Jonathan signs FOI Bill into law

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday signed the Freedom of Information Bill into law.
By this action, Nigeria joins the over 100 countries of the world that have an FOI law.
The bill had gone through various stages since it was first introduced 11 years ago in the House of Representatives.
It is one of the few bills to have passed through a long journey through the legislative process in Nigeria since independence.
During his tenure, President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to assent to the bill, in spite of entreaties from Nigerians.
 By Agency Reporter               Courtesy of: Punch

Daniel hails Anyim’s appointment as SGF

The appointment of Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as the new Secretary to the Federal Government has been described as an excellent decision that would facilitate the achievement of the laudable programmes and policies of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan .
Former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel stated this while reacting to the appointment. Daniel said the new SGF given his rich background and experience in the public sector has what it takes to add value to governance and help in the implementation of  policies and programmes  that would help in achieving the laudable objectives of the Federal Government.
“Let me seize this opportunity to congratulate the former Senate President on this well derived appointment. I believe that his tenure would witness  positive developments in Nigeria”.
This appointment has also underlined the determination of President Jonathan to reinvigorate the machinery of government for better performance. I also congratulate the president on this wise choice”
Courtesy Of: Vanguard

Why I chose Anyim as SGF - Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday explained that he chose former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation based on his track record.
Jonathan had on Monday named Anyim as the successor to Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.
Jonathan, who spoke at the inauguration of Anyim at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, said the former Senate president had a distinguished career at the National Assembly and was selected after a careful process.
The event was witnessed by a large number of politicians from various parts of the country.
Also at the ceremony, the reappointed National Security Adviser, Gen. Owoeye Azazi (rtd.), was also sworn in.
By Agency Reporter            Courtesy Of: Punch

Jonathan dissolves cabinet

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday dissolved the Federal Executive Council, sacking all the minsters, special advisers and other aides.
The Presidency, in a statement by its Director of Information, Mr. Musa Uduwak, said the tenure of office of the affected officers ended on May 29.
Uduwak added that the dissolution of FEC and other bodies was in accordance with the appointment letters of the affected public officers.
He said Jonathan, while thanking all of them for their patriotism and dedication to duty, wished them well in their future endeavours.
The statement read in part, “In accordance with the appointment letters of members of the Federal Executive Council, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, and other political appointees, their appointments ended on May 29th, 2011.
“This brings to a close the former administration, and marks the beginning of the new one.
“The President thanked all the outgoing ministers, advisers and assistants and other political appointees for their service to the nation.
“He particularly lauded their patriotism and dedication, and wished them God’s blessings in their future endeavours.
”The President called on them to always see themselves as partners in progress with the new administration, stating that the Federal Government would from time to time draw from their repository of knowledge in steering the ship of state.”
Jonathna had after last Wednesday’s FEC meeting directed the ministers to continue in their ministries until new minsters were appointed.
Meanwhile, Jonathan may not appoint ministerial nominees that are associates of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Delta State Governor James Ibori and a former Finance Minister, Mallam Adamu Ciroma to is his new cabinet.
Investigations on Monday showed that the President had yielded to pressure from the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and his political associates to distance his government from Abubakar and others who worked against him during the party’s presidential primaries and the April 16 election.
The party, it was learnt, had protested the inclusion of nominees suspected to be loyalists of the three men in the list submitted by some state chapters of the party.
The party based its objection on the alleged frosty relationships between the president, Abubakar, Ibori and Ciroma.
Besides the pressure, it was also learnt that security agencies had expressed concern over the matter and had informed the President accordingly.
In justifying their advice to Jonathan, anti-Atiku elements in the PDP reminded Jonathan of how the former vice-president used his close contacts in the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to obtain sensitive government information.
A minister, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, on the condition of anonymity, said the President was already considering the matter and might be swayed by the argument against these men’s inclusion.
But he did not give the names of the pro-Abubakar, Ibori and Ciroma acolytes who are among the 270 names compiled by the national secretariat of the PDP.
“The President has been advised to drop any nominee that has close relationship with these people. I think he is favourably disposed to the idea,” he said.
It was learnt that nominees are not on the list submitted by state in the North-East, North-West, South-South, South-West and South-East.
Among the names on the list, said the minister, were those that joined the Abubakar faction of the PDP, when he had a problem with Obasanjo in 2006.
At the peak of the disagreement, Abubakar and some of his loyalists had opened a factional national secretariat of the party at Jabi, Abuja.
However, when security agents descended on the faction, Abubakar and his faction later pitched their tent with the Action Congress, where he contested the Presidency against the candidate of the PDP, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
“You know that Atiku and these men are very smart and it will be difficult to take him for granted. This could be the reason why the President is being advised to steer clear of anyone that is very close to him,” the minister added.
Apart from this, some bigwigs in the PDP argue that since these men stayed away from the presidential campaign and even negotiated with opposition political parties, there was no need to offer them appointments.
The minister added, “It will be wrong for them to reap where they did not sow.”
Both Abubakar and former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, had negotiated a deal with the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Political Change on how the two parties could foster relationship that would lead to the defeat of Jonathan at the poll.
Though Jonathan later won the election, both men had said they did not regret their actions and were ready to do the same if the opportunity presented itself again.
The source argued that it would be difficult to guarantee the loyalty of people associated with these set of people.
Those suspected to be close to these people include a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, a spouse of a prominent leader of the Northern Peoples Leader Forum, a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, some nominees from Delta, Yobe and Borno states.
“The advice from the security circles is that people from them could be disloyal, sabotage the regime and even leak sensitive information of government,” the minister added.
Apparently influenced by media and public criticism of the quality of many of the nominees submitted by many state chapters of the PDP, Jonathan had last week scoffed at those lobbying for ministerial appointments.
He said that about 90 per cent of them were not fit to be ministers.
According to the president, they are lobbying for such positions for the interest of their children, inlaws and friends.
By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja                           Courtesy Of: Punch

Ministerial list: Mr. President, before you squander your goodwill

The pre-election and election civic participation activities are an indication that, this time, Nigerians have decided that the business of politics is too serious to be left in the hands of politicians.
Mr. President, the composition of your cabinet, which will be announced in the next few weeks, will determine how seriously you take the interest of Nigerians in their own affairs.
At the presidential inauguration ceremony on May 29, you promised to transform Nigeria. For anyone who has lived in Nigeria or followed up on her governance in the past decade plus, sound bites are part of Inauguration Day and no one is impressed by them. The key thing here is to deliver on those promises.
The post inauguration assessment, from appointment of the cabinet will either prove you are a man for the people or a man for yourself. Since good will of the people brought you to office, you will do well to keep your promise not to let the people down when appointing the cabinet.
In the context of the socio-political awakening that is streaking across the political skies of various continents and countries including Nigeria, your governance ought to be different largely because Nigerians have invested so much emotions and good will in you and the perception of good luck that you carry; they are therefore not likely to ignore your fallacies and foibles. Nigerians have been made to believe you are a breath of fresh air and there is no better time to prove you are the one to ventilate Nigeria than now.
The cabinet you will appoint should not be the same old faces of spent politicians and expired ideas, who, like you pointed out lately, have been thronging the corridors and crevices of power seeking another chunk of the national pastry.
Nigerians are waiting to see who will be in the cabinet: either politicians who can draw on their following to bring some measure of political popularity to this government or technocrats who have neither baggage nor the parasitic and symbiotic relationships that politicians pull them down like the Pilgrim’s load.
The step you take in this direction- to appoint a superlative cabinet comprising men and women of integrity; patriotic spirits who can inject professionalism and decisive solution seeking strategy into the economy by creating systemic change - will be an omen of what the next four years will bring. Nigerians are waiting to see if, you, Mr. President, who has spent a year in office, will still totter; take a few uncertain steps like a toddler and surround yourself with a company of people who have no idea of governance and development goes beyond fiddling with various operational levers and see which works.
Indeed, Mr. President, the National Assembly will be involved in the process but we all know you have the final say. Nigerians want to see democrats and technocrats-people who can, from a vantage position of knowledge, experience and expertise, design strategies that can transform Nigeria like the president promised- not politicats and kleptocrats whose lives and relevance revolve around the public purse. The cabinet should not be about shapeless pegs put in hexagonal holes and hoping it fits somehow. Not anymore.
Your work began yesterday, Mr. President. No more can you or anyone brandish the excuse that the mandate you are running was attained by default and you cannot navigate the office with the boldness and decisiveness required. You have been elected in your own right; it is time to transform Nigeria like you promised.
By Abimbola Adelakun                    Courtesy Of: Punch

