FG appoints Abubakar Tanimu as new PTI registrar

Federal Government has appointed Mr Abubakar Tanimu as the new Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, in the Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

The new registrar, until his appointment was a Deputy Director, Human Resources Department of the Institute and a graduate of History/Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State in 1981.

A copy of Tanimu’s appointment letter which our correspondent obtained on Wednesday was signed by the Director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)/Statutory Chairman of the PTI Governing Council, Mr. Mordecai Ladan, on behalf of the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe.

The letter with Ref No PI/1158/VOL.7/29 said the appointment takes effect from October 13, 2016.

A statement later released by the Assistant Director/Head Public Affairs of the school, Mr. Brown Ukanefimoni on Wednesday said the registrar’s appointment is for a period of four years.

Ukanefimoni’s statement added, “Tanimu also obtained Professional Certificates in Administration from the Royal Institute in Public Administration, London and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

“Prior to joining the employ of the PTI, he was a frontline Journalist for 10years. Between 1982 and 1986, A. S. K. Tanimu was a Sub-Editor, Triumph Newspaper in Sokoto and Kaduna States; from 1986-1989.

“Tanimu is a professional member of Nigerian Institute of Management, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, and Affiliate member, Institute of Personnel Management,” the statement further added.

EFCC: Man Jailed 195 yrs over N21m fraud

A Kano High Court presided by Honourable Justice Dije Abdu Aboki has convicted and sentenced one Aliyu Suleiman to 195 years imprisonment for allegedly stealing over N21, 000,000 (Twenty one Million Naira only) from Albasu Microfinance Bank.
Upon his arraignment, the convict who was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on the September 30, 2014, pleaded not guilty to all the count charge brought against him by the EFCC. The convict was a former staff of Oceanic Bank who was engaged and entrusted by the Albasu Community to take charge of their Microfinance Bank.

While in charge, the convict violated that trust and siphoned over N21, 000,000 (Twenty Million Naira) by forging signatures of the other signatories to the funds. In her judgment on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, Justice Aboki sentenced the convict to serve two years on each of the first forty four counts he was charged with and a fine of N300, 000 on each. Where the convict defaults the fine, he is to serve additional six months imprisonment on each count. From count 45 to 74, the convict was sentenced to fine of N500, 000 or twelve months imprisonment on each count while on count 75 to 105, he is to pay fine of N200, 000 or twelve months imprisonment on each count with the exception of count 97 which appeared to be duplication. The sentences were to run concurrently. The convict was also ordered to restitute the sum of N14, 815,000 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand Naira Only) to the Albasu Community or spend five more years in prison.

Metuh disbursed N400m as approved by Goodluck Jonathan, witness tells court.

Mr Richard Ihediwa, a witness in the ongoing trial of former National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisah Metuh, said on Thursday that the N400 million Metuh got was disbursed as directed. Ihediwa, led in evidence by Mr Emeka Etiaba (SAN), counsel to Metuh, told the Abuja High Court that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave the directive on how the amount was to be spent.

He added that although the property, located in Asokoro area of Abuja, did not belong to Anenih, he assisted the PDP media team headed by the accused, in securing it. “The amount covered the cost of hiring the structure, utility vehicles as well as security gadgets at the centre,’’ he said. The witness also told the court that various sums were paid to some groups coordinated by some government functionaries, including late Oronto Douglas and Mallam Abbah Dabo. He said he was not very certain about the amount released to late Douglas, but added that N25 million was released to Dabo as mobilization for advocacy groups, in line with the directive. Ihediwa said the former president also approved different amounts for some other groups and Metuh disbursed the funds to them accordingly. He said because of the tension and high level of insecurity across the six geo-political regions of the country then, there was the need for government to mobilise various advocacy groups to stabilise the system. Meanwhile, Justice Okon Abang has reserved ruling for Nov. 15 on applications filed by the defence counsel.

Ondodecide: Jimoh Ibrahim’s lawyer, Izinyon withdraws self from case for ethical reasons.

Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), the counsel to Jimoh Ibrahim and the self-acclaimed Chairman of PDP in Ondo State, Biyi Poroye, in the ongoing appeal case over the governorship candidature of the PDP in the state, on Wednesday, withdrew himself from handling the case, citing ethical and integrity reasons.

Izinyon, in his letter to Ibrahim, a copy of which was made available to newsmen, said “with what happened yesterday in court with the matter associated with Mr Tayo Jegede’s motion, you’ll recall my person was indicted by the presiding justice as having foreknowledge of the petition written by Poroye despite by protest and innocence.” 


