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Abia: Otti Denies Suing Tinubu

By
James Orji
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Alex Otti
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, has dismissed reports that he sued President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Federal Government.
 
The governor said such news should be disregarded for what they are, figment of the imaginations of their peddlers.
 
Some media reports had claimed that Otti sued President Tinubu for refusing him to build a seaport in the South east business nerve Centre.
 
It’s not not Governor Otti said  in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko.
 
 
 
The statement read:”Abia State Government’s attention has been drawn to a fake report trending on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), that the Governor had sued the Nigerian Government and President Bola Tinubu at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
 
“The fake news claims that Governor Otti sued the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President Tinubu for allegedly refusing to grant the request of the Abia Governor to establish a seaport as well as an international airport in Abia.
 
“Another part of the badly stringed and concocted report alleges that Governor Otti had also placed a ban on businesses operated by Nigerians of northern extraction resident in Abia State, until the approval for the establishment of the said seaport and international airport is granted.
 
“There is absolutely no truth in this wickedly contrived fable. We are still on the drawing board on the proposed seaport while the Federal Government provided for an airstrip in Abia in the current budget, for which we are grateful.
 
“The general public is by this statement, therefore, advised to ignore the fake report, treat it for what it is, a trash, and consign it to the waste bin, as it is the handiwork of idle rabble-rousers.”
 
Recall that President Tinubu had earlier in the week commission the Aba Power Plant that has now become the talk of the town.

Ooni, Gani Adams Seek Solutions To Insecurity

By
James Orji
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Ooni of Ife- Oba Enitan Ogunwusi

 

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams and other prominent Yoruba Obas on Thursday proffered solutionsn to the prevailing security challenges in Yoruba land.

No fewer than 200 traditional rulers were also in attendance at the summit.

Oba Adeyeye,who convened the Yoruba Security Summit held at the Ife Grand Resorts,Ojaja Arena, in Ile Ife,Osun state,said the unity of all the traditional rulers in Yoruba land is key to the success of the region.

Oba Adeyeye stated also that the security challenges in Yoruba land can be tackled with measures and approach that are capable of putting an end to the scourge in Yoruba land.

“We are concerned about the prevailing security challenges in Yoruba land and that is the reason for this security summit.All Yoruba Obas are united on this and I am sure we will salvage the situation in no long time.

Meanwhile,the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland,Iba Gani Adams,who was one of the keynote speakers,
with the theme: Kidnapping and Banditry: “Overcoming the twin menace and the Yoruba legacy of African Science, Yesterday, today and tomorrow,” said he was deeply concerned about the protracted security deficit in Yoruba land.

Iba Adams insisted that his concern formed part of the issues raised during his visit to the palace of the Ooni of Ife,Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in January that eventually led to the Yoruba security summit.

The Yoruba generalissimo also stressed the need for cooperation from South-West monarchs in tackling insecurity in the region, adding that parliamentary system of government remains the best option that could help in restoring the respect and dignity of Yoruba Obas.

“This summit is a welcome development, I implore Yoruba traditional rulers to put pressure on the state governors in the region to engage local security groups to succeed in the fight against Bandits and Kidnappings in all the forests across Yorubaland.

“We must also collectively make case for true federalism where proper federal structure with adequate security measures would be put in place to allow for effective and adequate policing of the region.

” I have assembled 13 different security outfits under the aegies of South West Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG).The group include the three Agbekoyas, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) the three Vigilante groups,COMSAIC and Egbe Obinrin Oodua Agbaye among others are ready to secure our land and give us the needed synergy to combat the spate of insecurity across the south west region.

“As far as I am concerned,it is no doubt that parliamentary system of government remains the best option for us to address the security challenges and also allow for proper recognition of the Yoruba traditional rulers.

Deji of Akure,Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi said it is important for
the traditional rulers to protect themselves using the traditional means.He added also that it is very important for the traditional rulers to protect their subjects.

“We need to look inwards in our attempt to secure our communities that is the best way to go”.

Meanwhile,the Olowo of Owo,Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, said the best way to solve all the security challenges in Yoruba land is to restructure the country, adding that true federalism would take care of all the security challenges.

