Amaechi, Fayemi, Fashola Fail Anti- corruption Test

As the screening of President Muhammadu Buhari
ministers continue, some appointees have reportedly
failed to pass anti-corruption test.

The Department of State Service (DSS) recently received a much awaited list of 36 ministerial nominees for security screening.

While DSS carries on the screening indications appeared that three immediate past governors, Babatunde Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi, have supposedly failed.

Three former governors worked hard for Buhari’s
presidential campaign to and were seen as top candidates for positions in the government.

Nigerian Pilot reports that the DSS did not clear three
ministerial appointees based on claims of corruption
brought against them before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC).

The source said that the security agency supposedly
denied to clear Amaechi, Fashola, Fayemi because of a
series of petitions written against them over accusations bordering on money laundering, fraud and misuse.

The insider further added that when the trio appeared
before the screening committee, they were opposed with the appeals and other related documents attached to the petitions.

They reportedly have received orders from Buhari that any of the appointees with any harmful and fraud related issues should not be cleared by the security agency.

Festus Odimegwu, a former managing director of Nigerian Breweries Limited, and a former presidential candidate, Pat Utomi, are also among the ministerial appointees that have been screened.

Those already said to have been screened as nominees for President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet also include a former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and a Lagos-lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).

Also on the list are a former Chief of Army, Lt.-Gen.
Abdulrahman Dambazu (retd.); an ex-chief executive of the Federal Inland Revenue, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru; a former finance commissioner in Lagos State, Mr. Wale
Edun; and a former National Legal Adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

According to some sources Falana was favoured by a camp in the party to emerge as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.

A top APC chieftain said the Vice President, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo and the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had persuaded Buhari to appoint Falana.

Tinubu and Osinbajo were said to have told Buhari that
appointing Falana, who he jailed over 30 years ago, would boost his image as a ‘converted democrat.’

It was, however, learnt that Malami was being favoured by the President.

The APC has three former governors in Ekiti State: Niyi
Adebayo, Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi.

“Falana has already been screened by the DSS. However, Buhari is closer to Malami who is from the North,” a source from APC said.

Utomi, a famous economist and former presidential
candidate of the African Democratic Congress, had been screened by the DSS and the police.

Edun, who served under former Tinubu as Lagos state
governor, had also been screened by security agencies.

Odimegwu, nominated by the president, fell out with
former president Goodluck Jonathan when he openly
criticised the federal government.

Odimegwu is also close to former President Olusegun
Obasanjo. Oyinlola, a one-time secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, defected to the APC shortly before the Osun State governorship election and he is a close associate of Obasanjo.

Another appointee, who asked not to be named, said:
“Although I have met the director-general of the DSS
twice, I don’t think such visits could be regarded as
screening.

“I understand the service has done its research on
ministerial nominees. For now, nobody is sure of anything until the names are announced.”

See full list below:
1. Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Osun State governor and ousted PDP national secretary.

2. Chief Bode Mustapha, former PDP National Auditor and an APC chieftain from Ogun state

3. Engineer Segun Oni, former Ekiti state governor and
APC deputy national chairman (South West)

4. Kayode Fayemi, the immediate past governor of Ekiti
state

5. Abba Ruma, a former Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources

6. Chief Kanu Agabi, a former Minister of Justice.

7. Donald Duke, a former Governor of Cross River state

8. Babatunde Fashola, the immediate past governor of
Lagos state

9. Yinka Folashade Oredola

10. Rotimi Akeredolu, a former gubernatorial candidate in Ondo state.

11. Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past governor of Rivers state

12. Engineer Funsho Kupolokun, former Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

13. Rabiu Kwankwanso, immediate past governor of Kano state

14. Bisola Adegbenro

15. Isaiah Danjuma, son of General Theophilus Danjuma
from Taraba state.

16. Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation.

17. Kehinde Lawanson, a former executive director of First Bank.

18. Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), former Minster of Justice

President Buhari had in Ghana reassured Nigerians and the international community that his cabinet is a must in September.

In the lists of supposed ministers, which were circulating in the media , Fashola was predicted as AGF/Minister of Justice, while earlier he was supposed as minister of works and housing.

Under the former governor state administration beholden $1.02bn which signifies 33.86 % of the country’s total sub-national external debts.

Ex-governor of Rivers state was set to become new
secretary to the government.

Amaechi was also accused of dropping state into massive external indebtedness by a coalition of non-governmental organisations interested in transparency and responsibility in governance.

Former governor of Ekiti state was also expected to play a key role in Buhari’s cabinet.

Buhari doesn’t want to be stabbed like Jonathan — Ebigwei

Dr. Sylvan Olisanye Ebigwei (MON), consultant dental
surgeon, is President-Emeritus, Aka Ikenga, the Igbo
socio-political organisation. In this interview, he says the Igbo’s vote for former President Goodluck Jonathan was calculated to unite the former Eastern Region. He wants MASSOB to change its name to be relevant. He also spoke on other national issues. Excerpts:

The North wanted power and they now have it. What is
your take on that? Nigeria is too complex for one section to usurp all that the country has without reaction. Nigeria today is not the Nigeria of yesterday. There is a level you can pursue a man, the man will stop and start pursuing you. So, whatever the North wants today, if they want Nigeria to be one, they must make sure that there is equilibrium in governance and appointments in critical areas.

Already, there is disequilibrium in what is happening today and we cannot hide the fact. And that was why the South-South met last week. The President is from the North, the Chief Judge is from the North, the Senate President is from the North, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is from the North. This cannot go on because people will react. So, if the Northerners think they can do this and get away with it, Nigerians will react.

Right now, I can say the period we are in now is a period of honeymoon for Buhari. By the time he sets up his government, people will start looking into critical areas. Buhari government has been described as government of probes. How far can be go?

If you want to probe, probe everybody, because Jonathan merely ruled this country for five years or thereabout. By the time he came in, Nigeria was in tatters Nothing was functioning. The roads were not there, power was not there, people were just stealing money anyhow. All these stealing did not start during the Jonathan era. Jonathan came in and met a rotten Nigeria. Where was he to start from? It was the people, who destroyed this country that surrounded him. Cleaning up Nigeria was an enormous task. Even those arrested for corruption, how many were jailed? EFCC will make a lot of noise, take suspects to court and that’s the last we hear because the judiciary itself was not helping matters. Had it been we had a strong judiciary, people would sit up. But when people steal, they say, okay, this is my own, this is for law enforcement, the other one is for the judiciary. With that mindset, people started acting with impunity because they know that criminals are not being visited with adequate punishment. That was the reason Jonathan did not succeed.

A cursory look around shows some parastatals like NEPA suddenly come to life. We know Buhari government has not awarded any contract yet. What happened? People are wondering what is happening. It shows how evil and how rotten people have gotten in this country.

Buhari government is not in place, it has not run any
budget, he has not spent a dime in re-positioning PHCN, but look at us today. In my office, I have been enjoying uninterrupted power supply for nearly three weeks now, thereby saving money to feed my family. What it portrays is that during Jonathan’s administration, no matter how Jonathan tried, he was being sabotaged.

Power generation

Men of evil abound in this country. And because of this
sabotage, despite all the billions of dollars poured into
power generation, the power is there, gas is there, but
evil people refused that the country should work. But
they know what they are gaining. It shows complete
sabotage. And these are the people, the present administration should fish out. If they did it to sabotage Jonathan, they can still do it to sabotage the government of Buhari.

