Politics:

Nigerian Prisons Convert Humans To Animals - Osinbajo

2018-02-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

Nigeria Vp,Yemi Osinbajo

ABUJA—Despite its modest efforts at restoring lost primacy of Nigerian Prisons Service, the Federal Government has lamented the rot in the system, saying it will take years of sustained and continued interventions by all stakeholders to reverse the trend.

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, stated this, yesterday, in Abuja during the official presentation of the Nigerian Prisons Survey Reports, a research work undertaken by Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, PRAWA, in conjunction with Nigerian Prisons Service.

Osinbajo, who was represented by Minister of Interior, Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), specifically said any human being who goes into Nigerian prisons would most certainly come out as an animal.

He said: “I visited the Port Harcourt prisons yesterday (Wednesday). While I was waiting for my
flight, I chose to go to the prison. What I saw is a reflection of quite a lot of things in the survey.

P-H Prison has 5000 inmates instead of 800

“The Port Harcourt prison was built in 1918, meaning it will be 100 years old this year. For a very long time, our prisons had been neglected because that prison, when it was built in 1918 was meant to contain about 800 inmates, but today it is containing over 5,000 and I find that very disturbing.

“There was no room for prisoners and anybody who goes into that place as a human being is coming out as an animal.”

While he hailed PRAWA for the survey, which he said would avail government of reliable data on which to predicate its plans for prison reforms, Osinbajo said: “Most of the inmates in the various prisons come from within the states, so there is every reason for state governors to support the Federal Government in administering the prisons service. They have to domesticate the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA.

He was quick to, however, state that a lot has recently been done for the prisons but noted that because the sector had been neglected for such a long time, it would require continued and sustained interventions to completely turn around the fortunes of the prisons service.

3,700 awaiting trial inmates

“The major issue we are facing now is the population of those awaiting trial; pre-trial detention. Of the about 5, 000 inmates I saw in Port Harcourt prisons, over 3,700 were those awaiting trial and I spoke with a few of them as I was moving and I found that very many of them had been in prisons for five years upward without going to court.

“I tried to find out some of the reasons and I think in order to deal with this issue, there is the need for Departments of Public Prosecution, DPP, in the states to look at how the processes or what kind of procedures should be adopted in prosecuting criminal cases in this country.

“Secondly, investigations by police or arrest procedures must be looked into in order to look at this situation because if investigation is poor, then prosecution will be defective.

“Third is the court, they have a lot to do in terms of criminal trials. Cases are unnecessarily adjourned, though I know that there are over-lapping problems.

Prisons are warehouses

“Prisons are warehouses for inmates brought to them. While they can do something about their environment, they cannot do something in terms of prison population because they are just warehouses.”

In his welcome address, Controller General of Nigerian Prisons Service, Ahmed Ja’afaru, said the survey report “mirrors the justice delivery process from different stakeholders in the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.

Presenting a summary of the reports, Executive Director of PRAWA, Dr Uju Agomoh, said some of the problems confronting prison personnel are staff overwork, delayed promotion, non-availability of work tools, obsolete equipment, poor remuneration, threats by inmates and corruption.

Tinubu,Akande Visits Governor Okorocha in Imo.(See Pics)

2018-02-02T14:44:00.003-08:00

The Deputy Governor of Imo State Prince Eze Madumere Mfr today received APC National leader Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu at the Sam Mbakwa Cargo International Airport.He was accompanied
by the SA General Duties Mrs Chioma Tycon Onwumere, Hon Commissioner Dr Nwaigbo, Chief Ojilere and other political leaders.

Bola Tinubu later proceeded to meet Governor Okorocha of Imo state.He arrived with Chief Bisi Akande.

President Buhari recovering very fast – Wife

2017-06-04T03:31:00.001-07:00

Aisha (R) and Muhammadu Buhari

Wife of Nigerian President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has said her husband who is currently in London on medical treatment is recovering fast and will soon return to the country.
“My husband is recovering very fast. And very soon, he will return to the country to resume his official duties,” the first Lady who left Nigeria to join her husband in London early last week said in a message to the 23rd Ramadan Lecture of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria (ADS) in Abuja on Saturday.

She was represented at the lecture by her Senior Special Assistant on Administration, Dr. Hajo Sani.
“I thank Nigerians for their prayers for my husband. Please, do not relent in your prayers.”
“The President will be back very soon,” the declaration that the President is recovering fast was well received by the audience with shouts of Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!! Allahu Akbar!!!(God is great)
Chairman of ADS Northern States Council of Missioners, Sheik Muhydeen Ajani Bello, condemned those wishing the President dead.
“There is a governor going about wishing Buhari dead. Let us ask him: If Buhari dies, is he going to replace him?

Chime denies ejecting PDP from property to make way for APC

2017-06-04T03:06:00.004-07:00

Sullivan Chime

Former Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, has denied ejecting the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from his property to make room for its eventual occupation by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was reacting to reports that he asked the state chapter of the PDP to vacate his property on Ogui junction, which served as the state secretariat for about seven years.
It was reported that the ejection was part of the plans to pay his former party back for the frosty relationship they had had since he left office two years ago preparatory to his eventual movement to the APC.
Following the development, the state PDP had temporarily moved into the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) secretariat but recently relocated to the Charles Street, Enugu, since the permanent site of the party is under construction.
But Chime said in Enugu that the PDP left on their own, adding that they never informed him that they were leaving and that he was still in the PDP when they moved.
“That is the story flying around to discredit me and the services I rendered to Enugu State as governor for
eight years. The truth is that I did not eject the PDP from the property. I decided to give that property to the PDP when I was governor and they occupied it all through my tenure without paying a dime. It was deliberate to help build the party when I was there since the construction of the party secretariat is still ongoing,” he said.
“So last year, for reasons best known to the PDP, they decided to leave on their own. They did not even tell me they were leaving. Somebody called me that the place is vacant, that the PDP had moved. So I called my younger brother to confirm and he said he didn’t know anything about it. So I went and secured the place.
“Now the rumour is everywhere that I ejected the PDP because I moved into the APC. It has nothing to do with my movement to APC. I had not moved to APC before they left the building. The PDP left the place without saying a word of appreciation after occupying it for almost seven years. They left on their own and the property has been lying fallow,” he said.
Chime added that it was the same people spreading all sorts of negative information about him that were circulating the fake story, saying he believes members of the public should know the truth the said property.”
Meanwhile, efforts to get the state chairman of the PDP, Austin Nnamani, to comment on the development proved abortive as he neither picked his calls nor responded to a text message.

