Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has disclosed that the federal government is planning to procure aircraft in the six zonal bases of the Federal Fire Service to combat wildfires, bushfires and other largescale fires requiring aerial attacks.
Aregbesola disclosed this while speaking at the decoration ceremony of the new Controller General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Jaji Olola Abdulganiyu, in Abuja.
While urging the new FFS boss to live up to expectations, the minister said the prime challenge of the FFS is on combating wildfires, bushfires and other largescale fires requiring aerial attacks.
He said: “We have initiated an arrangement with the Nigeria Airforce to use their planes to waterbomb fires of that nature from the air. It is my sincere hope that you will see this through.
“Our projection is to have our own aircraft in the six zonal bases.”
He also said, henceforth, armed security personnel would be accompanying firefighters to fire scenes to prevent attacks on personnel and equipment by hoodlums.
The minister charged CG Abdulganiyu to take fire advocacy seriously as he begin his tenure as the CG of the FFS, saying the public needed to know more about firefighting and managing emergencies.
“It is very necessary that you include fire advocacy and public enlightenment in the operational services of the FFS. The public needs to know, among others, that the work of the FFS is more than firefighting,” he said.
While reminding the controller general of his duty to preside over human resources to achieve organisational goals, Aregbesola urged him to be on top of his game and act in the best interest of the service.
“The welfare and professional development of the officers and men under your command should therefore be put on the front burner.
“Their emoluments, allowances, promotion, training at home and abroad and other perks should not suffer,” the minister charged him.
The new Controller General of FFS, Abdulganiyu, in his remark, promised to be focused and build on the efforts of his predecessors in the actualisation of the mandate of the service.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has alleged that the detained leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, in the Department of State Services, DSS, was not allowed to eat more than once a day.
Ejiofor disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri, on Friday after they visited Kanu at DSS, detention facility in Abuja, last Thursday.
He said it was part of the complaint by Kanu, during the interaction. Ejiofor added that Kanu’s case was getting worse due to the refusal of the DSS, to allow the IPOB leader to change his clothes despite repeated court orders to do so.
According to the IPOB’s lawyer, “In line with the Court-Ordered guideline, we conducted the routine visit to our indefatigable Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS Headquarters today. Pertinent concerns on legal matters of engaging urgency were frankly discussed with Onyendu, and the outcomes were fruitful.
“Onyendu’s continued use of the same clothing is increasingly worrisome as the DSS personnel have blatantly denied him change of clothing in their usual flagrant disobedience of Court Orders.
“Recall that at the last adjourned date, being the 8th day of April 2022, this issue was raised and the Judge ordered that Onyendu’s clothes should be taken along by the DSS after the proceedings, and should be promptly handed over to him upon their return to the DSS facility.
“Unfortunately, it is utterly disheartening to note that up until the time of our visit today, Onyendu has not been handed those clothes for a change.
“Despite learning an unequivocal directive from His Lordship to the DSS’ lawyer to ensure that the Court Order is obeyed, the DSS in their usual style roundly ignored and treated it with most disdain, as they are yet to comply with this recurrent Court Order, requiring Onyendu’s change of clothing.”
He also alleged that; “We were also, reliably informed by Onyendu that his meals are no longer served regularly. Onyendu barely eats once in a day, and this situation is not helping his deteriorating medical condition.”
“The lawless DSS personnel have remained adamant with how they treat Court orders with levity and disdain, which is unacceptable as no one is above the law anywhere in the world. Be assured UmuChineke that we, in the legal team are not resting on our oars towards ensuring that these infractions are addressed with immediate effect.”
“Consistent with his nature of gratitude, Onyendu thanks you all, millions of his supporters and Ezigbo UmuChineke for relentlessly standing tall, it is not taken for granted by Onyendu. Also, Onyendu specifically requested that I inform you all, that you are in his prayers always too. Above all, he requests that you should all be assured that it will end in VICTORY in no distant time,” IPOB’s lawyer said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is yet to zone its presidential ticket for the 2023 elections, ABN TV reports.
