Category: News

The governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah has appointed Professor Chidiebere Onyia as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

Also, shortly after his inauguration, Mbah hit the ground running by signing three Executive Orders for the effective governance of the state.

The appointment was announced in a statement personally signed by the governor on Monday and released to the press by his media office.

Until his appointment, Prof. Onyia was the Managing Director of the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Facility. He was also the Lead strategy advisor for the Federal Government of Nigeria, World Bank Group Power Sector Recovery Programme, and has over the years rendered services to different international organizations and countries, among them the United Nations, Germany and Russia.

Prof. Onyia is a visiting Professor of Education at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, a former visiting Professor at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and serves on the Governing Council of two private Nigerian universities.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Masters of Business Administration degree and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. He also had a post-doctoral scholarship in Education Policy from the Ivy League Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.

Prof. Onyia, with over 25 years of experiences in leadership, innovation, strategy, institutional reforms and research, has received numerous international and national awards and accolades for leadership excellence and for his outstanding contributions to the education sector. He is well published and a certified educational consultant, researcher, presenter, mentor and author of many books.

Prof. Onyia was a member of the Transition Committee, the technical committee that developed an actionable plan for the Peter Mbah administration, based on his manifesto and social contract with the people of Enugu State.

Enugu Governor, Mbah, assumes office, signs three executive orders

The others are: Order 001 of 2023, which is an Executive Order for the Development of Citizens’ Charter; Executive Order 002 of 2003, which is Order for the Removal of Unauthorised Street Barriers Across the State Within 100 Days; and Executive Order 003 of 2023, which is for the Promotion of Economic Growth through Transparency and Efficiency in Government.

The governor explained that by Order 001 for Citizens Charter, the government undertook to provide the citizens with a “peaceful and tranquil living environment devoid of insecurity and all threats to life”.

Other objectives of the government in this regard include: “A justice system that efficiently adjudicates on all civil or criminal matters.

“Critical social amenities including but not limited to good and motorable roads, qualitative world class education, portable water in every household, affordable and qualitative medical services; refuse disposal, provision of open spaces for recreation and sports and other social services that will assure a good living environment for citizens.

“Creation of jobs to achieve the eradication of poverty in Enugu State by 2030.

“Ensuring the maintenance of a physical and policy environment in Enugu State that will make the State conducive for establishment of new businesses and growth of existing businesses.

“Detailed development planning defined by timely quality budget preparation and approval for implementation.

“Transparent and inclusive governance on web and to the press defined by a regular rendering of accounts and information on government budgets and expenditure plans, including a statement about how your money is being spent, as well as quarterly summaries of government revenue, borrowings and expenditure; timely production and publishing of audited annual accounts; and consultative townhall meetings to present government’s plans and receive citizens’ feedback”.

Others are: “The establishment of a price intelligence unit to ensure that government contract prices reflect costs that will ensure good value for money.

“Formation of a public budget revenue and expenditure monitoring committee with broad based membership from the State, citizens and prominent Development agencies and multilateral agencies and civil society groups.

“Quality and timely government services by all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“Timely and complete payments of service providers and contractors as well as emoluments to government employees and pensioners.

“This Charter will be internally and independently assessed on an annual basis to check to what extent the government is in compliance. The results of the assessments will be graded and published.

“This is a progressive performance improvement plan. Performance against the standards stated here are expected to be moderate in the first instance but will progressively improve as time goes on”.

Also, the governor said that by Order 002, which is pursuant to the authority vested in his office by the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and the Laws of Enugu State, seeks to eliminate every barrier to free movement of persons and goods in the state, noting however that the Order was limited to state and local government roads only.

While acknowledging the reason of security adduced for the erection of the barriers, Dr. Mbah assured the people of the state that the government would step up its efforts to ensure the security of lives and property.

Giving details on Order 003, the governor said that in order to facilitate government services, “every MDA of the Enugu State Government shall publish a complete list of all requirements or conditions for obtaining products and services within the MDA’s scope of responsibility, including permits, licenses, waivers, tax related processes, filings, and approvals”.

The Order, among others, stipulates that “Failure of the appropriate officer to act on any application within the timeline stipulated, without lawful excuse, shall amount to misconduct and be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the law and regulations applicable to the civil or public service”.

President Bola Tinubu deliver his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023 at the Eagle Square in Abuja

Nigeria’s new President, Bola Tinubu says the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended.

He said the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.

“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on Monday after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.

Tinubu said his government shall instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy, adding that a “unified exchange rate” is guaranteed under his administration.

He also promised to remodel the economy to bring about growth as well as develop the Gross Domestic Product through job creation.

The President said the interest rate is currently too high and will be reviewed.

He assured investors that multiple taxation will be reviewed to attract fresh foreign direct and local investments, even as he promised one million jobs in the digital economy.

Furthermore, the former Lagos State governor vowed to rid Nigeria of terrorism and criminality.

“Security shall be top of our administration,” he said, adding that he will reform security architecture, invest more in security personnel, better training and provide better equipment for security personnel.

The new President said he will end extreme poverty, make food more abundant, ensure inclusion for women and youths and discourage corruption.

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Protocols

1. Permit me to begin this address by expressing my immense gratitude to God. I am also most grateful to the great people of Enugu State for the opportunity they have given me to serve them as their governor. I will forever be grateful to you for this honour.