Speakership: Group supports Ajibola

A group, the Nigerian Peoples Centre for Legislative Advocacy, on Monday said Mr. Saubana Ajibola was best suited to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Chairman and Secretary of the group, Mr. Hyacinth Chinweuba, and Mrs. Sade Ajetumobi, respectively, stated this in an address on the next leadership of the National Assembly.
They said, “We support Ajibola for his outstanding performance during the power probe when he submitted a people-driven minority support.”
The group, which also predicated Ajibola’s suitability for the position on his origin, said, “The position of the Speaker of the House of Representative should be retained in the South-West of Nigeria.”
The group said Ajibola had met both local and international standards expected of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
By Agency Reporter                 Courtesy Of: Punch

Inauguration: Ogbomoso ACN members in auto accident

Some members of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State were on Sunday involved in a motor accident on their way to the inauguration ceremony of Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
A source said many sustained different degrees of injury in the crash, which occurred at Ipeba after Odo Oba near Ogbomoso town.
Our correspondent gathered that out of the 10 buses boarded for the journey only one was involved in the accident.
The financial secretary of the party in the council area, Mr. Kayode Adeniran, told our correspondent the incident occurred at 10am on Sunday.
He also said the driver of the bus and three persons were seriously injured while others sustained minor injuries.
Adeniran gave the names of the trio as Popoola, Jimoh Alajide and Idowu Ogunlade.
He said, “The driver of the 18-seater bus was trying to overtake a trailer. He did that successfully but the brakes failed. And as he tried to steady the bus, he noticed a stationery vehicle at his front and while trying to avoid it another trailer emerged sending it back with its rear. The bus then rammed into the parked vehicle.”
The injured, it was gathered, were taken to Opabode Hospital Oyo before moving them to Bowen University Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso on Sunday night.
According to him, all those injured in the accident are from Okelerin, Ward 8 in the council area.
He said, “We had to break the vehicle to bring out some of them. But Olaniran was the most injured for his two legs were badly affected.”
 By Gbenga Adeniji                          Courtesy Of: Punch

Legislators offer N200,000 for official vehicles bought for N6m in 2008

As the Sixth National Assembly winds down in a few days, its management is set to sell 469 Peugeot 407 and Toyota Camry 2008 model operational vehicles purchased for its standing committees to its outgoing members.
Although, the purchase of the vehicles had been controversial against the backdrop of the monetisation policy of the Federal Government, the management had explained that the vehicles were not specifically for the legislators, but for the committees and their oversight responsibilities.
The Peugeot 407 was purchased for the 360 members of the House of Representatives while the Toyota Camry model was purchased for the 109 Senators in 2008.
Our correspondents reliably gathered that against the previous practice, the management of the National Assembly would make it available to legislators on the basis of the right of first refusal to pay for the vehicles at a certain price after calculating depreciation.
There are indications that a controversy is brewing over what price would be paid by the lawmakers for the vehicles.
It was learnt that the management was willing to offer the cars at between N2.5m to N2.7m to the lawmakers which would be deducted at source from the allowances of the lawmakers, but the legislators are looking at a price far lower than that.
According to a source close to the National Assembly management, lawmakers are ready to offer about N200,000 to N300,000 for the vehicles purchased at over N6m.
It was also gathered that because of the difference between the price offered by management and what the lawmakers were willing to pay, negotiations on the sale of the cars had broken down.
A Senator told one of our correspondents that he was aware that the vehicles would be sold at a price to be determined by the management.
He said, “I can assure you that the vehicles will not be taken away as has been alleged. It is likely going to be offered to legislators to buy.
“If I am offered one, I am going to buy. It is only fair that once legislators are leaving, the vehicles cannot be taken away just like that; but if legislators are allowed to pay for them, I think that is only fair.”
National Assembly’s Director of Information, Mr. Monima Daminabo, confirmed the proposed sale of the vehicles, but said the disposal would be done according to laid down rules and regulations of the civil service.
He said, “There is a laid down procedure, which must be followed. The cars will not be taken away by any body. The management is currently working on it and will follow strictly the laws on the matter.”
On the amount that the vehicles would be sold to the legislators, Daminabo noted that all the cars were not purchased at the same amount, even as they were not also subjected to similar depreciating pressures.
He, however, would not confirm the controversy raging between the legislators and the management on the appropriate value for the vehicles, saying that a department of the National Assembly was still working on the proper price of the vehicles.
 By John Ameh and Oluwole Josiah, Abuja                      Courtesy Of: Punch

Speakership: New group emerges, backs zoning

A new group, United Nigeria Group, emerged in the House of Representatives on Monday, backing the zoning of the position of Speaker to the South-West by the Peoples Democratic Party.
The group, which is led by a returnee PDP member from Edo State, Mr. Friday Itulah, claimed that zoning the number four position to any zone other than the South-West would “create political imbalance in the country.”
The UNG spoke in Abuja as anti-zoning lawmakers backing the aspiration of the Deputy Whip of the House, Alhaji Aminu Waziri-Tambuwal, went into a meeting with Action Congress of Nigeria lawmakers in the city.
Waziri-Tambuwal, who is from the North-West (Sokoto State), along with some lawmakers from the South-South and the South-East, have opposed the zoning arrangement of the party.
They have argued that the position should be thrown open to allow lawmakers to elect a speaker of their choice rather than “sacrificing experience, excellence and the progress of the House on the altar of zoning.”
But, Itulah criticised the Waziri-Tambuwal group on Monday, saying “centrifugal forces are trying to cause a major political imbalance in the system that is threatening the unity of this country.”
Itulah, a former speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, added, “We are aware that the number one position is in the South-South, the number two position is in the North-West, the third position is in the North-Central and we feel that the South-West as a critical part of this country should get the speakership.
“The speakership must go to South-West so that one segment of the country must not feel marginalised. People should not bring in sentiments on this matter.
According to him, many members were in support of zoning, adding that they were willing to choose between Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola and Mr. Muraina Ajibola, both from Oyo State.
Akande-Adeola is expected to pair with Mr. Yakubu Dogara (Bauchi State), while Ajibola is said to be routing for Mr. Bawa Abdulahi (Taraba State) to run with him as deputy speaker.
But, as Itulah spoke, some members of the ACN, PDP and Labour Party members from the South-West, checked into a hotel in Abuja for a scheduled meeting with Aminu-Waziri Tambuwal.
Investigations showed that the purpose of the meeting was to woo party caucuses in the South-West to support the Waziri-Tambuwal agenda.
“The struggle is on; our concern is that the PDP, as it is today, has no capacity to produce a speaker from the South-West.
Findings indicated that, the lawmakers backing Waziri-Tambuwal were prepared to elect an ACN member as the speaker “if that will satisfy our desire to elect a speaker of our own.”
It was gathered that the group had already positioned the Minority Leader of the House and member of the ACN from Lagos State, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, to pick the seat “if everything else to stop the PDP fails.”
The group was said to have argued that the issue of the majority party producing presiding officers was “a mere parliamentary tradition and not a constitutional matter.”
By John Ameh, Abuja              Courtesy Of: Punch

