It was another opening of a pandora box on Monday, in Owerri, Imo State when the Judicial Commission of inquiry on Lands And Related Matters, submitted its report to the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
The Commission was set up by the immediate past Governor of Imo State, the Rt Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, but was retained, and sustained, by his successor, Uzodinma.
Submitting the report, the Chairman of the Commission, The Hon. Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe, Rtd, accompanied by members, told a shocked Uzodinma, that the distortion of the Owerri Masterplan was mind-boggling. To drive home the point, Duruoha-Igwe said it would take a “Man/ Government with a lion heart to restore it” and clean up the mess.
But she urged the Governor to break eggs in order to make omelettes.
She said that the Commission’s recommendation had only one motivating factor/ consideration which is “To completely restore the Owerri Master plan, and the lost glory of the beautiful city. Members, were, she said, mindful of the fact that history and the people of the state would judge them harshly if they fail in the onerous task of doing it right.
She, also, told the Governor, “it is the prayers of the members of this Commission that our work/report, will find acceptability before our God, and the people of Imo State”
Receiving the report at the Sam Mbakwe Executive Council Chambers, Uzodimma commended members of the Commission for a job well done, promising to do justice to the report.
The Governor assured the members that government will critically study the report with a view to doing the needful in the interest of Imo people.
Governor Uzodinma asserted that the report is important to the people of Imo State, as they have looked forward to it. He said now that “the commission has passed the ball to government, it is the responsibility of the government to score the goal.”
The Commission received a total of 1, 532 petitios/memoranda from Imo state and the diaspora
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties has urged President Muhammadu Buhari administration to show responsibility by improving on accountability and transparency level in the face of increasing Nigeria’s debt profile.
In a statement issued in Abuja by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the umbrella body of all registered political parties and associations in Nigeria noted that “the continued resort to external borrowing at the slightest challenge is not healthy for the country’s future.”
The CNPP, therefore, urged the Buhari administration to look inwards, reduce cost of governance, and explore other options, including harnessing non-oil revenues instead of increasing the country’s debt burdens.
“Recall that Nigeria’s total internal and external debt stock stood at N12.06 trillion or $63.5 billion as at the end of March this 2015, up from N11.2 trillion or $67.726 billion in December 2014 according to figures released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) in June 2015.
“But as at September 30, 2019, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria’s total public debt jumped to about N26.2 trillion (or $85.4 billion).
“Recall, however, the Senate had earlier this year also raised an alarm that Nigeria’s total debt profile would stand at N33 trillion, if President Muhammadu Buhari got approval for the $22.7 billion foreign loan request. Unfortunately, the Senate later approved the loan.
“As if that was not bad enough, in the month of March this year, the same Nigerian lawmakers approved President Buhari’s $2.36 billion loan request.
“Meanwhile, in April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved $3.4 billion in emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Financing Instrument to Nigeria.
“We are shocked that the same administration that have been getting trenches of Abacha loots returned to it still decided to seek a fresh $5.513 billion (N2.1 trillion) loan, after an earlier loan of $22.79 billion (N8.5trillion) this same year.
“More worrisome is that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, had in December, 2019, revealed that debt servicing would gulp 29% of the total revenue accruable to Nigeria in 2020.
“According to Minister Zainab Ahmed’s disclosure last December, the Federal Government is currently spending almost a third of its projected revenue to service Nigeria’s debt. The government is now spending N2.452trn or 29 percent out of its N8.42trn set as revenue target in 2020 to service debts.
“While there is no country that is not borrowing, when a country continues to borrow in the face of rapidly dwindling oil revenue, which is the only major source of income to the country, the future of Nigerians yet unborn will eventually be squandered by our generation.
“It is about time Nigeria stopped paying lip service to developing non-oil sectors of the economy in effort to improve revenue earning.
“How can anyone explain the fact that in many parts of the country, foreigners are harvesting Nigeria’s solid minerals free of charge while the federal government has continued to borrow to fund the 2020 budget?
“We urge President Buhari administration to immediately cut the cost of governance, empower farmers by providing security and incentives that would encourage young people to go back to farming, and block loss of other non-oil revenue”, the CNPP said.
