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PDP Bigger Than Wike

By
James Orji
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Adetokunbo Pearse, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has shaded Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, saying he cannot decide for the party.

The PDP chieftain spoke on the protracted crisis in the party caused by the demand of Governor Wike on the National Chairman of the party, Iyorcha Ayu to resign.

The party’s National Executive Council, NEC had recently passed a vote of confidence on the embattled chairman.

The governor has however insisted that he will not support the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar until Ayu steps down.

The crisis became more pronounced last week after some governors in the party shunned the official kick-off of its presidential campaign.

At least, four PDP governors are behind the Rivers governor in his quest to see Ayu forced out of office. The governors are Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuainyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).

There are equally other members of the party’s Board of Trustees and National Executive Council, NEC supporting Wike in his resolve for Ayu to quit his position, the magazine has learned.

Speaking on the issue, Pearse said the majority of the members of the party are solidly behind Ayu. He said Wike cannot foist his decision on the party, adding that the National Chairman would only leave office when the party’s leadership ask him to do so.

He said the party has moved on regardless of the opposition constituted by Wike and his team.

According to him, Governor Wike and others have the right to express their opinions as a member of the party “but they are not the party, for instance, a governor is not the party in his state.

“The PDP is solidly behind Dr Ayu staying on as the National Chairman of the party because he said when he got elected if a northerner emerges as the presidential candidate of the party he will step down if the party says he should step down.

“He said it, but it is conditional and guess what, who is the party? the party is the National Executive Council of the party, and they met about 2 or 3 weeks ago and decided that Ayu should stay on.

“No governor, no individual gets to decide for the party it is democracy. In a democratic setting, the constitution says that the NEC decides on the issues they have voted on.

“By the way all these people, these governors they are all members of that committee so why don’t they go there and give us their opinion what happens is if they go there, the majority will vote against their decision that is what has happened.

“Democratically we are onboard and the party is moving on. while we try to resolve the issues with some people, a few who are not with the party.

Meanwhile, the meeting between Governor Wike and PDP BoT members on Tuesday ended in a deadlock, as the party’s Advisory organ led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara failed to make the governor change his position.

Sources who attended the meeting told the Magazine that, Governor Wike who had earlier met with Atiku told the BoT members plainly that his only problem is Ayu. Once the National Chairman steps down, he said, everything will go on smoothly.

Viewpoint: Buhari, Endorse Peter Obi For President

By
James Orji
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0

By SKC Ogbonnia

Dear President Muhammadu Buhari. I hope this mail finds you in good spirits…

I must not fail to thank you once again for helping to deepen our democracy by leading the change movement that saw an opposition party capture power at the centre for the first time in Nigerian history. We did so at a time when the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party had boasted that it would rule for unbroken 60 years whether the people liked it or not. We were able to make such a defining history because of your austere and incorrigible pedigree. We believed history had placed you in a position to become the greatest African leader—ever.

Unfortunately, fellow Nigerians, including your very self, have found out the hard way: Any serious setback from old age or ill-health is not a recipe for effective leadership. Make no mistake: One must not mock old age or ill-health, as these conditions are in most cases beyond human control. Moreover, our basic norms dictate that we show empathy for the adversities of others. Yet, it is a gross disservice to humankind for politicians who are challenged by either old age or ill-health to knowingly offer themselves for positions where such infirmities can hinder their performance.

The significance of physical fitness in leadership explains why candidates seeking power in advanced democracies undergo vigorous health scrutiny before voters can take them seriously. Mr President, you are a living witness. You have not hidden the fact that the challenges associated with old age do not augur well with the demands of your office. It is not surprising, therefore, that you have not been able to perform to the best of your abilities.

To make matters worse, the National Leader of our dear party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the master strategist, who was supposed to serve as a stabilising force, is suffering from a similar sad fate. His predicament is even worse. Within the past seven years, he has domiciled in foreign hospitals more than you have done. Needless to mention that his recent public outings do not portray a man who is physically or mentally fit for any serious party leadership.

The cumulative effect is that things have truly fallen apart in our party, as well as Nigeria in general. Today, the level of corruption, which you had declared would kill Nigeria unless Nigeria kills it, is now unfathomable. Today, our party—the All Progressives Congress—with Tinubu as its national leader, has become a safe haven for notorious corrupt kingpins who were indicted while at the PDP. Today, our party does not appear to have any ideological, moral or ethical difference from the much-discredited PDP.