CPC urges EFCC to probe Bankole

The Congress for Progressive Change on Monday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the fresh allegations of financial impropriety levelled against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole.
The party urged the EFCC to treat the allegations with the required dispatch now that Bankole would soon be out of office.
CPC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, urged the EFCC not to be selective in the manner it handled the case because the amount involved was stricking for an outgoing public officer.
“We hope that this shall not be treated as the normal ‘family affair’ because Nigerians’ commonwealth should not be traced to private pockets,” Fashakin said.
Bankole is billed to appear before the EFCC on Tuesday (today) as part of investigations into the N10bn loan fraud in the House of Representatives.
The Speaker would also face a five-man panel of special investigators probing an alleged N2.3bn car scam in the House.
A group, the Youth Anti-Corruption League, had written a petition to the anti-graft agency and called on the commission to probe the alleged financial misdemeanours of the former speaker.
The youth group urged the EFCC to investigate Bankole’s role in the N2.3bn car scam and the mismanagement of the N9bn capital budget of the House for 2008/2009.
The former speaker had last week begged the EFCC to reschedule his appearance before the commission because of urgent state duties.
A letter that was written through the clerk of the House to the EFCC said the request for a new date was due to Bankole’s involvement in some handover ceremonies.
EFCC’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the commission had given Bankole Tuesday May, 31 to appear before its operatives investigating the case.
Fashakin said now was the time for the EFCC to settle controversial financial deals that had attended Bankole’s tenure as speaker of the House of Representatives.
By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja                    Courtesy Of: Punch

Ibadan: Two killed in fresh NURTW clash

No fewer than two persons were reportedly killed while 15 others were injured in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Monday as violence broke out again in some parts of the metropolis among factional members of the state council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.
Scores of vehicles were also vandalised by rampaging hoodlums who wielded guns, machetes, clubs and broken bottles.
Areas mostly affected by the clash, which was characterised by sporadic shootings, included the popular motor parks in Iwo Road and Ojoo.
The Oyo State chapter of the NURTW has been enmeshed in leadership tussle since 2009, leading to its proscription by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in August 2010.
The Monday clash occurred barely 24 hours after Governor Abiola Ajimobi vowed that his administration would not condone any acts of violence and brigandage in the state.
It also came few days after Alao-Akala de-proscribed the union at the twilight of his administration’s tenure.
Our correspondent gathered that the violence broke out when some members of the union loyal to the court-reinstated chairman, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a Tokyo,) attempted to dislodge members of another faction loyal to Mr. Mukaila Lamidi (a.ka. Auxilliary) from motor parks in the affected areas.
The attempt was allegedly resisted by the Lamidi faction, leading to the gun duel.
As the news of the violence spread around the state capital, panic-stricken residents quickly vacated affected areas while motorists made detour to other routes.
Normalcy was however later restored to the trouble spots when policemen were drafted to the scene.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adisa Bolanta, told journalists that 15 suspects were arrested in connection with the unrest.
The suspects were paraded before journalists on Monday.
One suspect who was said to have been shot during a confrontation with policemen however died before the suspects arrived the command’s headquarters in Eleyele where they were paraded.
Items recovered from the suspects included 10 machetes, axes and assorted charms.
Three of their operational vehicles were also impounded by the police.
Bolanta said that the deceased was threatening policemen with blood-stained machete when he was shot. He also confirmed that another suspect was shot in the leg when he was attempting to evade arrest.
The police boss gave the names of those arrested to include Wasiu Muibi, Opeyemi Ogunjimi, Olatunji Lawal, Sunday Omilani, Wale Ajayi, Olayemi Omooluwa, Rilwan Muritala, Taofeek Babalola, Adam Rasheed, Olatunbosun Mufutau, Muniru Oladejo, Abass Ganiyu, Saheed Adekunle, Dauda Kolawole and Bashiru Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, Ajimobi has directed Bolanta to ensure that all those connected with the breakdown of law and order are apprehended.
A statement from the Governor’s Office said that the police boss should go all out for the perpetrators no matter their connection or status.
By Olalekan Adetayo, Ibadan              Courtesy Of: Punch

Ajimobi warned against sycophants

The Muslim community in Oyo State has warned the state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to be wary of sycophants, especially as he prepares to form his cabinet.
The group made the call in a statement signed by its Media Relation Officer, Alhaji Sakariyau Sanni, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Ibadan, the state capital on Monday.
Sanni said the sycophants were individuals, who befriended every government in power for their selfish interest.
He said praise singers, who pretended to be advisers, had remained a spoke in the progress of successive governments in the country both at the federal and the state levels.
He also warned Ajimobi to be conscious of every step and decision he took in office because a day of reckoning would come.
He said, “You should also note that your exalted position is a sacred trust to which an account will be rendered to Almighty Allah on the day of reckoning.
“Always be guided by Quran 16 vs 90, which says ‘God commands justice, the doing good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you that ye may receive admonition.
“While congratulating you on your assumption of duties as the 7th executive governor of our state, we are confident that you will bring into play your sound educational attainment coupled with your wealth of experience in both public and private sectors to return Oyo State to its pacesetter status.”
Also, the Ibadan Foodstuff Sellers Association, Bodija chapter, has implored Ajimobi to urgently find lasting solution to what it called perennial harassment, thuggery, violence and threat to the lives of shop owners and elders of the market.
The harassment, the association alleged, had been carried out by a group of youths, who it further alleged, invaded the market under the pretext of protecting the interest of the government of the day in the state.
The statement reads in part, “We believe that with your victory, which is well deserved, the end has come to the suffering of traders from financial insolvency that is the result of the gross mismanagement of the state economy by those, who have been administering the state before your assumption of office.
“We are aware that your party gives the interest of the masses a priority attention in its manifesto and we have no doubt that within the period of your tenure, the people of Oyo State like in the neighbouring ACN controlled states will enjoy life more abundant.”
By Olalekan Adetayo, Ibadan                      Courtesy Of: Punch

Anyim Pius Anyim appointed SGF

Chief Anyim Pius Anyim

Former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim has been appointed the  new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).The President also reappointed Gen. Andrew Azazi as the National Security Adviser.
Anyim’s appointment was announced, Monday, in Abuja.
Anyim,was Senate President under Obasanjo from 2000 to 2003.
He tried to become the national chairman of the PDP in 2007 but the governors rooted for and installed Prince Vin Ogbulafor instead.
The responsibilities of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, are as follows :
i) Coordinating policy design and formulation by Ministries, Departments and Agencies for approval by Government;
ii) Serving as Secretary to the Council of State, the Federal Executive Council and other
Constitutional Councils, which are chaired by the President;
iii) Coordinating the activities of Ministries and Government Agencies on the implementation of Government decisions, policies and programmes
iv) Dealing with constitutional, political and socio-economic matters as may be referred to the Presidency;
v) Administrative Tribunals, Commissions and Panels of Enquiry; vi) Coordinating national security and public safety matters;
vii) National Honours Award
viii) Prerogative of Mercy
ix) Protocol Matters
x) Channeling of papers and directives of the President;
xi) Processing and granting Government approval for Overseas Tours, Intergovernmental Meetings/Conferences, medical check-up/treatment by Public Officers;
xii) Processing requests for Overseas Duty Tours/Conferences including medical check-up/treatment abroad for members of the Judiciary, Chairmen and Members of Statutory Commissions/Bodies for approval by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;
xiii) Coordinating the appointments to Headship of Statutory Bodies, Commissions and Agencies by the President;
xiv) Dealing with matters relating to conditions of service of political office holders;
xv) Intergovernmental Affairs and relations with State and Local Governments;
xvi) Liaison with Secretaries to State Governments;
xvii) Allocation of office accommodation to Political Office Holders.
In discharging the aforementioned responsibilities, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is structured into the following Offices, each headed by a Permanent Secretary.  There are six of such offices:
*Cabinet Secretariat;
*General Services Office;
*Political Affairs Office;
*Economic Affairs Office;
*Special Services Office;
*Special Duties Office;
Then there is the supervisory roles that have also been lumped together in that office and the list is legion. The following Parastatals/Agencies are supervised by the Office of the SGF:
i) Ecological Fund
ii) National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP)
iii) National Economic Intelligence Committee
iv) Presidential Advisory Council
v) Code of Conduct Tribunal
vi) Code of Conduct Bureau
vii) Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency
viii) National Hospital
ix) Federal Road Safety Commission
x) National Commission for Refugees
xi) Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS)
xii)Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
xiii) South-South Health Care Programme
xiv) National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA)
xv) National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC)
xvi) Ministry of Special Duties
xvii) Secretariat of the Presidential Council (PAC)
xviii) Secretariat of the Presidential Committee on National Identification Systems, Consumer Credit and Outsourcing initiative
xix) Galaxy backbone
xx) NIMC
xxi) Christian Pilgrims Commission
xxii) National Hajj Commission
 Courtesy Of: Vangaurd

