Jonathan, Buhari meet again, sign peace accord

L-R: Anan, Jonathan, Anyaoku and Buhari

The two leading candidates have signed another peace accord.

They signed the document under the supervision of Abdusalami shortly after emerging from a closed door meeting.

President Goodluck Jonathan is currently meeting behind closed doors with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

The meeting brokered by the National Peace Committee for the 2015 General Elections, led by Gen. Abdusalami Abdusalami (retd.), is meant to extract commitment from the leading candidates that the forthcoming elections will be violence-free.

The two candidates may sign another peace accord at the end of the meeting.

They were accompanied to the meeting by the national chairmen of their parties.

UPN dumps Abiola’s wife, endorses Agbaje

Dr. Frederick Fasehun

The Dr. Fredrick Fasehun-led Unity Party of Nigeria has dumped its Lagos State governorship candidate, Mrs. Dupe Onitiri-Abiola, who is the wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola.

The UPN subsequently endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje at a rally on Wednesday.

Fasehun, who is also the Founder of the Odua Peoples Congress, openly called on supporters at a rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday and Agbaje on April 11.

While delivering his speech titled, ‘Why Nigerians want Jonathan back on March 28, 2015, and should vote Jimi Agbaje of the PDP, Fasehun, told the crowd that “Jonathan is the best man for the job because as President he has recorded unassailable achievements in the area of education, infrastructure, agriculture and others.”

He said, “Jimi Agbaje is the best of those available for the job of Governor of Lagos State. Agbaje comes with a sound pedigree, with ideals and programmes rooted in the Awoist and Afenifere stock. He will break the cycle of corruption and self-serving system entrenched in Lagos today.”

While calling on all Nigerians to vote for Jonathan on Saturday, Fasehun said, “Of all those contesting the Presidency today, Dr. Jonathan remains the best fit for the job. Jonathan has shown himself a lamb of peace, committed to the peaceful existence of a strong, formidable and united Nigeria

“Jonathan convened the long-awaited and critical National Conference. He recognises the National Conference as a roadmap to the Nigeria of the future and is committed to its implementation. In contrast, the opposition leaders have positioned themselves in hostility to the agreements reached at the confab and are sworn to jettisoning its far-reaching and epochal agreements and resolutions.”

He said Jonathan should be allowed to rule for another four years because he is from the South-South geo-political zone and it is their turn to rule.

Fasehun stressed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was not the messiah but an impostor.

The UPN national chairman said Buhari could not claim to be an anti-corruption crusader because he was surrounded by corrupt politicians.

APC urges voters to end misrule, vote Buhari

Mr. Dele Alake

The All Progressives Congress has urged voters to end alleged misrule by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, saying Nigerians should vote for its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

In a statement signed by the Director, Strategic Communications Unit of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Dele Alake, the party urged Nigerians to “vote out 16 years of hunger amidst plenty, poverty in spite of oil wealth by voting Muhammadu Buhari as the next president.”

The statement said, “In the week of Nigeria’s landmark presidential elections, the world has been paying glowing and deserved tribute to the founding father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, who died last Sunday. The passing of Mr. Lee bears a poignant and direct resonance to all Nigerians.

One of his recurring lamentations was with regard to what became of Nigeria’s lofty dreams and the great potentials that our country had at Independence.

“Leadership does make a big difference in the life of a nation. As we prepare to make what is perhaps the greatest choice in a generation on the leadership of our country, we are summoned to think large and to think deep; to challenge ourselves to be part of charting a path to development and in the process build a truly great nation.

“Having surveyed the avoidable descent of our country from the heights of global respect into the abyss of ridicule, our party, the All Progressives Congress, is offering all Nigerians a choice to a part of re-making our collective destiny for the better.”

Judge orders NCC, telecoms firms to pay APC N500m

Eugene Ikemefuna Juwah, the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Communications Commission and five others to pay the All Progressives Congress a sum of N500m over unlawful shutting down of its presidential campaign fund-raising platform.

Apart from NCC, the other judgment debtors are Etisalat, MTN Nigeria Limited, Globacom Limited, Airtel Nigeria Limited and Visafone Communications Limited.

The monetary cost was awarded against the six respondents severally and jointly on Tuesday by Justice Ibrahim Buba, who held that the shutting down of APC presidential campaign platform by the respondent was unlawful and constituted an infringement on the party’s fundamental right.

The party, through its lawyer, Chief Kola Awodein (SAN), had sued the respondents, claiming N25bn in damages for banning its presidential campaign fund-raising platform.

APC had accused the NCC of instructing the 2nd to 6th respondents to discontinue an SMS platform it created for the purpose of getting donations from willing members of the public for its presidential campaign.

The party claimed that it initiated the participatory fund-raising platform as a way of getting members of the general public to contribute N100 to its presidential campaign fund each time they sent APC as an SMS to 35350.

It, however, said that NCC, by a letter dated January 19, 2015, instructed the other respondents to shut down the platform, warning them “to avoid running political advertisement/promotions that will portray them as being partisan.”

The commission was also said to have threatened to sanction any of the telecommunications service providers which failed to comply with the order.

But APC considered the NCC’s instruction and the consequent shutting down of its fund-raising platform as both discriminatory and an infringement on its fundamental right protected by Section 39 of the Constitution and Articles 9 (1) (2) and 19 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

It argued that the NCC did not give the same instruction to the other respondents when the Peoples Democratic Party set up the short codes designated 6661, 662, 6663 and 6664, being managed by one Wagitel Communications Limited to raise funds for the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Namadi Sambo, in 2010.

In an 18-paragragh affidavit deposed to by one Ademola Sodiq, the deponent averred that APC’s strategy was borne out of its commitment to raising fund for its presidential campaign in a “transparent and accountable manner.”

According to Sodiq, within few hours of launching the strategy, APC was getting about four to five text messages per minute and had received a total of 5,400 SMS before the NCC directed the telecommunications service providers to discontinue the scheme.

The party had, on January 28, 2015, secured an interim order of the court compelling the respondents to immediately lift the embargo on the applicant’s fund-raising platform pending the determination of the suit.

In determining the case on Tuesday, Buba dismissed the respondents’ objection to APC’s claim, but instead of N25bn damages sought by the political party, the judge awarded N500m against all the defendants.

Buhari planning to build prisons —Patience Jonathan

Mrs. Patience Jonathan

Wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has warned women against voting for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, saying the retired soldier was planning to build prisons if elected into power.

Speaking at a rally organised by the women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party, in Akure, Ondo State, on Tuesday, the President’s wife said Nigerian women should reciprocate the gesture of her husband, who ensured that a large number of women was appointed into political offices during his administration.