2. Let me also thank all those who contributed to the success of this governorship struggle. It began as a tiny conception, as small as the mustard seed. Today, it has acquired a life of its own. Time constrains me from naming all of you, one by one, who contributed to the maturation of this idea. However, let me be quick to put on record the invaluable contributions of the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyichukwu Ugwuanyi, Gburugburu The Great, to what we are celebrating today. Posterity will certainly be kind to you for your deep sense of patriotism. To you all, I remain forever grateful.

3. Today is a historic day in the life of Ndi Enugu. Again, providence is placing Enugu State at the threshold of history. As offspring and heirs of a great historical heritage, we are aware of our proud and lofty past. Right on this soil, our forebears worked relentlessly for the greatness of Nigeria. We are inheritors of centuries of pedigree of a hardworking, industrious and brave Igbo race. Our forebears toiled to produce the coal that powered Europe and grew her economy, extracting the black gold locked inside the bowels of the earth.

4. We thus cannot be repositories of this great history and yet be laden with poverty and want. It will be unacceptable for us to be heritages of those massive resources that are still buried in the bowels of our soil and yet be trapped in underdevelopment. It is a contradiction of immense proportion which we are poised to unravel.

5. We cannot afford to delink from our glorious past. The soil of Enugu boasted of a retinue of great leaders and committed followers. The legendary Dr. Michael Okpara, whose astounding leadership qualities later got celebrated, decades after, in Ivy League universities like Stanford, demonstrated the component of his leadership ability right here on the soil of Enugu. The soil of Enugu has always been a fertile ground for the growth of leadership. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Akanu Ibiam, and others who administered Igboland, right from this soil of Enugu, exhibited memorable leadership, aided by the great support offered them by our people. They administered a great people who gave their leadership abilities ample and fertile soil to flourish and flower. These are the testaments that point to the fact that greatness runs in our DNA. This is the sort of greatness that the soil of Enugu breeds.

6. For six months, I traversed the length and breadth of Enugu State visiting the 68 development centres that make up this land of history. During this time, I listened to you, saw your challenges in the midst of considerable resources and felt your pains, but I saw that you remained hopeful of a better tomorrow.

7. Two very instructive anecdotes explain the future that is here today for Ndi Enugu. One is the narrative of an imaginary youth, whom I shall call Emeka, who plies his craft right here on the soil of Enugu State. Like many young men who struggle with existential survival issues in Nigeria, life was becoming an excruciating and lost battle to Emeka. He had gone through the unease of struggling to study and here he was, with a certificate that looked worthless. So Emeka decided to join the now popular Japa movement. Life must be blooming on the other side of Europe, he thought. So he was enfolded into a ship that travels on the Mediterranean. Hope was beginning to build in him. As the ship taking him to a new life he had conjured, that hope suddenly evaporated. The ship sunk and the Mediterranean Sea swallowed Emeka and his lofty dream.

8. Conversely is the other youth whom I shall call Ikechukwu. Like Emeka, life was troubling for him too. He scarcely could make ends meet. He also struggled to go through school. Life was tough. However, he suddenly woke up to the creative genie in him. Ikechukwu, with friends on Ogui Road, was able to develop an app and before he knew it, entered his creative genius products in a global contest. All of a sudden, he won a prize in Dubai and the World stood still for that hitherto hopeless boy previously roaming the streets of Enugu.

9. The above anecdotes spoke to the power of ideas, as against the escapist belief in the redemptive power of Japa. The two of them – Emeka and Ikechukwu – lived in this same city. The question that our administration is asking is, how many of Ikechukwus do we want to produce? How do we stem the tide of the Emekas? How do we address the ‘hopelessness’ among Enugu youths?

10. Beyond anecdotes, what qualifies me to stand before you today is the conquest of the can-do spirit, the type manifested by Ikechukwu. I am an Enugu boy whose creative energy saw him through all his existential life battles and brought him to where he is today. Like Ikechukwu, while growing up, I struggled against the tides of adversities that made the future look bleak. Failures and frustrations dogged my way. I worked as a shop attendant at Alaba Market in Lagos, struggling to stave off all kinds of negative manifestations of an inclement environment. Like a determined swimmer, I swam against the tides of these adversities to embark on my scholarly journey. In 2008 when we began operations at Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited, I came into that industry as a backbencher. The DNA of exploits and creativity that is innate in every nwa Enugu was my driving force. It pushed me to go beyond the limits of expectations in the industry. A few days ago, I resigned as the CEO of Pinnacle. By the time I was leaving, Pinnacle Oil and Gas had conquered all odds, displacing the incumbent in the petroleum industry within a short time. We succeeded in driving the upstart of yesterday into reaching the Pinnacle of the downstream oil sector.

11. The youths of Enugu State will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the tomorrow that is now here today. We want to expose our youths to the skills required to grasp the emerging future and create opportunities for the genius in them to flourish. We also want to invoke and instill in them the can-do spirit that is innate in the Igbo man. Enugu will rubbish Japa, not by legislation but by creatively addressing the challenges to the future of our youths.