Ortom votes, sure of APC victory in Benue council polls

2017-06-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

Samuel Ortom

Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue has expressed optimism that the All Progressive Congress (APC) would win the ongoing local government elections in the state.
“I am very impressed with the organisation of the exercise and the massive turnout; I am happy that people are excited to vote. I am optimistic that the APC will sweep the polls,” Ortom said in Guma, shortly after casting his vote.
The governor, who voted at 10.35 am, at Ako polling unit, Ndzorov ward of Guma, urged Benue residents to vote credible and tested candidates so as to ensure the best for the state.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he insisted on holding the election “to install democracy and instill discipline, accountability and sanity in local government administration”.
Ortom said that the APC took its campaign to all parts of the stat to sell its candidates to the voters, and
expressed hope that the “change” message had taken roots in the state.
He urged the people to take advantage of the exercise to install democratic structures that would do their bidding, especially in the rural areas.
Ortom commended the peaceful conduct of the electorate, saying that adequate security arrangement had been put in place toward a peaceful exercise.
He also commended the Federal High Court, Makurdi over its June 2 judgement that gave the electoral body the nod to conduct the polls, declaring that it was wrong for the rival PDP to seek to use its internal crisis as an excuse to stop the elections.
The court had thrown out an appeal by the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP, seeking to stop the election following the rejection of its candidates by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).
A NAN correspondent, who monitored the election in Gwer East, Makurdi, Guma, Tarkaa, Gboko and Butruku Local Governments, however, observed that there was a low turnout of voters for the exercise.
NAN also observed that election materials arrived very late in many polling units, with some still waiting for the materials at 12 noon.
The last local government election was conducted in Benue was conducted in 2012.

Uwazuruike realised Biafra impossible, Kanu wants to form a party – Yakasai

2017-06-04T02:56:00.004-07:00

Tanko Yakasai

Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, a former Special Political Adviser to former President Shehu Shagari, has spoken on leaders of indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB).
He also said agitators fighting for Biafra are yet to map out a strategy on ethnic groups and specific areas they want to join in their republic.
Recalling how the struggle started, Yakasai said: “The agitation for Biafra started soon after the demise of Major-General Aguiyi Ironsi. So the name is not new. The only difference is that the old Biafra actually was intended to occupy the whole of southern region.
“It was a scheme for getting the entire southern Nigeria to break away. The intention was to block the North from access to the sea. If that happened, the North would be starved of many things coming from the port, including fuel and imported items we rely upon. So that was the old Biafra.
“Because of that, when they were preparing to declare Biafra, southern minorities from the present day Cross River and Akwa Ibom led a delegation to the North to plead with General Hassan Usman Katsina,
the then military governor of Northern Nigeria, to plead with the central government not to allow Biafran secession to succeed because, according to them, if it was allowed to succeed, they would remain forever as second class citizens in what would be known as Biafra.
“The young men are not agitating for the five Igbo-speaking states to constitute Biafra, rather, they are thinking of the old Eastern Region, with the four minority states, together with five majority Igbo-speaking states. You don’t dismiss idea by a wave of hand. But the practical aspect of it is very difficult because all along there has not been love lost between the Igbo and their minority”.
“This agitation started right from the time of Obasanjo, with Uwazurike as its leader. Now, I think Uwazurike has realised that it is an impossible task to realise their dream; that is why he is more or less quiet.
“This young man, Nnamdi Kanu, was just a broadcaster. I don’t know whether he was under Uwazurike or on his own, but he was not a leader on his own. He was a broadcaster. I believe he got some of their people in the United States, collected their money and set up a radio station, which I think is being broadcast from America and beamed somewhere in West Africa.
“The boy became popular after his arrest. I think what they are trying to do is to develop the agitation into a political movement and try to gather support from the Igbo and any of their sympathizers.
“The issue to be addressed is whether the present Biafra would include the former Eastern Region, whereby the four minority Igbo-speaking states would join forces with five Igbo-speaking states and form new Biafra? That has not been spelt out. The only thing I heard was that Rivers would not be part of the Biafra; I think Akwa-Ibom too.
‘But it is not clear yet whether the four minority Igbo-speaking states have openly declared that they are not going be part of Biafra. This is the immediate challenge the agitators for new Biafra will face”, he told.

Gov. Bello suffering from the most chronic form of madness – Melaye

2017-06-04T02:31:00.002-07:00

Yahaya Bello

The Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has continued his verbal onslaught on his State Governor, Yahaya Bello, for allegedly sponsoring a large number of his constituents to demand his recall.
In a post on his Instagram page, the outspoken lawmaker said the Kogi governor suffers the “most chronic form of madness”, adding that it is the prelude to his final destruction.
He wrote: “Well, like the good NAPOLEON said: never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
“It is normal for mad people to conceive impossibility.