The Secretary to the government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha announced today the relaxation of the restriction placed on places of worship as part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
Mustapha, who’s also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, disclosed this during the daily briefing of the panel on Monday.
Religious leaders in the country have been putting pressure on the government to lift the ban.
President Muhamadu Buhari, last week, gave an order to the military to totally smoke out armed bandits who have been on the loose in Sokoto state.
But few days after, the unrepentant bandits have turned on his state, Katsina killing the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Batsari Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Sani Duburawa.
Katsina has remained the hot bed of suspected bandits, while efforts by the state governor, Bello Masari to appease the criminals including bribing them with large sums of money has failed.
The state’s helms recently expressed his frustration that the bandits have broken the agreement reached with the state government.
Now that Daburuwa has fallen to the bullets of the dare-devil bandits more pressure pressure are being mounted on the president to rein in the bandits.
The APC leader was killed on Sunday afternoon at about 2:45pm after gunmen besieged Sabon Garin Dunburawa Village where he hails from.
The magazine learnt that he was travelling to the community to attend to some family matters, when he was shot multiple times by the escaping bandits.
Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba joined the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS many years ago as a young officer with the intent of serving his fatherland.
He has not stopped doing so despite the seeming challenges that come with his job.
Rain or shine, he must generate revenue into the Nigerian commonwealth apart from defending his country against smugglers and economic saboteurs.
From his vast experience in the service, he has often admitted that the work of a customs officer is not an easy one.
In spite of this, the lanky controller has made sure he went whenever duty called.
That could be the reason, watchers of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS say made him one of the most publicized customs officer living.
His boss in Abuja, Hameed Ali, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, must have seen his dedication, so much so, that whenever there’s a hard job to do, the first name that comes to his mind is UBA, as the former controller, Seme Customs Command is popular among his colleagues.
Therefore, when the call came in January, for him to resume as Coordinator, Border Drill Sector 3 in the north central, Comptroller Mohammed, did not hesitate to answer the national call to duty.
The CG had called, charging him to brace up for a more challenging, difficult task, as his new assignment now covers four states: Kwara, Niger, Kogi and Benue.
“With all his field experience as controller of two strategic Customs commands in FOU, Zone A and Seme commands, Comptroller Mohammed cannot afford to count his eggs, because now his scope of work has now been expanded to cover four states,” said Sam Oyeifo, a security analyst.
He said, like any other officer, a lot of things must have gone through Comptroller Mohammed minds, after his boss in Abuja directed him, in February, to leave what seemed like ‘a comfort zone in Seme’ and proceed to Kwara to be in charge of the Border Drill post.
The Comptroller had immediately after his redeployment, told the magazine that, he will do his best not to disappoint the CG who has placed so much trust in him.
The magazine learnt that the first thing the controller did on arrival in Ilorin was to farmiliarise himself with all stakeholders in the area, traditional rulers most importantly to enlist their support.
“The controller believes that the royal fathers are closer to the people and could sensitize them of the need to support the government anti-smuggling drive,” said one top officer who did not want his name mentioned.
With all hands fully on deck, the job to rid the area of smuggling started in earnest, UBA and his men have not looked back since then.
Exactly four months after moving to Ilorin, the Kwara state’s capital and the headquarters of the Operations, he has rendered account to his superiors and the Nigerian public.
Speaking to journalists recently, Comptroller Mohammed disclosed that the Sector has made a seizure of over N1billion in the last 10months of its operations.
Within three months, the Sector made no fewer than 44 Seizures of various contraband items, including 1,657 bags of foreign rice; combined with the 14,813 bags seized from August last year, the Duty Paid Value, DPV stood at over N451 million.
Other seizures include 282 Kegs of Vegetable oil; 898 Drums of AGO; 1355 Jerrycans of Petrol; 348 bundles of Textile Materials; 28 bags of foreign fertilizer; 66 cartons of Beer, 26 units of Vehicles and eight motorcycles.
“This is a modest milestone considering that most of the items were seized within three months.
What this means is that the Sector has really tightened the borders as directed by the federal government,” said an analyst.
