A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
Too broke to pay for costly imports of rice and palm oil, Nigeria is looking to agriculture to help lift itself out of a recession.
The once-flourishing sector was abandoned during the oil boom but has the potential to grow as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari pushes to diversify Nigeria’s economy.
In a grim recent report, the National Bureau of Statistics said the country’s economy contracted in the second quarter by 2.1 percent, with the oil sector suffering a double-digit decline.
Crude-addicted Nigeria has been hit hard by the global fall in oil prices, which has reduced government revenues and driven inflation to an 11-year-high 17.1 percent in July.
Nigeria usually gets 70 percent of its revenue from oil sales but the crash has left the government cash-strapped and struggling to pay civil servant wages.
The dire situation has spurred the Nigerian government to look for ways to encourage sustainable growth.
Agriculture seems a good place to start. With 84 million hectares of arable land spanning the jungles of the south to the Sahara desert in the north, Nigeria can produce a range of food and cash crops for local needs and exports.
Today Nigeria’s food imports are estimated at over 20 billion dollars annually, according to the agriculture ministry.
A 50kg bag of rice, likely imported from Thailand, now sells for 20,000 naira ($63) compared to 8,000 naira at the beginning of the year, prompting the authorities to encourage people to farm.
In the southeastern state of Imo, Governor Rochas Okorocha has asked civil servants to work just two days and devote the rest of the week to farming cassava, corn and yams.
In central Benue and Sokoto states in the north, workers have been directed to close shop early so they can tend to their crops.
(FILES) This file photo taken on August 30, 2016 shows a farmer walking in his banana plantation at Shofolu village in Ogu State, southwest Nigeria.
– Be ‘patriotic’ –
Moving Nigeria away from smallholder farming towards commercial agriculture is a priority.
“If we get it well in agriculture, we will get it well in the economy,” Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said last month while launching a policy document on the development of the sector.
Osinbajo urged Nigerians to be patriotic and buy ‘Made in Nigeria’ products.
Decades ago, that wouldn’t have been difficult.
Nigeria used to be world’s number one exporter of palm oil, ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia, central bank data shows.
It was also a leading exporter of cocoa, accounting for 18 percent of global production in the 1960’s, according to the Cocoa Association of Nigeria.
But now, the country imports palm oil from Malaysia and only accounts for a paltry eight percent of global cocoa exports.
“We must return to agriculture and especially cocoa,” Cocoa Association of Nigerian president Sayina Riman said, adding that cocoa sales generate much-needed dollars.
– Farms to factories –
Farmer Lukman Busari stated that access to credit is strangling development of the sector.
“Farmers are finding it difficult to obtain loans at reasonable rates,” he said, explaining that the 14 per cent lending rate decimates his profits from his cassava farm in southwest Ogun state.
Farmer Oluranti Adeboye, who entered the business in 2008 after quitting his government job, says unreliable power supply and poor roads drain his energy and limit his company’s growth.
“I have 5,000 hectares of land on which I grow cocoa, cassava, plantain, kolanut and run fish ponds,” he said, showing as evidence the large expanse of land at Shofolu village, also in Ogun state.
Days of torrential rains made the road leading to the farm muddy and slippery, and farm assistants donned boots and raincoats as they nurtured fresh cocoa seedlings ahead of the next planting season.
“We want government to provide infrastructure like good roads, electricity, water and finance to support us,” Adeboye said.
“Government has to provide the enabling environment for our business to thrive.”
Nigerians hope to see the country not only growing the produce but processing it too.
“If we really want to diversify from oil and create proper value, agriculture must give birth to industry,” said a popular columnist Simon Kolawole.
Some are already putting those words into practise.
As well as building a tomato paste factory, Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote is investing $1 billion in commercial rice farming with the first harvest expected to hit local markets in December.
That means Nigerians may finally enjoy for the first time in years a steaming plate of jollof rice — a popular tomato-infused dish — made from ingredients grown in their own backyard.
Some Nigerians on Sunday, took to the social media to react to the debate organised by Channels TV in collaboration with an NGO, Enough Is Enough, for governorship candidates ahead of the September 10, gubernatorial election in Edo State.
The candidates were: Mr. Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Pastor Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Earl Osaro Osaze Onaiwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Pastor Amos Areleogbe of the Labour Party (LP).
ABAKALIKI-RETIRED Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu has called on police officers, especially those still climbing the echelon of authority in the force to be transparent in the discharge of their duties and avoid any form of financial inducement.
The retired AIG gave the advice, weekend at Etung Council Headquarters, Effraya of Cross River state during a Thanksgiving/Reception ceremony organized in his honour by the Etung Chapter of Nigeria Youth Congress, NYC of the state.
Joseph Mbu
Mbu who observed that collection of financial inducement were one of the factors capable of impeding the discharge of a policeman’s responsibilities to his country added that any officer who does his work religiously would always be compensated by God and humanity.
“The younger officers coming behind me should be transparent because you cannot take money and then fight; if you take money, you have compromised. If you don’t take money and you remain committed, God knows how to compensate you and God has compensated me and I am happy the way I am”.
He also called on Governors and local government Chairmen in the country not to see the monthly security votes given to them as their take home package but rather they should use it in supporting the police for optimum service delivery.
According to the immediate past Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos, his next aspiration in life was not to venture into politics but rather Agriculture so that he can further contribute his quota to the main stay of the Nation’s economy.
He further condemned calls in some quarters for the creation of State Police arguing that such development would lead to anarchy.
.Niger Delta leaders must lead in bringing peace to region .We are still assessing Ize-Iyamu and Obaseki .Preparation for the Olympics was embarrassing .Oshiomhole has done well
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
B rig. Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, has been celebrated for his glorious record in statecraft through various stages in public office including the governorship of the Old Midwestern Region and Bendel State. He was also at one chairman of the National Sports Commission and minister of labour during which time he sufficiently managed one boisterous labour leader, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who subsequently transited from activism towards the governance of a piece of territory where Ogbemudia once called the shots.
With the comrade governor now set for his exit after two remarkable terms of shaping the pace and pattern of governance in Edo State, Dr. Ogbemudia, who is presently the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, in an interview spoke on issues pertaining to the election. He also spoke on fresh developments in the Niger Delta region, the economic situation in the country among other issues. Excerpts:
Where do you stand in the contest to produce a successor to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as governor of Edo State?
General Ogbemudia
My position is that whoever is going to enjoy the mandate of the people is expected to surpass the performance of Comrade Oshiomhole. Edo State has come a long way; Comrade Oshiomhole will not be the first or last governor to hand over at the end of his eventful tenure.
Right from the days of the Western Region when Chief Dennis Osadebey was in charge through Midwest States, Bendel and now Edo and Delta, each governor came with his agenda and performed his best; it is a different matter if the best was not good enough for the people.