12. We will equip our youths with e-commerce, fintech and cyber-security skills, such that they will become globally interconnected, and can indeed ‘Japa’ all over the world by providing services online through their e-commerce skills. They will be champions of the globe without necessarily having to leave Enugu.
13. I am standing before you today pregnant with ideas on how to rescue our youths and indeed the whole of Enugu State from the threats against our existence. You can trust me. I will be operating from the vantage of transcendental values and not narrow interests. That is what we are driven by. I will not let you down. We believe that the only purpose of leadership is to bring the best out of every one of us. You are why all these are possible.

14. As we enter the threshold of history with this signing of a social contract with Ndi Enugu, we are immensely aware that the contract also has the spirits of our ancestors as witnesses. They hear us as we proclaim our resolve to transform the lives of our people. God’s supervening eyes are also watching us. My prayer is that every citizen of Enugu State will remember today and be glad that we took a bold step forward for the benefit of our children unborn.

15. There is no doubting Enugu’s capacity to recreate the iconic wonderment of economic prosperity and phenomenal growth witnessed in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Our will is strong and unshakeable. We are also acutely aware that where there is a will, there is always a way. When their forebears conceived the models of Dubai and Singapore some few decades ago, they too began to sow their tomorrow like a tiny seed as we are doing today. At that moment, the conceivers of the dreams appeared like some theatre jesters. Today, those countries have become models of the wondrous depth of human capacity.

16. Today, we too are announcing the conception of same humongous dream, right here on the soil of Enugu State. All the ingredients needed to actualize this dream are present in us. Today, God is bestowing upon us a leadership that keys into those yearnings and aspirations.

17. Take notice that this administration will be business unusual. Tough decisions will be taken. Those decisions will however be taken in the best interest of Ndi Enugu and Enugu State in general. You will constitute the driving force of every action we take as your representatives.

18. We will serve you with every fiber of our being and devote all our energy and your resources to working for you and your interests. Our driving force and governance philosophy will be always based on transcendental values.

19. We will invoke the spirit of enterprise, the creative energy of our people and the remarkable industry on the streets of Enugu State to create the difference in governance. We will pursue an economic growth that is unrivalled in this part of the country. We will tap into the limitless resources of the private sector to provide world-class infrastructure and productive sector growth.

20. We will retool and re-energize our agriculture/agro-allied sector. We will unlock our rural economy through the implementation of Special Economic Zones and Special Agro-allied Processing Zones. The commerce and industry sector will help us to kick-start this drive. We also plan to provide a N100 billion revolving fund for our SMEs in partnership with the Private Sector and other Development Financial Institutions.

21. In the area of Information and Communication Technology, (ICT), we will provide a Tier 4 Hyper Scale Data Centre to attract hyper-scale businesses like Amazon, Google, Netflix, Tik Tok and Microsoft.

22. Our creative industry will be lifted from its old glory and be positioned as driver of our developmental dream. We will set up a film village and, working with stakeholders in the industry, ensure that our state becomes the destination of choice for tourists, attracting not less than 3 million visitors each year.

 

23. The sporting sector will transmute under us from a solely recreation sector into a revenue earner. We will invest highly in it with an eye on returns into the Enugu economy.

24. We also have robust, cross-cutting programmes in the social services sector. Education, for us, is a key driver of our developmental effort. Our intervention will boost the access to and understanding of ICT in our early child learning and schools. We will increase the focus on vocational education in our secondary schools, while reemphasizing civic and moral values.

25. In the healthcare sector, our aim is to ensure that rural, semi-rural and urban Ndi Enugu have access to primary healthcare facilities, without any hindrance. We will partner with private investors in building specialist hospitals, so as to attract Nigerians who fly outside the country on health tourism. Our objective here would be to make Enugu a medical tourism destination.

26. In the area of water, Ndi Enugu are aware of our promise to ensure availability of water in our homes in the Enugu metropolis in 180 days time. We reiterate this promise here. Furthermore, we will waste no time in replicating same feat in Nsukka, Udi and Awgu axis.

27. Sanitation and hygiene are also areas where this administration wants to pluck its low-hanging fruits. In the next 100 days, our administration will ensure that our streets are cleared of refuse. We will also ensure that existing landfill sites are relocated and further ensure that they are harnessed for wealth creation. Urban renewal is key to us as an administration.

28. We will pursue an infrastructural revolution in Enugu State by turning our state into one huge construction site. We will prioritize road construction and infrastructural renewal ensuring that our roads are well paved. Where necessary we shall construct flyovers and dualise roads as a remedy to any gridlocks.

29. We shall run an inclusive government designed to accommodate all citizens of Enugu State.

30. Our transportation blueprint is comprehensive and holistic. We will have a multi-modal transportation system, a monorail to connect cities in Enugu and even go a step further by partnering with other governments in the Southeast in connecting us with our sister states.

31. We are committed to the strengthening of our institutions. The judiciary, legislature and public services will receive the needed propellers as lifters of our dream. We will provide the right enablement to ensure justice is dispensed as speedily as possible. In this regard, we will digitize and digitalize the judiciary, so as to make the management and procedures in our courts more efficient.

32. Our approach to tackling insecurity in Enugu State will be by adopting the kinetic and non-kinetic models and approaches. We will strengthen community policing architecture; neighbourhood watch and forest guards. In this mode, we will deploy modern technology such as CCTV cameras and others, as well as establishing a command-and-control centre in Enugu State, so as to track perpetrators of crime who we will pursue and bring to justice.

33. The most logical question that must be playing in corners of your lips as you listen to me is, how do we source the funds to jumpstart this massive governmental ambition?