Looking critically at Buhari’s appointments so far, people say he is side-tracking the Igbo. How do you view this? Buhari is being afraid of what happened to
Jonathan. If I am in Buhari’s shoes, I will not appoint people who will betray me.

Because Nigeria today is not like Nigeria of yesterday. People are no more honest. The value system of the
average Nigerian is poor. We don’t trust people. Critical
appointments have not been made. The appointments he is making are of domestic issues, people who will surround him. You don’t get people who will stab you at the back and put them to follow you. No. Jonathan did that and they stabbed him. That was why he got angry and told them he had had enough. That was why he threw in the towel even before they finished counting the votes.

Because he discovered that he was totally betrayed. So, Buhari knew what happened to Jonathan, he would not want it to happen to him.

MASSOB is being threatened everywhere. What is their
undoing? As President of Aka Ikenga, I told MASSOB that there is no need for a man to run a good race but outside the track. Igbo man is being marginalised, we know that. But when you want to fight for your rights, you must find a decent way to do it, so that you can have the sympathy of all.

Many of us do not believe in the disintegration of this
country. I told them then that there is no other country
they can fit in except in Nigeria. I told them, this agitation you are doing, find another name and put on it. You will have the sympathy of everyone in Igbo land because without pressure we cannot get what we want in this country. Change the name MASSOB. What is in a name?
Find another name, continue with your agitation, so that you can have followership among Ndigbo. No Igbo man wants to get separated from this country.

You are President Emeritus of Aka Ikenga. We hear there is an agenda to unite the Igbo from all the Igbo speaking South. What impact can this have?

As President of Aka Ikenga, our mind set then for
supporting Jonathan was to use his platform to extend
true hands of fellowship towards the old constituents of the old Eastern Region. Aftermath of the civil war, the core Igbo became almost a pariah to their brothers and sisters of old Eastern Nigeria, as well as the Ikweres in Rivers and the Anioma people in Delta State. What we did was to show solidarity with the Ijaws so that in future the Ijaw man will know that when they had a problem, in their hour of need, the core Igbo man came to his aid. That was our mindset.

So whatever transpired, whether he ruled well or did not rule well it has worked, because you can now hear the South-South are meeting with the South East, etc. As recent as last week, there was a meeting of the whole of Southern Region of Nigeria to look into their common interest in the present dispensation.

And they came out with a communiqué, advising the
President what to do and the negative aspect of his
administration so far. So that solidarity is working, that unity is working, that brotherhood is working.

Are you saying the Igbo have no regret over how they
voted at the last elections? Yes, the Igbo have no regrets. Some people are saying the Igbo lost, No. To us, the Igbo didn’t lose because the mindset of supporting Jonathan is different from the mindset of quite a lot of people. Igbo didn’t lose under Jonathan, they had a fair share of governance.

Fair share of governance The only problem was that many government appointees of Igbo extraction were selfish. They did not empower their own people. Look at the North, the express rail between Kaduna and Abuja, that will open up the whole area and bring Kaduna and adjoining states nearer to the seat of
power. Roads were constructed in the North. Look at the Almajiri schools. Nobody ever thought the almajiris
should go to school. These are all the handiwork of
Jonathan. Look at the Abuja Airport, Kaduna Airport, not to talk of Murtala Mohammed Airport. They have all been elevated and modernized. A lot was achieved. Anyim Pius Anyim was SGF, and that was a powerful position. You can use the position to build up capacity for your own people. So, you cannot blame Jonathan if those he put in power could not use such positions to better their own people.

I passed through Asaba bridge, I see that work is going
on at the second Niger Bridge. Before now, it was all
rhetoric. During the Obasanjo era, it was all rhetoric, but now you can see that something is being done.

Ministerial list: Falana, Oyinlola, Odimegwu others undergo DSS screening

There are strong indications that the Department of State Service, (DSS) has completed a screening process for some of the ministerial nominees to make up the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Among the list of those who were said to have been screened by the DSS are, former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, Femi Falana (SAN), a former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former finance commissioner in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun and Former Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Limited, Mr. Festus Odimegwu.

Others in the list are, Abubakar Malami (SAN), former Chief of Army, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazu (retd.); an former chief executive of the Federal Inland Revenue, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru;.

Vanguard gathered from a source very close to the
presidency who pleaded anonymity that the aforementioned nominees had appeared before the DSS for their screening at the weekend.

However, the nominees are yet to give any confirmation on the supposed screening which may not be far-fetched from the fact that appointments of this nature are treated cautiously in the official circle.

It was gathered that no fewer than 20 nominees had been so far screened by the DSS operatives since the exercise started.

Recall that the President had indicated in a chat with
journalists in Accra, Ghana, on Monday that he would keep his promise of announcing names of his ministers this month.

Our source revealed that the screening process by the DSS involved conducting background checks on the careers of the nominees and operatives were also checking for records of the nominees with anti-graft and security agencies.

Buhari invites Jonathan to Presidential Villa, both leaders discuss ways to stabilise the new administration

Buhari  seeks information  on alternative sources to buy weapons for the refusal  of United States to immediately sell weapons  to his administration
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, met with the
immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, at the weekend in the Presidential Villa.

A source said that the meeting between both leaders held in the night and lasted for about one hour.

It was gathered that Buhari invited Jonathan to give him insight into  the ways to stabilise the new administration, especially in the areas of fight against Boko Haram and the purchase of military hardware from alternative sources.

Villa  sources stated that  Former  President  Goodluck
Jonathan also presented detailed information  on the
additional weapons already paid for by his administration, which will arrive the country shortly.

It was gathered that after the meeting, both men parted chatting and laughing.

May 29, 2015, was the last time former president, Goodluck Jonathan was seen at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

OKOROCHA BULLIES IMO WORKERS

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has
resorted to bullying as a way of getting striking
Imo workers back on their duty posts. The
governor ordered the striking civil servants to
resume work immediately or risk being
summarily sacked.

The Governor seized the space provided by
some youths who some say were hired to pay
him a solidarity visit at the Government House,
Owerri, following massive criticism that has
trailed his government lately.

Okorocha who accused the workers of reneging
on the recent agreement it freely entered into
with the state government said the strike was
“illegal and would not be tolerated next time”.

It was the considered opinion of the Governor
that “the strike was politically motivated and
principally aimed at rubbishing the good
reputation of his administration”.

He wondered why civil servants should embark
on strike “because of just months of unpaid
salaries” owed by his administration but failed
to disclose whether his own salary was also in
arrears. .

Okorocha was particularly irked that no other
state went on strike over non-payment of
salaries, considering the economic meltdown
facing the country but failed to mention the
case of Osun, another APC governed state the
workers of which were on strike for several
months..

“I do not know of any other state whose
workers went on strike as a result of unpaid
salaries. Imo workers treated me unjustly by
embarking on the current industrial action”,
Okorocha said.

Explaining why he took the decision to sack the
striking workers if they fail to resume, the
Governor said a lot of youths in the state are in
need of employment.

Meanwhile, labour leaders in the state have
considered this as an act of intimidation and
have advised civil servants to ignore the threat
issued by the Governor, stressing that labour
may completely shut down the state if
government failed to pay their unpaid salaries.