Chidi Fidelis, a revenue expert said “If you look at it very painstakingly, you will realize that the Sector has actually done well in the light of the land border closure by the federal government.
Apart from Tin can and Apapa commands, all land border commands have nothing to generate revenue from: it’s a matter of you cannot bring anything in, so where does the revenue come from.”
He said the Sector” must be doing the impossible, to at least ensure that revenue is generated into the coffers of the federal government at this time when the price of crude oil has collapsed in the international market.
By the these items are auctioned to the public, a whole lot of amount will go into the FG purs.
Somebody not familiar with the issues will try to downplay what Sector 3 has achieved within a very short time, especially when compared with FOU, Zone A and Seme, where Comptroller Mohammed had worked and left impressive revenue records.
But when you look at it very well, you will realize that the Sector was not established for revenue generation per se, but strictly an Enforcement Unit by the Customs to enforce the President Buhari’s import substitution policy,” the analyst said.
He’s right.
But the controller had at resumption disclosed that revenue generation and anti-smuggling is a major mandate given to him and his men by the CG.
Mohammed said “The Sector, in line with the directives of Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Hameed Ali must ensure maximum revenue collection for government, while curbing smuggling in all ramifications”.
This is not particularly easy, because this requires the Sector’s Roving team to be on alert at all times against smugglers, who sometimes, are prepared to go through the thespian eye of the needle, to perpetuate their evil act.”
In spite of the milestone, Comptroller Mohammed has refused to take all the accolades.
Whatever the Sector has achieved, he said, is as a result of the hard-work of his eagle-eye men, who are always on the trail of smugglers and their accomplices night and day.
He did not also fail to acknowledge the collaboration of sister security agencies such as the SSS, Police, Civil Defence and the Nigerian Military in what the sector has been able to achieve so far.
Meanwhile, analysts insist that the job of Comptroller Mohammed and his men will be made much easier when they are equipped with necessary platforms including patrol vehicles, not leaving out the welfare of men of the sector to further enhance their performance.
Many Media Houses in Nigeria love to give awards to politicians, especially, Governors.
I think it is a Nigerian thing. We love titles, and frivolous recognitions.
I have never believed in most of the awards, especially, when some Governors, known to have achieved little or nothing in their States step out to be recognised as best this or best that.
I particularly remember this one. A Governor of one of the Northern States, he was given an award for the Best Governor in Education. A few days later, photographs surfaced in Newspapers of primary schools pupils in a number of schools in his state, including those within the state capital, which had no roof over their heads in their schools. They sit under trees, and their laps are their desks. He was not ashamed. He blamed political enemies, but did not deny the existence of those schools.
But I need to support one award ceremony for Governors, post COVID-19. I already have a list of winners. I intend to update everyday.
There is the irrepressible Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. A one-man COVID-19 Warrior, you need to watch Wike on video “in pursuit of COVID-19” to appreciate why the titles of a COVID-19 Warrior, as well as a COVID-19 one man riot squad will be his crowning glory.
There is the Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Ganduje, popular as Gandollar. Here is the case for his award.
Hundreds of people lay dead in his state. A good number of them high profile indegenes. He was not worried. He did not hurry the NCDC and other authorities to come to his state. When they did, he did not wait for any confirmation. He simply dismissed the cause of death as “Malaria and Typhoid”.
But, Mr Dollar, he lived up to his reputation. Even before a case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Kano, he asked President Muhammadu Buhari to release the sum of N15 billion to him. Just like that? Not really.
He had his reason.
President Buhari had just given Lagos State the sum of N10 billion to fight the disease. So, Ganduje wants his own share.
But here is the difference.
Ganduje is not Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos. From day one of COVID-19, Sanwo-Olu was spot-on. He was on top of the game. And was, at once, both the Inspiration and Consoler-in-Chief of Lagosians. He stands out from the pack. No noise. Cool and collected. Firm, but compassionate.
There is the Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade. He is, at once, both the Mesmeriser and Dazzler-in -Chief. A man of big words, you need a dictionary by your side to understand him. He is an authority in everything. But try to decode what he is saying, and you are lost.
