Imo: Don’t allow Okorocha collect Paris Club refund from Buhari govt – Group tells Ihedioha

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Imo: Don’t allow Okorocha collect Paris Club refund from Buhari govt – Group tells Ihedioha

The Imo Charter Forum, ICF, has urged the state’s incoming governor, Emeka Ihedioha to ensure that the balance of Paris Club refund due for the state is not released to the outgoing governor, Rochas Okorocha, whose tenure comes to an end in less than two weeks.

The supervising Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed had last week, on Thursday in Abuja, stated that states yet to collect their balance of the Paris Club debts refunds would soon be paid.

She had said about N649.434 billion has been released for the final phase of the Paris Club debts refunds, adding that the total sum was verified by the Ministry as the outstanding balance to be paid to the state governments.

The Minister assured that states with outstanding balances of the refund would be paid in due course.

Reacting to the development, ICF in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Hon. Zebulon Nwariri, said while it welcomed the “announcement of the refunds with open arms, if the fund is released to the outgoing governors, they would find excuses to spend it on frivolities or even divert it to private coffers.”

ICF an umbrella body of different associations and stakeholders on governance and welfare of Imo State, stated that the previous releases of such funds have not been duly accounted for by some of the governors.

The Forum stated that the “case of Okorocha was peculiar, as the state under his rule presently owes workers and pensioners, several month salaries and pensions, the same with local contractors who executed jobs but have not been paid despite many of such Paris Club refunds and huge internally generated revenue.”

ICF urged the Federal Government to “wait for the incoming governors to be inaugurated so that the money would serve as their take-off grant, in view of the fact that many of them would be inheriting empty treasuries from the out-going ones.”

The statement reads: “We welcome the news by the Federal Government that the last tranche of Paris Club refund has been released. For us, this would serve as take-off grant for some of the incoming governors, most of who would be inheriting empty treasuries from the out-going governors.

“The case of Imo state is peculiar because Governor Rochas Okorocha has no respect for accountability and due process with finances and has always seen the money belonging to Imo State as his personal resource.

“The Federal Government may need to be reminded that Rochas is owing workers over six months of unpaid salaries, the same with pensioners and contractors. This is in spite of the fact the state rakes in much revenue from internal revenue streams, in addition to the huge releases in the past from the same Paris Club refunds.

“We, therefore, urge the incoming governor, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to do whatever is legally possible to safeguard Imo State’s share of the latest refunds by making sure that the money is not released to Rochas before he lives office in a few days from now. He must ensure that the money does not go into the hands of out-going governor Rochas Okorocha as they say that prevention is better than cure.”

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Nigerian Immigration Service commences issuance of new passport with 10-year validity

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Nigerian Immigration Service commences issuance of new passport with 10-year validity

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The Nigeria Immigration Service has commenced the issuance of the new passport booklet with 10-year validity at its headquarters, Abuja.  

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The new booklet will be available in Ikoyi on June 3; Alausa, Lagos on July 8; and London on July 29, 2019. The enhanced polycarbonate booklet with 64 pages, which was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 15, 2019, was embedded with the National Identity Number and costs N70,000.  

Conducting journalists round the passport office in Abuja on Monday, the NIS Public Relations Officer, DCI Sunday James, said the new booklet was part of a comprehensive passport reform approved by the Federal Government to improve the quality and security of the travel document as well as to reduce incidence of damage, counterfeit, and forgery.  

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He explained that it was compulsory for passport applicants to have a NIN, adding that the NIS management had set up a desk at the passport office where individuals can register for the NIN.  James stated, “the National Identity Number is compulsory for all applicants to the new document. To make it easy for applicants, the Nigeria Immigration Service has provided space for National Identity Management Commission at the service headquarters, Abuja, to register applicants and issue to them the NIN. The public are advised not to rush for the new booklet, as the new enhanced passport will run concurrently with the old one.” 

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The NIS spokesman further said that applicants holding a passport with more than six months’ validity are not eligible for the new booklet, except in the case of damage, change of data and those whose booklets have been exhausted. He advised applicants to pay online or directly to the banks situated within the passport offices.

