Mba Flout Minister of Information Directive

Emeka Mba

The sacking of Nigerian Broadcasting Commission Director General, Emeka Mba, has not gone down well with him as he flout the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed's directive and handed over to Armstrong Idachaba, who is a Director in his office.

Mba was supposed to handover to most Senior Director, who is Awalu Salihu but handed over to Armstrong Idachaba.

Awalu Salihu, the Director of Public Affairs is the most senior because he came into service in 1981 while Armstrong Idachaba, who is a Director in the DG's office, came into service in 1996.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed need to urgently look into the abnormality which was also experienced in INEC when Prof. Jega handed over to a lower Commissioner while those who are qualified were neglected.

Governor Wike and Burden of Conscience.

By Felix Balogun

It will do our Democratic experience a whole lot good if concerted efforts are made not  only to raise caution against surreptitious dissipation of energy that seeks to revert the gains of the electoral processes but to also ensure that records are  put in the right perspective for the sake of tomorrow. While congratulating Nyesom Wike, on the Supreme Court judgment which 'validated' his election as governor of Rivers state, a victory the erudite Professor Itse Sagay described as won over corpses of Rivers citizens, it's of utmost importance that his current verbiage and vituperations against institutions of state, no less the body that conducted the bloody elections he won, be checked . 

Having secured this landmark but questionable judgment, Mr. Wike had commenced sustained verbal attacks against the INEC which is gearing to conduct very important elections into the annulled seats in the state assembly. In his usual cantankerous  and loquacious way, during the occasion of a "Thanks giving" ceremony, he didn't spare the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his misplaced  diatribe as well as its Chairman,  Prof Mahmood Yakubu, alleging ,among so many other that claims that the amiable chairman of INEC was being used to grant electoral victory to the opposition APC in the impending elections.

Before the judgment, Wike insisted that the INEC conducted the elections n the state in line with laid down guidelines and vigorously defended the results of the elections that brought him in as governor. Since his victory, he now sings a different tune. What changed? 

As a lawyer, the Governor of Rivers State should know that INEC doesn't just fix dates for elections, but is guided by provisions of the electoral act and in re-run elections, by pronouncements of the courts. So why take umbrage at the announced dates by INEC which has not run foul of any laws? INEC didn't  make the laws, it only implements the laws as  passed by the National Assembly and as interpreted by the judiciary. We agree that our laws are not perfect, shifting the blame and seeing INEC as one that is compromised is uncalled for.

The Rivers State Governor's statement on the days fixed for the rerun of State Assembly Election smacks of mischief as the time for such exercise are stipulated in the electoral acts. It is  unthinkable, ridiculous and uncalled for to accuse the Chairman of INEC of wrongdoing . One expects him to consult the electoral act which is  very unambiguous on whose responsibility it is to fix election dates. If he had clear knowledge of this, he wouldn't have made such comment concerning the INEC Chairman. 

At this point, one wonders if all the accolades poured on the immediate past Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, who supervised the last elections are justified! The number of elections that have so far been cancelled by the courts are unprecedented in the history of elections in Nigeria.  The case of Rivers State is a dirty and embarrassing reference point. Here is a state where  all elected members in its state assembly had their elections annulled for flagrant disregard and a use of electoral processes. That governor Wike had his election validated by the Supreme Court raises a lot of eye brows but that is a matter for another day. Perhaps, Wike senses that another opportunity to cut short his victory is around the corner leading to his current rant and allegation of compromise against the leadership f the INEC. Conscience, indeed , is an open wound. Is the burden of the atrocities committed against poor masses of the state in a bid to secure this "bloody" victory beginning to prick Wike's conscience? 

There is a need to build and strengthen our institutions including INEC. Public office holders should make themselves familiar with the law as enshrined in our constitution and electoral act and walk and act within its fine lines. The change that we desire is only possible when people act within limits of decency and abide by the rule of law. The gunboat tactics which characterized the last elections in Rivers state must not be allowed to repeat. The INEC and indeed , Prof. Mahmood Yakubu ,must not be intimidated, blackmailed or railroaded into allowing the existing statusquo of sham elections to continue. We are particularly pleased that all elections conducted since the assumption of office f this new INEC leadership have seen a departure from the norm. Where substantial malpractice had been witnessed, affecting the eventual outcome of elections, such elections had been cancelled or declared inconclusive, a practice that was alien to the old order. Rivers state will and should not be different. Elections and its outcomes must be determined only by the will of the people as expressed in the number of valid votes cast. For governor Wike, it's time to stop his present campaign of calumny against the INEC and appeal to the people of the state for the election of his preferred candidates. 

