Nigerian Newspapers
A day with Jang and the gang
Let’s start with semantics. The word ‘gang’ in English language has two clear meanings. One is ‘a group of persons working together,’ while the second is ‘a group of persons working to unlawful or anti-social ends.’
The second definition is clearly pejorative, and that is not what I mean by the headline of this piece. When I talk of Jang and the gang, I simply mean the group of persons working with Gov Jonah Jang of Plateau State in the crisis currently rocking the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
Well, I was with Jang and the gang for upward of three hours in Lagos last weekend, as the governors told their side of the story on the rumpus that attended the election of a new chairman to head the NGF two weeks ago.
Last Friday, I had written a piece with the headline, ‘It is not just about Amaechi,’ in which I warned that injustice to one person is injustice to all. I added that if it happened to Gov Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, and we kept quiet because we were not Amaechi, one day, it may happen to us, and there may be nobody to speak for us then.
When the other governors told their story last Saturday, it was only fair and proper, in line with the ethics of journalism, to listen, and equally give them accommodation. Which is what exactly I’m doing today, but at the end of it, I will raise some posers, which I will beg governors on both sides of the divide to please respond to.
A quick recapitulation. On May 24, governors met to elect a new chairman for the NGF. Thirty-five of them were in attendance, and they cast their ballot. As announced by Director-General of the NGF (the video recording of which we’ve watched), Amaechi scored 19 votes, and Jang 16.
This made Amaechi the winner. But the Jang gang screamed foul, and signed a resolution that Jang was their chairman. Nineteen of them appended their signatures to the document. The poser, however, is: why didn’t Jang then score 19 votes? Clearly, three governors were playing double game.
Today, the NGF has two secretariats, with the governors divided right down the middle. We would not be wrong if we now say there is the Amaechi gang (which we saw to have won the election), and the Jang gang.
But what is the story of the latter? Here we go, as told by Gov Jang himself, Gov Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Gov Liyel Imoke of Cross River, and Gov Peter Obi of Anambra State: “What has happened to the NGF is a shame, no governor should be proud of it,” began Gov Jang. “I had been abroad, came back on the day of the election, and I was told I was the consensus candidate of the Northern Governors.
Isa Yuguda of Bauchi, and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina, who had been frontline candidates, had agreed to step down. That was how I got into the race. “We had advised Gov Amaechi not to run, as there had been a gentleman understanding that the position would go to the North.
We have a draft constitution, which has not been ratified. That constitution stipulates one term for the chairman, which would be by consensus, not election. Gov Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State should have that draft. He should be challenged to bring it.
“But Amaechi was actively encouraged by governors who had decided to make political capital out of the forum. We should confront this level of suffocating arrogance, since we are a committee of equals. “On election day, Amaechi gave his valedictory speech, then called for election.
We said no, that he should step down first as chairman, since he could not preside over his own election. Even one of his supporters (name withheld) asked him to step down, but he refused.” Gov Mimiko took over the story: “He asked me if I resigned before I ran for second term in office last October 20. I told him I was not INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), which determined the procedure.
I was merely a candidate. But even in village meetings, town associations, the norm is that when you finish your tenure, you step down, and an interim chairman is appointed to conduct fresh election.
“Before we knew it, Amaechi shouted; distribute the ballot papers! Distribute the ballot papers!! And the voodoo ballot papers appeared. No serial number, we didn’t know how many had been printed, and people were asked to vote. “One governor carried the ballot box, and almost broke it. We had to restrain him. We could have walked out, but scores of pressmen were outside. That would have been the end of the forum.
Also, each governor had an ADC outside, and if we had started fighting, each ADC would have come in to defend his boss. They were all armed. You can imagine what would have happened. “A united governors forum was handed to Amaechi, now he has succeeded in breaking it.
And to make matters worse, the aggressor is now looking like the victim. Amaechi is the aggressor, but because you pressmen like underdogs, you have queued behind him, when he is the real aggressor, now posing as the victim.
“The ballot papers should have been thumb-printed, they were rather ticked. And these were ballot papers Amaechi printed himself. In further disregard for integrity, a governor was even secretly taping the proceedings.
This shows that the mischief was pre-conceived. He claimed 19 votes, but the next day, 18 governors were with Jang at a meeting. They signed, and reaffirmed their support for him.