‘Ordinary’ Nigerians denied access to Eagle Square

Eagle Square, the venue of Sunday’s presidential inauguration, lacked the usual crowd witnessed at public ceremonies as only guests and dignitaries invited for the occasion were allowed access into it by security operatives.
The News Agency of Agency reports that armed security personnel, supported by sniffer dogs, took position outside the square.
The tight security measures might have been informed by the twin bomb explosions which rocked some spots near the Eagle Square during the celebration of the country’s 50th independence anniversary on October 1, 2010.
The blasts left several people, most of them security personnel dead.
Guests gathered in front of the Federal Ministry of Finance where they were conveyed in designated buses marked “Presidential Inauguration” to the square.
The guests were thoroughly screened by plain-clothes security men before they were allowed to disembark at the venue of the ceremony.
The guests bore invitation cards which came in three different colours with numbers assigned according to the sitting arrangement.
The entire area, in and around the venue, was cordoned off, as vehicular traffic was diverted to the adjoining roads while military helicopters hovered around.
However, a group of students from the University of Abuja gathered at the finance ministry protesting the denial of access to the venue.
Mr. Isun Donald, a 400-level English student of the university, said they were frustrated because they were not allowed into the venue.
He said, “We came here to witness the ceremony and not to beg for money.
“We came here to support the President but we were denied access; we are frustrated.”
By Agency Reporter               Courtesy Of: Punch

FG grounds new N7.65bn presidential jet

The Federal Government on Sunday said that it had complied with the ban of the Falcon 7X plane, one of the presidential jets it recently acquired from Dessault Aviation of France.
The plane is one of the Falcon 7X aircraft stopped from flying globally by European Aviation Safety Agency on Thursday due to a recent safety development.
The government, said in a statement made available to our correspondent on Sunday by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, that the jet which flew into the country about 70 days ago had been voluntarily grounded.
The statement by the spokesman of NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said, “the NCAA has fully complied with the latest Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the EASA on Falcon7x aircraft type.
“It is pertinent to point out that this EAD affected all Falcon 7x worldwide and the owner of the affected aircraft type in Nigeria has already grounded the one in its fleet.
“There is therefore no cause for alarm as the authority is on top of it and is not relenting in its efforts to ensure that air travel is safer in Nigeria.”
The Falcon 7X has a sticker price of about $50m, depending on cabin features. But in March 2011, the Presidency took delivery of one after paying $51m (about N7.65bn) for it.
The Federal Executive Council had on August 12, 2010 approved $102m for the purchase of two Falcon 7x and $53.3m for one Gulfstream G550 aircraft to beef up the Presidential Air Fleet.
The second Falcon 7X, it was learnt then, was expected to arrive the country during the second quarter of this year.
The grounding of the Dassault’s Falcon 7X executive jets came after one of them encountered an in-flight anomaly that could have caused the pilots to lose control.
EASA directive said that the jet “experienced an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent but that crew succeeded in recovering a stable situation and performed an uneventful landing.”
The agency added that an analysis of the plane’s Digital Flight Data Recorder and Fault History Database confirmed the fault. It stated that the cause of the pitch trim runaway couldn’t be explained.
“This condition, if occurring again, could lead to a loss of control of the aeroplane,” EASA said.
However, EASA, a Cologne, Germany-based safety agency, said in its EAD that the decision to halt all flights by the Falcon7x aircraft came after a request by Dassault, the manufacturers of the planes in Paris.
“This airworthiness directive is considered to be an interim measure pending the outcome of the investigations currently being carried out by the manufacturer,” it said.
One of the Falcon X jets was en route Malaysia from Europe with no passengers on board when the pitch trim runaway fault occurred, Dassault spokesman, Stephane Fort, told Dow Jones Newswires on the by the telephone on Friday.
Fort, who said the decision to ground the aircraft was a precautionary measure, added that Dassault had sent a team of technicians to Malaysia to identify the cause of the problem.
“Our priority is the safety of our passengers and our aircraft. We took this decision as a precaution because our first priority is the total safety of our aircraft and their passengers,” he said.
The Falcon 7X was introduced in 2007 and is designed to fly 5,950 nautical miles with at least eight passengers. There are 112 of the aircraft in service.
By Oyetunji Abioye                     Courtesy Of: Punch

Why I wore 70-year-old outfit —Amosun

The newly inaugurated Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Sunday justified his decision to wear a 70-year-old outfit for his inauguration.
Amosun described the outfit as symbolic.
He disclosed that the attire was given to his father by his grandfather in 1941, adding that his father, however, gave him the same set of clothes as a present about 41 years ago.
“The clothes I have on today were given to my Dad in 1941. The attire is older than me and what we are trying to do is symbolic. It is to preserve our value, to preserve our heritage. Nobody ever knew that today would come to pass,” the new governor stated.
By Agency Reporter               Courtesy Of: Punch

Ajimobi avoids governor’s office, govt house

Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Sunday tactically avoided the governor’s office in the state secretariat, Agodi vacated by his predecessor on Friday.
According to the schedule of programme released by the transition committe, the handing over ceremony was supposed to hold in the executive council chambers of the governor’s office but a canopy was erected at the parking lot where the short ceremony was held.
Also, the luncheon fixed for the Banquet Hall of the Government House was shifted to the Ibadan Civic Centre owned by an industrialist, Chief Kola Daisi.
Daisi is the father-in-law of one of Ajimobi’s daughters.
By Our Correspondent                Courtesy Of: Punch

Ogun: Amosun declares free education, healthcare

The new Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Sunday declared free education both at primary and secondary schools and free healthcare in the state.
Speaking in his address shortly after the swearing in, the new governor, who disclosed that the free healthcare in the state would be for children under five years and for the aged from 70 years, also announced free antenatal care for pregnant women in the state.
He also said the Gateway International Stadium Ijebu Ode should be named after Otunba Dipo Dina.
Twenty per cent of the state budget, he said, would be devoted to education.
He also gave directive for the reduction of tuition fees in all tertiary institutions, adding that all fees for registration of candidates for Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations in West African Examinations Council and National Examinations Councils would henceforth be paid by the state government.
Towards ensuring sanity in schools in the state, Amosun said Education inspectors would be returned to schools in the state.
He instructed that the state owned radio and television station should be changed to its former named of Ogun Radio and Ogun Television under the state broadcasting corporation services.
Amosun, who appealed to traditional rulers in Ogun State not to give him chieftaincy titles during his tenure, stated that such titles should be deferred till after his tenure.
“If after my tenure, I am able to serve the people conscientiously and satisfactorily and the people are all pleased with my performance, then after my tenure I can be given chieftaincy titles,” he stated.
By Francis Falola, Abeokuta                  Courtesy Of: Punch

