The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Category: Opinion

  • Middle belt, Yoruba socio cultural group,Tiv Nation and others endorse South East Presidency

     

    Apex Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Tiv nation have endorsed the quest by the South East to produce Nigeria’s president in 2023.

     

    They, however, demanded that the country must be restructured before the 2023 general election to guarantee its continued co-existence as one country.

     

    They made their position known during the launch of Power Shift Movement and Forty Million Ballots Movement in Awka, Anambra State, hosted by the President of Youths Off the Street Initiative (YOTSI), Kennedy Iyere.

     

    Secretary General of Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni, who represented the leader of the Yoruba nation, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said the group was in support of the South East producing the next president.

     

    “Southern presidency is a means to an end. It is not something to celebrate because even if we have a southern president, you cannot have one more powerful than Obasanjo and nothing is being done.The fundamental thing is restructuring. But in the meantime, let those who have not tasted it, let them have it,” he said.

     

    He said the Yoruba nation was not happy that Igbo people were not coming out to declare their interest for the position even when people of southern Nigeria have declared support for them.

     

    “We hear people from the South West want to be president, and even in the north which we have said has had enough for now; they want to be president. I have not seen men from the South East come out and say that they want to be president. It is not a matter of newspapers or reeling out statistics. It is a question of let us see these men. If you don’t take your destiny in your hand politically, it will continue to be statistics on the pages of the newspaper.”

     

    On restructuring he said: “Nigeria must be restructured between now and the 2023 election. This country cannot afford to be run as a unitary state when we are actually a federal state. Restructuring, from our own point of view, is to invent or recreate the constitution or the fundamental covenant of our existence which we were when Awolowo on one side, Zik on one side and Ahmadu Bello on one side, came together. Nigeria was by negotiation and restructuring must continue. If you eat and I don’t eat, there can never be peace. So, our position is that towards 2023, let our leaders be realistic enough to ensure that the Nigerian state is restructured. The 1999 constitution is dangerously skewed against the Igbo man. It is terribly skewed against the Igbo man.”

     

    Leader of PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, represented by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Kenneth Robinson, said the Niger Delta was in support of the South East producing the successor to President Buhari, but asked that the Igbo take the lead.

     

    “For PANDEF, we stand for power shift to Southern Nigeria. Igbo people deserve the presidency of Nigeria. But it must go beyond deserving it. You must work for it. You must reach out to other groups,” Clark said.

     

    Leader of the Tiv nation, Chief Iorbee Ihagh, said his people have agreed that the presidency should go to South and the South East in particular. He, however, said that if the Igbo failed to come out and lead the movement, Tiv people may declare for the coveted post.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

     

  • Bank loans from CBN rise by 233 percent

     

    Banks’  borrowings from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, rose by 233 per cent, year-on-year, to N26.9 trillion in 2021 reflecting  increased  reliance on the apex bank to cope with the intense scarcity of funds which prevailed in the interbank money market for most part of last year.

     

    The CBN has two short term lending windows for banks namely the Standing Lending Facility (SLF) and Repo (Repurchase) lendin

     

    While the CBN lends money to banks through the SLF at interest rate of 100 basis points (bpts) above the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), it also lends money to banks through Repo arrangement, which involves the purchase of  banks’ securities with the agreement to sell back at  a specific date and  usually for a higher pric

     

    On the other hand, the CBN accepts deposits from banks through its Standing Deposit Facility (SDF

     

    Data from the CBN showed that banks’ borrowing through  Repo arrangement rose sharply last year by 1,602 per cent to N13.938 trillion from N819 billion in 2020. Most of the borrowing via Repo occurred in the second  half of the year (H2’21) when banks’ borrowed N7.37  trillion, up by 12 per cent from N6.57 trillion in the first half of the year (H1’21

     

    Similarly, banks’ borrowing through the CBN’s SLF rose sharply by  79 per cent, YoY in 2021 to N13 trillion from N7.25 trillion in 2020. Financial Vanguard analysis however showed that borrowings through the SLF fell by 57 per cent in H2’21 to N3.9 trillion from H9.04 trillion in H1’2

     

    Consequently, banks’ borrowing from the apex bank through the SLF and Repo rose by 233 per cent,  YoY,  to N26.9 trillion in 2021 from N8.1 trillion in 2020

    Similarly, banks’ deposit of idle cash through the CBN’s SDF rose 273 per cent, YoY, to 3.1 trillion in 2021 from N819.3 billion in 2020. Further analysis however showed that banks’ deposits through the SDF fell by 23 per cent in H2’21 to N1.33 trillion from N1.73 trillion in H1’21.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • NARD: The proposed bill on strikes in health sector is an assault on democratic rights of employees

     

    The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors and the Joint Health Sector Union, on Sunday, knocked members of the House of Representatives over plans to outlaw strikes in the health sector.

     

    The bodies described a proposed bill to that effect as draconian and an assault on the democratic rights of employees.

     

    The PUNCH reports that medical doctors and other health workers usually embark on industrial actions, which have crippled the health system in the country.

     

    In 2021, for example, the NARD embarked on a 63-day strike following the failure of the government to address its demands.

     

    The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Lagos State chapter, is also planning to embark on a strike by January 10 over the failure of the state government to meet its demands.

