Turmoil In PDP Over Obaseki [NATION]
- Govt: APC chairman working for state of emergency in state •Violence mars Edo PDP ward congresses
ALLEGED underground moves by prominent chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within and outside Edo State to pave the way for the emergence of Governor Godwin Obaseki as the party’s flag-bearer in this year’s governorship election in the state have sparked a fresh crisis in the troubled party.
Though the Governor and his close aides have continued to deny any plan to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC), feelers from the two leading political parties in the state suggest that contacts continue to be made and talks held.
The situation meanwhile is causing serious division in the PDP in the state.
Several stakeholders, including a serving governor in the South-south state and the chairman of the party in Edo State, Dan Orbih, among others, are reportedly poised for a showdown with the national leadership of the party following reports that the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) may have been convinced by the pro-Obaseki group within the party, to support his rumoured candidature on the platform of the PDP.
Reliable sources at the PDP said that some prominent chieftains of the party, including serving governors, senators, members of the Board of Trustees as well as former presidential aspirants, are working to ensure that the Edo state chapter of the party fields Obaseki, who is said to be considering switching to the PDP because of the lingering face-off between him and the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, before the primary elections of the two parties.
A source close to the PDP national secretariat confided in The Nation that the Edo State governor has demanded that for him to join the party, the PDP must commit itself to giving him the Edo guber candidate unopposed.
Jonathan’s Ex-Chief Of Staff In Trouble Over Alleged N35b Fraud [NATION]
- Son implicated in defence contracts • Former Defence Minister got $240,000 cash from N533m job • Ex-Perm Sec received N170m, Honda car as bribes
A FORMER Chief of Staff to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Mike Oghiadome, stands the risk of forfeiting two mansions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after N35billion arms slush cash was traced to a member of his family.
The mansions are located on Udo Udoma Street, in the posh Asokoro District of Abuja.
The Legal Unit of the EFCC is already processing the forfeiture of the two assets.
The EFCC has quizzed Oshioke, Ogiadhome’s son over alleged involvement in arms deals.
Ogiadhome himself has been invited for questioning but he was yet to honour EFCC’s invitation at press time.
He may be arrested if he fails to show up for questioning.
A ranking member of the House of Representatives who was similarly invited, has been lobbying in the power corridor to prevail on EFCC to drop the summons.
Detectives have however quizzed a defence contractor, Donald Peterson.
Others implicated in the defence contracts are a former Permanent Secretary, a former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and two former Service Chiefs.
US Congress Moves To Nullify Visa Ban On Nigeria, Others [NATION]
- Speaker Pelosi says action outrageous, discriminatory • Buhari sets up committee to review situation
THE US House of Representatives is set on a fresh course of collision with President Donald Trump, this time over the Friday restriction of immigrant visa against Nigerians and nationals of five other countries.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday that the new policy smacked of discrimination and undermined the US global leadership, constitution and heritage.
The House, according to her would soon establish a “no ban act” against the immigrant visa ban which also targets nationals of Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania and Sudan.
She spoke as President Muhammadu Buhari set up a committee to study and address the travel restriction against Nigerians.
Heading the committee is Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola.
Pelosi, in a statement yesterday said: “The Trump Administration’s expansion of its outrageous, un-American travel ban threatens our security, our values and the rule of law. The sweeping rule, barring more than 350 million individuals from predominantly African nations from traveling to the United States, is discrimination disguised as policy.
“America’s strength has always been as a beacon of hope and opportunity for people around the world, whose dreams and aspirations have enriched our nation and made America more American. With this latest callous decision, the President has doubled down on his cruelty and further undermined our global leadership, our Constitution and our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants.
Restriction On Okada, Tricycles: Riders Keep Off Highways, Bridges In Lagos [NATION]
SANITY reigned across major roads of Lagos metropolis on Saturday, on day one of the restriction imposed by the state government on the operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles. Okada and Keke riders kept off the major highways and bridges in compliance with the government directive
The Iyana Ipaja/Ikeja/Oshodi axis where okada riders used to hold sway prior to the restriction was visibly bereft of them yesterday.
