Nigerian Newspapers
Convention or APC parley in Atlanta (2), by Acho Orabuchi
In the first part of this piece, I said that at the end of the Imo State Congress of America (ISCA) convention, two things were achieved: 1. Election of new ISCA officers. 2. Imo State APC outing that utilized a platform provided by ISCA. The APC’s charade took a valuable time away from the business of the organization that’s currently grappling with enormous deficiencies. Thus, the phenomenon deprived the participants the opportunity to deliberate on strategic plans to spur the internal growth of ISCA—an organization that was once the envy of many when Late Nze Edwin Ukegbu was at the helm.
Well, a convention that witnessed an unprecedented crowd, ended with the election of officers from various affiliates and three senatorial zones in Imo State. In this election cycle, the ISCA president was zoned to Okigwe, thus producing Atty. Charles Onyirimba. Gov. Rochas Okorocha was elated that ISCA provided him with a rare opportunity to burnish his bona fides to project his image and popularity in order to shore up his status within APC. It was a smart tact aimed at ginning up his ratings among APC rank and file. Whether his effort will eventually help him earn a vice presidential ticket zoned to southeast under ACN, remains to be seen.
That said, I’ve fundamental issues with Gov. Rochas Okorocha’s presentation and his political expediency in APC. First, Okorocha talked about stamping out corruption and maintaining law and order in Imo State. It’s rather paradoxical for Gov. Okorocha to talk about maintaining law and order, curbing corruption—a contradiction of enormous proportion. Has he been obeying court orders rulings? Okorocha has a habit of disrespecting the judiciary by floundering court orders. How could he now be a harbinger of law and order? Sadly, due to arrogant disrespect for law, Louis Chukwu, who represented Ideato North in the Imo State House, died without payment of his severance which a court ordered Gov. Okorocha to pay him and others. Also not only he disregarded a ruling that compelled him to reinstate the LGA elected officials he sacked unconstitutionally, but he installed unelected individuals to run the affairs of each of the 27 local governments in Imo State. In effect, he denied the people of Imo State to exercise their electoral rights—constitutional rights to chose people to represent them at the local government level. What a travesty to democracy! Okorocha has consistently violated the bedrock of democracy in a civil society which lurks tightly behind law and order, as well as due process. Well, was Okorocha following due process in awarding contracts? Does Okorocha have any stake in the companies that are awarded contracts in Imo State? How could Okorocha claim that he’s curbing corruption while local government allocations cannot be accounted for, and in the absence of due process and lack of transparency in the award of contracts in Imo State? Okorocha claimed that he adequately compensated individuals whom he demolished their properties. To the contrary, people whose means of livelihood were destroyed due to Okorocha’s demolition policy are still gnashing their teeth for compensation.
Gov. Okorocha, who has a fetish for popularity, flaunted with props the buildings and roads he constructed within his two years in office. I saw the video clips that are subject to verification. In any case, I waited eagerly and patiently to hear from him the number of jobs he created within the two-year period, but to no avail. I waited in vain to hear, besides the construction of guest houses and houses for former governors, his policies in curbing youth unemployment because buildings by themselves do not produce anything or create jobs. Okorocha should have used the resources to aid the private sector in building manufacturing industries to create meaningful and lasting jobs. Apparently Okororocha is oblivious of the fact that government engagement in building guest and ex-governors’ houses is anathema to economic policies of reducing unemployment. In fact, it’s stupefying that a state government will commit resources to such projects; should that be a priority in a state bereft of manufacturing industries? Unfortunately, I did not hear anything remotely focused on policies to address youth unemployment and job creation. Nevertheless, with his usual smooth talking, he was able to flummox a few individuals who have pedestrian ways of looking at things. But to the deft observers, who maintained a critical distance for an objective evaluation, his litany came to naught.
Secondly, APC is a fundamentalist party that does not have the interest of Ndi-Igbo at heart. Okorocha’s uncanny effort to conflate APC and Nigerian president of Igbo ethnic extraction is unsavory bait Ndi-Igbo must not fall for. Again, APC has zoned the presidency to the north. Still important, a cursory look at the individuals, who formed APC, reminds me of the old 1950s copies of encyclopedia that have since been discarded to the dustbin of history. Considering that these characters have hopped to three to four political parties since their first political stint and now they’re at the helm of APC, driven by their quest to control the national cake, is utterly amusing. In a bid to win at all cost, they have mobilized to attract individuals at the grassroots level both in Nigeria and abroad. APC has an outfit in the United States, a move that my pay off if not countered immediately.
Regardless of how contemptuous one may look at APC, it’s important for any party not to underestimate its potential to win a general election. APC cannot be dismissed as a party of rejects. These individuals have learned how to rig elections. They’re skillful at that and they have followers; they can’t be taken lightly—they’re fixated on the cake.
In Nigeria, power and resources are highly concentrated. The phenomenon is exacerbated by the structure of the Nigerian federalism that allows for a highly concentrated power and resources at the center, but without effective and efficient ways to utilize them, thus leaving politicians no other option than to be fixated on the national cake. So, in the rudimentary parlance of Nigerian politics, control of the national cake is always at the center of all political strategies of each party for winning the presidential election. With that, I’ve a visceral feeling that PDP is slowly losing a grip on the political power of the country, thus jettisoning its political hegemony. Given the tactical moves APC has made so far, I am afraid that this may manifest in the next general election if PDP does not reverse course.
Due to the importance of the ISCA confab as advertised by the hosting affiliate president, Chief Tony Okpara, many notable Nigerians participated in the convention. Some of the prominent people who made their presence known through goodwill messages were Chief Ojinere and Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. Chief Ojinere used his goodwill message to introduce himself to Imo State indigenes in the United States. He began, “I am Emmanuel Umunakwe Ojinere (Emma Ojinere) from Umuchieze autonomous community, Umunomo/Umuchieze electoral Ward, Ihitteafoukwu, Ekwerazu, Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, Owerri Senatorial Zone. I am a full member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since inception and I have been a very strong supporter of the party.” He continued, “After having gained several years of experience in various sectors of the economy as an employee, I am now the MD/CEO of MCLATEK NIGERIA LIMITED, a multi-million Naira wholly indigenous, prosperous and lucrative oil and gas services organization that provides employment to our youth.”
Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, who was invited to speak, sent his goodwill message encouraging Imo indigenes to have constructive and result-oriented deliberations. He said, “I’m particularly proud of our people in the Diaspora for the effort you’re making and time and resources you’ve committed to ensuring that those you left at home do not go hungry. Most importantly, your synergic activities to empower Ndi-Igbo in Nigeria by demanding from the federal government to protect the lives of Ndi-Igbo no matter where they reside in Nigeria are commendable. In fact, your theme, “Onye Kwe, Chi Ya Ekwe” is a demonstration of your collective emotions and passions to uplift your people to positions of prominence in the Nigerian socio-political environment. To that I say congratulations! Please stay the course.”
You may follow me on twitter.com/achosr and write me at [email protected].
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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