She said the APC was a dying party that thrives on propaganda and lies, saying that women should not be deceived into “returning to bondage.”

She said, “If you vote Buhari, you vote for prison. When the PDP is busy building schools, they are busy thinking of building jails.

“We will not allow our children to be put in jail, God forbid. We pray for oneness, we pray for unity, we pray for peace.”

Patience urged the women to come out on Saturday and vote for “the government that has provided more access to education and health care and brought down by 50 per cent the maternal mortality rate.”

“He was a former Head of State, he did not build Almajiri schools. It was Goodluck Jonathan that built the schools.

“Ask him what he did for women when he was Head of State. It was Goodluck Jonathan that remembered women,” she said.

She also noted that the PDP government would increase the number of women in government to 45 per cent if returned on Saturday from the current 35 per cent.

“They said we should change, we can only move from bad to better, not from better to bad. Jonathan has done well and will do even better if returned. They have nothing to show,” she said.

She also promised to revive the works done by her predecessors, Mrs. Mariam Babangida and Maryam Abacha, in their efforts to better the lot of women.

Speaking earlier, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, said the President would get the maximum votes because of the impact of his programmes on the lives of the people of the state.

Obasanjo warns against plot to hand over to military

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday warned against handing over the reins of government to the military.

Obasanjo said the speculation that the government was planning an Interim Government had been substituted by speculations that President Goodluck Jonathan was plotting to hand over to the military. He said that doing so would undermine the integrity of the country.

The ex-President, while hosting Aisha Buhari, wife of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said, “I do hope we will get things more right. A lot of rumours are flying around; I think we have gone away from the rumour of Interim Government because that is not in our constitution.

“I hope we will soon go away from the rumour of handing over to the military because the military is not meant to run the affairs of a nation in terms of running government.”

Obasanjo, who said that he was happy that the country had gone beyond the Interim Government rumour, added that he hoped the nation would also survive the rumour of handing over to the military.

He said, “The international community will not condone it, particularly the African Union where we have a situation, we have said and it is part and parcel of the constituting Act of the African Union. Any government that is brought about not on the basis of the constitution will not be accepted; will not be tolerated and will not be a member of the AU until that government is dismantled.

“It shouldn’t be. We are the largest country in Africa; we should be a model, setting examples, we shouldn’t be drawing Africa backwards. I hope we will not. I hope at the end of this exercise, we would be where we should be, leading Africa and showing examples for the rest of Africa and indeed the rest of the world.

“We have the goodwill of many people. I watched last night, President (Barack) Obama talking about our constitution; I watched our Brother from Ghana, the current Chairman of ECOWAS talking about our constitution. They are all interested, they all wish us well; should we wish ourselves anything less?”

Recently, the former President had warned the current administration not to plunge this country into chaos by following the footsteps of the former President of Cote d’lvoire, Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to hand over to the winner of the presidential election in his country.

Obasanjo also bemoaned hate campaigns among politicians, advising that they should focus more on what united the country as opposed to what divided the country.

According to him, for anyone who is interested in the future of this country, issues of insecurity, economy and unemployment, among others, should form the focus of political campaigns.

He said, “Unfortunately, issues that should have been the main item of our campaign, they did not. We have serious issues of security, we have serious issue of our economy, we have issue of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, we have serious issues of infrastructure.

“These are issues among others that I believe campaign of those who are interested in the present and the future of this country should be directed at.

“How are we going to get them and what are we going to do? Not trivial issues of certificate or no certificate, not trivial issues of somebody talking about someone is a Nigerian and not a Nigerian.

“I said it, this is what they had in Cote d’Ivoire and led them into almost a very serious problem, not issue of religion, not issue of tribe, not issue of section but issues of unity of this country and the hate campaigns that we have embarked upon now, I hope this will be the last time in the history of this country that we will have this type of campaign of hatred or division.”

Obasanjo commended Buhari’s wife, stressing that women had a role to play in politics and enthronement of good governance.

Six Rivers commissioners may defect to PDP

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi

THERE appears to be palpable fear in the camp of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State as speculations were rife on Monday that six commissioners in Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s cabinet were set to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party on or before Friday.

Amaechi’s deputy, Mr. Tele Ikuru, had defected to the PDP on Sunday with a promise that his supporters would soon join him in his new party.

Though five commissioners were seen to be Amaechi’s die-hard supporters, other commissioners could be well out of the APC and were only waiting for the right time.

A source in the Government House, Port Harcourt, told our correspondent that he could only vouch for commissioners in charge of Information, Agriculture, Works and two other ministries, adding that those who stood for pecuniary gains could defect to the PDP.

“Yes, the deputy governor has defected and you will agree with me that he (Ikuru) has supporters who will definitely want to go with him. We are suspecting them already and very soon, they will show themselves.

“But one thing is clear, the Amaechi they are betraying has always stood by them. Amaechi does not betray anybody and anything he tells you today, check in the next 20 years, he will still maintain his stand,” the source said.

Also a House of Assembly source told our correspondent that he could no longer vouch for all the state legislators because some of them now believed in stomach infrastructure.

He insisted that some members of the House who believed in integrity would continue to stay with the governor.

Though, the Assembly source did not mention any member likely to defect to the PDP, he said it would be unnecessary to assume that the 25 APC lawmakers were still intact.

“The PDP may have infiltrated them within the past 12 months and you must know that those who would leave by this time believe in stomach infrastructure while those with integrity will continue to stay with Amaechi,” the source said.

Speaking through his aide, the State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Victor Giadom, said that he was committed to the belief of Amaechi and had never thought of defecting to another political party.

Giadom, who is also the Director-General of the Dakuku Peterside Campaign Organisation, described the claim that some commissioners would defect to the PDP as mere propaganda, adding that no commissioner would leave the APC for another party.

The Chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Felix Obuah, predicted that Amaechi would be left with only five commissioners after a possible mass defection of his aides to the PDP.

“Amaechi has only five commissioners and more than two-thirds of the members of the state House of Assembly have joined PDP. They are already talking with me. Today, we are celebrating one of our own (Ikuru) and his teeming supporters who have seen reasons in what we are fighting for,” he said.

Emenike faces ban for walking off pitch

Emmanuel Emenike

Fenerbahçe forward Emmanuel Emenike faces disciplinary action in the Turkish league following his indecent reaction in the derby against Beşiktaş at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Sunday.

The Nigeria international tore off his shirt in anger and ran off the pitch, demanding to be substituted in the first half, after his fans booed him for missing a ‘simple’ chance to put the hosts ahead.

It took the intervention of Fenerbahçe manager Ismail Kartal and his technical staff to stop Emenike from walking down the tunnel. Kartal eventually managed to convince him to put his shirt back on and return to the game.