    The bill, which is being sponsored by a member of the House representing Enugu State, Simon Atige, is titled, ‘An Act to amend the Trade Disputes Act, cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to prohibit medical practitioners in the employment of federal, state and local governments in the essential service sectors from embarking on strikes and to accelerate administrative and judicial proceedings in the determination of trade disputes involving them and related matters’.

     

    It seeks to amend the principal Act by amending Section 17 of the Trade Disputes Act, 2004 by creating subsection 2, which provides, “Where a trade dispute has been declared by an organisation of medical practitioners employed by or under the government of the federation or of a state or of a local government or any municipal or statutory authority in a government hospital or medical centre or otherwise in the treatment of the sick or the prevention of disease or the minister has received a report of a dispute concerning such an organisation, the organisation may approach the National Industrial Court for a resolution of the dispute provided that at the time of the organisation’s approach to the court, the minister is also notified by the organisation and all processes are served on all the parties.

     

    It will also create a new subsection 3, which states, “Subject to the requirement of fair hearing, the National Industrial Court may abridge procedures and time stipulations for the purpose of a speedy resolution of the dispute.”

     

    The proposed law will only apply to medical professionals in government employment. Section 49 (3) of the proposed law states, “This Act shall apply to any medical practitioner employed by or under the government of the federation or of a state or of a local government or any municipal or statutory authority in a government hospital or medical centre or otherwise in the treatment of the sick or the prevention of disease, but no such medical practitioner shall embark on an industrial action.”

     

    But the National President of NARD, Dr Godiya Ishaya, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said that the move by the lawmakers was against the rights of workers to express their grievances.

     

    He said, “This move is against the rights of workers to express their grievances with peaceful negotiation and as a last resort, embarking on industrial action. The right to strike is a universal democratic right of all employees, regardless of where they are employed – private or public sector.

     

    “Industrial actions or strikes are not embarked upon over nothing; there are issues that lead to them. The House of Representatives should first promulgate laws that prohibit the government from reneging on several agreements it enters into with health workers.

     

    “Also, there should be laws to prevent the government from delays in payment of salaries, promotion and payment of entitlements of workers. They should make laws that make it mandatory to improve the infrastructure of our hospitals and ensure the availability of consumables at all times.

     

    “Anything short of these as a prerequisite to the law to prohibit strikes by health workers means the government wants to arm-twist, gag and turn health workers in Nigeria into slaves and lame ducks. The result of this will only be a spike in the already enormous exodus of health workers to other countries with better service conditions, where the efforts, abilities and expertise of Nigerian health workers are better appreciated.”

     

    On his part, the spokesman for JOHESU and an executive member of AHPA, Olumide Akintayo, noted that the bill was draconian and an assault on the freedom of expression of the health workers.

     

    Akintayo lamented why the lawmakers would waste taxpayers’ resources on bills meant to trample on the rights of Nigerians.

     

    He said, “This is a tool of the Federal Government to stop strikes in the health sector. Instead of creating a system where workers do not have to go on strikes, you want to trample on their rights to express their grievances.

     

    “This is draconian and it is an assault on the rights of workers. Lawmakers do not understand the privileges of democracy. It is a shame that legislators, who are meant to sympathise with Nigerians as representatives of the people, are the ones coming up with such policies; when they get there, they develop selective amnesia and waste taxpayers’ resources.

     

    “How can you say we should not go on strike? There is freedom of speech and expression; you cannot create a law to stop strikes; what you should do is to make sure that you create a working system where people see no reason to embark on strikes.”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Hope Uzodimma plans Imo Stakeholders Meeting

     

    All is set for the Imo State Stakeholders meeting scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 4th January 2022 at Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers, Government House, Owerri as all relevant stakeholders have been invited and Imolites expectant of the outcome.

     

    In running all-inclusive governance, His Excellency the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma had upon resumption of office, announced a routine Stakeholders Meeting with Ndi Imo across the board.

     

    The meeting which is in series presents an opportunity for the Governor of Imo State to account to Ndi Imo the activities and direction of the Government in fast-tracking development to the State and as well, a discussion on the recent events in the State.

     

    The Governor has kept to his pledge of running an all-inclusive Government with transparency to the people. The meeting usually held periodically has greatly contributed to the policies and programs of the administration as reactions from the participants are usually taken into account afterwards by the Government.

     

    This Edition is filled with intrigues and suspense especially with the hint from His Excellency on the announcement, on that day, of the sponsors of insecurity in the State and subsequent prosecution. As preparations remain on top gear, Imolites home and abroad remain glued to the commencement of the event for revelations.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19

     

    Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, forcing him to cancel his appearance at celebrations for the 101st anniversary of his first-ever team, Cruzeiro, the club said.

    The 45-year-old ex-striker “is fine, with light symptoms, and will now undergo a period of rest and social isolation, in line with medical advice”, Cruzeiro, who Ronaldo bought last month, said on Twitter.

    Ronaldo, who starred in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win and was thrice voted FIFA World Player of the Year, announced on December 18 he was buying a controlling stake in recently struggling Cruzeiro, where he made his professional debut in 1993 at age 16.

    He scored 56 goals in 58 matches for the Belo Horizonte-based club before going on to a glittering career in Europe at PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002.

     

    Ronaldo was also in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning squad and scored eight goals in seven matches when the Selecao won the title again in 2002.

     

    He ended his career at Sao-Paulo based Corinthians in 2011.

    Mired in financial strife, Cruzeiro finished 14th in the Brazilian Serie B last season.