Lagos: Fashola promises affordable housing

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola on Sunday said accessible and affordable housing and to potable water supply would be his major focus in the next four years.
Fashola, who spoke shortly after he was sworn in for a second term as the state governor, added that his housing scheme would be driven by reasonable mortgage tenures.
The governor was inaugurated by the state Chief Jugde, Mrs. Inumidun Akande by 11.15am at Onikan Stadium.
Earlier, Akande had inaugurated Fashola’s deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
The governor described the new mandate given to him as a mandate for good governance. He said, “It is a mandate for the continuation of the people-oriented policies that takes us daily towards the brighter and rewarding future.
“Let me assure you all that as leader of the team, I cherish the mandate, I am fully conscious of the import for your hopes and aspirations and I remain as committed today as I was in 2007 to do my very best to remain worthy of this mandate.”
He said while focusing on new projects that would better the people’s lives, he would consolidate on the existing projects. “I will do my best to keep my electoral promises to you with regards to consolidating on the gains of the last few years, accelerating and hopefully expanding and completing existing projects like the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Lagos Badagry Expressway, the Lagos Light Rail Project, and many other road projects.
“We will invest in security and safety to further reduce crime; and we will be fair, firm and uncompromising in enforcing the laws.”
He expressed his wish to run an all-inclusive government, saying he would not discriminate against any person.
Fashola promised to tackle the challenges of youth unemployment and to continue to be innovative, saying he saw youth unemployment as a challenge to be addressed.
He said many challenges that faced the state could be solved as many people had believed that he would not deliver four years ago.
“Today, I stand before you, extremely humbled by your support, your sacrifice and you unwavering commitment for four years, but equally very proud to assert that we have delivered on our promises to you and exceeded them in many instances.
“However, let me advise that in all these expectations, we will be limited only by resources, especially those of a financial nature that are available to us, and certainly not by our own complacency, passion or desire to work hard to serve you.
“The cost of running Government has escalated as a result of many upward reviews of wages of staff across sectors and also as a result of the new minimum wage prescription.”
By Sesan Olufowobi                  Courtesy Of: Punch

EFCC set to quiz nine outgoing governors

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will next week interrogate at least four outgoing governors over the alleged misappropriation of funds in their respective states during their tenure.
SATURDAY PUNCH’s countrywide investigations on Friday showed that the governors included Otunba Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State; Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State; Chief Ikedi Ohakim (Imo State); and Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano State).
Daniel, and Shekarau, the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party in the April polls, were in charge of Ogun and Kano for eight years, while Alao-Akala and Ohakim were in charge of Oyo and Imo respectively for four years each.
It was gathered that although the EFCC had commenced investigations into the allegations against the governors, it could not move against them earlier than Monday because of the immunity clause in the Nigerian Constitution.
The constitution confers immunity on certain categories of elected officers. This shields them from prosecution while they are in office.
Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution provides immunity from court proceedings, that is, proceedings that will compel the attendance of elected executive officers, namely the President and his deputy and the governors of the states and their deputies.
This immunity extends to acts done in their official capacities so that they are not responsible for acts done on behalf of the state.
However, this immunity does not extend to acts done in abuse of the powers of their office of which they are liable upon the expiration of their tenure.
With the expiration of their tenure on Sunday, it was gathered that the EFCC had concluded arrangements to invite the nine governors next week.
SATURDAY PUNCH learnt that besides Daniel and Alao-Akala, other outgoing governors would be EFCC’s guests next week.
Sources close to the governors however stated that they would not run away because of the impending EFCC interrogation, as they knew that the judiciary would come to their aid.
A top official of the EFCC confirmed to SATURDAY PUNCH during the week that some governors would be invited to answer questions relating to graft next week.
“Some of the governors will certainly be our guests next week after they might have finished their terms of office on Sunday,” the official told SATURDAY PUNCH on the condition of anonymity because he said he didn’t want to jeopardise the ongoing investigations into the governors’ cases. “However, I’ll not be able to tell you the number and their names; I won’t say more than that but I know that some of them are coming over here.”
But SATURDAY PUNCH investigations showed that the anti-graft agency was probing Alao-Akala over alleged financial improprieties, particularly when he was governor after the impeachment of his former boss, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, as the Oyo State governor.
An EFCC source said the governor would be interrogated on various allegations raised by petitioners from the state, especially on the management of the Excess Crude Funds and state’s resources that amounted to about N8.2bn.
Apart from the governor, several of his aides, particularly the commissioners who served with him, would also be quizzed.
Alao-Akala is expected to provide explanations on the award of a contract on the publication of some books, as well as allegations of sundry internal corruption in his administration.
In the case of Daniel, he is being investigated for the alleged mismanagement and illegal deduction of local government funds.
In a petition submitted to the EFCC by a former chairman of the Ijebu-East Local Government Area, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, Daniel is alleged to have made illegal deductions from council funds that had crippled the activities of LG administration in the state.
Oladunjoye was the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the April election, Brig.-Gen. Tunji Olurin (retd.).
The petition reads in part, “In June 2009, many local government chairmen wrote to the governor, asking him to pay the exact amount of their respective teachers’ salaries instead of the overbearing deductions on the pretext of teachers’ salaries.
“Worse still, the governor started giving equal allocations to the local government councils since November 2009, even when our allocations from FAAC are not equal.”
The governor had on Wednesday put the debt profile of the state at N49.2bn, which he said included cash liabilities of N26.4bn and contingent liabilities of N22.7bn.
Details of the petitions against Ohakim were not available at press time, but our correspondent gathered that the outgoing governor of Imo State would answer questions on contracts awarded by his administration.
Sources familiar with the massive investigations said, “Some of the former governors would be walking into Kirikiri (Prisons) soon to serve as a deterrent to their successors, who would be inaugurated on Sunday.”
A former Enugu State governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, appeared in court last Thursday over fresh allegations of fraud against him.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed that Nnamani was in custody at the commission’s headquarters, where he was being interrogated.
As for Daniel, Alao-Akala and five others, Babafemi said the new week would tell.
“Let’s wait till then please,” he replied in response to inquiries from SATURDAY PUNCH.
The EFCC said the latest set of governors were different from former governors, who already had pending cases against them.
The outgoing governors will join a growing list of past chief executives of the states who are being prosecuted for the financial crimes they committed while they were in office.
A former Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, is facing corruption charges by the EFCC. Fayose, who was governor of Ekiti State from 2003 to 2006 before he was impeached, is facing a 51-count charge of corruption and embezzlement of N1.2bn of state funds at a Lagos High Court.
Fayose lost his bid to get into the Senate in the April elections.
The EFCC had listed him as well as seven other former governors in an advisory to the public on former governors facing corruption charges that were running for new political positions.
A former governor of Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame, is facing allegations of embezzling N1.3bn of state funds.
The ex-governor is facing a 41-count charge of corruption and embezzlement. Nyame was defeated in his bid to return to power under the umbrella of the Action Congress of Nigeria.
A former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, and a presidential aspirant of the ACN, is facing prosecution by the EFCC on a 47-count charge of embezzling N15bn.
Joshua Dariye, who was a former governor of Plateau State, is listed in the EFCC advisory of former political office holders who have cases to answer.
Dariye is facing charges of stealing N700m of state funds. He lost his bid to represent the state in the Senate under the umbrella of the Labour Party.
His counterpart in Jigawa State, Alhaji Saminu Turaki, is also facing allegations of embezzling state funds to the tune of N36bn. Turaki, who represents Jigawa North-West in the Senate lost his re-election bid last April.
A former governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Boni Haruna, like his colleagues, is being prosecuted by the EFCC for an alleged embezzlement of N250m.
The long list of former governors whose cases are in the court include James Ibori of Delta State and Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State.
Igbinedion is facing a 66-count charge of money laundering and illegal diversion of public funds amounting to about N3.2bn for personal use.
Although the commission has instituted cases against the former governors, no conviction has been obtained in any of them.
The outgoing governors, while reacting to the impending interrogation by the commission, said they were not nursing any fear.
The outgoing governor of Oyo State – Alao-Akala – said that he was not afraid of the EFCC or any other anti-graft agency.
He said that throughout his tenure, he ruled the state with the fear of God and he would not entertain any fear.
He made his position known recently while receiving a delegation of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists led by its chairman, Mr. Gbenga Opadotun, who paid him a farewell visit in his office in Ibadan, the state capital.
He said, “Because I know that I don’t have any skeleton in my cupboard, I’m not afraid of investigations by the EFCC. I did not get myself involved in any shady deal because I have a name to protect. My name is an asset. It is good that I leave a good name for my children who will like to use the name in future. I won’t do anything that will tarnish the name.
“When I read a media report that I was being investigated over an N8bn deal, I laughed because such money will just make me mad.”
His Kano State counterpart, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said that he was ready to honour an invitation from the EFCC to answer allegations of corruption charges against his administration.
Shekarau, who responded through his Special Assistant, Media and Public Relations, Mallam Sule Yau Sule, in a telephone interview with SATURDAY PUNCH, dismissed the planned invitation as speculations.
Sule said that his principal was not afraid to answer charges of corruption allegation against him or his government, recalling that this would not be the first time baseless allegations of corruption had been levelled against him.
He stated, “You know that this is not the first time His Excellency will be slandered with allegation charges and he has always weathered the storm. Before the 2007 general elections, he was invited for questioning by the EFCC on allegations of corruption. The opposition did this just to stop him from gunning for a second term. He went to Abuja to answer the charges and was cleared, and he won his second term bid. So, we’re used to all this.”
Sule said Shekarau offered a transparent and accountable leadership to Kano people and had completed his tenure.
Ogun State Governor, Daniel, expressed his readiness to face the anti-corruption agencies – the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission – if and when invited.
Daniel, who responded to SATURDAY PUNCH enquiries in a telephone interview through the Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Sina Kawonise, stated his preparedness to face the agencies if the need arose.
“(Otunba Gbenga) Daniel has ruled the state with honesty and forthrightness in the last eight years. So, he has no skeleton in his cupboard. As a public office holder, he is not ignorant of the fact that at any point in time, one may be called upon for one questioning or the other.
“So, as the servant of the people, he is ever ready when such invitations become necessary, as he has served the state with honesty, diligence, prudence and to the best of his ability.”
He stated that as part of the effort of the administration at ensuring financial probity, the state governor had ensured the preparation of the state financial accounts in the last eight years.
“The governor has even directed that as many copies of the statement of accounts as possible should be printed so that everybody can have a copy and even urged that the copies should be distributed to EFCC, ICPC and other relevant agencies,” Kawonise said.
When contacted, the Imo State governor said he was not aware of any EFCC invitation.
Ohakim, who responded through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Henry Eke, told SATURDAY PUNCH on the telephone on Thursday that the report was a mere speculation.
“I’m not aware of that (the invitation). I have not been invited. However, when we get to the bridge, we will cross it,” the governor said.
By Niyi Odebode, Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja, Francis Falola, Abeokuta, Olalekan Adetayo, Ibadan, Mustapha Salihu, Kano and Simon Utebor                    Courtesy Of: Punch