“Let them dance the dance of madness and schizophrenics. Recall who???
“When the gods want to destroy a man, they make him mad in the first instance. Yahaya Bello is suffering from most chronic from of madness already and that is the prelude to his final destruction.”
It could be recalled that Governor Yahaya Bello had earlier said there is no rift between him and Dino Melaye.
Two days ago, Melaye described his State Governor, Yahaya Bello, as an “olodo governor” over his inability to pay civil servants in the state.

North wants to retain power if anything happens to Buhari – Okurounmu

2017-06-04T02:22:00.001-07:00

Femi Okurounmu

Elder statesman and chieftain of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Senator Femi Okurounmu, has accused ‘northern cabal’ of using the Nigerian Army to fly coup kite to see how Nigerians will react.
Okurounmu said the north was already warming up to retain power in case President Muhammadu Buhari dies in office.
He was reacting to a recent statement by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General TY Buratai, that he received information that some individuals have been approaching some officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons.
link – approaching some officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons.
Speaking with Punch, Okurounmu said, “The Chief of Army staff is only flying a kite to see how people will react if there is a coup. It is the Hausa-Fulani cabal – each time they feel threatened that power might slip
from their hands, they think of a coup.
“All other coups save for the (Kaduna) Nzeogwu and (Gideon) Orkar coups, were all planned by the northerners. They did not want a repeat of what happened during the late President Umaru Yar’Adua when (Goodluck) Jonathan became president. So, they are already preparing to retain the presidency in case anything happens to President Buhari.
On the ill-health of the president, the Yoruba elder said, “If Nigerians are the ones that elected him as their president, then he owes Nigerians the right to know. Nigerians should know the condition of their president’s health. He is no more a private person.
“Anybody can fall sick. The President’s health issue should be of public knowledge. By not letting Nigerians know, the northerners are riding roughshod over us – southerners. They are exploiting our timidity. When it comes to facing the excesses of the North, a lot of us in the South can’t face them and assert our right.”

Akwa Ibom Assembly confirms 18 nominees as commissioners

2016-12-01T00:27:00.001-08:00

The Akwa Ibom House of Assembly on Wednesday confirmed 18 Commissioner Nominees and two Special Advisers as requested by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The confirmation of the nominees followed their screening by the Committee of the Whole.
The House Leader, Udo Akpan, moved a motion for their confirmation and Aniekan Bassey seconded the motion.
The new commissioners are Paul Udofia, Ime Ekpo, Dr. Nse Essien, Prof. Eno Ikpe, Idoroenyin Udo and Nsikan Nkan.
The others are Uduak Udoinyang, Charles Udo, Orman Esin, Dr. Iniobong Essien, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, Uwemidimo Nwoko and Victor Antai.
The rest are Monday Uko, Dr. Glory Edet, Udoh Ekpenyong, Akan Okon as well as Ephraim Inyang.
The new Special Advisers are Ekong Sampson and Ekemini Umoh.

The Speaker of the House, Onofiok Luke, said the nominees during the screening exhibited high level of intelligence and responsibility.
Luke therefore urged the commissioners-designate to help the governor in his endeavour to build a strong state.
He noted that the times demanded some sacrifice from all the new commissioners.
The Speaker also urged them to work with the permanent secretaries for effective service delivery to the people.
Emmanuel dissolved the former State Executive Council on October 15.
The governor forwarded the list of 18 nominees and two special advisers on November 25, made up of nine old executive members and 11 new ones to the assembly for confirmation.

Reps move to bar acting president, governor from second term

2016-12-01T00:00:00.002-08:00

The House of Representatives yesterday moved to bar any person who has acted as president or governor for a period of two years from seeking election to serve beyond one term of four years in office.
The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff specifically noted: “No person who has held office of president or governor of a state or acting as president or governor of a state for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president or governor, shall be elected to the office of president or governor of a state more than once.”
Lasun, who is also the chairman of the ad hoc committee on constitution review, explained that the aim of the bill is to give constitutional protection to the two-term tradition. He added that by virtue of the provisions of sections 137(1)(b) and 182(1)(b) of the constitution, the president and governor of a state shall serve in those capacities for a maximum period of eight years.
He further argued that the constitution equally envisaged circumstances where a person can be chosen to act as president or governor, including when the president or a governor resigns, dies or is impeached.
This amendment, he said, was inspired by the 22nd amendment to the constitution of the United States which provides: “No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice and no person who has
held office of president or acted as president for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of president more than once.”
If this proposed law had come into force before the 2015 presidential election, former President Goodluck Jonathan who spent part of the term of former President Umaru Yar’Adua after he died in office would not have contested for president. And this would have saved the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the crises that are now hobbling it.
The House also considered a bill aimed at ensuring that President Muhammadu Buhari and the 36 state governors of the federation attach portfolios of their ministerial and commissioner nominees.
The bill, which reached second reading stage at the plenary session of the House presided over by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, was also referred to the special ad-hoc committee of the house on the review of the 1999 constitution for consideration.
Yussuf, who was also the sponsor of the bill explained that this would enable the legislative houses at both the national and state levels to take informed decisions on the nominees to be screened for occupants of the positions.
Another bill sponsored by Mr. James Abiodun Faleke (APC: Lagos) titled a “Bill for an Act to alter Section 1 (3) of the sixth schedule of the constitution to make the chief justice of the federation responsible for the gubernatorial, national and state assembly election tribunals in all states of the federation and the federal capital territory (FCT)” scaled the second reading on the floor of the House.
Faleke justified his initiative saying it was aimed at contributing to the ongoing judicial and electoral reform in the polity.
He said under the existing dispensation, ‎the authority to appoint the judges for the tribunals as well as the appellate tribunals rests squarely on the president of the Court of Appeal (PCA) in consultation with the chief judge of the state, the grand Khadi of the sharia court of appeal of the state or the president of the customary court of appeal of the state depending on the states where the said tribunal members are to be appointed from.
Faleke argued that it was obvious that having the PCA select and appoint the two sets of tribunals which invariably transit the decisions of the lower tribunal to the upper one portends potential conflict of interest of the PCA, and in many cases may not allow for fair hearing in the matters concerned.

