security of the nation.

    The union said: “The 21- day notice will begin from March 25 within which period the Federal Government is to address the issues raised by the union years ago.

    The unresolved issues border on continued delay in the re-negotiation of FGN/ASUP agreement

    In a communiqué issued at the end of the 73rd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Ilaro, Ogun State, and signed by the union’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Clement; the union also decried the delay in the review of the Polytechnic Act and the non-release of government White Paper on the Visitation Panel to the polytechnics. ASUP also faults the non-implementation of the 65-years retirement age in some polytechnics and monotechnics, adding that the implementation of the reviewed Scheme of Service and CONTISS 15 which to them, currently affects the lower cadre, were among the demands of the union.

    The union also frowned at the rising state of insecurity in the nation, the Presidential pardon for ex-convicts, the planned removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government, and the appointment of unqualified rectors in some state-owned institutions.

     

  • Boko Haram: ex-militants give govt ultimatum on action plan

    Boko Haram: ex-militants give govt ultimatum on action plan

    SOME ex-militants have served the Federal Government a seven-day deadline to act decisively on the Boko Haram insurgency and on the activities of other ethnic militias or see them return to the Niger Delta creeks.

    Their ultimatum was contained in a seven-point communiqué issued yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by the Coalition of Ex-Concerned Agitators and the Social Restoration Foundation (SOREF).

    Besides the ultimatum, the ex-agitators alleged in the communiqué that the amnesty process had been hijacked by people who did not mean well for the youths of the Niger Delta.

    According to them, most of the people being trained and empowered under the amnesty programme by the committee had nothing to do with the struggle that brought about the amnesty.

    The communiqué was signed by “Commander” Bestman Probel, representing the ex-agitators; Dr. Terry Bagia for SOREF, as well as Ronald Onuosa and Comrade C. Opurum as consultants.

    But the Amnesty Office, through its Head of Media and Communication, Dan Alabra, described the allegations as spurious and unfounded.

    Alabra, in a telephone chat last night, warned that security men would do their job, if the ex-militants decided to return to the creeks.

    Alabra said: “Unknown ex-militants could issue ultimatum but they should remember that some of them who returned to the creeks after the Federal Government’s amnesty offer regretted doing so.”

    The ex-militants’ communiqué reads: “We wish to sternly warn all ethnic militias threatening the peace of the nation, especially the Boko Haram boys, that ours was not an ethnic agenda and that all ethnic nationalities have the constitutional rights to rule this country.

    “We hereby issue an ultimatum of seven days to the Federal Government to look into the issues raised, to forestall the breakdown of law and order and sustain the peace, tranquillity and the ambient business environment enjoyed in the Niger Delta today.

    “The members of the committee (amnesty) bring in relatives and friends and people they owe favour, short-changing the real fighters. We hereby condemn this action and call for an independent investigation to confirm this.

    “The few genuine fighters who have been trained have not been properly re-integrated into the society, as they are trained and not to be able to put food on their table or secure gainful employment.

    “This portends grave consequences, as the people have no other means of livelihood, even as the NDDC (the Niger Delta Development Commission) has vehemently refused to listen to the boys, except some few leaders. We condemn this in totality, because the Niger Delta belongs to us all and not just few persons.

    “The foremost lieutenants in the struggle have not been trained or benefited from the process so far. All attempts to secure such training have being futile, in form of insensitivity on the part of the people handling the amnesty process.

    “The committee (amnesty) only trains people to become artisans and low-income earners. If you wish to go for degree programme or masters’, you will wait endlessly even after fulfilling all requirements and passed necessary examinations.

    “The process has been so mismanaged, to the point that even the monthly stipends meant for the boys are being shared by most leaders and their accomplices in the amnesty office. They have their allowances being short-changed by the same system that was meant to empower them.”

    The ex-militants claimed to have uncovered a syndicate, which slashes their monthly stipends. They called for an investigation of their claims.

    The amnesty office’s spokesman, however, stated that the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, who oversees the amnesty programme, would never be distracted by some disgruntled youths.

    Alabra insisted that the few protesting Niger Delta youths were being used, stressing that it was all about politics, while the amnesty programme had received global acclaim, with the template set by the United Nations (UN) being used.

    He maintained that the amnesty office did not owe any ex-militant monthly stipends, except a few, who had issues with their papers.

    Alabra said: “They (protesting ex-agitators) will be shocked that the programme will end in 2015 and they will not be captured, an indication that they may eventually not benefit from the programme while they continue with their agitation.

    “President Goodluck Jonathan gave approval for 3,642 more Niger Delta ex-militants to be absorbed into the amnesty programme, which some people call the third phase, bringing the total to 30,000 youths, but they must be verified, based on arms submitted to the verification committee put in place by the Chief of Defence Staff Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim and not merely submitting dane guns, but Ak-47 and GPMC, among other weapons.

    “Why are they bothered about slots? They just want to make money from the amnesty programme and not to be properly trained. We know the genuine ex-freedom fighters. Persons who signed the communiqué with fictitious names should not be taken seriously. Where are their camps in the Niger Delta? Are they just waking up to make claims?”