EFCC calls for return o f stolen $148bn funds

EFCC Chairman, Farida Waziri

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has called for the repatriation of over $148bn stolen annually from African countries.
EFCC chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, said the money which was proceeds of crime, had been stashed away in developed countries. Waziri spoke in Gaborone, Botswana, at the first Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa.
“There is the urgent need for this forum to demand with one voice the immediate repatriation of hundreds of billions of dollars looted from Africa and kept in safe havens in developed economies across the world,” she said in paper she presented at the conference. She urged the heads of anti-corruption agencies in Africa to intensify the demand for the establishment of special courts that would prosecute graft cases because that was the only way corruption could be swiftly and effectively tackled.
Waziri called on the developed nations to relax the rules and conditions that made the repatriation of stolen funds back to their points of origin appear near impossible.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, quoted Waziri as saying that despite the constraints of a slow judicial process, the support and independence given the anti-graft agency by the Federal Government, especially President Goodluck Jonathan, had made the commission to cover a lot of grounds within eight years.
She said, “If without special courts we can secure over 600 convictions within this short time, you can imagine what we will do if we are to have dedicated judges or courts to hear only corruption cases. Today, our record of recovery is in excess of $11bn.
“We have seized through both summary and interim forfeiture orders 459 units of real estate; 593 units of vehicles and oil vessels; 404 units of bank accounts and 183,627 units of other assets within the same period even though we are yet to start operating a non-conviction-based assets forfeiture regime, which we desire.”
She said a regime of hard rules would make foreign jurisdictions unsafe for looted or tainted funds.
“There is the need for legislations such as Non-Conviction-Based Assets Forfeiture law that will strip the corrupt assets acquired through the proceeds of fraud. This will not only deny them the benefits of fraud, but will equally remove the incentive for looting,” she said.
By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja                      Courtesy Of: Punch

Security takes centre stage as Alao-Akala bows out

In another 24 hours, there will be a change of power in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, as in many other states of the federation. Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Peoples Democratic Party, who has been calling the shots from the Agodi Government House since May 29, 2007, will be handing over the office to Senator Abiola Ajimobi of the Action Congress of Nigeria, having lost his re-election bid during the April 26 governorship election in the state.
According to the programme of activities released by the chairman of the Government Transition Committee, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu, the state Chief Judge, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, will be administering the oath of office on Ajimobi and his deputy, Chief Moses Alake-Adeyemo, at an elaborate programme fixed for the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium). The programme is billed to start at 10 am.
As expected, the leadership of the ACN in the state, and of course the camp of the governor-elect, are not sparing anything to make the event a colourful one. Already, a considerable number of party members in all the 33 local government areas in the state have purchased uniforms (popularly known as aso ebi) for the inauguration.
Invites have been sent to prominent leaders and citizens of the state, as well as party chiefs across the country to grace the occasion. Some prominent musicians have also been contracted to add glamour to the event, which is already the talk of the town.
At a recent news conference, Aremu, who is also the state Head of Service, explained that to ensure a hitch-free transition, his committee had constituted five sub-committees that were saddled with the responsibilities of handling various aspects of the programme such as venue/security/traffic control, swearing-in/hand-over notes, publicity/programme, march past/cultural display/medical as well as logistics/entertainment.
Despite the preparations put in place for this all-important event, there is a growing concern among stakeholders in the state over the possible breakdown of law and order before or during the programme. The fear is based on the fact that loyalists of political parties, who lost during the elections, may not be happy seeing the governorship seat slip from them, hence they may resort to violence.
This much was hinted by the state Director of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Femi Mapaderun, when he said on Thursday, “We have heard reports that some people are planning to cause mayhem in different parts of the country and even in Oyo State on Sunday when the President and our new governor shall be inaugurated.”

But not ready to take chances, Aremu said that his committee, in collaboration with the relevant agencies, had made an adequate provision for the security of lives and property before, during and after the inauguration. He added that to this end, his committee had held several meetings with the various security agencies with double assurances that no chance should be taken. He said that as much as the days ahead of the inauguration were loaded with several programmes and exciting moments, there was no cause for alarm.
Apparently allaying the people’s fear, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adisa Bolanta, warned troublemakers to steer clear of the venue of the inauguration. Bolanta told journalists on Tuesday that his command was battle-ready to ensure a hitch-free transition. He threatened that anybody found within or around the venues of the events with weapons such as cutlasses, sticks, broken bottles or guns would be charged with armed robbery.
“We will not allow anybody to disrupt the inauguration of the new governor and the peace of the state. We have enough personnel to checkmate any attempt to disrupt the inauguration ceremony,” the police boss said. He warned residents of the state to continue to operate within the ambit of the law before, during and after the inauguration, as his command would not fold its hands while people took the law into their hands.
Mapaderun, the NOA boss, urged the residents of the state to allow peace to reign. While appealing to the people to eschew violence, the NOA boss asked those who were aggrieved or felt hurt by the outcome of the just-concluded elections to always remember that violence never paid.
He said, “Oyo State is our own Jerusalem and we should pray and work for its peace. The time calls for celebration. The time calls for rejoicing. The time calls for merry-making. Sunday, May 29, should, for us in Oyo State, be a day of re-awakening and not a day of violence or destruction. Specifically, we want a peaceful Oyo State. We want a progressive Oyo State and together we can make that happen. Let us play our roles well and posterity will record and judge us appropriately.
The general belief in the state is that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers are willing tools in the hands of politicians, who may want to foment trouble. To this end, the court-reinstated chairman of the union in the state, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a. Tokyo), has also appealed to his members across the 33 local government areas of the state to remain peaceful before, during and after Ajimobi’s inauguration.
Akinsola urged NURTW members not to take the laws into their hands, warning that anybody caught fomenting trouble, especially at motor parks, should be ready to face the music. He alleged that the union’s leadership had uncovered plots by some disgruntled persons in the state to use some NURTW members to unleash violence in the state for their selfish reasons.
He said, “As the May 29 transition date is very much around the corner, it has come to our notice that some unscrupulous hoodlums are plotting to heat up the polity with a view to achieving their selfish motive at all costs. Beware of these devilish people and do not play into their waiting hands in your own interest.”
It is interesting to note that the various programmes earmarked for the inauguration have started with no form of unpleasant development so far. The activities commenced on May 22 with prayer sessions in all churches in the state for a peaceful transition. Similar prayer sessions were held in all mosques in the state on Friday (yesterday). The outgoing governor has also delivered his farewell speech to the people of the state.
In the address broadcast on the state radio and television stations, Alao-Akala said that as he bowed out of office, he nursed no grudge or ill-feelings against anyone.
He said, “As I step out of office, I have no regret or ill-feelings towards anyone. At the very beginning, I had a vision and today, I am deeply fulfilled that I have been able to translate my vision for Oyo State to reality.
“Afterall, leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. No matter the perception of our political opponents, deep down in their hearts, they will concur that I have led a purposeful administration. My legacy of performance and service to the good people of Oyo State is there for all to see.”
A send-off dinner was later held in his honour later in the day at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Agodi. The inauguration lecture will hold on Saturday (today) at the Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan. Immediately after the swearing-in on Sunday, the handing-over ceremony will hold at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office while a luncheon in honour of the new governor will hold at the Government House.
An inter-faith service will hold at the premises of the Governor’s Office on May 30; a Jumat Service on June 3 and a church thanksgiving service on June 5. Ajimobi is expected to decide the venues of the Jumat and church services later.
As the inauguration reaches its climax, the people of the state are just praying and hoping that it will be concluded without violence just like the concluded general elections in the state.
By Olalekan Adetayo, Ibadan               Courtesy Of: Punch

