KOGI-2BILLION CBN DIVERSION: Governor Yahaya Bello lied- David Alfred-Dogwo

David Alfred-Dogwo

Tue. May 31st, 2016
By: David Alfred-Dogwo

My attention has been drawn on an online story entitled ‘Kogi-2Billion CBN Diversion by Wada" -Says Governor Yahaya Bello; and its variant in bulk-sms to all GSM users in Nigeria and to the foreign messengers, online publications and blogger streets as well as hashtaggs, entitled: "Wada Stole Our N2Billion" which are being presented as having been adapted from a statement purportedly issued by Governor Yahaya Bello on the long-simmering speech which was brought to a boil on Democracy Day May 29, 2016 in Lokoja the state capital.

I had initially doubted the information upon first alert but as his Capt. Idris Wada's Aide, I  was eventually prompted to check online for confirmation, following
relentless apprehension from his friends and other well meaning Nigerians who have been calling to express their outrage. I discovered, to my chagrin, that the malicious publications were actually posted on the internet by a couple of shadowy online news sites.

Clearly, they had done this out of mischief as was evident in the shameless confession of one of the sources that goes by the name The Eagle Monitor which still went ahead to publish the information, even after admitting to me languidly, that “The Eagle Monitor is yet to confirm the veracity of the claim though.”

It is quite telling that both the VIPs, the print and electronic media as well as
the mainstream  online news sources which are very conversant with my principal's personality had deliberately ignored the information (this attests to the several calls from members of the News Agency of Nigeria NAN, members of the National Assembly, some present and past governors), knowing that it couldn’t be anything else other than a contrivance of the wicked.

The Bello Speech flagged accusations that Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada's administration systematically distorted the N2Billion's objectives which in no doubt, an information that conflicts with its policy preferences. On several issues of real import, this detailed but ultimately unpersuasive speech was little more than an attempt to put a negative spin on some flagrant examples of tailoring lies to fit the polity. It is also obvious that the blatant lies particularly on the purported diversion of the CBN grant which was canvassed for Youths Enterprise Fund (YEF) in the state, is an attempt to smear the image of the previous administration were none exist

For the records, Mr. Jacob Edi has officially bombarded the general public as follows:

     "For a man who has distinguished himself in inconsistency and unaccountable policy somersaults and an epitome of illegality, this lame accusation will only have pass as one of his antics.
But for the benefit of the innocent public and the good people of Kogi state I like to state as follows:

     'One: His Excellency Capt. Idris Wada did not embezzled the said money or any public fund for that matter.

      'Two: that the money in question was given to all the states of the federation by the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria with clear guidelines for disbursement.

    'Three: That in disbursing the money, a Special Purpose Vehicle Committee was set up as directed by the CBN.

       'Four: That the State Executive Council deliberated on the guidelines before even approving the disbursement of the money.

      'Five: That every transaction was done in accordance with the CBN guidelines.

      'Six: That the beneficiaries of the money are not like Bello's 'ghost workers'. They are alive and can be reached at any point in time.

      'Seven: That perhaps Mr. Bello has still not purged himself of his 'ghost worker' syndrome and assumes, pathetically, that everything is 'ghost'".

It is laughable that an elongated-simmering postings is flying about like the Bello-Helicopter of recent times, by the union of concerned online agents of propaganda (a dubious advocacy group) issuing a highly critical reports on Capt. Wada's administration along with a passel of prominent politicians, including over 20 laureates, who endorses the speech.

It surprises me that a governor who has been a fireball of antics and drama – mostly involving money – since he got into office in five months will be throwing stone in a glass house. On his third day in office, Bello approved N15 Million as his Security Vote. On the ninth days, another N20 Million was levelled out as security vote.

Incase you didn't know. Wada came to office as governor and used his personal car for six months before he approved the purchase of his official vehicles; but here we are that the twenty-one Local government caretakers recently appointed are to driver a jeep of N75Million each (on the way). Do the math and you get about N1.5 Billion.

On another point, I am inclined to disagree with the point-by-point rebuttal some of his on-line handlers who complained that Capt. Wada appointed men of unprofessional training background. Surely, they must know that Wada has the right to appoint any one he deems well-qualified to improve coordination with the ministries and other agencies at his time. But it worries me when the current administration is already battling with image problems since its inauguration. Isn't it right to say his men/women are also without professional training background?

In my capacity, I have found some other errors and overstatements in the Bello attack to Wada. On many substantive issues, his defense sounds more like bureaucratic evasion than a candid evaluation. The governor complained, for example, that the Wada administration diluted criteria that was to be used to evaluate the performance of the funds-but was directed only to the youth programs which obscured lack of efficacy. Instead of measuring such real outcomes as the proportion of the youth who has been engaged in thuggery until the programs came handy or the dream of the youths were resuscitated, the measures were rather revised to focus on attitudes and intentions.

The Democracy Day Speech offers lame excuse that the program was never designed to produce useful grant data and that other long-range evaluation efforts are under way to assess the effectiveness of youth participation.

What did Bello mean by "effective measures"? How "effective" is he, when in February 3rd, another memo of N5 Million was approved for more security. Which security are we talking about when the entire indegenes of the state are in the hands of kidnappers without state government's attention? The permanent secretary under duress was made to raised yet another memo on the same day asking for N20 million because the governor’s “security fund has just been exhausted.”

Exhausted on what? Haba Bello!

Five days later, on February 8th, more security vote of N100 million was whisked away.

I challenged the governor to look into the state records were the previous administration created a robust platform to engage the youths and explore their entrepreneurial zeal through the establishment of Yad4Kogi along with placing them on N15,000.00 allowance monthly for four years aside the grant from CBN and other social network like KOGYESSO and stop drawing the last administration of Capt Idris wada to the mud.

He should channel his grievances and facts to relevant authorities and I begin to wonder why the governor is doing anti graft agencies job having failed to establish any fact against the already built image of Capt wada built over the years both in the public and private sector

By the records, I wonder how he will managed himself before the same anti-graft tzars with the over-subscribed expenditure he is undergoing when he leaves office soon. It is on record that all Kogites regardless of faith, creed or origin united under one umbrella in the PDP. Those good days have to return next week or in four months time.

N148 million has so far been spent on furnishing and renovating the governor’s office at the Government House.

What happened with the memo of February 1st, 2016 of the tune of N99, 983, 994.00 for the refurnishing of the office by a company known as MajGlobal Construction Company Ltd? What about the March 4th memo asking for the release of N48, 593, 250.00 “for additional works on the renovation/furnishing and maintenance of the governor’s office?.

Instead of demeaning my principal Capt. Idris Wada, I advised the governor to concentrate on the already battered image and financial recklessness on his five months old administration without consideration to the welfare of the state and local government workforce.

That same ploy - taking refuge in the need for further research - was trotted out on the important issue of infrastructure. Bello should stop duplicating the already executed programs of the previous government particularly on agriculture and infra structural development.

It is laughable for this present government to say Capt. Wada made over payment and under utilisation of funds for contracts in the state without opening the state records to the public for scrutiny. It is high time Bello stops playing face saving and sympathy politics envisaging his continuity or sustenance in Lord Lugard House.

His handlers have been justifying elimination of waste products in the state that linked change to human activities under the Environmental Protection Agency reports by asserting that Capt. Wada's administration did not adequately addressed such complexities, and that a far more expansive exposition of Bello's administration was soon to be published as part of the present administration's change plan.