In this COVID-19 era, Ayade did not disappoint. This other day when he was addressing some youths, he used so many highfalutin words to explain how wrong everybody, but him, was on how to handle COVID-19. That triggered a storm in the Social Media. He was speaking as if he was either a Professor of Medicine or that of Immunology. He is none. But he told them he taught Immunology in the University. The youths who understood not a word of what he said were more confused than they were before they listened to him. Thus prompting Dr Nura Alkali to tackle Ayade. I pity your students”, he quipped.
Alkali: “Prof Ben Ayade discussed issues around immunology of vaccine and serum therapy.
A Professor of Immunology claiming that PCR methods are only good for viral sequencing but unreliable for diagonistic purposes.
Governor Yahaya Bello.
“Thank God at both Universities where I teach, 400 students of Medicine and Microbiology know that PCR – which stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction – is the most reliable method of identifying microbes causing human diseases, especially, viruses like HIV and the SARS- COV 2 causing COVID-19. And, I really pity every student ever taught by Prof. Ayade”.
But Ayade has a badge of honour to flaunt, even though not a few people doubt it. He has left Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello behind, and now sits lonely there.
He is the only Governor whose state still has no place on the COVID-19 board in Nigeria.
Talking about Bello, he is the Master of the game. The Disaster- in- Chief. It is the appropriate award for him.
This is not the time to recount Bello’s many embarrassing outings as Governor. But from day one of COVID-19, Bello gave notice that he would be a monumental disaster. He has not disappointed.
His first shot came when the COVID-19 status of Mallam Abba Kyari, the now late Chief of Staff to the President, was revealed. Kyari had, on return from an official trip to Germany, led a Federal Government delegation to condole with the Governor who had just lost his mother.
Later, when Kyari’s status became public knowledge, speculations were rife that Bello may have, also, contracted the Virus. Speculations, nothing more.
But Bello hit the roof. He reacted in a most unbecoming manner. He cursed and swore. “Those who wish me Coronavirus, I wish them HIV. They will suffer from HIV”. This was a Governor talking down on HIV carriers. Victims of HIV protested, and demanded for an apology from him. He never offered one. Or recanted. Or showed any remorse. Nobody called him to order. Not the Minister for Health. Not the leadership of his party, the APC. Not his beloved father, President Muhammadu Buhari.
In more civilized countries, Governor Bello would have been forced to resign from office for such an unforgivable indiscretion.
But, that did not only show Nigerians how unfit Bello is to occupy the office of a Governor, it prepared them for the disaster that has been Bello since the pandemic COVID-19.
He confirmed this in an interview with Channels Television’s Seun. Mr Governor was Seun’s guest, and the session went as follows:
Seun: You must be proud, Governor, that Kogi State has recorded zero cases of Coronavirus.
Bello: That’s because we took proactive steps.
Seun: So, what proactive steps did you take?
Bello: We have an App.
Seun: Just an App? Does this App enable you to test individuals?
Bello: Not really. But they can use it themselves.
Seun: So, how many people have you tested?
Bello: We haven’t tested anyone.
Seun: Do you have any test centres in Kogi?
Bello: We don’t have any for now.
Seun: How do you then ascertain if there is a case of Coronavirus in your State?
Bello: (Smiles) That’s because no one has showed any symptoms of COVID-19.
Such emptiness.
And, it is this emptiness that Governor Bello has carried on with and, now, wears like a badge.
Roundly criticised and taunted for none performance as a Governor, Bello has found refuge in COVID-19. He has broken all protocols associated with this Virus and, without really appreciating the damage he is doing, presented Nigeria as one playing fraudulent games with COVID-19.
For instance, Bello has said, in more ways than one, that some of his colleagues are using the Virus as a front to corruptly swindle the FG and Donors. He says he will not be part of the corruption. He says nobody can force him to say there is COVID-19 in Kogi state when there is none. He says he will never engage in such lies. His government has called the NCDC and its officials all kinds of derogatory names.
Bello thinks he will be called a performing governor, if he continues to live the lie that his state is COVID-19 free.