“Let us go back to restructuring as it is the best way to tackle both our security and economic challenges”.

“As traditional rulers,we need to be aggressive in promoting our culture and tradition. In Owo,for instance, we stick to our tradition.We will not allow the government to denigrate our tradition and that has been keeping us on top of the situation”.

Former Inspector General of Police
Dr.Solomo Arase said there is a need for proper understanding on the best way to tackle the twin menace of Banditry and kidnapping.

He said there is need for proper surveillance, adding that anybody that bears arm without proper licensing would definitely bear the consequences under the law.

Prominent traditionalist,Pa Ifayemi Elebuibon also urged the traditional rulers to always observe the rites before taking up the position of an Oba.

He added that any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.

At the end of the summit, all the traditional rulers later came out with a Communique that was read by the chairman, security summit planning committee; Prof. Siyan
Oyeweso.

Other traditional rulers that spoke at the event include the Osemawe of Ondo, Alayeluwa Oba Victor Kiladejo,Akarigbo of Remoland, Olowu of Owu, Oludo of Ido-Osun, Aragbiji of Iragbiji among others.

RE: The Dark Side of The Aba Power Project

By
The Source
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1

By Anyim Pius Anyim

I am delighted to join friends and well-wishers to congratulate Prof. Barth Nnaji for a successful commission of Geometrics Power Plant at Aba. It is my greatest joy to share this moment with Prof. Nnaji despite the sting of a reckless Mud Slinger whose identity and relationship with the project is hidden, suggestive of a hireling at work for his pay.

My attention has been drawn to a story titled “The dark side of Aba Power Project” by one Lolade Akinmurele in Business Day Newspaper of Tuesday 27th February, 2024. I am convinced that the hireling believes that the more he throws mud at everyone, from the Vice President, the Secretary to Government of the Federation, the Attorney General of the Federation, the D-G BPE, the Chairman NERC, in-fact the entire Government, the more his pay.

I have had the privilege of reading the response by Dr. Sam Amadi and also had the honour of speaking with my brother, Professor Nnaji, who vehemently disclaimed the writer and undertook to release a formal statement in that regard. In view of the above, my reply is essentially to state the facts for the records and to situate the meddlesome interloper properly.

Accordingly, may I state just the following:

It is my pleasure to congratulate Prof. Barth Nnaji for this landmark achievement as Geometric Power Plant is commissioned. This is more so because as Prof. Nnaji was starting the Geometric Power Plant at Aba, I was also starting, in 2004, a multimillion-dollar ultra-modern soghum malting plant at Aba and General Ukpo of, blessed memory, was building the Meridian Hotel in Port-Harcourt. As of then, these three projects were the most outstanding private sector projects east of the Niger and occasionally, we shared experiences of our challenges.

At that time, none of us was in government. To the glory of God, the three projects have all succeeded. I think it is necessary to educate this hireling on how government works. Because if he is knowledgeable, he would have known the following:

  1. That the privatization Programme was under the office of the Vice President, and privatization of the power sector was led by the Ministry of Power and until the last segment of the programme, Prof. Nnaji was the Minister of power.
  2. That the office of the SGF had no role in the privatization Programme and, in particular, would not have had any need to interfere with the privatization of the DISCOs under the control of Professor Nnaji.
  3. The hireling would have known that I had enough on my hands as SGF and by nature do not interfere with the work of anybody talkless of a parastatal that is not under my supervision.
  4. It is important to note that NERC, which Sam Amadi led, was under the Ministry of Power, not the Presidency.

As a way of putting the record straight, let me adopt the following clauses from Dr. Sam Amadi’s reply:

“2. Prof Barth Nnaji was the Minister of Power from 2011 to 2013 when the process for privatization was completed. He was only removed just before the winners of the bid were announced. Throughout the relevant period of the privatization, Professor Barth Nnaji was Minister of Power and had de facto control of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) that executed the privatization process. He chaired the Presidential Task Force on Power and was key figure in the National Council on Privatization that made key decisions about privatization. The Director General of BPE, Bola Onaguruwa, worked closely with him and generally under his control as Minister of Power.”