The people have on the average, the intelligence to evaluate the performance of each governor and give their verdict. Edo State has had four civilian governors in office. The outgoing governor has acquitted himself creditably and will be remembered by the people of Edo State. As for me, I will remember him for his dynamism, his extraordinary energy, his ability to keep his audience spell-bound and also development. His type is rare.
My assessment, therefore, is that he is leaving behind a legacy that the verdict of history will eulogize him.
Would you now say the outgoing governor has met the yearnings and aspirations of Edo people?
At least 51% of the entire population believes he is a good man and has achieved tremendous success.
It is widely alleged that Comrade Oshiomhole greatly gratified you, hence your support for his government and subsequent departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
I object vehemently to the use of the word "gratified you." As a head of government of Edo State, he has a duty to look after me as he is doing to others, and as an elder, as a retired general, perhaps as a former governor. He did not buy me, his performance and his support for me when I was the Minister of Labour is being reciprocated.
But sir, is it correct that he gave you vehicles?
Yes, not to buy me, the State House of Assembly passed a law granting ex-governors and their deputies' two cars every five years and that is precisely what Comrade Oshiomhole gave to me. In addition, when I celebrated my 83rd birthday during which His Excellency, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State honoured me with a visit and he was also a Guest Speaker, my governor, Comrade Oshiomhole who was the Chief Host, gave me a car as a present. Are you saying that I am only worth cars?
But during that celebration, Governor Oshiomhole also made uncomplimentary remarks about your continued presence in a political party; how did you feel about that?
Comrade Oshiomhole has the extraordinary capacity to voice his opinion in the public. But I would have preferred if he had said it to me privately and many people expressed displeasure, implying that it was disrespectful and inappropriate. Notwithstanding, I did not hold it against him.
Now sir, ahead of the election for his successor, where are you leaning?
Thank you, please recall that sometime ago, I withdrew my membership of PDP from the party. I had been a member of its Board of Trustees; I have not joined any party but overtime my friends and I who have identical ideas and thinking of a better Edo State met and formed a non-political pressure group called the Edo Mass Movement (EMM).
We have met several times, and we have proclaimed to the hearing of the public that the EMM will support any candidate that meets our criteria of good governance, and if none of the candidates meet our criteria, we will pick our own and a party. Recently, the leaders met and interacted with APC candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and PDP candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Earlier on, the governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Obiano had accompanied Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, APGA candidate to my residence and luckily on that day, a number of leaders were also present. In all, we saw three.
Godwin Obaseki spoke to us for an hour, and he touched every aspect of governance, he was brilliant, his presentation and construction were faultless and at the end of the speech, he had a standing ovation. On his part, Pastor Ize-Iyamu mesmerized the audience, and they applauded every sentence he made, he was applauded by the audience.
Both of them having concluded their meeting with us and left us to deliberate on which of them, APC, PDP, APGA we should support, but before they left, everyone was given a paper to indicate his or her choice. The papers are being evaluated, and the conclusion will be announced in due course. Edo State has come of age and can boast of not less than 20% of its population fit to govern the state.
So, sir who do you support among the various candidates?
My voting card will establish that on September 10.
What of you personally?
No public statement for now.
Sir, your voice is important on the matter, because it will go a long way in influencing peoples' decisions.
Thank you immensely for the compliment, in a democratic dispensation, the majority carries the vote, and I will s upport the majority of the EMM members' decision
Well sir, your group, EMM has been in search of a worthy successor of Comrade Oshiomhole. Has it found one yet?
We are on the last lap
After which, you will announce who the preferred candidate is?
God bless you. Yes.
What is your personal advice to the people of Edo State?
Thank you once again and listen to your tape, my answer to your questions so far are clear and unambiguous.
Recently your good friend, Chief E. K. Clark organized a meeting of Niger Delta leaders, what do you think of that meeting?
I deeply regretted my inability to attend; I wholeheartedly support the aim of the leaders to bring peace to the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole. First, the people of Niger Delta should do their homework and remember that we have lived together, and no one state or few states can upset the apple cart.
No insurrection can flourish in a hostile territory. I do not want the Niger Delta leaders and their people to be the first suspect, and so they should act now. I am prepared to play a constructive role in this matter with other citizens, even those outside the Niger Delta.
Do you believe that we can solve the problem, sir?
Yes and no. Yes, if all hands are on deck. No, if there is disunity.
Do you support military action in that area?
The military was set up to assist the civil authority in the maintenance of law and order and defend the territorial integrity of the nation; that was why when Ojukwu declared Biafra, Gen. Gowon who was Head of State of Nigeria declared the police action, that was the first port of call. Part of what the leaders are doing now is to avoid military action that will further reduce the population. I do not support military action on innocent people.
Sir, the people of Nigeria, are feeling the pain of hunger all over, inflation is skyrocketing, salaries are being owed and so on, how do you rate the Buhari government?
Buhari as a Military Head of State was an excellent performer because he had in his hands both executive and legislative powers assisted by the civil service that was not too far below its peak. Today, he is obliged to respect the constraints of democracy. Our solution, therefore, is that all hands must be on deck and in that regard a government of national unity is called for so we can all face the problems as Nigerians without partisan distraction.
Two areas you have so much love are in the news, Agriculture and Sports. What are your views?
My views have always been that government in order to meet their objective which are the needs of the people should diversify the economy. Agriculture which was the main stay of our economy sustained our economy before the discovery of oil in commercial quantities. We need vast acres or hectares of land for mechanized farming alongside other inputs like pesticides, fertilizers, and highly trained extension workers, strong marketing policies including agro-allied industries to use the raw materials.
On sports, I have never been so sad as I have been watching this year's Olympics which ended recently. Our preparation and performance were an embarrassment, and the matter needs to be investigated to prevent recurrence of this woeful outing.
I wish to reiterate my stand that we have to decide whether sports is for recreation (in which case all the present facilities are enough), on the other hand, if we want sports for competition or to form a sub-sector of our economy and to galvanize the people into a formidable sports loving nation, Nigeria must invest in policy, human resources, and materials. This implies a fundamental overhaul of our current thinking and situation.
What about the present problem of the herdsmen?
I grew up to meet cattle being led from their destination in the far North to the South, and there was no problem. The herdsmen are Nigerians, but the situation has changed, and there is need for the modernization of our animal husbandry across the country. There is, therefore, need for the Council of State to review the situation in line with best practices all over the world.
A final word from you sir?
I repeat that the problems facing the country cannot be solved by trading blames or trying to score political points. Nigerians are more interested in solutions that have a bearing on their welfare than any posturing. A government of national unity is called for, that's my position.
The Department of State Services ( DSS) said it had arrested Samuel Asuquo, the suspected kidnapper of three Australian nationals working with Lafarge cement company.
DSS OPERATIVES
This is contained in a statement by Mr Tony Opuiyo, an official of the service in Abuja on Sunday.
Opuiyo said the suspect was arrested by operatives of the service in Nasarawa Bakoko village in Cross River on Aug. 22.
He said that the suspected kidnap kingpin received a ransom of N150 million.