For the records, he is not alone here. His CRS colleague, Ayade, is as guilty as hell. His Commissioner for Health, said the other day, without proof, that the NCDC was offering people money in her state to say “We are positive for the Virus.” Nobody challenged her.
But Bello takes the cake in this inexplicable behaviour.
He refuses to give the NCDC officials any support. He refuses to give them free hands to carry out tests in his state. He refuses that anybody be tested in his state. He warns Kogites not to succumb to what he calls the NCDC blackmail. He asks them to refuse to be tested. He did not stop there.
When NCDC officials went to pay him a visit at the Government House, in order to kick-off their programme in the state, Bello ordered that they be arrested and quarantined for 14 days. The officials had to negotiate their exit from the state. Even a Wike wouldn’t do that. He would just have bluntly told them off in a coarse voice. Nothing more.
Last week, the NCDC stained Bello’s white robes. They stripped him of his badge of “performance”. They splashed Kogi’s name among the States with COVID-19 patients. Two of them, the NCDC said.
Since then, Bello’s anger has boiled over. He says the NCDC is talking nonsense. He says there is no such case in his state. Even when the family of one of them, the Chief Imam of Kabba confirmed, Bello is still in denial. He sent his Commissioner for Health to Channels Television to howl insults at the NCDC for daring to confirm the cases. To have a clean slate, he is playing with the lives of his subjects.
And everybody is at once worried and embarrassed by the situation in Kogi.
The Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, has reported this Governor to President Buhari. The Association asked Buhari to call Bello to order. In an SOS to the President, signed by its President, Dr Francis Faduyile, the NMA drew his attention to the danger Bello is to the country and Kogi state. Order Bello to give the NCDC free access to the State, the NMA told Buhari. Call Bello to order because the disease is gaining a strong foothold in the State, the NMA revealed. The Association, also, asked the President to order for the setting up of testing facilities in the Army Barracks, where Bello would not pose an obstacle. See, the man has become a terror.
It is surprising that nobody has called Bello to order. He has been left to carry on like nobody matters. It shouldn’t be. Somebody should care about the lives of Kogites if their Governor doesn’t. Obviously, he either wants a health crisis in the state or, he is ignorant of the dangers of what he is doing.
Governor Bello says Mr President is his father. But for COVID-19, he practically lives in Abuja, just to be close to his father. Buhari needs to save the people by calling his juvenile son to order. Nobody jokes with the lives of his people like this Governor is doing.
How did Kogites end up with this man as their Governor? How?
Actor, dancer and model, Olaye Benjamin Junior, has won the Online Monologue Contest of Invasion 1897, in commemoration of 25th year behind the camera anniversary of popular movie producer, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen.
The versatile entertainer whose father, Benjamin Olaye, popularly known as BENJOF (the magic feet sensation) was the producer and presenter of the then TV program ‘Beat Wave’ in old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States), beat four others in a keenly contested online monologue show.
Organizers of Lancelot Imasuen: 25 years Behind The Camera had organised the show to herald an, almost, six months packaged event for the leader and the pride of Nigeria motion picture, and one of the six angry men that formed the Directors Guild of Nigeria. H e will clock 49 in June this year, and 25 years in Nollywood, an industry adjudge the third largest in the world.
Olaye Jnr won the first position among the final contestants that also had, Promise Udeme and Patricia Innocent as first and second runners-up respectively. The contest was done mainly using the official instagram handles of Lancelot Imasuen, and these five contestants, @officialbenjaminolaye, @patriciainnocent1, @mhizpromiseudeme, @ebukaezekwueme and @amaka_hans, emerged the best out of about 700 entries, winning various amount of monetary rewards and certificates of participation.
Ambassador Imasuen while expressing his admiration for the organizers of the online contest said, “This is just my own little but impactful way of working and ensuring even and balanced development within Nigeria. I am only trying to give back to my community, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.”
He said, “Before the end of the year, plans would on ground to celebrate an elaborate one-week high octane event in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, where I will also be giving back to the society.”
“There will be workshop and mobile film making clinic as well as a book launch on my career and the forces that has kept me being consistent for the past 25 years behind the camera.”
