Nigerian Newspapers
2015: APC’ll never displace PDP –Akintoye
Hon. Akintoye Albert is a member of the House of Representatives representing Irele-Okitipupa Federal Constituency. In this interview with OJO OYEWAMIDE, the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Niger-Delta, speaks on local government autonomy, removal of immunity clause from the constitution, child marriage and other topical issues. Excerpts:
You have been in the House of Representatives in the last two years. How has it been and how has your representation impact on the people of your constituency?
We give thanks to God for what we have been able to achieve. He has helped us a lot to be able to carry the load. I am the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on the Niger-Delta. I am also a member of the House Committees on the Nigeria Navy, Petroleum Upstream, Legislative Compliance, Steel Development, Special Duties and Inter-Parliamentary Relations.
I have been able to move motions on certain issues that affect our constituents such as the devastating fire disaster at Iju- Osun in Irele Local Government Area; the ravaging ecological problems in Irele and Okitipupa local government areas and the construction of an over-head bridge and pedestrian walk-ways across the Lagos- Benin road at accident flash points in Ore.
I have also influenced some on-going projects including the construction of the road from Agadagba-Iju-Osun-Akotogbo- Yopiara-Iyansan and a bridge across Ovia River to Edo state; the construction of a Skill Acquisition Center in Ajagba, Irele Local Government Area; the construction of a Police Station at Iju-Odo in Okitipupa Local Government Area; the drilling of boreholes at different locations in the federal constituency.
We have given several scholarship awards to brilliant secondary and university students. We have also embarked on some empowerment programmes for youths, women and even men. So far, we have been able to bring joy to our constituents.
You are a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ondo State and the only legislator on the platform of the party in the House of Representatives from the state. How would you assess the present status of the PDP in the state?
I say it anywhere that I was the only PDP candidate that won election in Ondo State into the House in 2011. And in the House of Representatives, everybody knows me. When we have sittings, I always introduce myself as Hon. Akintoye Albert representing Irele-Okitipupa Federal Constituency and the entire PDP in Ondo State. The future of the state chapter of the PDP is very bright. Why I am saying this is that the Labour Party, LP, government in the state is not performing well. Two, the PDP, having been in government before, has a lot to point to as its achievements to the people of the state. I would like to refer you to the immediate past government of Dr. Olusegun Agagu. We all saw what the government was able to do. Look at the roads and bridges it constructed in the coaster area of the state. We are not witnessing anything like that now. The truth must be told and we must not deceive ourselves. Former Governor Agagu performed so wonderfully that people of the state are now feeling nostalgic about his government.
That is what gives members of the PDP in Ondo State the confidence and hope that the party will win election anytime, any day. I don’t think the manipulation that has been characterising the conduct of elections in the last couple of years in the state will last forever. I pray that we should all be alive to witness the coming elections. We will all see what will happen in the state.
There is this rumour of your planned defection to the LP. The belief is that being the only PDP member of the House of Representatives elected from the state, you may want to change parties to actualise your reelection into the House. What’s your reaction?
This is laughable. I would be the last person to cross to any other party. If I want to re-contest, I will do so on the platform of the PDP and I will win. But I would like to tell you that I am yet to declare my interest in re-contesting the seat. I am still consulting leaders and members of my party.
I will consult my God and if He says I should recontest, I will. Nobody can stop me. So, I don’t need to cross to another party to win any election in the state. The rumour of my planned defection to another party is a lie.
What informed the resolution of the House to scrap the State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs?
I think it is better to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct all elections in the country. The elections conducted by INEC are more acceptable to our people.
The SIECs are being manipulated by the state governors. When there is a local government election in any state, before the end of the election, you would see the governor announcing candidates of his party as the winners. Look at the last local government election in Lagos State. They cancelled the results of the areas where the PDP candidates won and returned the candidates of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.
So, if INEC is allowed to conduct the local government election, the election would be free and fair. The commission would be neutral. That was why the House decided that INEC should be allowed to conduct all elections in the country. Our people have been complaining about how state governors manipulate the local government elections. More than 80 percent of the people in the country support the scrapping of the SIECs. Personally, I prefer INEC to conduct all elections in the country.
But some people are of the opinion that INEC can also be manipulated?
It is not possible. INEC is being controlled by the Federal Government. I don’t see any reason why the commission will allow itself to be manipulated when conducting local government elections. I could remember my own election in 2011. Some people in the state did not want me to win the election. They tried all sorts of tricks.
The results of the election in my ward were even cancelled. But at the end of the day, I was returned. So, my election into the House of Representatives was possible because INEC conducted the poll. If it was an election conducted by ODSIEC, even if I defeated my opponent by a wide margin, I would not have been declared as winner.
The lower chamber voted for local government autonomy. But governors and some interests are against it. As a former council chairman, why do you think local governments deserve to be free from the control of the state governments?
I was a Caretaker Chairman of Irele Local Government for almost eight months. I was later elected as the Executive Chairman in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. Therefore, I understand the system.
I am very close to my people. I know them, what they want and what they don’t want. I must say that it has got to the stage where we must allow the local governments to operate on their own. Chairmen of local governments are elected like the state governors.
Let them stay in their local government areas and operate freely. Let the money come directly from the federation account to the local governments so that they can execute laudable projects that will be of meaningful effect to the people at the grassroots.
The practice of writing to the state governors for approval before local governments can execute any project must stop if we want true development at the grassroots level.
Why did the House decided to vote for the removal of the immunity clause in the Nigerian Constitution?
It will lessen corruption. Those in power would be very careful if they know that they would face the consequences if they break the law.
Don’t you think the president, governors and their deputies would be distracted by court cases if they don’t enjoy constitutional immunity?
Are you telling me now that there are no court cases everywhere? It will continue like that. It will continue immunity or no immunity. You see, what we want in this country is progress. We cannot allow the country to remain stagnant. We must show to the whole world that we detest the virus of corruption and that we are sincerely committed to fighting the scourge.
Do you think it is right for the National Assembly to have taken over functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly on the account of the political crisis in the state?
That is why we are there. We are there to do the right thing at the right time. And that decision that we took is the best to help the people of Rivers State. We took the decision to prevent the possible escalation of the political crisis in the state. The constitution of the country supports our action. It is our duty to prevent anything that can truncate our democracy.
What do you have to say about the underage marriage controversy going on in the country? It is unspeakable.
Some people are really crazy in this country. How would any rational person say that a girl of 12 0r 13 years of age should go and marry?
She cannot cope. Somebody who does not even know how to cook, who does not know how to respect her father first, who is yet to be really educated, you are saying she is old enough to marry. If you don’t know, you are killing that girl. It is madness.
A senator from your state said he voted for child marriage in error…
I read about it in the newspapers and I felt sorry for the senator. Why are you there if you don’t know what you are doing? Some people will say think before you do. It is not when the head is off that you should start weeping and crying.
Anyway, when I later found out what happened, I really sympathised with the senator. I think he deserves everybody’s understanding and pardon since he has come out openly to say he regretted his action.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally registered the All Progressive Congress (APC). Some people believe the new party is capable of wrestling power from the PDP in 2015. What is your reaction?
The registration of the APC is a good and interesting development. It shows that our democracy is growing. Yes, it will help to put the PDP on its toes. But don’t forget that the PDP is a well-entrenched party. It is present in every corner of the country. I don’t think the new party will be able to displace the PDP in 2015.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: National Mirror Newspaper
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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
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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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