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Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, has recounted his ordeal in the hands of some lawmakers opposed to the state Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, who were accused of being behind the mayhem in the state legislature Tuesday.
There was free-for-all in the House of Assembly which had reconvened after months of suspending plenary to consider an amendment to the state’s 2013 budget.
He said the Assembly, having written to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu, to provide security for the plenary, the lawmakers were happy when they arrived at the assembly to notice the presence of about 50 policemen, which they thought was in response to the request by the Speaker, Hon. Otelemaba Amachree.
He said: “We went in as members who have not seen ourselves for some time because of the crisis in the state. I was on my seat, without provocation, Hon. Evans Bipi came to me in the full glare of everybody on camera and started raining punches on me. As his leader, I did not react because I felt that it is something we could settle, whatever it is, maybe I didn’t greet him also. So he continued when that continued, the speaker intervened.
“Then he (Bipi) reached out for the tripod that stands the camera, used it freely on me. He and Michael Okechukwu Chinda, who later joined him in the attack, flogged me to their satisfaction. I didn’t utter a word until Hon. Ihunwo graciously asked me to run for my dear life because they had brought people with guns and of course, when I looked at the gallery they were shouting who is the Chidi Lloyd. Who is the Chidi Lloyd?
“So at that point, I’m sure somebody may have reached out to the governor of the state who came in with his own security because these other policemen were there standing helplessly, watching what was going on. So he came and rescued members out of the place. Then after a while we heard that they had sat, that they were meeting, they were trying to meet, they had procured a fake mace to the House, so we went back and I took the mace where they were sitting, then I sustained injury as a result of the violence by Michael Chinda and Evans Bipi.” Lloyd expressed concern over his safety and urged well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the crisis in Rivers State before it leads to anarchy.
He said: “I’m so helpless; I don’t know who to run to. I can’t go to the commissioner of police because he is already in the arena; he’s already on the other side. I’m appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to pray for me and my family. That is the last hope we have resorted to and that we also urge the National Assembly, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives not to turn the other way on the events in Rivers State. This could lead to something that we cannot imagine.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, spent a reasonable period of time last month (June) in her home state, Rivers, doing good work, doing what she knows best, mobilisation for peace. Though she tagged it a private visit, she used the opportunity to rest, meet old relations, and also gave support to her husband’s friends. Above all, she tried to reconcile warring groups and individuals in her home state.
Though married to Bayelsa State, both states were one before 1996 and both Patience and Jonathan are regarded as Port Harcourt girl and boy respectively. Jonathan spent a reasonable part of his life in the Garden City and feels at home in Rivers State. All over the world, wives of presidents or kings often add political capital to their husbands. They win back fleeing friends; conquer territories with warmth, affection, conviviality, geniality and amiability. That was exactly what Mrs. Jonathan tried to do with her private time in the garden city.
Apart from her private engagements, the first lady visited some politicians who had been at loggerheads for years. Take it or leave it, since after the days of Dr. Peter Odili as governor of Rivers State, there has not been any platform for resolution of personal conflicts or aggregation of interests. Politicians only seek to position themselves for advantage and access to power. In doing this, even the best of friends may clash because while interest is permanent, there are no permanent friends. It is often the governor of a state that is in the best position to elevate his spot so eloquently high to attract enough respect and influence needed to rope others into order. It is not all about money. In the absence of this, the sour blood that dripped into the space between Dr Odili and his erstwhile political son, now Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has remained un-cleaned because there is no platform for genuine reconciliation. Many do not expect the godfather to go cap-in-hand begging for love between father and son.
Rivers State began in 1999 to be united under one political family after the electoral hostilities of 1998. In fact, at a point, most of those commanding the highest offices and influence in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were rather men who fought against the governor, such as Membre Otaji, Glory Emeh, Isokriari Ebenezer, etc. Dr Odili, no matter what anybody may say, was a man keen on reconciliation, unity and unification of the Rivers front so as to face the national political fraternity with one objective. Issues were often resolved at home and interests were often aggregated before stepping into the national arena.
In the absence of this platform anymore and in an era where the sitting governor sees every political opponent as an enemy, the injury between groups has grown rather very large. After the exit of Dr Odili, three rival political camps emerged from his former camp; the Amaechi group now in power, the Dr Abiye Sekibo camp, until recently known as the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Sir Celestine Omehia camp, mainly in the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). Of a truth, the feuding in Rivers State today is nothing but a quarrel in Dr Odili’s former political camp, and the prince of this camp was Amaechi. He is the one that can account for what happened to his father’s political household. These are people who ate from same kitchen, the soup pot of Mrs. Mary Odili, now judge of the Supreme Court. Amaechi had the capacity to bring these camps together but has he done it?