Labour also ordered pensioners not to appear
before any verification team set up by the state
government, stressing this verification had been
conducted several times by the present
administration, without paying the pensions

Barack Obama Becomes First U.S. President to Address the African Union

ADDIS ABABA - President Barack Obama on Tuesday became the first American president to address the African Union in the institution’s 52-year history, a moment lauded for its historical significance but one that also underscored how far behind the U.S. is in investing in the continent.

Mr. Obama’s visit capped a five-day African trip where he pledged enhanced U.S. economic ties. The U.S., however, is playing catch-up to other world powers, particularly China,which built the 54-member

The president has made the case this week in Kenya and Ethiopia that African economies should embrace the U.S. over other world powers because America’s approach is not simply to give aid but to build the continent’s capacity to flourish on its own.

“Now, the United States isn’t the only country that sees your growth as an opportunity,” Mr. Obama told an enthusiastic audience on Tuesday in a hall named after the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.

“But economic relationships can’t simply be about building other countries’ infrastructure with foreign labor or extracting Africa’s natural resources,” he said. “Real economic partnerships have to be a good deal for Africa— they have to create jobs and capacity for Africans.”

Mr. Obama has also called on African leaders to end
widespread government corruption and advance democracy and human rights as part of the continent’s drive toward economic growth. At the same time, he used China as an example of how he engages with countries that don’t share U.S. governing values.

“I may interact with a government, out of necessity, where we have common interest,” Mr. Obama told civil-society leaders in Kenya on Sunday. “But if there are areas where I disagree, I will also be very blunt in my disagreement. And that’s true whether it’s Russia or China, or some of our European friends, or a great friend like Kenya.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Obama received some of his most
enthusiastic applause for sharp comments on democracy, particularly his calls for African leaders who cling to power without term limits.

“We all know what the ingredients of real democracy are. They include free and fair elections, freedom of speech and the press, freedom of assembly,” Mr. Obama said. “Democracy is not just formal elections.”

Mr. Obama singled out Ethiopia as a burgeoning democracy that held elections without violence. He did not, however, repeat his characterization of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn as “democratically elected.”

In May, Mr. Desalegn extended his party’s 40-year-old rule in the country by winning 100% of parliament’s seats: All 547 legislators in the Ethiopian parliament are members of the ruling party and rights groups say opposition activists and media have been muzzled.

Mr. Obama’s decision to engage with leaders such as Mr. Desalegn rather than isolate them is fundamental to his approach to foreign policy and an acknowledgment that if he doesn’t another country will.

“These countries have options,” said a senior administration official traveling with the president. “It’s not as if they have nowhere to go. This is the world as it is, and engagement is our best lever.”

Mr. Obama used a personal anecdote to argue why term limits can benefit a democracy.

“I actually think I’m a pretty good president. I think if I ran I could win,” Mr. Obama said, referring to a third term. “But I can’t.”

The trip was a personal journey for Mr. Obama as the first African-American U.S. president, whose father was born in Kenya. His familial ties to Africa and the story of his ascent to the presidency gave added weight to his words for many Africans.

Mr. Obama, in Kenya and Ethiopia, focused on his two
signature Africa initiatives: a program for African farmers, Feed the Future; and one called Power Africa that is designed to expand access to electricity on the continent. He noted on Tuesday his plans to host a U.S.-Africa Business Forum next year focused on trade and investment.

“America’s approach to development—the central focus of our engagement with Africa—is focused on helping you build your own capacity to realize that vision,” Mr. Obama said.

He described engaging young Africans as the most urgent challenge facing the continent, given the growth in population and the spread of terrorist groups such as Somalia-based al- Shabaab.

Security threats are among Mr. Obama’s most pressing challenges in engaging Africa. Mr. Obama said this fall he’ll host a summit at the United Nations aimed at strengthening international support for peacekeeping, including in Africa.

“The choices made today will shape the trajectory of Africa for decades to come,” Mr. Obama said. “As you build the Africa you believe in, you will have no better partner and friend than the United States of America.”

Culled from wall Street Journal

Money Laundering Trial: Femi Fani- Kayode's Bail Might Be Revoked As One Of His Sureties Apply To Withdraw

Fani-Kayode, who is the Director of Media and
Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party’s
Presidential Campaign Organisation, is currently
canvassing arguments to exonerate himself of the
remaining two counts.

One Wale Ajisebutu has written to a Federal High Court in Lagos seeking to withdraw as a surety for a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, who is facing money laundering charges.

Ajisebutu was one of the two persons who stood as
sureties for Fani-Kayode in the fulfilment of the bail
conditions granted him by Justice Ramat Mohammed in
December 2008.

The bail was in the sum of N200m.
Ajisebutu’s application to withdraw was listed for hearing before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia on Tuesday. It was, however, not taken as it was learnt that Fani- Kayode had written to the court seeking for an adjournment.

The surety said he was withdrawing because he had an
urgent need for the documents of his landed property, which he had deposited into the court’s custody.

Further proceeding in Fani-Kayode’s trial had been adjourned till March 26.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had charged him with 40 counts of money laundering.

It was the allegation of the anti-graft agency, that while he was Minister of Culture of Tourism and the Minister of Aviation, Fani-Kayode severally dealt in cash sums above N500,000 without going through any financial institution.

The alleged offence was said to have contravened Sections 15(1) (a) (b) (c) (d) and 15 (2) (a) (b) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2004.

But Ofili-Ajumogobia, had on November 17, dismissed 38 of the counts for failure of the EFCC to prove the particulars of the offence.

Fani-Kayode, who is the Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, is currently canvassing arguments to exonerate himself of the remaining two counts.

The counts read, “That you, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode on or before September 20, 2006, while serving as Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made a transaction exceeding N500,000 which was not done through financial institution, by accepting cash payment of N1m, which sum was further paid into your personal account
number, 103450252601 with First Inland Bank PLc Apapa branch, now FCMB, through one Supo Agbaje, your administrative staff, now at large.

Nigerians Decides - BETWEEN JONATHAN AND BUHARI.

“My presidential ambition is not worth the blood of any
Nigerian.” So said President Goodluck Jonathan before the 2011
presidential ballot. To this day, he has continued to reiterate
his pacifist message. But entrenched in an antipodal zone is
General Buhari who made the following incendiary statement in
the Vanguard of May 15, 2012: “If what happened in 2011
should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and
the baboon would be soaked in blood.” So, where is the basis
for comparison between the Nigerian President and the
presidential candidate of the APC? Wetin concern centre rank
with open order?

The opposition is daily on television, advertising General
Obasanjo – a man who traitorously tried but woefully failed to
wangle himself into a third, unconstitutional term of
presidential office –peering into a script and croakily
announcing that Dr. Jonathan had committed himself to a single
term of office as President of Nigeria. The opposition’s
intention is to portray President Jonathan as untrustworthy.

But, all the money thrown into that dubious political advert is
achieved nothing. This is because, had there been a commitment
to a single term, it would have had to come from the mouth of
the one expected to live the commitment. But, there sat Dr.
Jonathan, astonished, as Obasanjo read a script of his own
and his cohorts’ composition, aimed at scoring points that can
only be devious. Of course, President Jonathan couldn’t
possibly be tied to a questionable pact whose enunciation he
knew next to nothing about.