I may probe Mimiko if there are established cases of corruption – Akeredolu

2016-11-30T23:17:00.004-08:00

The Governor-Elect of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has said despite his pronouncement of not wanting to probe the administration of the outgoing Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, he would not close his eyes if he stumbles upon established cases of wrongdoing.
Akeredolu, however, re-emphasised that he would not deliberately go out to probe Mimiko’s administration.
Speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, Akeredolu said: “At the centre, the government of President Buhari said we must look back in order to move forward.
“He has been there for over a year now.
“Has he instituted a probe?
“Looking back is not a probe and I maintain that I will not probe any administration.
“This is responsible leadership and I am elected to lead the people.

“The task ahead of us is enormous than for us to start instituting probes.
“My own is not to institute any probe against the last administration and that is what President Buhari has done.
“But if we find out that wrongs were committed, we have enough laws of the land to take care of people who have committed wrongs.
“As we start our work, as we go ahead, if there is any semblance of ‘Dasukigate’ in the state, the law will take its course.
“That is different from probing.
“We will follow what Mr. President is doing at the centre.”

I may dump PDP in 2018 – Fayose

2016-11-30T23:14:00.001-08:00

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has given indication of a plan to dump his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, in 2018.
Fayose said he may seek another political platform to fight the battle of who will succeed him as governor.
He said this on Wednesday during a meeting with the members of the Suppliers’ Association of Nigeria, Ikere Ekiti chapter.
He said: “I don’t know the platform I will use for the 2018 election yet and at the appropriate time, I will tell you.
“We are still studying the situation.
“We have to play the game left, right and centre and whoever we are going to use and the platform, you will all be part of the process because party politics is about the people.
“You all saw how people sold their votes in Ondo State.
“I am confident that that will not happen in Ekiti.
“I am close to the people.

“You are the source of my strength.
“Even if it requires just 48 hours to any election, if I tell you where to go, you will surely follow me there.”
Speaking also on Wednesday at another meeting with the junior members of staff in the state civil service, Fayose vowed to repeat the victory he got in all the 16 Local Government Areas when he defeated former Governor Kayode Fayemi in 2014.
He said: “The APC will be fooling itself if it thinks it will conquer Ekiti like it did in Ondo.
“Ekiti is a peculiar place and I am the man on the ground here.
“I want to assure my supporters and Nigerians that the APC won’t win a local government here in 2018, even if President Muhammadu Buhari moves down all the money in the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account.
“Governor Olusegun Mimiko and Eyitayo Jegede must have lost in Ondo State, but that does not mean the people had voted rightly.
“In 2015, people clamoured for change and what have we got now?
“Nigerians are becoming poorer than ever.
“Today, I am the only one among the APC governors in the South West.
“I am now like the nation of Israel surrounded by enemies, but I shall defeat and triumph over them.
“The APC has never defeated me in any battle, either political or legal.
“Whether they like it or not, I will win in Ekiti no matter the animosity, because I have the people behind me.”

You have no sense of shame – Kaduna APC tells Shehu Sani

2016-11-30T22:52:00.001-08:00

The Kaduna state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central district, as a man without “sense of shame”.
Salisu Wusono, acting publicity secretary of the party in Kaduna, said this in response to Sani’s earlier statement on his suspension.
Sani had alleged that Nasir el-Rufai, governor of the state, had hijacked the party, and was using it to fight him.
But denying the allegation Wusono accused Sani of representing the politics of “fraud and deceit”.
“As if determined to prove that he is beyond redemption, Shehu Sani penned a pathetic response to his continued suspension from our party that testifies that he is a denizen of the gutter,” he said.
“Anyone that harboured any doubt about the morass in his mind and the decadence of his conduct would now have those uncertainties wiped away. Crassness of language is a twin to crass of conduct.
“His outburst is a confirmation, that he has no sense of shame. He is a man full of tantrums, a busker who simultaneously entertains and distresses people with his shameless antics.
“He has since lost focus and why he was elected to the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the
good people of Kaduna central under the banner of the APC.
“He represents fraud, deceit in the name of Nigeria’s masses. We suspended him indefinitely following his various anti-party activities and utterances aimed at tearing the party to pieces.
“The masses of Kaduna central have since unravelled his deceit. His heart and mind are in the PDP whose agent he has been in our party. We wonder when he would gather the courage to publicly move to the party he hobnobs with in private.”
But in a swift reaction at a press briefing by his aide, Suleiman Ahmed, Sani said the state governor was being deceived by one of his advisers, Uba Sani.
The senator alleged that Uba Sani was using his office and the governor to pursue his personal ambitions and vendetta, stating that it was “painful and disheartening” that public funds were being used to sponsor “miscreants” to cause trouble in the society.
“While states like Sokoto and Boko Haram-ravaged states like Borno and Yobe are commissioning mass housing projects, all our governor does is to paint roundabouts in Kaduna State”, the senator said.
The aide said despite Sani’s suspension by the party, he “has been up and doing in the Senate, proposing and supporting bills that will bring succour to our people.
“On the other hand Governor El-Rufai has been busy wasting state funds on a useless fight against an individual, leaving the state in a state of despair and hopelessness.
“Our health sector is in decay, education has collapsed there is pervasive insecurity everywhere you go in the state,” he added.