A former referee in Turkey Ahmet Çakar said Emenike deserved punishment for leaving the pitch and re-entering without permission. He said it was a technical error not to have booked the player, and that the action could mean a replay of the derby.

“These incidents are not even open to interpretation, they are all bookable offences, the first thing they teach amateur referees are the rules of the game,” Turkish Football quoted Çakar as saying on Beyaz Tv.

“This was not a refereeing error, it was a technical error and that could result in the match being replayed.”

The 28-year-old has only scored four league goals for The Yellow Canaries this season, but Kartal revealed he prayed for the Nigerian to score and break his poor run of form in the derby.

“I prayed for Emenike to score and win over the fans again,” Kartal told Lig Tv. “The fans need to be more patient and understanding, he cannot change around his fortunes with everyone getting on his back.”

Fenerbahçe eventually won the game courtesy of a 90th minute goal from Mousa Sow, but not before Kartal had substituted Emenike at the start of the second half.

The manager also gave Emenike a two-day leave to be spent in Nigeria during the international break.

Vote out Jonathan, Buhari tells Imo people

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has urged Imo people to vote out the Peoples Democratic Party at state and national levels.

He said this at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Monday, during a campaign tour.

Buhari said that the people should vote for the APC because the PDP has failed the people 16 years in power.

“They did not provide jobs or security. The economy has drastically gone down. We cannot be alive and see our dear country die a natural death,” Buhari noted.

Buhari, in a brief speech, charged the people to get their Permanent Voter Cards in order to exercise their right in the presidential and legislative elections holding next Saturday.

In his speech, the Governor of the state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, described Buhari as a man that has zero tolerance for corruption, adding that Buhari would industrialise Nigeria if elected into power.

“As his name means in Igbo language, Buhari will ‘Bugharia’ Nigeria for the better.”

He said that the election will be won by the APC at all levels, adding that the votes of the masses will count just as he accused the PDP of planning to rig the elections.

One of the highpoints of the rally was the presentation of a certificate of endorsement to Buhari by the Association of Nigerians in Ireland and defection of several PDP members to APC.

Fayose embarrassing our family, says brother

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose’s eldest brother, Segun, has appealed to the governor to stop embarrassing the family.
He said their father was a gentle pastor, who built and sustained a good name for the family, before joining his ancestors.
The elder Fayose spoke with our reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
He said rather than sustain the good name which he inherited, the governor has been embarrassing other Fayoses with the way he insults elders  like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
Segun, who is a United Kingdom-based accountant, said the family cherished the name it inherited from its late patriarch.
Emphasising that their father died with contentment, the elder Fayose said the family was known in Ekiti for sound character found in every omoluabi.
He described Chief Obasanjo as Ayo Fayose’s benefactor.

Segun said: “It is a pity Nigerians are celebrating criminals. I am angry with Nigerians for electing somebody like Ayodele as governor. My children cannot come to Nigeria because of the terrible situation of our country. “I don’t have a relationship with any of our leaders because of their criminality and anybody who says I collected money from  the opposition should step forward to challenge me. Ekiti and Nigeria are bigger than Fayose’s name and both names should be protected.
“I don’t want anything from anybody, but Ayo should stop insulting and abusing my father’s name. As a result of Fayose’s attitude, many people believe the Fayose family is rude but it is far from the truth.
“I have spoken to him many times, but he refused to listen. Buhari and Obasanjo are old enough to be his father and I don’t know why he should be insulting them.
“I am always sad with the situation of this country. Ayo’s arrogance is one of the reasons I said people should not vote for him prior to the Ekiti governorship election. If all I am saying is not true, my six children should die and I should end up in shame.
“Most of us abroad are not happy with the situation of Nigeria. We are sad. When people call me from Ekiti to complain about Ayo, I tell them to forgive the family. People should not see Ayo as an ambassador of our family.”

Wike pays Jonathan’s wife N199m monthly, Amaechi alleges

Nyesom Wike

RIVERS State Governor and Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Chief Nyesom Wike, of giving $1m (N199m) monthly to the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

Amaechi, who spoke on Saturday at a praise and worship session organised by the Ikwerre Youth Movement and Ikwerre Women Forum at Isiokpo, headquarters of the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, explained that Wike was giving the money to the President’s wife in order to gain political favour.

The governor said, “Do you know that the PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, has been giving one million dollars monthly to the wife of the President, Mrs Patience Jonathan? He has been doing this to gain political favour in the Presidency and to retain the favour.

“For eight years, our Okrika brother (Senator George Sekibo) has been occupying the senate (Rivers East) seat and now it is the turn of an Ikwerre son, but Nyesom Wike has gone ahead to accept another four years for George Thompson Sekibo. This is not acceptable, Chief Andrew Uchendu will take over this time, one man called Nyesom Wike cannot sell Ikwerre birth right.”

He also accused Wike of sponsoring the killing of an APC member, who was shot dead recently in the home town of the PDP candidate, saying the police had been biased and could not arrest the PDP hoodlums who committed the murder.

Reacting, Wike, who spoke through his media aide, Mr. Simeon Nwakudu, described Amaechi’s allegation as false and asked him (Amaechi) to respond to the allegations of corruption against him.

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to another desperate press statement issued by outgoing Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, where he falsely accused the Rivers PDP governorship candidate,   Nyesom Wike, of paying the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, one million US Dollars monthly.

“This allegation is completely false and simply aimed at diverting the attention of the public from the monumental corruption under Amaechi’s leadership. Wike has always been an upright administrator and politician, who is committed to the development of Rivers State and Nigeria.

“Wike has published documents of mass corruption in Government House, Port House, and the entire Rivers State Government under the guidance of Amaechi. The outgoing governor should respond to these documentary proofs of corruption, rather than cooking up false allegations to distract attention.

“Amaechi has wasted over N3tn that have accrued to Rivers State, a large percentage of the funds being expended on the sponsorship of APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, and the APC.

Amaechi’s deputy, Ikuru, defects to PDP

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru

A crack has appeared in the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State as Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru on Sunday announced his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Ikuru, who has worked with   Governor Rotimi Amaechi for about eight years, may be received by President Goodluck Jonathan at a PDP stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt on Monday(today).

The deputy governor, in a statement on Sunday, described the APC as a party of “rebels, insurgents and anarchists clothed in the robes of pretence and deceit.”

Ikuru said in the statement titled, “A call on the conscience of the people of Rivers State, that since he joined the APC with other disillusioned people of the state, he had been in emotional agony.

He added that the more he struggled to belong to the APC, the more the Rivers man in him rejected the party.