     

    Globoesporte.com reported Ronaldo paid 400 million reais (about $72 million) to become the club’s majority shareholder.

    He also has a controlling stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid, who were relegated to the second division last season.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 2022: Adeboye, Olukoya release New Year prophecies for Nigeria

    2022: Adeboye, Olukoya release New Year prophecies for Nigeria

    2022: Adeboye, Olukoya release New Year prophecies for Nigeria

    The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; as well as the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya; were amongst the first to release New Year prophecies for Nigeria on Saturday.

    The clerics made this known in separate announcements during their Crossover Services to usher in the Year 2022.

    Adeboye grouped his prophecies for the New Year into three categories: personal, Nigeria, and intercontinental.

    For personal, the 79-year-old preacher said, “More than 80% of projects starting in 2022 will succeed.

    “This year will be a year of the emergence of previously unknown stars.

    “In spite of everything happening, this year will be a year of some massive breakthroughs (in science and in finance).

    “Infant mortality rate will drop by at least 50%.”

    For Nigeria, he said, “You don’t make omelette without breaking eggs.” According to the Oxford Lexico dictionary, the English proverb means: One cannot accomplish something without adverse effects elsewhere.

    On the Intercontinental scene, Adeboye said, “The issue of migration will take a new turn in the new year.

    “There will be two monstrous storms (one coming from the Atlantic and one from the Pacific) unless they are weakened, the results will be terrible.”

    Dr Daniel Olukoya

    On his part, Olukoya, in his 37-point prophecies for 2022, said Nigerians need to pray against inflation, starvation and political instability.

    He said, “We need to pray against inflation and starvation.

    “We need to pray against massive political instability which will put a lot of people in disarray.

    “We need to pray against strange deaths.

    “The church needs prayers against increased persecution of Christians.

    “The God of the suddenlies is preparing something for Nigeria and will answer the prayers of His children. For any power that wants Nigeria to sink shall sink, and any power that wants Nigeria to die shall die; they will drink their own blood and eat their own flesh, until they are drunk with it.”

    For some years now, the release of prophecies by men of God in Nigeria and some overtly religious countries has become one of the rituals of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

    Earlier, Ghana banned doomsday prophecies but some legal luminaries have described the move by the Anglophone West African country as illegal, adding that it was tantamount to restricting free speech.

    A Professor of Theology at the Lagos State University, Dapo Asaju, had also said though false prophets now project their “imaginations and permutations” as New Year prophecies, genuine prophecies still exist and they are vital as “guide to the future and to know the mind of God concerning the future” in order to avert disasters.

    Asaju, a former Vice-Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University Oyo and Bishop Theologian of Anglican Church of Nigeria, had urged genuine clerics to be measured in the delivery of their prophecies so as not cause disequilibrium in the society.

  • Corruption in Nigeria Judiciary

    Corruption in Nigeria Judiciary

     

    A fresh initiative by the National Judicial Council to sanitise the judiciary ahead of the 2023 general election by punishing errant behaviour is a welcome development. Nigeria’s highest disciplinary judicial organ recently penalised three judges from courts of coordinate jurisdiction who recklessly granted ex parte orders to the same parties on the same subject matters. The judges were barred from gaining promotion when next they are due for it.

     

    Juxtaposed with the havoc these judges have wreaked on the brittle integrity of the judiciary, their punishment is lenient; it will likely not deter delinquent judicial officers. The best course of action is to flush out judges tainted with the slightest whiff of corruption to restore confidence in the temple of justice.

     

    In the Fourth Republic especially, the judiciary has been controversial, smeared by corruption and inconsistency. The latest clampdown by the NJC restores the topic to the front burner. The current matter centres around the divisive politics in the Peoples Democratic Party, where some party members went to court against Uche Secondus, the immediate past chairman. Instead of throwing out the frivolous suits and awarding steep costs against the litigants, the three judges granted ex parte orders in Rivers, Cross River and Kebbi states. The conflict arising from this is obvious. These devious court orders enable politicians to persist in their crooked ways, buying their way to power regularly and besmirching governance.

     

    Ordinarily, the judiciary is seen as the last hope of the common man, especially in Nigeria where the legislature and the executive soil their hands with corruption. It is partly why the retribution for the three judges falls below expectation. Two of them were warned and stopped from being promoted for two years; the third was slammed with a five-year moratorium from being promoted. By not sacking the judges, the system is condoning corruption. Litigants will remain wary of the judiciary because of such judges. If the NJC is truly keen on fighting corruption, it ought to review and apply commensurate punishment on them.

     

    Even before the NJC’s slap on the wrist for the judges, stakeholders had fretted over how the judiciary will remain above board in the run-up to the 2023 elections. Recently, all eyes were on the temple of justice in the pre-election cases in the November 6 Anambra governorship ballot after courts of coordinate jurisdiction in Anambra, Jigawa and Enugu states initially stopped Chukwuma Soludo, the eventual winner, from being listed as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. It was the Court of Appeal that saved the day. Aiming to destabilise the polls, an Upper Area Court in Abuja in September directly issued criminal summons against Soludo, something the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammed, noted was “completely outside the jurisdiction” of that court.

