Reactions Trail Outcome of Ondo PDP Primary Election |The Source

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July 23, 2020

By Ayodele Oni, Akure

The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Ondo state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, has declared, in his acceptance speech, that “with the support of the people of the state and other party members, We will take over government of Ondo state, come October 2020.”

In what looked like a red signal alert to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), Jegede dedicated his victory to all party members and other co-aspirants and urged them to ensure they work together for the victory of the party.

In his reaction, the runner up and deputy governor of the state, Mr Agboola Ajayi, stated that “we remain undaunted and resolute about our commitment to a people- oriented government against personalised democracy.

We wish the good people of Ondo State, and the winner, the best as we march on. For us, life goes on,” Ajayi said.

A statement by his media adviser Mr Allen Sowore, declared that “Following the outcome of the Primary election of our party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), held on 22nd July,2020, where Eyitayo Jegede SAN, was elected winner, we wish to thank the good people of Ondo State for standing with us in the struggle to liberate our State.

“The people have spoken, and we accept the outcome in good faith, knowing fully well that it was a race against different forces”

Ajayi, Deputy Governor of Ondo State, resigned from the APC, and defected to the PDP.

He did no quit his office as Deputy Governor. He picked the PDP form to run against his boss, the Governor. The dream died on Wednesday with his loss to Jegede.

Jonathan Travels to Mali with Buhari |The Source

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The Source

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July 23, 2020

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Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will today, Thursday, return to Bamako in continuation of his mediation mission as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intensifies efforts towards resolving the ongoing socio-political crisis in the Mali.

As ECOWAS’ Special Envoy to Mali, the former President will be accompanying a High-Level Mission of five west African Heads of State who are visiting Mali as a follow-up to Jonathan’s last week mediation mission to Bamako. The High-Level Mission includes Nigerian President Muhamadu Buhari, Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger and Chair of ECOWAS Authority, Mr. Macky Sall, President of Senegal, Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of Cote d’Ivoire and Mr. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.

The regional leaders are expected to meet with key stakeholders in the Malian political crisis with a view to helping them to find common ground in the search for solution.

After a three-day mission to Mali last week,which ended last Sunday, Jonathan and his mediation team recommended the formation of a government of national unity with members drawn from different interest groups in the country, including the ruling coalition, the opposition parties and the civil society.

It also recommended the establishment of a technical committee to be set up by ECOWAS to monitor the implementation of the proposed measures which also include the reconstitution of the dissolved constitutional court as well as the resolution of the dispute over 31 legislative seats recently set aside by the defunct constitutional court.

Many stakeholders and interest groups have so far welcomed the proposed unity government as a means of resolving the political impasse. However, the opposition backed M5 coalition are yet to come on board, as they have continued to insist on the resignation of President Keita among other tough demands, even after meeting with the Jonathan-led team many times.

While in Bamako the Jonathan-led mission which was in Mali one month after the visit of ECOWAS Ministerial Mission held consultations with different stakeholders including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, Imam Mahmoud Dicko, members of the M5-RFP collation , the majority coalition in Parliament, judges, heads of international agencies, diplomats, members of Civil Society as well as women and youth groups.

NSITF: Ngige Calls Hon. Faleke Small Mushin Boy; Equates Self With Tinubu; Dares NASS on 774,000 Recruitment |The Source

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The Source

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July 23, 2020

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By Akinwale Kasali

It was basically a show of shame at the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee sitting when the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige and Hon James Faleke, dragged themselves into the gutter.

Ngige was answering questions over an alleged breach of Presidential directives on the mismanagement of funds by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF.

Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, member of the House of Representatives, representing Ikeja Federal Constituency engaged Ngige in a heated argument which led to a mild drama. The two men engaged each other in a series of verbal jabs.

Ngige, told Faleke he was on the same level with his mentor, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

He noted that aside from being age mates with the former Lagos governor, he also had the same political achievements with him.

“Faleke, they said is up to 60. You are near my age, but I am at least seven years older than you. I’m sure. I am of the same age with your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. I was governor with him at the same time. He was a Senator , and I was a Senator . I am a two-time minister and he has not been a minister,” he said.

