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Senator Bukola Saraki: Oil Benchmark Price of $78 For 2015 Budget Is Unrealistic

Mohammed Useni
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Senator Bukola Saraki: Oil Benchmark Price of $78 For 2015 Budget Is Unrealistic

These are troubling times for the Nigerian economy. Our revenue base is caving in under the stress of falling price of oil in the international market. Due to the drastic and persistent nature of this fall from the highs of $115 in June of this year, it is my considered view that we can’t continue to give the impression that it is business as usual. The fact that the free fall in the international oil market price has seen it loosing over 25% of early June highs means that correspondingly our economy has lost over 25% of budget revenue estimates of the period as a result. More ominously, the fact that it continues to fall unabated means that it is not getting better yet and therefore we must now apply the breaks and act fast before they get out of hand.

Our economy cannot fully withstand the current trend of the current oil market. It is not our fault that the market is volatile but is will be our fault if we don’t learn from the mistakes of previous price falls especially 2008 to plan timeously on how to ease the pain for our people. This is not the time to paint over the rust, discussions and the choices we make now must be based on economics not politics.

The current position to put the benchmark for oil price at $78 is inconsistent with the economic trend and attitude of the managers of our economy, which has shown in the past to be very wary of over optimistic benchmark assumptions settling rather for the more prudent conservative base.

YEAR

PROPOSED OIL BENCHMARK PRICE

AV. OIL PRICE PER BARREL

2011

$75

$100

2012

$70

$111.67

2013

$75

$107.96

2014

$74

$90

2015

$78

$79

The above table clearly shows a clear departure from the trend over the years to a very acute tendency in 2015 proposed budget MTEF paper. This MOF/Executive position is hard to justify on any economic modeling or recent policy positions. One is left with the impression that this benchmark is not a product of any economic model but a political induced decision that does not paint the correct picture nor aligns itself to the 2015 forecast. So government should go back and come up with a realistic benchmark, which in my view cannot be above the lower 70’s. There is no better time to give full disclosure of the state of the economy and tell the Nigerian people the truth. We have a problem in our hands but not one that cannot be surmounted with the right political will. 

WHY THE URGENT NEED FOR ACTION

Aside the issue of the benchmark, the country needs a contingency plan in place now.

There is no country leadership that can continue to act like business as usual where it faces over 25% drop in its annual revenues.

Our foreign reserves have depleted considerably from the heights it had achieved of over $58b to the $39bn we have now. What this means is that we have small room to maneuver than we had in 2008.

Since most of this cost will be borne by the capital side of expenditure there is a likelihood that the implication will be in job losses, unemployment, social imbalance etc. none of the impact will be positive.

The implication of the state of our financial affairs and the reality if the truth is to be told by government is that there will be little or no capital project to be implemented in 2015 except things change drastically. But before Nigerians are called upon to make sacrifices government must show the will to tackle the monumental revenue leakages in our finances. These leakages have the capacity to significantly reduce the level of impact from this economic situation. It is unacceptable for these leakages to continue whilst Nigerians are called to make sacrifice.

These leakages, which are known to all but have persisted, now need to be tackled urgently.

1.   Crude oil theft.

The continuous loss of over 200,000- 300,000 barrels per day of crude must be stopped. Whether the perpetrators are powerful or highly connected is no longer an acceptable excuse why government with the full capacity of the law and instrument of state cohesion hasn’t been able to fully address this menace.

2.    The other issue is the vexed issue of the Kerosene Subsidy, which is costing the economy over N300b annually. This issue, which must be disconnected with the fuel subsidy, is one that government can easily deal with. There is incontrovertible evidence that the scheme feeds only the pocket of those who import Kerosene and does not get to the ordinary citizen. At this stage of our fiscal situation, this presents a good opportunity to exit the scheme to fund other critical sectors that can augment the revenue base.

3.        Another area that the government could work to review would be the Crude SWAP program. Many reports including the NEITI report have indicted this NNPC program and called for a review of the program, as it is not adding value to the economy. There is no better time to stop the program. It’s wasteful and inefficient.

4.        Government will have to revisit its recent decision to grant some oil companies Pioneer Status. This has become necessary as the nation can ill afford this due to the fiscal implications on the revenues of the country especially collectible tax in the face of these new realities.