The most shameless yet is that the APC has nominated the same Tinubu as its presidential candidate for the upcoming 2023 elections. The implication is that corruption has been embraced as a way of life under your very own regime. Common sense dictates that, if Tinubu is to prevail, but may God forbid, you would be handing over to a politician who is not only challenged by the stark frailties of poor health and old age but also someone who is widely disdained for being one of the most cancerous poster characters for corruption in Africa. Mr President, if Tinubu prevails, you will go down in history as the most shameless political hypocrite—ever.

It is necessary to remark here that I do not discount the contributions of Tinubu in Nigerian history. Eulogising him in a 2017 piece, “I pity Tinubu,” I did not hesitate to write that “if dynamic opposition is the life-wire of democracy, it is very fitting then to name him the saviour of Nigeria’s current democratic journey. Tinubu, more than any other Nigerian, nurtured and sustained the opposition movement that removed the Peoples Democratic Party from power.”

However, as someone who has professed political leadership for decades in many advanced democracies, I definitely know the difference between the qualities of a political strategist and the qualities of a president of a country.

I must also admit that Tinubu could not have been a candidate you would wish as a successor. You wanted a level playing ground in our party. But the corrupt cabal within the APC took advantage of your condition to outwit you and hand the prize to the highest bidder. Take, for example, Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council, where he hoodwinked you to become its chairman. Look at the kind of re-cycled corrupt characters therein. Mr President, why are you allowing these characters to further tarnish your image? The saving grace is that the 2023 presidential election presents a golden opportunity to not only redeem your incorrigible legacy but to also save Nigeria from total collapse.

The three candidates with the potential to succeed you are Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu.

On one hand, we can both agree that Atiku and Tinubu are the ‘same ten and ten pence’—the two most influential henchmen of Nigeria’s ageless corrupt oligarchy. In short, to elect any of the two is an errant sin. Please do not have a hand in such a shameless fall from grace. If still in doubt, besides their poor health conditions, please consider that neither of them can in good conscience campaign against corruption. Combine that with the fact that no Nigerian leader, whether military or civilian, has ever assumed the governance of the country with the type of corrupt background well known of Atiku and Tinubu. Think back, Mr President!!

On the other hand, we have Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Like you, he is well known for the frugal management of resources and has no record of corruption. Like you, he does not buy votes. Like you, he is determined to kill corruption, as you would wish. Like you in 2015, instead of waiting till election day to deploy looted funds to rig elections, Obi has demonstrated the physical ability to traverse the entire country to ask for votes. Luckily for you and Nigeria, unlike you, he is younger and in a better state of health to overcome the unfortunate frailties that hindered your performance. Moreover, he has a clear vision and the character to unleash Nigeria’s abundant potential to greatness.

Of course, I can relate to the burden associated with promoting a candidate of the opposition party. But as I had stated while equally endorsing Obi, we must not hide behind the bogus toga of political parties, tribes and religions to allow a crooked clique to dictate our future.

I emulated President Olusegun Obasanjo and other progressives, who chose country over party to endorse you in 2015. I took a page from Colin Powell, an eminent American patriot and lifelong member of the Republican Party, who crossed party lines to endorse Barack Obama of the Democratic Party in 2008. Powell saw Obama as a transformational figure who could inspire a new generation of Americans.

President Muhammadu “Okechukwu” Buhari, your moment in time is now. A new generation of Nigerians beckons you to stand on the right side of history. The posterity beckons you to recognise that the 2023 election is a struggle between the nation’s corrupt oligarchy versus progressive Nigerians anchored by Mr Obi.

The posterity beckons you to also demonstrate true patriotism by choosing country over religious, ethnic and party affiliations. The posterity beckons you to then go forth and endorse Obi, an untainted character, a quintessential patriot, a visionary and a generational figure, who has come to represent the democratic revolution the Nigerian masses, as well as your very self, have long sought.

Dr Ogbonnia is a former APC presidential aspirant

Good Things Follow Chioma Success, The Baby Who Stole The Show At Obi’s Lagos Rally

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Chioma Success at Peter Obi Rally

By Adesina Soyooye

It is not known how Chioma Success, the kid who stole the show and stole everybody’s heart at the Lagos rally for Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, came to be at the venue. It is not known who she came with. Perhaps her mother. But she was not seen anywhere near her. Perhaps a relation. Or perhaps a neighbour. But not many people, in the Nigeria of today  would trust their child with a neighbour.