The   statement read in part, “Recalled   that in December 2013, out of extreme loyalty to my boss and friend, I joined the APC, along with other disillusioned Rivers people. Ever since, as the true nature and motive of the APC are unveiled, I have continued to twist and turn in extreme mental and emotional agony.

“The more I struggle to belong, the more the Rivers man in me rejects APC. After carefully studying, interacting and analysing the leadership of the party, I have come to the sad conclusion that the APC is a party of rebels, insurgents and anarchists, clothed in the robes of pretence and deceit.

“APC is a party founded on deception and it thrives on unholy propaganda and falsehood.

‘‘I, therefore, on behalf of my teeming supporters and my humble self, denounce APC and we all jointly and severally (sic)resign our membership of APC.”

He called on the people of Rivers State   to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday and the   PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike,   on   April 11.

The deputy governor advised that the people of the state should not be seen to be working against Jonathan,who like them, is a son of the Niger Delta.

Ikuru added, “My dear people of Rivers State, we of this generation will not in good conscience expect forgiveness and compassion from our forebears, posterity and the spirit of our unborn generations if it is recorded in the annals of history that, after 48 years of Rivers people supporting leaders from all parts of this country with our votes and resources, we were the same that   hounded down the very first ever President from this region, granted us by providence. I wash my hands off this treachery.”

Ikuru was said to have been in a   battle of supremacy with the state APC Chairman,   Davies Ikanya, who is from the same Andoni Local Government Area with him.

Before his statement, there were speculations in the state that the deputy governor whose official residence in Port Harcourt witnessed increased security presence on Sunday evening, had dumped the APC.

The PUNCH gathered that Amaechi had on Saturday called Ikuru on the telephone but was told by him (Ikuru) that he had travelled to his hometown in Andoni LGA.

Ikuru, according to a top government source, was in Andoni to conclude arrangement for his movement   to the PDP.

When asked what was responsible for Ikuru’s sudden departure from the APC, the source   said Amaechi had no problem with him.

He claimed that an influential National Working Committee member of the PDP might have influenced the deputy governor’s action.

He said, “I can confirm to you that the deputy governor has moved to the PDP and that President Goodluck Jonathan will receive him tomorrow (today). The deputy governor was in Andoni to conclude his plan to move to the PDP.

“When the governor called him on Saturday, he (Ikuru) told him that he would see him when he returns. But he came back to Port Harcourt on the same day, but failed to see the governor.

“The governor has no problem with his deputy. But I suspected that the political influence of a PDP NWC member   may have being responsible for the deputy governor’s defection.

“You are aware that the NWC member is the political mentor of the deputy governor and he   is responsible for   most of the political appointments Ikuru had received in the past, including his current position.”

It will be recalled that since Ikuru attended the APC rally in Eleme LGA last year with a bunch of tree branches in place of a broom which is the logo of the APC, he has been absent in most of the ruling party’s campaigns.

Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari, said that even though Ikuru had as of 6pm on Sunday yet to formally notify Amaechi of his defection, he(governor) “wishes him all the best in his future political endeavours.”

She however said in a statement that the governor was shocked by   the reasons adduced by the deputy governor for his decision to dump the APC.

Semenitari said,   “Governor Amaechi has only this(Sunday) evening received the news of the resignation of his Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, from the APC.

Whilst the news remains unofficial at this time as the Deputy Governor is yet to notify   the governor of this move, Governor Amaechi however wishes Engr. Ikuru all the best in his future political endeavours.

“He however wishes to note that the reasons adduced by Engr. Ikuru are shocking as deputy governor lkuru has consistently been the one driving political activities in his local government area of Andoni and has been the second in command driving politics and governance in Rivers state.

“On a personal note, Governor Amaechi has accorded Engr. Ikuru all the privileges and respect due the office of the deputy governor and has treated him with love as a friend and brother.

“Though the governor had hoped that the numerous rumours of Engr. Ikuru’s double-faced membership of the APC and open romance with the PDP were not true, he however appreciates the fact that every individual has a right to pursue his political dreams, as he deems most appropriate.

“It is however regrettable that Engr. Ikuru has chosen the dishonourable path of bare-faced lies retracing his steps to and name calling rather than the more honourable path of simply retracing his steps to where he has always been.”

Also, Ikanya, who   described Ikuru as a mole in the APC, said he was not surprised by his defection.

He said, “Ikuru is the deputy governor of Rivers State, but from inception, we never believed that he was in the APC. After Amaechi declared for APC with other governors, it took quite a while before Ikuru could identify with the APC.

“There is no effect at all. Such an unstable character in politics cannot have supporters. Ikuru is first cousin of the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus and there is no way Ikuru can confront Secondus at the polls,” he added.

Ikuru is extremely disloyal –APC

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, described the deputy governor as extremely disloyal and ungrateful.

Mohammed, in a telephone interview with The PUNCH, in Abuja, said Ikuru’s defection on Sunday was not the first time he was engaging in an act of betrayal.

He   said, “When Amaechi recovered his mandate, he did not pay Ikuru back for the betraying him even when he learnt that Ikuru was already packing out of his office, Amaechi showed that magnanimity.

“In 2011 when Amaechi had the opportunity to drop him but he did not. So, today, because he was not given the party ticket, he decided to leave.

“He is a light weight. Why is it even a story when the deputy governor of Niger State joined us and several others joined us from the other party, we did not make an issue out of it. This is none issue.”

PDP hails defection

The PDP   Campaign Organisation     described Ikuru’s defection as a welcome development and   urged other leaders of the APC   to   do the same.

The PDPPCO, through its Director of Media and Publicity, Femi Fani-Kayode, said in a statement   in Abuja that the PDP was happy to receive Ikuru back into its family.

It said, “We are glad to hear about the return of the deputy governor of Rivers State, Ikuru, to the PDP family. This is   a deeply courageous step and we welcome with open arms.

“We encourage other key leaders of the APC to abandon the ranks of the doomed and to join the PDP. We urge them to see the light and retrace their steps in the same way that the deputy governor of Rivers state has done.

“The defection of the deputy governor at this critical time represents a deep and grievous spiritual wound on the APC. They are falling apart at the seams and they are crumbling.”

Jonathan deserves praise for giving OPC contract –Gani Adams

Gani Adams

The National Coordinator of a Yoruba group, Odua Peoples Congress, Gani Adams, says President Goodluck Jonathan deserves praise from members of the All Progressives Congress for approving a contract for the OPC to protect pipelines across the South-West.

Adams said the contract would provide at least 5,000 jobs for his boys and 10,000 jobs for other youths in the South-West.

He said this while reacting to the allegation by the APC that Jonathan bribed ethnic militias with N9bn to scuttle the elections.