What is required now is the right political will and leadership from government. Government should as a matter of national importance convene a meeting of the National Economic Council to proffer a collective and workable decision on the national contingency and viable benchmark oil price. There is no better time than now for government to do what is right and save Nigerians from the foreseeable hardship ahead.

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 Senator Bukola Saraki is Chairman Senate Committee on Environment and member Senate Committee on Finance

Disclaimer

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Jonathan Calls Emergency PDP Meeting Over Tambuwal’s Defection

Mohammed Useni
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Jonathan Calls Emergency PDP Meeting Over Tambuwal’s Defection

Following the defection of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal to the All Progressives Party and bothered by the consequences of his defection, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday engaged some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in a meeting with the aim of arriving at a singular position on the defection.

The meeting took place hours after the House said the PDP, individuals and groups condemning the defection of   the speaker to the APC should not dictate to it on how to conduct its affairs with Leader of the House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande-Adeola (PDP, Oyo) and other principal members of the House who are members of the PDP  ready to challenge Tambuwal over his defection.

he situation made the President to summon the National Chairman of the PDP,   Adamu Mu’azu, to the meeting which had the Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha; the Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor; and a member from Delta State, Ndudi Elumelu, in attendance.

Some PDP governors such as Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa): Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu) were also part of the meeting.

Top government officials who attended the parley   included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; the National Security Adviser,   Sambo Dasuki; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Muhammed Adoke (SAN).

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Tambuwal: Jonathan calls emergency PDP meeting

OCTOBER 30, 2014 BY JOHN AMEH, OLUSOLA FABIYI AND OLALEKAN ADETAYO, ABUJA 101 COMMENTS

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday engaged some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in a meeting aimed at taking a common position on the Tuesday defection of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.

The meeting took place hours after the House said the PDP, individuals and groups condemning the defection of   the speaker to the All Progressives Congress should not dictate to it on how to conduct its affairs.

Tambuwal had announced his defection from the PDP before he adjourned sitting till December 3.

The situation made the President to summon the National Chairman of the PDP,   Adamu Mu’azu, to the meeting which had the Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha; the Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor; and a member from Delta State, Ndudi Elumelu, in attendance.

Some PDP governors such as Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa): Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu) were also part of the meeting.

Top government officials who attended the parley   included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; the National Security Adviser,   Sambo Dasuki; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Muhammed Adoke (SAN).

One of those in attendance told one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity that the meeting centered on how to make Tambuwal vacate his seat as speaker.

“The issue of the Speaker and his exit was one of the fundamental issues discussed at the meeting,” he   said.

The source however did not disclose the decision reached at the meeting.

Another source said that Ihedioha “took the heat at the meeting.”

He did not explain further.

The presence of Adoke and Dasuki at the meeting suggested that they might have reviewed the legal and security implications of the options available to them with the two government officials.

Earlier, Mu’azu had at another meeting   the President had   with a delegation of the Federal Capital Territory Council of Chiefs,   dropped the hint that Jonathan summoned him.

“The President had summoned me for a meeting. I was with him when he wanted to come and receive you and he told me to follow you. I only did follow follow,”

The   Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs,   Victor Ogene, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues,   said Tambuwal did not breach any law in defecting to the APC.

He also noted that there was no provision in the constitution prescribing that the speaker must be elected from among the majority party members.

Ogene cited Section 50 (1)(b) of the constitution to buttress his argument.

He said, “The clear provisions of Section 50(1) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution easily settle the worries regarding the continued speakership of Tambuwal – ‘There shall be a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.’’’

He also noted that the speaker was elected as the representative of the “generality of Nigerians” and not necessarily because he belonged to a particular political party.

On the views of some “commentators” that Tambuwal should have vacated his office by virtue of the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution, he replied that the matter was still awaiting judicial decision.

Ogene added, “It is common knowledge that following the defection of 37 members of the House in December 2013, from the PDP to APC, there has been multiple court cases on the matter, thus rendering it subjudice to discuss any likely outcome.

“Everyone is thus enjoined to await the final judicial pronouncement on the issue of defection, which has afflicted virtually all political parties in the land.”