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BREAKING NEWS Nigerian Federal Government Set To Resell Yola Electricity, Afam Power

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Nigerian Federal Government  Set To Resell Yola Electricity, Afam Power Plc

The Federal Government is set to put up two key power firms, Yola Electricity Distribution Company and Afam Power Plc, for sale to new core investors.

This would be the second time the government would be selling the Yola Disco, which covers Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba States.

It was also learnt that the first core investor in the Yola Disco, Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, had yet to be paid back the $146.8m it invested for 51 per cent stake in the firm, three years after it exited through the declaration of force majeure.

The Head of Public Communications, BPE, Amina Othman, told Punch that both the Yola Disco and Afam Power Plc were up for sale to new core investors.

According to her, the privatisation agency is in the process of obtaining approval from the National Council on Privatisation for the appointment of transaction advisers who will be responsible for offering advisory services towards the sale of the electricity companies.

She said, “We are at the stage of obtaining approval for the engagement of advisers for both transactions (Yola Disco and Afam Power Plc).

“On the payment to the former investor in the Yola Disco, Integrated Energy and Distribution Marketing Company, the former investor is yet to be paid.”

Following difficulty in running the Yola Disco due to activities of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, Integrated Energy and Distribution Marketing Company had asked the government to buy back its 51 per cent stake in the firm.

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BREAKING NEWS Boko Haram: Bama Women Writes Buhari, Request The Release Of Detained Suspects

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Boko Haram: Bama Women Writes Buhari, Request The Release Of Detained Suspects

A group of women from Bama Local Government Area of Borno State has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Nigerian military to free their relatives who had been detained since 2015 on the suspicion of being members of Boko Haram.

In an open letter addressed to the President, the women, under the aegis of Knifar Movement, said they had done everything to convince the military that their husbands were not insurgents.

The group, which said it had over 1,300 members currently living in IDP camps in Borno State, begged the President to help them reunite with “our 1,269 relatives who are detained by the military.”

“Our relatives – more than 1,269 men, women and children – were arrested between July and December 2015 and are still wrongly detained in Giwa military barracks and the Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison.

“Most of us are from Bama LGA; we were forced to leave our houses because of insurgency. Last year, we formed the Knifar Movement to ask for justice and the release of our relatives,” the group said in the open letter signed by Kellu Haruna and Fatima Babu.

“Your Excellency, we know that you are very busy and have serious issues to deal with, but we don’t know who to turn to anymore. That is why we respectfully ask for your assistance to intervene, so that our relatives could be released, considering the fact that they are not Boko Haram. They are innocent and were only caught up in the process.

“If the military has evidence that our relatives are Boko Haram members, they should present it to a court of law and charge them,” the letter further read.

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Herdsmen Killings: Buhari Promise To Restore Lasting Peace In Plateau

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Herdsmen Killings: Buhari Promise To Restore Lasting Peace In Plateau

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Plateau citizens of his administration’s commitment to support and assist the Peace-building Agency of the state government to end the cycle of violence that had bedeviled the state.

He said the state had taken steps leading to a foundation for sustainable peace, while enjoining other states of the Federation to emulate Plateau by setting up similar institutions.

Buhari, who is currently in Jos on a two-day working visit, where he commissioned some projects executed by the Governor of the state, Mr. Simon Bako Lalong and launched Plateau Peace Roadmap, also held a town hall meeting with stakeholders in the state.

“I have been monitoring the activities of the Plateau state Peace-Building Agency; I am indeed quite impressed with gains and successes recorded in the area of conflict management and peace-building , which has returned this state on the path of relative peace.

“As I formally endorse and launch the Plateau State Roadmap to Peace, let me express the Federal Government commitment to support and assist the Peace Building Agency in its effort to arrest the vicious cycle of violence and lay the foundation for sustainable peace,” he said.

Buhari also promised to look into the genuine request for the dualization and construction of the road from Abuja to Jos and the gateway extending to the North East, given the economic viability and conveniences.

He assured Lalong that he will look into his request for more slots for the state in Federal appointments so as to reflect federal character in line with his government’s determination to address the issues of marginalization in the spread of appointments and other privileges.