     

    Similarly, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, recently argued that judicial corruption had undermined national development. He stated, “Some senior lawyers have become stupendously wealthy defending corrupt public officials or handling electoral litigation for governorship and presidential candidates. Many judges have also become notorious for corrupt enrichment through ‘cash and carry’ judgments, especially in election matters generally, and in election tribunals, more specifically.”

     

    This strikes at the heart of the matter. Former Justices of the Supreme Court, the late Kayode Eso and Samson Uwaifo, had earlier separately warned of massive corruption in the judiciary. While Eso said some judges appointed to election petition tribunals became billionaires, Uwaifo cried out that corruption was creeping from the lower to the appellate courts. Lawyers, litigants, and their cohorts on the Bench form an axis of corruption. At the Supreme Court, judgements in cases like the 2015 Akwa Ibom State governorship election and the 2019 Imo State version remain indelibly incomprehensible to many. Some of the violence in Imo cannot be totally divorced from the controversial rulings.

     

     

     

    Admittedly, the Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) regime has not been completely silent on judicial corruption. Alleging corruption, State Security Service officers, in an ill-timed operation, invaded the homes of two JSCs and two Federal High Court judges in Abuja in the middle of the night in October 2016. As expected, there was indignation over the misstep. Also, the anti-graft agencies have put some senior lawyers on trial. These lawyers are often convicted at the lower courts, but the verdicts are often overturned on technicalities at the Supreme Court. At the end of the day, nothing was achieved. It shows the regime has not devised a winning strategy to fight corruption in the judiciary.

    The mess lies partly in the composition of the NJC. The Third Schedule, Section I of the 1999 Constitution empowers the CJN to appoint a sizeable number of NJC members. This confers too much power and influence on the CJN. It should be reviewed and independent members with integrity from other walks of life appointed through a transparent process.

     

    A corrupt judicial system is a sign of a weak state because corruption undermines all institutions. With electioneering for 2023 set to kick in early in 2022, achieving a corruption-free judiciary should be paramount.

     

    Elsewhere, there is zero tolerance for judicial corruption. Take the case of Rodolfo Delgado, a United States district judge in Texas State. In 2019, he was convicted of accepting bribes of $520 and $5,500 on separate occasions and obstructing justice. Of the verdict, Texas state Assistant Attorney General, Brian Benczkowski, said, “Corrupt judges can harm a community’s confidence in our judicial system. Today’s verdict takes an important step toward restoring that confidence and affirms that no one – especially not a judge – is above the law.”

     

    This is how to treat corrupt judges. A constitution amendment is required to establish judicial councils at the state level, comprising the Bench, Bar, and laypersons of integrity.

     

    The anti-graft agencies should not repeat their mistakes; after conducting their investigations on judiciary branch suspects, they should hand over the cases to the appropriate agency for prosecution. The NJC should come down hard on judges who undermine the polity with their reckless orders. They should be prosecuted and kicked out of the system.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Students released after spending seven years in jail for sharing Boko Haram joke

    Students released after spending seven years in jail for sharing Boko Haram joke

    Students released after spending seven years in jail for sharing Boko Haram joke

    Three Cameroonian students, Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob, convicted for sharing a Boko Haram joke, were released after spending seven years in jail.

    Announcing their release in a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International faulted the arrest and conviction of the Cameroonian students.

    The rights group argued that the students should not have been arrested as they exercised their right to freedom of expression.

    “These three students who were only exercising their right to freedom of expression should never have been arrested in the first place,” Amnesty said in the statement. “The Cameroonian authorities must protect human rights and ensure that everyone can speak out freely without fear of reprisal.”

    The organisation disclosed that the students were released after Cameroon’s Supreme Court reduced their jail term to five years.

    Having been in detention since January 2015, the students were later sentenced to 10 years in prison by a military court in November 2016.

    According to the Amnesty statement, the court said it jailed the students for not reporting terrorism-related information.

    However, the rights organisation argued that the students were punished against logic.

    Amnesty International explained that the joke shared by the students was passed as a comment on the difficulty of finding a good job without being highly qualified.

    In 2014, one of the convicted students had shared a text message he received from a friend.

    The text message said Boko Haram was recruiting young people that passed at least four exam subjects.

    The message was eventually seen by a teacher who confiscated the student’s phone and showed it to the police.

    (Peoples Gazette)

  • Opinion: Ekweremadu, Enugu and 2023

    Opinion: Ekweremadu, Enugu and 2023

    Opinion: Ekweremadu, Enugu and 2023

    By Raymond Okechi

    In 2023, the good people of Enugu State need to get it right on who governs them from that year. There are many, who are jostling, but they have a better candidate in Ike Ekweremadu. Ekweremadu is someone other parties and states are begging to have.

    In 2023, it will be 26 solid years since he shot into political limelight. And that was a few years after he had become a lawyer. For those who didn’t know, Ekweremadu started as chairman of Aninri Local Government Council on the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) in 1997, and won the best council chairman of the year award. Before he was appointed secretary to the state government in 2001, he served as chief of staff to the governor of Enugu State, between 1999 and 2001.

     

    In 2003, he was first elected to the Nigerian Senate to represent Enugu West and was made vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Information. His attempt to be Senate President in 2005 did not materialize, as Ken Nnamani, his colleague from Enugu East, got the coveted seat. Known for brilliant performance at the National Assembly and constituency level, Ekweremadu was returned in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. Only a few people have that kind of political resumé in this country. In 2015, he was elected Deputy Senate President even in opposition and he was saddled with the challenge of ensuring that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not go under. His bid to continue in the same position in 2019 was not fruitful as Ovie Omo-Agege was elected.