Ambassador Lancelot said, “Even with the lockdown order due to coronavirus pandemic, I will not stop doing what has kept me for 25 years. Having this contest online and rewarding outstanding performances from actors is another way of saying thank you to the society that has supported me thus far.” He gushed.
Also speaking, Ideh chukwuma innocent of
Onesoul films, Heat factory ici productions said, “I was very honoured and humbled when sir Lancelot Imasuen called me and ask me to be the Chief Judge of the Invasion 1897 challenge. This is a film that i saw from the screening stage at silverbird cinema and i fell in love with the story and got emotionally connected to it. So yes I was so happy to do it.”
“Over one hundred entries was sent in by young brillaint actors. It was hard to go through all of them but i made sure everyone was giving equal attention. Cutting down to the last five was tough but we got our top five and gave them a second challenge. This second challange was what helped us to get a winner. Am proud of the winner I can confidently say he has alot of great potential and I am also look forward to working with him and the other top four.”
“I want to thank Sir Lancelot for trusting me and the entire benin film academy and everyone that came to financially support and gave money and other prices to the winners. I say well done to all the contestants and wish them nothing but the very best. Keep doing what you do and dont stop. I look forward to seeing all of you at work. And to my oga Lancelot Imasuen I wish you a fantastic 25th anniversary.”
Invasion 1897 upon which the contest was done, was the first Nollywood movie to be shot and screened inside the British Museum. And between 2015/16, the movie went to several Film Festivals in the world winning over 26 awards and several nominations.
Air peace Sunday airlifted 312 Indians to Kerala in as part of the evacuation of foreign nationals by the airline, thereby increasing the number of foreign countries that uses the airline to evacuate their nationals.
In a release Sunday, the airline said it was a ten hour non stop journey.
“The flight, which departed today (Sunday, 31st may) from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos was operated with a B777 Aircraft with registration number 5NBWI is expected to arrive Cochin International airport in Kerala.
“We are thankful to the Indian Authorities for engaging Air Peace to Operate the Flight and the Nigerian government for supporting the Airline in all it’s special flights during the lockdown”, the Airline said.
Airpeace boss, Allen Onyema, further expressed gratitude to all other countries that patronised them during the lockdown.
“Israel blazed the trail when it approved the evacuation of its citizens from Lagos and Abuja to Tel-Aviv, followed by China and India”, he said.
“For the three countries to engage Air Peace to carry out the evacuation exercise speaks volumes about the level of confidence they have on the airline and its safety standards, which has been attested to by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification of our airline.
“What the three countries have done will help in creating and sustaining jobs for Nigerians and by identifying with a Nigerian carrier at this time shows that they love our country and their support has challenged us to do more by improving on our achievements. Air Peace is grateful to the government of these countries. Their support means a lot to us. It shows that they truly have the interest of Nigeria at heart,” Onyema said.
In a related developement, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Honourable Nnolim Nnaji has said Federal government should ensure that at least one airport is reopened in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country as part of the gradual ease off of the lockdown due to covid 19, noting that this will give all zones a sense of belonging.
Fidelity bank has boosted Benue state First Lady’s foundation with the sum of N10 million through the Eunice Spring Of life Foundation, ESLF, her pet project. This is in line with the Bank’s principle of reaching out to the community where their branches are domiciled, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
It was also part of the bank’s contributions towards the fight against the dreaded coronavirus disease, or covid 19.
According to Fidelity Bank’s Executive Director, North, Hassan Imam, the bank was delighted with ESLF’s interventions in its four strategic areas of Education, Health, Governance and Economic Empowerment.
According to Imam, ESLF boasts of unique and sustainable initiatives that would be most impactful in the lives of the vulnerable people in the society. Whilst disclosing that the Foundation’s laudable initiatives prompted the donation from the bank, he assured that the donation would not be a one-off support.
Receiving the cheque on behalf of ESLF, the Founder of the organisation and First Lady of Benue State, Dr. Eunice Ortom, expressed gratitude to the bank for the gesture and promised that the foundation would make judicious use of the financial support.