In a related development, the service also arrested three suspected members of a notorious kidnap gang on Aug. 30 in Lafia.
The suspects are Bamaiyi Mustapha, alias Dan Borno, Aminu Isa and Hassan Shehu.
Opuiyo said that the suspects operated around the Abuja-Kaduna axis.
He alleged that they had earlier kidnapped five women and collected N130 million as ransom.
“They were subsequently arrested by the service while planning a high profile kidnap in Abuja, “he said.
He said, in collaboration with the military, the service arrested suspected two high profile members of Boko Haram terrorists in Kano.
They are Ibrahim Abubakar and Idris Audu, alis AYA.
He said that Audu was an IED specialist who was being groomed to penetrate security agencies in the country.
Tony said he had already perfected plans to seek for recruitment into the next recruitment scheme of the Nigerian Army before his arrest.
He said the service carried out other operations leading to the arrest of some suspects in Kano, Abia, Abuja, Benue, Benn and Imo,
Tony said the service was currently intensifying action against high level fraudsters whose activities were negatively affecting investors confidence.
He restated the service’s determination to ensure a safe environment for all to carry out their legitimate businesses.
“We call on members of the public to support this effort by providing useful information to security agencies
Adam Lallana scored with the last kick of the match as England edged 10-man Slovakia 1-0 in Sam Allardyce’s first game as manager in World Cup qualifying on Sunday.
Despite Slovakia having Martin Skrtel sent off in the 57th minute, Allardyce looked destined to become the first England manager since Bobby Robson in 1982 not to win his first game in charge.
Slovakia’s defender Martin Skrtel (R) and England’s forward Adam Lallana vie for the ball during the World Cup 2018 football qualification match between Slovakia and England in Trnava on September 4, 2016
But in the fifth minute of stoppage time at Trnava’s City Arena, Lallana squeezed a shot between Slovakia goalkeeper Matus Kozacik’s legs to get England up and running in Group F.
Allardyce, nicknamed ‘Big Sam’, succeeded Roy Hodgson after England’s humiliating Euro 2016 elimination by Iceland.
Kozacik’s gaffe enabled him to become the ninth England manager to start his tenure with a win.
Lallana’s goal spared England from a repeat of the result from their group-stage encounter with Slovakia at Euro 2016.
It also meant that captain Wayne Rooney finished as a winner on a night when he won his 116th cap to become England’s most-capped outfield player.
Allardyce had vowed that Rooney would no longer play as a number 10 on his watch, but the captain nonetheless lined up in midfield beside Jordan Henderson in a 4-1-4-1 system.
With Raheem Sterling hugging the touchline on the right and Lallana flitting infield from the left, it left lone striker Harry Kane isolated.
It took England until mid-way through the first half to present Kane with anything approaching a shooting chance and when Kyle Walker picked him out at the near post, the number nine missed his kick.
– Skrtel stamp –
Slovakia gave England a scare when Michal Duris robbed Danny Rose and flashed the ball across the six-yard box that narrowly eluded Dusan Svento.
The first half ended with Sterling flashing a shot wide, but England were toiling.
Allardyce shuffled his pack at half-time, switching Sterling and Lallana and pushing Rooney upfield, but it took the dismissal of Skrtel for the visitors to take the upper hand.
Booked in the first half for catching Kane with a flailing arm, the former Liverpool centre-back saw red after crudely stamping on the same opponent’s calf as he knelt on the pitch.
Rooney registered England’s first shot on target in the 65th minute, a weak curler that Kozacik pushed away uncertainly, before Sterling almost caught the Slovakia goalkeeper out with an improvised chip.
Allardyce sent on Dele Alli and Theo Walcott for Henderson and Sterling, while Daniel Sturridge replaced Kane late on.
But the visitors came no closer than a left-foot snapshot from Lallana that hit the left-hand post and bounced across goal.
The Liverpool midfielder continued to look like England’s best chance of a goal, with one shot parried by Kozacik and another fizzing wide.
Walcott found the net in the 90th minute, tucking the ball away after Sturridge’s shot was blocked, only for his celebrations to be cut short by an offside flag.
But just as it looked as if victory would elude England, Lallana gathered Rose’s cross and unleashed a hopeful shot that crept between Kozacik’s legs and dribbed into the net.
The Chairman, Abia Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), says the council might soon be evicted from its Secretariat for failure to renew its annual rent.
Emejor said this on Sunday when he led members of the State Executive Committee in a visit to Mr Charles Nzechi, a philantropist and Abuja-based businessman in his Umuahia country home.
He said that the visit was designed to intimate Nzechi with the accommodation and other challenges facing the council and solicit his assistance.
“Abia council is the only council in the federation which still operates in a rented apartment.
“Recently, we have been under severe pressure from our landlord to vacate the building because of our inability to renew our annual rent,'' Emejor said.
He said that the state government had always written off the rent but regretted that “the current economic crunch had made it difficult for the government to assist us”.
He added that a permanent secretariat building which the last administration started for the council had been abandoned due to the lack of funds.
The chairman said that the council’s 2016 Press Week slated for October was also being threatened by lack of sponsorship and appealed to Nzechi for his assistance.
“I shall remain eternally grateful to you if you can help to take these two burdens off our shoulders.
“My hair has suddenly turned grey all over due to these problems,” Emejor said.
Responding, Nzechi, who said that he had great regards for journalism, promised to assist the council to tackle some of its challenges.
He expressed his readiness to partner with the leadership to move the union to greater heights.
“My Foundation, Charles Nzechi Foundation, shall partner with you to move the council forward. From now, you should enjoy unrestricted access to my home, no more protocol,''he said.
He spoke glowingly about journalism, saying it could be likened to the work of the apostles, who recorded and disseminated the gospel of Christ to the world.
Ekiti State Government on Sunday says it will soon abolish the centralised payment of workers’ salaries in the state.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Idowu Adelusi, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Ayo Fayose, released in Ado Ekiti.
Fayose
According to the statement, the new order will eliminate fraud but accelerate disbursement of salaries to workers as and when approved.
It stated that the local governments would now pay their staff when the new arrangement comes into effect.
The statement directed the accounting officers in the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to scrutinise financial documents thoroughly before passing them.
It quoted the governor as saying that government would hold the relevant officers responsible for any anomlies detected in any signed document.
The governor in the statement expressed his disappointment in some officers in charge of generating the nominal and pay rolls in the state in view of the sharp practices prevailing in the MDAs.
It said that it was a common thing to find names of retirees or deceased workers still appearing on the nominal roll. ? “We are no longer going to tolerate buck passing where someone will claim he is not the one that generates the nominal roll and so does not properly go through it before preparing the pay roll.
“Henceforth too, the nominal and pay rolls must be properly scrutinised by the internal auditors before being signed.
“The system has adequate checks and balances already in place and if not for collusion by concerned public servants, no sharp practices can take place
Fa'iza Abubakar and Kano state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
AbdulSalam Muhammad KANO – Kano home girl who had a brilliant performance in the 2016 West African Examination Council, Fa'iza Abubakar has said her ambition is to become Medical Doctor.