The Lawmaker, in an apparent reference to the controversies that trailed Ngige’s election as governor of Anambra State, retorted that Tinubu won his own election “very well”.

But Ngige fired back: “No problem about that. Just like you won your own in Kogi State very well, and you are now both the Governor and Deputy Governor.

“You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this Mushin boy, talking to a Victoria Island boy.”

Ngige is alleged to have suspended top management and executive committee members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), although the presidential directive bars ministers from sacking heads of agencies.

The minister had asked Faleke to recuse himself from the hearing, since he had already passed judgement on him (Ngige) through his statements on the floor of the House, when the motion for the investigation was raised on July 7, 2020.

Faleke accused Ngige of hijacking the NSITF’s budget and removing the board to cover his tracks.

The minister then reminded Faleke, who was a former deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Kogi State, how his struggle to replace his running mate and governorship candidate, Late Abubakar Audu, was frustrated after the later died shortly after they both won the election.

“Mr Minister, please respond,” Faleke fired back.

“I am responding. You yab me, I will yab you 10 times. I am a Lagos boy. You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this boy. Mushin boy is talking to a VI boy. I live in Victoria Island,” Ngige said.

In another development, Ngige has called the bluff of the NASS, telling members that the Minister for State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, will oversee the recruitment.

NASS and Keyamo had a showdown over the recruitment. NASS asked Keyamo to handover the exercise to the NDE. They later suspended it. But President Muhammadu Buhari has backed Keyamo.

Ondo PDP Primary, Eyitayo Jegede Is it, Defeats Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi |The Source

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The Source

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July 23, 2020

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By Ayodele Oni, Akure

After series of allegations of stuffing delegates list with fictitious names, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in Ondo state finally settled for Mr Eyitayo Jegede as its flag bearer in the October 20 governorship election.

Jegede, who was the candidate of the party during 2017 governorship election, defeated other aspirants to clinch the PDP ticket with 888 votes.

He was also the Commissioner for Justice during the eight years regime of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

The final result, as announced by the chairman election committee Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and governor of Enugu state, showed that Eddy Olafeso scored 175, Agboola Ajayi, 657; Banji Okunomo, 90; Bode Ayorinde, 95; Boluwaji Kunlere, 36; Godday Erewa, 14; and Sola Ebiseni, 29 votes.

Agboola Ajayi, the incumbent deputy governor of the state, dumped the All Progressives Congress, (APC) that brought him to power, to contest the primary.

Sorting of ballot papers was delayed for about two hours after voting ended at the International Events Centre, Dome, in Akure due to allegations of injection of 17 names after delegates had voted.

Many of the aspirants insisted the names were strange to them.

The Committee went to a closed door meeting for over 30 minutes and came out without declaring what to do with the list.

According to report, the list contained names of former Local Government Chairmen of the party who defected, and later returned, but some aspirants insisted the people have not properly rejoined the PDP.

Eyitayo will now face the candidate of the APC and incumbent Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

Both men also squared up in 2016. Akeredolu came out tops.

Customs Sacks ACG Who Rejected $412,000 Bribe, Promotes Others |The Source

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Bayo Bernard

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July 23, 2020

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By Bayo Bernard

Two Years after receiving a Presidential Award for an unusual act of honesty, after rejecting a whopping $412,000 from some importers, who tried to import Tramadol, a banned drug into the country in November 2018, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, ACG Bashir Abubakar has been disgraced out of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS.

Recall that Abubakar, the Customs Area Controller of Apapa Customs Command at the time was immediately promoted to the ACG rank for the act and later presented with the Presidential Award by President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The order terminating relieving Abubakar of his duty was conveyed in a statement released on Wednesday, by the NCS which said the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and the Customs Board decided to terminate the appointment of Abubakar for negligence and also approved the promotion of 2,634 other officers.

Also dismissed is another ACG, Aminu Dahiru for the act of serious misconduct, the Customs High Command said.

Abubakar’s sin, the magazine gathered is that he ordered his men to invade a warehouse in Katsina state belonging to President Muhammadu Buhari two months ago, and has been under investigation before he finally got the boot on Wednesday.