34. We have critically studied different financing models, a number of which we will deploy. The first, as I have earlier itemized, is that we will open Enugu State up for the influx of investments and investors. Our ambition is to have our state as the corridor where the private sector migrates and plays. We will strengthen internally generated revenue, not by increasing tax rate arbitrarily but by expanding the tax net, plugging loopholes of leakages, as well as by operating a lean and agile government.

35. We will also, within our first 100 days in office, convene a Diaspora and Investors Forum where we will market all the productivity sectors in the state through showcasing our huge investment potentials.

36. Our government will also organize what is called the Diaspora Bond where we will securitize remittances from abroad. In this regard, remittances will no longer be for consumption alone but for production. Government will create a platform for securing those remittances so the investors have security for their funds.

37. The governance philosophy of our administration will be based on transparency, accountability and fund traceability. Part of this philosophy is collaboration and partnership with CSOs and the private sector.

38. To demonstrate how persuaded we are about doing this, as I leave here now, I will head for the office to perform my first executive task as your governor. That task will be to sign Executive Order 001. It is called the Citizens’ Charter. It demands that we manage your money, the people’s money, in the people’s interest. This Charter holds me and members of my team to account on your funds. The Citizens’ Charter mandates us to provide detailed information on our public financial management system, report our revenue to you in detail and ensure that we adequately capture our expenditure. The Charter demands, in the same vein, that our expenditure is consistent with government priorities.

39. In line with the Public Financial Management (PFM) system, we will also ensure implementation of programmes and projects that deliver value for our money, factoring due process and public procurement laws into them.

40. In closing, let me invite the people of Enugu State to accompany our administration on this journey into prosperity. This is not time for politics. It is not time for passion as well. It is time for the sowing of the seed for the Enugu of our dream. Each Enugu son and daughter should ask themselves the question: what sort of future do we desire for our children? In answering the question, we must begin to work together to forge that future of our dream. Posterity will not forgive us if we fail.

41. The tomorrow we professed is here. It is a signpost of what the tomorrow of our children and their children’s children will be. Like Martin Luther King Jr., I have a dream of an Enugu State that is second to none for development in Nigeria and Africa.

42. Here on the soil of Enugu are hidden innumerable potentials for future greatness. They may look as tiny as the mustard seed but they carry within their pods energies that can move mountains. All we need do is tap the soil and out of it will sprout the seeds for the activation of the Enugu of our dream, the driver of a greater Nigeria.

43. My charge to all of us today is that Enugu must take back what it has always represented. What carves us out for this role is an acute sense of industry, as well as the pride of our people which will enable us wax stronger as the future decades roll by. So, let us commit to our sense of enterprise, joined together in brotherhood and sisterhood, to form that filial bond that has been known to be the raw materials for building great nations, a cohesive people and society. This is what ties us.

44. Like King said, I have a dream that one day, beginning from today, every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. Ultimately, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

45. It is our hope. It is the summary of our pact with Ndi Enugu. It is the faith that will propel developmental actions in every minute of our tenancy at the Lion Building. Again, to parody King, it is with this faith that we will transform the jangling discords of our state into a beautiful symphony of development.

It is our creed. It is our pact. May God help us. God bless Enugu State.

Tomorrow is indeed here!

May 28, 2023

My fellow Nigerian brothers, sisters and friends of Nigeria.

1. I address you today, in my last assignment as a democratically elected President of our great and well-endowed nation, with a deep sense of gratitude to God, a great deal of appreciation to the Nigerian people and a modest sense of fulfilment.

2. Today we mark and celebrate another peaceful transition of power from one elected government to another in our steady march to improve and sustain Nigeria’s democracy.

3. This year we witnessed the most keenly contested Presidential Elections since the first Republic and this demonstrates that our democracy is getting better and more entrenched with each election.

4. We must as a nation improve and sustain gains we make in the electoral process, on an incremental basis for Nigeria to take its rightful place among Nations.

5. Our democracy provides for, allows and encourages seeking redress for perceived injustices, enabling some candidates and political parties that did not agree with the results to go to court.

6. Irrespective of the outcome of the various cases, I urge all parties involved to accept the decision of our courts and join hands to build a better Nigeria.

7. I salute the doggedness and resilience of all the Presidential Candidates and their political parties for believing in our judicial system by taking their grievances with the election results to court.

8. In the course of the campaigns, we had argued and disagreed on how to make Nigeria better but we never disagreed or had any doubts that Nigeria has to be better.

9. As your President, I call on all of us to bring to bear the strength of our individualism, the power of our unity, the convictions of our beliefs to make Nigeria work better and together with one spirit and one purpose.

10. To my brother, friend and fellow worker in the political terrain for the past ten years – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu -, I congratulate you on the realisation of your dream, which was propelled by a burning passion to put Nigeria amongst the leading nations of the world.

11. You have indeed worked for this day and God has crowned your efforts. I have no doubt that your passion for excellence, reliance on competence, fairness in relationships, commitment to equity, loyalty to the country and desire for Nigeria to be globally relevant would come through for you, under God’s guidance, as you lead our country to levels higher that I am leaving.

12. You are the best candidate among all the contestants and Nigerians have chosen well.

13. The last eight years have been an exciting experience in my desire and commitment to see a Nigeria in which public goods and services are available, and accessible within a united, peaceful and secure nation.