“4. To the best of my knowledge, Prof. Bart Nnaji, as part of his business plan, intended to buy the Enugu Disco. There is nothing wrong about that. He is an entrepreneur whose entry into power sector was first as a private power producer in a deal to supply power to Abuja metropolis. Perhaps, based on the confidence that he would win the bid he neglected or forgot to separate the Aba Ring-Fenced area from the rest of Enugu Disco before he authorized the privatization of the entire Enugu Disco, including the Aba ring-fenced area. Later, when I confronted both DG BPE and Prof Bart Nnaji on why he failed to separate the Aba ‘ringfenced’ area from Enugu Disco before authorizing privatization, they argued something to the effect that the Vice President opposed them. I have no proof of this fact.”

  1. Professor Barth Nnaji organized a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to bid for Enugu Disco, including the Aba ring-fenced area. He set up a special committee of BPE and Ministry of Power officials to evaluate the bids for the discos. After close of bid, his SPV, was adjudged the winner of the ENTIRE Enugu disco, including the Aba ring-fenced area.”

“7. After the evaluation and selection of Barth Nnaji’s firm as the preferred bidder, Chief Emeka Offor’s consortium petitioned on the ground of error. The Presidency empanelled a special committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power. The Chairman of NERC, the DG of BPE and BPE consultants were members with a mandate to review the process. After reviewing the process, the committee agreed that Chief Emeka Offor’s consortium ought to win the bid after correcting the error. The NCP approved Chief Emeka Offor’s consortium as the winner of the bid and the preferred bidder.”

“8. After the declaration of Chief Emeka Offor’s consortium as the winner, Bola Onagoruwa, the DG of BPE, wrote to NERC to cut off Aba ring-fenced area from Enugu disco area and reevaluate it for Barth Nnaji to purchase. NERC rejected that request because it would violate regulatory due process. You cannot conclude a sale of a territory, and after the buyer has fulfilled terms and conditions, you alter the sale. While he was the Minister of Power and supervised the privatization, Professor Bart Nnaji had opportunity to demand the performance of the contract he had with federal government to be given the right of first rejection to purchase the Aba ring-fenced area before privatization. He did not do so, since he had reasonable expectations that he would purchase the entire Enugu disco. But unfortunately, he lost to Emeka Offor.”

“14. It is important to note that throughout this period I never had any meeting with either Emeka Offor or Pius Anyim or any of Emeka’s Offor’s proxy in any form on the matter in dispute. There has been no moment in my multiple interactions with Anyim Pius Anyim as Secretary to Government of the Federation that he ever sought my opinion or offer any opinion to me about the dispute over Aba Power. Chief Emeka Offor never met me privately in my office or anywhere to discuss the matter with me.”

Having put the records straight, I am to restate my conviction that the writer was certainly hired to Mud Sling and not finding what to splash on me, he wrote.

“Offor, who was blocking the project, had Pius Anyim, Secretary of Government of the federation, in his pocket, while Sam Amadi, the Chairman and CEO of NERC, was beholden to Anyim”.

This unfortunate writer may need to be reminded that I had several parastatals under my supervision as SGF. He should also know that NERC was not one of them and Dr. Sam Amadi had no reason to be ‘beholden’ to me or take instructions from me.

Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, GCON, former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), wrote this as a “Right of Reply” to an article titled “The dark side of Aba Power Project” in the Business Day Newspaper of Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Crisis Rocks APC In Benue State, As Police Seal Party Secretariat

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Benue State APC Secretariat

By Akinwale Kasali

There is crisis in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Benue State. It has led to the sealing of the Party Secretariat by the Benue State Police Command.

The order to seal the APC Party Secretariat in the State came from Governor Hyacinth Alia, who put an embargo all forms of political meetings and gatherings in the state.

In the letter dated February 27, 2024, Alia through his Chief of Staff, Paul Biam banned all forms of political meetings and gathering in the state owing to the volatile security situation in the State.