Contrast this to General Muhammadu Buhari, who upon his
third successive thrashing at the presidential ballot, addressed
a press conference, telling Nigerians on live television that he
was through with further participation in partisan politics,
including presidential elections. Who then has taken Nigerians
for a ride? The one on whose account various schemes were
devised to impose a single presidential tenure, or the one who
said “No more” only to renege?
In discussing Nigeria’s economy, the best person to speak for
the Jonathan administration is Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the
Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of
Finance:“We are improving infrastructure across the country.

For example, 22 airport terminals are being refurbished, and
five new international airport terminals under construction in
Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Enugu…
“Various road and bridge projects have either been completed
or are under construction. Those completed include the Enugu –
Abakaliki road in Enugu/Ebonyi States, the Oturkpo–Oweto
road in Benue State, the Benin–Ore–Shagamu highway, and the
Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja dualisation, and the Kano–Maiduguri
dualisation. The Lagos – Ibadan expressway and the Second
Niger Bridge are under construction.

“Rail from Lagos to Kano is now functional, as are parts of the
rail link between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri. All these have
brought transport costs down. We recognize that more needs
to be done in the power sector, but bold steps (like the
privatization of the GENCOs and DISCOs) have been taken,
and our gas infrastructure is being developed to power
electricity generation
“In Agriculture, over 6 million farmers now have access to
inputs like fertilizers and seeds through an e-wallet system,
which is more than the 403,222 that had access in 2011. Rice
paddy production took off for the first time in our history,
adding about 7 million MT to rice supply. An additional 1.3
million MT of Cassava has also been produced and as a result,
the rate of food price increase has slowed considerably,
according to the NBS.

What is General Buhari going to do about the Nigerian
economy? An answer can be found in APC’s manifesto on
which Economics Professor, Charles Soludo, an ardent
sympathizer of the party, has the following adverse
commentary: “Buhari and his team must realize that they do
not yet have a coherent, credible agenda that is consistent
with the fundamentals of the economy currently. The APC
manifesto contains some good principles and wish-lists, but as
a blue print for Nigeria’s security and prosperity, it is largely
hollow. The numbers do not add up.” Buhari, a former military
Head of State, has thrice tried to be elected president and is
currently a presidential candidate. How does one explain that
he has but only a “largely hollow” manifesto regarding the
country’s future?

While this is pondered, attention should be turned to national
security. Alhaji Shehu Shagari is alive and well, thanks to
God’s abiding mercies. The ex-President can confirm that, after
Maitatsine insurgents were crushed under his watch, he told an
interviewer that he was grateful to God that the insurgency
had happened in his home region because, had it taken place
elsewhere, opposition politicians would have accused him of
killing civilians who were not his kith and kin. President
Jonathan has been in this dilemma. He ordered troops fighting
Boko Haram terrorists to be wary of collateral damage. It was
one reason the initial sightings of the kidnapped Chibok girls
did not lead to military offensive, given that such an action
could have endangered the lives of the young girls everybody
wants returned alive. Yet, every military move against the
terrorists is followed by strident opposition threats to head to
The Hague and file suits against “human rights” abuses.
Gallant Nigerian soldiers and other security officers are dying
on a daily basis, to provide security for the rest of society.

Yet, opposition flanks consider the war to be President
Jonathan’s alone, refusing to lend support, but exaggerating
every tiny reverse suffered. Buhari says he will end the
insurgency in weeks, if not days. Nowhere in the world, not in
Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya,
Syria or Yemen has terrorism ever been turned off like an
electric switch. No one has the least idea how General Buhari
intends to perform his promised miracle. Perhaps he knows
what most Nigerians are starkly ignorant of. But it is on
record that Boko Haram nominated him their negotiator at a
proposed peace conference, which he declined.

The fact is that President Jonathan’s best efforts and
commendable achievements have, at every turn, been vitiated
by negative press contrived by the opposition and promoted by
international lobbyists who religiously collect their dollars by
the millions but care not a hoot whether Nigeria burns or
drowns. There is one consolation though: no one can bury the
truth.

The Certainty Of Jonathan's Victory

With the presidential elections four weeks away, Nigerians are
set for a spectacular déjà vu. The APC, despite the din of its
premature celebrations, is headed for a pasting. The reasons
are obvious. Take the APC hawkers and their ware, to begin
with. An Igbo proverb says that the eye eats before the mouth.
But the leading APC vendors happen to be Alhaji Tinubu and
Chief Obasanjo. Their mention is nothing to do with their
physical appearance. After all, neither created himself. It rather
has everything to do with the ugliness of their politics.

Obasanjo carries on, regardless. But he it was that wiped out
Odi and Zaki Biam with military expeditions, and he also
contrived a futile third term project that set off a hemorrhage
in the nation’s finances. Tinubu, for his unflattering part, is
fronting a campaign against corruption, a topic he has never
referred to in all the verbiage he has deemed fit to harangue
the wary and weary with. How, then, can the duo market a
product from which the masses, who remember, screen their
faces? It was Buhari, the military dictator, who cancelled the
Lagos Metroline Project conceived by Governor Lateef Jakande.
The spiteful action cost Nigeria billions, and continues to cost
Nigerians even greater billions in terms of endless traffic jams
and the daily loss of incalculable man hours. Yet, Alhaji Buhari
has never apologized for that unpatriotic action.

How does one expect this man in whose dictionary the word
compunction does not exist to be the harbinger of change?
Invited to the presidential debate, people hoped Buhari’s
participation would reveal whether or not he has progressed
from the stone-age policy of trade-by-barter (countertrade),
which his junta inflicted on the polity decades ago. He
demurred, citing negative press. People laughed who believe
that he ducked to mask his diffidence. But, where else in the
world would a presidential candidate with pretensions to
seriousness dodge an interlocution with colleagues? Rather,
Buhari headed for London in the teeth of winter, there to
confer with Mr. Tony Blair, a former Prime Minister who
vacated office nearly a decade ago!

Had Buhari’s handlers packaged his UK trip with a modicum of
honesty, some of his less alarming deficits may have been
overlooked. Instead, they posted 2013 pictures of the man in
London, in an untidy effort to deflect charges that he hit the
British capital for health reasons. Not only that, they
excavated pictures taken at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, and
claimed it was Buhari in London granting an interview. It all
brought to mind another of their disingenuous lies – the
posting of the photograph of a mammoth congregation at a
Reinhard Bonnke religious crusade which it named Buhari’s
Kano campaign. Why does the APC believe that Nigerians are
so gullible that they would confuse its penchant for mendacity
with the magic of change?

Despite the raggedness of its product, the APC managed a lot
of traction, it must be acknowledged. How the party contrived
this is not difficult to tell. Using huge sums of money the
source of which it dares not declare, the party engaged
lobbyists in America and Britain who influenced leading
Western publications into dishing out sawdust aimed at
demonizing President Jonathan and discrediting his
administration.