14. Fellow Nigerians, on the strength of your overwhelming support for me and my political party, I started this journey with a great deal of promise and expectation from you. I never intended to be just politically correct but to do the correct things that will make meaningful impact on the lives of the common Nigerian.

15. This high expectation was not misplaced because, like the ordinary Nigerian, I had grown tired of watching the country progressively moving away from the path of correctness.

16. To ensure that our democracy remains resilient and our elected representatives remain accountable to the people, I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent and the influence of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum. And Nigerians can elect leaders of their choice.

17. We are already seeing the outcome of this process as it provided an even playing field where persons without any political God-Father or access to money defeated other well-resourced candidates.

18. The Nigerian economy has become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place to ensure that our economy remained afloat during cases of global economic downturns.

19. You would all recall the supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deftness of our response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.

20. Furthermore, we increased the ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living, provided more food for millions in our villages and gave our women opportunities to earn a living.

21. Young men and women in urban centres were also supported to put their skills into productive use. Our administration also provided an enabling environment for the private sector to engage in businesses for which their return on investments is guaranteed.

22. The private sector proved a strong partner in our drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy as evidenced by the growing number of turn-key projects in various sectors of the economy.

23. In the course of revamping the economy, we made some difficult choices, most of which yielded the desired results. Some of the measures led to temporary pain and suffering for which I sincerely apologised to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the over-all good of the country.

24. Mindful of the need to ensure adequate infrastructure to drive economic growth, we completed age-long projects and processes notably amongst which are the Petroleum Industry Act, completion of some power projects, completion of the second Niger bridge and various important roads linking cities and states.

25. Our battle to ensure that all Nigerians live in a safe and secure environment has achieved considerable results. As I complete my term in office, we have been able to reduce the incidences of banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities considerably.

26. To sustain the gains made so far, I call on all Nigerians to be more vigilant and support the security agencies by ensuring that our values defined by being your brothers’ keeper govern our actions.

27. Up-till now, I still grieve for our children still in captivity, mourn with parents, friends and relatives of all those that lost loved ones in the days of the senseless brigandage and carnage. For all those under unlawful captivity our Security Agencies are working round the clock to secure their release unharmed.

28. Fellow Nigerians, you know how dear the desire in my heart is, to rid the country of corrupt practices that had consistently diminished our efforts to be a great country.

29. I did pursue this commitment relentlessly, in spite of the expected push back. I am happy that considerable progress had been made in repatriating huge sums of money back to the country and also taken over properties illegally acquired from our common wealth.

30. To improve service delivery, we began the implementation of a number of reforms aimed at producing an Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-oriented (EPIC) Federal Civil Service and the results are beginning to show.

31. On the international scene, Nigeria’s influence continues to grow as exemplified by notable Nigerians occupying headship and leadership positions in renowned global bodies.

32. Our democracy is built on and continues to thrive on the principles of separation of powers. The leadership and members of the National Assembly deserve my appreciation for their patriotism which did not detract from their roles as a check to the executive arm.

33. I also want to use this opportunity to express my appreciation to a good number of Nigerians who provided their support and encouragement to help me navigate the exciting journey in moving Nigeria forward.

34. I cannot and will not forget the millions who prayed for me during my illness in my first term of office. I am constantly praying for you and for Nigeria to thrive in peace.

35. As I retire home to Daura, Katsina State, I feel fulfilled that we have started the Nigeria Re-Birth by taking the initial critical steps and I am convinced the in-coming administration will quicken the pace of this walk to see a Nigeria that fulfils its destiny to be a great nation.

36. I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.

37.I thank you all. And may God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In line with the resolve of his administration to continue to serve the people, the Executive Chairman of Nkanu West Local Government Area, Hon. Uchenna Callistus Ejim, has commenced the construction of a 3.7km road at Obinagu Uwani community, Akpugo in the council area.

The road, which connects Ameke and Ogirishi villages is said to have been in a very bad state and almost impassable during the rainy season, thereby making it difficult for the people of the area to go about their daily activities.

Ejim while speaking during the flag-off of the road project thanked God for giving his administration the grace to intervene in the road.

“Today is nostalgic to me because I never imagined that in the nearest future, God will give us the grace to intervene in this capacity. As far as I’m concerned, this is God’s project. It will interest the public to know that this road was graded for the first time around 2008/2009 when I was the Councilor of Obinagu Uwani Akpugo ward”.

According to Ejim, the road “is very dear to me because my people are farmers, and the need to have good access road to evacuate their farm produce to the market is on the rise. During rainy season, vehicular movement to this area is usually cut-off for about six months as long as it rains.

“So, today, gifting us the grace by the Almighty God to intervene in this capacity, doing a 3.7km on a virgin road is indeed a privilege of a lifetime that God has given to us to intervene and serve our people. The construction of the double drainage is obviously above 50% completion, and we shall not relent until the asphalt work, which is the final phase is done.

“According to the studies of our Soil Engineers and Surveyors, we understand the difficulty of this terrain, especially the soil texture. It is not a regular road that is done elsewhere in other parts of the local government, but we are determined to make sure that after completion, this road will serve as a model for road construction in very many years to come.

“We intentionally chose to do this road as a model road. When it is completed, I charge you to come and see this road, because it will be a model for road construction in our place by the grace of God. It will be a road that will have drainage system on both sides to guarantee its durability, and there’s nothing that saves a road like the drain”, he added.