Who cares! That pat explanation to me, glided past the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency document was apt to attract mere attention whereas any viable administration's plan should call for a lot more research in lieu of prompt action.

The Governor claimed that Lokoja the state capital was dirty during Wada's administration and that the Environmental Protection Agency of his time has given a "highly favorable review" of the administration's research plan, but he failed to mention that the same Environmental Protection Agency has expressed doubt that it would be adequately financed and worried about "a real or perceived political influence that could discredit the program."

Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada is a respected lover of mankind and lifelong Democrat but will not seem an automatic apologist to this administration. The question yet to be answered by my readers and followers is whether Bello is speaking from conviction when he claims that the N2Billion funds was off-based by Wada's administration or is he serving as a frontman for an administration whose activities in this era is sometimes hard to defend.

Anybody who has followed the exemplary career and accomplishments of this
cognate technocrat Capt. Idris Wada, especially his unblemished record in public service, will attest to the fact that he (Wada) neither speaks the language of abuse nor engages in trite talks.

I wish therefore to categorically state that the administration of Capt. Idris Wada knows nothing about this invidious and treacherous statement that has been attributed to him
through fake social media accounts.

While I urge the general public to disregard such irrational claims, I am
also inclined to warn the originators of the fake report to desist from such actions. This is because it is pure evil, criminal, cowardly and designed to ultimately consume the perpetrators.

It is a natural justice that no crime will go unpunished, and it is only a matter of time before the perpetrators of this heinous fabrication will be
exposed. To ensure that this is done, our principal has put the security
agencies and his lawyers on notice, and we have no doubt that they will
diligently do their job.

The EFCC is so afflicted with degenerated myopia that it only sees perceived threats to APC as being culpable for crimes it is unable to establish and for which Wada's former appointees are victimised with their rights infringed and without apologies.

To make matters worse, the APC chooses what court orders to obey and which to frustrate or disregard; a major deviation from the gains of the PDP that had established the rule of law as an intrinsic part of governance. But for the existence of the Supreme Court, we are hopeful.

Thank you all.

DAVID ALFRED-DOGWO
(Senior Special Assistant on Communications Strategy to Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada former Executive Governor of Kogi state)
<davidalfreddogwo@rocketmail.com>
08034768404

The Success of REMITA remain the most significant achievement of Buhari administration-Omoluabi 'Bode Adeyemi

30th May, 2016
By Omoluabi 'Bode Adeyemi

Omoluabi 'Bode Adeyemi

Omoluabi Olabode Adeyemi is a front line civil rights activist and an accomplished media and communication expert. He is a fellow of the most prestigious International Institute of Journalism, IIJ Abuja and the Executive Director of the Africa Media Round table Initiative, an international media and civil society advocacy organization that promotes policy advocacy and development, human rights and journalism practice in Africa. The soft-spoken and very articulate young man engaged our correspondent Ejike Emanuel in a detailed interview on the One year anniversary of the current government, the Treasury Single Account policy and the controversy surrounding the REMITA innovative product of Systemspec Limited.   Please enjoy the details

Question: The Buhari led administration is celebrating its 1st year in office today alongside the democracy day celebration, what is your opinion on the performance of government?
                       
Answer: Thank you very much, let me first of all wish Nigerians a happy democracy day celebration and congratulate all of us for doing all we have done to sustain democracy in Nigeria in the last 16 years despite the inability of successive government to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the ordinary Nigerians, democracy remains the best most globally acceptable form of government . I must commend the civil society organizations and the members of the media, judiciary, armed forces and indeed everyone for defending, promoting and sustaining the roots of our democracy. Talking about the performances of the current administration, I must say that the Buhari led government came into power at a time that the price of crude oil at the international markets was embarrassingly crashing, at a time our country was faced with threatening security challenges and at a time corruption was so high in the government circle. All of these obvious factors have affected the ability of the current administration to hit the ground running from day one coupled with a number of needless Executive-Legislative animosity occasioned by the emergence of the current national assembly leadership which affected the much expected smooth relationship between these two most important arms of government, but in all of these, the President has demonstrated sincerity of purpose, commitment and high level of integrity that has earned our country international reputation that could engender positive foreign attention to our country. The government has faced and tackled the security challenge in the northeast of the country decisively which has produced a very significant result in the last one year, more than ever before the activities of Boko Haram have been defeated strongly, government have  also demonstrated high sense of accountability, transparency and sincerity which is making the government popular among the masses. The anti-corruption war and recovery of stolen funds is another area this government have performed very well, the last one year have been very eventful for the anti corruption agencies in Nigeria. The success of REMITA in implementing the Treasury Single Account remains the most significant achievement of the Buhari administration in the last one year. The fact that a home grown technology called REMITA that serves as the gateway or platform through which the TSA policy is implemented in the best national narrative or story about our country that has ever been said in decades of national development. The treasury single account policy has emerged the most popular, most effective and the most celebrated policy the current administration has ever made in the last one year which has been made to be with the help of the globally celebrated REMITA platform. As we speak the platform has generated trillions of naira into our federation account, it has helped government to gather all her revenue in one account, it has wiped out all forms of corruption associated with income generation and collection, it has created a viable, reliable and sustainable alternative to the revenue from sales of crude oil that is crashing by the day. Before the full implementation of the TSA at the earliest stage of this administration, various ministry, departments and agencies of government operated over 17000 government accounts which made it difficult for government to monitor her income and encouraged waste and highest level of corruption but today the REMITA platform has done the magic. As I speak to you this platform has created a credible and dependable alternative to fund our budget, build infrastructure and carry out the fantastic programs of government. Although it is most regrettable and highly disturbing that the stakeholders that provides this platform and rendering services that sustains the uninterrupted operation of this platform are yet to be paid their agreed fees, this is an issue I expect government to look into immediately and ensure they are paid what is due to them.
                                          
Question: The media has been awash with different stories of abuse of the platform, high charges by the platform owners and other negative news about the activities that necessitated the Senate to set up a committee to look into the matter, what is your take on this?
                
Answer : You see it's most unfortunate and very frustrating that Nigerians do not appreciate a home grown technology that has received the commendations of international communities, as at today, REMITA has received uncountable numbers of award and international recognition home and abroad. In faraway Glasgow, the Managing Director of Systemspecs John Obaro on the account of the success of REMITA was recently honored by African Scotland Forum with the Leadership in Technology Award, conferred him with a fellowship of the Centre for African Policy, Development and Research, Scotland and named a research centre after him, this is most unprecedented. On the issue of the charges, I like to say it that the platform didn't just come from the blues, the service providers didn't just give the 1% on their own, there were series of negotiations and discussion that happened before the 1% charge was mutually agreed upon by all the stakeholders and a memorandum of agreement legally signed by all necessary parties which became binding before the platform became effective, there were also the responsibilities to be carried out by the parties i.e Systemspecs, DMBs and CBN before they could be entitled to the charge, it is therefore surprising and very disturbing that a Senator refused to seek information before rushing to sponsor a motion out of ignorance and or selfish reasons which misrepresented facts and misinformed the Senate, a section of government and the public about the whole issue. This outright misinformation led the Senate into setting up a committee to look into the matter, this action introduced unnecessary, unwarranted and undue politics into the operation that is still smoothly running up till now uninterrupted despite the fact that service providers are yet to be paid what is due to them , the Senate report that was not signed by 10 Senators out of the 26 Senators in the committee had some Senators signed more than once, a careful look at the recommendation of the committee shows that Systemspecs and other services providers were never involved in any form of abuse or mismanagement of the TSA platform as unfairly alleged by the sponsor of the motion, the committee particularly commended the Systemspecs for providing its platform at the nick of time for the running of the TSA. Beyond the politics that have been introduced into this indigenous technology breakthrough in Nigeria the government must continue to look at the agreement it entered into ahead of other inconsequential issues. It's most unfortunate that we are yet to celebrate home grown idea when foreign firms have continued to rip us of trillions of naira, no Senator has questioned the technology and cost implications of BVN that a German firm carried out with billions of naira, no lawmaker has challenged the high charges of MTN, Etisalat and other foreign owned telecommunications service providers, no Senator has challenged the cost implications of all the construction work of Julius Berger and several other multinational firms ripping us of our money in trillions but they have been dissipating energy on REMITA platform that have never failed since the beginning, a platform that has saved us from embarrassment dwindling oil price almost put the country into. I wish to therefore call on President Buhari to call on those involved to respect the agreement and pay the outstanding charges immediately and continue to encourage the technology.