Now, Mrs. Jonathan, apparently unhappy about the endless feuding in her home state, took time off to see what she can do, to speak directly with her brothers and sisters and find out how to create a common ground for peace and reconciliation. In doing that anyway, she could not have convinced herself that she would get everybody’s nod or that she could please everyone, but it was worth a try. Also, she could bring together as many camps as possible. She would have nothing to gain by a fractious Rivers State. Just as peace has returned to her husband home state, Bayelsa, and they now speak one voice and present a common front in Abuja in the quest for the national cake for the development and economic emancipation of their state, so could the First Lady be desiring to see her own home state stand in unity and take its proper place of pride in the comity of states instead of the present situation where a leading state such as Rivers would now be a pariah one.
Her Excellency therefore set about seeking reconciliation amongst those at loggerheads with Governor Amaechi. She visited Dr Peter Odili, former Governor, Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, Chief Omunakwe Nsirim (a prominent Traditional Ruler, grassroots politician and businessman), Senator Lee Maeba (meticulous politician and former senator, now an entrepreneur), Chief Nyesom Wike (minister of state for education now the acting leader of the ruling party), Rt. Hon. Austin Opara (prominent Ikwerre son and former deputy speaker in the House of Reps), etc.
Everywhere she went; she preached peace and urged everyone to sheath the sword. The essence is to know everyone’s grievances and interests and see how these can be integrated and reconciled. This is leadership in action, or at least a semblance of it. What followed this were waves of apparently sponsored media attacks on a well-meaning first lady. What did the first lady do wrong? It is clear where it is coming from.
Any state that produced wife of a president, has that state not produced the better half of Mr. President? Others would enter the presidency through the door but you would enter through the kitchen. This is a proverb. Those who know this make good use of the double opportunity. If a governor is the chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), chief governor-in-law, and co-Port Harcourt boy and still has problems with Mr. President, which other governor should have better opportunities? Would he not be the one helping to reconcile other governors with his in-law President? Would he not be the de facto president? If this is not happening, if such a governor now needs others to intervene for him, whose fault could it possibly be?
Instead, people are seeing nothing but evil in the visit of the First Lady. They have even blamed traffic chaos in the city to her visit when traffic in the garden city became a grid-lock many years ago. Rivers State now hosts many festivals and jamborees and inflict traffic standstill but these have not been singled out. Some even said Governor Amaechi was imprisoned by the first lady’s security aides, but can anyone imagine this governor truly being locked in without a national showdown?
The innocent appreciation of the voting of her governor in 2011 and suggestion that should the husband need them again, that they should please rally round their in-law again has been spinned out of context to mean that she declared her husband as a candidate in 2015, something the first family has carefully kept away from all this while. Yet Lamido/Amaechi and Kwakwanso/Amaechi posters for 2015 have been on the streets of the north for over one year without an official rebuke. Everyone has accepted Amaechi disclaimers and denials on the matters but the same Amaechi camp would not accept the official statements of the first family over 2015.
The governor’s camp has been spinning the matter that took place between the first lady and the governor in Okrika in August 2010 when she visited too. They are bandying about a quote thus: “I want you to get me clear. I am from here (Okrika). I know the problems of my people. So, I know what I am talking. I do not want us to go into crisis. We are preaching peace and we must maintain peace at any time. But what I am telling you is that you always say you must demolish. That word ‘must’, you use is not good. It is by pleading. You appeal to the owners of the compound because they will not go into exile. Land is a serious issue (in Okrika)”. Many would think this statement deserved an award for the caution and appeal for peace loaded therein. These are people of the same political party and if the woman is saying, let the party not antagonise the people, would that be spinned out of context to mean that she was asking for trouble.
In the context of demolishing houses in Okrika, who is courting trouble, the demolisher or the one making appeal? Now, has force succeeded in that place? That apart, when the matter happened, the government denied there was any such incident in Okrika between the first lady and the chief host. Now, where did the tape containing the quotes come from? Truth is that there is huge suspicion between the Ikwerre and Okrika over land in Port Harcourt and how to co-own it. Each time an Okrika wants to come into power in the state as governor, alarm will go to the Ikwerre, and each time an Ikwerre is asking for gubernatorial power, the Okrika will begin rallying for battle. It has taken decades to calm this inter-ethnic suspicion and show that an Ikwerre man can rule Rivers State without exterminating the Okrika, or that an Okrika man could govern the state without driving the Ikwerre out of Rivers State.
Now that this is being achieved, it would be advisable to handle land matters or demolition of waterfronts with care. This is what the mother of the nation was saying. Would it not be better to listen to her and act with caution than start a war nobody would win? Those who appreciate peace have recorded the First Lady’s visit as a huge success in the same that it has created a platform for most of the camps and factions in the Rivers polity to one common room to put their interests and grievances forward and resolve them. A household without a common-room usually settles disputes in the market square. Those who have ears let them hear.
-Okah, lawyer, is a former Commissioner for Information in Rivers State
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, Tuesday defended the ceasefire agreement signed with Boko Haram, saying the federal government interacted with authentic members of the Islamic militia.