Adams, who came under fire for leading thousands of youths to protest against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, in Lagos last Monday, said supporting Jonathan was in the interest of the Yoruba nation.

He said the APC should be commending Jonathan for approving contracts for the OPC because only the Niger-Delta militants were benefitting from the oil money before now.

He said, “The allegation is that the Federal Government gave us a contract: Pipeline security. What is the security of pipeline to the OPC? We have been running this organisation without getting a dime from any government but most of the security agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting the pipelines have failed; people were dying every day.

“Nigeria was losing more than N3bn everyday to the activities of the vandals and the agitation of that contract started from Dr. Fredrick Fasehun one and a half years ago and you know the bureaucracy of Nigerian ministries. It was a long process and it was just granted and it will empower nothing less than 5,000 youths from my side.

“Altogether, that is about 15,000 jobs for Yoruba land. Will you deny Yoruba youths the opportunity of getting 15,000 jobs because of politics?”

Adams said the APC was only being hypocritical because most of its leaders had oil licences. He said the major reason they were against Jonathan was because their licences were due to expire in September and they feared he would not renew the contracts.

Don’t be afraid of jail, Buhari’s wife tells Patience Jonathan

Patience Jonathan; Aishat Buhari

AISHAT Buhari, wife of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has told President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience, not to have the fear of going to jail if Buhari emerged winner in the forthcoming March 28 presidential poll.

The APC presidential candidate’s wife, who said the country had long suffered bad governance, said her husband would not have time to witchhunt anybody.

Aishat, who spoke on Thursday in Benin, the Edo State capital, where she interacted with women in the state, was reacting to statements credited to Patience that Buhari would jail women if elected as President.

“For those that are campaigning, saying that he (Buhari) is coming to jail Nigerians, I don’t know what their fear is.

“But they shouldn’t be afraid because we are all yearning for change.

“The insecurity in the country, the very poor healthcare system, lack of education and other basic necessities that people are lacking, I believe Nigerians need somebody like General Muhammadu Buhari now.

“Already, they have painted him black, using religion.

“I’m happy today that Nigerians realise that they use religion as a cover to loot Nigeria,” Aishat said.

She added, “In each zone of the country, we have peculiar problems; our problems differ. For me, in this zone, girl-child trafficking should be considered (as) one of our problems, though I know that there is unemployment. Unemployment is a major factor that contributes to brain-drain and also the girl-child trafficking.

“Buhari is a leader. He was a leader; he led Nigeria some decades ago and he is coming back now to sanitise the system.”

While urging women to uphold and not sell their Permanent Voter Cards but to use them to vote for a new Nigeria, she however assured the people that her husband’s administration would uphold the development of the girl-child, if elected.

“I am here today to say that when my husband is elected into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, all these are going to be history. The insecurity, girl-child trafficking, suffering of the widows in the South-East will; all of them will come to an end.”

There must be a cultural design to accommodate the widows; a design that will make the girl-child to be comfortable wherever she is in this country.

“The collection of PVCs is also important. Don’t ever sell it; it is like selling your future again. When you sell it for N5, 000, you won’t see N5, 000 till after four years, which is too bad for you. Get your PVC, vote for the APC. Vote for freedom, good education, good healthcare, good road and all the basic necessities should be given to you. Thank you, so much for waiting in the sun for hours to see me; I love you all,” Mrs. Buhari said.

Also speaking, Governor Oshiomhole stressed that the party desired to deliver quality development and achieve success in the various sectors of the country, especially in the area education and job creation, as it had done in the state. He noted that the party was known for “workable projects” rather than “symbolic projects.”

US VP phones Jonathan, backs card reader for elections

US Vice President Joe Biden

The United States government has thrown its weight behind the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the Permanent Voter Cards and the smart card readers in the March 28 and April 11 elections.

The introduction of the PVC and the SCR for use in the 2015 general elections has been a subject of hot debate and litigation in the country.

The American government conveyed its approval of the card readers through Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Biden spoke with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and the presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on the forthcoming election, a statement on Thursday by the US embassy in Nigeria indicated.

The US Vice President commended President Jonathan and Buhari for signing the Abuja Peace Accord in mid-January, describing it as a show of their commitment to non-violence throughout the election process.

The statement read in part, “The Vice President further expressed the United States’ support for the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission and its work to deliver free, fair, and credible elections, in part through its essential efforts to distribute Permanent Voter Cards and help ensure that electronic voter card readers are in place and fully operational.”

Biden also registered his concern on the violence recorded during some recent election-related events and re-emphasised the need for both presidential candidates to make clear that such violence had no place in a democratic process.

The US vice president stated further that the American government would stand with the Nigerian people in support of credible and peaceful elections, and would continue to stand with the Nigerian people whatever the outcome of the presidential poll.

Power grabbers want to truncate Nigeria’s democracy –Soyinka

Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has raised the alarm that “illegal, sinister and power-grabbers” are bent on scuttling the country’s current democratic process.

The power-grabbers, according to him, are the ones pushing for the imposition of interim government on the country.

He said during an interview with SaharaTV, a United States-based online broadcast station operated by SaharaReporters, that what he was sure of, was that President Goodluck Jonathan knew such people.

The 80-year-old playwright, who on   Wednesday told a German radio station, Deutsche Welle, that he feared there were “clear indications of a military intervention,” said with the current political situation     and the insurgency in the North-East, Nigeria was facing its most dangerous period.

He said in spite of the challenges, what bothered him most, was the plot by some people to take over the rein of the country illegally.

Soyinka said, “This is what bothers me deeply: There are people who see this as an opportunity for their own political and sinister activities in the country.                        Therefore, we are not even united against the dangerous enemy of the country. The elections themselves are being used as an opportunity of sowing bitter seed of discord and for power-grabbing.

“It is now an established fact that there had been moves towards scuttling the democratic process by instituting a so-called interim government. But the proof is there of some participants in meetings for the formation of an interim government. Why form an interim government when there is an electoral process?

The Nobel laureate stated that he spoke personally with the President to ascertain his involvement in the plot to foist an interim government on Nigerians.

“I went to President Jonathan and I asked him, and he was to all appearances outraged by the very suggestion. I remember he used an expression, ‘If such a thing is going on it is outside my wish or my will. After I have been elected by the entire nation, isn’t being the head of an interim government a demotion and an undignifying position?’” Soyinka said.

“Maybe there are forces in operation in this nation during this very critical period about which he knows of that is the answer which I could make and it is up to him to sort himself out in contending with these illegal forces,” the literary icon said.

Soyinka therefore called on Nigerians not to be complacent about the current political situation in the country.