It was a mammoth crowd, a crowd like no other. And it was 1st October, the anniversary of Nigeria’s independence from Britain.

But the mammoth crowd chose not to celebrate. They chose to rally for a better Nigeria. They chose to march for a better Nigeria. The hundreds of thousands of people call themselves OBIdients. They are supporters and loyalists of Obi.

In the mammoth crowd, a tiny figure stood out. Dressed in Nigerian colours of green-while-green, she marched on.  In her hands, she clutched tightly, the flag of the LP.

Then, suddenly, a young man, who thought that the kid was not likely to keep pace with the crowd, lifted her and carried her on his shoulders. That was when heavens, literally, came crashing down.

Like one possessed, as if she knew what the rally was all about, she let loose, and began to wave at the crowd. Enthusiastically. Excitedly. Then, she began to dance to the tune of the songs. Everybody went literally crazy for the kid. And the video went viral.

Since then,  she has become a celebrity. A star. Her two names are working for her. Chioma Success. Chioma means her good God; beautiful  God. Success, of course means success. Her unprecedented drama at the rally confirmed the potency of a combination of her two names. She has become a success story.

Since then, only the good has followed her. Obi took note, and named her the Poster Child of his Presidential Campaign.

And Nigerians have taken her, and her welfare up.

An anonymous philanthropist offered to pay her fees upto University level. And, not to be outdone, OBIdients in the Diaspora have made a mouth-watering offer.

They have offered Baby Chioma and her mother the following:

*A well furnished flat.

*The sum of 5,500 US Dollars to her mother to start a business.

*A scholarship for Chioma upto University level.

Baby Chioma’s mother, Queen, is a young woman, probably still a teenager, or in her early 20s. Asked of Chioma’s father, she told an interviewer: “I am a single mother. I don’t know about any father.”

This single mother is lucky. She need not worry about Chioma not having an active father; a father who, perhaps, denied mother and child since Queen’s pregnancy.

Chioma has become the child of high profile Nigerians. And, the Poster Child, Presidential Campaign of the Labour Party. Life couldn’t have been sweeter than this for Queen and her daughter.

For them, destiny is at work.

Angry PDP Investigates Bribe Allegation; Says Payment Was legal, Approved

By
Adesina Soyooye
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0
PDP Secretariat - Wadata Plaza

By Adesina Soyooye

Smarting from allegations of bribery against its National Officers, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has set up a Committee to investigate how a national newspaper came about the story.

The Nation (Newspaper) which proprietor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, broke the story of the alleged bribery which quickly went viral.

According to The Nation, the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, allegedly bribed the Party officials to the tune of hundreds of millions of Naira. However, some of the officials, four of them, returned their own money which was paid into their bank accounts. The Nation not only revealed the names of those who returned their share and how much each of them returned, it published the letters written by each of them to Ayu intimating him of the return.

It is not known why the four returned the money, but the PDP says the money was their housing allowance, approved by the party. It said it was, also, part of their conditions of service, as approved by the Party. More important, the Party said, the payments followed every due process.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, 4th October, 2022, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said it has set up a Committee to investigate the source of the story published by The Nation. The statement was issued at the end of the Party’s  National Working Committee, NWC, meeting. At the meeting, Ologunagba said, NWC members confirmed that the money was duly approved and followed due process. The statement said that even those who returned the money, agreed at the meeting that the money was  for Housing allowance and nothing more.

The full text of the statement reads as follows:

Housing Allowance Passed Through Party Due Process- PDP NWC Confirms; Constitutes Investigative Committee On The Nation Newspaper Report

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its meeting on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 thoroughly examined the strange publication by a particular newspaper which reported that the Housing Allowance legally paid by the Party to its National Officers was bribe.

“After a thorough scrutiny of the payment by the Party, the NWC in session established that the payment was not a bribe but Housing Allowance duly approved and paid to National Officers of the Party in line with the Conditions of Service and Entitlement of the Staff and Principal Officers of the Party.

“The NWC also established that the payment passed through Due Process procedures of the Party in accordance with all extant financial regulations and payment approval processes of the Party.