He said “It is in this regard that I hereby withdraw from further appearance.” For professional ethics and my integrity, I cannot continue on this as I was not told or given a copy of the said petition. It would be recalled that the Appeal panel led by Justice Jumai Sankey, specially constituted to give accelerated hearings to the case had withdrawn from the case on Tuesday over what they described as direct attack and abuse on their persons by Poroye through his petition against the panel. In his reaction through his social media platform, Ibrahim boasted that Izinyon is not privy to the ploy by his team to subvert justice in the case, and his team won’t relent on all effort to obstruct Justice. He said “In this matter we have 6 lawyers going to court while six are in the strategic room. If one is out, two will be added if one is paid 30m alone new one will get same. Izinyon is not even aware of cases we filed at Supreme Court. We know which lawyer we use for what.” Also, Izinyon told Jomoh that his letter of withdrawal was to enable Jimoh brief another lawyer who would take over the case. He equally talked of a joinder which he did for Jinmoh, an assignment which he was promised N10m (ten million naira) but which he had only received N5m (Five million naira). “Meanwhile, I have done the motion for joinder for you which is 50-50 chances as I discussed with you before. Your senator friend was to assist in this respect as he promised to pay me N10m (Ten million naira). Also, I have done Nos 2, 3 and 4 in the list sent on 27/10/2016 without any payment. In this connection kindly take out N5m (Five Million Naira) from the N10m (Ten Million Naira) given as we have done half with N5m (Five Million) you had promised to give for the secretarial service of all the other cases as listed as set off in the circumstances  for the balance,” he wrote. He also wrote that, “The joinder application we file was on the instruction of your Senator friend as stated above as at the cost he promised but nothing paid so far.”

Court grants church usher N1m bail for allegedly defiling 6-year-old

A Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Thursday slammed a one million naira bail on a 33-year-old man, Roland Olise, for alleged defilement of a six-year-old girl in a church in Lagos.

Olise, whose address was not provided, pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge of defilement.

The Chief Magistrate, Ipaye Nwachukwu, ordered the accused to produce two sureties in like sum.

Nwachukwu said one of the surety must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade level 14.

She said the sureties must provide evidence of tax payments to the government, and adjourned the case till Jan. 19, 2017 for mention.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at a church at Ajah-Lekki Area in Lagos at about 6.00 p.m on Oct. 21.
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Osayande said the accused, who was a church worker, was in church and he saw the six-year-old girl passing and he called her into the church where there wasn’t any body around and defiled her.
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She said that the girl knew the man as the church was there family church and that was why she comfortably entered the church with him.‎

The offence contravened Sections 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

PDP leaders visit Fani-Kayode, Mohammed, Obanikoro, Abati in EFCC custody

A delegation of the Peoples Democratic Party National Caretaker Committee and other top members of the party, led by the Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, visited some of its ranking members who are in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday.

Those visited included a former Minister of Aviation and spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed; a former Minister of State for Defense, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; and spokesman of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati.

The delegation that visited the detainees also included the National Secretary, Senator Ben Obi; National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye; National Organising Secretary, Senator Abdul Ningi; former Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Akin Osuntokun; Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Azibaola; and Hajiya Binta Kuraye.

They arrived the EFCC office at 2:30pm.

According to inside sources, the delegation encouraged the detainees and expressed full solidarity with them.

They further said that they were happy to see that despite their challenges and unwarranted detention, they were still strong and in high spirits, while urging them to keep the flag flying.

They assured all of them that the whole PDP family is solidly behind them and urged them to keep their heads held up high and remain strong.

In their response, the detainees expressed their gratitude to the delegation for the visit and the leadership they have demonstrated by coming to see them.

2019: APC’ll ensure Buhari re-contest – Oyegun

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has revealed plans by the leadership of the party to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to seek a second term by contesting the 2019 presidential election.

Though the election is still more than two years from now, and Buhari is yet to make any official pronouncement on his plan, Oyegun said that the party’s leadership will do everything possible to ensure that the president contests the election. Oyegun hinged this decision on two factors.

One, he said the president is the only politician in Nigeria today that has the capacity to win 12 million votes without major campaign. Two, Buhari, he said, is the only man who has the courage to make the changes that Nigeria need.

According to him, “There is no another Buhari in this country. Buhari is the only man who can command 12 million votes even without any major campaign. So, you can see the picture. Yes, there will be changes, the party will get new members or lose a few members, but there is no Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). So, there is no strong party any more to say you are going to join and strengthen it. It is only APC that is really a strong party.”