He said, “I believe that these elections, going by his (Jonathan) body language… it is very difficult to penetrate truthfully and deeply into the minds of politicians… going by his body language, I think Jonathan has no intention of scuttling the elections.

“In other words, the elections would take place but what kind of elections would we have? And what might be the aftermath of the elections? He has repeatedly said, ‘I’m going back to Otuoke if I lose the election.’ I just hope we don’t wake up one day with our complacent attitude and find out that we, as a people, have been overthrown by very sinister, illegal and useless forces.”

He had told Deutsche Welle on Wednesday   that   “ex-military officers and security officers were trying to push aside the political contestants and use the unrest (in the North-East) as an excuse to establish an interim government.

Soyinka explained that “the nature of the interim government wants to pretend it’s not really a military intervention.”

He   added that   “a few political leaders, well-known civilians, want to give the veneer of civilian structure, but basically it’s a kind of political intervention.”

The Nobel laureate, who stated that Nigeria “is aspiring very hard to become a failed state,” also lamented the increasingly aggressive direction the election campaign in Nigeria was taking.

Soyinka told DW that while he doesn’t support the opposition’s move to file criminal charges against Mrs. Patience Jonathan at the International Criminal Court, her comments should be checked.

More PDP members will join us soon – APC

National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed

The All Progressives Congress says a large number of Peoples Democratic Party members in Kebbi, Niger and some North-Central states will defect to the APC within the next four days.

The Conference of State Publicity Secretaries of the APC said this during the second state publicity secretaries summit in Lagos on Thursday.

At the event themed, ‘Ready for Change,’ several publicity secretaries gave an insight into how elections would be won in their respective states.

The Kebbi State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Sanni Dododo, who spoke on happenings in Niger and his state, said, “In Niger State, the governor did not perform so his deputy came with some advisers and members of the PDP to our party and they hatched a plan. Some decided to stay in the PDP but by next week, you will see many of them will join the APC.

“So the issue is that Niger State is 90 per cent of APC.

“In Kebbi, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, Chief Whip and Deputy Whip and nine others in the House of Assembly have joined the APC from the PDP. Five commissioners and local government chairmen have joined us. So North-West and most parts of North-Central are now speaking with one voice. Because of some strong governors like Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State who are giving us support we are spreading. So we will deliver during the elections.”

APC publicity secretary in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the violent protest organised by the Odua Peoples Congress in support of President Goodluck Jonathan had backfired.

I can never forgive Buhari, says Adebanjo

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Ayo Adebanjo

Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, says he can never forgive the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), because of the sins he committed against Yoruba leaders while he was head of state between December 1983 and August 1985.

The 87-year-old, who was a close associate of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, said Buhari locked up all the Yoruba governors after overthrowing the Shehu Shagari government.

Adebanjo said this at a post-National Conference in Lagos titled, ‘Into tomorrow and beyond’ on Thursday.

He said, “Back then, Awolowo warned Shagari that his government would soon hit the rock if he did not put things in order. Shortly after, in December 1983, Buhari overthrew the government but the man that was speaking against Shagari (Awolowo), was harrassed by Buhari.

“Buhari picked up all the Yoruba governors: Adekunle Ajasin (Ondo State); Olabisi Onabanjo (Ogun) and others, who were true progressives and locked them up.

“Somebody said I am a Christian and I should forgive Buhari but I said I cannot forgive such. Ajasin’s children say they have forgiven Buhari but I am not in their party, I can’t forgive him.”

Adebanjo said the North was against the implementation of the resolutions of the confab because the region was enjoying the system which is unfavourable to southern Nigeria.

He, therefore, urged Yoruba to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan next week as he had promised to implement the report of the confab.

He also dismissed claims that he and other Afenifere leaders had been bribed by Jonathan.

He said, “I am saying vote Jonathan not because he is Ijaw or from the South-South. No northerner will convoke a national conference because everything we are talking of that has been unfavourable to the South; they (North) are the beneficiaries.”

Afenifere’s endorsement of Jonathan wrong –Akinrinade

Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd.)

A former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alani Akinrinade, says the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, is wrong.

He said while members of the organisation might have their political leanings, it was wrong for some Yoruba leaders to use the platform to canvass for votes for a particular candidate.

Akinrinade, who was a Chief of Army Staff before becoming a CDS, told our correspondent in an interview on Tuesday that the meeting of the Yoruba Assembly, which holds in Ibadan on Thursday, would sensitise people of the South-West on what to do at the forthcoming elections.

He said the Yoruba agenda brought before the National Conference failed.

The general also faulted the pro-Jonathan Yoruba leaders who said that the implementation of the report would benefit the people.

He noted that the recommendations of the confab were below Yoruba’s target and wondered why the leaders would base their endorsement on that.

He said, “When the Yoruba sent their delegates, the cardinal points that can make a federation were practically not given to us. I can assure you, we missed all the targets. It will be preposterous of us now to expect that by the time that report is executed, we will end up with true federalism.

“We want to set the record straight that there are major things that have to be done before we can have a true federalism. It cannot be done by one President alone. Unless you change the rule now, you will need all the national and state assemblies to agree with you.”

He said Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, who has been holding several post-confab conferences, was only pushing the agenda of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He said, “By the look of things, it appears that they (Afenifere) were set up principally to canvass votes for Jonathan so that he might execute all the decisions reached at the last national confab.

“The argument was that he (Jonathan) was the one who convened the confab and that is the reason why he should go back there and execute the report of the confab.

“Obviously, it is being led by Governor Olusegun Mimiko and he is a PDP man. The kind of things that came out as the outcome (of their meetings) is an orchestration. You endorsed in a multi-party state and you’re expecting Yoruba to endorse one man in a party. That seems to be the purpose.”

Akinrinade wondered why Jonathan had not implemented at least one of the recommendations of the confab over six months after the conference was held and yet the issue was being used to drum support for the President.

Missing $20bn issue not adequately addressed – Sanusi

Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and   the current Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, says the issues surrounding the missing $20bn oil money have not been adequately addressed by the Federal Government.

Sanusi, who is now known as Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, had last year raised the alarm about missing $20bn but was removed shortly after by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Federal Government later hired an international audit firm, Pricewaterhousecoopers, to audit the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The PWC   report stated that NNPC must remit $1.48bn to the Federation Account.

However, Sanusi, said during an interview with Christiane Amanpour on   the Cable News Network on Wednesday, that the level of corruption in the oil sector was still high.

He said for instance, no one had accounted for the billions of dollars paid in kerosene subsidy which was not approved by the National Assembly.

Sanusi added   that Nigeria’s economic crisis caused by the fall in   oil prices, the stock market crash and the devaluation of the naira, was due to   the mismanagement of oil funds.