“The desire of the state to turn Riyom General Hospital to Trauma/Disaster Hospital is a genuine one in view of the location of Riyom as the gateway into the state capital from Abuja. I will direct the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Road Safety Corps to working close collaboration with the Plateau State Government towards the actualization of this project”, Buhari assured.

In his earlier address, Lalong narrated to the President that he met a dislocated state.

“When this administration came on board on 29th May 2015, the scenario in the state was that of despondency, despair and discomfort, as the citizens were groaning under varying degrees of adverse socio-political and economic conditions.

“The citizenry was even further plunged into life-threatening insecurity challenges with many lives lost and properties wantonly destroyed in the wake of crises and sporadic attacks.

“On the economic front this spectacle of instability had drastically affected the economic well-being of our enterprising women and youth group.

“For the common man, life was very challenging as the government then became helpless”, he lamented.

“Even more pathetic was the backlog of workers’ salaries as Civil Servants were owed arrears of eight (8) months salary, Teachers were owed seven (7) months and most pathetic too was unpaid Pensions of over twelve (12) months and thirteen (13) in some Local Governments.

“We also met a seriously demoralized Civil Service characterized by low performance and productivity due to neglect of staff welfare and training. This gloomy scenario was in the face of a staggering debt profile of over two hundred and twenty two billion Naira (N222,000,000,000), which we inherited. The prospects of getting out of these tragic spectacles at first looked almost impossible, were it not for our resilience and Mr. President’s timely interventions in critical areas of need”, he added.

According to the governor, the secret behind the success story of his administration, “lies in our vision, commitment, trust, painful sacrifice and judicious use of limited resources. It may also interest Mr. President to know that the 5-Pillar Policy Thrust of my administration has remained the Trojan horse on which we rode towards tackling the enormous developmental challenges confronting us in this state.

“These Policy Thrusts include Peace, Security and Good Governance; Human Capital Development and Social Welfare; Agriculture and Rural Development; Entrepreneurship and Industrialization, and Physical Infrastructure and Environment. These policy thrusts are targeted at meeting the peculiar developmental aspirations of the Plateau citizens, while taking into consideration contemporary economic challenges and our new normal in the areas of Agriculture, Mining and Tourism”.

However, a Christian group under the aegis of Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association (ACIPA) has condemned the re-naming of Mararaban Jama’a – Bukuru road after President Muhammadu Buhari by Lalong.

Lalong had on Thursday re-named the newly constructed road after the President, who commissioned it and other projects.

The group in a press statement signed by Reverend Luke Shehu, rejected the re-naming, describing it as “obvious blunder of Governor Lalong in a desperate effort to please the Grand patron of Fulani, flag bearer of Danfodio Jihad and the recently coronated Bayajidda. Not only did Lalong mischievously claim credit for Jang’s PDP projects, Lalong has just re-named the Mararaban Jama’a to Bukuru express way after Muhammadu Buhari.

“Lalong does not know the relevance of Mararaban Jama’a road as a gateway to Jos.”

“The entire Plateau people must arise and protect our collective heritage and value before the hangman’s noose is pulled under our very eyes”, he stressed.

Aside from the Mararaban Jama’a road, the President also commissioned Secretariat Junction Flyover and Miango Road before proceeding to the Gbong Gwom palace where he met with the state traditional council.

It was, however, gathered that most of the projects were commenced by the past Governor of the state, Jonah David Jang, but completed by Lalong.

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BREAKING NEWS 2019 Election: Imo APC Unhappy With Okorocha's Family Politics, Petitions Buhari, Oyegun

BREAKING NEWS

2019 Election: Imo APC Unhappy With Okorocha's Family Politics, Petitions Buhari, Oyegun

 

An All Progressives Congress, APC, group in Imo State under the aegis of the Imo APC Restoration Coalition, has reported Governor Rochas Okorocha to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun.

It called on Buhari and Oyegun to call Okorocha to order.

The coalition warned that with the way Okorocha was handling his succession plan, the APC may be heading for a shameful and colossal failure in the state in the 2019 elections.