Fa'iza, who hails from Bakin Zuwo quarters in Kano Municipal area, scored distinctions (A 1), in the nine subjects she sat for at Olumawu College, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Already, she has been offered admission by at least seven universities in the United Kingdom and one university in Egypt.
Faiza Abubakar, who spoke shortly after the Kano state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje offered her automatic scholarship to PhD level commended the Government for its magnanimity.
Governor Ganduje had explained that the scholarship is meant to cover her undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate degrees, at any university of her choice across the world.
In his words "this gesture is to acknowledge merit and to especially encourage girl-child education in our state", the governor maintained, pointing out that the state government is making arrangements to ensure that gifted children are given opportunity to fully exploit their potentials.”
According to the governor, "we are happy that this child has performed very well and I want to assure that we will continue to encourage our people to achieve in their chosen endeavours and bring honour to their families , the state and the nation at large".
He enjoined parents to encourage their children to strive for academic and moral distinction to enable them excel in life.
Barack Obama believes that young Americans “completely reject” Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump’s tough line on immigration and that most Americans share their stance.
“There’s a long tradition in the United States of inclusion, immigration, diversity,” the president said in an interview broadcast Sunday but recorded before he left for the Group of 20 summit meeting in China.
File: US President Barack Obama
“I don’t think that’s going to change because Mr Trump’s got a little more attention than usual,” added Obama. He reiterated that he felt certain the 70-year-old real estate mogul would not succeed him as president next January.
“If you look at the current polls,” Obama said, “he’s been able to appeal to a certain group of folks who feel left out or worried about the social change, who have legitimate concerns around the economy and (are) feeling left behind. But that’s not the majority of America.”
“And if you talk to younger people, the next generation of Americans, they completely reject the path” taken by Trump.
The president said it was important to “pay close attention” when there was a rise in intolerance and calls for “banning certain classes of people,” a clear allusion to Trump’s call last year to ban all Muslims from entering the country “until we find out what’s going on.”
But overall, Obama concluded, “I’m optimistic.”
After issuing a series of contradictory signals on immigration — reflecting the tensions within his campaign team — Trump delivered a much-anticipated speech Wednesday in Phoenix, Arizona that essentially repeated the hard line on immigration that helped fuel his rise during the Republican primaries.
Detailing the arsenal of tough measures he intends to take if he defeats Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the November 8 election, he ruled out any path to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants — most of them Mexicans — living in the shadows in the United States.
He has, however, backed away from the idea of forcibly deporting the totality of the undocumented — generally estimated to 11 million — perhaps in view of the enormous logistical challenges such a sweeping operation would pose
President Muhammadu Buhari (middle), with Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd right), his Borno State counterpart, Governor Ibrahim Shettima (right); Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left) and his Wife, Sherifat (left) during the Commissioning of Government High School, Osogbo in commemoration of Osun State 25th Anniversary, on Thursday, September 1, 2016. File photo
The government, through its Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor said the allegation from the PDP was no more than a case of sour grape arising from its shattered expectation that President Muhammad Buhari would not honour the state with his presence to commission the school.
" PDP lacks the capacity to comprehend the administration’s strategies to make education quality in Osun catch up and surpass what any elite school in Nigeria offers.
It said the Rauf Aregbesola administration has a comprehensive strategy towards changing the face of education and bringing it to the same level of what any elite schools in Nigeria can offer.
The Bureau's statement, signed by its Director, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, asked Nigerians to demand from the PDP which insights it has into the workings of the Osun government's various strategies to turn around the fortune of education in the state.
The Bureau noted that PDP's claim could only be its own imagination arising from its anti-people orientation that whatever is good, modern, spectacular and qualitative is an exclusive preserve of its own class of elite.
The Bureau's statement said, "We are not like them. This is a case of sour grape on the part of the PPD that wants to disparage the great achievements of the governor.
“Aregbesola’s mission in education is to democratize it and bring it to the poor who could possibly never have been opportune to be educated along children of the affluent in Nigeria."
The Bureau said so far, no fewer than 50 of its school projects are already open for use, demanding which one has been changed to high fee paying school.
"As at today, Osun has completed no fewer than 50 of such mega schools across the state that has already been put to use by Osun pupils without the PDP’s imaginary “high fees”.
"Which one of the schools such as Anthony Udofia Government Elementary School, Salvation Army Government Middle School, Adventist Government High School, Ede, Ansar-ul-Deen Elementary School, Isale Osun, Osogbo or any other school has become a “high fee paying” school since their commissioning?" the Bureau demanded
It said that the Aregbesola administration's refusal to be slowed down in its development agenda has remained a source of headache to the opposition, adding that none of the claims of the party against Aregbesola has been found to be reliable or true since the PDP embarked on its mission to destroy Osun.
“But we cannot be bogged down by the emptiness of PDP's ideas and the hollowness of the party’s arguments. They said it openly that Buhari would not honour Osun people with his visit. Mr. President came and he was enthusiastically welcome by all the people of Osun. He was pleasantly surprised by the landmark and enviable achievements of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the educational sector through his numerous interventionist initiatives," the Bureau said
Stating that those who seek to diminish Aregbesola's achievements are only a self-immolation mission, the Bureau said PDP's inability to comprehend the Aregbesola program of changing the fortune of education in the state could only help to sink the party into its abyss of extinction.
“It is gratifying that Nigerians know the PDP for what it is: a lying party and a dying party," it added.
The Bureau said since the commissioning of the Osogbo Government High School on Thursday, there have been calls from far and nearby parents who are under intense pressure from their children who desire to be enrolled in Osun schools. Nothing could be more of a confirmation that Osun has set a laudable example on how Nigerian children should be educated.
Concluding its statement, the Bureau said, "The PDP is a disillusioned party and when a party is disillusioned, it hallucinates and the outcome of PDP’s hallucination is this baseless criticism of Aregbesola’s historical and landmark achievements.
“The party is a rejected party that can never come back to life again in Nigeria. Its soul, to use the words of its former leader, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has left it long ago,” Okanlawon remarked.
The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has said that good security in the maritime industry requires careful planning and strict implementation.
Peterside stated this at the closing ceremony of a five-day training programme tagged “Train the Trainers'', facilitated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and NIMASA on ISPS Code Compliance in Lagos.
He said that the agency was committed to improving the fortunes of Nigeria by creating an enabling environment for a business-friendly and secured environment for stakeholders in the industry.
The director-general said that the training was predicated on the premise that a fact -finding team was in Nigeria earlier in the year to conduct a Needs Assessment where a number of gaps were identified.
According to Peterside, this necessitated the training, with a view to addressing some of the gaps identified.
“I guess that in the course of this exercise, we have learnt that good security requires planning and stringent implementation.
“I know that in the course of this training, the seed of co-operation and collaboration between NIMASA as Designated Authority (DA) for ISPS Code Implementation in Nigeria, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Federal Ministry of Transportation has been planted.