     

    Ekweremadu has indicated his resolve to retire from the Nigerian Senate by not running for the seat in 2023 and the people of Enugu are in for a prosperous state, if he is allowed to take over from the incumbent governor, His Excellency, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who will be completing his two terms in office in 2023.

    On all fronts, and without being disrespectful to those who have come out and those who have not come out to signify interest, Ekweremadu is the most qualified of them.

    Beyond Enugu West, Ekweremadu has always extended support to people in Enugu East and North senatorial districts. He is of the belief that Enugu is one, if not for the constitutional division into senatorial districts and federal constituencies. Before he became senator in 2003, the five local governments in his senatorial district: Aninri, Awgu, Ezeagu, Oji-River and Udi were not developed in terms of urbanization and provision of modern infrastructure. It was lamentations upon lamentations under successive administrations. Good roads, potable water and electricity were scarce resources in most of the communities. A ready-to-perform leader, Ekweremadu swung into action, made solid friends, deployed them and, within a short while, he has, to the glory of God, facilitated the construction of roads, erosion control, water and electricity projects across the five local government areas in his Enugu West senatorial district. In fact, some of his many projects were also sited in Enugu East and Enugu North senatorial districts.

    Lest I forget, Ekweremadu led a delegation of South East senators to the meeting with President Umaru Yar’Adua, which resulted in designating Enugu an international airport. He played a major role in the political and legislative interventions that the facilities at the Akanu Ibiam Airport were ultimately upgraded. He played a major role in the award of contracts for the expansion and resurfacing of the airport. Besides, each time I hear what he has done for Ndigbo and kept it under wraps in his usual humble disposition, I wonder what manner of politician he is because these are things an average politician would do and quickly go to town and the press with them.

    Therefore, it is not surprising that prospects of Ekweremadu’s governorship are resonating with Ndi Enugu. It is equally noteworthy that those who are opposed to Ekweremadu’s emergence as Enugu’s next governor have only a purported zoning formula, not a better candidate, to flaunt.

    However, analyses by persons versed in Enugu politics clearly show that there was never a zoning arrangement in Enugu. Instead, everybody always vies for it, and one person from one zone or the other ultimately clinches it. Importantly, the governorship seat has gone round the three senatorial districts and the incumbent governor would have completed two terms of eight years by 2023.

    Also, comments by people regarded as authorities in their own rights on this matter have also clearly shown that there ought not be any zoning impediment on the path of Ekweremadu. One of those instructive comments came from a former governor of the state, Barr. Sullivan Chime.

    In an elaborate interview in the November 23, 2018, edition of The Sun newspaper, where he gave the background to Governor Ugwuanyi’s emergency, Sullivan said: “In 2013, when we were holding a town hall meeting in Nike Lake Hotel, one journalist asked that, since I was leaving office, which zone would succeed me as governor? When Chimaroke Nnamani became governor, it wasn’t zoned to Nkanu, he won against somebody from the West, even in his re-election bid. When I contested, it was free for everybody, people from the North, from the East, from the West, the same thing during my re-election. Then I said fate had made it that the East had done their two terms, myself in second term at the time, I said it would only be fair that we take it to the North to reduce tensions and I promised to work towards it. That was how it happened. We zoned it to the North, not that there was any agreement; it was common sense to reduce problems. I was the leader and I took that decision.”

    Possibly, for emphasis, the reporter asked: “So, the people of Enugu never sat down at any time to agree on zoning of positions?”

    To this question, Chime, in his characteristic self, retorted: “Which people? I was the leader and I took a decision, which was very easy to sell. Everybody that heard it supported that decision.”

    Likewise, at the Ife-Emelumma rally, ironically organised by some Enugu West political stakeholders to slam the door against Ekweremadu’s emergence on the grounds of an inexistent zoning arrangement, one of the chief organisers/financiers and a former governorship candidate in the old Enugu State, Senator Hyde Onuoguluchi, surprisingly rained on the parade of the naysayers with irrefutable facts.

    Turning to Ugwuanyi, Onuaguluchi said: “Don’t mind those after their own pockets trying to mislead you by claiming that there is zoning in Enugu State. It has never been so.

    “In 1990/1991, when I contested for governorship, there was no zoning.

    In 1999, when Chimaroke Nnamani from Enugu East, Victor Nduka Agu from Enugu West and Gbazueagu, also from Enugu West, contested, there was no zoning. In 2003, Hon. Fidel Ayogu from Enugu North, Ugochukwu Agballah, Anayo Onwuegbu and Alex Obiechina, all from Enugu West, contested against then incumbent, Chimaroke Nnamani. There was no zoning. In 2007, it was Okey Ezea from Enugu North versus Sullivan Chime and Ugochukwu Agballah from Enugu West. In 2011, it was Okey Ezea from Enugu North and then incumbent, Sullivan Chime, from Enugu West. It has always been so.

    “My father was a major political player and he was not aware of such. Myself, I have been involved in Enugu governorship politics before any of you here.”

    Meanwhile, it is interesting that Ekweremadu, who wouldn’t hesitate to say “God has been faithful to me,” believes he is a child of destiny and that is why he has not shown desperation for the plum job. So, it won’t be out of place if Ndi Enugu rise up and rally round Ekweremadu to continue the developmental strides in the state from 2023.