It alleged that the endorsement of the son-in-law of the governor was being obtained through blackmail and coercion.

In a communique issued yesterday at the end of its meeting held at the country home of Dr. T.O.E Ekechi, former presidential campaign director on Planning and Strategy, in Imerienwe, and read by Dr. Ekechi on behalf of the coalition, the stakeholders said, “Having seen and witnessed contemptible, despicable and condemnable happenings in our great party in the state in recent times, we are convinced that unless urgent steps are taken to call certain people to order, the APC is headed for a shameful, abysmal and colossal failure in the 2019 elections.

“This will tragically cut across and, regrettably, affect the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and Houses of Assembly chances.

The coalition members expressed concern that “these endorsements are taking place in the hallowed orbit of the Imo State Government House under the watch of the governor.

“We are embarrassed because this theatre of the absurdity, as we have confirmed, has the full backing of Imo State Government as the person being endorsed, one Chief Uche Nwosu, his son-in-law, is also his serving Chief of Staff. As a matter of fact, this is an anomaly and points to a dangerous and destructive party politics of APC in Imo State.

“We, therefore, call our members to caution, as endorsements do not frankly reflect the true picture of Imo APC. We call on Governor Okorocha to act as a true unifier, a leader to ensure a level playing field for all APC aspirants in all positions.

“To that effect, we reject in its entirety, the endorsements of Nwosu as being currently carried out in our party. This is so, because, these leprous endorsements have the capacity and capability of truncating and dismantling the very cord that binds us together as family.”

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Lagos APC Against Oyegun Tenure Elongation, Petitions Buhari

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Lagos APC Against Oyegun Tenure Elongation, Petitions Buhari 

Sequel to its rejection of the tenure elongation approved for National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, the Lagos chapter of the party has resolved to petition President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter.

The leader of the APC in Lagos Central senatorial district, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, confirmed this yesterday.

Olusi said the Lagos chapter was prepared to register its displeasure with President Buhari and other appropriate organs of the party.

“The option available to us is that we are going to make representations to all organs of the party.

“We are going to talk with the national leadership, the national executive and President Buhari”, he told Thisday.

Olusi, who earlier faulted the tenure elongation,quoting Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution as amended which stipulates elections at interval and Article 17 of the APC constitution, which stipulates a four-year tenure for its national and state executives, said it amounts to depriving other aspirants to the post.

“The tenure elongation is against the constitution of Nigeria and the party. It is a means of depriving aspirants who want to aspire.

“We think we should allow democracy to thrive in the party,” he added.

Noting that APC leaders in Lagos unanimously rejected the elongation after receiving reports from the Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, Olusi however declares that the state was in support of the reconciliatory responsibility assigned to former Governor, Bola Tinubu.

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Benue Killings: Former Senate President, Mark, Speaks On The Killings In Benue State, Says Its Frustrating

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Benue Killings: Former Senate President, Mark, Speaks On The Killings In Benue State, Says Its Frustrating

 

Former Senate President, Senator David Mark, has reacted to the killing of about 26 natives of Omusu community in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State by assailants believed to be herdsmen.

In a statement, yesterday, by his Media Assistant, Paul Mumeh, Mark described as sad and frustrating, the killings in parts of Benue State despite repeated peace moves between the residents and the herdsmen in the state.

He condemned the unwarranted killings of innocent citizens, pointing out that the crisis was degenerating to something akin to “war without end,” defying all peaceful approaches.

He said: “I’m aware of various peace initiatives over the incessant clashes resulting to loss of lives and property. That the killings continue unabated is something beyond the ordinary.

“Let me once again appealed to the assailants to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign. Whichever side of the divide and whatever vocation you are engaged in, no progress can be made in a crisis-ridden environment.”

Mark, who bemoaned the degenerating cases of insecurity in the land, said, “From abduction of innocent school girls in Dapchi, numerous cases of kidnapping to outright terrorism against unsuspecting citizens, the situation is frustrating.

“We must all make concerted efforts to achieve peace in our communities. Our security agencies should rise up to the challenges and protect lives and property. Life is sacred and we must not take it for granted.”