“They nominated me as vice chairman, but I turned it down, because the election was not conducted properly. You can’t print your own ballot papers, and then preside over your own election. Please ask him for the source of the ballot papers. I doubt if some of these people even believe in democracy. I’m ready to fight democratic injustice anywhere, any day.” Gov Liyel Imoke first went down memory lane.
He said none of the past chairmen of the forum was elected – Abdullahi Adamu, Victor Attah, Lucky Igbinedion, and Bukola Saraki: “At Saraki’s valedictory session, seven governors and six deputy governors were in attendance. It was there that Amaechi was announced as successor. It was not based on votes, but on the mandate we gave.
“Saraki had set up a committee chaired by Namadi Sambo, the then Kaduna State governor, to come up with a constitution. A team went to the U.S, to study how they operate their governors forum, and they came back with a report that the vice chairman succeeds the chairman automatically.
We then decided on one term, rotated between the North and the South. “If there was a new constitution, it should have been ratified, with the minutes of meeting presented. For the purpose of registration, Amaechi told us later that he had submitted a copy of the constitution to the Corporate Affairs Commission. Whether re-election was smuggled into that constitution, nobody knows.
“Amaechi is my very close friend. I begged him, pleaded with him that running for second term as NGF chairman was not worth the trouble. He did not listen. Gov Jang arrived from abroad on the very morning of the election. He was picked as consensus candidate by northern governors.
I appealed that we should not vote, and asked Amaechi and Jang to leave, so that we could reach an agreement. It did not happen. “A big shouting match ensued over the process. We asked Amaechi for the constitution, the ratification, the provisions that allowed him to run again.
He did not use his powers in the interest of the forum, or of Nigeria.” Gov Peter Obi is today the oldest member of the NGF. He equally told his side of the story, recalling how he was cheated out of his electoral victory, and he went to court, and won. “Without me, Mimiko, Oshiomhole, and many others would not have gone to court, and become governors. That was why I was in Ondo and Edo states to campaign for their re-election.
“In 2011, I’d been endorsed by South-east governors to be chairman of the NGF, since it was the turn of the region (He showed the letter of endorsement signed by Gov Ikedi Ohakim, then of Imo State, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, and T. A. Orji of Abia). But when we got to Ilorin, I was dropped because I was not a member of PDP. Timipre Sylva, then of Bayelsa State, nominated Amaechi, who became the chairman. Gov Fashola of Lagos protested, saying we did not form a quorum. But there were seven governors and six deputy governors, and 12 was quorum.
So, Amaechi became the chairman. I did not complain, though my brother governors in the South-east were very angry. T. A. Orji did not attend meetings of the forum for the next one year. I was the one who eventually brought him back. “Amaechi is my friend.
He has done very well as a governor, and I will give that to him anyday. But on this issue, PDP governors have spoken. Northern governors have spoken.
His brothers from the South-south have spoken. In a club of 36 people, if 16 say no to your leadership, then you can’t be leader. Amaechi is still our brother, he’s our friend, nobody is fighting him. But there is no provision for re-election in our constitution.”
Then, a pointed question to the governors. What is the way forward? Obi said: “Make the term of NGF chairman one year, then let the zone whose turn it is, nominate the person.” Gov Jang: “Please ask Amaechi what the desperation is all about, when there’s a gentleman agreement.
Now, he’s treating us like his houseboys. He’s not even the strongest physically. I’m the one that has been trained in violence. I’m a retired General, he is not.” Mimiko: “There were mistakes on all sides. I regret that we did not walk out from the election venue.
Now, the real aggressors are posing as victims.” Imoke? “The entire process was a sham. Amaechi inherited a united Nigerian Governors Forum, he’s leaving behind a divided house.” Now, my own posers: If 35 governors could not elect a chairman amicably, what hope for free and fair elections in 2015? If our leaders cannot manage crisis, what type of leaders do we have then? Leaders should be trustworthy, and lead by example. Have the governors shown good example? Is this type of leadership ethical? If governors cannot evolve a framework to settle their own crisis, what if there is a national crisis, how would it be settled? What truly is the role of President Goodluck Jonathan in all this? How I wish one could believe his purported neutrality. What then is the way forward? It beats me hollow. But one thing is clear: our governors must sort themselves out, and fast too. Otherwise they will be laying a bad example for the younger generation. It was Olusegun Obasanjo who threatened to ordain his own pastors in 1999. If governors don’t put their house in order, maybe we then begin to appoint our own governors too.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
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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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