Ogun PDP suspends Kashamu, six others over anti-party activities, others

2016-11-25T02:17:00.002-08:00

The Ogun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has announced the suspension of some top members.
The chapter said the suspension is with immediate effect.
This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Hon. Sikirulai Olawale Ogundele, State Chairman, and Hon. Olabode Bankole, State Secretary.
It said the development follows the report of a Panel which was constituted in June, 2016 to investigate allegations of financial improprieties, anti-party activities and sundry reckless acts that are capable of bringing the party to disrepute.
“The Panel on several occasions invited some of the above named who were implicated in the misapplication and outright diversion of party funds to defend and acquit themselves of those allegations but they refused to honour the invitation,”
“Based on the preliminary report of the Panel however, submitted to the Executive committee of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Ogun State Chapter, we found merit in the allegations and hereby adopt the report and findings of the Panel which include recommendation to suspend the above mentioned.
“In the exercise of the powers vested on the State Executive committee in accordance with the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party the above name are hereby suspended from the Ogun State Chapter of the PDP with immediate effect; their names have also been forwarded to the national secretariat of the party for necessary further appropriate disciplinary actions,” the statement read.

Security beefed up for hitch free election in Ondo

2016-11-25T01:09:00.002-08:00

Security has been beefed up in Ondo state ahead of the November 26 governorship election, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
A NAN correspondent who visited some areas in the state on Thursday reports that armed personnel from the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army were stationed at strategic places.
NAN recalls that no fewer than 26,000 police officers were deplored to the state by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris for the election.

DSP Oluwole Ojo, the Divisional Police Officer in Okitipupa, told NAN that security agencies were fully prepared for the election.
He said that the presence of the security agencies was to protect lives and properties before, during and after the elections.
Ojo said: “We are fully prepared for the election, we want to guide against any break down of laws and order. There is no cause for alarm, we are poised to protect lives and properties during the election.’’

Fayose’s aides get ultimatum to retract libelous statements against Fayemi

2016-11-25T00:22:00.001-08:00

Former Governor of Ekiti State and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has given a seven-day ultimatum to a member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Samuel Omotoso; and the Special Assistant on New Media and Public Communications to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Lere Olayinka, to retract libelous statements against him on a live television programme aired on the state television on July 6, 2016.
In a letter on behalf of the Minister from the Law Chambers of R.O. Balogun & Co, dated November 19, Fayemi is asking both Omotosho and Olayinka to make a retraction and public apology, which must be given equal prominence like the offending statements and utterances.
They are also to pay Fayemi N100 million for the offending statement within the period, failure of which an action would be filed against them in the law court.
The duo of Omotoso and Olayinka had during a live programme on the Ekiti State Television, tagged: Ejiire, on July 6, 2016 alleged that Fayemi illegally took N1.5 billion from Ekiti State treasury and gave it to
President Muhammadu Buhari, for the presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
They also alleged that Fayemi looted Ekiti State treasury.
They alleged fraud in the purchase of vehicles for traditional rulers and withdrawal of N852 million SUBEB money.
Olayinka had said during the programme: “Fayemi paid Ekiti N852 million into SUBEB account at Access Bank and now this is the fraud he committed: It was this money that qualifies Ekiti to receive Abuja’s N852 million SUBEB money, but immediately the money dropped into Ekiti SUBEB account, Fayemi just withdrew the state counterpart fund from the SUBEB account and Abuja SUBEB caught them red-handed in the fraud game, just like 419.”
Olayinka also said that Fayemi illegally collected N5 billion from Ecobank in the name of Fountain Holdings for purported road construction.
He also alleged that Fayemi borrowed money on behalf of the state to build a Government House for his wife and children.
He also alleged that Fayemi spent the state’s funds to build a private university for himself in Ghana.
Omotoso said Fayemi refused to pay pensioners, but was “acting like armed robber and carted away Ekiti money”, adding that he was not “just saying it for fun that Fayemi stole Ekiti money, but he went away with Ekiti money and destroyed the economy of the state”.
But Fayemi in a letter by his lawyer, Chief R.O. Balogun, demanded a public apology with the same prominence they committed the offence, retraction of the offensive comment and payment of N100 million within seven days of the receipt of the letter, otherwise they would be sued for criminal defamation of character.
The Minister had complained through his counsel that their utterances during the programme portrayed him as a very corrupt public office holder and fraudulent person who siphoned public funds at the detriment of Ekiti State citizens while serving as governor.
He also complained that he was exposed to “public ridicule, odium, opprobrium, embarrassment and unprecedented disrepute”, arguing that the duo had done “incalculable and tremendous injury to his image and personality as an international figure”.
Balogun said if within seven days the defendants refused to comply with the demands, his client would have no choice than to drag them to court to ventilate the grievances.

Ondo guber: PDP rejects Soremekun as Chief Returning Officer

2016-11-24T23:59:00.002-08:00

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo state, said it has reliable information that plans are being made to manipulate and rig Saturday’s governorship election.
PDP alleged that to attain the nefarious agenda, INEC has concluded plans to use the same set of people who compromised the Edo election.
Ayo Fadaka, PDP publicity director, in a statement said Professor Kayode Soremekun, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, who served as Chief Returning Officer in Edo State has been recruited to serve as CRO in Ondo State to “use the same template that compromised that election in Ondo State.”
“We hereby warn INEC not to bring Soremekun and his unscrupulous gang to Ondo State. We emphasis that he is not the only Vice Chancellor in Nigeria and as such does not exclusively possess the skill to discharge that responsibility,” the party warned.