     

    Ekweremadu is prepared and Enugu needs to get this man into Government House at this auspicious time in the state’s history. He is coming with a track record of performance and national and international contacts and goodwill.

     

    Besides, I cannot wait to see a Professor Chukwuma Soludo as governor of Anambra State, Professor (Senator) Ekweremadu as governor of Enugu State, and other men like them taking charge of Abia, Imo and Ebonyi states. Igbo need their best hands on the plough at this time. Once Ndigbo get it right in leadership recruitment at home, the sky becomes their steppingstone.

    •Okechi writes from Ibadan

  • Enugu APC sinks deeper with fresh crisis, three factions hold sway

    Enugu APC sinks deeper with fresh crisis, three factions hold sway

    It is not getting any better. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State appears to have bitten more than it can chew and there is therefore, no peace in the party. The October 16 state congress was expected to bring cohesion in the state chapter, but it has deepened the crisis.

    There are three factions currently claiming leadership and control. The third faction was the creation of the October 16 state congress.

    In April this year, a festering leadership crisis had been resolved after the members came together at the state secretariat and pledged total loyalty to the leadership of the immediate past state chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye. There, they attempted to abandon the imaginary faction created and led by Mr Okay Ogbodo.

    It was this tonic, guided by the wise counsel provided by the Senator Jonathan Zwingina- led registration/revalidation committee that enabled members move into the registration/revalidation exercise where they ended up increasing their membership in the state to over 180,000.

    Months later, however, the members backtracked and returned to the crisis. By then, the Zwingina-led committee had concluded its assignment and left the state. Allegedly backed by the former senate president, Ken Nnamani and Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama, some stakeholders led by the erstwhile state deputy chairman, Chikwado Chukwunta gathered at an Enugu hotel and read a statement purportedly signed by some members announcing the “impeachment” of Nwoye from office.

    They had accused Nwoye of contravening party guidelines by swearing in elected ward executives that emerged from the congress without authority from the party’s national executive. They went further to nominate Chukwunta as the acting state chairman, pending the state congress that would usher in the new state executives.

    The development set the tone for a fresh crisis in the party. The faction led by Nwoye had dismissed his purported impeachment as a “ruse” and an attempt to retrieve the party away from its foundation members through the backdoor by some new entrants. They had held their ground that since Nwoye was appointed by the national Caretaker Committee in an acting capacity, it was only those that appointed him that should remove him.

    Thus, the factions held sway. When it was time to conduct the local government congress, both camps mobilised for the exercise. However, while the Nwoye camp conducted elections for the emergence of local government executives at the various designated venues, the other faction reportedly converged on the Southeast Zonal Secretariat of the party in the state and produced results.

    Efforts made to reconcile the grievances before the state congress did not yield positive results. The committee appointed for the exercise failed to entertain petitions from members of both camps. They had rather addressed the Chukwunta faction at an event centre in the state and returned to Abuja. The crisis has been sustained since then.

    Agballah’s entry and rancorous state congress 

    APPARENTLY, with his eyes fixed on the number one position of the party in the state, a former commissioner for Works in the state, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah had in August this year joined the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He had told those who cared to listen that his movement from the PDP to the APC was to contribute his quota in positioning the party to begin to win elections, especially in the state.

    At a meeting held that month at the state secretariat of the party, which he was invited to attend, Nwoye raised his hands and handed him the broom of the party. He had informed him that since he was joining the party after conclusion of the registration/revalidation of members, efforts would be made to ratify his membership in the future.

    However, in fulfillment of speculations surrounding his movement into the party, Agballah was to later in September join the race for the chairmanship position of the party at the congress. The position was zoned to Enugu west senatorial zone and micro-zoned to Awgu/ Aninri and Oji River areas to give the area a sense of belonging as well as the fact that it produced the highest number of members during its registration exercise.

    Agballah, hails from Udi, also of Enugu west senatorial zone. Addressing a meeting, which he called to announce his desire to contest the chairmanship position, he stated that time had come once again for them to join the APC in the state and turn it into a winning party.

    “We will turn APC into a winning party in Enugu State. It’s time for APC to take over the government of Enugu State. We are not pretentious about our mission and vision to take leadership.

    “The job of reorganising and repositioning APC in Enugu State requires energetic, vibrant, upwardly mobile and visionary young leaders with extensive political structure and contacts. The Bible according to the book of Ecclesiastics says that there is time and season for everything. This is our time and this is our season,” he stated

    On October 16, the state congress of the party took place. It held at two different venues. While the foundation members held the exercise at the state secretariat; the joiners held theirs at an event centre in the state. Through the option A4, after hired thugs had allegedly chased away supporters of two other contestants, Agballah emerged the winner. He was said to to have garnered 684 votes against Group Capt Joe Orji (rtd) who was not at the venue and secured no votes as well as Peter Omeje, who secured four votes. On the day he purportedly emerged, it was without any member as part of his executive team. He was alone.

    Some stakeholders who reacted to his emergence stated that it recreated a similar story of 2018 state congress in which Okay Ogbodo, who was not registered with the party emerged “state chairman” after some hired thugs chased away accredited delegates at the venue of the exercise.

    At the party’s secretariat however, a former Deputy State Chairman, Adolphus Ude polled 782 out of the 1300 votes cast in the congress election decided through secret balloting to defeat Dr Charles Chukwu who secured 202 votes and Chief Benson Eze who came third with 142 votes.