Back in Nigeria, the APC appropriated the social media, using it
to skew polls and promote a façade of Buhari invincibility. In
the wake of the media blitzkrieg, textbook Marxists,
Communists and Socialists around tertiary institutions who
previously speechified students on the fine points of
progressivism, shamelessly lined up behind stationary broom-
wielders with a fake promise of change on their tongue, vowing
to go blindfolded with them into battle! It didn’t occur to the lot
that, in the age of vacuum cleaners, the broom is anachronistic.
It all explains why, without realizing that a lot of these
“revolutionary” characters are actually anticipating another
Yar’Adua-out-Jonathan-in scenario, Buhari claimed victory well
before the first vote was cast! What if he lost, journalists
asked. “I will not answer that question because I cannot lose”,
he responded. But defeat already stares him in the face
because the people have seen through the hypocrisy of the
APC, a party so unpatriotic that it has, so far, contributed
absolutely nothing to the efforts to defeat Boko Haram.

Gallant and youthful Nigerian soldiers, with pluck and
gumption, are dying every day to save the country from the
blight of terrorism. The lines of their widows and the queues of
their orphans are lengthening by the hour. But whereas
Cameroonians, Chadians and Nigeriens are united in their own
countries against Boko Haram, the APC has nothing but
orchestrated blame and censure for the best efforts of our
Commander-in-Chief and our armed forces. That is not the way
to win elections. The APC already danced itself lame while the
music has just started. It since ran out of gas. And the ballot
is still four weeks away.

President Jonathan was asked what will happen if he lost. “I
will hand over power to the victorious candidate” he answered.
That is the real face of democratic change, which is self-
evident in his Transformation Agenda. He will not lose; he has
four more years of selfless service to render to his
appreciative countrymen and women.

By Chuks Iloegbunam.

Prominent Yoruba people have endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election.

The Yoruba leaders endorsed the President during a
summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday.

The summit which was tagged “The national
conference, 2015 elections and the Yoruba Nation,”
took place at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan where the
presidential candidate of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari
(retd) was rejected.

They claimed Buhari did so many damages to the
zone during his tenure as head of state and that
they were not ready to forgive him.

The summit was organized by the Ondo State
Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and had many
prominent Yoruba sons and daughters in
attendance, including ; Chief Olu Falae, former
Presidential candidate of the Alliance for
Democracy/ All Peoples Party; Chief Reuben
Fasoranti, Leader, Afenifere; General Adeyinka
Adebayo (retd), leader of the Yoruba Council of
Elders; Senator Femi Okurounmu; Otunba Kunle
Olajide, former Secretary, YCE; Chief Shuaibu
Oyedokun, PDP leader; Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu;
Otunba Gbenga Daniels, former Governor of Ogun
State; Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, former
governor of Oyo State; Mr. Peter Obi, former
Governor of Anambra State; Dr. Doyin Okupe,
Senior Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to
President Jonathan; Otunba Iyiola Omisore; Chief
Richard Akinjide (SAN), former Minister of Justice
and Attorney General of the Federation; and
Senator Lekan Balogun, a PDP chieftain.

Also at the summit were Oloye Jumoke Akinjide,
Minister of State, FCT; Prof. Wale Oladipo, national
secretary of PDP; Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Publicity
Secretary, Afenifere; Senator Teslim Folarin, PDP
governorship candidate in Oyo State; Otunba Gani
Adams, Oodua Peoples Congress national co-
ordinator; Prof. Temitope Alonge, Chief Medical
Director, University College Hospital, some
members of Accord Party and Labour Party among
others.
Governor Mimiko who organized the summit said,
“Today, the Yoruba people have marched out in
their large numbers to their political capital, Ibadan
to discuss and articulate once more, an issue which
for decades, has been considered to be the main
agenda for their race. You will recall that for
several decades, the Yoruba were at the fore front
of the agitation for the convocation of a National
Conference.

“I, therefore, congratulate the Yoruba Nation and
all Nigerians that finally, their dream of coming
together to dialogue how they should be governed
has come to reality.

“Let me salute President Jonathan for his bold and
momentous move as well as his focused leadership
which was demonstrated through his compliance
with the agitations by Nigerians to debate their
collective future. Convening the 2014 National
Conference was
indeed a historic assignment that we are proud of
and as a people, we must do everything possible to
ensure that the Confab recommendations get
implemented.

“The Confab Report when implemented, will create
room for each state to have its own constitution,
its own police force, its own prison service, can
create its own local governments, can build its own
airports, seaports and railways and in addition; in
the economic domain, solid minerals that had been
the exclusive
preserve of the Federal Government since
independence, have now been brought to the
concurrent list.
“States can now create employment and develop at
their own pace. With all that, it liberates
everybody, it opens up the political space.”

Rebels declare Islamic state in Iraq, Syria

Islamist militant group, ISIS, has said it is establishing a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.

It also proclaimed the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as caliph and “leader for Muslims everywhere.”

Setting up a caliphate ruled by the strict Islamic law has long been a goal of many jihadists.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s army continued an offensive to retake the northern city of Tikrit from the ISIS-led rebels, the BBC reports.

The city was seized by the insurgents on June 11 as they swept across large parts of northern-western Iraq.

In a separate development, Israel called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in response to the gain made by the Sunni rebels in Iraq.

ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) announced the establishment of the caliphate in an audio recording posted on the internet.

ISIS also said that from now on it would be known simply as “the Islamic State.”

The BBC says the declaration harks back to the rise of Islam, when the Prophet Muhammad’s followers conquered vast territories in the Middle Ages.

Why we conceded defeat in Ekiti – Oyegun

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, said the party conceded victory to the Peoples Democratic Party in the Ekiti governorship election to prevent the outbreak of violence.

Oyegun, who said this in Benin on Sunday while fielding questions from journalists, also said that contrary to insinuations the Ekiti governorship poll was characterised with lots of irregularities.

He said that it was in view of these irregularities that the party took the decision to challenge the election result in the court.

“It should be noted that we didn’t just concede victory because the election was flawless but we took the decision to avoid violence.

“We did not want anything that will make the people react negatively and violently.

“The party will challenge the trampling on the fundamental human rights of the people before during and after the election,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the APC chairman as saying to journalists.

He urged Nigerians to embrace the APC as the new party with a different agenda to fix Nigeria.
Oyegun said, “We are presenting our party as new, as different, and we have done the studies as people who truly care.

“There is no way we can prove it to you because we have never ruled this country but we can tell you to look at APC-controlled states.

“We are not pretending to be angels, politics is not a seminary nor is it the papacy but what is important is what are you doing with the lives of the people?

“Are you restoring hopes to their lives? Are you making their lives better? If not for themselves, do they believe that the lives of their children will be better?

“Are your policies concentrated on improving their lives? Are the sectors working in the interest of the ordinary Nigerian?

“Do we have power, do we have quality schools, do we have security and do we have jobs?”

Oshiomhole Threatens Law Suit Against Authorities

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has threatened to sue any authority who attempts to infringe on his fundamental human rights if his right to movement from one place to another within the country is violated again.

According to ThisDay, the governor made this known at the weekend while playing host to the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Benin Airport Branch, who came to apologise for the barring of the governor's chartered helicopter at the airport.


Responding, Oshiomhole disclosed that immediately after the incident, he called President Goodluck Jonathan to make some enquiries on the development, but noted that he was convinced the order to stop his helicopter from taking off from the airport didn't come from the president.

"The next time I’m so interrupted, I will not fail to go to court and challenge the infringement on my fundamental rights to movement. We need to strengthen our democracy. We need to breathe air into our multi-party democracy" he said.