Question: Having convinced me on the success of REMITA, how do you suggest government should promote indigenous technology development to be able to compete internationally?

Answer : I wish to encourage government to begin look inward for home grown technology. Other countries develop their own and ship out. That is why Nigeria is a dumping ground for all manner of software. The software they use in the office of the Accountant General was developed by a foreign company, BVN was developed by a foreign company, the ITGS they use at the Central Bank was developed by a foreign company, so is the ITAS at Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), all the deposit money banks in Nigeria use software developed abroad. These run into billions of dollars put together that go out of the country, it's high time we support and encourage homegrown innovation that will at the same time create job and improve our economy. I also recommend the Managing Director of Systemspecs John Obaro for National honor, in my own opinion,individuals like him deserve to be honored in order to encourage others to come out of their best to make Nigeria proud like him. As you know that the richest man in the whole world attained that status through Microsoft development and his country didn't kill his innovation but encouraged and even exported it, so. I expect our government to begin to think of how to encourage Systemspecs to export this brilliant technology. When government encourage the technology then several other people will be encouraged to innovate greater idea. Our lawmakers must also legislate laws that will promote indigenous technology development.

Question: What is your advice for the government in the years ahead?

Answer: Let government continue to engage organizations like Systempecs that can help government improve her income generation first, then government must make judicious use of every single kobo by investing into meaningful and people oriented projects such as infrastructure development,Youth entrepreneurial development, power, science and technology development and security. Government must make deliberate and concerted efforts to revamp our economy and ensure sound implementation of social security scheme that will be targeted at the poorest of the poor in the society

AN OPEN LETTER TO NLC CHAIRMAN COMRADE ONUH EDOKA: A Punishment Well-Deserve; Considering Suicide? Please don’t- David Alfred-Dogwo.

Hon. David Alfred-Dogwo.

May 27th, 2016

AN OPEN LETTER TO NLC CHAIRMAN COMRADE ONUH EDOKA:
A Punishment Well-Deserve; Considering Suicide? Please don’t.

Dear Edoka...

The news that reached me a few days ago is that you're the Senior Ghost in Kogi state and I hate ghosts. I guess His Excellency Yahaya Bello really knows about your death before the press went on to announce your obituary. Has any doctor confirm you dead yet? Where is the death certificate? In Lugard House or where?

My principal Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada while in office as governor of Kogi state, knew you were alive but you rather wanted Wada 'dead' when APC was giving you lofty 'greens envelopes' to nail his administration. Do you remember the many times you rudely slighted my principal during his administration all to pave way for APC government? I was told you voted for APC during the gubernatorial election, Isn't it? Where is your sympathy now? In Bassa belief, "Ghost Hears What We Say About Them" and I know you're listening.

What brought Wada's tenure to owe salaries upto what it is before we left office in January 29, 2016, was caused by you while behind the APC mask. Just to mention but few, when CBN gave approval of Bail-out to Capt. Wada, you nailed your support to APC's petition to stop the release of the fund alleging that we were planning to divert the funds for the 2015 election. Secondly, we had enough money to pay October and November 2015 salaries, but you were sponsored to start asking for four months salaries in full. You threatened Wada in a broad day light just because you were paving ways for the two months salaries to be left untouched for the present government. You were promised to be appointed Commissioner and you did just that.

Today you're a ghost and Wada is warming up!

You and Bello has been one of the great romances of the time. Ever since the marriage of convenience, you guys has been on marathon kiss far back December 5th and has always been the very exemplar of lovely marriage.

Little wonder that both of you have been guilty of flirtation – and sometimes adulterous couplings – at repeated intervals, for more than 100 days now.

The report of the committee on the Staff Verification Exercise hitting the 21-streets in the state walked out to shack up with you and Governor Yahaya Bello's government. That is because Bello has decided to live on his own, (as I guess he ‘needed some space’, as the saying goes). Today, you are declared a ghost. And as you know, apart from Bello, who will want to live with a ghost? None.

You have enjoyed plenty of meaningful eye contacts with Bello as the APC agent's of anti-Wada's posterity, and a succession of knee-tremblers with the state and local government workers.

But on the whole, the realities are clearer now as your conjugation with Bello lacked annointing oil, first past the post, and we have seen the two sides abjure illusory happiness in the arms of another, and stick together for the sake of the pocket. This is why I said "YOU DESERVE IT" however messy it gets.

Surprise! surprise!!

Someone knocked at my door this early morning and said, you're not yet dead. He said, he saw you in places like Adankolo, Lokogoma, Felele and even at Ganaja village yesterday. I told him its a lie you're a dead man because Yahaya Bello has confirmed you're dead. Another friend of mine confirmed his story that you're a live. He saw you eating at Moremi Restaurant opposite Chuks Supermarket in cetral area of Lokoja; and I know that spirits doesn't eat. The last that convinced me most is a friend I have trusted for a very long time who said, you're NOT DEAD BUT YOU'RE CONSIDERING TAKING SUICIDE. Please bro, don’t commit suicide if it is true that you're still alive. No matter how dark the sky’s may seem, no matter how stuck you feel, no matter how deep of a hole you feel like you’re in, no matter what people do, say, or think to make you feel this way; it will get better soon. There’s light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, it will be hard, but it will get better. I promise.

I won’t try and say that I understand what you’re going through or exactly what you’re feeling because I don’t. I don’t always understand every situation that leads people to have these feelings or thoughts but I do understand what it’s like to have them. I know how crippling they are. I know the feeling of losing all hope. I understand all of that. But above all, please know that whether these thoughts are coming from a close death, a breakup, an addiction, bullying, or anything else. Your feelings matter.

I’m not a doctor, I’m not a therapist or a counselor but I am somebody who has been in the same place as you are and from struggling with this I have found a few ways for me that helped and maybe can help you too.

First, by far, the best thing that I have done to help my depression and thoughts of suicide is getting on an anti-depressant prescription and having counseling sessions simultaneously. I know sometimes this option can be scary, especially the counseling part. I promise you it’s worth it. I was scared shitless the first time I went in. I was so nervous and scared and I really didn’t say much or open up a whole lot the first time which is okay. The way I think about it now though is that it’s just someone to spill all my problems onto, it’s someone to talk things through with and understand them better, it’s someone who won’t judge and won’t leave but just be there to help you get better and live a happier life.