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Benue Killings: Group Accuse Military Of Aiding Fulani Herdsmen

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Benue Killings: Group Accuse Military Of Aiding Fulani Herdsmen

The Independent Human Rights and Crime Monitoring Group, IHRCMG, has accused the military of encouraging the influx of cattle into Benue State.

The group said the military was aiding the herders to take over Benue communities by violating the Open Grazing Prohibition Law of the state.

Reeling out preliminary report on execution of Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatuma to end herdsmen incursions in Benue State, yesterday, in Makurdi, team leader of IHRCMG, Mr Solomon Adodo, regretted that the state had witnessed more killings, destruction of farmlands and houses despite the coming of the military.

According to the group, “Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatum is causing more harm than good to Benue communities. Rather than bringing peace and move people back to their ancestral homes, the military has been encouraging more herdsmen to move into Benue communities.

“The military encouraged herdsmen with a handbill, which they used at the launch of the exercise. They circulated the handbill misinforming the general public and giving a perspective that was not true.

“And Federal Government appears to be complicit in the Benue killings in all ramifications, the actions taken so far by the government does not show any political will to end the killings.

“We, therefore, recommend that the military should reassess its operations and sincerely help Benue to enforce the Open Grazing Prohibition Law of 2017.”

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BREAKING NEWS Stop Harassing My People - Umehi Warns Police IG

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Stop Harassing My People - Umehi Warns Police IG

Ebony​i Governor, David Umahi on Wednesday threatened to resist persistent arrests of some top government officials by security agencies in the state.

Umahi said ​the development ​was targeted at weakening his political structures and ambitions ahead of 2019 elections.

“If they come with 500 policemen, we will raise over 5000 men to resist them,” he ​warned.​

He made this known in Abakaliki when he received the new Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone 6, Calabar, AIG Tilli Abubakar who was on working visit to the state.

Umahi​ further​ condemned the attitude of transferring cases from the state to Abuja.

“If not my relationship with the IG, I would have taken police to court.

“How can police be coming to Abuja to harass our people? So you have to send a word to them. We will not entertain it.

“Otherwise, we will go to court and try it and then we will see. We will not accept intimidation”, he stressed.

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BREAKING NEWS President Buhari Will Start Paying Minimum Wage - Oshiomole Confirms

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President Buhari Will Start Paying Minimum Wage - Oshiomole Confirms

A former governor of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, says President Muhammadu Buhari is serious about implementation of a new minimum wage.

Oshiomhole buttressed that federal government will start paying the new wage by the third quarter of 2018.

He stressed that Buhari’s resolve is not a political gimmick to win the 2019 general elections.

Oshiomhole said there was already a case to review the wages prior to the election, adding that he was not bothered about when the implementation of the new minimum wage would start.

According to him, he is only bothered by the fact that some workers in some states are still not paid the current N18,000 minimum wage in use.

“As governor of Edo, I increased the minimum wage from N18,000 to N25,000 a month for the least paid worker”, he told NAN

“And I did that to dismiss and to close the debate whether a higher minimum wage is desirable.

“Rather than going to be giving a lecture on why a higher minimum wage is inevitable, I thought it is better to use my executive power to increase the minimum wage and to pay it.

“Not only did I pay it for as long as I was governor, my successor has continued to pay it.

“And Edo has continued to deliver on infrastructure and on its mandate to the admiration of its residents,’’ the former governor said.

 

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Benue Killings: Police Confirms 25 Dead In A Fresh Attack By Armed Fulani Herdsmen

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Benue Killings: Police Confirms 25 Dead In A Fresh Attack By Armed Fulani Herdsmen

 

The Police in Benue State have confirmed 25 people killed in the aftermath of attack on Omusu village in Edumoga community of Okpokpwu Local Government Area of the state.

State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, spoke to newsmen on Wednesday in Makurdi.

Owoseni explained that aside from the 24 people killed in the Idoma speaking Omusu village, a herder was also killed while another was missing.

He said four persons were under interrogation in connection with the killings.

Narrating the incident, he said some youths in Okpokwu had engaged some herdsmen in a fight.