Despite Early Warnings To Security Agencies, The Killing Of APC Members Has Resumed In ONELGA

Late Monday-Eleanya

...Police possibly protecting sponsors, covering up their incompetence

After diligent investigations, the Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress [APC] can authoritatively reveal that massive killing of members of the APC in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area [ONELGA] has resumed while the Nigeria Police has woefully failed to provide security for the people of the area.

Last Friday night, suspected members of the Icelanders cult group invaded Omoku and environs where they picked on selected houses of APC members and murdered some of the occupants. By the last count, 26 persons were shot dead and some beheaded. Eyewitness accounts revealed that the attack lasted from early evening up till 10pm and despite calls to the Police for help, there was no response until the killers finished their dastardly mission and left with some of the heads of those they killed.

The APC notes that a few hours later, the Rivers State Police Command came out with a statement blaming the killings on a fight between rival cult groups. This is the most bizarre statement to come out of the Police because they have not, to this moment, named the suspected cult groups. We make bold to ask the Police, what are the names of the suspected cult groups and their kingpins? How did the Police arrive at their conclusion? Why was the Police unable to respond to SOS calls by victims and neighbours for the over 5 hours the killings took place on different streets of Omoku?

We are convinced beyond doubt that the Rivers State Police Command has resorted to a policy of drawing hasty conclusions for the purpose of either hiding their incompetence or protecting the interests of sponsors of the killers or both.

The APC recalls that not too long ago, the party petitioned the President, IGP, Minister of the Interior and others, alerting them of the threat to lives of the people of ONELGA. We are also aware that groups in neighbouring Ahoada East and Ahoada West LGAs have also petitioned relevant authorities with detailed information on the victims of the spate of recent killings in their LGAs and the suspects. Sadly, there appears to be no response on the part of the Police and others to take necessary investigative action at least to unveil and prosecute those behind the killings in order to avert future occurrence.

On January 14, 2016 the Rivers State Chapter of the APC, in a press statement, warned of a plan to commence the killing of APC members in ONELGA. Our evidence was that following security operations carried out by the military on 11/1/2016 at the house of one Igwe Ejima Dibia alias DON WANNIE at Aligu village in ONELGA, members of Icelander cult group and their PDP collaborators held a meeting at about 2300hrs at Obohia in Omoku and concluded that prominent members of the APC will be eliminated irrespective of whether they live in ONELGA or Port Harcourt and other locations in the State as long as they are of ONELGA origin. They alleged that it is the prominent leaders of APC of the LGA that masterminded the raid by the military and the alleged destruction of Don Wannie’s house.

In a press release signed by the State Chairman, Chief [Dr] Davies Ibiamu Ikanya JP, the APC warned: “We call on relevant authorities to take the threat on the life of our members of ONELGA origin and elsewhere very seriously and do the needful to protect the lives and properties of everyone within and outside of ONELGA. We emphasise that given the antecedents of the Icelander cult group and their PDP allies, they are very capable of carrying out their heinous threat especially in ONELGA.”

In less than 24 hours of that warning, an APC Ward 6 Chairman [Mr. Owotor] was shot dead on his street by gunmen. To date, the Police are yet to make public the outcome of their investigation on the killing.

Last week, a member of the APC of ONELGA origin, Hon. Monday Eleanya, was gunned down around Ada-George area of Port Harcourt where he lives. Still in shock over the death of Hon. Eleanya, last Friday, February 12, the orgy of killings, like an episode taken from a horror movie, played out at Omoku.

The APC calls on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to come to the rescue of the people of ONELGA as the primary purpose of government anywhere in the world is the protection of lives and property of the citizens. We do not hesitate to call for the instant sack of the leadership of any security agency that fails to help the government carry out this primary and all-important responsibility of protecting lives and property of the people. We also call on the Presidency, Minister of the Interior, Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and all those who have been petitioned over the insecurity in Rivers State especially in ONELGA, Ahoada East, Ahoada West and Abua/Odual LGAs axis to take urgent steps to stem the ongoing unrestrained killings that have turned the State into a shameful killing field.