“My expectation and desire of the leadership of these Agencies is that it will grow and blossom in a tripartite series of planned training programmes.
“This is expected to culminate with the lead auditors training, which will place you the drivers of the system at the cutting edge of professionalism in ISPS code implementation,'' the director-general said.
He thanked the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, for his support and enduring commitment to the imperatives of NIMASA's DA status and indeed all matters pertaining to the maritime industry in Nigeria.
Peterside urged participants to bring to bear the knowledge acquired during the five-day training programme, adding that this would enhance security at the nation's ports.
By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke ABUJA – DEPUTY Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has once more, frowned at the incessant attacks in Igbo land and some other parts of Nigeria by suspected herdsmen, and called on affected states to pass legislations restricting cattle rearing to modern ranches, while also setting up forest rangers to enforce such laws.
Ike Ekweremadu
Similarly, he maintained that unless Nigeria was restructured, to make it more efficient and productive, it would be difficult for the country to wriggle out of security challenges, pervasive poverty, and retarded growth, as successive leaders would only be dealing with the symptoms, not the root causes of a festering illness.
A statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Uche Anichukwu, quoted Ekweremadu spoke as speaking at the weekend, in New York, the United States of America, during the 2016 Convention of the World Igbo Congress, WIC.
He, however, said that while the country awaited the much-needed restructuring, the incessant havocs wrecked by suspected herdsmen were unacceptable because they had monumental socio-economic consequences on the nation.
Commending the efforts of various state governments at managing the humanitarian crisis resulting from the attacks and ensuring there was no total breakdown of law and order, the Senator emphasised that every legitimate step must be taken to end the menace and avoid a dangerous situation where the people begin to resort to self-help.
He said: "Governments of various states in Igbo Land and indeed other parts of the country should immediately consider enacting legislations that confine cattle-rearing to modern ranches as obtainable in developed societies. In fact, our governments could go a step further to invest in constructing and leasing out modern ranches.
"This will produce healthier animals, give better products, provide employment, added value to the farm products, and help in promoting peaceful co-existence as well as sifting armed bandits and terrorists from real farmers doing legitimate business".
Senator Ekweremadu, however, warned that enforcement of such measures should not be left entirely in the hands of the federal security agencies.
"Sadly, when you enact laws to checkmate the menace, as Ekiti State has commendably done, you will still rely on the same security institutions to enforce them. This is the dilemma.
"Therefore, our state governments should take further step by ensuring that such legislations provide for enforcement bodies, such as Forest Rangers, which will consistently comb the forests to ensure that those who run foul of the laws are arrested and speedily prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others".
He regretted that "successive military regimes reneged on the core ingredients of a federal structure agreed upon by our founding fathers, at various constitutional conferences leading up to independence, as the basis of the Nigerian union"
He further stated: "Over the years, we have moved from a strong and viable three-regional federal structure to a weak, spendthrift, and unwieldy 36-state structure; we moved from a decentralised police system that allowed the federating units to take greater charge of security of life and property in their territories to a centralised police system in which one man at the centre pretends to be in full charge of security of lives and property in the creeks of the Niger Delta, the cocoa farms of the South West, the expansive land mass of the North, and the hinterlands of the South East.
"We also moved from fiscal federalism, which encouraged productivity and competitive development to a feeding bottle federalism that runs on free oil money, encouraging indolence, corruption, and lack of creativity in governance".
"Now you can see why the cost of governance is so high; why states can no longer pay salaries; why neither the federal government nor the federating units cared to invest, but lived off their allocations like lottery proceeds over the years; why it is difficult for a state governor to sack rampaging suspected herdsmen; and why those who have the authority to call the security agencies to action to put a full stop to the menace may not be quick in their response", he added.
Ekweremadu called on Ndigbo in the Diaspora to join in shaping the ongoing debate on restructuring in Nigeria, because "it is at the heart of the forward-movement".
He regretted that efforts and calls to restructure the country had always fallen on deaf ears because some people felt favoured by the current arrangement, insisting that the message should be continually passed that "he who pins another to the floor is also detaining himself".
"With good faith and realistic restructuring, every part of Nigeria, Igbo Land inclusive, will explode in prosperity, the expected initial challenges notwithstanding; and the good thing is that we can set a timeline and adopt an incremental approach to allay unfounded fears and misgivings that have held us down", he added.
Senator Ekweremadu commended the Igbo in the Diaspora, especially the WIC for its efforts towards the development of Igbo Land in particular and Nigeria in general.
By Joseph Erunke ABUJA – DEEPLY worried by the poor state of the economy which has brought unprecedented hardship and hunger on the masses, a federal lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent and drastic measures, including the immediate sack of three prominent members of his Economic Team as the solution-precedent to reboot the ailing economy.
Dino Melaye
Melaye, in a statement, in Abuja, Sunday, said the president must shake up his cabinet, and accused most of the members of gross incompetence, inexcusable ineptitude and a distressing lack of capacity to deliver on the mandate of their ministries and agencies.
Those to face the axe immediately if the economy must be effectively rebooted to deliver on the Change Agenda of the present administration, in the estimation of Melaye, include the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, Budget and National Planning Minister, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma and the Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele. L
In the statement Melaye said:” At the moment, it must be crystal clear to all discerning minds that the president’s widely-acclaimed magical body language has lost its presumed aura and efficacy.
"His no-nonsense demeanour is equally neither instilling fear nor commanding respect and loyalty from amongst his cabinet members. It is therefore obvious that the time for barking is over, now is the time to bite and boot out all those who have demonstrated, in the past several months, a crass lack of capacity to effectively carry out the functions of their office.
"The Finance Minister has not only displayed gross incompetence on the job, she also lacks the basic and rudimentary grasp of economic fundamentals necessary to run a critical sector of the Nigerian economy like the Finance Ministry.
"It is time for her to go now and pave way for a qualified and experienced person to steer the Nigerian economy away from the dark woods it has sunk presently under her stewardship”.
On Udoma Udo Udoma, he stated: “To be sure, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma is a very charismatic man, an accomplished lawyer, and a quintessential gentleman with a fairly untainted reputation.
”In everyday parlance, he is a good man. But the critical job of Budget and National Planning Minister for a huge country like Nigeria, with her prevailing economic challenges requires much more than being a good man with a great personality.
“It is for someone with the relevant qualification, professional knowledge and experience in public sector finance, development economics, strategic thinking, budgetary planning and management.
“As a lawyer, accomplished in this field as he is, Udoma’s appointment to that position is nepotism taken to very ridiculous heights; and a classic case of putting round pegs in square holes-it will, and can never fit. It is akin to saddling a carpenter with a tailor’s responsibility.