Oyegun added that he would commit Buhari’s second term project to prayer.

His words: “I will pray, fast to God that Buhari agrees to contest in 2019. If he contests, Nigeria will be better for it.

“My prayer is that we can get Buhari to re-contest in 2019. We don’t know his mind yet, but I will do anything in my power to ensure that he re-contests in 2019. Why? He is the only one who has the moral front and the courage to make the changes that Nigeria needs.

“We need more than four years to get this country to subscribe to a new morality, a new ethic and turn its back on corruption of the very type we are trying to uproot now.”

When asked if he is convinced that the APC would win the election given the disenchantment over the party at the moment, Odigie-Oyegun said: “Of course, APC will win.”

The national chairman of the governing party ruled out the possibility of the PDP bouncing back in 2019.

On the possibility of the PDP bouncing back in 2019, he said: “Well, let them come back first. I am not a theorist. If they bounce back, we will have to deal with that, but as at now, they are not bouncing back. PDP is in confusion. PDP is suffering a terminal illness. The party is unlikely to recover from this cancer that is afflicting them.The division is a major illness; it is cancerous.”

When reminded that the PDP exuded such confidence with its boast of being in power for 60 years before its shocking defeat in the 2015 elections, the APC national chairman, said: “Well, I’m not clairvoyant; I’m not seeing into the future; it is the immediate future that I’m seeing.

“APC will continue to be the force to be reckoned with. I cannot tell you how long it will last, but that we will continue to be the chief host in Nigerian politics, there is no question about it. When new parties start developing, then you can ask me the question again. But as at now, the parties don’t exit.”

He, however, did not rule out the possibility of some members of the APC aligning with others to form a new party ahead of the next election, but insisted that they will not make any impact.

His words: “APC has come to stay. As at today, strictly speaking there is no other party in the country. It is possible that a few people within the APC might join others to form other party, but a party doesn’t grow in one day to win an election. So, APC will continue to be the strongest and the largest political party in Nigeria for quite a while, because you don’t form a party today and win an election tomorrow.”

He dismissed opposition’s belief that the president is dragging the country back, saying: “That is what they say. The reality is there for us to see. They have run the country aground. They did not foresee the collapse of oil price; we did not foresee it too. If the collapse of oil prices had happened when Goodluck Jonathan was in office, I doubt if there would have been Nigeria again today. That is why I said that God brought Buhari at that point in history to make sure that Nigeria remains one country.

“Nigerians should continue to trust APC. Yes, we inherited a very difficult situation and the economy has been battered by the collapse of the oil prices, but we have a government that is even-minded in the application of the dwindling resources to produce the very best in the circumstances. The president is working to develop other sources of income like mining and agriculture.”

Odigie-Oyegun, who also admitted that Buhari inherited myriads of problems that won’t be solved in four years, said: “We inherited a whole mass of problems. Everything Buhari is doing now is to solve all those problems. If the measures taken begin to yield fruits in the next few months, people will start appreciating that all this time we thought we are suffering; in fact things were being done to save the situation. And, of course, the picture will change. We are hopeful that the measures being taken will bear fruits before the middle of say next year. We are hopeful that things will change.”

While absolving the APC of the crisis rocking the opposition party in Ondo State, he said: “Who else would they blame? They will look for a scapegoat. That is natural. Who is paying attention to them? Is it APC that is fighting them in Ondo State, where they have a governor that is PDP? Even we have a bit of crisis in Ondo, but things are looking good for us.”

Buhari’s second term project has been in the offing before now with kites being flown in that regard by some chieftains of the ruling party.

The belief is that either the arrowheads of the bid are using it to test political waters or to scare potential contenders.

Former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, and erstwhile Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima, were among the first supporters of second term agenda for Buhari.

For them, Buhari needs to rule beyond 2019 to address the rot in the country. Meanwhile, Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, yesterday disclosed that Buhari will soon address the APC faithful on the need to unite and move the nation forward.

Okorocha, who is also the Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum disclosed this yesterday in Abuja after a two-hour meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives.

He noted that they were the foot soldiers that worked hard to actualise change, adding that change was dare to them.

Okorocha boasted that APC will not fail but would continue to remain the ruling party.

He however noted that the victory had not been well managed. The governor disclosed that angry party members would be reconciled.

On his part, Speaker Yakubu Dogara said a common decimal at the round table meeting were discussion that those elected in position of authority must put the interest of the people first.