The governor, who advised the agency to abstain from partisan politics and concentrate on professionalism said: "it will be a sad day if the management of a sensitive institution that has to do with air safety joins the club of politicians and political actors. I am saying this from my experience over the cause of my stewardship here. Twice my chartered chopper has been stopped by your agents and the airport authority for reasons that have nothing to do with professional judgment but purely for partisan political reason".

Responding, the Airspace Manager, NAMA, Benin Airport, Ibekwe  Ikechi said: "If things have happened before, let it be in the past, please".

Ikechi further solicited a cordial working relationship with the state government, and reiterated the agency's readiness to further improve its operations in the Benin Airport.

It would be recalled that Governor Adam Oshiomhole's helicopter was stopped from taking off from Benin airport by soldiers on the day the governor was supposed to attend the political rally of Ekiti State governor, Fayemi Kayode.

High-level corruption rocks $470million CCTV project that could secure Abuja

Since the installation of the CCTV cameras, criminal have launched violent attacks on Abuja without being detected.
 
The failure of the National Public Security Communication System, NPSCS; otherwise known as the CCTV project, has heightened the level of insecurity in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, PREMIUM TIMES checks have revealed.

The project which was initiated by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, was conceived to help security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory check the growing insecurity in the federal capital.

But since the installation of the CCTV cameras and allied equipment, criminals and insurgents have over and over again launched violent attacks on the city without being detected.

Between 2010 when the project was initiated and now, Abuja has come under seven deadly attacks, leaving scores of people dead and properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

The first bomb explosion in the city occurred on 1st October, 2010, a few meters from the Three Arms Zone, during the country’s 50th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.

Three Arms Zone is home to the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly Complex and the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND claimed responsibility for the twin car bombs which killed 10 and injured many more.

On June 16, 2011, a suicide bomber drove a bomb-laden car and rammed into the parking lot of the Police headquarters, shortly after the convoy of the then Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, entered the complex.

Two persons died, including the traffic warden who prevented the bomber from ramming the bomb-laden vehicle into the main building, while several cars at the parking were burnt.

On August 26, 2011, another suicide bomber rammed a bomb-laden car into the United Nations building along the Diplomatic Drive in Abuja, killing about 20 persons.

Another suicide bomber, on April 26, 2012, attacked the Abuja office of the Thisday Newspaper, ripping off the roof of the building and killing innocent staff.

However, on April 14, twin blasts rocked the Nyanya Motor Park killing 71, while 124 persons suffered life-threatening injuries.

Barely two weeks after the April 14 attack, another one occurred opposite the same Nyanya Motor Park on May 1, killing nine and injuring scores of persons.

On Wednesday, June 24, another bomb went off at Emab Plaza, a busy shopping plaza in the heart of the capital, killing 21 persons.

In all the attacks, the CCTV cameras installed across the city could not pick up images of the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.

PREMIUM TIMES has learnt that some of the CCTV cameras installed around the capital city are mere toys, ostensibly fixed to deceive the public.

Top officers at the Force Headquarters, who pleaded not to be quoted because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, said while some of the cameras were functional, several others,
were dormant, making the task of policing the city a difficult and sometimes impossible one.

It was also found that most of the crimes in the city are committed outside the CCTV coverage area as most of the functional cameras are concentrated within the Three Arms Zone and some parts of the Business District.

One of our sources said, “The truth is that the CCTV cameras in Abuja are not helping us much in tackling insecurity in the city. It is like taking an inadequate dosage of a drug when you have a major health challenge.

“The drug will not work because it does not meet the required dosage. But when you take the required dosage, the drug will be able to deal with the ailment.

“That is the same situation we have with the CCTV cameras installed here in Abuja. Some of the cameras are working but a lot more are not working thereby creating many dark spots in the city.

“The camera is not helping much because most of the crimes occur in some of the dark spots. If a crime is committed in some of the coverage areas, it will be possible to detect them with the cameras.”

Another official revealed that the NPSCS project has been a subject of hire-wired intrigue and corruption by top officials of the Police Affairs Ministry and the Presidency.

“The contract was awarded and paid for, long before the present IGP came on board but a lot of people are trying to rope him into the problem when they know those who were responsible for the failed project,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the NPSCS project was initiated to help Nigeria tackle the increasing level of insecurity in the country as far back as 2010.

Investigation showed that late President Umaru Yar’Adua was persuaded by some of his powerful aides to award the $470 million project to the Chinese firm, ZTE Corporation, in August 2010 without carrying out due diligence on the company.

The project, which was funded through a $600 million credit facility obtained from the Chinese EXIMBANK, was slated for completion in May, 2011.

Part of the project consisted of the installation of Close Circuit Television Cameras, CCTV, in many parts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The NPSCS project is based on the Global Open Trunking Architecture (GoTa), a new technology that provides strategic telecommunications solutions to targeted clientele.

Olusegun Aganga, the then Minister of Finance, led the Federal Government’s delegation to Beijing where the loan agreement for the project was signed with the Chinese EXIMBANK in June 2010.
Former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri and the then Inspector-General of Police, Halfiz Ringim, were also part of the delegation.

The $600 million financing portfolio for the project was secured as a soft credit loan with three percent interest repayable in 10 years after an initial 10 years of grace.

The project was expected to create a dedicated trunk system for inter-agency communications and linkages as well as remove critical national security agencies from private network operators and service providers.

Late Mr. Yar’Adua had during a visit to China on March 1, 2008, made a brief stop at Shanghai where he held talks with top executives of ZTE Researching and Development Centre.

The outcome of the discussion culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Government of Nigeria and ZTE Corporation.

The government, PREMIUM TIMES learnt, made a down payment of $70, 500,000 which is 15 percent of the total contract sum and signed a Sovereign Guarantee to the tune of $399, 500, 000 to enable ZTE source the loan from the Chinese Government.

However, the project was piloted with the installation of solar-powered security cameras and allied security infrastructure in many parts of Abuja.

But PREMIUM TIMES has learnt that some of the materials deployed for the critical national security infrastructure are of low quality compared to what those used in China. Yet Nigerian authorities are not known to have lifted a finger in protest.

This newspaper also learnt that the contract was signed and executed in secrecy based on the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed between the Nigerian government and the Chinese firm.

Article 4 of MoU specifically indicated that the terms agreed upon by the parties be kept secret.
“The terms of this MoU are agreed by both parties to be confidential. All confidential information shall not be disclosed to third parties or used for any other purpose or the possibility of a business relationship between the parties unless agreed by both parties,” the document read.

The secrecy clause in the MoU, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, was created to allow top officials of the Police Affairs Ministry and the presidency to negotiate away some of the critical elements of the project.

The source at the Presidency further confided in PREMIUM TIMES that the secrecy clause violated every rule of transparency and accountability and should not have been allowed in the MoU.

When contacted, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, told PREMIUM TIMES he was not competent to speak on the NPSCS contract.

The Chief Press Secretary at the Police Affairs Ministry, James Odaudu, told PREMIUM TIMES the CCTV project is a sensitive national security operation that should not be discussed publicly.

When further pressed for comments, he said, “It is not possible that the whole of Abuja can be covered in one phase of the project. It is an ongoing project with a lot of rooms for expansion.