He warned the PDP   against interfering with the lawmakers’ “privilege” and constitutionally-guaranteed freedom to choose their leaders.

Ogene stated, “Additionally, Order 1, Rule 1 (2) of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives states: ‘ In all cases not provided for hereinafter, or by sectional or other Orders, precedents or practices of the House, the House shall by resolution regulate its procedure.’

“It is in the light of the foregoing that the House wishes to appeal to those who seek to regulate its procedure from outside its hallowed chambers to have a rethink, as the nation’s Constitution, the Standing Orders of the House and precedent – as in the Speakership of the late Edwin Ume-Ezeoke in the Second Republic on a minority platform – have all provided answers to what would have otherwise been a knotty political issue”

However a  PDP lawmaker who is also said to be close to Tambuwal is taking the position of the party to call for Tambuwal’s resignation as a matter of honour and integrity.

“The fact still remains that Tambuwal was nominated from the party that had the majority in the House to stand for the Speakership in the election. People seem to gloss over this and this is what people who understand the dynamics are saying.

“Tambuwal has left the PDP, it’s okay. But he should be honourable enough to vacate the Speaker’s seat and allow a fresh election for a new speaker. Again, nominations would be made from a party that holds the majority but if the House thinks it would nominate a candidate from the minority so be it.”

Speaking on behalf of the House, the Deputy Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene (APGA, Anambra),  said those calling for Tambuwal’s resignation are ignorant of the law and the House rules.

“Following several inquiries especially by journalists and some members of the public, it is easy to narrow the concerns to two key issues. One, whether Speaker Tambuwal ought to vacate his seat as representative of Kebbe/ Tambuwal  Federal  Constituency, Sokoto State, by virtue of section 68 (1) (g), of the 1999 Constitution, as amended; and two, if he shouldn’t step down as Speaker, having defected from the majority party in the House to a minority platform”.

“It is common knowledge that following the defection of 37 members of the House in December 2013, from the PDP to APC, there has been  multiple  court cases on the matter, thus rendering it subjudice to discuss any likely outcome. Everyone is thus enjoined to await final judicial pronouncement on the issue of defection, which has afflicted virtually all political parties in the land.

“Concerning calls for Mr. Speaker to step down from the position which his colleagues freely elected him to on June 6, 2011, we wish to reaffirm – even with the pains of almost sounding monotonous – that the speakership of the House, or indeed, any other national elective position, belongs to the generality of Nigerians, and not the political platforms upon which such leaders emerge.

“The clear provisions of Section 50(1) (b) of the Nigerian constitution easily settles the worries regarding the  continued speakership of Tambuwal: “There shall be a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves”, the above quoted portion of the constitution stipulates. It would therefore amount to an affront on members’ privilege to question their constitutionally-guaranteed right to freely elect their leader.”

“It is in the light of the foregoing that the House wishes to appeal to those who seek to “regulate its procedure” from outside its hallowed chambers to have a rethink, as the nation’s constitution, the Standing Orders of the House and precedent – as in the Speakership of the late Hon. Edwin Ume-Ezeoke in the Second Republic on a minority platform – have all provided answers to what would have otherwise been a knotty political issue,” He said.

 

Herdsman Kills Friend For Sleeping With His Wife, Remanded In Prison

Mohammed Useni
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A Magistrate’s Court sitting at Isabo, Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday, remanded a herdsman, Mohammed Ibrahim, in prison custody for allegedly killing his friend, Abdullahi Saliu, for sleeping with his (Ibrahim) wife.

The prosecutor, Corporal Moshood Hammed, told the court that the accused committed the alleged offence on October 11 at Ojubu Village in Abeokuta.

He said the accused killed his friend by hitting him with a stick on his head for sleeping with his wife.

He said: “The accused and the deceased were close friends and lived together in the same apartment.

“When the accused learned that the deceased slept with his wife while he was away from home, a fight ensued between the two men, which led to the murder of Saliu.”

Hammed said the offence contravened Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Laws of Ogun State.

The accused, who had no legal representation and whose plea was not taken by the court, is facing a charge of murder.

The magistrate, Mr. Martins Akinyemi, ordered that the accused be remanded in Oba Prison, while awaiting Director of Public Prosecution’s advice.