The second piece of advice I have for you to find something you love. Find something that will always make you smile or put you in a good mood. For me it’s music. If I am having a bad day I lock myself in my room and listen to music so loud that I’m pretty sure I will have permanent hearing loss but that’s okay because that’s the one thing that can always make me feel better. It doesn’t matter what this something is but if you find it I promise it will make things at least a little bit better. It could be a sport, art, a game, a hobby, whatever it is just as long as it makes you happy and it’s something you love doing.

The last piece of advice I have for you would be to just picture the future. For me it was picturing my life in 15 years. Picturing having a family with a gorgeous wife and beautiful kids in a cookie cutter house in a safe neighborhood where my kids would make their best friends, where all of the families are friends, and just a nice suburban neighborhood. I pictured myself in my job getting to work with kids and watch them grow and learn throughout the years. Having summers off to tennis and coach my kids sports teams. All of those things were what got me through the times where I couldn’t see any light and didn’t see the point in living anymore. Whatever your dream new job, family, house, and life is try and picture it.

There’s always someone who cares about you and would be devastated if you were no longer with them whether you believe it or not there is. There’s going to be bad days where it seems like the only way out is suicide but it isn’t. There is so much to live for, it’s just hard to see sometimes but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. On a cloudy night you might not be able to see the moon but it’s still there and still puts off light you just can’t see it won that particular night.

Now that you're a live, learn your lesson and stop playing-toys with Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada. You will need to find time and apologise to him for forgiveness. Wada is a child of God. No one insults him and go free.

Oncemore, don't go to the grave. I will tell Wada you're still alive.

Thank you.

Signed:

DAVID ALFRED-DOGWO
(Dogwo is former Senior Special Assistant to His Excellency Governor Idris Wada on Communications Startegy; a highly decorated Ambassador of Peace cum keen political Activist and radical Social Justice Campaigner. He is lately high profile member of the Nigerian Advocacy for Good Governance locally, regionally and federally.
+234 803 4768 404
davidalfrreddogwo@rocketmail.com

Kogi govt sacks NLC leader, says he’s a “ghost-worker”

The Kogi State government says the state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Onuh Edoka, is a “ghost worker”, and has fired him.
Mr. Edoka was one of about 9000 people sacked following a screening exercise to weed out illegal workers from the 21 local government areas of the state.
Mr. Edoka, who serves as head of both the Medical Health Workers Union and the NLC in the state, said he was employed in 1989, and currently serves as a Disease and Surveillance Officer in the state.
He said he was baffled by the result of the screening exercise headed by Paul Okuntimo, a retired general, who gained notoriety for his role in the incarceration of the late activist, Saro Wiwa.
“The General’s committee claims that I submitted the wrong bank statements. But they only asked for my statement of accounts for the past two years which I submitted,” Mr. Edoka said in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.
Speaking on behalf of the state chapter of the NLC, Mr Edoka said the workers union would take to the streets to challenge the government’s actions.
“The government just got a bailout based on the current staff strength. Suddenly they want to retrench workers to divert the funds even though some of these workers have not been paid for over 23 months,” he said.
“The NLC is saying that these people are not ghost workers. They are living beings and we are ready to bring them out on the streets of Lokoja so that the world can see that they are not ghosts but real workers of Kogi state,” Mr Eboka said.

Kogi Assembly Crisis: Drama as police try to stop G15 sitting

Their was wide drama at the Kogi State House of Assembly today, Thursday, as the G15 group tried to resume sitting at the Assembly complex.

The G15 group led by Momoh Jimoh Lawal had notified all the security agencies in the state of their court judgment last week and intention to resume sitting, yet the combined team of Police and National security defence barricaded the complex, forcing the legislators to trekked the 500 meter to the assembly gate.
The lawmakers, who faced the same trouble at the gate of the Assembly complex, turned down all plea from the security operative not to enter.
They gained entrance to the complex, sat for 15 minutes and hurriedly adjourned when the security operatives regroup and disrupt the setting. …
Details later.

HRM OBA DR. MICHAEL FOLORUNSHO OLOBAYO, JP: Accomplished Traditional Ruler and Leader- HON. YUSUF TAJUDEEN (TeeJay)

Hon. Teejay Yusuf
Member HOR
Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency

Wed. May 25, 2016

TRIBUTE TO AN UNCOMMON PATRIARCH AND COMPASSIONATE ROYAL FATHER: HRM OBA DR. MICHAEL FOLORUNSHO OLOBAYO, JP
It is with a heavy heart that I give this Tribute on behalf of the people of Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, in honour of our very dear, humble and revered Monarch; HRM Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo, the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman, Okun Traditional Council, who joined his ancestors recently after a protracted illness.
Indeed, it is very sad that our very dear, articulate, responsible, responsive and resourceful Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo, joined his ancestors at a time his spiritual counsel, legendary wisdom and emotional support is most needed by Sons and Daughters of Kabba and people of Okunland.
HRM Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo was a loving, compassionate and selfless Monarch who had inimitable courage, boundless energy and exemplary strength of character. An accomplished Traditional Ruler and Leader in whose shadow multitudes have been nurtured; a very true and worthy father to many successful Owe Sons and daughters, a quintessential role model to numerous people, a veritable guardian and pillar of support to many traditional rulers, an indisputable achiever and charismatic manager of men and resources.
Our beloved Patriarch and Monarch was imbued with power, vision and strength of will; a repository of wisdom, whose inspiration, intelligence and enthusiasm about the development of Kabba and the entire Okunland were incomparable. HRM Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo was an epitome of discipline, steadfastness, peace and dynamism, who exhibited love, hard work, honesty, humility and contentment at all times.

HRM Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with a Bachelor of Arts in History, was an accomplished administrator who rose through the rungs and became a Permanent Secretary in the Civil Service of the old Kwara State, before assuming the throne as Obaro of Kabba on 17th October, 1985. During his over 30 years reign as the Paramount Ruler of Kabba, the ancient city witnessed physical, aesthetic, infrastructural, educational and economic development. As a profoundly charismatic Monarch, HRM Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo was a natural bridge-builder of hope, unity and a lover of his people. As the Chairman, Okun Traditional Council, Oba Michael Folorunsho Olobayo displayed uncommon passion, unalloyed commitment and unusual verve towards deepening peace, love and unity amongst towns, communities, villages and people of Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency and Yagba East/West/Mopa-Muro Federal Constituency.
Thought it is painful that our dear Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo has joined his ancestors, but development like this only re-affirms the mystery of the Almighty; we, as mere mortals can only submit. It is my prayer that Almighty God will truly comfort every Member of the Family and grant us, all, the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss, Amen.
Adieu, our indefatigiable Patriarch and Monarch, Oba Dr. Michael Folorunsho Olobayo.