Bankole’s brother arraigned over N2.8m fraud

Dimeji Bankole

A younger brother of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, Toyin, was on Friday arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Abeokuta for allegedly defrauding one Modinat Odunlami of N2.8m.
Also arraigned with Bankole’s younger brother was one Segun Baruwa, who allegedly conspired to commit fraud by collecting money from Odunlami through fraudulent means.
The First Information Report in the suit number MA18/2009 made available to our correspondent showed that Baruwa introduced the complainant to Bankole’s brother.
The police prosecutor, Paul Etusi, an inspector, told the court that the accused collected the money under the pretence that they would help her and her daughter to secure an overseas visa and admission respectively.
Etusi, who said the offence was committed on January 15, 2009, called eight witnesses to support his claim, but six of them were in court during Friday’s sitting.
He stated that Toyin had informed his victims that he would use the influence of his brother (Speaker Dimeji Bankole) to facilitate the issuance of the visa and securing of an admission for the daughter.
He informed the court that he was ready to open the case for full trial, while expressing regret that efforts made by the complainant and the police to get the matter settled out of court failed to yield the desired result, as the accused were not ready to refund the money.
According to him, the offence is contrary to and punishable under Sections 516, 419 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State, 2006.
However, the defence counsel, Adedotun Akinmade, who was represented by another counsel, Carol Omobujo, pleaded for a short adjournment, saying that they were not ready for trial.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Kolawole Peters, granted the request for an adjournment and adjourned the case till July 13 for further hearing.
Odunlami said after the proceeding that the case had to suffer a series of postponements so as to allow for an out-of-court settlement.
She stated that the Speaker’s father, Chief Alani Bankole, had earlier intervened and promised to get the issue resolved out of court, adding that the case had to continue following the non-fulfilment of the promise.
By Francis Falola, Abeokuta                 Courtesy Of: Punch

Nigeria’s new N7bn presidential jet banned worldwide

The new Falcon 7x presidential aircraft

 Almost 70 days after the new N7.65bn presidential jet, Falcon 7X, touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from the manufacturer’s factory in France, Dassault Aviation, France European authorities have banned the jet from flying in Europe and other parts of the world over safety issues.
The ban, an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, which was issued on Thursday by the European Aviation Safety Agency, the agency that regulates Dassault as well as the European aviation industry, took immediate effect, starting from May 27.
The EASA’s grounding of the worldwide fleet of Dassault’s Falcon 7X executive jets came hours after one of the aircraft encountered an in-flight anomaly that could have caused the pilots to lose control.
The EASA directive, which was published on Thursday, said that the jet “experienced an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent. The crew succeeded in recovering a stable situation and performed an uneventful landing.”
An analysis of the plane’s Digital Flight Data Recorder and Fault History Database confirmed the event, EASA said, but the cause of the pitch trim runaway couldn’t be explained.
“This condition, if it occurs again, could lead to the loss of control of the aeroplane,” the EASA notice said.
However, the Cologne, Germany-based safety agency said in its Emergency Airworthiness Directive that the decision to halt all flight operations of Dassault’s flagship jet came at the request of the Paris-based company, according to a Dow Jones report on Friday.
The plane was en route between Europe and Malaysia, Asia, with no passengers on board, Dassault spokesman Stephane Fort told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone.
The pilots managed to regain control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Malaysia, he said. Fort couldn’t say who owns the aircraft or who was operating it.
Fort said the decision to ground the aircraft was a precautionary measure.
Dassault has sent a team of technicians to Malaysia to try to identify the cause of the problem, he said, adding, “Our priority is the safety of our passengers and our aircraft.
The Falcon 7X was introduced in 2007 and is designed to fly 5,950 nautical miles with at least eight passengers. There are 112 of the aircraft in service.
“This airworthiness directive is considered to be an interim measure pending the outcome of the investigation currently carried out by the manufacturer,” EASA said.
The Falcon 7X has a sticker price of about $50m, depending on cabin features.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in the third week of March 2011, taken delivery of a Falcon 7X plane, shortly after it landed on the shores of the country from France.
The aircraft, which was manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France, cost the government $51m (about N7.65bn.)
The Federal Executive Council had on August 12, 2010 approved $102m for the purchase of two Falcon 7X and $53.3m for one Gulfstream G550 aircraft to beef up the presidential fleet.
The second Falcon 7X, it was learnt then, was expected to arrive in the country during the second quarter of this year.
In what is probably its first mission, the jet was said to have conveyed the wife of the President, Patience, to Sokoto during the third of week of March.
The two Falcon 7X aircraft are to be supplied by Messrs Dassault Aviation of France, while the Gulfstream G550 will come from Messrs Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of the United States.
By Agency reporter               Courtesy Of: Punch