Turaki, who also doubles as Minister of Special Duties, had on Monday announced that the federal government had signed a ceasefire agreement with the sect amid growing criticism over the weekend killing of 30 boarding students and two others by suspected Boko Haram members.
He spoke while responding to THISDAY enquiries just as the Federal High Court Tuesday in Abuja convicted and sentenced four members of the sect to life imprisonment for their role in the April 8, 2011 bombing of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Suleja, Niger State.
The bomb attacks resulted in the death of 16 people, while many others were injured.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment are Shuaibu Abubakar, Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana-Umar and Mohamed Ali.
One of the suspects, Umar Ibrahim, was given a 10-year sentence, while the sixth suspect, Musa Adamu, was freed for lack of evidence.
In the meantime, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has raised a team to probe the killing of the boarding students in Yobe State, which drew more condemnation from France.
However, amid doubts over the authenticity of the Boko Haram leaders he claimed the federal government had signed the ceasefire agreement with, Turaki said the pact was with the “mainstream” Boko Haram leaders.
Turaki in a text message to THISDAY, added that the agreement was real and that the dreaded group had directed its members to suspend further attacks.
In addition, the federal government has also accepted the ceasefire with the group while a formal agreement will follow soon.
“We have reached an understanding with them and they have already directed their men on the ceasefire, which we have accepted. But a formal agreement will follow in due course,” he said.
“The agreement is with the mainstream,” was his response when he was asked if the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, was involved in the arrangement.
A source in the amnesty committee told THISDAY that the Boko Haram leadership under Shekau agreed to the ceasefire offer when it became convinced of the sincerity of the Jonathan administration in seeking peace.
However, THISDAY learnt that defence authorities are not aware of the ceasefire agreement.
Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in an interview that the military had not been informed of the agreement.
“We are not aware of any ceasefire", was his response when informed about the agreement.
Irrespective of the ceasefire agreement, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim, has sent a fact-finding team of senior officers from the DHQ to Yobe State for an on-the-spot assessment of the deployment of troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the state and to ascertain those behind the terrorist attacks on schools in the state.
Olukolade said the investigative team would narrow its findings to last weekend’s killing of the boarding students and report back to Ibrahim for further action.
According to him, the team would pay particular attention to the security circumstances surrounding the attack on Government Secondary School, Mamudo near Potiskum.
“The team, led by the Chief of Research and Development in the Defence Headquarters, is visiting the troops deployed in remote locations in Yobe State to verify the effectiveness of patrols and cordon and search operations directed at forestalling any further breach of security, and tracking down perpetrators of the weekend attack,” he said.
France Tuesday lent its voice to the global condemnation that has trailed last weekend's killing of the students, describing it as heinous and cowardly.
A statement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed shock at the murders.
The statement made available to THISDAY by the First Counsellor, Political and Communications of the Embassy of France in Abuja, Mr. George Vanin, said: “In these tragic circumstances, France reaffirms its commitment to the fight against terrorism and its solidarity with the Nigerian government and people in the face of this terrible ordeal.”
Delivering judgment Tuesday in the trial of the Boko Haram members, Justice Bilikisu Aliyu convicted five of them on three out of the five counts brought against them. They were all arraigned on a five-count charge of bombing the Suleja office of INEC.
They were also charged with the July 10, 2011 explosions at the All Christians Fellowship Church in Suleja, killing three and injuring others; the March 3, 2011 explosion at a political rally in Suleja where three people died; and the May 23, 2011 explosion in Dakina Village, Bwari, Abuja, killing three policemen.
They were equally charged with engaging in illegal training in weapons handling and unlawful possession of weapons with the intention of engaging in terrorism.
They were charged under Section 15(2) and (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) Act.
However, Justice Aliyu discharged the convicts on the charges relating to the explosions at the Suleja church and the killing of policemen in Dakina because the prosecution failed to provide convincing evidence to support the charges.
In relation to the other charges, the judge held that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to prove the guilt of the convicts.
She, however, freed Adamu because the prosecution failed to link him with the offences.
In relation to the four sentenced to life imprisonment, Justice Aliyu noted that they “used explosives meant for blasting rocks for mining purposes, to kill human beings who had done nothing to them”.
“Human life is sacred. There is no human life that is more sacred than the other. The convicts have shown lack of respect for human life. They deserve to be removed from the society,” the judge held before pronouncing the sentences.
In sentencing Ibrahim to 10 years imprisonment, the judge observed that the evidence presented by the prosecution showed that he merely served as an errand boy for others who had engaged in illegal weapons training.
Justice Aliyu held that Ibrahim was culpable for aiding the illegal trainees, as he could have refused to run errands for them if he was not in support of their activities.
Earlier, counsel to the accused persons, Kevin Okoro and Nuraini Sulyman, had prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, but the prosecuting counsel, Thompson Olatigbe, urged the court to give them a life sentence.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a turn for the worse Tuesday when five out of 32 lawmakers claimed that they had impeached the speaker, Hon. Otelemaba Amachree.