The said letter read: “I write to inform you that His Excellency Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alla has banned all political gatherings in any form, be it inter or intra party or groups in Benue State till further notice.

“This has become necessary following Intelligence on the volatility of the security atmosphere in the state.

“It is certainly not news to you how the security atmosphere in the state has charged following the unprecedented influx of armed herdsmen in the state. You are by this notification invited to enforce this directive.”

The APC Chairman in the State, Austin Agada and his Executives had scheduled political meeting slated for Friday March 1 and 3, 2024, but was called off, following the order of the Governor to the dissatisfaction of the Agada led Executives.

This indicates that the relationship between Governor Alia and the Star Party Chairman has gone sour.

The meeting was called by the Executives of the APC with selected stakeholders and the newly appointed Federal Housing Authority, FHA, Executive Director Housing, Finance and Accounts, Matthias Byuan, in Makurdi, the State Capital.

Before the sealing of the Secretariat, the State Police Commnad in a letter signed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Samuel Gimba for the Commissioner of Police, addressed to Agada, advised that the meetings be called off.

The letter read , “I refer to your letter dated February 7, 2024 notifying my office of your intention to hold the State Executive Committee, SEC, meeting of the APC as well as stakeholders meeting of the party on March 1 and 3, 2024 respectively.

“I wish to however request you to suspend the said meetings and all other forms of political meetings till further notice in view of the directive of the Executive Governor of Benue State suspending the holding of all forms of political meetings and gatherings in the State due to the volatility of the security atmosphere in the state.”

Acting on the strength of the correspondences, the Police Friday morning as early 6:am sealed off the State Secretariat of the APC on J S Tarka Road in Makurdi with stern looking Police personnel taking charge of the roads leading to the Secretariat.

Ondo: Aiyedatiwa Swears In New Commissioners, Special Advisers, Head Of Service, Urges Dedication To Duty

By
Ayodele Oni
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Lucky Aiyedatiwa

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Friday sworn in seven commissioners, eight special advisers and the new Head of Service.

At the ceremony in Akure, the governor explained that injecting new blood into the administration was geared towards enhancing  development trajectory

“It is imperative to inform you that our decision to dissolve the last Executive Council was well informed, consequent upon wide consultations and in response to the yearnings of our people.

“The decision was devoid of neither political undertone nor misgivings.  It was basically carried out in the overall interest of the State.

“As you can rightly observe, some of these Commissioners and Special Advisers have been with us since the beginning of our second term, others are fresh hands with proven core competencies in their chosen careers.

“All of these are geared towards enhancing our development trajectory.”

Advising them to see their appointment as a call to service, Aiyedatiwa stated that “To our new Commissioners and Special Advisers, I congratulate you on your new appointments and for being found worthy to be preferred from amongst thousands of other equally qualified individuals.

“I want to enjoin you individually to see this appointment as a call to service, to deliver more, in the delivery of good governance to our people.

“You must be dedicated, up and doing and focused in the discharge of the duties and responsibilities expected of your office.  It is equally important that you see yourselves as servant-leaders and not lords in your respective MDAs.

“Kindly cooperate with your Accounting Officers.  You are expected to work in partnership with them and ensure you are guided by relevant rules and regulations in the performance of your duties and responsibilities.

“The entire State is looking up to you to bring to bear your wealth of experience, skills and competencies in your new assignments.

“It is no more news that our country is facing hard times economically and as a State, we are not immune to these challenges.  As Commissioners and Special Advisers, you are coming on board at a very critical time.

“It, therefore, behoves you to come up with creative ideas and policies geared towards alleviating the sufferings of our people.  We cannot afford to fail in this regard.

“This time requires us as political leaders to lead by example and be prepared to make necessary sacrifices by shunning ostentatious lifestyle.

“Let me use this medium to plead with our people not to mount undue pressure on these new appointees.  We should let them perform their duties without let or hindrance or distraction.”

He charged the new Head of Service, Mr. Bayo Philip, “to see yourself as an ambassador, holding the office in trust for public servants in Ondo State.

Besides, you are to provide the required leadership for the entire public service and see your appointment as a call to service. The oath of allegiance which you have taken is very significant in many ways; one of which is higher commitment to ideals of service.