    The Agballah faction has continued to hold their meetings anywhere desirable to them and by them. The Ude faction on the other hand has continued to meet at the party secretariat. Both have continued to lay claims to the authenticity in the leadership of the party in the state.

    Enugu West Stakeholders draft in Orji as a third force in the crisis

    WHILE it is still being contemplated how the state chapter could wriggle out of the confusion created in the emergence of the two factional leaderships, a meeting of some Enugu West stakeholders of the party held last week at Oji River council, where they denounced the October 16 state congress and instead, insisted that retired Group Captain Joe Orji should be returned as the authentic state chairman of the party.

    Recall that Orji was billed to participate in the congress where Agballah emerged. He was not spotted anywhere around the venue. His supporters were allegedly driven out of the venue by some hired thugs before the exercise began. Those who conducted the exercise did not allocate any votes to him.

    At the stakeholders meeting however, attended by representatives from the five local government councils that make up the senatorial zone, including Udi, Ezeagu, Oji River, Awgu and Aninri, they decided that he (Orji) was the consensus choice of the members before the congress and insisted that nothing would make them accept the purported election of Agballah as the party’s helmsman in the state.

    In the communiqué signed by Messrs Linus Achiebe (Aninri), Chiedozie Nwafor (Awgu), Joe Mmamel (Ezeagu) and Vin-Marthins Ilo (Oji River) and Mrs Maureen Anosike (Udi) among others, they described the said congress where Agballah emerged as “a sham and not in line with the constitution of the party.”

    They stated that the purported exercise was the handwork of those that wished to destroy the party in the state.

    They stated that stakeholders of the party in the state had pursuant to Article 20 (i) (a) of the APC Constitution agreed on zoning and emergence of candidates at the state congress by consensus.

    According to them, “having zoned the chairmanship position to Enugu West Senatorial district, the position was further micro-zoned to Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency.

    “Following the step-down of other candidates for the position of the chairman, retired Group-Capt. Joe Orji was unanimously adopted as the consensus candidate.

    “All the three senatorial districts submitted the lists of their consensus candidates for adoption and they were unanimously adopted”.

    The communiqué stated that the purported congress that returned Agballa as duly elected had no state congress committee and as such cannot hold.

    “We later heard and saw in the social media that one Ugochukwu Agballah from Udi in Ezeagu/Udi Federal Constituency claimed to have been declared elected as chairman.

    “Agballa was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as of the second week of July, 2021, when he publicly indicated intention to join our party.

    “The revalidation/registration exercise of members and new members of the APC had been suspended by then pending the conclusion of congresses and national convention,” it stated.

    The communiqué alleged that Agballa obtained an old, discarded APC membership card slip, which was backdated and attached the same to his nomination form.

    “Agballa is not a registered member of APC and, therefore, lacks the right to vote or be voted for into any of the elective positions of the party,” it stated.

    The communiqué called on the national leadership of the party to discountenance the purported election of Agballa and uphold the “selection” of Orji as the chairmanship consensus candidate of the party in the state.

    It also urged the APC to uphold as duly elected all the candidates contained in the consensus list submitted by the three senatorial districts and endorsed by party stakeholders.

    Mainstream APC members kick

    NO sooner had the meeting of the stakeholders ended than a group of mainstream members from Enugu West zone kicked over the suggestion for Joe Orji to be recognised as the state chairman of the party.

    In a statement they released and signed by one of the financiers of the party, Emperor Baywood Ibeh, they noted that Orji may not have the strength to drive the party along winning lines in 2023 due to age.

    “Our elder statesman Group Captain Orji is too prominent to be drafted by opportunists and may not be disposed to the hassle and youth aggression battle required to win Lion Building in 2023. For God’s sake he should be allowed to enjoy his retirement; every moon has its circle”, they said.

    They however endorsed the emergence of Adolphus Ude as the authentic state chairman of the party and disowned Ugochukwu Agballah, whom they said was not registered with the party.

    They insisted that Agballah not only breached their zoning convention, but is not a valid registered member of the party, having joined secretly after registration of the APC had ended.

    In the statement signed by Baywood Ibe, the mainstream group agreed with Stakeholders from Enugu West that not only was the process, which produced Agballah invalid; but that he violated the party’s zoning principles.

    The group stated that “the zoning principle calls for rotation between the old Udi LGA and old Awgu LGA, Udi having produced the highest party office zoned to Enugu in the last dispensation when Chief Emma Eneukwu occupied the eminent position of National Vice Chairman. Maintaining that equity demands that it is the turn of old Awgu, where Comrade A.C. Ude hails from”

    They continued: “Most importantly our dear brother Chief Agballa is not qualified to lead 180,000 foundation members of our great party”, adding that “he knows PDP antics but doesn’t have our progressive culture and may we ask, is APC rehabilitation center in the South East?”

    “To stop Senator Ken Nnamani’s impunity, we as foundation legacy members adopt King Solomon’s model of reconciliation with Comrade A.C. Udeh as authentic chairman – share the State executive, 17 local government executives and 260 Ward executives on 50-50 basis, so as to stand a good chance to win Lion Building in 2023”

    Agballah reacts

    But Agballah, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Kenneth Ofoma described the groups “as jokers and political mercantilists, who are only interested in trading off the party”

    He urged any aggrieved member, who has the interest of the party at heart, to approach the Congress Appeal Committee or the National Reconciliation Committee headed by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, for redress and reconciliation.