Its National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu disclosed this while speaking to State House Correspondents after presenting the party’s candidate for the Ekiti governorship election, Biodun Oyebanji, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Adamu was accompanied to the Presidential Villa by the Ekiti Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Kebbi Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) Atiku Bagudu and National Secretary of the APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) on Thursday asked major political parties to throw the contest for their presidential tickets open to all regions, asserting that the zoning system is no longer desirable.
The ruling party had swapped its national offices between North and South, leading to the emergence of Adamu from the North Central as the national chairman.
Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai just before the party’s National Convention, said that even though the APC had not decided on zoning the presidential ticket, the swapping of national offices was an indication of where its presidential candidate would come from.
But when asked where the ruling party would be zoning its presidential ticket to, Adamu said taking such decision would be the job of the entire party, which he said is bigger than himself as Chairman.
“I am today privileged to be the chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party decision will be,” he said.
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu on Friday said that the party has no regret fixing its presidential nomination form at N100 million.
Senator Adamu also said that no decision has been taken on the zone to produce the presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 election.
This comes as the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has begun fresh moves to pressure the major political parties to throw their tickets open to all sections of the country, saying that “power shift arrangement is already dead and buried.”
The Party chairman stated this while briefing State House correspondents after presenting the APC governorship candidate for the Ekiti state, Abiodun Oyebanji to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Senator Adamu noted that the decision on which part of the country should produce the ruling party candidate was beyond him.
While stating that the APC was yet to decide the zone to produce its presidential candidate, he maintained: “I am today privileged to be the chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party decision will be.”
Recall that the ruling party had swapped its national offices between North and South, leading to the emergence of Adamu from the North Central as the national chairman.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State had said just before the last national convention of the party that even though the APC had not decided on zoning the presidential ticket, the swapping of national offices was an indication of where its presidential candidate would come from.
On the high cost of Its nominations forms, Adamu said that the party has no regret whatsoever fixing it for N100 million for candidates seeking elective positions under the party.
He asserted that the APC was keen to discourage parties that have no chance of winning election to sponsor individuals to play the role of spoilers.
He said the party did its homework before arriving at the amount, adding that the cost had to be exorbitant because of the need to raise sufficient funds to conduct primaries and successfully prosecute coming elections.
Senator Adamu said that the party was aware that some of the aspirants are not serious contenders but mere jesters that have the intention to cause problems
Member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, Rep Sam Onuigbo has accused the state Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu of frustrating the building of a Federal Secretariat valued at N6 billion in the State capital Umuahia.
Hon. Onuigbo said he facilitated the project in 2019 through intensive follow up with the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola upon discovering that Abia was missing from list of states that are scheduled for construction of a federal secretariat.
According to the lawmaker, the state government was reluctant to allocate a land for the construction one year later.
However, when a land was eventually allocated, the relevant documents were not provided due to failure of the state government to pay a compensation of N25m to the indigenous owners.
He expressed displeasure that his efforts to make the project a reality is about being thwarted due to lackluster attitude of Abia government, even when younger states created after Abia have their federal secretariats.
He said, “Well, it will interest you to know that so far I have gone ahead to facilitate a Federal Secretariat for Abia State. And I followed it up with the Governor but I am shocked and roundly disappointed that because of the compensation of N25 million the State has proven itself unable, incapable of allowing the Federal Government to execute a project that is in the region of N6 billion.
“I facilitated that and I started it way back in 2019 and pursued it through. So, I don’t look back at whether Okeke or Nwakoroafor appreciates what I am doing as long as I am convinced that what I am doing is in the interest of God, and in the interest of those who have used the power of their thumbs to elevate me, I don’t look back. I instead want to do much more because I pledged to work on the acronym of ‘EAR’, Effectiveness, Accessibility and Responsiveness, and, of course, I added that I will attempt to redefine representation”.