The Council Chairman expressed his gratitude to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, whom he described as a strategic and inspirational leader that has carved a niche for himself in good leadership and rural development.

“I want to thank His Excellency, our Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who has given us the platform to succeed in this capacity. I want to appreciate God for his life and the services he has rendered to the people of Enugu State. May the Almighty God continue to take him to places, keep him safe in sound health of body and mind”, Ejim prayed.

The Chairman further acknowledged the support of the legislative arm of the local government, which he said has been cooperating with his administration in delivering quality leadership and dividend of democracy to the people of Nkanu West LGA.

While reiterating his resolve to leave Nkanu West better than he met it, the Council Boss who noted that his desire is to replicate the construction of asphalt road in the four development centres that make up the council area, thanked the people of Nkanu West LGA for the great support they are giving to his administration.

Speaking on behalf of the villagers, a community leader, Chief Mark Chukwu thanked God for making it possible for the Council Chairman to bring such development to his Obinagu Uwani community, stressing that the road “has been begging for attention”. While appreciating Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for giving Ejim the opportunity to serve as the Council Chairman, Chief Mark commended Ejim for the quality work done so far on the road.

In his own speech, the supervisor for works in the local government, Hon. Raymond Nnamani stated that “the road project which is divided into three phases is expected to be completed in no distant time. This road has been suffocating to the people of this area as movement has been very difficult”. He commended the courage of the Council Chairman to embark on such a capital intensive project, despite the economic crunch.

Other stakeholders who spoke at the event are the Councilor representing Obinagu Uwani Akpugo Ward, Hon. Felix Ani, the Surveyor of the road project, Surveyor Christian Okonkwo, and the Town Engineer of the local government, Engr. Samson Ugwudike. They all commended the good effort of the Executive Chairman in attending to crucial need of the masses.

Recall that the Council Chairman had recently dissolved and reconstituted his cabinet. This is a move that many stakeholders in the council area adjudged to be a good step in the right direction, as some believe that it is a move towards correcting some wrongs of the past.

The flag-off ceremony was attended by some notable stakeholders from the council area including the Deputy Chairman, Hon Chijioke Oscar Ngene, the Secretary to the council, Hon. Sunday Modecaiah Edeh, the Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Information, Hon. Barr. Steve Oruruo, a former Chairman of the local government council, Hon. Afam Nnaji.

Others are the Leader of Nkanu West Legislative Council, Hon. John Okorie, all ward Councilors, Supervisors among others.

Recall that Ejim had, on September 16, 2022, gifted Ms Ekwochi, Somtochukwu Chidiebere, for her outstanding performance in the then concluded West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations, WASSCE, with the sum of one million naira.

The Enugu State governor-elect, Dr. Peter Mbah, has pledged programmes and policies that would accelerate the growth and development of children in the state by enabling them to enjoy the benefits of childhood and nurture them into responsible, advantaged and happy children for themselves and the society.

The governor-elect who made this known in a statement signed by the head of Peter Mbah Media Office, Dan Nwomeh, celebrated children as a gift and blessing from God while stressing that his administration would fast track all the necessary programmes that would enable them discover and explore their maximum potentials.

Mbah, who further noted that the theme of this year’s celebration in the country, “The state of Nigerian children today: Proper parenting for value orientation and national consciousness”, was apt and in sync with his manifesto, called on all hands to be on deck in order to give children in the country, particularly in Enugu State, a better and brighter future where they can feel fulfilled, emotionally, psychologically, physically and physiologically.

He added that the state under his leadership would assume the position of a caring parent where basic education, vocational training and skills acquisition would be compulsory for every child in the state, saying that his Cut-off early child learning programme will expose Enugu children to quality education as well as vocational and mechanical skills.

While noting the urgent need to prioritize the needs of children in the state by investing in their welfare, education, and providing them with a friendly environment to thrive, Mbah vowed that he would tackle those impediments that are hindering them from enjoying their full rights as recognized by the 1959 United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child; 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Child’s Rights and Responsibility Law of Enugu State which became operative in 2016.
He listed those challenges to include poverty, lack of parental care, drug abuse, family problems, child trafficking, failed educational system, social and religious conflicts, gross violation of the rights of the child, amongst others, stressing that his programmes would aim to eradicate poverty, eliminate the issue of school drop-out, and make education not only attractive to children but also quality, free and compulsory for all.

The governor-elect further frowned at the soaring rate of child abuse among parents and guardians, child labour and disdain for the welfare of children, warning that his administration would not tolerate anything that would deliberately deprive children of the opportunity to enjoy their rights to education, recreation and vocation.

He said he would seize the opportunity provided by the child’s rights law of the state to partner with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other international governmental and non-governmental organisations to raise healthy and happy children in the state that would appreciate societal values by being law-abiding and useful.

According to him, his plans to catch them young through programmes like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, smart education, technology and innovation are non-negotiable even as he expressed optimism that his well marshalled plan to infuse ICT in the early childhood education would groom children that could compete globally in the ever changing global system.

He equally assured children that his mission is to create a tomorrow where they would be proud of, saying they are the hope of a better future and the new world which his manifesto envisages.