    Alabra admonished Niger Delta youths to be law abiding so as to benefit from the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.

     

  • Ekiti road contractors get 30-day ultimatum

    Road contractors in Ekiti State with uncompleted projects awarded by the administration of ousted “Governor” Segun Oni have been given 30 days to complete them.

    Governor Kayode Fayemi gave the ultimatum on Tuesday during a meeting with the contractors at the Governor’s Office in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    He also gave an October deadline to contractors whose contracts were awarded by his administration.

    Fayemi decried the slow pace of work on some projects and urged the contractors to buckle up.

    He said they have no excuse not to deliver the projects at the scheduled time because the government is always honouring its part of the deal.

    The governor said the people would take the government up on its promise to fix major roads by 2014 and he would not disappoint them.

    He praised some contractors for constructing quality roads and completing them on time.

  • Reps give Akunyili, others ultimatum for absconding with official vehicles

    THE House of Representates has given former Information and Communications Minister, Prof. Dora Akunyili, a week ultimatum to return an official vehicle she failed to return to government after leaving office.

    Two others who got a similar marching other are: former Minister of State in the Ministry of Information, Alhaji Ikra Bilbis and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Anthony Ozodinobi.

    The duo also failed to return the Toyota Hillux double cabin pick-up vans assigned to them as official vehicles.

    Already, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed its secretariat to immediately forward covering letters to the affected persons.

    According to the Committee Chairman, Solomon Adeola said yesterday the law would face its full course is the trio failed to comply with the directive.

    The lawmakers said the affected persons would be dragged before the court and charged for stealing of government property in accordance with the law.

    Mrs. Kehinde Ajoni, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, said the affected persons refused to honour the directives sent to them to return the vehicles since 2010.

    She was responding to queries raised against the ministry by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

    According to her, past efforts made by her ministry to recover the vehicles had failed.

    She said: “The only result we got was that Prof Akunyuli returned only one out of the two in her possession while Bilbis and Ozodinobi held on to the ones in their possessions without any response to the official letter written to them by the ministry.”

    Besides, she explained that the five vehicles in question were for the National Telephony project attached to the affected officials but discovered missing routine checks by auditors.

    Adeola, who described the action as unacceptable, said: “They should all return the vehicles in question within one week, failing which they will be charged to court for stealing.

    “The secretariat should write the three of them immediately to convey the decision of this Committee to them. The evidences before us have shown that several letters had been written to them on the need for them to return the vehicles which they ignored.”

  • Police get ultimatum to arraign Lawan for $620,000 bribe

    The Nigeria Police was yesterday issued one-week ultimatum to arraign House of Representatives Probe Committee Chairman, Farouk Lawan, for allegedly collecting $620,000 from business magnate, Femi Otedola.

    Lagos lawyer Festus Keyamo, who issued the ultimatum, threatened that if the Inspector-General of Police and the police failed to comply with the ultimatum within the stipulated time, he would proceed to court to bring him to justice.

    In a statement he made available to The Nation, the activist-lawyer said: “It is more than six months now that the scandal broke regarding the collection of $620,000 by a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Farouk Lawan from Mr. Femi Otedola, a businessman, to doctor his committee’s report relating to the fuel subsidy scam probe by the House of Representatives.

    “After collecting the money (which he did not deny), Lawan stood up on the floor of the House and performed the act for which he collected the money.

    “Till today, he is yet to produce the money before police investigators, fuelling speculation and suspicion that the money has been spent. The case is as simple and straight forward as this. The police and the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation have traded blames over the matter. The public has been treated to all sorts of shameless and obvious attempts to drag the investigation into the murky water of politics, instead of treating it as a crime.”

    Keyamo described as nonsensical, the impression created by the police that it is the office of the Attorney-General that can direct them to charge the matter to court.

    He said: “The law currently as espoused by the Supreme Court in the case of FRN v OSAHON (2006) 5 NWLR PT (Pt. 973) 361, says the police and other law enforcement agencies can directly charge matters to court without the consent or fiat of the Attorney-General of the Federation or of any state. “The Attorney-General can only intervene by taking over to continue or discontinue the proceedings. What then are the police waiting for?”

    Keyamo said the foot-dragging of the case was intended to make the public forget about it.

    He added: “I have taken it upon myself as a responsible citizen to bring Lawan to justice. By this statement (a copy of which I am forwarding to the Inspector-General of Police with a covering letter), I expect that Lawan and his cohorts in the House of Representatives would be arraigned within one week.”

    On Otedola, the lawyer-activist said: “I have made my position clear from the beginning that he committed no offence. A man, who reports an attempt at a crime to the authorities and plays along to catch the offender, commits no crime.”

  • Okorocha gets 21-day ultimatum to probe Ohakim

    A group, the Joint Action Group (JAC), yesterday gave Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha a 21-day ultimatum to probe former Governor Ikedi Ohakim.