“He is not welcome here and INEC will only incur our wrath if it makes any attempt to impose him to superintend over our election considering the fact that we are rejecting this attempt to bring him here.
“We again declare that INEC is free to recruit any other person to serve as the Chief Returning Officer as we will certainly and vehemently refuse to allow Soremekun to compromise our election.
“We urge INEC to strive to maintain its integrity and not soil its reputation any further by using people of questionable characters to discharge sensitive roles in elections.
“Conclusively, we say no to Professor Soremekun to play any role in our election. We also wish to remind that in Ondo State we have a culture of vehement resistance to election manipulation, thus we warn stringently that we will refuse Soremekun’s appointment as our Chief Returning Officer.”

Ondo guber: NCP declares support for Akeredolu

2016-11-24T23:57:00.001-08:00

Barely 24 hours to the governorship election in Ondo State, the National Conscience Party (NCP), has declared its support for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).
The governorship candidate of the NCP in the election, Obayoriju Jimoh Abass, who disclosed this in Akure yesterday, said the support for Akeredolu became necessary because of the pedigree of the APC candidate.
According to him, “After accessing the political situation and the pedigree of all the candidates of the political parties in the election, we have decided to queue behind Akeredolu in the governorship election.”
He added that aside the experience and background of the APC candidate, Akeredolu is contesting the
election on a bigger platform.
“We discover that our involvement in the election which is to explore the capacity of the youth to lead was in tandem with the programmes and ideology of Akeredolu.”
He said the adoption of Akeredolu by the NCP was coming at the wake of the election after painstakingly accessing all the political parties, candidates and their programmes for the people of the state.
The party urged his supporters across the 18 councils in the state to vote for Akeredolu in the Saturday election, urging the people of the state to conduct themselves in a manner that is devoid of crisis.

Training of workers not political – Mimiko

2016-11-24T23:28:00.002-08:00

The Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has denied the reports that the current training of workers is politically motivated.
According to Mimiko, the training organised by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) is to sensitise workers to survive during hard times.
The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Kola Ademujimi, said the criticism by the opposition parties was to discredit the patriotic efforts of the trade unions.
He said it was ridiculous that the opposition would criticise the training, adding that the workers had the choice of deciding whom to vote for at the governorship election.
The one-day seminar held in Akure, was titled: “The Survival of Workers in the Face of Economic Recession in Nigeria.”

Ademujimi said the governor had warned at the beginning of the year that the workers should prepare for the effects of the economic recession.
According to him, “People would always read meanings to things like this, but we are not going to stop doing the right thing because we have an election at hand.
“Whether there is an election or not, we have the right to hold meetings with our workers at anytime. The reason for the seminar was partly for the workers to also appreciate what the government has done.”
Mimiko said his government has done well for the workers by paying them13th month salaries and 27.5 per cent of teachers’ allowances.

One in three child migrants missing after Calais Jungle closure: charity

2016-11-24T03:35:00.002-08:00

A bulldozer is used to remove debris as workmen tear down makeshift shelters during the dismantlement of the camp called the "Jungle" in Calais, France, October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Nearly one in three migrant children tracked by a refugee charity have gone missing since the "Jungle" camp in the northern French town of Calais was dismantled in October, the organization said on Wednesday.

Refugee Youth Service said it could not locate a third of the 179 child migrants it had been tracking since authorities bulldozed the Jungle, home to up to 10,000 people fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

The fate of children staying in the squalid camp where migrants converged in the hope of making it across to Britain, has been a political problem for the British government.

Religious leaders, refugee rights campaign groups and opposition parties have accused Britain of dragging its heels in helping to deal with unaccompanied children.

Refugee Youth Service, which has worked in the Calais camp since November last year, said a lack of

information and widespread misunderstanding about what will happen to them had led to many children disappearing.

"These are some of the most vulnerable children in the world, they have been let down time and time again," said the charity's co-founder Ben Teuten said in a statement.

"When they disappear we are extremely concerned that they will be preyed upon by traffickers and are unlikely to seek state support due to their treatment to date."

Earlier this month, the French authorities began moving about 1,500 unaccompanied child migrants from the Jungle to reception camps across the country.

Josie Naughton, who helped to set up another charity, Help Refugees, said many migrant children were frightened.

"Being placed somewhere that you don't understand – where you don't necessarily have access to translators or social workers – and not knowing how long you'll be there, that triggers a natural instinct to take control of your own life," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Migrant children have two legal routes into Britain. One is under European Union rules that allow for children to be reunited with relatives already in the UK.

The other is under the so-called Dubs amendment to the Immigration Act which allows the most at-risk child refugees in Italy, Greece and France to be taken to the UK for sanctuary.

Refugee Youth Service called on the French and British governments to provide clearer information to child migrants, and urged the authorities to report children as missing when they disappear from reception centers.

A Home Office spokesperson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by email that "we have made significant progress in improving and speeding up the existing processes since the beginning of the year, but the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French authorities".

French officials were not immediately available for comment.

Kuwaitis head to polls hoping to stop austerity

2016-11-24T03:20:00.004-08:00

An election campaign meeting in Kuwait City late on November 23, 2016 (AFP Photo/Yasser Al-Zayyat)

Kuwaitis vote on Saturday for a new parliament they hope will halt austerity measures forced by falling oil revenues in the emirate, known for its cradle-to-grave welfare system.

With the return of opposition groups after a four-year boycott, the outcome of the snap elections is seen as crucial for shaping the domestic politics of the oil-rich Gulf state.

The seventh polls in a decade follow one of the most intense election campaigns seen in Kuwait, with opposition and pro-government candidates trading barbs over corruption and other allegations.

The opposition is being tipped to make a strong showing, with many members of the previous parliament expected to lose their seats, but is likely to fall well short of a majority.