He, thereafter, adjourned the case to February 11, 2015, for further hearing.

Chaos At Lagos Airport As Ebola Victim Arrives From Sierra Leone

Mohammed Useni
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Chaos At Lagos Airport As Ebola Victim Arrives From Sierra Leone

There was pandemonium at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport,  Lagos on Wednesday as a Nigerian, who had already been cured of Ebola Virus Disease in Sierra Leone arrived aboard Royal Air Maroc.

The Moroccan airline arrived Lagos from Casablanca at 6am. The victim, one Theophilus Onnakhinon, a Nigerian, was said to have been flown into the country by the airline, while his younger brother, Chinedu Eroka, absconded from Sierra Leonean authorities.It was not however clear why Eroka absconded.

A source close to the Port Health of the Airport confirmed that the victim had already been treated of Ebola virus in Sierra Leone and cured of the disease by the health authorities of that country after some weeks in their custody.

The source who doesn’t want to be named as he was not allowed to talk to the media on the issue said that the victim was assisted into the country by the Nigeria’s consular officer, Mrs. T. Mohammed.

According to the source, the consular officer accompanied the victim into the country in order to avoid stigmatization by the Nigerian health officials and other authorities at the airport.

On arrival in Nigeria, the victim was immediately handed over to the Port Health officials at the Lagos airport who immediately isolated and quarantined him.

As at the time of filing this report, the victim was said to still being observed by the Port Health officials.

The source said that the essence of his being quarantined in the country was for the Nigerian officials to also check his health status and confirm that he was free of the disease before being released to the public.

The source said, “It is true that there was Ebola scare at the Lagos airport today, (yesterday) but the fact is that the victim had been cured of the disease in Sierra Leone before being assisted into Nigeria by our consular officer in that country and immediately he landed, he was handed over to the port health authorities who immediately carried out checks on him and isolated him from the other passengers.

“But, the truth is that we just want to recheck what has already been done by the Sierra Leonean authorities. You know, we cannot take chances again in the country. I can assure you that the situation is under control.”

It will be recalled that the Liberian who brought the disease to Nigeria also came into the country through the Lagos Airport.

Nigeria was declared Ebola virus disease free by the World Health on October 20

Olusegun Adeniyi: APC And The Tambuwal Option

Mohammed Useni
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Olusegun Adeniyi: APC And The Tambuwal Option

On Tuesday, virtually all major newspapers reported rather lavishly that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, would be crossing over from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). Ordinarily, such decision should not have generated the attention it did but for the permutations toward the 2015 presidential election.

For the ruling PDP, it has always been an open secret that President Goodluck Jonathan would seek re-election while his party’s ticket has also for a long time been signed, sealed and delivered for him. On the APC side, for quite sometimes now, there has been a school of thought that defeating an incumbent requires strategic options that could include looking beyond the familiar field to picking a candidate acceptable to the generality of Nigerians. That is how the name of Tambuwal was thrown into the mix.

Before we examine the feasibility of the Tambuwal option and what it portends, it is important to first look at the current field. The publisher of Leadership newspaper and my brother, Sam Nda-Isaiah, has declared his intention to run for the APC presidential ticket. In terms of educational qualifications and exposure, the University of Ife-trained pharmacist comes highly recommended for the number one job as a man of vision and ideas. However, to the extent that ethnicity and religion are strong factors in today’s Nigeria, I do not believe that APC is looking in the direction of Nda-Isaiah, however impressive his credentials may be.

Also on Tuesday in Abuja, Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso declared his intention for the APC presidential ticket. An erstwhile Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, a former Minister and two-term Governor of Kano State, Kwankwaso clearly has the requisite experience and political acumen. But a major drawback for him is that his name does not command national recognition. While such could be built over time, I don’t think the opposition party would want to gamble away what promises to be their best shot at the presidency on the altar of sentiment. So even when we concede Kwankwaso has been a good Governor for Kano State, where the APC leaders are concerned, this may not be his time.