He added, “we saw that provisions were made for the building or construction of Federal Secretariats in some other States. And as I ran through the list, I checked to see if I would see Abia State because I am aware that Abia does not have a Federal Secretariat. So, when it was question time, I now asked the Minister to explain why Abia, the number one state in alphabetical order; a State that is older than the other last six states that were created, was not included in the budget.
“The Minister explained that he was aware that the State once provided a piece of land for the building of a Federal Secretariat but then that the land was encroached upon. He then challenged me to work with my Governor, to be able to provide land so that Abia can have a Federal Secretariat.
“From there, I did a letter on October 23, that same day and that letter got to the Governor on October 25. I handed it over to him personally and after reading my letter, he appeared impressed and interested and he then did his own letter, telling the Minister that, okay, he would like to provide land or would have the intention to provide land whenever the Federal Ministry of Works was ready and that letter was delivered to the Minister two weeks after, in fact, to be precise, on November 6. But, then, the Minister said the Governor should not talk about intention rather he should provide the land and I came back to the Governor.
“It was from there that the Governor called Suleiman Ukandu who was the then Commissioner for Lands and I took over from there calling Suleiman all through.
“It took over a year for them to find seven hectares of land and like I said, this encounter started on October 23, 2019. It was not only until September, 2020 that they were able to allocate it and that was nearly a year after I started the process. Then I followed up to know if everything was written to ensure that this was included in the Appropriation Bill. And when I went to the Minister, the Minister said and I quote: “Your State was still unable to provide the title documents to enable the Ministry take possession because you need the title documents–a Survey Plan, Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), to prove that the property is not encumbered in anyway”.
” So, I wrote a letter based on my meeting with the Minister on March 11, 2021. I wrote that letter to the Governor on March 12, 2021, appealing to him to ensure that this was done.
“Subsequently, I met the Governor at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, and I raised the issue again, and he said he had given marching orders to the SSG and his other staff to ensure that this was done. I later found out that even the traditional ruler of the area where the land is located, Eze Nwokonna had written a letter, saying that instead of paying the N35 million that was originally calculated as compensation, that the community was prepared to take N25 million to ensure that the project commences.
“I am surprised that a 31-year old State which does not have a Federal Secretariat saw an opportunity to actualize this, and the StateGovernment still has not done the needful. And you know I raised this, in one of my interviews and they came attacking me, until we now asked that they should provide evidence that they have handed over the title documents to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and they could not do it.
“So, from 2019 up until now, this State government has not deemed it fit to pay that tiny compensation of N25 million and then issue the relevant title documents to enable the Federal Government to come in, build and equip the Secretariat. Remember, they will build and equip the Federal Secretariat at no cost to the State Government.
“In fact I have written three letters to the Governor in respect of this. I wrote the first letter on the October 23, 2019, and then I wrote a second letter when I found out that they had not provided the title documents, on March 12, 2021. And, of course, I did the third letter on February 27, 2022, all on this matter.
“If you build a Federal Secretariat now, it is for the good of the people of Abia State. One there would be automatic employment for people living within the state, at least from levels 1-6. You also talk of the money that would be spent in carrying out such a gigantic project and how the building process will provide contractual opportunities for Abia artisans. Then you talk of how that is going to save the State government the plots of lands that they are allocating to different Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies for them to establish offices.
“If you have a Federal Secretariat, then every Federal Agency would try and squeeze in there as against allocating plots of land to each of them. So, when you put all this together you discover that Abia stands to benefit from this, and therefore there should be no need to deny Abians something good because of party affiliations. Except of course your drive is to hurt Abians.. So, I don’t think it makes any sense for anybody to react based on the fact that I am now in APC and because of that you want to deny the people what is due to them.
“I feel very disappointed, very sad because it’s not coming to my compound, it’s just for the good and growth and development of the State. 31 or so years after its creation we still don’t have a Federal Secretariat and you have the opportunity to get one free of charge and you are busy frustrating it and telling different stories.
“In fact, we have a Federal Director here, his name is Victor George, and he is the Federal Director of Housing. He has been going to the SSG and different Departments and we have been doing that now for two years plus to get this document and the State Government is busy frustrating that. So, I don’t know which charge or what I am going to tell them again. It’s up to them, they have to check what they think they are doing and when they think that they are giving good governance. So, it is up to them to check and know whether it’s the right thing they are doing”, he concluded.