Abolish National Assembly It's A Syndicate Scam!

By Bayo Oluwasanmi

“Moribund society creates its own morbid gravediggers. Revolt against injustice is not honorable but it is imperative.” - Karl Max

The indictment letter written to the National Assembly by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo triggers a fresh riot of words in and outside of the National Assembly. If you have have been following the utter mess in the National Assembly, you won't be surprised any more of new absurdities coming from the hollow chamber.

I have some quotes here to help you laugh, or at least, keep you from screaming in frustration. All you need to do is replace the word “Congress” with National Assembly in the quotes:

“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress...” - Mark Twain

“In my years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a Congress.” - John Adams

“Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?” - Will Rogers

“You can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think.” - Milton Berle

I know that there are some few narrow-minded dinosaurs out there would say that abolishing the National Assembly – House and Senate – Houses of Corruption – and transferring the power to the President is unconstitutional. Well, there are not enough such people to worry about. After all, the Houses of Corruption have no regard for the Constitution.

For most part, the Houses of Corruption do things that are idiotic. It's an assembly where people get to do things that are bad, wicked, and unconstitutional. A frat assembly for thieves. They spend money they don't have. They pass laws that they more or less exempt themselves from. They enjoy staffs that tell them how wonderful they are. They lecture the rest of us how patriotic and upstanding they are, and so on. Things cannot look more perilous than this.

The CV of corruption and criminal dossier of majority of members in the National Assembly have scandalized our nation by its magnitude and gall. The magnitude of brazen robbery and corruption make the Houses of Corruption the world's biggest criminal syndicate. For example, nine out of 109 Senators are entangled in criminal cases. With 10 per cent of members of the upper house in criminal proceedings, the composition of the National Assembly reads like FBI most wanted fugitives. 

The National Assembly is a failed institution. It represents  the world's most corrupt and undemocratic legislature. It is the most cockeyed systems of minority rule, one that allows a tiny corrupt coterie to hold Nigerians ransom until their demands are met. Take the issue of exotic cars demanded by the brainless members. Why should we provide them loans or grants to buy cars on top of the outrageous salaries and other criminal allowances and perks they receive which is second to none in the world? One would expect a Nigerian version of the American Million Man March in the streets to protesting against tyranny of the privileged few. But the crowds aren't there.

In Nigeria, members of the Houses of Corruption are paid when they are absent from congressional sessions or are on vacations, or traveling abroad, or doing something else not related to their congregational duties like when they cramped into bus loads to escort in a comedic circus one of their own – the President of Thieves of  the Senate of Thieves – Bukola Mesujamba Saraki to the court. The National Assembly lurches along badly. The record shows. President Obasanjo's letter to the out of whack legislators was timely, appropriate, well placed, courageous, and blunt. But I'll go a step further: Abolish the National Assembly it's a syndicate scam!

How can a National Assembly of crooks, thieves, con artists, looters, forgers really represent my interest and the interests of other Nigerians? The National Assembly is thoroughly and fully corrupt. It's eating up billions of Naira of our economy through bogus salaries, allowances and corruption binge. The National Assembly is a dinosaur that cost Nigerians billions to operate. Never met people from hell – until now. With each legislative agenda that's not relevant to the needs of the Nigerian people, the National Assembly continues to alienate Nigerians. With the absurdities of the absurd on display each day to the world, the National Assembly has moved is legislative offices to hell in close proximity to like minded zombies.

It is good to question the institution that's supposed to serve the people. Can anything good come out of the National Assembly? Not really. Nigeria is in a dire strait. It's a nation where the wisest are perplexed and the boldest staggered. The National Assembly has proven to be an instrument of conspiracy. It is known for its fetish secrecy.  A democratic government that worth its salt must make openness a regular feature of governance. Under the auspices of openness, no evil can continue.

