COVID-19: ICPC quizzes NDDC directors over N5.474b fraud [Nation]
THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Saturday said it had interrogated some directors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for alleged diversion of N5.474 billion meant for curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
The cash was voted for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers in the nine states in the Niger Delta.
ICPC said it was probing alleged diversion of funds, procurement fraud and misappropriation of the agency’s Covid-19 funds.
A statement issued by the spokesperson of ICPC, Mrs. Azuka C. Ogugua, said the anti-graft agency was also looking at how NDDC made payments for foreign training during the COVID-19 full lockdown.
The commission said the probe would also cover non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
The statement said: “Some directors of NDDC were interrogated at the commission’s headquarters recently after months of intelligence gathering, following the receipt of petitions from Nigerians on alleged illegalities and contracts fraud by some officials of the agency.
“Top officials of the agency are being investigated for their complicity in an alleged diversion of N5.474 billion meant for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers, handling the Covid-19 pandemic in the nine states of NDDC.
“The commission is also investigating the payment of millions of naira to staff of the agency for foreign trainings during the Covid-19 full lockdown which were never attended, as well as non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
“Other allegations being investigated by ICPC include the selling of back-dated contract award letters for projects and awards of contracts that were not captured in the budget of the NDDC.
“ICPC had already retrieved relevant documents with which to continue investigations towards the recovery of diverted funds and prosecution of breaches of the law.”
The House of Representatives is currently investigating alleged N40 billion irregular expenditure in the commission.
Amotekun: Southwest states insist on independent structure [Nation]
- Ekiti commences recruitment tomorrow
THE Southwest states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo are insisting on the current independent structure of the region’s security network codenamed Amotekun, following moves by the federal government to delegate the control of the operations of the outfit to the Inspector General of Police.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, said on television last week that the IGP would determine the structure of Amotekun and similar outfits across the geo-political zones.
“Whatever name they go by, Amotekun or whatever, will be streamlined and they will be run in accordance with the structure as defined by the Inspector-General of Police,” Shehu had said while answering questions on the N13 billion released for community policing across the 36 states by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He added: “They will be localised, they will be owned by local communities, they will be managed by them.”
He said any arrangement that failed to conform to the national structure would not be “in the scheme of things.”
The Nation gathered on Saturday that the six states are in one accord with the chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, that the zone will not surrender Amotekun to the IGP.
In his first reaction to the statement by Garba Shehu, Akeredolu, who is the governor of Ondo State, said the zone had not reached any agreement with anyone to hand over the operations and command of Amotekun to the police.
A similar sentiment was expressed by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
The governor said the security agency which has legislative backing, would be controlled by the state and not any federal establishment.
Sources said on Saturday that the governors are awaiting formal briefing from the federal authorities on the hint from the Presidency.
A security adviser to one of the Southwest governors alleged behind-the-scene efforts to undermine the independence of Amotekun.
“That is just the first public statement on the issue,” the aide who does not want his name in print said.
He added: “Before that, several underground efforts had been made to curtail the independence of Amotekun. It is actually the determination of our governors to ensure a free security outfit that has taken us this far.”
The Nation also gathered that the leaderships of the legislature in the various states may have also agreed on the need to insist on allowing the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) to operate on the basis of the laws setting it up in each state of the region.
The resolution, it was learnt, was reached following fears that the outfit is about to be subsumed under the police by the federal government.
According to legislators who spoke with The Nation on the matter, any arrangement that takes away the independence of the outfit will not be acceptable to the Southwest.
“It is not just the opinion of Governor Akeredolu,” one of the lawmakers said.
“It is the conclusion reached by all our governors on behalf of the people of the Southwest as supported and passed into law by all the state houses of assembly in the region.
“Amotekun will remain independent. We do not need to tell you that our position is backed by law.
“And if you recall that it is the same federal government that insisted on the need for legal backing for Amotekun, you will agree with me that Garba Shehu may have just expressed a personal view.
“Nonetheless, we are not going to be caught unprepared. If you peruse the various bills passed into law by all the states, you will see that we are well prepared to defend the independence of WNSN.”
Contacted, the Commander of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State, Adetunji Adeleye, said the outfit would not be subsumed under the community policing arrangement of the federal government.
He said: “The Amotekun Corps is a product of law. You cannot subject the structure of the Amotekun Corps to the directive of the Inspector-General of Police or any other legal entity.
“All Amotekun does is to complement all existing security agencies in the country, including the police.
“The constitution guarantees the state to also have its own security outfit so far they are backed by laws guiding their operations. There is a law put in place which has even been passed by state houses of assembly, guiding the operations of the Amotekun Corps.”