“If there are challenges, we will sort them out with time. There are no projects without challenges.”
Mr. Aganga, the then Finance Minister, now Minter of Trade and Investment would not speak to PREMIUM TIMES or reply to an email sent to him on the matter.

When PREMIUM TIMES visited ZTE Corporation Nigeria at No. 5 Dep Street, Maitama, Abuja to speak with its officials on the matter, a security man at the gates said visitors are not allowed into the premises unless on invitation.

Attempts to convince the private security staff on the need to alert top officials of the company on the presence of our staff, also failed.

An email to the corporate headquarters of the company in China was not also replied, weeks after it was sent.

Ihonvbere on firing line at 58

At 58, Edo State Secretary to Government Prof. Julius Ihonvbere stands before the mirror of history.But, what the future holds for him is more important as the succession battle rages in the Southsouth state. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE reports.

As Secretary to Edo State Government Prof. Julius Ihonvbere marks his 58th birthday today, he is on the weighing scale.

To many people, the political scientist from Owan West is a professional in politics. Ihonvbere is one of the patriotic Nigerians whose pro-democracy activities heralded the restoration of civil rule in 1999. Thus, the NationalDemocratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftain has paid his due as a university don and activist. When he joined the government, his past activities continued to shape his post-1999 intervention in socio-political affairs of the country.

The eminent teacher has rubbed shoulders in intellectual output with his contemporaries in the advanced world-Canada, United States of America andAustralia. But, in answering the call to duty, he decided to return home to contribute to nation-building.

Today, he is the rallying point for the political class in Owan. Ahead of 2015, the people have urged him to indicate interest in the Senate. They believe that he will add value and make impact in the Upper Chamber. Although there are some elements in Owan who loathe his towering profile, the support he has also garnered from Esan Local Government has silenced his detractors who are jealous of his popularity and track record. A lawyer from Esan Local Government Area, who wondered why a prophet is not honoured at home, said: “Since they don’t know his value, Esan people need him in the next world to come”.

Grassroots politicians in the two councils have been paying homage to Ihonvbere for his leadership qualities. Among them are councillors, supervisors, legislators and other party leaders.

A stakeholder from Sobe, Mr. Joseph Uwaifo, said: “The number one person we are following is Professor Julius Ihonvbere. I am from Sobe and we know the value of good people like Ihonvbere.

Our future will never be the same again, if we follow the right way, which is where we are now.”
A politician, Obazee Osuma from Ward One, said that it in the interest of Owan and Edo State that  scholars like Ihonvbere should constitute the intellectual structure of governance. Lauding the SSG for his loyalty to a rational cause. He advised Ihonvbere to develop a thick skin to the activities of detractors. “The divisive tendency of our people cannot stop us. Our youths are looking up to us.

Professor Ihonvbere is our leader. I want to appeal to him to forgive those who may offend him.No matter the degree of offence, please ,we want you and I personally want to beg you to take such persons as prodigal sons and forgive them.

“Owan West cannot remain like this.  But, I sympathise with you; you are not supposed to be born here. You are supposed to be born in places like Canada, America, Australia, but today, you are born into Owan West and some people do not respect you or know your value. You have helped so many of them, but they are paying you in bad coin.”

To Prince Osomaye Monday, the Majority Leader of Owan West Legislative Arm, the SSG has the support of the local All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains. He said: “We are proud of our Professor. Nobody can take him away from us to America or Canada. We are G7 Councilors out of 10 and we are solidly behind Professor Julius Ihonvbere.”

A lawyer from Esan,  Mr. Enereba, advised the people to see ihonvbere as a role model and mentor to the younger generation.

But, a politician Hon. Peter Ologun, said that the younger generation should imbebe his ideology of progressivism. Progressivism, he said, “is the political attitude that favours change or reforms in governmental action; it is the act of enforcing ideas that oppose elitism, subjectivity, conservatism and reactionary governance. Ihonvbere believes in this school of thought.”

Ologun added: “One character that fits this bill in the contemporary Edo State politics is Ihonvbere. He is a man of the people, a philanthropist, teacher and a progressive politician, who has not betrayed the trust and confidence reposed in him.”

A Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, John Mayaki, said: “Professor Ihonvbere represents different things to different people. To some, he is a rare writer who has authored many books that have served and still serving the needs of readers, a respected public commentator, opinion leader, a teacher and mentor.

“To others, he is intelligent and very bold. He is such an enigma and a hugely successful public servant with an uncommon courage and deter-mination to succeed.

“Professor Ihonvbere is among the few in public office who has shunned opulence and personal aggrand-isement. He left a legacy of honour and integrity at the Ford Foundation and the Presidency.

He is one man who sees public office as potent weapon for social change. He is committed to the good of the society. He is the friend of the masses.

Describing Ihonvbere as a man of the future, he advised him to be focussed, honest and loyal to the government and people of Edo State.

“As John Maxwell, the world acclaimed authority on leadership, in his book; The Right to Lead, asked : What gives a man or a woman the right to lead? He provided the answer:  the right to lead is not gained by election or appointment.

Having position, title, rank, or degrees does not come automatically from age or experience either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead, the right to lead can only be earned. Ihonvbere has earned the right to lead.”

1,000 PDP Members Decamp To Labour Party In Ogun

More than 1,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have decamped to the Labour Party (LP) in Ogun.

During the meeting held at the Ogun East Senatorial office party state Chairman Comrade Niyi Osoba stressed the fact the the Labour Party, which provides good welfare packages for residents, is aimed at liberating people of the state.

According to him, if the Laborers take over control of the state in 2015, they will fulfill numerous educational projects under the Tai Solarin University of Education founded by party leader in the state Otunda Gbenga Daniel, PM News reports.

Meanwhile Otunba Gbenga Daniel addressed LP members having briefed them on the current plans and results of their work.

The official also pledged full support by Ogun Labour Party of for President Goodluuck Jonathan at the 2015 elections.

INEC will replicate Ekiti success in Osun, 2015 polls – Jega

Commission, parties discuss campaign guidelines for next year’s elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, assured on Tuesday that it would repeat the feat it recorded in last Saturday’s election in Ekiti State in future elections.

The Commission’s Chairman, Attahiru Jega, who stated this in Abuja at a meeting with the leaderships of the 26 registered political parties, said the experience in Ekiti election would be improved upon specifically in both the August 17 governorship election in Osun State and the 2015 general elections.

The chairmen and secretaries of the parties attended the meeting held at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.

The parley was part of the Commission’s efforts to harmonize and approve the guidelines for the commencement of the election campaign by candidates and conduct of election primaries by political parties ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Mr. Jega commended the efforts of the parties in contributing to the peaceful conduct of the Ekiti election and asked them to make the same commitment during future elections.

He said, “From the INEC staff, to the young men and women of the NYSC and other tertiary institutions, to the security agencies, political parties, civil society organizations and the candidates and host of other stakeholders, every one put together in their best and our collective best turned out to be good enough in Ekiti. That is how it should be and it is a very good lesson for our future elections.

“The successful conduct of a free, fair and peaceful election in Ekiti is a good omen for the subsequent elections to come, and indeed for the satisfaction of the aspiration of Nigerians for a consolidated democracy. We must therefore not rest on our oars, but continue to do our best collectively to sustain and keep on improving on this achievement.