This then brings us to former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar. All factors considered, the Turaki Adamawa seems to be the most prepared of all the contenders in the field and given my interactions with him over the years, he has clear ideas on what he would do as president. He is also a national figure who needs no introduction anywhere in Nigeria. Unfortunately, his long-drawn war of attrition with his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo (in the course of which his reputation has been viciously assailed) and his penchant for changing political party at every election cycle has so damaged the Atiku brand that all the big wigs in the APC that I know don’t even consider him a serious contender for the ticket.

Now, we are left with Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), easily the biggest masquerade in the APC. The former Head of State has contested the presidential election three times in the last 11 years against three different PDP candidates and lost thrice. Buhari’s selling points are his personal integrity and discipline, attributes that are sorely needed in the Nigerian political space today. There is also a growing feeling that as a former military leader, he might be able to handle better the security challenge confronting the nation. And in terms of followership, Buhari has a cult-like support base in the North-West and North-East zones of the country that could easily be mobilized on election day.

Despite those attributes, Buhari is rightly or wrongly generally perceived as parochial in disposition and for that reason, not trusted by many Nigerians in the south and the middle belt. But more importantly, most Nigerians (including this reporter) do not know Buhari’s position on critical political and socio-economic issues of the day since his few public interventions, almost always on BBC Hausa Service, have not provided any peep into his mind. Buhari also carries a religious cross: “Honestly, what do Nigerians want me to do? If they don’t believe I’m not a fundamentalist, what else can I do?” That was Buhari, speaking in an interview with TheCable last week on an issue that will just not go away.

It is for the foregoing reasons that some people within the opposition party are calling for a “more acceptable” candidate who is also prepared for leadership. That is how the name of Tambuwal comes to the equation. And without any doubt, a Tambuwal ticket on the platform of APC will change the dynamics of the contest for the 2015 presidency. He is young (still below 50), clear-headed, has full grasp of the issues, very articulate and does not carry either an ethnic or a religious baggage. For sure, Tambuwal will feel at ease campaigning in Enugu, Port Harcourt and Ibadan as much as he would in Kebbi, Damaturu and Minna.

Now, a disclosure is appropriate here: Tambuwal is my personal friend so I plead guilty to any charge of bias. But this intervention has more to do with looking at the options available to the opposition party if it really wants to compete in February next year than my own personal prejudices. Even at that, is a Tambuwal ticket really feasible within the context of the APC projections? With what I know and given my interactions with many of their governors and leaders, I do not think so and I perfectly understand why.

When politicians form parties and invest all their time, energy and financial resources, they do so because they have a direct stake. For that reason, Nda-Isaiah, Kwankwaso, Atiku and Buhari could not have been doing all the difficult work in the APC just for Tambuwal to come and take the party’s ticket. They do so, betting on themselves. Therefore, the cold calculation of most of the APC pundits and their sympathizers is that if Buhari could poll 12 million votes in 2011 when he had no structure to support his aspiration, he would do far better with a formidable opposition structure. But such political arithmetic (including one from my own egbon, Dele Momodu) ignores several important variables in an election in which religion, ethnicity, money and the power of incumbency will come to play.

All said, the decision on who to field as the presidential candidate is that of the APC to make now that the PDP is staying with the incumbent. However, for the neutrals, a Jonathan-Buhari electoral rematch offers little by way of excitement even though political pragmatism may make that the easy pairing in the circumstance. On the other hand, a Jonathan-Tambuwal contest will enliven the entire landscape and draw the best out of the two contenders. But I am realistic enough to wager that such may not happen. Or will it?

Of Governors & ‘Retirement Home’

My column of last week, (Senate: Governors’ Retirement Home) generated considerable interest from readers. Aside those of who sent me mails with their own perspectives, there were also calls from critical stakeholders on what needs to be done. Interestingly, all of them were of the opinion that the current situation where governors see the Senate as a place to hibernate after their tenure in office is antithetical to the growth and development of our democracy. A few, however, pointed out errors of fact on my part.

Abdulkarim Umar says: “…this is just to add that there were more than six governors who came to the Senate after their tenure in office in 2007. Apart from the six you mentioned, Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State and Ibrahim Saminu Turaki of Jigawa State were also elected to the Senate. It is also important to remember that two Governors in the class of 1999-2007 sent their wives to the Senate: Oluremi Tinubu and Zainab Kure (former First Ladies of Lagos and Niger States respectively). In 2011, two more Governors joined their colleagues in the Senate: Bukola Saraki of Kwara State and Danjuma Goje of Gombe State. Meanwhile, also in 2011, Boni Haruna of Adamawa State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State contested for Senate and lost.