A former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Friday, instituted a N100billion defamation suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The erstwhile Minister, who left the country since 2015, in the suit she filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, alleged that the anti-graft agency authored and sponsored several publications that portrayed her as a treasury looter.

For instance, she alleged that the EFCC, on December 16, 2021, made a publication against her that was captioned; “Diezani: EFCC uncovers additional $72.8 million.”

She told the court that the Commission had in 2017, also caused to be published, an article, titled: “Unbelievable!!! EFCC traces N47.2 Billion, $487.5 Million to ex-Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke.”

The former Minister, in the legal action she filed through her team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, insisted that the publications were done under the supervision of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, who was cited as the 2nd Defendant in the case.

She told the court that the articles, which were widely published by the EFCC, was “false, malicious, injurious and intended to lower the reputation and integrity of and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria”.

More so, the former Petroleum Minister, in the suit marked: CV/6273/2023, maintained that the said defamatory publications brought her into “public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.”

Therefore, she is among other things, seeking; “A declaration that the publication titled, ‘By virtue of an order of the Federal High Court of Nigeria sitting in Abuja, Diezani Alison Madueke, had forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the sum of $40,000,000.00, (forty million dollars) only, which jewelries were found and recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the premises of the Respondent and reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of the Respondent’s unlawful activities’, made by the honourable court on Monday, 24th day of January, 2022, relying on the false information made available to the court by the 1st Defendant in a court process dated and filed on the 4th day of July, 2019, and widely published in print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious and intended to lower the reputation and integrity of and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.

“A declaration that the publication titled ‘By virtue of an order of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, the Prosecution Counsel to liaise with the office of the Attorney General of the Federation towards the extradition of the Defendant’, made by the honourable court on the 28th day of October, 2020, relying on the false information made available to the court by the 1st Defendant in a court process dated and filed on the 13th day of November, 2018, and widely published in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.

“A declaration that the claims and publication made by the 1st Defendant on the 16th of December, 2021, to the effect that it had uncovered an additional $72.8 Million, purportedly belonging to the Claimant; and widely published by the 1st Defendant in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.

“A declaration that the false and defamatory statement made by the 1st Defendant of and concerning the Claimant on or about 17th of February, 2022, (Channels Television https//:www.channelstv.com→video), to the effect that the Claimant should be extradited for stealing a sum of $2.5 Billion belonging to the Nigerian government, which she must account for, which was widely published by the 1st Defendant in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.”

Aside from seeking an order directing both the EFCC and the AGF to retract the said libelous publications against her, the Claimant further demanded for an unreserved apology to be published in at least three national dailies within seven days from the date of judgment.

She also prayed the court for; “An order directing the Defendants jointly and severally to pay to the Claimant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (100 billion naira) only as damages for the false, injurious, malicious and libelous publications against the Claimant in the 1st Defendant’s publishing platform, and at the instance of both the 1st and the 2nd Defendants.”

Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.

Vanguard

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has accepted to lead the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Sierra Leone 2023 general elections.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has accepted to lead the Commonwealth Observer Group constituted by secretary general Patricia Scotland to observe the Sierra Leone 2023 general elections.

Mr Osinbajo’s media aide Laolu Akande disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Ms Scotland constituted the observer group, a team of distinguished experts upon the invitation from Sierra Leone’s electoral commission.

As the group’s chair, Mr Osinbajo would be the leader and spokesperson of the group of distinguished experts drawn from around the world, interfacing between the group, the media and the authorities of the host country.

In a statement on Thursday, Ms Scotland expressed gratitude to Mr Osinbajo for accepting the invitation despite his busy schedule.

“As a senior statesman from the region, Osinbajo understands, in depth, the challenges across West Africa, and I am confident he will lead a brilliant team,” Ms Scotland said.

Responding, Mr Osinbajo welcomed the opportunity to lead the election observers in Sierra Leone on June 24.

“I’m highly honoured by the unique opportunity to continue to bring my expertise and experience in contributing to deepening democracy, especially in Africa and the Commonwealth by extension,” stated the Nigerian vice-president.

According to the Commonwealth secretariat, Mr Osinbajo will be joined by recognised dignitaries from various fields, including politicians, legal, media, gender and election administration professionals across the Commonwealth.

The group’s mandate would be to observe the electoral process and provide an independent assessment of whether the election is credible.

The group will then report on the conduct of the elections in accordance with the standards to which Sierra Leone has committed itself, including its own laws.

“In line with Commonwealth methodology, the group will consider, among other things, whether conditions exist for credible and inclusive elections, including a fair election environment; whether public media has been impartial; the transparency of the entire process; and whether voters are free to express their will,” the organisation said.

“The group, upon completion of its assignment, will submit its recommendations in a report to the Commonwealth secretary-general, who will subsequently share it with the government of Sierra Leone, the electoral commission, political parties and all Commonwealth governments,” it added.

(NAN)

President Muhammadu Buhari has led President -elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, on a brief tour of parts of the Presidential Villa.

…Mbah has given a good example for other politicians to follow – CCB

The Governor-elect of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Friday, declared his assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), saying it is obligatory of every public officer to do so as required by law.

Mbah, who personally visited the South East Zonal Office of the CCB in Enugu, where he submitted his assets declaration forms, said the exercise was critical in the promotion of transparency and accountability in governance.