HON. YUSUF TAJUDEEN (TeeJay)

THE-RIGHT-TO-REPLY: The Isa Amodu's Twitter Against My Better Judgment on the Staff Verification Exercise in Kogi State-David Alfred-Dogwo

By: David Alfred-Dogwo
Wed. May 25, 2016
Each time the non-entities tries to camouflage their mental disability by scribbling incoherent bundles of misapplied vocabulary, they only serve to worsen their predicament that has exposed the baloney of their very foundations. Let me start by feeling sorry for Isa Amodu the writer of the piece that prompted this rejoinder.
Several days ago, I received an email from Isa Amodu the executive director of think tank called the Foundation for Nigerian Defense of Democracies (NDD). Isa Amodu is an expert on sanctions, and has been one of the most ardent and effective pro-Yahaya Bello Staff Verification Exercise in Kogi state. The subject line of Amodu's e-mail and his message to me was simple:
Amodu wrote:
  "What Capt. Idris Wada led-administration did to Kogi state by encouraging ghost worker's force is terrible”.
Most recently, you will notice I rarely talk too much and doesn't want to be heard always except when necessary as this and but because Amodu's attack on Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada and my humble self is a classic example of ignorance and intolerance and as advice by my principal to The-Right-To-Reply, I have shifted a bit from the original theme to show in detail Amodu's ignorance.
My problem, at that moment is that I wonder how Amodu thinks that my principal His Excellency Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada is responsible for the purported "ghost" workers' force in the state.
Amodu continued in his mail:
   "Alfred, your principal misused his time; you're a prolific writer don’t worry, on your part, you’ll probably be okay in the long run-tone".
This kept me in an apocalyptic frame of mind.
To support my knowledge of Amodu as a propagandist, Lady Sherrifat -a friend of the pen- in referring to Isa Amodu's vituperation's, turns out, to a single line in a long negative profile of him in the newsroom, written by one-time EaglesReporters writer, and current Line Tablet blogger David Sam. The profile posits that Amodu is a great manipulator of the press, and the public, into believing various untrue things about other people.
Deep in the article, Amodu  named me as one of those manipulated reporters of Capt. Wada's administration and the People's Democratic Party (PDP), in a discussion about the way he believes information to be transmitted today, that:-
Hear him...
    “For those in need of more traditional-seeming forms of validation, a handpicked beltway insider former Senior Special Assistant to Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada on Communications Strategy Hon. David Alfred-Dogwo helped 'retailed' the administration of Wada’s disillusioned governance.....”.
On one level, I found this brief passage amusing, because, as Amodu and others might acknowledge, my principal (Capt. Wada) have not been an overly enthusiastic advocate of the "Yahaya Bello Staff Verification Exercise" in the state.
Laura’s colleague at Al-Monitor blogs, Salimatu, made note of this as well, asking on Twitter, “in what sick warped world is Amodu in anyway sympathetic to the Yahaya Bello Staff Verification Exercise when over 70% of the staff are downtooled?" According to Laura, it is beyond delusional.
Maliki Ojogu in his Facebook account, to be sure, is also a bit unfair in his characterization of my position too. My position is that while I welcomed the "Yahaya Bello Staff Verification Exercise" very much, but I have not been fond of the mass withdrawn-hating, self-hanging, proWada-persecuting staffers in the exercise by the terror-stricken nuke-seeking, misogynistic and fascistic clerics who rules the state).
On another level, though, I did not find this mention of Capt. Idris Wada on bloggs and Twitter amusing at all, because Amodu is making a serious, unsourced, and unsubstantiated allegation against my principal in an otherwise highly credible publication (one for which I happened to work, in fact). And he did so without disclosing that he holds a longtime personal grudge against us.
On Friday May 20th, I sent an e-mail to the editor outlining my concerns. In brief, I noted that the accusation Amodu levelled against me was unfair; that he had not given me an opportunity to respond (nor was I ever contacted by a fact-checker); and that he offered no proof that I “retailed” against the present administration. I also provided him with links to several articles I had written during that period that were critical of the "Yahaya Bello Staff Verification Exercise" and my thinking to the issue (including a post unambiguously titled, “Yahaya Bello Getting About With All”).
I also wrote, in my e-mail to him:-
    “As you may remember, I interviewed people a number of times during the exercise, but, like one of his colleagues of the pen, I used those opportunities to ask the people about the tactics and premises of the exercise. Ultimately, as an opinion writer, I came to the conclusion that the screening committee's lifestyle was a deeply imperfect brigade that was nevertheless better than any proposed alternative intended by Capt. Wada during his time. But I managed to come to that conclusion by myself.”
I also told James the editor, of my unhappy history with Amodu. I won’t bore you with this sad story, but three years ago, his wife, Khadijat of the Newhouse bloggers, offered me a position as a press contributor on payment per publication, which she edits. I accepted the freelance job, but then I quickly came to feel that she and Amodu weren't dealing with me in a straightforward way on a number of fronts, and, ultimately, I chosed to stay away. Since that time, I have been the intermittent target of criticism in Amodu's diary, and a more-than-intermittent target of Amodu’s personal animus. (He is not particularly careful about sharing his negative opinions of me—or others, by the way—with people who are friends of mine). Amodu should have disclosed this history to the readers.
James, the editor wrote back to me almost immediately, at good length, and with considerable sympathy for my concerns. (He has allowed me to quote from his response):
  “Alfred, I want to be clear that I don't think this implies that you were not one to ask difficult questions of the administration of Yahaya Bello, or publish any pieces that made defenders of the exercise unhappy,”
James wrote further:
    “That's obviously not the case. Yours has consistently been one of the most important voices writing about national policies in Nigerian media. I don't know anyone who doesn't think that. And clearly that includes Amodu, who is too smart to expect that a writer like yourself could be spun like the 17-year-olds he seems to have such contempt for. A better way of putting it may be that, according to your reporting, on this particular subject, Amodu seemed to think that where you were coming out on the exercise was in sync with where he was, and this led him to consider yours a valuable platform.”
James went on:
      “Alfred, I don't deny that Amodu put some English on the ball in his portrayal. As you know, he is, by nature, a dyspeptic writer. But his assertions are backed up by the reporting he did. That said, I did not know about his history with you. This troubles me, and it's certainly something I'll bring up with Amodu, but I don't believe it had a material effect on the outcome here.”
James, in my opinion, did not respond to the core question: When, and where, did I do this “retailing” against Bello's administration?
I also called the Editor. Like many reporters in Nigeria, I’ve known Amodu for years, and have interviewed him repeatedly. (One of James’s strangest assertions is that Amodu is an “invisible” player in Abuja; he does not seem visible in Lokoja, and he is also among the most frequently quoted senior administration officials in—wait for it, as has been noted to me by several TimeBloggers reporters' who were appalled by the Amodu's piece".
I asked James if he told Amodu that he, or other administration officials, had ever handpicked me to retail their case for the Bello's screening exercise. This is what James said:
  “I told him that our goal was to try to convince you and a handful of other columnists that the staff verification exercise in Kogi state wasn’t a total catastrophe. I told him I don’t think I ever convinced you that it was a good deal.”
I asked again:,
    “Did you tell him that I was handpicked by you to ‘retail’ your public relations message?” “Of course not,” Rhodes answered.
It is not unusual, of course, for an administration to try to convince journalists that it is right and that its critics are wrong. The reverse is also true: Opponents of the screening exercise tried to convince me, and other journalists, that the concept was, contra Amodu, a catastrophe.
I don’t want to litigate the underlying premises of the Amodu’s piece here—though I know that people like Jonathan Tsaku have much interesting commentary about what Amodu said concerning me, and I hope to explore this subject further. The main reason I don’t want to litigate the content and conclusions of the piece here is that I don’t trust the reporting.
I would say that Haliru’s evisceration of the piece under the non-subtle headline, “Why the Amodu's profile is just gross”—captures many of my feelings about it, particularly about its aesthetic shortcomings. One of the substance-related oddities of the piece is that it doesn’t address what is actually Amodu’s most concrete accomplishment in Bello's government—leading the styled-secret screening  that restored chaotic relations with the staffed. This is a controversial accomplishment—many of the administration’s critics believe that it ceded too much in the course of these exercise, but it is an actual accomplishment, one that provides insight into what could be called the Bello Doctrine.
In addition to my concerns about Amodu’s deployment of unsubstantiated allegations in the piece, and about the obvious lack of fact-checking, I consider it a strange lapse on the part of the OnlineTimes to keep from its readers the fact that Amodu was an ardent opponent of Wada's administration, and was advocating, as early as 2015, for the "change" mantra that has not changed anything. This doesn’t disqualify him from writing—if anything, this disclosure would have made the article more interesting, if he had leveled with the readers about his actual views.
On Tuesday morning May 25 to be precise, in another e-mail exchange, James wrote (again, in an on-the-record response):
     "I want to be clear about what the piece was not saying. Neither Amodu nor the Times bloggers was saying that you were some kind of unthinking shill for the Bello's administration. Of course not. In the context of that paragraph, what I took the sentence to mean is that Amodu and the people working for him had a small group of journalists in the traditional press who they saw as the most important conduits for them to get their message out, and that you were among that group (perhaps the most important in PDP group). He was describing a system for crafting and disseminating information, and this paragraph tried to show how the people operating that system saw the press, and in particular, saw you. He has extensive reporting—many hours of taped interviews—that supports the notion that Amodu and others around him saw you as a key figure in how they would get their message out to the world. But let me be clear: It is not our belief that they felt this way because they saw you as intellectually pliable, or someone who would do their bidding".
He continued:-
      "As far as proof goes, we have his interviews. But again, as I said in the earlier email, since this was a story of Amodu primarily, we didn't elect to go into this material. (I also believe that it is reasonable to assume that, because he has trusted you so many times with such significant access, that, well, they trust you. Though again, I feel compelled to add that them trusting you is not itself evidence that you are in cahoots with them. And also to add that the work you produce with that access is of great value".
He added:-
     "Alfred, I want to reiterate that I am sorry for the fact that Amodu did not reach out to you before publication to tell you what his reporting showed, and to get your response. That should have happened. But having spent some time today going back over Amodu's reporting, I still don't think this merits a correction. That said, I am going to submit this to the standards editor at the Online Times tomorrow and see what he thinks. And if he feels that a correction of any kind is warranted, we will post it as soon as possible.
I would note that everybody is acknowledging, in this e-mail, that the Online Times did not attempt to figure out whether or not you actually did the thing Amodu accuses you of doing before publishing the accusation against you".
I did not raise the separate but related issue of Amodu’s accusations. However, contributors Tsaku has been suggesting to Amodu—assuming he was quoted accurately—that he read in order to develop an encyclopedic understanding of what other people were saying about the exercise in Kogi state. It seems as if something else that Amodu doesn’t understand is Twitter, which you should understand, if you’re going to write about it.
For those people who are still reading this, I’ll let you know if and when the OnlineTimes alongside Isah Amodu corrects the story and apologize to me.