Salisu Suleiman writes: “Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State went to the Senate in 2011, not in 2007 as you wrote because, after his tenure as governor, he became secretary to the PDP Board of Trustee then chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Also, you forgot to mention that in Plateau State, Jonah Jang is equally preparing to contest for Senate. Meanwhile, Ali Modu Sheriff left the Senate in 2003 to become Borno State Governor, and wanted to return in 2011, but he was defeated. Babangida Aliyu of Niger state has already ‘zoned out’ Senator Shem Zagbayi who was elected only a few weeks ago because he wants the seat…”

I was also reminded by Senator Tunde Ogbeha, a retired Brigadier-General who spent two terms between 1999 and 2007 in the red chambers (and one of the best lawmakers at the time), that it may be difficult to push the argument for long legislative tenures in some circumstances. In his own case, for instance, there was an agreement between and among the constituent units within his senatorial district for a form of rotation to balance the diversities. Ogbeha was gentlemanly enough to honour the agreement so he did not seek a third term in 2007. In the peculiar nature of our country, there are many situations like that.

I stand corrected by the interventions, including the one who pointed out that Dr. Chris Ngige, a former Anambra State Governor who is currently a Senator, should also be mentioned. However, Jang paints a vivid picture of what we are talking about. “If God decides to give the governorship to the son of Jang, let it be. Whoever God anoints, let’s accept it”, the Plateau State Governor said recently, confirming speculations that he has been grooming Yakubu, (his son and special adviser on special duties who virtually runs the state), to take over from him next year.

While Jang reserves the right to anoint his son as successor at a time he is also plotting to be a Senator, there is a public cost to his ambition. If you add the life-long pension Jang is receiving from the Nigerian Air Force from where he retired as an Air Commodore to the jumbo packages he is entitled from Plateau State after his tenure as Governor and the hefty remunerations he will receive as Senator once he gets to the red chamber, then you will begin to have an idea of what public service means in Nigeria with such “legitimate” three-for-one attack on the public treasuries just to keep one old man happy!

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The Verdict Written By Olusegun Adeniyi and Culled from Thisday; [email protected]

Disclaimer

It is the policy of NewsWireNGR not to endorse or oppose any opinion expressed by a User or Content provided by a User, Contributor, or other independent party.
Opinion pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of NewsWireNGR.

 

Labour Party Asks Mimiko To Resign Position As Ondo Governor

Mohammed Useni
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Labour Party Asks Mimiko To Resign Position As Ondo Governor

Following his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Labour party has called for the resignation of Governor of Ondo state, Mimiko to resign.

The party in a statement by its National Publicty Secretary, Ikpe Etokudo said the National Working Committee of the party had met and decided that the PDP asks Mimiko to resign just as the PDP has asked speaker of the House of Representativers, Aminu Tambuwal to resign following his defection to the APC.

“The National Working Committee warned all those concerned to take the path of honour immediately or should expect to degfend their deliberate raping of the constitution of the country within the next 21 days in court as well as be ready to face the wrath of the workers of Ondo state in particular and the nation in general.” Etokudo said.

Nigerian Army Confirms Troops Fled Mubi For Boko Haram; Investigation Underway

Mohammed Useni
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Nigerian Army Confirms Troops Fled Mubi For Boko Haram; Investigation Underway

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has confirmed that an entire battalion of soldiers fled the town of Mubi in Adamawa State earlier today in response to an attack by “insignificant” Boko Haram militants, but that an investigation is going on to establish why.

NewsWireNGR reported yesterday that the town had been taken over by the Islamic militants, forcing troops and civilians to flee.

A senior military source tells Saharareporters there was no reason to believe that the Special Operation Battalion troops stationed in Mubi should have fled from the militants or in response to their threats because the army had decided to use the headquarters in Mubi to launch an attack to retake several towns from Boko Haram in the coming days. To that effect, five artillery tanks had been brought into Mubi in the last few days, the source said.

The officer disclosed that efforts are being made to send in fresh troops to replace the fleeing ones and push out any militants that might have entered Mubi.