Dr Uche OgahABN TV, a leading online medium in Nigeria will on Friday stream live the public declaration of Dr. Uche Ogah to join Abia governorship race in 2023 in its social media platforms.
Ogah, Minister of State for Mines and Steel recently announced that he will seek election into the office of the state on the platform of All Progressives Congress.
He was the candidate of the party in the 2019 election.
The official declaration which will take place at 1pm on Friday, April 29, 2022 at APC state secretariat, located at 38 Azikiwe Road, by Adelabu street Umuahia.
The event will be streamed live on the following social media platforms.
Justice Elias Abua of the Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has convicted and sentenced two former bankers: Titus Chima Nwankwo and Utibe-Abasi Ifiok George for stealing the sum of N2,900,000( Two Million, Nine Hundred Thousand Naira only) from the account of a deceased customer of a commercial bank.
Nwankwo and George were jailed on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges bordering on forgery, conspiracy, breach of trust and stealing, upon their arraignment by the Uyo Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Joshua Abolarin prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
Justice Abua convicted and sentenced George to three months imprisonment with an option of fine of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira only) while Nwankwo bagged three months imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000.00 ( Fifty Thousand Naira only).
The convicts’ journey to the Correctional Centre started on June 16, 2021 when a petitioner alleged that they conspired and forged the signature of one Godfried Francis Osso, a deceased customer of a bank and fraudulently diverted the said sum for their personal uses. They were investigated, arrested, prosecuted and convicted.
A former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Cosmas Ndukwe, has approached a Federal High Court in a bid to stop the presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled to hold on May 28.
He asked the court sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to stop the PDP’s presidential primary because the party has not zoned its ticket to the South East.
Ndukwe, through his lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Paul Erokoro, made the plea in an ex parte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2022 filed at the court presided by Justice Donatus Okorowo.
The application was, however, challenged by counsel to the main opposition party, Agu Kalu, who urged the judge not to grant the request of the plaintiff.
Justice Okorowo, on his part, fixed Thursday next week for the hearing of the suit after considering the argument by the counsel to the PDP.
At the adjourned date, the main opposition party would be expected to show cause why the application should not be granted.
There have been controversy and debates over where the party’s presidential candidate should emerge.
This followed the inauguration of the party’s zoning committee by its National Working Committee on March 24 amid calls that the PDP should zone its presidential ticket to the southern region of the country.
The committee led by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State was tasked with the responsibility of ensuring fair distribution of the party’s elective offices across the country.
After the committee concluded its assignment, Governor Ortom said members had reached a unanimous agreement on the matter, although he declined to speak on what the position of the committee was.
Rather, he said the committee would forward its report to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
Some members of the committee included Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwunanyi of Enugu State, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, as well as former governors, lawmakers and other party stalwarts.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige Thursday assured Nigerians that he possessed everything they yearned for in a new President.
Ngige, a frontline presidential aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), said the next president of Nigeria must be visionary, intelligent, courageous and firm.
According to him, the country needs a President with capacity and experience who must be in charge.
He spoke at the public presentation of Chief Chekwas Okorie’s book, titled, “APGA and the Igbo Question.”
Ngige described himself as eminently qualified to contest for the office of the President, saying he owed apologies to nobody for throwing his hat into the ring.
He said, “We need leaders who are visionary. As a leader, you must see what others didn’t see. We need leaders who are intelligent. You must be intelligent to see what others are not able to see.
“You must have the capacity and experience. What have you done with the position given to you in the past? You must be courageous to take difficult decisions. You can’t be a leader and people are pushing you around. You are the captain. You must be courageous.”
“I am a presidential aspirant. There is no apologies about that. I have capacity and my wealth of experience is there. I have twice been minister of the most difficult ministry in Nigeria. I have the brain. I am compassionate.”