He said, “My position in the Central Bank was that there was always this gap of $20bn after reconciliation between what the NNPC exported and what it deposited into the Federation Account.   I raised a number of issues that I think have not yet been discussed and addressed sufficiently.

“One of them is the billions of dollars being paid in kerosene subsidies without appropriation by the National Assembly and against a presidential order and we don’t know who authorised those payments and yet no one has owned up to say I authorised the payments, I made a mistake. It must stop. I think those issues need to be addressed and until we address them and begin to close all the loopholes in government revenues, we are going to continue to create opportunity for the destruction of the economy.

“It could be $20bn at the end of the day. After reconciliation it could amount to $14(bn) or $12(bn) and I think these issues reflect unconstitutional and illegal withholding of revenues from the Federation Account.

“The country is paying the price today; oil prices have crashed, the currency has been devalued, the stock market has collapsed, government revenues are in a very bad shape. Whoever wins, whether this government or the opposition, will have to deal with these issues. The petroleum sector is a major drain on the resources of the country and this has to be looked at.”

Sanusi, who said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was right to say that corruption was killing Nigeria, added that Nigeria must stop living in denial.

The Emir praised the military for its recent successes in the fight against terrorism, saying Boko Haram would have been curtailed if the anti-terror war had started a long time ago.

Reacting to a question about threats by Boko Haram to kill him, Sanusi said, “If I had a way of knowing that if Boko Haram took my life, they would stop killing people in Nigeria, I would give my life. I have nothing else to aspire to, I have achieved.

I think the important thing is for every Muslim leader to speak up.”

TMG cautions OPC, MASSOB on protests

Gani Adams

The Transition Monitoring Group on Wednesday cautioned the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and the Odua Peoples Congress over their recent protests in the country.

The TMG, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Ibrahim   Zikirullahi, expressed concerns that the two ethnic militias were disrupting peace and inciting violence in the process of airing their grievances on national issues.

The group also slammed security agencies such as the police for not taking action against unrest, saying security agencies connived with the protesters.

It maintained that although the TMG was not opposed to protest as a tool for drawing attention to issues, the manner in which the OPC and MASSOB have conducted themselves so far “was anti-democracy.”

The TMG said, “If the intemperate and disruptive manner these unlawful and proscribed ethnic champions have gone about their sponsored protests is anything to go by, it is apparent that some interests will not rest until they turn the whole electoral architecture into rubbles.

“With this level of unbelievable desperation, there is no doubt that there are some elements in the political terrain that are mortally afraid of the reforms, such as the   card reader, that have been instituted by INEC to guarantee a freer and fairer electoral process in Nigeria.

“It is these unpatriotic groups that are now being used to attempt to discredit INEC and the entire electoral process. It is bewildering that some Nigerians, who should be interested in the stability and well-being of their country, are actively conniving with power mongers in the government to undermine the electoral system.

“We are not under any illusion that these ethnic militias, which used to be on the fringes, are acting on their own. It is clear to us that these patently subversive activities aimed at truncating the electoral process are well funded.”

Buhari’ll restore hope to Nigeria, says Utomi

Professor Pat Utomi

Renowned Political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has urged Igbos and Nigerians at large to vote for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), whom he said would restore hope to Nigeria.

Utomi, who is a founding member of the Ndigbo Lagos group, said Igbos have been branded as people who sell their votes to the highest bidder. He, therefore, urged the people of the South-East to vote wisely in order to shed this reputation.

Utomi said this during the unveiling of a Pan-Igbo group, Igboekulie, in Lagos on Wednesday.

While fielding questions from journalists at the event, he said Buhari’s ascendancy can be likened to what happened in the United States in 1981 when the Americans were disenchanted with the Jimmy Carter administration with inflation as high as 29 per cent.

He added that it took the oldest man to run for Presidency in the United States, Ronald Reagan, to turn things around and revive the American spirit.

He said, “I think Nigerians don’t have any alternative in the person of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. I refer to him from my writings as the Buhari ascendancy. That reminds me of what happened in the US when I lived there with President Ronald Reagan.”

“We had one wonderful, nice guy called Jimmy Carter as President. Things went so awfully wrong. Inflation was 29 per cent.”

‘We swore oath not to attend anti-Jega rally’

Gani Adams

Members of the Oodua Peoples Congress in Ekiti State have said they swore to an oath not to attend the protest organised against the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, in Lagos, on Monday.

The Lagos rally was organised by the OPC National Coordinator, Gani Adams, who has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for the March 28 presidential poll.

The Ekiti OPC members said they shunned the rally to protest the neglect of their leader, Niyi Adedipe, also known as Apase, who has been remanded in Ado Ekiti prisons.

Ekiti Deputy Coordinator of OPC, Olowo Oladele, said its members were angry with Adams for attempting to coerce them into his personal agenda without supporting Adedipe in his trying times.

“In fact, we all entered into an oath that nobody should attend the Gani Adams rally in Lagos even if they offer us N1 million each because the freedom of Apase who is an innocent man is very important to us,” he said.

Lateef said, “All the 16 local government coordinators, in solidarity with Apase, decided to stay away from the anti-Jega rally.

“We dissociated ourselves from the anti-Jega rally because we don’t want to lose focus of why OPC was established, which was to protect the interests of the Yoruba anywhere in the world.

“OPC is for Yoruba interest and not for somebody’s personal interests. That is our stand and we have no apology for that. Our members are not interested in any pipeline contract or any filthy lucre for that matter.

“What we are interested in is how our leader, Apase, will be released from prison because we strongly believe that he did not commit the offence for which he is being remanded.”

Cleaner gets N7,200 salary increment for returning N12m

Josephine Ugwu

Josephine Ugwu, the airport cleaner who returned a passenger’s luggage containing local and foreign currencies to the tune of N12m has been rewarded with a N7,200 salary increment.

Ugwu, who works for Patovilki Cleaning Services, a concessionaire engaged by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to keep the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos clean, was on a monthly salary of N7,800 before the incident.

The National Diploma graduate of Our Saviour Institute of Science, Agriculture and Technology, Enugu, now enjoys a N7,200 salary increment, bringing her new salary to N15,000.

During a visit to the airport on Monday, PUNCH Metro interacted with Ugwu’s colleagues who expressed disappointment that such act of uncommon integrity was not noticed by the government.

They argued that a society that was quick to mete out punishment to offenders should also be quick to reward exemplary behaviour.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of Ugwu’s colleagues lamented that the government did not have a culture of rewarding and encouraging exemplary behaviour.

She said, “Some people have abused her and called her a fool for returning the bag. It now looks as if what she did was wrong. Most people will not be motivated to follow her lead when faced with similar situation. The government should have, at least, sent her a commendation letter for what she did.” Another colleague, identified simply as Faith, also expressed disappointment. She said Ugwu had returned passengers’ luggage with money in them for a record third time and all three had gone unnoticed.