As previously reported by SaharaReporters, residents and soldiers fled Mubi earlier today as information filtered in that Boko Haram militants had arrived and seized the town, gunshots rending the air.

Some of the soldiers who spoke to our reporter said their base had fallen to the militants but the senior officer said he could not confirm if the militants reached the base as the troops had all fled. The soldiers said air patrols were taking place around the area.

Efforts to reach military spokesman General Chris Olukolade to speak about the situation have so far proved abortive.

 

Ben Nanaghan: Jega’s Ethnic Agenda

Mohammed Useni
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Ben Nanaghan: Jega’s Ethnic Agenda

Before now, I would have staked my soul to vouch for Prof Attahiru Jega’s professional impeccability when President Goodluck Jonathan appointed him the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2010. I wondered if the President was not committing political hara-kiri. I therefore decided to “siddon look”.

And it was not too long before the professor swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker. I know how enormously difficult it is to resist the weight of northern pressure groups on Jega to thwart the presidential ambition of any southern candidate with extra 6,000,000 votes through the creation of 12,000 extra polling units in 11 northern states plus Abuja.

The new stormy petrel of northern politics, Mr. Nasir el Rufai, and a former CBN governor have teamed up to wreck whatever Jonathan stands for. It is therefore not a miracle to witness the exit of Jega’s saintly scaffold which is a twin engine device of northern Nigeria to perpetually hold Nigeria’s presidency hostage to justify the northern slogan of “born to rule”.

The INEC brouhaha is a well contrived, well planned and well executed northern agenda to make assurance doubly sure the governance of Nigeria becomes the birthright of northern citizens. The INEC agenda is the concretisation of already existing age-long census anomaly which has made it possible for the North to rule Nigeria for 40 years since 1957 when Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa became Nigeria’s Prime Minister.

If not, how can the learned professor of political science convince even illiterate Nigerians that a war ravaged state like Borno deserves an extra 1,336 polling units. Mere rational reasoning stipulates that war-torn regions can never have a sudden surge of population but rather population depletion. This implies that most southerners in Borno State will relocate to their home states. The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, will also be an attractive alternative to our fleeing northerners from Borno State. It should have even made more sense to reduce Borno’s existing 3,933 PUs and increase all southern states and the FCT.

There never will be a greater injustice than Jega’s mischievous and inflated manipulation in many years to come.
For instance, Ondo State was awarded 221 new polling units to complement its existing 3,009 PUs. In the state, PUs in the riparian communities are either grossly insufficient or just non-existent. A good example is in Ebijaw ward of Odigbo LGA where there are only 13 PUs serving the entire ward.

The case of Gbenewei community is quite pathetic. The people have to trek through muddy and winding bush paths of about 10 kilometeres to get to the nearest polling unit. During rainy season, this road is impassable. Gbenewei and its surroundings have about 1,000 eligible voters. The community has delivered their application for a polling booth which was date-stamped by INEC on June 5, 2014 but hope of approval has dwindled by the day. Hundreds of thousands are thus disenfranchised in the South especially in the coastal communities while PUs sell two-for-one-kobo in the northern states.

It will be grossly unfair to end this piece without pouring encomium on the journalist and his team that uncovered this ignoble plot. Mr. Jide Ajani, Sunday Vanguard Editor, has done for Nigeria what our pioneer journalists could not do to stop northern political dominance because of our fake census figures which have ab-initio given the North an unfair numerical advantage. Ajani, in my opinion, should be given national honours for this investigative expose. This will be a pep to challenge him and other journalists to unravel and demystify the mystique surrounding our national census.
Kudos also to Vanguard which provided the environment for Ajani to excel.

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Ben Nanaghan lives in Lagos.

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PDP Is Only Making Noise, They Cannot Win Lagos – APGA

Mohammed Useni
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PDP Is Only Making Noise, They Cannot Win Lagos – APGA

The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)that it cannot win the 2015 elections in Lagos state with reliance on President Goodluck Jonathan’s support.

Umeh-Nzekwe felt that if former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba man could not deliver Lagos to PDP after two attempts, it will be difficult for Jonathan to do it. He then advised the PDP to support his party because according to him, the APGA is a more formidable party in Lagos state.