While the two ACGs were booted out of the NCS, some lucky officers got their promotion to the rank of ACG, according to the statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah.

The newly promoted ACGs are Mohammed Boyi, Training and Coordination, Adewale Adeniyi, Commandant C&SC, Gwagwalada and Jack Ajoku, Strategic Research and Policy.

The new ACGs also include Olakunle Oyeleke, Doctrine, Development and Administration; and Emmanuel Edorhe, Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’.

37 officers were promoted from Deputy Comptrollers to Comptrollers of Customs; 110 officers were promoted from Assistant Comptrollers of Customs to Deputy Comptrollers, while 138 officers were promoted from Chief Superintendent of Customs to Assistant Comptrollers.

Also 93 officers were promoted from Superintendent of Customs to Chief Superintendent of Customs; 93 officers were promoted from Deputy Superintendent of Customs to Superintendent of Customs, and 1,224 were promoted from Assistant Superintendent of Customs I to Deputy Superintendent of Customs.

Attah disclosed that 475 officers were promoted from Assistant Superintendent of Customs II to Assistant Superintendent of Customs I, while 464 were promoted from Inspector Customs to Assistant Superintendent of Customs II, while 205 Support staff has now been promoted to new ranks.

The promotion of the officers took effect from January1, 2019, the statement said.

Meanwhile, close watchers of the NCS say the manner ACG Abubakar was disgraced by his employers will send a wrong signals to other honest officers that honesty does not pay.

The Hameed Ali-led NCS, they insist, should have employed other punitive measures on the officer rather than sending him out of the Service.

NASS: Ngige Calls Out Tinubu, Says ‘We’re Mates

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Bayo Bernard

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July 23, 2020

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By Tosin Olatokunbo

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has indirectly warned Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop James Faleke, a lawmaker representing Lagos state in the National Assembly to order.

Tinubu is the political godfather of Lagos state.

Ngige must have made the statement in his belief that Faleke got to that position riding on Tinubu’s benevolence.

This is not the first time Ngige will take a jab at a top member of his party.

Recall that he once took to the cleaners, Adams Oshiomhole the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC after the latter threatened to expel him from the party for allge disrespect for the president.

The medical doctor-turned politician did not just threw the jab against the former Lagos state governor, he did after Faleke, described Ngige, a former Governor of Anambra state a corrupt politician.

Faleke made the accusation when Ngige appeared before the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Arbitrary Breach of Presidential Directives on the Suspension of Top Management and Executive Members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF and Other Government Agencies by the Ministry.

The lawmaker had last week accused the minister of victimizing the director general and other staff of the NSITF because they refused to do his bid.

When the minister finally appeared before the ad hoc committee on Tuesday, the verbal exchanges got to a dangerous level, after Ngige demanded that Faleke recused himself from the investigation for showing bias on the issue.

The minister had earlier threatened to sue Faleke for accusing him wrongly calling the lawmaker ‘a small boy’.

He said the lawmaker should respect him, the same way he would do to Tinubu, his leader and political benefactor.

Faleke is from Kogi state, but through the benevolence of the APC National Leader has been privilege to represent Lagos for many years in the House of Representatives, despite protests from indigenous Lagosians.

According to Ngige “Faleke, they said is up to 60. You are near my age, but I am at least seven years older than you. I’m sure. I am of the same age with your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. I was governor with him at the same time. He was a senator, and I was a senator. I am a two-time minister and he isn’t a two-time minister.”

Ngige also reminded Faleke of his failed bid in Kogi state, to become Deputy Governor to Late Abubakar Audu, to which Faleke responded “Mr Minister, please respond.”

The minister fired back that “I am responding. You yab me, I will yab you 10 times. I am a Lagos boy. You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this boy. Mushin boy is talking to a VI boy. I live in Victoria Island,” Ngige said.

Problem started when the lawmaker during plenary at the House, last week accused the minister of suspending the Director General of the NSITF, Adebayo Somefun because they refused his order to purchase for him five SUVs and other sundry allegations against the former Anambra helmsman.