Earlier, the ESLF Programme Manager, Tine Agernor, pointed out that the Foundation had intervened in the areas of skills acquisition, economic empowerment for women and youths. Agernor said the Foundation was eager to partner with well-meaning individuals and organisations to carry out these humanitarian efforts.
Earlier in the month, the Bank donated the sum of N10 million to Kebbi state government as their support in the fight against Covid 19.
The Regional Manager of the Bank, Mallam Salihu Jibrin, presented the cheque to the governor’s Chief of staff, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, at Government House, Birnin Kebbi state.
He pledged more assistance to the bank.
“Although the donation of N5 million by the bank could be described as a token, it would aid ongoing efforts by the state government in containing the Covid-19 scourge,” he said.
The political imbroglio in Edo state involving governor Godwin Obaseki and his estranged political godfather and national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is severely shaking the party, this magazine can authoritatively reveal.
Shivering Trepidation
There is a shivering trepidation among party top brass at the prospect of Edo slipping off APC’s hold in September when the governorship election will be held.
The unsettling spat between godfather and godson has, as a result, taken a frightening dimension as radical measures that will castrate and neutralise both Oshiohmole and Obaseki to save the party are being weighed by party hawks
We will Sacrifice Obaseki, Oshiohmole
Insiders inform that a faction of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party opposed to Oshiohmole and some elements in the Presidency that pulled the trigger which nearly dwarfed the National Chairman a few months back have come to the conclusion that both Oshiohmole and Obaseki have to leave the stage if the APC must retain Edo.
To this end, a high voltage plot, The Source was informed, is afoot to stop Obaseki from getting a second term ticket and also, finally, remove Oshiohmole as APC National Chairman.
“With Oshiohmole as APC national chairman, no Guber Primary in Edo will ever produce Obaseki as the flag bearer of our party and, with Obaseki determined to destroy the party in Edo if he is denied the ticket, the best option is to shove the two aside.
“Certainly, we are left with no option than to sacrifice Oshiohmole and Obaseki. We will sacrifice them to keep Edo. In the next few days, legal fireworks to, finally, dethrone Oshiohmole, or render him a king without a kingdom, will commence. We won’t allow him to superintend the Edo Guber Primary of our party for he will impose his lackey, and if he succeeds in doing that, we lose Edo to the PDP”, our source said.
Results of Direct primary Has been Written Already
While Oshiohmole’s faction has chosen Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its consensus candidate, and adopted direct primaries as the mode of selecting the party’s flag bearer for the election, the Obaseki faction is insisting on indirect primary.
With indirect Primary, all the party delegates who are the Governor’s loyalists will easily return him, and this is what Oshiohmole does not want.
Top leadership of the party in Edo alleges that Oshiohmole and his faction have already written the result of the Direct Primary, and is only waiting to for June 22, date of the guber primary to formalize it.
“They have already written the result and only waiting for Jun 22 to import thousands of party members from neighbouring states to the venue of the primary election to give the impression of a large turn out. They will then reel out fictitious figures and, thereafter, declare Ize-Iyamu winner. But we will not allow them. We will stop them in their tracks”, he told the magazine in Benin the state capital.
In an interview last Friday on Channels Television, the Deputy Governor of the State, Philip Shaibu told his interviewer: “I know Oshiomhole. We worked with him. He has already written the results of the Direct Primary”
Ize- Iyamu is Wasting his Time and Resources
Ize-Iyamu, who became the People’s Democratic Party, PDP Guber candidate in the 2016 Edo election after defecting from the APC, returned to his former party, recently, to the warm embrace of Oshiohmole, himself the immediate past governor of the state.
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu: Wasting time and resources?
Ironically, during the electioneering campaign for the Edo 2016 guber election, the same Oshiohmole who was then an out- going governor, had labelled Iyamu a thief and fake Pastor.
The Magazine gathered that Oshiohmole’s faction of the party in the state lured Ize- Iyamu out of the PDP waving APC’s 2020 gubernatorial ticket at him.
It was also learnt that his departure from the PDP became a fait accompli when he discovered that the party was not considering him for its 2020 Edo guber ticket, having realized he was hobnobbing with the APC.