“It is also instructive to state that the National Officers who returned their Housing Allowances equally confirmed and affirmed at the meeting that the payment was not bribe but their due entitlements in line with the Conditions of Service and Entitlement of the Staff and Principal Officers of the Party.

“Considering the above, the NWC resolved to conduct an extensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the said publication in The Nation Newspaper of September 26, 2022 which was clearly targeted to cause disaffection among members and stakeholders of the Party as well as bring the Party to disrepute before our teeming supporters all over the world particularly in an election year.

“Consequently, the NWC has set up an Investigative Committee headed by the National Legal Adviser to conduct an inquiry into the source of the said malicious and injurious publication contained in The Nation Newspaper of September 26, 2022.

“The Committee has one week to investigate the matter and report back to the NWC for further action.”

Uzodinma Approves Free Medical Service, Promotion For Imo Workers

By
The Source
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0
Hope Uzodimma - Imo Civil Servant Promotion

Governor Hope Uzodinma has accepted to bear the cost of medical treatment of all workers in Imo State as part of government’s efforts to ensure that the civil servants are positioned to do their work well.

That is not all. The Governor has also assured the civil servants who are due for promotion to brace up for it as his government will soon unveil their names.

Besides, the shortfall in the number of teachers required by the Imo State Education Management Board (SEMB) will soon be a thing of the past as Governor Uzodimma has promised to engage more teachers.

The free Social Health Insurance Scheme for more than 47,000 Imo State civil servants, the plan to elevate those of them due for promotion among others, were the highpoints of a townhall meeting between Governor Uzodimma and top management staff of the Imo State workforce on Tuesday.

The meeting which was at the instance of the Governor involved  Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Ministries, Heads of Parastatals, Chairman of Imo State Internal Revenue Service and the General Manager of Imo Data Centre.

It was also an opportunity for the Governor, the heads of ministries, departments and agencies of government, to review complaints by workers about non payment of salary and how to foster a better working relationship between workers and political appointees in the interest of the State.

When the Governor was informed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Success Prosper-Ohayagha that it will cost the State Government about N500million annually to pay for medical services for all verified workers in Imo State under the Social Health Insurance Scheme, Governor Uzodimma told him to consider it done, a promise that attracted instant thunderous jubilation at the Sam Mbakwe Executive Chambers, venue of the meeting.

The Governor had directed the Commissioner for Health and the General Manager of Imo State Social Health Insurance Scheme to immediately commence the process of getting all verified workers into the net for the free medical scheme.

By the free medical service, verified workers in Imo – both at the State and Local Government – are to get treated of any kind of ailment in the government or designated private hospitals, except those not listed in the Scheme.

Also, after taking contributions from top civil servants on why their promotion is delayed, Governor Uzodimma assured that the matter is already being attended to and that the list will soon be unveiled.

He said the economic realities of the moment and the need to bring back the dignity of labour in our civil servants make it compelling that their welfare is taken a notch higher.

Governor Uzodimma used the opportunity to brief the top civil servants on why some of their personnel have issues with their salary.

He obliged them with records indicating that some civil servants have continued to compromise the Data Centre payroll system, by earning pay either as retired, absconded, ghost or deceased workers.

Governor Uzodimma said “civil servants without discrepancies are paid regularly” and regretted that  records from Data Centre showed that 1,593 persons receive salary as retired, absconded, deceased or even ghost workers, with “446 of them receiving double salaries with different bank accounts.”

While he said details of all the pay rolled workers are with the State’s Accountant General, the Governor however said the Head of Service had been briefed to advise the government on what the Civil Service rule says regarding  workers whose activities as regards salary payment are criminal.

Nonetheless, Governor Uzodimma assured all the genuine workers that his government will continue to encourage them to be the best they want to be while serving the State.

He promised to attend to all genuine issues concerning their career growth and welfare and invited them to reciprocate the gesture by being more committed to their job.

Some of the workers who brought their case before the Governor got instant attention like a physically-challenged in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Vulnerable Groups, Mr. Pius Anyanwu who complained that his travel allowance of N5million to Japan and Indonesia years back has not been paid despite repeated appeals.

After listening to his pathetic tale Governor Uzodimma told him: “Don’t worry. I  am going to pay you.”

The Head of Service, Barr. Raymond Ucheoma in his vote of thanks commended Governor Uzodimma for his heart of human kindness and untiring support to the workers over their welfare, noting that they have never had it so good in their career pursuit in the State as civil servants.