“You are to ensure that the resources of the State are not misappropriated, while ensuring the continued optimal generation of revenue by the public service.”

On the current economic challenges, the governor assured the people that with efforts being put in place by the federal government and state, the situation would soon end.

“My dear people, our administration is not oblivious of the current economic challenges that we are facing in Nigeria especially the high cost of food which has led to high cost of living for our people.

“I wish to inform you that the Federal Government is working in synergy with State Governments by putting necessary measures in place to cushion the effects of this hardship.

“As part of these measures, Mr. President has directed the immediate release of about 102,000 metric tonnes of various grain types from the Strategic Reserve and the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria.

“It is our expectation that the positive effects of this decision will be felt across the country within the shortest time possible.”

President Tinubu Orders Immediate Reversal Of Cement Price, Urges BUA, Dangote To Comply

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0

By Akinwale Kasali

Following the lamentation of Nigerians over the hike in the price of Cement, President Bola Tinubu through the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered Cement Companies to revert to the old price of Cement with immediate effect.

Umahi  revealed this during his visit to inspect the BUA Cement Factory in Sokoto State.

He said President Tinubu has urged Cement Companies including BUA and Dangote to do the needful in earnest to ease the economic hardship Nigerians are facing.

“On the issue of pricing, I can authoritatively say that they can still do better in line with their discussion with Mr. President.

Mr President insisted that they go back to the status quo as far this cement price is concerned for the common man.

“I want to encourage them to abide by the directive of Mr President so that we can achieve a massive housing programme and the renewed hope agenda of concrete roads,” he added.

Umahi, who was accompanied by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing, Aminu Tambuwal, commended the company’s commitment and expressed confidence in the product’s quality, aligning with the government’s objectives.

He also stated that the Federal Government will embark on a-372 kilometres of road, dual carriageway from Zaria to Sokoto State.

His words: “I am here to see things for myself, as you are aware, the federal government is currently embarking on 372 dual kilometres of road, of which the first phase will be done with asphalt while the step down will be done with concrete.

“If you calculate the 372 kilometres, because it is dual carriage way into two, it will give us a total of 744 kilometres.

“The second 372 kilometres will be conducted with pure concrete, in line with the renewed hope agenda of Mr President.”

Ondo APC Guber Primary: Crisis Looms As Aspirants Raise Alarm, Allege Political Violence  By Governor Aiyedatiwa

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Lucky Aiyedatiwa

By Akinwale Kasali

With less than a month to the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governorship Primary in Ondo State, Aspirants under the ruling Party in the State have raised alarm over a possible political violence that would mar the primary.

No fewer than 20 Aspirants are vying to hoist the Party’s Flag and get the Ticket ahead of the Governorship Election scheduled for a later date in the year.

The Aspirants are alleging that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the State who is also vying for the ticket has been tormenting and intimidating other Aspirants’ supporters who he sees as  threats to him. Thugs have reportedly destroyed billboards, and threatened other opponents and their supporters.

The Aspirants alleged that there is need for the APC leadership to wade into the crisis before Ondo State is turned into a theatre of war.

It was alleged that during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to the State, supporters of Governor Aiyedatiwa intimidated other aspirants and even barred them from seeing the President, as they allegedly unleashed mayhem.

Speaking on behalf of the aspirants, a former Finance Commissioner in the state,Wale Akinterinwa said that his supporters and that of other governorship aspirants were attacked by thugs sponsored by those in Government.

A statement issued by Akinterinwa’s spokesperson, Segun Ajiboye, in Akure, said that “The thugs, who brazenly fired gun shots into the air to cause confusion, went on a destruction spree as they attacked property, while billboards of other gubernatorial aspirants were defaced, pull down or out rightly destroyed.

“Party members perceived to be loyal to all gubernatorial aspirants except to Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, sustained varied and diverse degree injuries resulting from the attacks unleashed on them. T-Shirts, faze caps and other insignia wore by members of the targeted aspirants were torn to shreds.