Somefun alongside other members of his management team were sacked on the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Why Boko Haram Executed Five Aid Workers; Nigerians Outraged |The Source

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The Source

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July 22, 2020

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By Uche Mbah

The news, Wednesday evening, of the execution of five Aid Workers by suspected members of the world designated terrorist group, Boko Haram, in one fell swoop, has outraged Nigerians.

The news came barely 24 hours after the Senate of the Federal Republic, passed a resolution asking the Service Chiefs to step aside.

In the heart rending video which has gone viral, the sect which identified their victims as aid workers, working for various Non-Governmental Organizations, NGOs said they killed them because their Government did not care about their lives.

In the video, five hooded men, armed with guns, stood behind five blindfolded men, who were kneeling down in front of them.

The video lasted for 35 seconds.

An unidentified voice spoke in Hausa saying: “This is a message to the infidels who are using you to cheat and turn our people into unbelievers. You should know that your employers are just using you to achieve their aims, but they don’t care about you. That’s why whenever we abduct you, they don’t care about you.

“Our advice for you is that you should repent and turn to God, or else we shall continue to waylay and abduct you all in all the routes that you traverse.

“And if you don’t heed to our warning, what is about to happen to these five aid workers would also be fate that will befall you too.”

At the end of the speech, one of the gunmen ordered others to fire. They murdered them in cold blood.

The aid workers were abducted by the sect last month in Monguno. Recently, the sect released a video of the main, desperately pleading to the Government to negotiate their lives.

The identities of the executed men were yet to be known, but an aid was reported to have said he recognised one of them as his colleague.

As the time of writing this, neither the Military, nor the Government has reacted to the executions.

NNDC: Actress Kate Henshaw Calls For Civil Disobedience in the Niger Delta Region |The Source

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The Source

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July 22, 2020

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Disgusted and shocked by the cesspool that has become the Niger Delta Development Commission, all-rounded Actress, Kate Henshaw has called every Niger Deltan out to the streets.

What to do?

Henshaw says they should occupy the headquarters of the NDDC, and allow nobody into the premises.

And more:

She said they should occupy the residents and homes of every Niger Deltan, who had ever occupied the position of the Chairman, Managing Director, or Executive Director in the NDDC, including those currently occupying the positions.

Following is Henshaw’s post, copied from her Face Book page, where she also chronicled alleged scandals exposed, so far, at the NDDC.

“Every right thinking Niger Deltan should be on the streets protesting. No one should be allowed to enter that edifice of fraud called the NDDC office. We should occupy that building.

“Everyone who has ever been Director, Chairman or member of board of NDDC should be besieged. We should keep vigil on their houses, send them text messages, demand answers from them, question the source of their wealth, ask them deep questions about their integrity. We should demand that they be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.

“They didn’t only steal ‘NDDC money’, they stole the development of the region, they stole the future of a people. By their corruption, they stole education and made countless Niger Deltans illiterate, they stole healthcare and killed countless children, they stole money meant for generating employment and made millions jobless. They stole money for road construction and caused the death of our people through accidents.

“These are murderers. They have killed this region and its people. This is the time to call out these heartless thieves.

“See the list of criminality below:

“This views shouldn’t be strictly mine… it should be the view of every Niger Deltan, every Nigerian.