Udoma-Adeosun-Emefiele
“The outcome under the circumstances, as has become evidently clear, is bound to be catastrophic for the economy. President Buhari must therefore do the needful now by relieving Udoma of this huge burden that is constituting a clog to the revival of the Nigerian economy. ”
On the CBN governor, Senator Melaye pointed to his disastrous handling and release of the so-called Dasuki-gate funds which amounts to about 15 per cent of the nation’s foreign reserves, policy flip-flops, summersaults and inconsistencies as clear evidence of gross incompetence in the management of the nation’s fiscal and monetary policies.
“The net effect of this inconceivable ineptitude on the part of Emefiele, according to Melaye is the free fall in the value of the naira and the total loss of faith and confidence by the international community on the Nigerian economy.”
To reverse this trend, Melaye says ‘”President Buhari must muster the courage to wield the big stick and give Emefiele the boot, to be replaced by a fiscal and monetary policy guru. “We have these qualified Nigerians in abundance, and the President must beam his searchlight to find them to help him, the Nigerian economy as well as the suffering Nigerian masses”.
He further called on the President to immediately discountenance the Economic Team currently under the supervision of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo “as their decisions will not be; and has never been respected by the economic managers and the bureaucracy in Nigeria”.
In its stead, Melaye urged the president to constitute an “Emergency Ad hoc Economic Team” made up of all former ministers of finance, budget and national planning, CBN governors as well as members drawn from the academia with ‘deep knowledge of developmental economics to drive the economic revival programme’.
He said: “The President must immediately transit from mere rhetoric to drastic but positive action to save the economy and Nigeria from total collapse.
”The hunger in the land is real, pervasive, widespread and debilitating for the poor masses. As I walk the streets of my constituency these days, I constantly harbour a foreboding that I could be stoned by my angry constituents for the failure of Mr President to fulfil his campaign promises and expectations to Nigerians”, Melaye said.
He warned: “Nigeria is tottering on a dangerous precipice, sliding perilously to a certain catastrophe if the current economic malaise is not halted immediately”, he declared, even as he said his criticism is borne out of an altruistic fervour, and not a product of sour grapes akin to some traditional critics of “Every Government in Power (EGIP)”.
Nigerians and Mr President, he said should be able to recall with little difficulty that “I was a permanent fixture at the All Progressive Congress, APC’s Presidential campaign rallies and events, functioning mostly as the Master of Ceremonies, MC.
” I am a proud APC Member, a party bonafide with a great stake in the success or failure of this administration, so no one can accuse me of sour grapes or meddlesomeness.
“I am a truly concerned stakeholder presently bothered by the imminent, clear and present danger of a still-birth of a Change Agenda that held so much hope and promise for Nigerians a little over a year ago.
” While there is a lot of hunger, anger, anguish and despair currently in the land, I have a firm belief that the situation is not beyond redemption for Mr President, hence my call for urgent and drastic remedial action now”, Melaye concluded.
By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA – A former Governor of Gombe State, Sen. Danjuma Goje, has stated that the worst of the governors of his party, the All Progressives Congress APC is better than the best of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
Goje who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation stated this weekend in Abuja after the inauguration of the Gombe state APC Caretaker Committee.
…Goje
He was drawing comparison between the achievements of his state governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo of the PDP and other APC governors, saying his people would prefer the worst of the APC governors to having Dankwambo preside over the affairs of the state.
He also chided the Gombe State PDP government for not considering any APC member in the state worthy for an appointive and elective position.
"I want to urge the new caretaker committee members, in the presence of the party leadership and all of you that came from Gombe, to be neutral, to be objective, to be committed in trying to unite this party. I am sure whether you belong to any other group, it is better that you have a bad APC governor than not have a governor at all.
"Even if APC is bad, it is better, because now that it is PDP government none of our members, no APC man has been giving appointment even as a councillor. So, it is very important that we unite and put our differences behind us, move forward to ensure that we form the next government in Gombe State," he noted.
Speaking further, he said: "It is a special day for the APC in Gombe State in particular and APC in Nigeria. We members of the APC in Gombe State are very grateful and loyal to the national leadership of our party. We want to thank you very much for your intervention. Your intervention will save the party and make it relevant in Gombe State and Nigeria.
"I want to on behalf of all of us in APC in Gombe State regardless of the past, assure you that we will give maximum support and loyalty to the newly inaugurated leadership in the state. I want to use this opportunity to call on all other members of the APC in Gombe State to come and join us," he added.
Speaking earlier during the inauguration, the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu who enumerated their Terms of Reference, said the committee is to steer the affairs of the party, leading the members of the State Working Committee, in their respective capacities as the Caretaker State Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretary and Legal Adviser.
They are also to, "take stock of all officers of the Party to ensure they are in tandem with the outcome of the Nationwide Congresses held in 2014, except those that resigned or relieved of the offices, using the authentic list given to you by the National Secretariat.
"Ensure the streamlining of all parallel offices and shutting down illegal party offices that exist at ward, local government and even at state levels and reinstall what we have in our records at the National Secretariat
"Consult with all stakeholders and other opinion leaders of the Party in the State but strictly for obtaining meaningful advice for a way forward which, in the opinion of the Committee, will improve the fortunes of the Party and restore peace and unity," he noted.
Members of the inaugurated Caretaker Officers authorized to serve for a three-month renewable period are: Hon. Lawan Shetima- State Chairman; Capt. Bala Jibrin- State Deputy Chairman; Alh. Sule Yakubu- State Secretary and Barr. Joseph William- Legal Adviser.
By Chioma Obinna The Lagos State Government weekend sealed over 37 illegal pharmaceutical outlets as part of its measures to stem the tide of counterfeit and unwholesome drug products as well as avert the dangers posed by the activities of illegal operators.
Speaking after a recent raid in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Healthcare, Dr. Olufemi Onanuga disclosed that a total of 37 outlets out of 49 visited in Ikorodu Central, Agric, Agbede, Ita-Oluwo, Eyita, Odongunyan, Igbogbo, Itamaga and Ijede were sealed off for various offences ranging from engaging quacks, licensed patent medicine shops operating beyond their scope, illegal sale of ethical products and dispensing drugs to unsuspecting citizens of the state.
Other offenders include; illegal operatives of unregistered premises who displayed and stored drugs in an unconducive environment. The raid was carried out in collaboration with the State Task force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, representatives of National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Pharmacists' Council of Nigeria, PCN, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Federal Taskforce and Officers of the State Rapid Respond Squad, RRS.
Onanuga said: "The sealing of the pharmacies and patent medicine stores was in accordance with the provision of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provision) Act of 1999, Number 25.
"Licensed patent medicine vendors are authorised to sell only drug products in their original packs in approved pack size as produced by the manufacturing companies. The law prohibits dispensing and wholesaling of drugs by patent medicine vendors," he explained.
Onanuga who declared zero tolerance for fake drugs warned that the activities of the State Task Force on fake drugs will be sustained until operators in the sector adhere strictly to the provisions of the law on the operation of pharmacies and patent medicine stores.
