Nigerian Newspapers
Jonathan is ungrateful –Gov Nyako •It’s Nyako who is ungrateful to President –Presidency
Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of ingratitude and unfairness.
He also accused the President of concentrating more on developing the South-South, while ignoring developmental problems in the rest of the country.
Specifically, the governor, expressed displeasure over the way he was being treated by the party in spite of the sacrifices he made to ensure the President’s victory during the PDP primaries and the 2011 presidential election.
However, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said it was Nyako, who was being ungrateful and unfair to the President.
Speaking through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mallam Ahmad Sajo, the governor said he ensured the President’s success in 2011.
He said, “President Jonathan has been ungrateful to Governor Murtala Nyako.
“In the first instance, you should understand that during the nominations, Jonathan contested with a son of Adamawa State.
“If he (Jonathan) won Adamawa State, the governor swam against the tides. Immediately after that, they started sending him (the governor) text messages, calling him a kafir (infidel), dan wuta (hell bound son) and all that.
“They said he backed a Christian against Muslims; he went through all that humiliation.
“At the federal elections, Nuhu Ribadu is a son of Adamawa. Nyako worked for Jonathan to defeat Ribadu, another son of Adamawa in the general elections.
“How would they have expected to win Adamawa in a landslide? When after the defeat of Atiku, he was aggrieved, they did not pacify him.
“He came back here and moved all his acolytes into Labour Party, including the person they are using today as the so-called chairman of the PDP, who was the governorship candidate of the Labour Party.
“We also had Nuhu Ribadu, who is from this state. If for nothing, at least, he had brothers, sisters and other relatives to support him and yet, Jonathan won.
“It doesn’t matter whether he won convincingly or not, he won at the expense of sons and daughters of Adamawa.”
On his dispute with the National Headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, Nyako said that the PDP was on a path of self-destruction.
He said, “What we are saying is that a political party is a free association of people of like minds.
“And there are always ground rules for running a political party. When you refuse to abide by the ground rules, you tend to destroy the association.
“What we are saying is that the rate the party is moving, it will surely kill itself.
“Don’t forget that in the past four months (March, April, June and July), they have set up different reconciliation committees but they have been unable to reconcile because of the bottom line. The party is not interested in protecting the rights of everybody.
“We are of the opinion that it is the impunity in the party that will kill it. When there was a bye-election in Adamawa State, the national secretariat sold just one form, is that democratic?
“When the national secretariat of the party decided to meddle in the affairs of the party in Adamawa State by their own mandate, the leadership of the so-called caretaker committee that they set up was supposed to just effect corrections at the state level.”
The governor expressed disappointment that the committee had destroyed the party from the ward to the state level, adding that the party leadership was responsible for the crisis in almost every state where such existed.
He also cited amendments to the PDP constitution, which conferred too much powers on the national chairman, as another sore point.
According to him, under the constitution, which was amended in 2012, members who are under suspension automatically lose their rights, including the right to contest elections.
He said, “They did that amendment in the 2012 constitution. The constitution says that 2/3 members of the National Executive Council can request for a NEC meeting and that the national chairman may call the NEC, which means it is at his discretion.
“This means members can call but he has the discretion to decide. Is that democratic for God’s sake?
“We are saying all these constitutional breeches, all the impunity, all this brigandage will eventually destroy the party.
“We are not wishing the party ill, all we are saying is if all the high handedness continues, it will eventually destroy the party. No free association or supposedly free people will succeed if the situation remains like that.”
Four northern governors, including Nyako, recently paid visits to three former Nigerian leaders – Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ibrahim Babangida.
Others are: Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).
One of them, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, also gave an insight into why they visited the former military rulers.
He said, “We have said it several times that everything is tilted towards the South-South. It is not a question of Kano, Niger, Sokoto or Adamawa or just the North.
“Everything is tilted towards the South-South, appointments, contracts are given to militants; the issue is beyond just Kano.
“The South-West, North-West, North-East, North-Central have all been marginalised. Only last week, they approved a contract of N4bn for the expansion of the Onne Port in Rivers State with just about N1bn to the power plant in Jebba.
“If you consider all the major ongoing projects in Nigeria today, they are based in the South-South.
“We are talking about the marginalisation of a greater portion of Nigeria; we are talking of injustice and unfairness.
“It is about saving democracy. In any case, what is the business of Rivers with any of these issues? What we are concerned about is the consequences of what is happening in Rivers on democracy.”
In response, Gulak said it was the Adamawa State governor, who was an ingrate.
He said, “It is Nyako, who is ungrateful to Mr. President. He did not know how the PDP came about. He was in the opposition All Peoples Party when he was brought in and handed the ticket to become governor of Adamawa State.
“The party mobilised the people to vote for him. You can check the records, Nyako did not mobilise votes for the President, it was the other way round; so, what is he talking about?”
Also, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, dismissed the allegations against him.
He said some of the governors had, by their actions and utterances, long left the party.
Through his Special Assistant (Media), Prince Oliver Okpala, the chairman said, “By their utterances and their behaviour, they have shown that they have actually joined the opposition in principle.
“They shouldn’t be talking about the affairs of the PDP because they have shown that they are not interested in PDP, all they have been wishing the PDP is death. This is a party that brought them to political limelight. The PDP, just like democracy, will outlive all of us.”
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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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