He said that the country cannot afford the luxury of arms of government going in different ways. Dogara assured that the APC will deliver on its campaign promises.

Why we sacked 5,000 teachers recruited by Akpabio – Akwa Ibom governor

The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has insisted on the termination of the appointment of 5,000 secondary school teachers who were yet to receive placement letter from the state government.

Mr. Emmanuel said the teachers’ recruitment, hurriedly done in the last days of the previous administration of Godswill Akpabio, was faulty.

“Even the bible says if the foundation is not right, what can the righteous man do?” a Government House press release quoted Governor Emmanuel as telling journalists on Wednesday, when he landed at the Akwa Ibom International Airport.

“We have tried to see how we could get something out of that recruitment process, but believe me, the foundation was very faulty.”

Mr. Emmanuel repeated what he had often said about the recruitment – that there was a syndicate which had given out fake appointment letters to thousands of unqualified applicants. He said that prompted the cancelation of the recruitment.

The release said Mr. Emmanuel warned that the administration wasn’t ready to bow to sentiments, and that he would ensure that the right decisions were made in the interest of the Akwa Ibom people.

“If we are putting people to teach our children, please let us leave sentiments apart and go for the right people,” the governor said. “We need to make sure they went through the right process and have the right qualifications.

“We are assuring the 5000 people that they need not worry, when we are calling for aptitude test, you need not re-apply, just walk into the venue of the exercise with that appointment letter and justify that you are qualified to teach our children.”

The cancellation was first announced few days ago by the Head of Civil Service in the state, Ekereobong Akpan, before the latest remark by the governor.

It is obviously an unexpected blow to the “unemployed” teachers who for about two years now have been putting pressure on the governmentto assign them to public secondary schools across the state.

Meanwhile, a lawyer and human rights activist from the state, Inibehe Effiong has criticized the action of the state government, describing it as illegal and insensitive.

“The current government should note that the moment the teachers accepted the offer(s) of employment, a contract of employment (with statutory flavour) was created with terms and conditions, including the manner of disengagement, clearly regulated by statute,” Mr. Effiong said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The law is firmly established that contracts of employment with statutory flavour cannot be terminated arbitrarily without strict compliance with the relevant statute, rules and regulations governing the contract.

“Supposing without conceding that the government has the right in law to terminate the contract because of alleged irregularities in the recruitment exercise, the manner in which it was done renders the purported cancellation unconstitutional owing to the failure of the government to accord the affected persons fair hearing as mandatorily required by Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”

LAGOS BIG BOY PAID SEN. AHMED OGEMBE A COURTESY VISIT.

LAGOS BIG BOY PAID SEN. AHMED OGEMBE A COURTESY VISIT.

It was a lovely reunion at the senate wing of the Nigerian National Assembly when the popular Lagos big boy Hon (Alh) Abdul Salawu also known as Dullar paid Senator Ahmed Ogembe representating Kogi Central Senatoral district a courtesy visit at his national assembly office.

Hon. Dullar who is the immediate younger brother of the young but vibrant Kogi Senator eulogies the strong virtues of the senator and appreciate him for the purposeful representation of his people.

Alh. Dullar urged the people of Kogi Central senatorial district to continue to support the senator as he is set to bring home the much needed dividends of democracy.

Mr Dullar was accompanied by Hon. Sunny Ogembe,  Mr Yusuf Ogembe and Hon.  Dele Afolabi. Seun Odebunmi Suleiman Isau

Nigeria At 56: Dr. Fatima Abdulrahman Advocates For More Women In Political Appointment

Mrs. Fatima Abdulrahman

Just as every country deserves to have a good leader; women must be given the chance to complete with men as we have seen the prominent roles played by women in leadership position.

As Nigeria marks her 56th Anniversary, the former National President of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), (DR.) MRS. Fatima has stated that equitable participation of women in politics and governance are essential to building and sustaining democracy.

As women around the world often face daunting social, economic and political challenges for democratic governments, it is high time women are allowed to deliver to their constituent through fair representation.

Women must be equally partners in the process of Democratic development and appointing more women, their contributions are crucial to building a strong vibrant society.

She congratulated President Muhammad Buhari and also commends his bold steps in fighting corruption that has being a bane to the underdevelopment of the country.

“Under this present administration the lost glory of the nation shall be restored and soonest Nigeria shall sing a new song of good things and many developments under the leadership of President Muhammad Buhari.

“Mr. President needs our support, co-operation and fever prayers. Nigeria shall be great again. Let Change Begin with you and I (DR.) MRS. Fatima said.