He described the free medical service as “historic landmark” that cannot be forgotten.

OPINION: Peter Obi Is Coming

By
The Source
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0
Peter Obi

By Chuks Ucheagu

Before the electioneering season, Peter Obi had been underestimated in the presidential race and called a loser. The establishment, made up of ruthless political class who do not want their boat of milking Nigeria and its future dry to be rocked by Peter the Rock, taunted him. They jeered that he had no structure. The old and tired politicians averred he would come distant third. Then they and their minions mocked that he would only win on social media and end up a mere social media president.

The legacy politicians and their cronies were still living in denial when the gale of ObiDatti Movement started sweeping through the land stirring a tsunami – ably led by the youths whose popular reality show, BBNaija, for the first time did not distract or deter. They are shocked to their bone marrows at the phenomenal acceptability of Obi’s candidacy and the demand for his presidency by Nigerians across board. Because no political movement had been this massive, spontaneous, organic and revolutionary in our recorded political experience.

Denied of sleep, they raised up a fiendish army of media trolls headed by ignoble political influencers to discredit Obi by all means possible. But their vitriolic attacks on Obi are like rain on the impregnable feathers of the eagle which when shook off radiates its beauty and enhances its strength. The more they push him down, the more Obi’s popularity keeps soaring higher to their utmost chagrin.

Peter Obi is leading other candidates in the public polls conducted late September by ANAP Foundation and We2Geda Foundation. Like sensational icing on the cake few days later, Bloomberg gave Obi a clear lead with over 70% ahead of the 2023 presidential elections. It’s as if, against all odds, heaven and earth direct the breeze to Obi’s sail to sweet victory.

Then followed by the teeming sea of heads across the country. The organic rallies with its rainbow colours splash excitements across over 40 cities in the country like oil on canvass – resonating hope and rekindling belief in Nigeria. The downcast masses now wake up to a new dawn because, with Peter Obi on the driving seat, Nigeria can be saved from the precipice about to tip over by rapacious leaders on corridors of power.

Not going down without a fight, these politicians within the establishment are introducing malicious trajectory to gaslight the voting public by hatefully calling out an ethnic nation of over 50 million people and brand them IPOB, because Peter Obi is Igbo. Meanwhile, other candidates from other major ethnic groups are not labelled as Boko Haram, ISWAP, marauding Herdsmen or OPC.

The Terrorists and bandits are running their governments unhindered in some local governments in about 3 States and collecting taxes. They sojourn in ungoverned areas in the country from where they make incursions into governed territories with the attendant tears, sorrow and blood. Therefore, categorizing Igbo and making them cynosure of the general insecurity in the country leave a sour taste in the mouth and shows how far and desperate these undesirable elements can go to stay in power by fuelling ethnic division and hatred.

Peter Obi is the consciousness of Nigerians. His candidacy is generally accepted throughout the length and breadth of the country by Nigerians of every tribe, creed and tongue, because they trust him better than the corrupt politicians. The OBIdient Movement is a political revolution in which the adherents want to take back their country Nigeria and take their destiny in their hands. They are telling the locusts that power is their hands and they want to use it now.

There was Niger Delta Militants agitating for resource control when Yar’adua was President. They were bombing the economic life wire of the country and kidnapping oil workers, thus making it impossible for Nigeria to produce its quota of oil for export and the resultant dwindling of oil revenue. Jonathan a Niger deltan was never branded a militant; rather he became a President and did better than the current tenant in Aso Villa and his lackeys who mouth “one Nigeria” but not in their deeds.

When Peter Obi was Atiku’s Vice Presidential Candidate in 2019, he was not a member of IPOB. He is IPOB now because he wants to be – and will be – President and the hawks are not comfortable with that. They would rather have him play the second fiddle; where they would expect him to clean up the mess of their clueless, incompetent and corrupt misgovernment.

Need I remind them that Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is Igbo too? But he’s not under their radar because he’s coming to play a second fiddle. (There are other presidential candidates of Igbo extraction from other political parties.) They know the truth. They know that the problem is not IGBO but them. The unpatriotic elements have been telling the age-long lie that Igbo is the problem because of envy and unfounded hatred for a resourceful and resilient people. And right now they have refurbished the lie with Obi’s name on it – simply to demarket him.