NJC dismisses judge over N200,000 bribe

The frosty relationship between the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, over allegations of corruption on Friday claimed its first casualty.
Consequently, the National Judicial Council has wielded the big stick on a serving judge of the Zamfara State High Court, Justice Musa Anka, and sacked him from office.
The NJC’s decision, which elicited jubilation among judicial officers and lawyers, is being interpreted as a ploy to clean the rot in the nation’s judiciary.
The CJN had consistently warned judges against corruption, which, he said, had been denting the image of the judiciary in recent times.
Although the details of Justice Anka’s offence were sketchy at press time, our correspondent learnt that the decision of the NJC was sequel to a petition against the judge over an alleged demand of N200,000 bribe from one Mr. Zubairu Abdulmalik in order to deliver judgement in his favour.
A source said, “Officials of the State Security Service were said to have been detailed to follow him, while Abdulmalik was asked to play along. The judge was caught in the act and was apprehended.”
The implication of the dismissal, according to legal experts, is that Justice Anka would forfeit his entitlements and could not go back to the Bar to practise as a lawyer.
“He can only be a consultant to lawyers, if he is good,” a source stated.
A terse statement by the NJC Deputy Director (Information), Mr. Soji Oye, obtained by SATURDAY PUNCH in Abuja, reads, “The National Judicial Council has recommended the removal of Justice Musa Ibrahim Anka of the Zamfara State High Court from office.
“It will be recalled that he was suspended by the council following a petition written against him by Zamfara State Director of the State Security Service, alleging that he received a bribe from one Zubairu Abdulmalik in order to deliver judgement in his favour.
“The council, during its meeting, which was held on May 26, 2011, found Justice (Musa Ibrahim) Anka guilty of the allegation of corruption and gratification. Thus, in the exercise of its powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, council decided to recommend his removal from office as a judicial officer to the Executive Governor of Zamfara State.”
The NJC had on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 suspended the embattled judge from office with immediate effect.
The council had in a statement by its secretary, Mr. Danladi Halilu, said, “Thus, in the exercise of its powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the NJC, at its meeting of July 7 and 8, 2010, decided to suspend Justice (Ibrahim) Anka from office till further notice.”
The NJC had last year retired Justice Idris Habib Shall of the Bauchi State High Court with immediate effect over an alleged abduction and street fighting.
He was accused of “fighting on the street and attempting to abduct one Kassim Danlami Shall of the Ministry of Works and Transport, Bauchi State.”
The council had, during its meeting of February 24 and 25, 2010, suspended Justice Shall from office for alleged misbehaviour, which breached professional ethics.
Such “despicable conduct,” according to the council, contravenes the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers in the Federation, as well as his Oath of Office to which he had subscribed.
According to the NJC, the suspension of the judge with immediate effect was as a result of his conduct, which it said involved street fighting.
The judge was said to have failed in an alleged bid to kidnap his victim by attempting to force him into the boot of his car.
The NJC had said, “The suspension is pursuant to the findings of the council that Justice Shall fought on the street and physically assaulted the petitioner – one Kassim Danlami Shall of Ministry of Works and Transport, Bauchi State.
“Further, the judge had attempted to abduct the petitioner into the boot of his car.
“At its 50th meeting, which was held on February 24 and 24, 2010, council found the conduct of Justice Shall despicable and contrary to the Code of Conduct of Judicial Officials of the Federation as well as the oath of office he had subscribed to.”
By Friday Olokor, Abuja                Courtesy Of: Punch

Inauguration: Security agents receive threats

Less than 48 hours to Sunday’s Presidential Inauguration, a security sub-committee headed by the National Security Adviser was set up to deal with the volume of threats to the ceremony that have poured in since the April elections ended.
SATURDAY PUNCH authoritatively learnt that different groups and individuals continued to send messages to security agents threatening to disrupt the inauguration.
Oddly, it was learnt that the groups had made no demands.
The heads of all the security agencies arrived in Abuja early in the week for an emergency meeting with the NSA, Gen. Owoye Azazi, to strategise on how to nip the threats in the bud and they have been having meetings on almost a daily basis.
Some of the security chiefs who pleaded anonymity refused to mention the groups behind the threats, but said that most of the people sending the threat messages used fake names and addresses.
They said, “We’re ready for them; as they are planning for us, we’re strategising for them. We cannot be intimidated. We’re able to confront them with all we have and we can do it. And that is why we’re not accepting any help from foreign security agencies. It is a home-made affair. Some of the people sending threat messages have even gone to the Internet to post the threats. They are so bold and brazen.
“We’re talking about a democratic government and some disgruntled elements are threatening to scuttle the whole process. Nigerians should not be worried because a lot of things that we can’t even say publicly have been put in place. Apart from restricting movement in the capital city, increasing security at the airports, borders and stepping up our surveillance generally, we’re also doing so much quietly. We’re waiting for them.”
It was gathered that the NSA had given a lot of responsibility on the police anti-bomb squad, who he feels are an integral part of protecting the President and other participants at the inauguration. Already, the anti-bomb squads in states where governorship elections did not take place have been asked to move to the capital.
The bomb specialists, who will be coming from Bayelsa, Anambra, Edo, Sokoto, Osun, Ekiti, Adamawa, Ondo and Cross River states have been asked to resume duty in Abuja to prevent the recurrence of the explosions that occurred on October 1, 2010.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for the Improvised Explosive Devices that were detonated in the capital city during Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary at the Eagle Square.
The Commissioner of Police of the anti-bomb squad, Ambrose Aisabor, told our correspondent that the duty of his department was to ensure that IEDs were not planted anywhere activities were going to take place on Sunday.
He said, “All hands are on deck. We’re fully prepared. We’re sweeping everywhere and we’re not restricting ourselves to the Eagle Square. Maximum attention will be given to the National Stadium, International Conference Centre, mosques and churches.”
By Toyosi Ogunseye                   Courtesy Of: Punch

...place travellers into Abuja under surveillance

There are heightened security activities in Abuja as security personnel started placing people coming in and going out of the Federal Capital Territory under discreet surveillance as part of the security arrangements for the Presidential Inauguration taking place tomorrow.
State capitals, which are indicated as key security points, have also been placed under watch by policemen, State Security Service agents and other security personnel to ensure a hitch-free swearing-in of state governors on May 29, 2011.
Findings by our correspondent indicated that the borders had also been placed under security watch to prevent criminal elements from infiltrating the country to execute any evil plot that might embarrass the nation.
A senior police source told SATURDAY PUNCH that state Commissioners of Police had been placed on red alert by the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim.
Each state command has been directed to have a stand-by unit for quick response to crisis.
“The security arrangement involves all the security agencies in the country, including the military. We have deployed enough men and materials, including bomb and anti-terrorist squads to man key points and facilities in the FCT. People coming into and going out of Abuja are being monitored; though we’re not engaging in stop and search to avoid embarrassing travellers, the surveillance of travellers is being done discreetly.
“All the state CPs have been placed on red alert, so we don’t envisage any problem. The vulnerable areas like Borno and Bauchi states are receiving special attention, but we don’t expect any threats. Boko Haram is not a threat, they can’t overrun the police because we represent the state,” the source said.
Our correspondent gathered that no vehicles would be allowed within 2km radius of the Eagle Square, venue of the inauguration ceremony for President Goodluck Jonathan.
In addition, constant aerial patrol by the military and police, which began on Wednesday, had been stepped up over the FCT as part of a total security cover for the event, which is expected to draw about 40 world leaders.
The top hotels in Abuja like the Transcorp Hilton, Nicon Luxury, Sheraton and others that were booked for accommodation of guests had been placed under heightened security watch as security personnel screened the vehicles and individuals going in and out of the facilities.
The FCT Police Command said it would deploy about 15,000 personnel for the event, while the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps planned to station 20,000 officers with 300 sniffer dogs in different parts of the city.
The NSCDC had on Wednesday conducted a show of force during which its men showcased their skills and abilities at combating criminal activities like vandalism and terrorist acts. The medical team, which recently received five additional ambulances, exhibited their readiness to handle medical emergencies and manage disasters during the ceremonies.
The kernel teams displayed the capabilities of their trained dogs, most of which could sniff out bombs and other incendiary devices, weapons and narcotics. The canines could also capture criminals on command, according to the NSCDC Commandant-General, Dr. Ade Abolurin.
He explained that his men were ready to ensure a smooth programme of events, and were collaborating with other security agencies.
He said, “We have put our disaster management teams in place and we’re working with other sister agencies to ensure a smooth ceremony. Our men have been deployed to protect public infrastructure throughout the country, working with other security personnel. We’re not taking any chances.”
Ordinary Nigerians may not have the opportunity of witnessing the ceremonies at the Eagle Square live because attendance is strictly by invitation to discourage a large turnout and over-crowding of the grounds, which have security implications for the guests.
But the Force Public Relations Officer, Olusola Amore, contended that the reason for the restriction of people was on account of space constraint. He added that the square could not accommodate the huge number of individuals that may want to attend the event.
“We’re not restricting attendance for security reasons; the fact is that the place is not large enough to accommodate everyone that may want to come. Besides, there is no way the ceremony can be an all- comers affair; even your birthday is by invitation, so why should we allow everyone to be at the inauguration?” he asked rhetorically.
The ceremony will start at 10 am at the Eagle Square.
By Adelani Adepegba, Abuja               Courtesy Of: Punch