“The coming election in Osun state, God willing should on the count be better, and the 2015 general elections must be the best. It is therefore a challenge for all of us to join hands and continue to work together to ensure this necessary outcome.”

He said the Commission was not happy with the way the parties and their candidates were flouting election campaign and threatened to sanction any of them who failed to follow the 90 days prescribed in the Electoral Act before embarking on campaign.

The Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Tanko Yinusa, who congratulated the INEC chairman on the successful conduct of the Ekiti governorship election, noted that the Council had a 13-point agenda which it forwarded to INEC for consideration.

Mr. Yinusa, who is also the National chairman of National Conscience Party, NCP, stated that highlights of the agenda, which it intended to discuss with the National Assembly included measures to ensure the survival of political parties, registration and deregistration as well as funding of political parties.

Newly Elected Fayose Promises To Leave Government House In 2018

Peter Ayodele Fayose who was governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria from 2003 to 2006, and was declared as the winner of the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State in 2014 has announced his plans to serve only one term.

The newly elected Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, whose inauguration will take place on Oct 16 2014, promised not to run for a second term in office and assured that his deputy, Dr. Olusola Eleka, won’t succeed after Fayose's tenure expires in 2018. This information was made available to newsmen during a media conference in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, 22 June.

As the Nigerian Constitution does not allow an elected office holder for the same office more than twice, Fayose will have to quit in 2018

“I have taken one and I will take another one in October. After that, I will find my way to my house. Again, I have chosen a deputy governor and I have told him from the beginning that the two of us will pack our load and leave the Government House because I don’t want a deputy that will start playing politics behind me when we are in government and will be distracting me. I don’t want that again.”

Soyinka Reacts Over Governorship Elections In Ekiti

Fayose also expressed his willingness to cooperate with Fayemi to ensure peace in the state. During a courtesy visit to Fayemi in his office on Monday, 23 June, 2014, Fayose described the incumbent governor as an unusual Nigerian leader and called him his brother.

“Fayemi is the leader of our state as of today. He has conceded defeat. He is my brother and forever will remain my brother. He has contributed his quota, he has done his best like every other governor that has served and we must continue to give him the necessary respect that he deserves,” Fayose said.

Ekiti Election: NGF congratulates Fayose, Fayemi

“The peaceful conduct of the election assures us all that the future of democracy is bright”.

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The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, has congratulated the newly elected Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on his election at the just concluded gubernatorial elections in Ekiti state.

The forum in a statement by its Director General, Ashishana Okauru, on Tuesday in Abuja also commended the people of Ekiti for their conduct during the election.

“We also congratulate the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi for demonstrating a rare spirit of sportsmanship by accepting the outcome of the election and promising to work with Mr. Fayose to take Ekiti state forward,” the NGF said.

It also said the people of the Ekiti have made all Nigerians proud by demonstrating, again, that the citizens, on their own can choose their leaders on their own terms, in an ordered manner.

“The peaceful conduct of the election assures us all that the future of democracy is bright.

“We commend the handling of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC]. We urge all other national institutions and security agencies to emulate INEC, eschew partisanship and learn to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism. They should put their services at the disposal of all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations.

“We call on the governor-elect to see the election as one in which there is no victor and no vanquished.

We urge him to put behind him the acrimony and controversy that characterized electioneering in the state in the past few months and begin to work out a master plan to give quality governance to the people of the state.

“We trust that Mr. Fayose will demonstrate the requisite large-heartedness to warm up to all Ekiti people irrespective of their political affiliations,” it said.

Edo crisis: Elders flay Deputy Speaker

The All Progressive Congress (APC) Elders’ Forum in Esan South East Constituency of Edo State has disowned the embattled Deputy Speaker of the  House of Assembly, Festus Ebea, describing him as an ingrate.

The Deputy Speaker has recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with other legislators.

A member of the forum, Elder Samuel Eboigbe, said: “ When the issue of who will represent the people of Esan South East in the House of Assembly came up and Festus Ebea and Larry Aghedo showed interest, some leaders vehemently kicked against the candidature of Festus Ebea because of his antecedents.

“In one of our numerous meetings at leader Victor Eboigbe’s house, at about 2 am, with all the leaders in attendance, some leaders said that they knew little or nothing about Ebea in Ubiaja politics. Some leaders reminded the people about Ebea’s role in the nomination of Adam Oshiomhole during the congress.”

Eboigbe alleged that  Ebea attempted to subvert the nomination of Adams Oshiomhole in Esan South East.

He added: “Then came the House of Assembly election, Festus Ebea showed interest to contest, but many people kicked against his candidature. Some leaders refused vehemently knowing his antecedent. Before then even as secretary, Edo State Rapid Response Agency, Festus Ebea, was still hobnobbing with PDP.

The APC elder recalled that the accident had left the Deputy speaker’s leg broken. “The first set of persons that took him to the private hospital at Uromi were his PDP friend but during his stay at the private hospital at Uromi it was the office of Rapid Response Agency that came to his rescue with cash and other needs.”

He disclosed that three months after the accident he was discharged from the hospital, “but his broken leg was almost rotten, he could no longer move with the leg and so could not go to the office.

“Despite this his salary was going on, well paid, as at when due for over one year. Again, a time came when the suspended Deputy Speaker Festus Ebea could no longer get out of his rented apartment. He cried to leader Victor Eboigbe and Managing Director Edo State Rapid Response Agency, for help”.

In response, the Managing Director Engineer Stanley Dako wrote a very powerful and sympathetic letter to the same Governor whom he worked against, during the congress and who appointed him the secretary of Rapid Response Agency despite all odds for assistance.

The Kind Oshiomhole, who does not look back at any one’s antecedent, approved that request and gave Festus Ebea the sum of Four Million, Two hundred Thousand naira to go for treatment abroad. Today he no longer limps, He walks with his two legs, that was to be amputated.”

According to him, “some persons told our leader that Larry was a better promising man to be trusted, and that we should support him, but our stand at that time almost caused a rift between some leaders.

For instance, Victor Eboigbe, who incidentally is the youngest among the leaders was able to manage the situation and the ticket for the House of Assembly was given to Festus Ebea.”

He  said: “Festus Ebea did not even campaign one day on his own. The people of Esan South east did the campaign for him .The Comrade Governor crowned it all by going round the Local Government Area to ask for the support for Festus Ebea.

“Next Year, is the House of Assembly Election, and Ebea knows very well that he cannot win  the primary, hence, he think his defection to PDP will help him out. Since he became a member of the House, Festus Ebea has no consistency office. He has never visited his people to tell them what is going on in the house, The people of san South East who he represents, do not know what he is doing. The constituency fund! No one knows about it and the supposed project that follows.”

The APC elders explained that it was for the fear of the questions that will followed very soon, so  Ebea decided to defect to PDP but he forgot that wherever he goes with the people’s money, he will be invited to account for it when the time comes. To cover up, he alleged that there was no single project in his consistency that is why he opted to move over to the PDP.

“If Festus Ebea is sincere, or is a man of conscience, he should be able to say the number of projects he as a member of Edo State Assembly since he assumed office executed in Esan South East. our people are not fools.

There are many more qualified politicians, but for the luck and the opportunity he had, he would not have been elected. This is a man who could not host people during his appointment as a secretary of Edo State Rapid Response Agency.”