Owosen explained that the fracas led to killing of some cows while two herdsmen were found missing.

According to him, a peace meeting was immediately initiated with the Chairman of Okpopkwu LGA, leaders of the Fulani community in the area, father of the two missing herders as well as the police.

The police commissioner revealed that while talking to their kinsmen which led to the attack on the rural Omusu village.

Owoseni who said four houses were burnt during the attack.

“The command would fish out the perpetrators by bringing them to justice and ensuring that they face the wrath of the law”, he vowed.

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2010 Independence Day Bombing: Suspects Charles Okah's Daughter Pleads On His Behalf

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2010 Independence Day Bombing: Suspects Charles Okah's Daughter Pleads On His Behalf

Daughter of the alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independent Day bombing, Charles Okah, Tarila has alleged that there is a judicial conspiracy to frustrate her father by ensuring his continuous stay in prison.

Appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon her father, Tarila claimed that there has been no compelling evidence against Okah over the last six years that he has spent at the Kuje Prison in Abuja.

In a letter to the President, she alleged that there is a deliberate plot to keep her father in prison, citing an instance when a member of the prosecuting team allegedly travelled abroad for his child’s convocation instead of appearing in court.

The letter reads in part, ”In a recent court sitting, a witness from the Department of State Security (DSS) who introduced himself as a ‘Crime Scene Investigator’ admitted that, “no evidence was collected at the crime scene.

“It is rather unfortunate that several court dates in the course of my father’s trial have been cancelled either because the presiding Trial Judge had a conference to attend or for other reasons that brings disrepute to the Nigerian justice system.

“For instance, the prosecutor Dr. Alex Izinyon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria failed to attend one of the trials on a date that had been agreed upon beforehand, instead choosing to attend his child’s graduation ceremony abroad.”

Tarila contended that her father is entitled to bail under the constitution having spent six years in detention.

Describing her father as a prisoner of conscience, Tarila urged the President not to limit his anti-grat war to financial crimes alone but extend his tentacles to other areas.

“Mr. President, in your determined quest to fight corruption in Nigeria, I believe that the concept of corruption should be expanded beyond financial crimes. We must also fight corruption in the system, and in this case, the judicial system. We have witnessed the speedy handling of cases involving high profile politicians, but a very sluggish process for others,” she said.

Recall that Okah was first arrested in connection with the 2010 Independent Day bombing on October 16, 2010 on suspicion of being the spokesman of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Jomo Gbomo.

Following his arrested Okah has been languishing in prison.

Also Justice Gabriel Kolawole of an Abuja Federal High Court had on two different occasions denied Okah bail.

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Senate President Condemns The Attack On Senator Ogembe, Says It's A Threat To Our Democracy

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Senate President Condemns The Attack On Senator Ogembe, Says It's A Threat To Our Democracy

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki on Wednesday condemned the lingering socio-political unrest in Kogi State especially the recent attack by suspected armed thugs on Sen. Ahmed Ogembe.

Recall that NAIJA VOICE reported that Senator Ogembe was attacked by suspected political thugs on Friday during an empowerment programme in Okene, Kogi State.

Speaking at the Senate plenary, Saraki ‎ said

“It is clear that we are all in support of the issue that democracy has come to stay and there is no other alternative. It is important that we take this discussion on the unfortunate incident that happened to Senator Ogembe .”

Saraki added that, “It’s not really just about Kogi State, but it is clear from what we are seeing that Kogi State is coming to the point where it is a threat to our democracy and it cannot be seen to define our democracy because this is not what our democracy is about.

“We must be seen to be making examples to other parts of the world. We must take actions that will prevent this kind of incidents from happening.

”We are almost 20years into democracy and this cannot be the democracy that we should be talking about after 20years and its totally unacceptable.

“Just as DSP said, it’s not only in KogiState, we saw the cases in Kaduna state. How can a Governor proudly say he is going to bulldoze a house in Nigeria at this time and we are all keeping quiet?! These are things that we must condemn totally.

“On the unfortunate incident that happened we thank the Almighty God for your life and that we will definitely not stop until we get to the bottom of this and hold whoever is responsible for this.