Notes on Corruption in NDDC

“People were treating the place (NDDC) as an ATM, where you just walk in there to go and pluck money and go away” -Godswill Akpabio
“NDDC has 12,000 abandoned projects in the Niger Delta” -Godswill Akpabio
“There is no way NDDC road can last (for) even two years” -Godswill Akpabio
NDDC owes over N2 trillion to contractors- Godswill Akpabio
The Federal Government owes NDDC N1trillion in 10 years- NDDC Management
“N2.5billion budgeted by NDDC for desilting and clearing of water hyacinths inflated to N65billion”- Senate Public Accounts Committee
“A particular NDDC contract was awarded 55 times”- Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
Over 55 NDDC Interim Payment Certificate issued for a contract awarded in a particular state- Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
Fake photographs of completed jobs are submitted for NDDC payments. Sometimes the same photos are submitted for different projects -Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
“People collect contracts for the same roads from the state government, from FERMA and then they come to NDDC and collect the same road project”- Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
$70million of NDDC money was stored in a commercial bank since 2006- Godswill Akpabio
N170 million NDDC funds abandoned in a bank for years- Godswill Akpabio
Some banks deliberately withhold money belonging to NDDC- Godswill Akpabio
NDDC pays N300 million annually as rent for its office space while its headquarter building started 23 years ago is uncompleted- Godswill Akpabio
NDDC pays fee of N1billion monthly to a consultant that collects money from International Oil Companies (IOCs), on its behalf- Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
NDDC gave N4.3billion cash grants to NGOs, 90% of which were not registered- Godswill Akpabio
Past NDDC management awarded 1,921 ‘emergency contracts’ at N1.070 trillion in seven months, against an annual budget of about N400 billion- NDDC Interim Management Committee
NDDC contracts worth over N67billion were never executed- House of Representatives Committee
NDDC made excess payments of N5.8 billion to contractors- House of Representatives Committee
NDDC awarded a N34million consultancy for ‘Reputation Management’- Kolawole Johnson
N641million was paid to consultants for ‘Media Support for Forensic Audit’. Johnson Kolawole
Payment for contracts are routinely channeled into the private accounts of NDDC staff’- Johnson Kolawole
Money meant for NDDC contracts were paid into the private account of Bureau d’ Change Operators- Johnson Kolawole
NDDC leadership paid funds meant for student scholarships into private bank accounts’ -Johnson Kolawole
‘No Forensic Audit on NDDC is currently going on’- Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
Contracts are given to unregistered companies and companies still undergoing registration – Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
“Godswill Akpabio asked me to award N5billion contract for the supply of materials that were already in the NDDC Warehouse”- Former Acting MD Joi Nunieh
60 Percent of NDDC Contracts are awarded to National Assembly Members- Godswill Akpabio Minister of Niger Delta Affairs
While the Probe Panel was still sitting, another fraudulent payment of N691 million was made by the NDDC- House of Reps Probe Panel
NDDC had up to 311 accounts in various banks- Godswill Akpabio Minister of Niger Delta Affairs
In one day, NDDC made multiple transactions of N49milion out of the Commission’s account. Godswill Akpabio Minister of Niger Delta Affairs
NDDC spent N1.5 billion for staff as ‘COVID-19 relief funds’. Kemebradikumo Pondei head of NDDC IMC

For the records, this magazine confirms that Pondei, on Monday, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee probing the NDDC, said the amount spent on selves as palliatives, was a paltry N1.32bn only, not N1.5bn.

Senate Confirms Debo Adesina, Oma Djebah, Others, Ambassadors |The Source

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The Source

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July 22, 2020

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By Adesina Soyooye

The Senate, on Wednesday, confirmed former MD/Editor-In-Chief of the Guardian, Mr Debo Adesina, as an Ambassador of the Federal Republic.

Also confirmed is another Journalist, Publisher, and a former Delta State Commissioner, Oma Djebah.

The two accomplished Journalists were among 38 other non- career Ambassadors, recently nominated by President.

Adesina, who took Oyo state’s slot was a Governorship aspirant in the 2019 elections.

Djeba took the slot for Delta State.

Breaking Insecurity: PDP Senators Threaten To Impeach Buhari

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Bayo Bernard

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July 22, 2020

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By Fola James

In four weeks, the Nigerian Senate will commence the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari if he fails to do something about the security situation in Nigeria, the PDP Caucus has said.

The Senate, on Monday, passed a resolution asking the Service Chiefs to resign their appointment over the worsening security situations in the country.

President Buhari, has however, warned the senators to ming their business, that he, as the Commander-in-chief has the power to determine the fate of the security chiefs.

His response has now angered PDP senators who said they are ready to impeach the president.

“We shall revert to the relevant sections of the constitution and commence impeachment proceedings in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians, Kingsley Chinda, the leader of the PDP caucus said on Tuesday.

He said the disrespect for the constitution by appointees of the executive arm was a ground to instigate the impeachment process.

He said everywhere is now unsafe in the country because of the constant attacks from terrorists, kidnappers and bandits.