The five are believed to be allies of the Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike, whose faction of the state PDP wrested control of the party from the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, following a court judgment.
But shortly after their announcement, Amachree and 23 other members said to be loyal to the governor sat in the same chamber to conduct the legislative duty of the day termed, “minor amendment of the state’s 2013 budget”.
The drama started as early as 8.30am when members of the assembly started arriving the complex for the first sitting since May 6 when the house adjourned indefinitely.
There was a heavy police presence at the complex, which is situated opposite the headquarters of the state police command. Also present were suspected thugs and supporters of the lawmakers.
But as the members entered the chamber and were exchanging pleasantries, an argument ensued between pro and anti-Amaechi legislators which led to a free-for-all.
As the lawmakers were fighting one another, the thugs, allegedly imported into the assembly by anti-Amaechi lawmakers, also had a field day as they harassed and attacked those they could lay their hands on, even in the presence of the policemen.
At the end of the melee, the leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, was injured. He, however, managed to escape from the complex but returned later with the governor, his security detail, Amachree and others.
But while he was away, the five lawmakers – Michael Okechukwu Chinda, Victor Ihunwo, Michael Amaewhule, Godspower Kelechi Wogu and Evans Bapakaye Bipialaka – sat in the chamber.
They passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership of the house and announced the impeachment of the speaker, Amachree, based on a motion moved by Amaehule and seconded by Wogu.
They also announced the election of Bipialaka as the new speaker of the House. It was while Bipialaka was about to assume his new “office” that Amaechi and the leadership of the assembly walked into the chamber, during which the second round of the fracas ensued.
Upon entering the chamber, Lloyd disrupted the inaugural speech and snatched the “imported mace” that was used for the sitting and broke it into two.
Unexpectedly, another round of fighting broke out when Bipialaka slapped Lloyd. In the ensuing fight, Amaewhule and Chinda were badly injured and rushed to St. Patrick’s Hospital for treatment.
Shortly after, the governor left the assembly, following which the pro-Amaechi group sat to deliberate on the “minor amendment of the 2013 budget” of the state.
However, while the house was in session, Bipialaka and his supporters stormed the complex and tried to assault the deputy governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru, who had presented the request for the amendment on behalf of Amaechi.
While the deputy governor’s security details battled to protect him and the speaker from the onslaught of Bipialaka’s supporters, the armed policemen present in the chamber remained indifferent and looked on without lifting a finger to stop the attack.
A statement signed by the acting press secretary to the deputy governor, Godswill Jumbo, said Ikuru was attacked at about 12.26pm while leaving the assembly.
According to the statement, “He was at the House of the Assembly to present the amendments to the 2013 Appropriation Bill to the assembly on behalf of the Executive Governor of the State, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“On his way out after making the presentation, thugs who flooded the complex in their multitudes, chanting war songs in support of a member of the House of Assembly, Hon. Evans Bapakaye Bipi, descended on the deputy governor on sighting him.
“His official car was badly damaged while other cars in his convoy also sustained some damage. Members of his entourage were also attacked and had to escape by running on foot from the scene of the incident.”
Addressing journalists after the incident, Amachree, in company with the 23 members who were at the second sitting of the assembly, dismissed claims of his impeachment.
He said: “As far as this House is concerned, the leadership of the House has not changed. I am the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly and all the other officers and the clerk are here with me. The leadership of the House is intact.
“I don’t know where this rumour (of impeachment) is coming from, but we just finished our sitting. There was no attempt as far as we are concerned to impeach me or anybody. We are even shocked to hear that in the news. It is not true.
“Look at us; can five members sit to impeach the speaker? We are about 27 members here. We don’t know what their aims were but today, in fact, we did not know there would be chaos in the House.
“So we went to the House as usual and we were exchanging pleasantries before Evans Bipialaka attacked me and the leader of the House; then Hon. Michael Chinda joined him. But we quickly arrested the situation and started our deliberations.”
On the activities of the five lawmakers, Amachree said members would determine the appropriate disciplinary measure later.
“Every member knows that we have rules and regulations that guide us in our conduct. I will not say anything yet but the leadership and members of the House will meet and decide on that,” he said.
He however denied that Amaechi was at the Assembly at any time during the incident.
“How? How can. The governor was never in the Assembly. What happened was that the deputy governor came to the House to present some minor amendments (virement) in the 2013 budget.
“If you watch our proceedings, you will see the deputy governor and not the governor. The governor was not there,” Amachree insisted.
He also said he was surprised that the police looked the other way while lawmakers were being harassed by suspected thugs.
He said: “I am so surprised and shocked because yesterday I officially directed the Clerk of the House to the Commissioner of Police for security because of what happened on the 6th of May when some hoodlums invaded the assembly.
“We did not want a repeat of that, so I directed the clerk to write to the Commissioner of Police and also the Brigade Commander, but to my greatest surprise I did not see one single army personnel there (assembly).
“The police I saw were acting funny. One of my colleagues was even beaten by the police.”