Many commuters who would have required their services were seen walking to their destinations.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) welcomed the compliance of commercial motorcycle (Okada) and tricycle (Keke) operators with the restriction as “pretty good.”
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olajide Oduyoye, said that there would not be fight or argument with any operator who willingly complied with the law.
For instance, in the Oshodi area of the state where there are designated parks for all sorts of commercial motorcycles, including Opay, Gokada, Max Okada and others, no motorcycle was seen in sight at the time of this report except for a dispatch rider belonging to 12 Baskets.
On the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, okada riders were seen at every five minutes’ drive without any tricycle in sight. Iyana Isolo bus stop was free of okada riders that used to impede people from crossing the road to the other side while the other side was also free of okada and keke marwa. From Iyana Isolo towards Daleko, there were no okada or keke; so passengers had to walk from Iyana Isolo to Daleko to board vehicles heading to their different directions
NPA Approves Outrageous Fee For Domestic Flights [NATION]
The managing director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, has come under criticism for approving what is viewed as a ridiculous amount for flight tickets for staff of the Authority in domestic routes.
In a leaked memo trending on social media, a copy of which was received by The Nation, the MD approved various sums considered to be outrageous for different routes.
For instance, a sum of N320,000 for a business class passenger return ticket from Lagos to Yola and N290,000 for economy class on same route, was approved for the domestic air travel.
The memo dated 4th of January 2020,titled “Review of Airfare Rates (Local)” emanating from and signed by the General Manager Corporate and Strategic Planning, stated that the approval was necessitated as a result of “hike in airfare.”
The memo contained the revised airfare rates across various routes with prices for business and economy classes.
The new rates approved are N300,000 for business class on Lagos to Maiduguri and Lagos to Port Harcourt routes which translates to N150,000 per trip.
The document also shows N250,000 per trip on the economy class for Lagos to Port Harcourt and Lagos to Maiduguri ,which is also N125,000 per trip.
The document showed approval of N270,000 for business class on Lagos to Jos and N250,000 for economy class on same route
IPOB Lauds US Over Kanu’s Invitation To Trump’s Rally [NATION]
The indigenous people of Biafra has commended the leadership of the US Republicans Party in Iowa for extending invitation to their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at Trump campaign rally at Des Moines Iowa.
The group said Kanu was a special guest at the rally on Thursday January 30, 2020.
In a statement on Saturday by its Media and Publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, the group said it was ironical having a leader of a group labelled as a terrorist by its government as an important personality in an event attended by the President of the United States of America.
The group reassured the people of Biafra of its commitment to actualizing the republic of Biafra in collaboration with most powerful countries in the world.
Why We Placed Travel Restrictions On Nigerians —US [PUNCH]
The United States has given reasons for imposing visa restrictions on Nigerians and five other countries’ nationals.
It said Nigeria did not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
The US also said Nigeria did not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information necessary for the protection of the national security and public safety of the US.
The full report of the visa restrictions titled, ‘Proclamation on improving enhanced vetting capabilities and process’ posted in www.whitehouse.gov read in part, “Nigeria also presents a high risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States. Nigeria is an important strategic partner in the global fight against terrorism, and the United States continues to engage with Nigeria on these and other issues.”
It further stated, “The Department of State has provided significant assistance to Nigeria as it modernises its border management capabilities, and the Government of Nigeria recognises the importance of improving its information sharing with the United States.
“Nevertheless, these investments have not yet resulted in sufficient improvements in Nigeria’s information sharing with the United States for border and immigration screening and vetting.”
Rail: FG To Ban Heavy Cargo Transport By Road [PUNCH]
The Federal Government plans to ban the movement of certain category of cargoes on some roads after the completion of major railways in the country.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said this in Lagos during a panel session on infrastructure development and financing at an event organised by Deloitte on Nigeria Economic Outlook 2020.