Ngige said as a result of his compassion, during COVID-19 he wrote a memo to the President requesting that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should be paid for the nine months they were on strike and the President being equally compassionate, graciously granted the request.
He said amidst economic challenges such that previous administrations would have found an excuse either to downsized or rightsize the workforce, this administration did none of that.
“I put before a compassionate President, quality pieces pro-people advice and jobs were saved . I intervened when banks and financial institutions declared unilateral redundancy, sacking thousands of workers and saved jobs. I did same in the oil and gas sector.”
The minister, however, took a swipe at Nigerian elite, saying they have been unkind to the country.
“I am part of the elite. It is the elite of Nigeria that introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). It is the elite of Nigeria that ruled with the military and brought us where we are today.
“We are talking as if the problem started with Buhari or Jonathan. It did not start with them. The locusts visited Nigeria. The locusts are the elite. They ate up the green leaves on the tree. Luckily, the tree is still standing with the branches. We need to water the tree and put manure.”
Ngige said the elite were not only vindictive but also tyrannical, adding that they had not shown fairness to the ordinary Nigerians, especially those who didn’t go to school.
“We, the elite take our own and take their own. It is not only Buhari that received the vindictiveness of the elite, every Nigerian has. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. 2023 is here.”
The former Anambra State Governor described Chief Chekwas Okorie as a Guerilla fighter who doesn’t give up easily, adding that even when all had betrayed and left him, he fights for the principle he believes in.
He thanked Okorie for acknowledging his role in the formation of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) when they saw the injustice meted out to Ndigbo in the then ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and needed a fallback position to save themselves as a result of survival instinct.
He recalled that as a PDP Governor, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande, Segun Osoba and Niyi Adebayo made overtures to him to join the party, but he declined.
The minister said he turned down Okorie’s overtures to join APGA, which he saw as homecoming because they needed to forge a pan Nigerian party.
Earlier, Okorie described his book as a product of his 46 years involvement in Igbo rights crusade, human rights and political activism from 1976 when he was an undergraduate at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus till date.
HOUSE of Representatives member and Rivers state 2023 governorship aspirant, Farah Dagogo, declared wanted Wednesday by Governor Nyesom Wike was on Thursday arrested by armed security operatives at Port Harcourt.
Dagogo was arrested at the South South Zonal Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he appeared among other South South governorship aspirants for screening ahead of the party primaries.
Dagogo, member representative Degema-Bonny Federal Constituency had showed up past 6pm at the hall where the Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri chaired Screening Committee was on duty when armed men swooped on him.
Moments later, the lawmaker, the most voiceful of Rivers 2023 governorship aspirants so far was escorted out by heavily armed security operatives who whisked him off in a patrol van labeled, ‘Operation C4i-027’.
Governor Wike had in a statement by his Media Aide, Kelvin Ebiri, accused Dagogo of masterminding cultists disturbance at the screening of Rivers State National and State Assembly aspirants Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
The embattled lawmaker had in swift response denied the accusation, counter accusing Wike of deliberately giving him a bad name to deny him Thursday’s screening for the state governorship where he was arrested.
Relatedly a Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt same Thursday remanded 15 persons to a correctional center for unlawful gathering connected with the alleged disturbance at the Rivers PDP Secretariat over which Dagpgo has also been arrested.
Meanwhile, the South South governorship aspirants screening opened in Port Harcourt under tight security with Committee Chairman and Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri assuring of a transparent process.
Though aspirants started arriving the South South PDP Zonal Office venue as early as about 9am, screening didn’t start with Cross Rivers state aspirants till about 2pm.
Some of the aspirants who arrived early include Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, Sen Lee Maeba, Hon Onofiok Luke, long serving Delta Senator, James Manager and late arrival Reps member Dagogo who was arrested as well as Umo Eno amongst others.
Diri on a note of caution told the aspirants that as senior citizens of the party, state and country at large, they were expected to comport selves during the screening.
Diri further advised the aspirants to do all they could and stay away from any act capable of bringing the name of the PDP into disrepute.
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