Speaking to journalists after submitting the forms to the Federal Commissioner in charge of the South East Zone of the CCB, Barr. Benedict Umeano, the Enugu Governor-elect said: “As the Chief Executive, we are meant to uphold the law. It is also incumbent on us to act lawfully, and what we have simply done here today is in line with the new direction of my career.

“As you also know, I am now migrating from the corporate environment to the public sector; and in the private sector, we have Codes of Corporate Governance and here in the public sector, we also have the Code of Conduct for the public servants.

“What we have simply done today is to comply with the requirements of the law by filling the forms as stipulated by law.

“The process is quite seamless and we have populated the forms, and we have also, in the presence of a Notary Public, executed the law as required.

“My administration shall be upholding these requirements for all public officers. It is mandatory and it’s not an option. As public servants, we are not left with any option, but to fill our CCB forms. We must abide by the provisions of the law”.

Speaking earlier, the CCB Federal Commissioner, Barr. Umeano, commended Mbah for leading by example by declaring his assets without delay.

“By the grace of God, by Monday, he (Mbah) will be the chief law officer of the state. By this submission, he has shown that he is going to lead by example.

“He has given a good example to the rest of the other politicians and even those who are going to be his functionaries that they have to comply with the rule of law. We commend him for this”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Supreme Court has dismissed the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu as a candidate in the last presidential election.

The suit, which alleged the inappropriate nomination of Mr Tinubu’s running mate for the February 20223 presidential election, Kashim Shettima, impliedly sought to stop the president-elect from being sworn in as president on 29 May.

A five-person panel led by Inyang Okoro dismissed the suit unanimously on Friday.

Adamu Jauro, a member of the panel who delivered the lead judgement, held that the PDP lacked the legal right to file a suit on an internal affair of APC.

“It should be noted that no political party can challenge the nomination of another political party.

“A political party lacks the right to challenge the activities of INEC on account of the nomination of another political party’s candidate.

“No court has the jurisdiction to entertain such a suit by another party,” the court held.

The court said PDP failed to show any harm it suffered because of Mr Shettima’s alleged double nomination.

Agreeing with the Court of Appeal’s earlier judgement dismissing the suit, Mr Jauro said, “I am in complete agreement with the Appeal Court that the PDP lacks the right to file this suit

“The appellant was unable to point to where the lower court determined the substantive issues on its merit.

“It is clear that the suit is statute-barred. Hence this court has no power to delve into the merit of the merit of the suit.”

The judge added: “It is frivolous and bound to fail fraught with manifest malady. It has been a waste of precious time and judicial energy.

“Counsel should do better to advise their clients to desist from suit frivolous matters.

“The appeal is grossly lacking in merit and it is hereby dismissed.”

The court awarded the cost of N2 million against PDP and in favour of the respondents

The judgement came three days ahead of the inauguration of Mr Tinubu as Nigeria’s president.

Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday conferred Nigeria’s highest national honour, GCFR, on Mr Tinubu preparatory to the president-elect’s inauguration on 29 May. The second highest national honour, GCON, was also conferred on Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima.

Background

The PDP’s suit predated the February 2023 presidential election. The case differs from the election petition case that the party filed at the presidential election court in the aftermath of the February election to challenge Mr Tinubu’s victory.

The party filed the suit challenging the Tinubu/Shettima candidature suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 28 July 2022.

Mr Shettima was already the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Borno Central Senatorial District at the time of his nomination as the party’s vice-presidential candidate last year.

PDP said he had yet to withdraw his senatorial candidature as of the time his party nominated him as its vice-presidential candidate.

The opposition party argued that such double nominations of a person for elections to different constituencies in an election cycle breached the provisions of sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1) (2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The breach, according to the plaintiff, invalidated the APC’s presidential ticket. PDP, therefore, sought an order disqualifying APC and its candidates – Messrs Tinubu and Shettima – from participating in the 2023 presidential election.

But delivering judgement on 13 January, the judge, Inyang Ekwo, dismissed the case on the grounds that PDP lacked the legal right to enquire into what he described as an internal affair of the APC.

Mr Ekwo added that the suit was caught by the principle of estoppel, saying the issue of Mr Shettima’s nomination as Mr Tinubu’s running mate was earlier decided by another court of competent jurisdiction.

The judge held that the suit was an abuse of the court process and, as such, deserved to be dismissed.

Displeased with the judgement, PDP appealed against it at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

But the appellate court dismissed the appeal in its verdict on 25 March, exactly one month after the presidential election won by Mr Tinubu and his party were declared to have won.

A three-member panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal affirmed the Federal High Court’s decision.

In the lead judgement delivered by James Abunduga, the appellate court described the PDP as a meddlesome interloper for dabbling into the affairs of the APC.

The PDP further appealed to the Supreme Court.

A five-person panel of the court led by Inyang Okoro heard the appeal on Monday and fixed it today (Friday) for judgement.

At the hearing, the PDP, through its lawyer, Joe Agi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, urged Supreme Court to set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal on the matter and grant his client’s prayer for cancellation of

Counsel for Tinubu and the APC, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, sought the dismissal of the suit on the premise that it was bereft of any merit.

Besides, the respondents contended that the matter had become status barred in view of the expiration of the period allowed for the hearing and determination of such a pre-election case.

On its part, INEC, through its lawyer, Adebiyi Adetosoye, said it supported Mr Tinubu and APC’s demand for the appeal to be dismissed with substantial cost.

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