    Ofoma noted that his principal remained a legitimate member of the party, adding that he did not only purchase forms for the chairmanship position, he also underwent the party’s screening and was cleared.

    It has become almost a fight to finish in the Enugu chapter of the party. That is because those intending to use the platform to contest various offices in 2023, especially the governorship, are said to be behind the various claimants to the leadership of the party. All eyes are now focused on the crisis prone national executive committee of the party to sort out the imbroglio in the Enugu chapter. Many believe that the earlier this is done, the better for the party.

    (The Guardian)

  • President Buhari urges for Protection of Highways

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, commissioned the 40.27 kilometres Nenwe-Oduma and Ishiagu-Mile 2 roads connecting Enugu and Ebonyi states.

     

    Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu, said the project was a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to improve road transport infrastructure in the country.

     

    Breaking News, Nigerians can now work in Nigeria and get paid in US Dollars Click here to apply today .

     

    “As you can all see, we are handing over today the 40.27 Kilometres Road which is Nnenwe-Oduma-Uburu Road Section I (26.27km) and Section II: Spur to Ishiagu – Mile 2 Road (14km).

     

    “This road links Enugu and Ebonyi states, and it is a critical component of our national road network. This road has been built to the highest quality of design and workmanship and if it is well used and not abused, it should last for the designed service life,” he said.

     

    He, however, cautioned against all forms of road abuse such as overloading of vehicles, spilling of petroleum products on the roads and converting the road shoulders to permanent parking places among others.

     

    “We must all do our best to avoid these practices, report them when they occur and act in a lawful manner to stop them.

     

    “The road is also a story of the capacity of our people. The patriotic Nigerians who were employed directly to build this road, the scores of suppliers employed indirectly who are responsible for providing the machines utilised in the construction.

     

    “This road is also a statement of economic efficiency and ease of doing business. Of course, this road is part of our many roads to prosperity because reduced journey times means reduced expense on travel, because time is money,” Buhari said.

     

    Earlier in an address, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the progressive train of the Federal Government and President Buhari administration has arrived the South East.

     

    “It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to bring the good tidings of our administration, to the people and governments of Enugu and Ebonyi states, that will be impacted by the Nnenwe-Uduma road sections I and II that our president will hand over today.

     

    “After the handing over of the Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega- Kontagora-Makera road and the Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch road within the last 10 days. I am happy to reiterate that this is the third of many more project completion and handovers our country will experience in the next few weeks and months as we enter what I call a season of completion and impact,” he said.

     

    According to Fashola, the projects, and many more in various parts of Nigeria, represent major investment in road transport infrastructure, which is a commitment of the Buhari administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity.

     

    “They are visible and incontrovertible assets in proof of what Nigeria’s resources are invested in, from a combination of our earned resources and borrowings,” he said.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Tackling Sexual and Gender based violence – Aisha Buhari

     

    The wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has flayed the perceived nonchalance of some critical stakeholders in the efforts to end the menace of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the country

     

    Mrs Buhari, who spoke at the 2nd Annual Conference of the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, in Abuja, accused the authorities of paying lip service to the pursuit of justice for survivors of SGBV.

     

    She noted that justice delayed was justice denied, and called for the establishment of special courts to expedite action against cases of GBV as well as decimate all obstacles against the education of the girl-child.

     

    According to her, “Efforts need to be ramped up to provide adequate shelter and care for victims of gender-based violence. Every State should have a shelter, ideally, every local government or at least a Senatorial district should have one.

     

    “It is also very important to have Sexual Assault Referral Centers or Safe Spaces where victims can receive the required immediate and long-term support.

     

    “We need special courts where applicable, for speedy and effective handling of rape and GBV cases. Justice delayed is justice denied. If victims do not get the justice they deserve, they will never have closure and we would like for them to be known as Survivors and not just victims.

     

    “The Girl-Child in Nigeria will continue to be a victim of exploitation and missed opportunities if we do not remove all obstacles they face in getting a decent education, and becoming productive members of society. An educated girl will become a wife who is in a position to add value to her family.

     

    “State Governments and the donor community need to ensure that there is adequate funding for GBV interventions. Without this, the lofty laws, we are trying to put in place will not be implemented.

     

    “We all have a role to play in ensuring that we address this menace. We have an obligation to use whatever platforms we have to make a difference. Policy makers, elected officials, religious leaders, traditional rulers, academics, family members, we all have a role to play. Let us synergise our efforts for maximum effectiveness.”

     

    In his remarks, the Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said the Forum was committed to the drive by their wives to curb the menace of SGBV; hence, the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in 31 states including the FCT

     

    He added that the remaining six states yet to assent to the VAPP law “will gradually do so.”

     

    “Governors are resolutely committed to what the governors’ wives forum is doing. It makes economic, political and common sense to line up behind you in order to be able to deliver all the promises that have been made to the people,” the Ekiti Governor said.

     

    Speaking on the theme of the conference: ‘Sustaining Action on the State of Emergency against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence’, Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, who incidentally chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, called for urgent action.

     

    “We need to ensure adequate funding of all interventions, respond effectively to the needs of survivors, intensify strategies for prevention of GBV and collect relevant data for analysis and planning,” she said.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com