“The PDP should stop heating up the political situation in Lagos State because they don’t have the structure; they don’t have the financial capacity to win election in Lagos. As I am talking to you, some of them (aspirants) don’t know their ward chairmen.

“They are just gathering to negotiate national cake, not to win election. It has been their system since 1999. The PDP has only won a House of Assembly seat in Lagos since 1999.

“Their leader, Bode George, has never won his polling unit before and the PDP is his empire. The current chairman, Tunji Shelle, is not a politician. He was George’s subordinate in the navy. There is no way they can win election.

“So, the PDP is just making a noise. Their hope is that Jonathan will help them but if Obasanjo, a son of the soil, could not win Lagos State, it would be naïve to think that Jonathan, an Ijaw man, can win it for them.” Umeh-Nzekwe said.

Jonathan Promises FCT Indigenes Ministerial Slot If Re-elected

Mohammed Useni
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Jonathan Promises FCT Indigenes Ministerial Slot If Re-elected

President Goodluck Jonathan has promised indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  Abuja, a ministerial slot if re-elected into office in 2015. He also promised them a permanent secretary slot in the civil service.

The President made the made this promise in Abuja on Wednesday when a delegation of traditional rulers from the FCT paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa.

He said “people here are qualified to be ministers and permanent secretaries.

“When the party is thinking of nominating ministers after the elections, you should be able to get a minister.”

Jonathan described Abuja indigenes as the most precious citizens of the FCT, who he said did not have any other ancestral home to run to in the event of a major crisis.

While saying that his administration would always work with them, the President assured the monarchs of his commitment to infrastructure development in the area.

He stressed the need for expansion of the territory’s infrastructure base in view of the influx of visitors and settlers into Abuja, which according to him, was originally designed for less than 500,000 residents.

He reminded them that the PDP needed their votes in the forthcoming elections to ensure continuity and fulfilment of his promises.

In a remark, PDP National Chairman, Adamu Muazu, also urged the monarchs to convert their show of support for the President into votes during the 2015 presidential election.

Muazu equally urged them to help maintain peace in their domains before, during and after the elections.?

In his remark, the Ona of Abaji, ?Alhaji Baba Yunusa, commended the Jonathan administration for its numerous development projects and programmes in the FCT

Yunusa assured the President of 100 per cent support of Abuja royal fathers and thanked him for appointing Bala Mohammed as FCT Minister.

Yunusa, who is the Chairman of FCT Council of Traditional Rulers?, commended t

Amending A New Constitution Shows APC Is Not Prepared To Govern Nigeria – PDP

Mohammed Useni
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Amending A New Constitution Shows APC Is Not Prepared To Govern Nigeria – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has said that Wednesday’s Special convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in which the party amended its few months old constitution shows that the party is not prepared to govern the nation and is a direct consequence of “lack of direction and unpreparedness,” and an attempt to redeem a ‘jaundiced’ party law.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement said the development has confirmed the “APC as a disorganised political party, lacking the ability to effectively administer itself” and wondered how it can govern a nation as complex as Nigeria.

“In APC, Nigerians have continued to witness a rickety, wobbling vehicle bound to jerk to a stop midway, abandoning the occupants to the mercy of inclement elements. Of course, Nigerians have noted that the PDP remains the only steady and stable platform for the growth and progress of democracy in our dear country” the statement said.

Atiku Explains Absence At APC Special Convention

Mohammed Useni
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Atiku Explains Absence At APC Special Convention

Former Vice- President and  presidential aspirant of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has explained the reason for his absence at Wednesday’s Special Convention of the party.

Atiku made the explanation via his Facebook page “I was scheduled to return to Nigeria yesterday from a quick business trip abroad, but could not, due to last minute logistics changes.

This is why I couldn’t attend the APC Special Convention. Apologies to leaders & supporters of our great party, who were expecting me -AA,” he posted on his facebook wall.

The Special convention was convened to approve the party’s amended constitution and adopt its revised six point manifesto. It was also an avenue for all the other presidential aspirants to address party’s delegates.

Atiku’s major opponents for the party’s ticket, former Head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari and Kano state Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso were present at the convention.

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