“These actions that have been seen in the local governments, but truly if we don’t do something about it, it is a threat to our entire democracy and we must all stand up particularly now that there is a lot of consideration being given to state police.

”When people listen to this I’m sure will start having thoughts. This action alone is something that is needed and will influence some of the reforms we want to embark on, so we must be seen to do the right thing”, he finally said.

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APC Calls For The Arrest Of P-Square For Allegedly Insulting Government

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APC Calls For The Arrest Of P-Square For Allegedly Insulting Government

The All Progressives Congress, APC, youth renaissance group has reacted to Peter Okoye of P-square’s perceived ‘insult’ on the Federal government of Nigeria.

The brothers via their Instagram pages had questioned the federal government’s purported move to ban production of music videos abroad.

They said the federal government was trying to control what it never supported, adding that one day, a law would surface that will monitor how they sleep with their wives.

Reacting in a statement signed by the APC youths national secretary, Collins Edwin, the group described Peter Okoye as a “son of darkness.”

According to APC, “We read the scurrilous remarks credited to Mr. Peter Okoye of the P-square group against the Federal Government’s job-saving policy in the entertainment industry with great anger and vexation.

“Least of all persons to make scathing remark against the government is the Psquare group which the local content policy of the Federal Government dusted-up from the valley of obscurity.

“Where was Peter Okoye or Psquare brand in 1999 when foreign music dominated our airwaves? If not for the government policy which mandated all broadcast stations in Nigeria to pay attention to Nigerian music by playing 95 percent of Nigerian songs every day, would Peter Okoye or Psquare be known to anybody in Nigeria today?

“Or would they have competed with better American music which dominated our airwaves then?

“After the government have used its policy to brush them up from nothing to something; instead of giving opportunity to other people, they are taking Nigerian jobs to foreign countries through the shooting of music videos abroad.

“Now that government have intervened to raise great and better entertainers again, Peter Okoye has the gut to insult the entire Federal Government by calling our great leaders ‘Ndi Ala’ which means mad and stupid people. How dare you say that Psquare?

“We, therefore, urge the security agencies in the country to arrest Mr. Peter Okoye for disrespecting our government and bringing it to a disrepute.

“If you cannot produce in Nigeria and hire Nigerians, then leave the industry. We must export Nigerian culture to the outside world through our music and videos.”

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Presidential Visit: Plateau State Declares Thursday A Holiday To Welcome Buhari

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Presidential Visit: Plateau State Declares Thursday A Holiday To Welcome Buhari

The Plateau government has declared Thursday, March 8, a work-free day to enable residents welcome President Muhammadu Buhari on a one-day working visit to the state.

Mr Izam Azi, Head of Service, announced this on Tuesday in Jos, after an emergency State Executive Council meeting.

“The holiday will afford civil servants and other citizens the opportunity to give the President a rousing welcome,” Azi said.

Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, ‎also announced that there would be restriction of movement during the visit, especially around areas the President would inaugurate projects.

Dati said that government had created alternative routes in affected areas, adding that security agencies would guide movements during the day.

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Buahri Appoints A New Rector For Auchi Polytechnics

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Buahri Appoints A New Rector For Auchi Polytechnics 

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr Momodu Sanusi Jimah, as the substantive Rector of Auchi Polytechnic, in Edo state.

A statement by Mustapha Oshoibugie, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the institution in Benin on Tuesday said that the appointment takes effect from February 23 and for a period of four years.

Jimah, until his appointment, was the acting Rector of the Polytechnic.

He is also an Alumnus of the Polytechnic where he obtained the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Urban and Regional Planning in 1982.

He obtained the Post Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning in 1997 and Masters in Business Administration in 2003.

Jimah is a member of several professional bodies including Membership of the Nigeria Institute of Town Planners, Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria and Fellow, Institute of Entrepreneurship of Nigeria.

Other positions including; Dean, School of Environmental Studies; Director, Centre for Entrepreneurial Development; Director, Auchi Polytechnic Consultancy Services and Assistant Dean, School of Part-Time Studies.

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