“The thugs who carried out the orchestrated attacks were armed with all sorts of dangerous weapons. It is sad to note that many of our supporters with deep cuts are in the hospitals receiving treatments at the moment.

” It is, however, surprising that no aspirant other than the governor was spared of the attacks.

“ Let me state here that the need for this press statement is not borne out of fear or inability to protect our supporters.

“We have the capacity to give adequate protection to all our members who have remained peaceful in the face of this dastardly attack.

Ajiboye said that “We are also not unaware of the overriding need to save our dear state from an ugly re-enactment of the dark days by those who harbor vaulting and mechanical ambition.

“At this juncture as members of the Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation, we would also love to state that as responsible leaders and members of our party with genuine intentions to serve our dear people, we are unable and will not accept the imposition on the party members a regime of panic and fear in other to supplant popular participation in a democratic process aimed at emplacing accountable and responsive leadership.

“We, therefore, call on Mr President and the national chairman of the APC to prevail on Mr Governor to halt the use of thugs to advance his political interest. The field is wide enough for everyone to operate.

“Also, we urge all security agencies to not only to be on red alert against future occurrence but also ensure that those who carried out these dastardly attacks are apprehended and brought to books to serve as deterrent to others who may be emboldened by this barbaric act.

However, debunking the claims of Akinterinwa and other Aspirants, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said that the governor has directed the security agencies to arrest those who attacked supporters of the governorship aspirants and pulled down their billboards.

Adeniyan noted that the governor has equally asked the security agencies to prosecute the political thugs.

According to him” The attention of Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has been drawn to reports of alleged attacks on some persons and destruction of campaign materials in the wake of the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the State on Wednesday.

“The governor says his administration will not tolerate any form of violence that is capable of threatening the peace and tranquillity of the State.

“As the Governor has said repeatedly, any political campaign that disturbs the peace in the State is unacceptable and must be met with the decisive actions of law enforcement agencies.

“It is pertinent to make it clear that nobody associated with the Governor or the government of Ondo State was involved in any of the reported activities ascribed to “political thugs” during the President’s visit to Owo and Akure.

“The governor has therefore asked law enforcement agencies in the State to arrest and prosecute anyone found to be engaged in such violent activities.

Adeniyan added that “The governor urges politicians and their followers to ensure that their campaigns are issue based, devoid of blackmail, spreading falsehood, inciting the public and intimidating opponents”.

Ekiti Council Of Elders Urges Labour To Dialogue With Government, Flays Calls For Military Take Over

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Ekiti Council of Elders

By Ayodele Oni

Coming a day after President Bola Tinubu cried out over incessant strike and protest by the organized labour since the administration took over, the Ekiti Council of Elders has appealed to Nigerians and the Labour Force to be circumspect in their approach to the economic situation of the country at the moment.

Rising from its meeting in Ado Ekiti, the Elders’ Council enjoined the Labour force to engage more in dialogue with the government in finding solution to the long standing economic and security quagmire that has been the bane of the development of our country.

It condemned calls for military takeover to destabilize the government of President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement in Ado-Ekiti by its President, Prof. Joseph Oluwasanmi and Secretary, Elder Niyi Ajibulu said that patriotic Nigerians will resist attempts to destabilize the nation.

The council appealed to President Tinubu to expedite actions in resolving the economic hardship in the country while appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the government to resolve the issues.

The statement reads: “Rising from an emergency meeting, the Ekiti Council of Elders  acknowledges the pains Nigerians are currently going through.

“The council is worried that Nigerians should go through this difficult and throat-cutting economic condition when they had hoped that the present administration was coming to ease their long-standing pains.

“However, the Elders appeal to Nigerians to be patient with the government to fix the accumulated problems bedevilling the country’s economy and security.

“Further, the Elders’ Council enjoins the Labour force to engage more in dialogue with the government in finding solution to the long standing economic and security quagmire that has been the bane of the development of our country.

“The Council therefore appeals to Nigerians and the Labour Force to be circumspect in their approach to the economic situation of the country at the moment.