The selfish and greedy political cabal should know that society is dynamic and change is inevitable and constant. The masses are tired of Nigeria not working and want to oversee it by appointing their manager, Peter Obi, to run the affairs of the country. Peter Obi will be the next President of Nigeria because it is an idea its time has come. Therefore, no amount of maligning and slandering by some despicable humans will stymie it.

Even his traducers will vote for him too, I chuckle, because they know deep within them that they want to liberate themselves from the clutches of their soon coming nemesis. At last, they will eat the humble pie. I believe that they have seen the light, because Peter Obi is coming. INEC should be constantly investigated and interrogated to ensure that the technology they set up for biometric accreditation and electronic transmission of results is foolproof.

Thankfully, those power-drunk and bigoted humans have one vote each, like you and me. Fortunately, voters in the country, north and south, Christians and Muslims, will not be fooled again by their deception and subterfuge, even when they have been told to discredit Peter Obi by labelling him IPOB, Biafran and religious bigot, and profiling him to whip up hateful sentiments that will result in not voting him.

Peter Obi in this election and the next political dispensation is running as a Nigerian. Obi is a symbol of liberty for the poor and hungry Nigerians, the unemployed and impoverished youths and not so young, the marginalized, the downtrodden, the youths out of school due to ASUU perennial strikes and those who truly want Nigeria to work and yearning to be free. It’s the people of Nigeria taking back their country through him.

Igbo people did not propel him first; in fact many Igbo political leaders, especially in PDP and APC are working against him. The Afenifere, PANDEF, Middle Belt Forum, Muslims, Christians, Northerners, Southerners and powerful armies of the youth fully supporting Obi’s Presidency are not Igbo. In short, the movement is beyond him already. He must fulfill his destiny so that the destiny of Nigeria will manifest through him.

I have heard those manipulators say in this part of the country, “Why go for the second if we have the first?” But unfortunately the time for “the first” is long gone and no one can turn back the hand of time. The first is expired like his contemporaries. It is foolishness to field expired footballers for the sake of the game, when we have young, vibrant and skilled players to assure us victory. Therefore, for a better Nigeria, Peter Obi is the best man for the job. He is coming to be the President of Nigeria, by Nigerians and for Nigerians.

Chuks Ucheagu, a political analyst and social commentator, wrote from Abuja [email protected]

Man, Who Stole Church Money Hands Over Self To Police

By
Ayodele Oni
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Man Who Stole Church Money

By Ayodele Oni

A Middle aged man, from Iropora Ekiti, who allegedly stole church offering, amounting to over N600,000 at a religious camp, in Ikeji Arakeji area of Osun state, said he was under spell and sought the wrath of God on those he claimed were behind his travail.

Speaking while being paraded, in Ado, Ekiti state capital, along with 19 other suspects, by the police for stealing, the man (names withheld) explained that he couldn’t have found himself in such a situation if not that he was under a spell.

He stated that this made him to report himself to the police at a check point insisting that he was not arrested, before being brought to Ado Ekiti.

“I had passed the police check point after identifying myself as a security personnel, but my conscience would not allow me rest, reason why I had to report myself to the police.”

Earlier the, Ekiti State Police Public Relations officer, Sunday Abutu, had paraded the suspects alongside nineteen others for different crimes, ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, attempted murder, burglary and conspiracy.

Abutu explained that the suspects, who were arrested at different locations, were among those terrorizing Ikere and other areas of the State.

The PPRO added that the arrests were made possible through the efforts of men of the Command and credible intelligence from members of the public.

He added that the suspects would be charged to court after completion of necessary investigations and arrest of fleeing ones.

Items recovered from the suspects included two big power generating sets, shoes, clothes and money.

Police Service Commission Dismisses Seven Police Officers

By
Ayodele Oni
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Police Service Commission

By Ayodele Oni

The Police Service Commission, (PSC) has approved the dismissal of seven senior police officers for gross misconduct.

PSC also approved the reduction in the ranks of 10 other officers.

The decisions were taken at the ongoing 15th Plenary of the Commission, in Abuja, which is expected to end on Thursday.

The dismissed Officers are one Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), a Superintendent of Police (SP) and five Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASP).

Their names were however not mentioned.

A statement on Tuesday by the PSC Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, said a Superintendent of Police (SP) was also retired in the public interest.

The Commission’s Plenary Meeting presided over by Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, JSC (rtd) considered all the Pending Disciplinary Matters (PDM) before the Commission totalling 47 and treated some appeals from dismissed Police Officers.