The Yoruba World Congress (YWC) on Saturday expressed support for Akeredolu and Makinde on the decision not to put Amotekun under the control of the Inspector General of Police, saying the body should not be subsumed under the police.
President General of the group, Prof. Banji Akintoye, said in a statement that the governors’ position on the issue was in the right direction.
He said: “We support the stand of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State that the Southwest security outfit codenamed Amotekun shall not be subsumed under the control of the Nigeria Police Force. “Amotekun, as rightly posited by the governors, is an independent security outfit necessitated by the clear danger of murderous herdsmen internationally accepted as terrorists, heartless bandits and sundry criminals who have turned Yorubaland into killing fields.
“It was also the failure of the existing security architecture to tackle the menace and secure life and property in the Southwest region that led to the clamour for Amotekun by the generality of our people.
“It makes no sense, therefore, to put the same Amotekun under an organisation that has proved incapable and inadequate to provide the much-needed security in the first place.”
Ekiti commences Amotekun recruitment on Monday
Recruitment of personnel by Amotekun in Ekiti State is scheduled to commence on Monday.
The Board of the State Security Network said in Ado Ekiti that the recruitment will take place across the 16 local government areas of the state, starting tomorrow at 8 am prompt.
The recruitment is sequel to the passage of the State Security Network Bill by the state House of Assembly, and signed into law by Governor Kayode Fayemi in March 2020.
The establishment of Amotekun Corps is aimed at curbing incessant killings, kidnappings, banditry, farm invasion and other heinous crimes in the state.
It advised interested persons to visit the Amotekun website for further details.
As COVID-19 cases decline, Lagos schools reopen Sept 14 [Nation]
- Basic schools resume September 21, tertiary institution one week earlier
- Sanwo-Olu launches care pack for home treatment of patients
LAGOS State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that tertiary institutions in the state will reopen from September 14, 2020.
The governor announced this on Saturday at a press conference on the 17th update on Coronavirus, which held at Lagos House, Marina. Sanwo-Olu, at the briefing, also launched a COVID-19 Care Pack, which contains medications, hand sanitizer, face masks and handy medical equipment that could be used to check temperature.
The Care Pack is to be given to those who have been confirmed positive of the COVID-19 free of charge and who prefer home-based care.
The re-opening order is coming six months after all tertiary institutions and basic schools were shut on the order of the government, following the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The governor said primary and secondary schools would re-open from September 21, 2020, adding however, that the decision is subject to a review of ongoing modelling of the state’s response to the pandemic.
Restaurants, Sanwo-Olu said, are permitted to open for in-dining services, and they must ensure the maintenance of a 50 percent maximum occupancy at any point in time.
“They must also have obtained a Provisional Safety Compliance Certificate through the registration portal of the Lagos State Safety Commission: www.lasgsafetyreg.com.
“Social clubs and recreational centres that have registered trustees have also been permitted to open, on the condition that they have applied for and obtained a Provisional Safety Compliance Certificate through the registration portal of the Lagos State Safety Commission: www.lasgsafetyreg.com.
He said the government is sympathetic to the plight of business owners, particularly in the hospitality and tourism sectors but is still reviewing the permissible opening dates for these businesses and will advise on this during the month of September.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all event centres, bars, lounges, night clubs, spas, beaches, cinemas, gyms and game arcades remain closed for now.
“All civil servants in the state’s unified public service system are to comply with prevailing guidelines and roster schedules issued by the Head of Service and/or their MDAs, Sanwo-Olu said.
He said in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive on the opening of commencement of international flights, “we will be visiting the International Airport to gauge the level of preparedness and other ancillary matters.”
He promised that the government “will continue to keep you informed and updated on the decisions that we are taking in response to the pandemic. We will also continue to ask for your understanding and cooperation.
“These are challenging times for all of us, requiring extra levels of patience, sacrifice and understanding.”
“The fact that we have been seeing a gradual easing of the lockdown does not mean that we are now returning to our old way of doing things. The easing you are seeing is the outcome of a careful and deliberate attempt to ensure that livelihoods are not crippled by the overwhelmingly disruptive impact of the virus. It is certainly not an invitation to carelessness or nonchalance,” the governor said, adding, “I must however say that even as we continue to record a decline in the number of newly confirmed cases in the State, this is not the time to rest on our oars and completely disregard the very necessary safety precautions that have been issued for our safety and well-being.”
The governor also disclosed that the State’s Deputy Incident Commander and Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, had been discharging his duty and responding to treatment, adding that the Commissioner remained asymptomatic.