"The return of opposition groups is the most significant development in this election," said analyst Ayed al-Manna.

"The opposition comeback could lead to a national reconciliation after years of bitter disputes," the political scientist told AFP.

Kuwait's parliament is considered the most powerful in the Gulf Arab states thanks to its legislative and

monitoring capacities, but most of the political clout still lies with the ruling family.

Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 87, dissolved the parliament in October after a dispute between lawmakers and the government over petrol price hikes of up to about 80 percent.

The government said the move was taken to reduce subsidies, boost non-oil revenues and plug the emirate's first budget deficit after 16 years of surpluses.

Economic issues dominated the campaign but other issues like political reforms and public freedoms were also highlighted by the 300 candidates who include 14 women.

Many running for office lashed out at the government for raising charges and fuel prices while failing to fight corruption. They have pledged to prohibit such hikes.

- Police state? -

Almost all opposition groups boycotted the previous two elections, in December 2012 and July 2013, in protest after the government unilaterally amended the voting system.

Around 30 opposition candidates, including several former MPs, and a number of their allies are vying for places in the 50-seat parliament.

Political analyst Anwar al-Rasheed said he expects that "between 70 percent and 90 percent of the outgoing lawmakers will not be re-elected because the voters are very upset with their performance."

He said the dissolved assembly approved a number of highly controversial and repressive laws to control online freedom, DNA testing and extending preventive detention.

Several candidates charged those measures, along with the government crackdown on dissent, made Kuwait look like a police state.

Analyst Dahem al-Qahtani said he expects the opposition to win about 15 seats, with some eight supporters, making a very strong bloc in the next parliament.

"This will reduce the government and its supporters into a fragile majority, a major cause for political instability," Qahtani told AFP.

Under Kuwait's unique parliamentary system, political parties are banned and regardless of who wins in the polls, the next prime minister will be a senior member of the Al-Sabah ruling family, in power for more than 250 years.

Under the 1962 constitution, the emir, crown prince, prime minister and key ministerial posts are all members of the ruling family.

In addition, members of the cabinet are appointed from outside parliament but they enjoy rights almost equal to those of elected MPs, boosting the government grip on the house.

Kuwait, which sits on seven percent of the world's proven crude reserves, was seen in neighbouring Gulf states as a beacon of democracy with its vibrant parliament, introduced in 1962, and freedom of speech.

But this image has been shattered by non-stop wrangling over the past decade in the country, home to about 4.4 million people including 3.1 million foreigners.

During the campaign, several candidates accused some members of the ruling family of interfering in the election.

"Kuwaitis are paying the price of the disputes within the ruling family for controlling government," former MP Ahmad al-Qhudhaibi told a rally.

South Africa's biggest union group backs Ramaphosa to succeed Zuma

2016-11-24T03:09:00.002-08:00

South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) and President Jacob Zuma listen to the national anthem at the opening of Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/File Photo

South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa saw his chances of becoming the country's next leader increase on Thursday when a powerful union group backed him to succeed President Jacob Zuma as head of the ruling party.

Zuma is expected to stand down as African National Congress (ANC) president at a party conference in December next year, ahead of national elections in 2019 when his tenure as the country's president will end.

The debate over who should follow Zuma has heated up since the ANC suffered its worst local election results in August, exposing party divisions.

The ANC's dominance of South Africa since apartheid ended in 1994 means it is widely expected to win the 2019 election, making its next leader almost certain to become president.

No one has declared an ambition to run but informal positioning is well under way, with the ANC split between backers of Ramaphosa, a former anti-apartheid leader popular with investors, and those who

feel he would be too pro-business.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), a member of the ruling political alliance that claims to represent 1.8 million workers, told reporters it had "resolved to campaign" for Ramaphosa ahead of the party conference.

An articulate though often programmatic speaker, Ramaphosa is likely to face strong competition if he does compete, including from Zuma's ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, head of the African Union.

The National Union of Mineworkers, one of South Africa's biggest unions, backed Ramaphosa in September.

Ondo guber: I remain PDP candidate – Ibrahim

2016-11-24T02:43:00.001-08:00

Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Jimoh Ibrahim yesterday faulted the Court of Appeal verdict which nullified his candidacy as not having a ‘consequential order.”
Ibrahim described the Appeal Court judgment as “one day ruling”, adding that the Supreme Court would sit on the case today (Thursday)
“I have read the decision of the Court of Appeal delivered today (yesterday) without a consequential order. The ruling failed to specifically say that my name should be substituted by INEC.
“Since there is no consequential order directing INEC to do so, the judgement is therefore not binding on me and INEC cannot remove my name and as such I remain PDP candidate for Saturday’s election.
“But we are optimistic that we have nothing to lose as the Supreme Court sits on same case tomorrow. We
shall get justice at the Supreme Court and if PDP wins Saturday’s election, we shall have our four-year mandate to rule Ondo State
“Let me advise the good people of Ondo State and my supporters nationwide not to abuse anyone or fight over this one day ruling …
“Mimiko will not succeed himself with Jegede. This is too sure as we continue with our work and remain in our great part, PDP. I love the great people of Ondo State and I thank you all for continuous support.”

Nigeria structured for wealth sharing, guzzling – Ekweremadu

2016-11-19T00:16:00.003-08:00

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has blamed Nigeria’s economic woes on wrong federal structure, which he said had predisposed the country to wealth sharing, indolence, and poor governance since the fall of the First Republic.
He reiterated that restructuring remained the true and lasting solution to the nation’s many woes, as it would promote wealth creation, productivity, good governance, and national development.
He made the assertions at the investiture of Dr. Omede Idris as the 15th President of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, APBN, in Abuja, Thursday night.
Ekweremadu, who said the investiture ceremony came at a most crucial time in the country’s recent history, regretted that the Nigerian economy easily lapsed into recession, while the nation continued to lament over fall in oil price in a knowledge-driven global economy.
He, therefore, expressed worries that calls and attempts to re-engineer the nation’s federalism through restructuring and injection of fiscal federalism had always been unheeded and unsuccessful.