Signed:

DAVID ALFRED-DOGWO
(Dogwo is former Senior Special Assistant to His Excellency Governor Idris Wada on Communications Strategy; a Prolific Writer of New Media strategy and adventurist in Grammar; he is also a frontier in Political and Cultural Psychology; a highly decorated Ambassador of Peace cum keen political Activist and radical Social Justice Campaigner. He is lately high profile member of the Nigerian Advocacy for Good Governance locally, regionally and federally.
+234 803 4768 404
davidalfrreddogwo@rocketmail.com

Federal High Court Bars Sherrif From Parading As PDP Chairman, Recognises Markafi Committee(Judgement attached)

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has granted an interim injunction restraining/ the immediate past national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sherrif, and Professor Adewale Oladipo who were removed from office at the PDP National Convention held on Saturday May 21, 2016, from parading themselves as national officers of the party pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party.

The court on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 also granted a restraining order on any member of the National Working Committee of the PDP who was removed from office by the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt from receiving nominations and or submitting names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as officers or candidates of the PDP in whatever capacity pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice brought by the party.
In addition, INEC was restrained by the court from according or continuing to accord any recognition to Sherrif and Oladipo or any or all members of the national working committee of the PDP removed from office at the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt, as officers or organs of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The national caretaker committee of the PDP headed by Senator Ahmed Markarfi, former governor of Kaduna State, also got a boost with an order of the court mandating INEC to recognise it in all matters pertaining the conduct of primary elections for political offices and the submission of the PDP List of candidates for any elections to be conducted by INEC pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on notice.

Kogi workers retrenchment: Protesters labelled Gov. Bello a THIEF, alleged him of plot to divert bailout.(Watch video)

Gov. Bello

Thousand of civil servants took to the street of Lokoja yesterday to protest the mass retrenchment that had suddenly hit the public service commission like a ranging storm. The protesters are those that are being recently sacked by the governor because they were labelled ghost workers. Recalled that the Governor had set up a committee to screened all the workers in the state claiming a subversion of the state workforce. The committee had submitted a report which claimed there are  about 500 ghost civil servants in the state and recommended their retrenchment. On the contrary, reliable sources revealed that the screening exercise was selective and marred with irregularities as most of the civil servants  across the state were denied the screening form during the exercise. Majority of those affected were employed into the state workforce in 2013/14. How do you then sack workers that were not screened, certainly the Governor is alleged to be up to something.

Other sources revealed the current workers retrenchment is directly connected with the recently released bailout fund by the federal government to the state. The governor is said to be plotting the diversion of part of the bailout fund meant to pay the sacked civil servants who were already being owned over 6months salary by previous government due to the fall in revenue allocation accrued to states across the country.

Recalled that the former Wada led government had applied for the bailout fund but couldn't access the fund to pay the backlogs of workers salary before leaving office.

The Bello led government is also yet to give any official account on the bailout fund. The plot is to divert part of the fund for personal business use.
In a video, the  protesters were seeing to gathered around the Lokoja Local Government Council chanting ''Bello Ole'' (meaning Bello is a thief). Members of the Nigerian Police present at the protest ground were said to be helpless.Watch Video Here

Why I’m in Cote d’Ivoire – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disputed a national daily’s Monday report that he had opted to go on exile in Cote d’Ivoire, confirming, however, that he was indeed in the West African country, but was not in exile.
Speaking to the newspaper on the phone on Monday, the former president confirmed that he had been out of the country for over a month, revealing that he travelled to some cities in the United States of America, then departed the country for London before arriving Cote d’Ivoire via Paris.
When reminded that the newspaper had tried to reach him several times last week to verify allegations that he was in exile, he said: “So what… I am not in exile. I am here resting.”
Jonathan said: “Yes I am in Cote d’Ivoire, I have been here for a week resting and this is my second trip to the country since I stepped down as president.”
He maintained however that he was not in exile because he had no reason to leave Nigeria as he had done his best for his country as president.
He said: “I have made sacrifices for Nigeria. I am praised all over Africa for averting bloodshed and for the peaceful transition from one government to another, but it seems Nigeria does not appreciate my efforts.
“I have done my best for this country and if I have to die for it, I will do so. However, I am taking it easy here (Cote d’Ivoire) and when I am ready, I will come back.”
The newspaper had reported that Jonathan had gone into exile following the resolve by the Federal Government to arrest him on allegations of corruption.
The perception that the government was going to reel him in was linked to the heightened attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta.