Amachree said he was not really bothered by the fighting in the chambers among lawmakers but was more concerned with the destruction of the computers and the use of hoodlums.
He said: “But outside the chamber, it was unfortunate that the police was there and watched the hoodlums attacking members.
“As a House, we would look into it, but we don’t have power over the police. What we will do is that we will write to the National Assembly. We will do a presentation or we will send a formal complaint to the National Assembly.”
But despite Amachree’s claims, Bipialaka insisted Tuesday that he is the new speaker of the house and that there was no room for reconciliation with Amaechi’s loyalists in the assembly, stating, “We don’t belong to the same party.”
“We will not reconcile with the other members because they are not in the same party with us, so what is there to reconcile? I am the new speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and my election was witnessed by other members of the Assembly,” he said.
Giving him fillip, the state chapter of the PDP has congratulated Bipialaka for emerging as the new speaker of the House of Assembly.
The Chief Felix Obuah-led PDP said by the election of the new speaker, the state lawmakers had demonstrated the unity and sense of purpose that characterised the hallowed chamber before the crisis.
A statement signed by the Publicity Secretary, Mr. Monday Oyenzeowu, said the party was optimistic that normal House proceedings would pick up.
But in his reaction to the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, denied leading or backing the hoodlums to storm the assembly, stating that he was nonchalant about the security of the lawmakers and had acted on the letter from the assembly by sending a detachment of riot policemen there.
Mbu said: “Yesterday, in the evening, I received a letter from the clerk of the House of Assembly through the House leader, Chidi Lloyd, requesting for police security as the House wanted to resume sitting.
“I was nonchalant about it because it is unusual for the House to request for police when sitting. Moreover, there is a police station with men attached to the House of Assembly.
“Later, at about 2100hrs of same yesterday, the Brigade Commander wrote to me requesting me to please provide police personnel to the House of Assembly. He attached a letter written to him by the same assembly requesting for the presence of the army at today’s sitting.
“It was there and then that I called the Commander of Mopol 19, CSP Braide, to send half a unit to the House of Assembly this morning.
“On my way to the office, I saw the mobile police personnel and detachment of C4I, Civil defence with sniffer dogs checking persons going in and out of the assembly gate.
“I then sent my Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations and the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, to go there.
“The next thing I saw was a call from the governor that he was going to the House of Assembly, that his members were not safe. I saw his convoy through my office window driving into the assembly.”
Reacting to the fracas in the state assembly, the senator representing Rivers South-east in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, Tuesday described the attacks on Amachree and Lloyd, under the watchful eyes of the police as a shame and slap on democracy.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Boma Pepple, Abe charged lovers of democracy and Nigerians to not only condemn the dastardly and barbaric act, but resist moves being orchestrated by those under democratic oath to make the state ungovernable.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Petroleum (Downstream) wondered what kind of democracy was being practised in Nigeria if democratic institutions and those elected to make laws cannot be protected.
Similarly, the House of Representatives Tuesday condemned in strong terms the invasion of the Rivers State House of Assembly by suspected hoodlums.
The lower chamber of the National Assembly warned politicians and men of the police in Rivers State to avoid actions that could lead to a breakdown of law and order and derail democracy.
The warning followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Andrew Uchendu (PDP/Rivers) on the growing political tension in the state.
During the debate on the motion, Uchendu drew the attention of the House to the fracas that took place in the state assembly yesterday, stating that some hoodlums stormed it and disrupted proceedings.
Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, also joined his colleague to condemn the invasion of the assembly by the hoodlums.
After listening to their presentations, the House directed the ad hoc committee set up to look into the political crisis in the state to take note of the latest development and to expedite action on the intervention process.
Also, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar condemned the attempt to remove elected leaders by unconstitutional means, whatever might be their perceived offences.
Reacting to the outbreak of chaos in the Rivers State assembly, the former vice-president warned against the consequences of going outside the constitution to oust elected leaders.
Atiku said in a statement by his media office in Abuja Tuesday that the constitution of Nigeria was not written on sand so that anybody could breach it as he or she pleases to achieve private motives rather than the public interest.
According to Atiku, any wanton disregard for the sanctity of the constitution or due process in the removal of elected public office holders would seriously harm the nation’s democratic order.
He explained that the constitution is superior to any individual and that any effort to apply barbaric tactics to remove leaders should not be condoned by anybody.
The former vice-president regretted that the failure to punish similar crude attempts in the past such as the Chris Ngige saga in Anambra State in July 2004, had encouraged impunity among those seeking to impeach elected leaders by means other than that enshrined in the constitution.
“It is sad that those who are seeking to subvert our nascent democracy are some of those who never fought for what many laid down their lives for.
“These persons are advised to take heed to the festering crisis in Egypt following a forced change of leadership in that country," Atiku said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Senators Tuesday vehemently opposed the six-year single term proposal by the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution as debate on the reports submitted to the parliament by the committee last month took off.