“As soon as we finish these rail projects, there are some types of cargo that will not go on road, whether you like it or not,” he said.
Police Arrest Five Abuja Residents Who Faked Coronavirus Infection [PUNCH]
The police in Abuja have arrested five persons for falsely claiming that they had contracted the dreaded coronavirus disease.
They were said to have stormed the Wuse District Hospital claiming that one of them had been infected by coronavirus.
The incident reportedly sparked panic and confusion and also disrupted normal health service delivery at the hospital.
The pranksters included Peggy Shandi, Abayomi Adedoyin, David Enemigin, Priscilla Ajesola and Jacob Oji.
Parading the suspects at the Wuse Zone 3 Divisional Police Station on Saturday, the FCT police spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manza, said the suspects claimed to be “playing out a script about the virus” without the knowledge or authorisation of the relevant authorities of the FCTA.
He said, “The FCT police command is still investigating the case and on conclusion, the suspects will be arraigned in court.”
APC Chieftain’s House Bombed In Benin [SUN]
… As party receives defectors from PDP in Edo Central
The crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), took a dangerous dimension yesterday, when the private residence of a chieftain of the party, Chief Francis Inegbeneki, was bombed in Benin City.
It was learnt that the attackers struck at about 3 am with two hand grenades which resulted in serious damage to his building and a motor vehicle parked in the compound located in the Government Reservation Area of Benin, off Ihama.
No one was hurt in the attack, as the news was broken to APC faithful at a rally hosted by Chief Inegbeneki at Opoji, to receive PDP defectors from the five local government areas of Esan Central Senatorial district of the state.
Reacting to the attack, Chief Inegbeneki, who was not at home at the time of the incident, said: “I got that information with a rude shock.
He said that politics is about lobbying and urged Obaseki to lobby APC members instead of using force.
Doctors Urge FG To Declare Emergency On Lassa Fever [SUN]
With the rise in number of casualties of Lassa Fever in the past few weeks, medical doctors under the umbrella of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have called on the Federal Government to quickly declare a national emergency on the deadly disease.
It also asked the government to evaluate hazard allowances paid to health care workers considering the increased risks they faced in tackling diseases.
National President of NARD, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, told journalists at the end of their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, yesterday, that such action would attract the needed financial and logistics attention required to contain Lassa Fever and other communicable diseases in the country.
He said: “In the past three weeks, Lassa Fever has spread to 18 states with several deaths. Some health care workers were among the casualties. We are deeply concerned about it, hence the call for the emergency because of poor preparedness of our health institutions in handling cases of Lassa Fever.
“The emergency, when declared, would help our preparedness and response in addressing cases of Lassa Fever and other relevant ailments in our various health care institutions.”
CAN Attack: Apostle Suleman Apologises To Femi Adesina [SUN]
Senior Pastor, Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has apologised to Mr Femi Adesina, special adviser on media and publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari over his attack on the presidential spokesman following the latter’s article entitled: ‘Beheaded Adamawa pastor: CAN got it mixed up’, which the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) equally kicked against.
After Apostle Suleman attacked Adesina, the spokesman took to his tweeter handle to reply the man of God.
But Apostle Suleman yesterday in an open letter to Mr Adesina in online news platforms said: “If I could reach you privately, I would not have resorted to the media. I also took this approach to respond to the heavy insults and name-calling on your tweeter handle which is, well, okay by me and understandable because you were angry.
“But I hope this meets you well. This is me pouring my heart to my brother. I am actually not good at writing letters like this. Unlike someone, we all know that does. I guess I would meet him for tutorials. I love you my brother and God bless Nigeria.”
The cleric, therefore, said: “Sir, when I read your response to CAN, two things came to mind: I asked myself, must the allure of power make you antagonistic of church leaders whilst your colleague is protecting his? I equally felt your response was ill-timed, knowing these leaders where mourning. I apologise if it came out wrongly or rudely.”