Hear him: “Instructively, well-meaning Nigerians, including my humble self, have continued to warn, even long before now, that our nation is not structured for wealth creation and economic prosperity, but for wealth sharing and guzzling. Otherwise, there should have been no reason to continue to lament over the fall in oil price in a knowledge-driven global economy.
“It is a clear indication of how much we have thrived on a wrong federal arrangement, thereby wasting our yesteryears. For too long, we have lived with poor governance, extravagance, and indolence induced by free money.
“Today, the honeymoon is over. The country is already neck-deep in economic crisis, the recession bites even harder, and inflation has escalated.
We must wake up to reality and retrace our steps. It is needless to cry over spilt milk, but I dare to add that we are a country in dire need of redemption- and very fast too”.
The Deputy President of the Senate, however, expressed confidence in the capacity of Nigerian professionals to help lift the nation out of the current recession. He, therefore, tasked the APBN to rise to the challenges of the moment.
Senator Ekweremadu added: “Our redemption must start from within; and looking at the array of the professional bodies that make up the APBN, I see hope for our nation.
We certainly have the requisite knowledge and human resources to revamp our economy if we deploy round pegs in round holes, regardless of political, religious, and ethnic affiliations.
“For the APBN in particular, it is time to show your strength and worth. I charge you to rise to the occasion and proffer short, medium, and long-term solutions to our economic crisis”.

Ondo guber: Jimoh Ibrahim remains PDP candidate

2016-11-18T23:48:00.001-08:00

The Justice Ibrahim Salauwa-led panel constituted to hear all appeals from the Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, indefinitely adjourned judgment in the appeal filed by Eyitayo Jegede challenging the verdict of the panel, granting leave to Jegede to appeal against the nomination of Jimoh Ibrahim as the substantive candidate for the November 26 election in Ondo State.
The three-member panel was forced to adjourn the proceedings following an appeal filed by the Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff faction of the PDP before the Supreme Court challenging, among others, the jurisdiction of the panel.
In the motion filed by the Sheriff faction of the party in Ondo State through its counsel Rapheal Oluyede, the three-member panel of the Appeal Court was joined as 5th to 7th respondents. The applicants in the motion led by Prince Biyi Poroye, accused the panel of bias and prayed the apex court to restrain the Justices from further proceedings in the appeals.
The motion served on the panel at about 7:30pm on Thursday night alleged that the three Justices had betrayed their office with the way the appeals have been handled and that they have refused to be bound by
their earlier orders. In the motion, they also accused the appellate court panel of showing disrespect to the Supreme Court by violating the doctrine of lis pendis. The apex court had, however, fixed November 22 to hear the appeal.
At the resumed proceedings yesterday, the three-man panel noted that the panel was served with a motion at about 7:30pm on Thursday, alleging that the panel was in disobedience of the rule of lis pendis and stare decisis by going ahead to hear the appeal despite a pending motion at the Supreme Court.
The panel further held that the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa and the three members of the panel, namely, Justice Ibrahim Salauwa, Justice Igwe Agube and Justice Godwin Mbaba were joined as respondents in the motion.
According to the panel: “We recall that our panel was put in place on a rescue mission when Justice Sankey-led panel threw in the towel following the allegation of bias and bribery. We have come this far; we want to do what is most reasonable.
“With the situation of things now and going by the motion served on us, we have to await the decision of the Supreme Court on whether we are properly constituted or not. The motion is most unfortunate but we have to do this. We have been guided, let the Supreme Court decide whether we have jurisdiction or not.
“This appeal and all others stand adjourned sine die to await the outcome of the decision of the Supreme Court,” the panel held.
In the motion filed before the Supreme Court, the Sheriff faction is praying for an order invoking disciplinary jurisdiction of the court to set aside the proceedings of November 16, 2016 of the special panel sitting in the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal. The appellant also prayed for an order restraining and forbidding further proceedings in the lower court by the panel of the Court of Appeal pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice and notice for stay of proceedings pending at the Supreme Court on ground that such further proceedings would be in flagrant and blatant breach of the doctrine of lis pendis, stare decisis and violation of the required regard for the Supreme Court.
The appellants also prayed for an order disqualifying the panel from further sitting, conducting the proceedings in this manner at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on the ground that they have betrayed their oath of office in their deliberate refusal to be bound by the principle of judicial precedent and stare decisis and refusal to be bound by their own rulings.
It would be recalled that the tussle that led to the party producing two candidates for the November 26 governorship election in Ondo state began as a result of two conflicting judgments that emanated from two courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
While Eyitayo Jegede emerged from the Makarfi group, Jimoh Ibrahim emerged from the Sheriff group. The Makarfi group had first submitted the name of Jegede to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate of the PDP. The Sheriff-led group had, however, approached the Federal High Court to seek for an enforcement of the removal of Jegede’s name and substituting it with that of Ibrahim.
Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, had on October 14, decided the matter in favour of the Sheriff
group, wherein he gave an order substituting Jegede’s name with that of Ibrahim. Not satisfied, Jegede had through his counsel approached the Court of Appeal to seek leave to appeal the judgment. The panel granted Jegede leave to appeal and he consequently moved his application, though the Sheriff faction had opposed the application on the ground that they have filed an appeal before the Supreme Court, hence asking the panel to disqualify itself. The panel had despite that heard the appeal and fixed judgment for yesterday.