As a mark of appreciation to the Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for his intervention in reclaiming the gully erosion-ravaged areas of Ogbeson community, the leadership of the community has promised to massively vote for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Godwin Obaseki in the governorship election in the state, this Saturday.
The Community which presented an award of commendation to Governor Adams Oshiomhole and endorsed the governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as their candidate for the September 10, governorship election in Edo State said they will support the Governor as they will never forget how he saved them from consumed by the gully erosion.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos and Chairman, National Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (left); Mr. Godwin Obaseki, APC Gubernatorial candidate in Edo State and Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Enogie of Ogbeson, HRH Prof. Aduwa Ogiegbaen who spoke for the community said "I want to say that the people of Ogbeson love you, they appreciate what you have done. We will support all the way in whatever you are doing. We are sitting here today because of you. We couldn't stand here three years ago, let alone sitting down.
Those who didn't see what happened here in the previous years will not appreciate what happened here - the devastation, the trauma and the difficulties our people went through for several years before you came. This community has benefitted immensely from your government. A lot of people lost their properties, lost their lives, and today, we are looking at this place.
"There was a church here where these people are standing now, and that church went down. My uncle's house was here, he was buried here. The house and the grave were swept away. So, we are here to appreciate you. I tell you that we cannot forget what you have done in Ogbeson, and words will not be enough to express our appreciation for what you have done here. Your antecedent is something that nobody will forget in Edo State, even those who are not appreciating what you have done, they know within their minds that you have done a lot.
"There has been no governor like you in this state. I make bold to say that, and if there is anybody who thinks they have out-performed you, let them come out. Nobody. In terms of road construction and development, you flew high. You are still flying. In terms of education, you excelled. In terms of health care delivery, look at the edifice on Sapele Road, the Central Hospital there. We are looking forward to the day that hospital will be opened. You have given the best to health tourism to Edo State. And you have assured us that you are going to equip it with state-of-the-art health facilities, and we take your word for it. Thank you very much."
The Ogiegbaen said, "We appreciate what you have done, and I want to say that my brother here, Obaseki, and I have known him for about forty years. We have interacted with him. Some of the Enigie have interacted with him. And when we talked with him, we knew that he has something up there. He is not going to disappoint. I want to say on behalf of my people, Ogbeson people, we are going to give him the mandate."
Also speaking, the Obasogie of Benin, Chief Eduwu Ekhator said, "This gentleman, since he came, words are inadequate to even enumerate what he has done. He took the bull by the horn and he sourced for funds. He got it from all angles to the extent that the source he got the money from call him after that and said we are giving you another seventy-five million dollars, they were impressed with the way you utilized the first one.
I think it is this that motivates this community, that motivates every person, that we gather here today to say, well done." He continued, "We have decided to put on record our signature. It is on this honour and this very regard without wasting words that we have collectively, on behalf of our children and fathers that are not here present to distinguish this gentleman, to give him a certificate of award."
Elated by the kind word and the award given him, Governor Oshiomhole said, "I am very humbled listening to those comments. Let me thank you, your royal highness; My Lord Most Reverend Father Ofere and Chief Ekhator for the joint certificate that you presented me. This is a unique certificate that is enough to compensate for the case that was in court when the PDP argued that I didn't go to school. Today, I have got the privilege to receive a certificate signed by a traditional ruler, signed by a Catholic Reverend Father and signed by a very senior palace chief. These combinations are rare. I am humbled.
I am very humbled and I want to thank you for the honour."
He said, "We knew we had been denied federal support. We didn't have the money in our pocket. But I also insisted that my task is not to lament to the people of this community. The task of government is to get things done, not to join the people to wallow in self-pity and lamentation. The government is about what is possible, not what is not possible. And we went to work and did some designs, got the World Bank to look at the designs, sent it to Washington and got approval in principle, but we had to make our counterpart funding before we attract the World Bank grant. And one is a precondition for the other.
Without we paying the counterpart funding, the Bank was not going to oblige the difference. We raised the money, and the Bank augmented the money. There is not one dime of the Federal Government in this project."
Oshiomhole noted, "This is the evidence that God answers prayers when they are offered honestly by his people who are in genuine need, and that is the story of this place. I am happy that it is now a completed project. I am happy that the people can now drive from there to here. He added, "And so, with the endorsement of the community leaders as represented by the Enogie, Godwin will continue. The next election in Edo State is important for us.
A clear choice between two parties that have governed this state, one for ten years and one for seven and half years. These two candidates, one has been a Secretary to the State Government and the other one chairman of the economic team under the APC, and it is on the basis of their pedigree that our people should decide whether to build on current gains and continuity or to put on reverse the records of where we are coming from. I pray that the courageous endorsement by the Enogie on behalf of the community, which also carries with it the sentiments of our ancestors, may God guide our people not only to vote for consolidation but to vote for continuity and vote for the advancement of the pace of our development for our great state."
A media crackdown in Gabon left people on Sunday searching for loved ones aided mainly by rumour and hope, following days of violence since the announcement that President Ali Bongo had been re-elected.
The post-election violence has so far claimed seven lives throughout the country, according to count; six civilians, mainly in the capital Libreville, and a police officer in the main northern town of Oyem.
Rumours of a higher death toll, notably in the economic capital Port-Gentil, have been swirling around despite the lack of any internet access.
Some 800 people have been arrested in the capital since the last weekend’s election result was announced on Wednesday, according to official figures.
“We are calling for the list of those arrested” and which police stations they are being held in, said lawyer Jean-Pierre Akumbu M’Oluna.
Bongo was declared victorious by a razor-thin margin of just under 6,000 votes, but his main challenger Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official, has insisted the vote was rigged and on Friday claimed victory for himself.
“The whole world knows who is president of the republic, it’s me Jean Ping,” he said.
Gabon violenceAli Bongo
– ‘ Deep concern’ –
Ping is calling for vote recount, something the Gabonese authorities have categorically refused to contemplate.
The post-vote violence in this small but oil-rich central African nation, a former French colony, has sparked international concern with top diplomats calling for restraint as rights groups raise the alarm over the use of “excessive force”.
In a special session on Gabon on Thursday, the UN Security Council expressed “deep concern” about the situation, urging all sides to “refrain from violence or other provocations”.
And Washington has urged all parties to work together to “halt the slide towards further unrest.”
Two people in Libreville on Sunday said that they are still searching for loved ones missing since Wednesday night, when security forces stormed Ping’s offices.
“I’m looking for my son, Jocelyn. He was at Jean Ping’s headquarters,” said a woman who gave her name as Jacqueline.
A man, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he’d had no news of his brother since Wednesday.
“He’s married, father of four children,” said the man who has searched police stations, hospitals and even funeral parlours. – Government silence –
Information is hard to come by. The government hasn’t issued any statements for days and even the regime-friendly L’Union newspaper hasn’t appeared since Wednesday.
“We were the object of an arson attack, we can’t work,” the paper’s boss Lin-Joel Ndembet stated, adding that he didn’t know when publication would resume.