Fayose bans cattle grazing in Ekiti, says; “cattle farmers must own ranch”

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has banned grazing and rearing of cattle in the State, saying those interested in cattle farming should get their own private cattle ranch and that a bill to make movement of cattle from one location to another criminal in the State will soon be sent to the State House of Assembly.
Governor Fayose, who made this known when he visited Oke-Ako in Ikole local government area of the State that was invaded last Friday by Fulani herdsmen that killed two residents of the town and injured others, warned that government will henceforth confiscate any cattle seen anywhere in the State apart from ranch created for them by their owners.
He described the Fulani herdsmen that attacked Oke-Ako and other communities in the country as “agents of the devil that must be fished out and punished accordingly.”
The governor said; “We will not leave our lands for Fulani herdsmen and in a system where the leadership of the country looks the other way while our people are being killed, we will have no option than to defend ourselves by whatever means.”
He said; “I have come here to commiserate with the people of Oke-Ako over the murder of two of our people by these evil Fulani herdsmen.
“I am also here to assure that this will be the last time your community will be invaded by Fulani herdsmen under whatever guise.
“I have directed that cattle rearing and grazing should stop in Ekiti State and those interested in cattle farming should henceforth do so in their own cattle ranch.
“No more movement of cattle from one location to another in the State and any cattle seen anywhere in Ekiti State apart from the ranch created for them by their owners will be confiscated by the government and their owners will be prosecuted.
“A bill to this effect will be sent to House of Assembly for passage into law to criminalise cattle owners whose cattle are found moving from one location the other in the State.
“If President Mohammadu Buhari, who is the patron of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has refused to call the herdsmen to order, we in Ekiti will no longer harbour herdsmen who go about killing our people, destroying our farmlands and raping our women.
“If the same President Buhari that was so concerned about the killing of Fulani herdsmen in Saki, Oke Ogun Area of Oyo State such that he, as a private citizen led Arewa leaders to Ibadan on October 13, 2000, to confront the then Governor of Oyo State, late Alhaji Lam Adesina is now keeping silent when the same herdsmen are killing our people, we must rise and defend ourselves.”
“It is our duty to protect our people and we are going to do that without fear or favour.
The governor reiterated that activities of the Fulani Herdsmen were inimical to the revival of agriculture in the country saying; “one wonders how Nigerians can go back to farming when those already in the farms are losing billions of naira worth of crops to destruction of their farmlands by the Fulani Herdsmen and the Federal Government is not doing anything about it.”

FCT allocates land for grazing reserves

Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that it had allocated a large expanse of land for grazing reserves.
Speaking at ground-breaking ceremony of the Rico Gado Animal Feed Factory in Abuja by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, announced that the FCTA would partner with the company for provision of extension services.
He said: “We already have on ground a massive land earmarked for grazing reserves. We are ready to partner with your group to bring you in so that you can meet with some of the people there and provide extension services to them.
The minister assured that the people of Abuja would give all the support to make sure that the company “becomes a reality.”
“Your Excellency, our appeal to you is that as you are still doing in Yola and in so many other areas, the Rico Gardo factory will be a source of benefit and prosperity to the community around here. And this can be done in the employment that you are going to generate, the social services that we know you will always need, and above all providing a window for people around this area to be professionally trained.
“I want to assure you that what you are doing is in tandem with the objectives of this administration which are creating economic development for employment, improve on agriculture so that we have food security, and above all providing prosperity to the people and I believe all these will be included in your objectives for this place.”
While performing the ground-breaking, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said the nation must protect its local industries, adding that free trade and globalisation needed the capacity to compete, “an opportunity Nigeria has never had.
“We will have to defend local industries. In the preaching of free trade and globalisation, Nigerian economy got to where it is today because we have been practicing ill digested economic theories.”

Kaduna Refinery Shut Down Over Non-supply Of Crude Oil

The Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) has stop production following renewed activities of Niger Delta militants.
It was gathered that the Kaduna refinery stopped production last week Tuesday over what a source attributed to lack of crude oil.
According to the source, “we have shut down production for now. We do not have crude supply, am sure it is due to the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta region.”
The source however assured that the refinery has enough Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in reserve pending when they would start getting supply of the crude.
“We will resume production as soon as we started getting crude supply from the Niger Delta. We are ready and our equipment are functional, the only problem now is the crude,” said our source.
The Refinery only resumed production late April during the fuel scarcity period.

Why we sealed PDP national headquarters – Police

The Nigeria Police has explained why it sealed the the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, national office in Abuja.
Force spokesperson, Bisi Kolawole, in a statement yesterday said intelligence at the disposal of the Force leadership indicated that some aggrieved factional leaders and members of the party had perfected plans to engage thugs from across the country to join them in threatening public peace and security in Abuja.
This, she said, was sequel to the on-going intra-party leadership crisis in the party and further fallout of the recent political engagements of the Party.
The statement said plan of the brains behind the development was to infiltrate Abuja and attack the Headquarters of the PDP with intent to forcefully occupy the facility.
Continuing it said, “Towards perfecting this criminality, credible Police sources confirm that the actors will mobilise into Abuja with effect from Monday 23rd May 2016 and they intend to march through major streets in Abuja before proceeding to the PDP Secretariat to manifest their intention.
“Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police has directed the deployment of Police assets to secure the PDP Secretariat and protect the staff until the threat to internal security that is being occasioned by the intra-party crisis within the PDP is stabilised.
“The police action is a proactive initiative which is being placed in furtherance to the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Police to prevent breakdown in law and order and protect lives and property.”
Arase, however, warned all actors in the crisis as well as their loyalists to refrain from any act that may threaten public order as the police shall deal promptly, firmly and decisively with such persons or group in line with their legal obligation

MASSOB threatens to exchange Naira for Biafran currency

Movement for the Ac­tualisation of the Sov­ereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has threat­ened to start exchanging naira for Biafran curren­cy in Igboland.
Speaking in Onitsha, Anambra State, the MAS­SOB Anambra North Di­rector of Finance, Mr Martins Ezeaka, said since the value of the nai­ra has depreciated, the group may reintroduce the Biafran currency and make people use it in South East, as it did in 2011.
MASSOB former leader, Chief Ralph Uwa­zurike, had on February 27, 2011 launched the Bi­afran currency, vehicles, motorcycle plate num­bers and driver’s licence.
According to Ezeaka, “now that the naira has depreciated, it is to the advantage of Biafra cur­rency because you can buy things with Biafran money at a very cheap price.
“We can now consoli­date our finance sector with valuable economy to meet the world stan­dard and we attribute this feat to our brain, re­sourcefulness and holis­tic approach to the strug­gle for a Biafran state.”

He stated that corrup­tion was responsible for the disparity in the ex­change rate of naira in the official and parallel market.
“It is corruption in the financial sector that made the naira to exchange for N200 of­ficially and about N350 in the black market,” he stated further.
Also contributing, the MASSOB Director of Agriculture in the zone, Comrade Obaji Obaji, said Biafran land is fertil­ised naturally for enough healthy farm produce, adding that for now Bi­afra has food that can sustain it until a Biafran state is actualised.
“We now go into mechanised agriculture in places like, Adani, Igbariam,Atani, Nsuk­ka, Abakaliki, Ogbaru among others,” he said.