The senators’ rejection coincided with a similar view held by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who also expressed an aversion to the centralisation of the value added tax (VAT), national lottery, policing and security, among others, all of which he said, should be decentralised under an ideal federal system.
The senators’ overwhelming rejection of the single term proposal was surprising as none of the 21 members of the upper chamber who spoke on the committee’s recommendation supported it.
Instead, they all rejected the recommendation, with most of them describing it as anti-people, anti-democratic and a move capable of creating anarchy in the system.
Most of the senators, who spoke Tuesday, said the single term proposal did not reflect the wishes and interest of the people as some senators queried how the committee came about the proposal.
Some other senators said if at all the single term proposal would be considered, it should have paved the way for the incumbent president and governors to participate in the proposal instead of shutting them out and thereby creating the impression that the move was deliberately targeted at stopping some people.
Other senators, who said the recommendation lacked justification, also argued that if Nigeria’s democracy was patterned after that of the United States, operating a single term of six years would be a total deviation from well-known norms.
“The six-year single tenure does represent the interest of Nigerians. A single term could lead to ulterior motives by those in government. It will distort everything. It will aid the looting of treasuries. Nigerians are totally against it,” Senator Abdulmumuni Hassan said.
However, the proposal for local government autonomy received the overwhelming support of the senators with only a few opposing it.
Supporters of local government autonomy argued that granting autonomy to local governments would help to foster developments at the grassroots.
They also said the move would put paid to the notion of governors hijacking the State-Local Government Joint Account and doling out peanuts to the councils.
According to them, unless autonomy is granted to the councils, it would be impossible for council authorities to execute projects that can benefit the masses at the grassroots, noting that the local government is the closest government to the people.
There were also submissions that unless the fund from the federal government is well monitored, merely granting autonomy to local councils might amount to an exercise in futility as some suggested that the councils should first be put on a first line charge before the joint local government account is abolished.
Other issues, which were opposed, included the move to separate the Office of Attorney General from that of the Minister of Justice as some senators advised on the need to tread with caution.
According to the senators, there was no notable reason now why the offices should be separated, advising instead that the status quo should be maintained.
Many senators also spoke on the need to remove items such as power generation from the Exclusive Legislative List and put on Concurrent List so that state governments, which invest in independent power projects, can get their states connected to the national grid.
Other issues advanced by senators included the proposal to allow a retired Supreme Court judge to head the National Judicial Council (NJC), instead of the committee’s recommendation that it should be headed by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Some others also advocated the assignment of a constitutional role to traditional rulers, while others wanted the interest of indigenes of Abuja duly protected in the constitution.
The debate, which was smooth and devoid of rancour, will continue Wednesday and Thursday when the senators will vote on each of the issues.
Meanwhile, Fashola also opposed the proposal to institute a six-year single term limit for the president and state governors under the ongoing review of the constitution.
He also expressed aversion to the centralisation of value-added tax (VAT), national lottery, policing and security, among others, all of which he said, should be decentralised under an ideal federal system.
He spoke on these issues during a private meeting with renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, at the Lagos House, Alausa, on Monday, where the latter presented his autobiography titled, ‘Ben Nwabueze: His Life, Works and Times’ to the governor.
But at the meeting, Nwabueze expressed his belief in the six-year single term limit for political office holders, saying it would provide more opportunities for those seeking elective offices than the present four-year two term limits.
The scholar reiterated his belief in an indivisible Nigeria that should be transformed and where everybody would be happy, adding that corruption in Nigeria is pervasive because it is committed with impunity.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
As the National Assembly prepares to sit with the various stakeholders to harmonise their positions on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the feud between the federal government and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) over the fiscal terms proposed in the bill has deepened, especially with regards to gas development.
Speaking Tuesday on behalf of the Oil Producers’ Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) at the 14th annual general meeting of the Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) and Business Forum held in Lagos, the Managing Director of Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mr. Mark Ward, insisted that the PIB would erode the gains recorded by the recent government efforts to develop gas in Nigeria.
Ward, who is the Chairman of OPTS, said with the planned $32billion industry spending in gas development by 2020, Nigeria has a great potential to achieve its projected targets in the gas sector, but pointed out that the PIB would make future investment in gas non-reliable as the reform bill provides the harshest terms for gas in the world.
He said with her over-dependence in oil revenue, the country was vulnerable to oil price shock, stressing that accelerated and diversified economic growth through encouragement of development of the gas sector was critical for the country.
“It is not about profit. At the end of the day, it is about viable economic returns that any investor can make, whether it is a big investor or a small investor,” he said.
He stated that both the IOCs and the small Nigerian indigenous producers were equally affected by the PIB, noting also that the desire of the reform bill to separate the oil business from gas business would also be inimical to future investment in the gas sector.
According to him, the PIB should link the price of crude oil to the price of gas in determining fiscal terms.
But the Group Executive Director in charge of Gas and Power at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. David Ige, said the greatest challenge facing gas development in the country was the domination of the gas business by four or five IOCs, saying this dominance accounted for the current tension over the PIB.