    It said an immediate action is necessary to ensure that the millions of naira the former administration allegedly mismanaged are recovered.

    JAC, which comprises traders, mechanics, transporters, artisans and other self-employed individuals in Imo State, issued a communique after its emergency meeting in Owerri, the state capital.

    The communique by JAC President, Rev. Ngozi Amadi, decried the government’s perceived delay in arresting and probing Ohakim and his aides over what it described as the “senseless looting of public funds”.

    The communique reads: “…We frown at the government delay in arresting and probing Ohakim and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the senseless looting of public funds, even when we have paid dearly on our part in the course of chasing away that government of moth and pests.

    “Our members who died and those that may have sustained injuries cannot suffer in vain.

    “We call for immediate arrest and probe of Ohakim and his cohorts who siphoned huge public funds through their white-elephant projects, which only existed on the Internet and billboards. These include Oak Refineries, Imo Wonder Lake, Wonder City, Nwaorie Dredging, diversion of N18.5billion Bond for unexplainable projects linked to Millennium Development Projects (MDGs), three-classroom Block building that cost N50million naira each and so many others too numerous to mention”.

  • Tribunal gives Airhiavbere ultimatum to open case

    The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal yesterday gave the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14 election, Maj.-Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.), until tomorrow to open his case.

    Airhiavbere is challenging the election of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    At the hearing yesterday, Airhiavbere’s counsel Efe Akpofure said they could not open their case because of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) “refusal” to give them certified true copies of the voter register as ordered by the tribunal.

    Akpofure said they intend to use the documents to prove that malpractices allegedly occurred during the election.

    He urged the tribunal to compel INEC to produce the documents and demanded an adjournment.

    INEC’s counsel Robert Emukpero said the commission had given the documents to the petitioner since October.

    He said Akpofure did not complain that he had not received the document, when they met at the Court of Appeal.

    Oshiomhole’s counsel Adeniyi Akintola said the petitioner had no reason not to open his case because the petitioner’s pleadings cut across 51 units in five local governments.

    Akintola said witnesses could be called from the available documents while they wait for other documents.

    He said most of the issues raised by the petitioner have nothing to do with the voter register.

    ACN’s counsel Ken Mozia said no valid reason was given why the 31 witnesses of the petitioner could not give evidence.

    Chairman of the tribunal Justice Muazu Pindigi told the petitioner and INEC to sort themselves out.

    He adjourned sitting till tomorrow, when the petitioner is expected to start his case.

    The Court of Appeal will, today, deliver ruling in the two appeals filed by Oshiomhole and Airhiavbere to contest the ruling of the lower tribunal.

    The lower tribunal had struck out some paragraphs in Airhiavbere’s petition, which bordered on academic qualification, on the grounds that they were pre-election matters.

    It ruled that the tribunal could hear the remaining issues in the petition.

  • Illegal salary deductions: Rivers workers give Amaechi 7-day ultimatum

    Illegal salary deductions: Rivers workers give Amaechi 7-day ultimatum

    Rivers State civil servants and teachers are heading for a show down with the state government over what they term illegal deductions from their salary.

    They have given Governor Rotimi Amaechi a seven-day ultimatum to stop all such deductions or face an industrial action.

    Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Mr. Chris Oruge, who issued the ultimatum at the weekend in Port Harcourt said government has been taking the workers for granted with the introduction of the Rivers Sate Social Services Contributory Levy (SSCL).

    The Contributory Levy (SSCL) Law, No. 9 of 2010 had earlier been rejected by stakeholders at the public hearing on the bill only for government to insist that it must be embraced effective from September 2010.

    Workers’ contributions were graduated based on individual’s grade level and the backlog of deductions to be made over a period of time.

    However, the Ministry of Finance, Office of the state’s Accountant-General and Board of Internal Revenue reportedly disregarded the agreement and made huge deductions from the September and October salaries.

    The SSCL in an August 1, 2012 circular entitled “Notice to pay your Rivers State social Services Contributory Levy,” said: “Pursuant to Section 15 of the Social Services Contributory Levy Law of Rivers State (No. 9 of 2010), I am directed to inform you to immediately commence implementation of the monthly deductions of the above levy from all employees in your organisation and remit it to any of the Rivers State designated Internally Generated Revenue collecting banks.

    “Please note that the deduction is distinct from PAYE monthly deductions and both are to be deducted at source from all employees. The effective date of this levy is September 2010.

    “We have attached herewith the list of designated banks and payment schedule (Section 1 (3) of the Rivers State Law No. 9 of 2010 (SSCL) for your guidance.

    “Please note that you shall make recourse to Section “19” of the Rivers State Law (No. 19 of 2010), where there is a default by any employee in deducting and remitting the levy as prescribed by the Act.”

    However, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside, who spoke to our reporter on phone last night, said the deductions from workers salaries have been suspended. “Until we finish the necessary arrangements. For now, it will no longer appear on the payslips of the workers.”

    He said the deductions made in September and October are for the contributory pension scheme, adding that the workers should be very grateful to the state government, for assisting them to plan their retirement.