The National Assembly is a disappointing aberration. For 16 years, the country has remained in ruins.  No sector is healthy. For 16 years, the National Assembly didn't give a damn about the state of the nation: no infrastructure, no water to drink, no electricity, no industries, no safety and security, no standard education system, no hospitals, no housing, no criminal justice system. Nothing, absolutely nothing, you can point to that the National Assembly has accomplished other than pass appropriation bills that would fatten their pockets.

My belief that we should abolish the National Assembly because its a syndicate scam may seem too radical. But can any Nigerian tell me in what way has the National Assembly benefited this country since Nigeria returned to democratic rule 16 years ago?  Only a stranger from hell would disagree that the popularity and the respect of this institution is at an all time low. The National Assembly of thieves and thugs has essentially neutered the essence of a representative democracy.

So, let's shut down Abuja, make it a museum city. Get rid of the National Assembly and replace it with a true representative democracy. We each have a vote in democracy. Let's vote on issues important to us. We'll vote directly through a plebiscite on issues.  We'll authorize the President to initiate bills on our behalf. The President and a new set of Supreme Court Justices will provide checks and balances on anything bizarre and outrageous.

The scrapping of National Assembly will be an event of historical collapse. The House and Senate cost tens of billions to operate and maintain. We should be angry. It's taxation without representation. The National Assembly do not represent us. These thieves get elected every year automagically. We the people should form the legislative branch through direct participation and voting. See, we voted them all in there, they serve their own interest, they loot our treasury, and throw those who elected them under the bus.

We can do without the National Assembly. Right now, there is no proof that we have a National Assembly, hence there is no need for it. We're better off without the National Assembly. Nigerians don't feel its impact. Without National Assembly, there will be no constituency allowance, no wardrobe allowance, no furniture allowance, no concubine allowance, no shoe allowance, no transportation allowance, no housing allowance, no sick days allowance, no solidarity allowance for its criminal members, and other primitive allowances. They are paid for doing nothing. The last time the National Assembly worked for its pay was when they shut down the Senate for a circus that accompanied their President, Bukola Mesujamba Saraki to the criminal court.

Ooh, I remember another occasion when the Senators earned their pay for a day's job. That was when three social media terrorists: Bukola Mesujamba Saraki, Dino Melaye, and Ibn Na'Allah unleashed their vitriolic nonsense in support of the anti-social media bill.

We'll do better without the National Assembly. It will take away from the elite few the power to spend money, for they spend money which is not their own. Nigerians who pay taxes should be the ones to decide when and how money is spent. We must take government out of the hands of the few, for it corrupts them when they're given free rein. They spend our money with reckless abandon and without real concern for our people. Records show the National Assembly is not about the welfare of Nigerians but about the greed of the ruling few.

Nigeria is in total ruins with the National Assembly acting on behalf of Nigerians. Nigeria will continue to be in complete ruins if we take a back seat to the arrogance, insensitivity, wickedness, self preservation, looting, and self-serving few in the National Assembly. We cannot trust the National Assembly in running our country, for too few hands rule over too many lives. The National Assembly is power drunk and obdurately blind to the fact that the power they hold to legislate and to vote was given to them by the people. We the people must be in charge.

The National Assembly has turned Nigeria into a wilderness. A wilderness is never pleasant. It tends to be dry, barren, lifeless, and uncomfortable. You tend to get thirsty there and find yourself yearning to be in a place of rest and refreshment. Nigeria is a paradise turned wilderness nation run down by the thieves in the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has become a national liability. We find ourselves in such extreme distress. We're shoved to-and-fro. The National Assembly is inefficient, inept, self-serving, corrupt, and a spendthrift. It has totally lost the respect and trust of  the Nigerian people. “We the people,” President Dwight D. Eisenhower reminds us, “elect leaders not to rule, but to serve.” The National Assembly is the world's most useless and tyrannical legislature.

The National Assembly needs to go!

bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com

Saraki : It's Governmentt Duty To Ensure Success Of Indigenous Firms

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has said all arms of government have a duty to ensure the success of indigenous manufacturers as a way of rebuilding the economy and putting Nigerian youth to work.

Saraki while receiving a delegation from the Innoson Motor Manufacturing Company, Nnewi, led by Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the Chairman and founder of the company, in his office today (Monday) said government should use legislative actions and policy initiatives to protect the local industries as a deliberate way of reviving the economy.