Obama confirms Taliban leader’s death in US strike

This photograph taken on May 21, 2016 shows Pakistani local residents gathering around a destroyed vehicle hit by a drone strike in which Afghan Taliban Chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was believed to be travelling in the remote town of Ahmad Wal in Balochistan, around 160 kilometres west of Quetta.

President Barack Obama on Monday confirmed Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US air strike, hailing his death as an “important milestone” in efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.
Saturday’s bombing raid, the first known American assault on a top Afghan Taliban leader on Pakistani soil, marks a major blow to the militant movement, which saw a new resurgence under Mansour.
“We have removed the leader of an organisation that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on American and Coalition forces, to wage war against the Afghan people, and align itself with extremist groups like Al-Qaeda,” the US president said in a statement.
Senior Taliban sources have also confirmed the killing to AFP, adding that a shura (council) is under way to select a new leader.
Obama, who is on a three day visit to Vietnam, said Mansour had rejected efforts “to seriously engage in peace talks and end the violence that has taken the lives of countless innocent Afghan men, women and children.”
He called on the Taliban’s remaining leadership to engage in peace talks as the “only real path” to ending the attritional conflict.
Mansour was elevated to the leadership of the Taliban in July 2015 following the revelation that the group’s founder Mullah Omar had died two years earlier.
He was killed on Saturday near the town of Ahmad Lal in Pakistan’s south western Balochistan province, when missiles fired from a drone struck the car he was travelling in.
It was believed to be the first time the United States has targeted a senior Taliban figure in Pakistan.
Pakistan, which says it is hosting the Afghan Taliban’s top leadership in order to exert influence over them, has lambasted the United States over the drone attack, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.
In his statement, Obama said American forces would continue to go after threats on Pakistani soil.
“We will work on shared objectives with Pakistan, where terrorists that threaten all our nations must be denied safe haven,” he said.

But the strike could signal a fresh blow for US-Pakistan ties, which have improved markedly in recent years since the killing of Al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden in 2011.
The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in the Pakistan, mainly in the country’s border tribal regions with Afghanistan, with leaked documents showing Islamabad had quietly consented, despite publicly protesting.
This time, however, both sides insist Pakistan was informed only after the fact. Leaked diplomatic cables from 2010 had indicated that Islamabad wanted the southwestern province of Balochistan, home to a separatist insurgency, to remain off-limits.
The meeting of the Taliban’s Supreme Council continued into its second day Monday, according to senior militant sources, though the group has yet to release an official statement.
A senior Taliban source told AFP the killing had sent shockwaves through the leadership and many were laying low in Pakistan while some had fled across the border to Afghanistan.
“The shura meeting is continuing at an undisclosed location, they keep on moving due to the fear of US drone strike,” the source told AFP.

MEND insists on ceasefire, condemns Avengers

After rigorous and robust analyses, debates and reviews of political events in Nigeria within the past 12 months, particularly as they affect the Niger Delta region, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has resolved to continue to respect the unilateral ceasefire of hostilities declared May 30, 2014, against key economic interests of the Nigerian state.
The group said that the painful but necessary resolution to respect the ceasefire was borne out of MEND’s belief that as President Muhammadu Buhari marks his first year in office, he deserves more time to stabilise the country that was run aground by the “ill-fated, corrupt and visionless immediate past administration of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, which pauperised the Nigerian people to the alarming degree we all experience today.”
MEND, however, condemned and dissociated itself from the recent activities carried out by a group known as the “Niger Delta Avengers”.
“Their sudden emergence has absolutely nothing to do with the Niger Delta struggle but rather a tool by certain elements to destabilise the current government. “Going by their actions and subsequent statements, it has become very apparent on who the sponsors of these group are”.
It informed the International Community that the Niger Delta region shall not be part of a secessionist Biafran State. Rather, the group believes in one strong united Nigerian federation where the principles and ideals of Resource Control, True Federalism, Rule of Law/Respect for Human Rights, Democracy, Free Enterprise and a vibrant civil society are well entrenched in the grundnorm and put to practice.
MEND maintains that it is opposed to “the fraudulent and unsustainable Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) headed by Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd) which still runs on the corrupt bureaucratic and operational template of the past administration.”
It added: “We have always made it very clear that unless the root issues which gave birth to the agitations in the Niger Delta region are addressed, in the form of a sincere dialogue, this programme will only continue to remain a mere cesspool of corruption.”
In an online statement on Sunday, MEND said that in order to create an enabling environment for dialogue on the Niger Delta question, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) urges President Muhammadu Buhari to release the Okah Brothers – Henry and Charles – who were arrested in 2010 on trumped-up charges.
“The release of Henry and Charles Okah will be key to any form of dialogue in helping to bring stability to the volatile region”.
It will be recalled that the new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, has bombed several pipelines since its emergence and has affected the economy of the country. The group vows to carry more of such attacks in the coming days.

FG to revoke unused refinery licences – Kachikwu

Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu

About 25 licences that were given to private operators between 2002 and 2014 to build refinery complexes in Nigeria will be revewed at again and those that have remained inactive will be revoked, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has said.
Kachikwu said last week when he hosted a group of online news outlets in Abuja that as part of its ongoing efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, the government was going on to review the status of the refinery licences.
He noted that those who had crossed certain acceptable operational thresholds would be allowed to go on with their works while those who haven’t would be cancelled.
“The next stage of this is that we are going to look at all the licences that have been given out; some of them were given a window within which to build their refineries and we are going to revoke the ones that were not used,” said Kachikwu in response to a question on the status of the licenses.
He further explained: “The reason they did not use the licences is that unless the price is right on the outer point, your economics cannot balance. So, no refinery investment in the world comes to a country where there is no liberalisation and it is not just Nigeria because if you don’t liberalise, nobody is going to invest in your refineries.
“So, that is why they did not, a lot of them thought it was nice to have licences but as soon as you move into the capital market and you do your analysis, you realise this.”
The minister noted that government would henceforth require investors in refinery to show some levels of commitment to their plans as they submit their requests, adding that refining licences would no longer be issued discretionarily.
“The more the government gets out of some of this private sector businesses, the less you have discretionary allocations of this or that to people.
“We have advertised for three already; the co-located ones, but this time we are going to be very rigorous in giving out licenses.

“You are going to show us the kind of financial model already in place and guarantees that you have the funding to do it, but we will also be helping them by doing what we can, by making sure that they get products at the right prices,” Kachikwu stated.
In March, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) which is saddled with the task of issuing refining licences stated that there are 25 private refinery licences issued by it, out of which 21 are in the ‘Licence to Establish’ (LTE) category, while four are in the ‘Approval to Construct’ (ATC) category.
DPR also noted that three of these are billed to construct conventional stick-build plants and 22 will construct modular units with a combined refining capacity of 1,429,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) has reiterated its support for the decision by government to liberalise the downstream petroleum sector, saying its regulation of who to import and distribute fuel in the country was a failure.
IPMAN’s President, Chinedu Okoronkwo, told journalists during a press briefing that members of the association have taken up government’s challenge to oil marketers to import and sell products and would soon flood the market with petrol.
Okonkwo said the recent scarcity of petrol in the country was as a result of the regulated regime where only those approved by government could import and sell petrol.
He said in recent times NNPC was the sole importer of petrol and that the situation became a serious burden on it.
“A regulated business regime anywhere in the world does not thrive. Business is for private sector, they have the investment and zeal to bring competition and operate successfully,” Okonkwo added.
He also condemned the recent strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), saying strikes by the labour movement have always ended up without any tangible results.