He said about 90 per cent of the country’s gas reserves was concentrated in the hands of these IOCs.
According to him, such oligopolistic arrangement where oil majors, who were primarily centred around oil or export gas sit on the country’s gas reserves has created tension because the IOCs want the PIB to approach gas at the same level as oil.
He said the two products were different commodities, stressing that the PIB seeks to make gas equally competitive.
Ige defended the separation of the gas business from the oil business in the PIB, saying that globally, consuming nations are moving away from linking gas price to oil price.
“The task today is to delink the price of crude oil from the price of gas because there is a lot of distortion in the price of oil. So, when you use the price of oil to determine the price of gas, you will introduce a lot of inefficiencies,” he said.
Ige said the country’s projection for gas was the most aggressive projection anywhere in the world, adding that if the country achieves this projection by 2017/2018, the combined production of gas in Nigeria would translate to an equivalent of 1.5million barrels of oil equivalent per day.
He said if the country achieves four to five billion cubic feet per day domestic utilisation of gas by 2018, Nigeria would be at par with South Korea in terms of domestic gas consumption.
Responding to the IOCs’ claims that the PIB provides the harshest fiscal terms for gas in the world, the Deputy Director in charge of Gas Development at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Okpara Orjiakor, who represented the DPR Director, Mr. George Osahon, accused the IOCs of deliberately undermining the PIB to make excessive profits and urged them not to go to the National Assembly to oppose the passage of the bill.
“It is not that what we (federal government) is asking for is too much; it is because the people (IOCs) want to take too much. There is no way we will not make money from our gas. We are not the only gas nation. Other nations are producing gas and if you go to the internet, you will see their fiscal terms. It is not that gas is cheap. Nigerians are paying more to get gas. We are begging for gas, while we have abundant gas resources because the people that want a lot of profit are keeping our gas,” he said.
Orjiakor stated that there was no way the oil companies would be allowed to make the same profit from gas as they have been making from oil, adding however that the federal government would not say that companies should not make profit.
“You end up flaring gas and you are the same people talking about depletion of the Ozone layer and the health hazards arising from that. They are the same people that cannot do the same thing in their home countries,” he added.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has said he would apply fully the Nigerian Constitution, which he subscribed to and not the laws of a European country or the whims of some activists.
The governor, who said the international community cannot dictate to Nigeria on which values it should adhere to, said there was so much hypocrisy by the international community on the issue of human rights.
Speaking in Abuja, at a one-day seminar on the “Role of the Public Complaints Commission in a Democratic Government in Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said Nigeria as a sovereign nation had a right to define its own national values.
According to him, “Nigeria is a sovereign nation and we have a right to define what we regard as our own national values. No national interest is defined by others. As we speak, nations and humans are involved in the battle of ideas on the basis of different value system and it will be abuse of my own value system if someone chooses to assume that his values are superior to my values.”
Oshiomhole said: “I am part of the international community and my views should carry as much weight as the views of any other person in the same international community and where we have not counted the votes, we cannot assume that the views from London are shared by Abuja.”
The governor declared: “As a Catholic, I am more fanatical about the sanctity of life. The foundation for human rights is the rule of law, not rule of resolution, not rule of communiqué; not rules of recommendations.
“When I was sworn in, I subscribed to the oath that I shall subscribe to the oath that I shall obey the Constitution of Nigeria. There is no suggestion that I shall obey the UN or resolution of the European Union that has not been domesticated by the Nigerian government. I do understand that there is no such thing as universal values."
He further argued that Nigerian values are not less elegant, less human and, therefore, not less acceptable.
“In trying to understand how best to protect the sanctity of human life, if you carry out an act and you confess to it, you shall go. You have no right to tell me that your values are superior to mine,” he said.
The governor decried the activities of some Nigerians, who parrot some of those values that were offensive to the culture and tradition of the African people.
Citing the same sex marriage as one of the offensive laws of the European Union, Oshiomhole said: “Now they are canvassing the same sex marriage. If they think it is right to marry a man in the West and we think it is a crime to marry a man in Africa, African values are superior to European values and we have to push for them to interrogate their own values.”
The governor noted that more than half of the states in the United States still subscribed to death penalty, stressing that: “We have not heard the European Union say anything about them. He advised the international community to recognise that Nigeria is part of the European community and they cannot give us orders or insist that we act according to their orders.”
The governor noted that democracy offers space for those who are not satisfied to complain and urge that necessary machinery be put in place to empower the public complaints commission to function effectively.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, Tuesday stated that the $500 million loan being sought by the federal government from the Chinese government for the ministry, was for the construction of four new international terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano.
Oduah made this known in a statement, signed by her Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mr. Joe Obi, in Beijing, China.
Besides the loan, Oduah added that government had also concluded the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), to deliver the four new international airport terminals in a record time of 20 months.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzodimma, in a remark, said President Goodluck Jonathan was committed to moving Nigeria's aviation sector to the next level, adding that the National Assembly would give him all necessary support.