The Commission reduced the ranks of one Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to Superintendent of Police (SP), three Superintendents of Police (SP) to Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP), and two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) to Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASP).

The Commission further reduced the ranks of four Assistant Superintendents of Police to Inspectors.

According to the statement, “Ten senior Police Officers, including an Assistant Commissioner, a Chief Superintendent, a Superintendent and two Deputy Superintendents were given the punishment of Severe reprimand.

“Five Assistant Superintendents were also awarded the punishment of severe reprimand.

“Thirteen Officers received the punishment of reprimand; two are to receive letters of warning while four officers were exonerated.”

Two New Parallel Bodies Emerge As Federal Government Breaks ASUU

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Ngige Presents Certificate to New ASUU

By Ayodele Oni

In its desperate bid to ensure that academic activities resume in Universities, the Federal Government has, finally, split the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU). It has created two new bodies.

The two new unions, Congress of Nigeria University Academics (CONUA), has lecturers in Universities, both public and private, as members, while the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA) gets its membership from Teaching Hospitals.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, presented certificates of registration to the two Unions in Abuja on Tuesday.

While defending the decision of the Federal Government, Ngige explained that it was to ensure harmonious industrial relations system in the  country.

“The Ministry has decided to approve the registration of two more Trade Unions in the Nigerian University Academic Sub Sector.

“The University Sub-Sector is a major development plank of any Nation’s Socio Economic growth. Knowledge they say is Power.

“In the last eight months, the classrooms in the nation’s Public Universities have been shut and students kept at home by the strike action embarked upon by the Academic staff Union of Nigeria Universities (ASUU).

“This ugly situation has persisted despite series of engagements to resolve the trade dispute by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education.

“In line with the provisions of the Trade Disputes Act, CAP. TS, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, this Strike was apprehended & Conciliations were done in this Ministry on February 22, 2022, and March 1, 2022.

“However, all efforts at conciliation failed resulting in the transmission of the trade dispute to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) for adjudication in line with the statutory trade dispute resolution processes.

“At the NICN, an Interlocutory Injunction Order was obtained asking the Union to get back to work while the substantive suit is being heard; an order ASUU leadership and members refused to obey.

“Interestingly, a lot of university teachers in the public universities had indicated their willingness to get back to work, while negotiations continue but were obstructed by ASUU officials, while the VCs looked on helplessly.

“Also it is worthy to note that some Medical Doctors who are teachers in the various Medical Schools/College of Medicine had carried on with teaching in the Universities of Maiduguri, Bauchi, and Sokoto and had graduated their new Doctors in the midst of the ASUU strike.

“These groups of Lecturers had since been applying to have their own Academic Associations registered as trade Unions to organize their members because they do not share in the models, objectives, modus operandi, mission and vision of ASUU.

“They cite that under Section 40 of the Constitution they have a right to Freedom of Association with people sharing same academic vision and mission like minds.

PDP Crisis: Arewa Youths Warn Gana Over Romance With Wike

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Jerry Gana

By Ayodele Oni

Some Concerned Citizens, who are mainly youths in collaboration with Arewa Youths Council (AYC) Niger State chapter, have said that continued romance by a member of the Board of Trustee (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Jerry Gana and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, will not be tolerated.

The youths, in a letter signed by the Coordinator of the group, Alfa Nma,  threatened to scuttle the 2023 House of Representatives ambition of Prof Gana’s son, if he (Gana) does not distance himself from  Wike.

Joshua, son of Prof Jerry Gana, is currently the PDP Candidate for Lavun/Mokwa/Edati Federal Constituency in the 2023 election.

Rivers state Governor Nyesome Wike, is leading campaign to oust the chairman of the PDP, Iyorcha Ayu, as a pre condition to back the presidential ambition of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The letter by the Group was addressed to Joshua, Prof. Gana’s son.

It reads: “We the members of concern citizen of our lovely state, wish to notify and inform you about the activities of your father Professor Jerry Gana.

“It is over the barbaric and unpalatable move towards our great party the People Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, which is capable of affecting  our chances in the 2023 general election.

“The activities of Professor Gana has become worrisome to many of our supporters within the state. We implore you to call your father to order before it is too late.

“Failure to do that within 24 hours, we all have no other option than to mobilize all our support groups in Niger State to work against your ambition.”

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