Innoson Motors is the only Nigerian company manufacturing automobile of different ranges and it is based in Nnewi, Anambra State.

He said one of the actions government should quickly introduce is to ensure that local industries are patronized by government agencies so that Nigerian manufacturers can enjoy the advantages accruing from the big market that her population offers.

"That is why this eighth Senate is determined to amend the Procurement Law to ensure that government agencies patronize Made in Nigeria products. I am sure the House of Representatives is in support of this. It is our joint responsibility to ensure that you succeed. If you are successful, a lot more small and medium scale enterprises will draw inspiration from you and they will become successful.

"That will help to create jobs which is one of the mandate presented to us by the youths of this country during the last elections. We in the legislature will look at all laws and help to create an enabling environment for local businesses to thrive in Nigeria", he said.

The Senate President said using laws to protect locally made goods is not peculiar to the country as it has been done in the United States under President Herbert Hoover in 1933 while India and China have also enacted similar laws in the past.

He lamented a situation where a company like Innoson only sold about 3,000 vehicles in 2015 when Nigerians buy about a million vehicle annually, adding that If Nigerians patronise Made in Nigeria cars it will force foreign manufacturers to set up plant here.

In his remarks, Mr Alfred Nwosu, said the Innoson Group started from manufacturing of motor cycles and graduated to tricycle before it is now producing different range of utility and luxury vehicles.

He said the Group has 7,000 Nigerians on its pay roll while there are 300 youths from the Niger Delta area undergoing training that were hitherto held abroad.

Nwosu commended Saraki and the Senate leadership for their prompt response to the request for audience sent by the company, an opportunity that had eluded the company in the past.

"In less than 48 hours of contacting the Senate President, we were told to come over. We are encouraged by your views on Made in Nigeria goods. What we need is the support, encouragement and inspiration from decision makers like you", he said.

Also yesterday, the Senate President urged the South East Amalgamated Market Traders Association (SEAMATA) to look inwards in view of the present economic challenges facing the country. 

He specifically charged members of the executive of the association who visited him in Abuja that it is time for them to find ways of producing locally most of the goods they have been importing into the country. 

Earlier, the President-General of SEAMATA, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo had called for urgent measures by the Federal Government to ease their access to foreign exchange that is used to import the goods they sell.

Ezenwankwo said that 70 per cent of traders in the South East would be thrown into the labour market if nothing urgent is done to enable the traders access forex. He lamented a situation where goods imported by the traders since December 2015 are still lying at the ports accumulating demurrage simply because the clearing authorities are yet to receive confirmation from the countries of origin of the consignments. 

He called on the Federal Government to fix an exchange rate for the Naira rather than leaving it at the mercy of market forces. 

He added: "The $10,000.00 limit of what one can take across our borders is another major constraint to our business."

Gov Dickson Sacks All Political Appointees, Reappoints Media Aide

Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has disengaged all political appointees who served the state during his first tenure.

According to a Government House statement issued on Monday, Governor Dickson thanked all political appointees, who served in the first tenure for their commitment and dedicated services to the Government and people of the state.

While wishing them well in all their future endeavours, the Governor however points out that, those whose services may be needed will be reappointed to serve the state in the future.

Meanwhile, few hours after he dropped all political appointees, the Governor has made his first official appointment.

The new appointee is Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who has been re-appointed as the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

The appointment is with immediate effect.

Federal Government Sacks Heads Of 26 Agencies And Paraststals

The Federal Government has sacked the heads of 26 Agencies and Parastatals according to a statement by Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The are;
1. Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
2. Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)
3. Voice of Nigeria (VON)
4. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
5. National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
6. Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF)
7. New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
8. Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF)
9. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board(NCDMB)
10. Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN)
11. Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)
12. National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
13. Petroleum Equalization Fund
14. Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC)
15. Bureau of Public Procurements (BPP)
16. Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)
17. Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA)
18. Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON)
19. National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
20. Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC)
21. Bank of Industry (BoI)
22. National Centre for Women Development (NCWD)
23. National Orientation Agency (NOA)
24. Industrial Training Fund (ITF)
25. Nigerian Export-Import Bank
26. National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic In Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).

The President has also Appointed Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa Senior Special Assistant On Foreign Affairs And Diaspora.