She said, “Twice in December 2014, she returned passengers’ luggage with huge sums of money in them.

“One contained about N600,000 and the other had close to N2m. if it were to be a case of stealing and she was caught, I am sure the government would have been quick to send her to jail.”

Ugwu, however, said she had no regrets for what she did, but would not mind being compensated.

She said, “I believe that a good name is better than riches. This incident has taken my name far and wide and I am happy that it is for a good cause. God’s reward is the ultimate, but if the government will give me a proper job as promised, I will be happy.

“My company on its part has tried and I am grateful for the management’s action. My salary has been increased and I have also been promoted.”

Mrs. Eunice Anumudu, Ugwu’s supervisor at the airport, praised her integrity and uprightness, saying that Ugwu had become a role model, not only for her colleagues, but for all Nigerians.

“What she did is worthy of emulation. Many people in her shoes would have done otherwise. She is a role model to her colleagues and to all Nigerians. I will be happy if the government can do something to encourage her,” she said.

FG slashes electricity tariff by 50%

Chairman, NERC, Dr Sam Amadi

The Federal Government on Tuesday announced a reduction in electricity tariffs by 50 per cent.

It explained that the reduction which came barely two months after it cut the pump price of petrol by N10,   followed a series of complaints by electricity consumers.

The government through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission added that it took the decision after it removed the collection loss component of the Multi Year Tariff Order 2.1 of the affected Discos.

NERC Chairman,   Sam Amadi, said the addition of the Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection losses to the reviewed tariff that was implemented on January 1, 2015 was responsible for the skyrocketed tariff.

The addition, according to him, was done after the regulatory commission conducted a fact-finding tour of the Discos and noted that it was aimed at ensuring a cost reflective tariff by passing the bulk to ‘‘paying’’ consumers for losses incurred from ‘‘non-paying’’ consumers.

He said although the increment in residential tariff was pending till June 2015, the total removal of the collection loss applied to all consumer categories, including industrial and commercial consumers.

Energy charges vary from one Disco to another. In Abuja for instance, residential consumers, based on the MYTO 2.1, pay N4 per kilowatt hour, while the amount charged commercial customers, depending on their respective category, range from N23.32 to N37.68 per KWH.

Fixed charges for most residential consumers is between N650 and N750 while energy charge has an average of about N4 for every KWH.

With the new directive, it therefore means that the energy charge, which forms the larger part of the tariff paid by customers when computed by Discos, will be reduced by half.

Nigeria has 11 Discos   that   distribute power to consumers.

Amadi said the commission listened to consumers and took full account of the impact of high tariff paid by consumers and the   economy and therefore reviewed the basis of the MYTO 2.1 assumptions.

He explained that after the review, it was agreed that it was inappropriate to transfer the collection losses that were controllable by Discos to consumers.

The NERC chief said, “It is the responsibility of the Discos to collect their revenue from their customers. Failure to do so should not be a penalty to customers who pay their bills. It is clear that removing the collection losses will lead to lower tariffs for consumers.

“The removal of collection losses from customer tariff has reduced tariff by more than 50 per cent in some places. Please note that the reduction does not affect the Central Bank of Nigeria facility and its repayment.”

Since January 1, 2015 when NERC approved the MYTO 2.1, there had been several complaints against the increase in tariff of different consumer classes.

Industrial and commercial consumers under the auspices of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria petitioned the commission asking for a review of the MYTO 2.1 and requested drastic reduction of their tariff.

MAN had stated that such astronomical increase in tariff was capable of killing their business and leading to massive job losses.

The association also threatened to shut down its factories if NERC failed to revert to the rate that was obtainable before the announcement of   the “astronomical increase” which took effect on January 1, 2015.

Amadi explained that the Electric Power Sector Reform Act and the Business Rules of the commission mandated NERC to review its decision if a complaint by an interested party has a merit.

He added that pursuant to these rules, the commission organised public hearing and received evidence from consumer classes on the affordability of the new tariff.

He said, “The commission also invited the chief executive officers of the Discos to the hearing to respond to the case of the consumer groups. Furthermore, the commission reviewed the technical and financial assumption of MYTO 2.1.

“The review shows that the major underlying cause of the skyrocketing increase in the tariff is the huge ATC&C losses, which are passed through to consumers. In some Discos, ATC&C losses increased tariff by as much as 80 to 103 per cent.

“Therefore, on Monday, March 9, 2015 the commission issued a new order to the effect that henceforth collection loss, which is defined as the ‘amount billed but not collected’, will not be automatically passed on to consumers of electricity.

“Consequently, the collection loss for all Discos is set at zero. It is now the responsibility of Discos to convince the regulator of any exceptional circumstances for such loss to be passed to the consumers.”

The NERC boss added that the new direction came as part of the commencement of the Transitional Electricity Market.

TEM is built on bilateral trading between parties and is geared towards ensuring an efficient market where cost reflectivity will lead to more affordable electric services for consumers.

Amadi further explained that as part of preparations for TEM, NERC had issued a tariff review regulation that required the utilities to consult with relevant consumer classes before presenting a tariff review application to the commission for approval.

I trust Buhari but doubt his environment – Bakare

Pastor Tunde Bakare

The General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Tuesday said that he trusted the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) but not the credibility of “his environment”.

“Yes I trust Buhari and this is because I have worked closely with him but I doubt his environment. The Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, which one is really clean? Only God can give us true leaders,” Bakare said.

The pastor spoke while addressing Christians at the annual Lenten lecture of the Island Club in Lagos.

“I believe in contact without contamination,” he said.

Bakare, who was the running mate of Buhari on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change in the 2011 presidential election, said he was not a politician but a nation-builder.

He said, “If General Buhari wins, let President Goodluck Jonathan accept defeat. Whoever loses is not a loser and if the winner is President Goodluck Jonathan, Buhari should accept this as the will of God.

“The 2015 election is a serious crossroad and we might be playing with fire but with wisdom and prayer, we shall end well.

“ I am not a politician; I am not a PDP nor APC member. I am a nation-builder. Whoever I support is not the issue, God’s will must prevail. My loyalty is first to God and to my country but God knows Nigeria’s next president.”

Speaking on fasting, he urged Christians in the country to examine the true spirit behind the Lenten fast, saying fasting was not an antidote to problems but an opportunity to submit to the will of God.

The pastor attributed the wrong attitude of Christians to fasting to biblical illiteracy, saying that true fasting ordained by God was explained in Isaiah 58, highlighting the need to help the poor and be led by God to observe it.