He told Adesina to remember how they spoke to power in the last administration “in a more corrosive and acidic manner than we do now,” saying that it was not a big deal as that administration was tolerant and had ignored most things that were said then.
“Therefore, this government should stop responding to everything. The best way to respond to complaints is to give result, not explanations, insults or counter upper-cut….
“I personally bleed when I hear drumbeats of war and yearnings for the dissolution of Nigeria, either from tribal or political overviews. No nation remains the same after war. Therefore, we can’t be fanning the embers and heating the polity of revolution or dissolution,” he said.
US Visa Ban: Buhari Sets Up Committee To Study New Requirements [SUN]
- Atiku charges US to consider Nigeria’s antecedents
President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a committee to study and address the issues that led to the suspension of the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerian passport holders by the US.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement, saying that Buhari reiterated that Nigeria remains committed to maintaining productive relations with the United States and its international allies especially on matters of global security.
The statement read: “Accordingly, President Muhammadu Buhari has established a committee, to be Chaired by the Hon. Minister of Interior, to study and address the updated U.S. requirements. The committee will work with the U.S Government, INTERPOL and other stakeholders to ensure all updates are properly implemented.”
The United States (US) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on 31st January 2020, temporary travel restrictions on six countries including Nigeria.
Travel Ban Only On Nigerians Relocating Permanently To US – Presidency [LEADERSHIP]
The presidency yesterday explained that the visa restriction placed on Nigerians was not a blanket ban, but applied only to those seeking to relocate to the United States of America on a permanent basis.
Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, who gave this explanation said the restriction bordered on the suspension of the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerian passport holders only.
On January 31, 2020, the United States (U.S) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced temporary travel restrictions on six (6) countries including Nigeria.This suspension shall come into effect on February 21, 2020.
But according to Adesina, the suspension did not apply to other U.S visas such as those for official, business, tourism and student travel.
“The DHS states the suspension of “immigrant visas became necessary following a review and update of the methodology
(performance metrics) adopted by the U.S government to assess compliance of certain security criteria by foreign governments. This resulted in certain enhancements on how information is shared between Nigeria and the U.S.
”Nigeria remains committed to maintaining productive relations with the United States and its international allies especially on matters of global security.
“Accordingly, President Muhammadu Buhari, has established a committee, to be chaired by the minister of interior, to study and address the updated U.S. requirements. The committee would work with the U.S government, INTERPOL and other stakeholders to ensure all updates are properly implemented,” he stated.
FG Secures N220b Loan To Tackle Out-of-school Children [LEADERSHIP]
The Federal Government has secured the sum of N220 billion loan to tackle out-of-school children phenomenon ravaging some states in the country.
Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba disclosed this in Yola, the Adamawa State yesterday, during the launch of the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme in the state.
The minister revealed that the fund is a credit facility from the World Bank to Nigeria being a grant to enable her fight the scourge of out-of school-children as well as strengthen basic education in their respective jurisdictions.
Nwajiuba stated that the cardinal objective of the BESDA programme is to increase equitable access for out of school children, improve literacy and strengthen accountability at the basic education level.
He revealed that the programme is focused on the 17 states in the country, which includes the entire 13 states of the North.
Immigration Arrests Five Stowaways In Lagos [LEADERSHIP]
Operatives of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Seaport Command yesterday nabbed five stowaway aboard a vessel enroute Las Palmas, Spain through a credible intelligence. LEADERSHIP Sunday reliably gathered that the arrest followed intelligence report made available by the master of the vessel about 156 nautical miles off Lagos shoreline.
Comptroller of the command, Olubushola Fashakin, who was on hand to receive the arrested stowaway cautioned desperate youths from embarking in such risky adventures .
Meanwhile the comptroller general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has congratulated the officers and the comptroller for job well done.