The premises of private television channels Radio-Television Nazareth (RTN) and Tele Plus, have both been attacked.
The RTN offices were set ablaze late Wednesday “by hooded and heavily armed agents of the security forces,” the channel’s chief executive Georges Bruno Ngoussi said.
According to him, attacks on RTN began on August 28, the day after the presidential election, when it was reporting that Ping was ahead in the vote count.
Starved of information the Gabonese people have turned to French media, including RFI, France 24 AND TV5 Monde, which have special correspondents in Libreville but are largely absent in the provinces.
Some Gabonese TV channels are continuing to operate, if barely, notably Tele Gabon and Gabon 24 — public broadcasters close to the powers that be.
Tele Gabon ran in-house ads for television series while Gabon 24 repeatedly announced that the opening of parliament had been delayed until September 6.
The country had previously enjoyed relative political stability, mainly because former colonial power France helped Omar Bongo rule for 41 years.
After he died in June 2009, his son Ali won an election but opposition media claimed he had essentially been installed by France.
ABEOKUTA- Two heads of Villages in Ogun state have cried out over alleged use of former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s name to seize land unjustly at Adekoyeni, Ajambata, Araromi Orita and Oluwanishola (a.k.a Abule Teacher) villages.
Ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo
The Villages’ heads in a petition to the Ogun State government and signed by National Secretary and General National Legal Director of the Movement for Islamic Right and Justice, Barrister Segun Daud and Barr. Kazeem Adedeji respectively begged the State government for its intervention.
According to MIRAJ, the perpetrators claimed to be carrying out the orders of the former President and grabbed some people lands in the areas.
While giving background information to their plight, MIRAJ said, "on Sunday, 31st July, 2016, at about 7:30 p.m, Some unknown thugs (10 boys and 2 ladies) sneaked into the boundary between Adekoyeni and Ajambata villages, with a Varagan Bus, Lagos colour yellow, with registration No: SMK 983 XR, to deposit a female corpse at the boundary of the villages.
"This was done purposely to set the villagers up and fortunately for the villagers, the thugs were sighted at the point where the corpse was to be buried at the boundary. The villagers immediately challenged the thugs and two out of them escaped while others were arrested through the assistance of Saver High Way Police Officers, with their Team Leader known as Inspector Alade.
"Shockingly, all the arrested thugs were released the following day and a further petition was written to the Commissioner of Police, AIG Zone 2, DIG Force Headquarters and Inspector General of Police. The CP has assigned the case file to Homicide Section and Five out of the culprits have been arrested; two were released on bail, while three are currently in police net.
"It is a common practice among the land grabbers to create confusion in and around the community by depositing corpse at the villages or rob and even kill members of the villages, purposely to have their way into the communal land.
"Once this is done, they immediately contact their sponsored police officers within the area to raise false alarm, get the villagers arrested, detain them and further get remand order in perpetuity before the magistrate Court which does not have jurisdiction on capital offence.
"Defenselessly, the agents have turned the villages to their base, and it is beyond the power of the villagers to confront the land grabbers especially with aid and support of most influential personality within and outside Ogun State. The new trend of event is the use of soldiers to harass, humiliate and physically assault the village heads".
MIRAJ, therefore, called on Ogun State Government to take a step, like Lagos State, by passing a law criminalising the conducts of land grabbing in the state .
When asked to react, the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu said the Police command was aware and has begun investigation on it.
He called for calm, saying, the command would ensure no criminal finds the State easy to operate.
Technicians and dealers in auto parts at the popular Evbareke market in Benin City have endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki, ahead of the September 10 election in Edo State.
Speaking at a rally of the All Progressives Congress in Benin City, Chairman, Edo State Council of the Nigeria Automobile Technician Association (NATA), Mr. Felix Irabor said, "All Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) members are using this opportunity to tell you that this September 10, Mr. Godwin Obaseki will be declared as the winner as Edo State executive governor. I want to promise you, both our members, our wives, in short, members of our household, we will fully cast our votes for Godwin Obaseki and Hon Shaibu. Your Excellency, we are fully behind this great party, and our party will be the winner that day."Obaseki
Similarly, the President, Auto Spare Parts Association, Comrade Efosa Asemota said, "we have more than six thousand people in this market. And I am promising you from my heart that come September 10, we all will come out en-masse and cast our vote for our brother, our uncle, Godwin Obaseki to become the governor of Edo State come September 11th or 12th when the result will be announced. In fact, we the people of the market, we thank you, we welcome you."
Responding, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said, "I want to assure you that your statement is precisely the reason we are talking about continuity and consolidation. When we talk of continuity, it means not to do those ones we have already done. It is to do the ones we have not yet done."
He said, "Under PDP, they discriminated between the so-called Edo indigenes and Edo non-indigenes. As far as we are concerned, everybody who lives in Edo is Edo, and that is why one of the first things I did after presiding over the Nigerian Labour Congress for eight years, speaking for Igbo, for Hausa, for Yoruba, for Ijaw, for Benin, for everybody, I couldn't become an ethnic champion. It is impossible. I am just a Nigerian.
If you go to AAU, if you are Igbo-speaking, they would say you should pay more. If you are Yoruba-speaking, you paid more school fees, even if you are Delta here, you would pay higher school fees. Who abolished it? I abolished discriminatory school fees which PDP imposed on our state. Do they now have the right to tell you to vote for them for discriminating against your children? And Ize-Iyamu was the secretary to the government of PDP when those policies were being implemented."
Oshiomhole continued, "Godwin from day one in his campaign keeps saying that he has to work out a scheme to grant soft loans to traders so that they can run their businesses so that they won't have to be borrowing money to do business. He has recognized that the reason we have to embark on infrastructure is to attract investors to our state. The investors are here now. We now have Nigeria's largest private power plant, the Azura Power Project. If you go to the Benin bye-pass, you will be shocked by the number of Chinese companies that have come to Edo State. We are producing ceramic tiles in Edo State. We are producing iron rods in Edo State. All of these companies came in the past six years."
He added, "Let me conclude by saying this election is very clear because the parties are not new, the candidates are not new to government. Let me leave you with this advice. Don't say it is already done. It is not over until it is over. Even if it is raining that day, you have no reason to be indoors. Go out and vote."
Governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Godwin Obaseki said, "For me, this is like a homecoming because, like all of you, I am also a business man. I understand the business you are doing and what made you wait for so long for me since morning."
Mr. Obaseki assured, "It appears that this market is already congested. We will go and acquire a large parcel of land at the Benin bye-pass. I will give you the land and help with the construction. So, we will open another branch of this market there so that there will be enough space for all traders in this market. I want to make this market one of the biggest markets for selling tractors spare parts in Nigeria, and we will support you. We will support you with Federal Government's tractorisation programme. They will bring many tractors and you will bring the spare parts to support them."
He said, "The Comrade has done his own which is part one, and we are going to start part two, and in this part two, we will need all of you to work together. My Government will create the enabling environment for everyone to earn a living."
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