“The Elders condemn in very strong terms the unguarded utterances of some Nigerians which are not only undermining the revered office of the President, but also inciting and a subtle call for illegal change of government. Such careless utterances can cause anarchy and set the country many years back.

“The council appeals to the Yoruba to be weary of the antics of some ethnic bigots whose hidden agenda is to subvert and discredit the Yoruba as a never do well in governance so as to get through the back door what they failed to achieve through the ballots.

“The body cautions any monarch or prominent figures who by their actions or utterances are unpatriotic or suggesting a “military takeover”, warning that, genuinely patriotic Yoruba and Nigerians will resist any attempt to destabilize the nation.

“The body, appeals to President Tinubu to expedite actions in resolving the economic nightmare that is making life unbearable to most Nigerians.

“The council commends the President for adopting the Oronsaye Report of 2012 and urges him not to waste time in addressing other pressing national matters like the State Police and  other restructuring issues.”

Appeal Court Affirms Conviction Of Gombe Fmr Auditor General For Local Governments

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

The hope of the former Auditor General for Local Government in Gombe state, Idris Yahaya to regain freedom has been dashed as Gombe Division of the Court of Appeal, upheld his conviction.

Yahaya had earlier been convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment last year by Justice Muhammad Lawu Lawan of the Yobe State High Court.

He was arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), on  one count of criminal misappropriation of money  to the tune of over N19 million.

Yahaya received funds from the Office of the Auditor General for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Yobe State, for the purchase of an official vehicle, a 2015 Toyota Corolla, and diverted part of the money to his personal use.

The  lone count reads: ”That you, Yahaya Lawal Idris, being the Auditor General for Local Government, Yobe State, between the 20th to 21st day of May, 2017 at Damaturu, Yobe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, received the sum of N19,900,000.00 via your personal account number 1001480930 with account name Alhaji Yahaya Idris domiciled in United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) from the Local Government Audit Account Number 5030030060 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc.

“This fund was meant for the purchase of a brand new Toyota Corolla 2015 Model, and did dishonestly misappropriated the gross sum of N10,100,000.00 (Ten Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) only.”

However, dissatisfied with the judgment, Yahaya approached the appellate court, where he raised  five grounds of appeal and prayed the court to set aside the judgment of Justice Lawan.

While arguing against the appeal, counsel to the EFCC, Mukhtar Ali prayed the court to uphold the judgment of the lower court and dismiss the appeal on the grounds that “the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.”

Delivering judgment on Thursday, the three-man panel led by Hon. Justice A.A B Gumel, upheld the conviction of  Yahaya and unanimously dismissed the appeal and consequently affirmed the judgment of the trial court.

Insecurity: Matawalle Urges Intensive Onslaught Against Banditry In Northwest

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, has called for Intensified Operations against Terrorists and Bandits in the northwest region of the country.

In a statement signed by the Director Information and Public Relations,  Henshaw Ogubike on Friday, in Abuja, the minister explained that the call was against the backdrop of incessant insecurity occasioned by the activities of terrorists and bandits in the zone.

According to Matawalle, the activities of bandits have increased over time especially in Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara states, which led to attacks on personnel  and loss of lives and destruction of military hardware.

Consequently, the Minister directed the Nigerian Military to adopt a more proactive approach in decimating the activities of bandits and in  dealing with insecurity in those states as he emphasized the need for synergy amongst the Services to be able to wipe out insurgency and other form criminalities in the region.

He stressed the urgency of these operations, stating, that: “The safety and well-being of our citizens remain paramount, and it is imperative that decisive action be taken to curb the menace of terrorism and banditry in our communities.”

Highlighting the significance of these operations beyond just security, Dr. Matawalle underscored their role in fostering a conducive environment for agricultural activities to strive.

“Enhanced security in the region will not only safeguard the lives and properties of our people but also improve the quality of farming and irrigation. Farmers will be able to cultivate their lands without fear of attacks, thus ensuring food security and economic prosperity for the region.”

The Minister reaffirmed the commitment of  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu  government in tackling insecurity head-on and ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens.

He called for cooperation from stakeholders, urging communities to support security agencies in their efforts to rid the region of criminal elements.

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