Meanwhile, the President of CCECC, Mr. Yuan Li, has said the quality of the work to be done at the airports would be of the highest international standard comparable to similar projects executed by the company in other parts of the world.
Li said this when the Nigerian delegation paid him a facility inspection visit at the company's corporate headquarters.
He said airport terminals' construction remain a special project to the company, stressing that the company's imprimatur of unrivalled excellence would be brought to bear in the building of the terminals in Nigeria.
"CCECC is the biggest Chinese company doing business in Nigeria, with a local staff strength of about 20, 000 and an expatriate quota of 1,000 Chinese citizens." Li stated.
He expressed gratitude to Jonathan, and the government of Nigeria for the support given to the company, adding that CCECC wants to establish a special friendship between Nigeria and China.
Oduah, while responding, said she was eagerly looking forward to the signing of the agreement today and the completion of the projects in the next 18-20 months, adding that the desire to have the best for Nigerian airports informed the decision to work with a reputable, world class construction firm like CCECC.
The minister said she had no iota of doubt in her mind on either the quality of job to be delivered by CCECC or the completion time since due diligence was conducted before government finally settled for CCECC.
When completed, the minister said the four new airports would take their rightful place in the world aviation map, and boost Nigeria's position as the natural hub for commercial aviation business on the African continent.
Also speaking, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, expressed satisfaction that CCECC had been a very active firm in Nigeria, saying he would want to have the company in the East-West and the Oron-Calabar Road projects.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Tuesday heeded pleas from the Senate Committee on Education, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i and his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Chief Emeka Wogu, to end its seven-week-old strike.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which was also invited to another meeting called by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Education, stayed away, prompting a member of the committee, Hon. Jerry Alaboso, to describe ASUU's action as intellectual arrogance.
ASUU had on July 1, commenced a nationwide strike over alleged federal government’s refusal to implement the agreement it reached with it over unpaid entitlements since 2009.
At the meeting Tuesday, which was also attended by representatives of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), lawmakers, Rufa’i and Wogu, waited in vain expecting ASUU's national executives.
The lawmakers were later told that ASUU officials were absent because they could no longer wait for the joint committee's long meeting with ASUP and COEASU.
Polytechnic lecturers in the country under the aegis of ASUP, have been on strike since April 29.
However, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, who chaired the meeting, was forced to schedule to another day for a meeting with ASUU officials, who were said to have left the Senate complex in anger, after waiting for several hours for the joint committee to end its meeting with ASUP and COEASU.
During the meeting, National President of ASUP, Dr. Chibuzor Asomugha, was prevailed upon to make commitment to end the strike within two weeks, while the government tidies up agreements on their demand.
“We will try everything within our ambits to do the biddings of the National Assembly on the need for us to call off the strike soonest,” he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Tuesday lowered its economic growth forecast for Nigeria as well as other economies in the world, as recession continues to hamper growth in Europe and other advanced economies.
Specifically, the IMF in a report explained that although flood affected growth rates in the oil and non-oil sectors of the Nigerian economy, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was expected to grow at 7.2 per cent this year. However, the multilateral institution further lowered its 2014 growth projection for the Nigerian economy to seven per cent, due to its expectation that the economy would encounter slow pace of growth.
The IMF, which ranked Nigeria with the highest growth rate in Africa, observed that: “The main risks to the outlook for sub-Saharan Africa stem from the external environment, although domestic security and political risks should not be discounted.”
The predictions on economic growth came amid President Goodluck Jonathan’s official visit to China for bilateral talks, where the country's economic indices are also characterised by slow economic growth.
According to the Brettonwood Institution, China is expected to see its growth nose dive with figures showing China growth at 7.75 per cent between this year and 2014, with indexes indicating 0.25 per cent in 2013 and 0.5 per cent in 2014.
The new figures by the IMF cut down the world economic growth to 3.1 per cent this year, down from 3.3 per cent in April. The institution also predicted that next year's growth would be pegged at 3.8 per cent, down from four per cent.
According to IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of Research, Oliver Blanchard, the lowering of the growth figures for the global economy was as a result of “appreciably weaker domestic demand and slower growth in several key emerging market economies, as well as by a more protracted recession in the euro area.”
Chief among the reasons for slow growth was linked to poor performance of the BRICS countries where Brazil and South Africa faced daunting challenges owing to downward movement of growth at 2.8 per cent for 2013 and 3.3 per cent for South Africa.
The report also stated growth was expected among countries in developing world in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Meanwhile, the IMF readjusted its earlier position, stating that the UK economy would record 0.9 per cent growth, an increase from 0.6 per cent recorded early in the year. Blanchard observed that: “Britain will grow faster this year than previously expected according to the IMF, in the first major upgrade of the UK’s economic outlook for almost three years".
"The economy will expand by 0.9 per cent compared with the previous forecast of 0.6 per cent,” the IMF said in its quarterly global financial health check.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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