However, several APC stalwarts in Abuja and Benin who spoke to the magazine at the weekend were emphatic that Iyamu was wasting his time and resources chasing a ticket he will never get.
“Is it not an irony that Ize-Iyamu has accepted to be a godson to a man who tarred him with unprintable names; who impinged on his integrity by branding him a thief and a fake pastor four years ago?
“Ize Iyamu has no integrity, otherwise he wouldn’t be cockling together with Oshiohmole. However, the good thing is that he is wasting his time and resources chasing a ticket he wont get.
“If Obaseki can’t get it, Ize-Iyamu wont either
We will certainly stop Ize- Iyamu and his godfather”, one of them told the magazine.
The Repeat of Zamfara, Rivers Looms
Party leaders are warning that unless sanity and logic prevail over primordial interest in Edo, the Rivers and Zamfara scenario which saw the APC lose the two states to the PDP in 2019, through the instrumentality of the judiciary, because of faulty primary elections, will repeat itself in Edo.
According to a member of APC’s NWC, “I doubt if the belligerents in Edo, particularly Oshiohmole, have learnt any lesson from our misfortunes in Rivers and Zamfara”
The Ambode Treatment will Backfire,Lagos is not Edo
Alluding to the manner a certain party godfather in Lagos successfully engineered the ouster of former Lagos state governor, Akinnwumi Ambode, through a sham direct primary election which the ex governor lost to the current governor, the NWC member warns: “Those who the god wants to kill, it first make mad. Don’t try the abracadara in Edo, Edo is not Lagos.It will backfire and consume the APC ”
Obaseki: Defection on the Card
Multiple sources close to the Edo state governor have told this magazine that Obaseki is not prepared to put all his eggs in one baskets.
“Defection to the PDP, is one of the cards on the table”, one of the sources reveal. In fact, let me tell you, APC will die in Edo the moment Obaseki leaves. So, the party will be foolish to allow him move.
Another source concedes that the forces arrayed against his principal’s second term bid are enormous, but expressed optimism that he will triumph: “The truth is that Oshiohmole and his gang are amassing financial resources and thugs to violently seize the APC ticket from His Excellency, but I can assure you that the governor has his trump card. He will overwhelm Oshiohmole, Ize- Iyamu and their cohort.Watch out”
Though PDP is the party favoured by most of Obaseki’s loyalists as plan B in the event that the unthinkable happens, and Ize-Iyamu snatches the ticket from him, some members of the governor’s kitchen cabinet are looking towards the direction of Labour Party.
Their reason is that what the governor needs is a party he can dominate 100% and not one with disparate internal interests.
“Our concern is that there are alot of people in the PDP who have stuck with the party through thick and thin. They too want to be governor, and may sabotage anyone coming from outside to usurp the ticket”, The Source was told.
PDP: We will Give our Ticket to Anyone who can Win the Governorship Election for our Party
However, the PDP is thinking differently. Without mentioning Obaseki by name, a member of the party state Executive Committee told the magazine in Benin that what is paramount is a candidate who can deliver the Edo governorship seat to the party “even if the person joined us on the eve of the election.
“You can be 100 years old in a party as a member, but lacks the popularity and sagacity to win, even a councillorship election. So what is the need insisting on such a person as guber candidate?
“We can not close our door against anyone who wants to join us and contest for our party’s guber ticket”, he said.
Oshiohmole’s Faction: Obaseki is Afraid of Defeat
Meanwhile, Oshiohmole’s faction of the party in the state is alleging that Obaseki is afraid of defeat in a free and fair primary.
The faction denied that Oshiohmole is imposing Ize Iyamu on the party as flag bearer, and challenged the governor to an open contest.
“Nobody is imposing Iyamu on anybody. He is an aspirant just as the Governor. I dont understand why Pastor Iyamu’s aspiration is rankling Obaseki.
“He says he is popular and that the party and Edo people are behind him. We said, fine, come and test that popularity in an open contest, but he is busy running everybody down.
“It is clear that Obaseki is afraid of defeat. It is obvious he stands no chance against Pastor Iyamu”
The date of the Primary election is just around the corner, very soon, the chickens will come home to roost.