Senate to bar FIRS, Customs, NBC, 57 others from getting federal allocations [Punch]
Barring any last-minute changes, the Senate is set to advise the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to exclude 60 federal agencies from getting allocation from the national budget, starting from next year.
The agencies include Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Security and Exchange Commission, National Broadcasting Commission and Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Commission.
The move, Sunday PUNCH gathered, was due to the conviction that the agencies generate enough revenue to fund their overheads and payment of salaries, and would therefore not need to be funded from the national budget.
Investigations by one of our correspondents on Friday indicated that the Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning had concluded plans to include the proposal in its report which would be submitted to the Senate at plenary on resumption on September 15.
The joint panel on Tuesday concluded a five-day interactive session with the various Federal Government revenue generating agencies based on the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure and Fiscal Strategy Paper.
The panel, in most of its engagements with the heads of the agencies, expressed disappointment with their poor revenue profile, huge wage bill and poor remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund account.
The Chairman of the joint committee, Senator Solomon Adeola, told the heads of the agencies after the session that many of them had no business receiving allocation from the federation account.
He said the Senate would work out an arrangement to amend the Fiscal Responsibility Act that would stop the agencies from spending the money they generate as they pleased.
He said some of the agencies like the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Commission, had willingly pulled out of being funded from the federal budget, meaning they would no longer collect allocation for salaries and overhead from the federation account.
A member of the joint committee told our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Friday that the panel had identified 60 agencies that would henceforth be funding the national budget and be responsible for their overheads and salaries of their workers.
He said the affected revenue generating agencies cut across the agriculture, aviation, communications, education, energy, environment, health, maritime, media and science and technology sectors of the economy.
He said, “We want to put an end to indolence and wastage of revenue. Many of the agencies have more than enough to remain on their own but they are still being funded from the national budget. We are doing this in the interest of Nigerians because we are tired of passing budgets that are not implementable due to deficit.”
Adeola, in his reaction, did not confirm the exact number of agencies that would exit the national budget but said some had willingly agreed to pull out of being funded from the budget and that their list had been compiled.
He said apart from those who would be placed on zero allocation, some would henceforth bear their overheads and cost of executing capital projects.
He stated, “We have invited all revenue generating agencies and ministries that are directly affected to ask questions bothering on the document before us and to deliberate on how we can improve the revenue of the Federal Government.
“From what we have seen and witnessed, it goes to show that we have a lot of work to do in the areas of ensuring that all government revenues get to the coffers of the government. Frivolous expenditure being used to take away the revenue will be blocked.
“This is just the beginning of good things to come. Once this has commenced, we would have a lot of savings and seriousness on the part of the government agencies.”
He said they were trying to put together the cost of collection to be given to all the revenue generating agencies so the government could have enough revenue at its disposal to fund the budget.
“With the repositioning that we have started, we will ensure that all revenue generating agencies play their critical roles in supporting government’s programmes and policies,” he added.
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Alex Okoh, had told the Senate Committee on Privatisation in October 2019 that 600 Federal Government-owned enterprises gulped not less than $3bn yearly with little or no returns from them into the federation account.
During the just concluded Senate session on MTEF/FSP, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the FIRS and Nigerian Customs Service projected to generate N43.5tn as revenue for the country between 2021 and 2023.
A breakdown of the N43.5tn projected revenue shows that FIRS planned to generate N19.1tn; NNPC, N19.5tn; and NCS, N4.927tn in the next three years.
Meanwhile, a member of the committee, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, said the Senate would make the affected agencies see reasons why they should no longer be funded from the budget even as he expressed confidence that they would not protest against the move.
Buhari, who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, said the action was being taken in the best interest of the country and that it was not a witch-hunt.
He added, “We know that when a change is coming, there would be some resistance but the most important thing is that the country is greater than anybody. What we are saying is that if we have a means to finance our budget we will go for it. We will let them see reasons why they should be removed from the budget.
“We know that the country is allocating billions of naira every year to buoyant agencies that don’t need the money. They are agencies that can conveniently finance themselves. There are lots of revelations during the five days that we held our interactions with the agencies.
“Many of them are generating as much as N20bn every year, remitting what they like, and they are still collecting money from the federation account to pay salaries and to defray their overhead cost. Apart from removing them from the budget, we will also make sure that they remit the appropriate revenue to the federation account.”
He said apart from the NCS and the FIRS that declare huge revenues, many other revenue generating agencies only remitted pittance from their collection.
He added, “As a serving senator, I was shocked when I saw the huge sums of money that many of these agencies are making, how much they are spending on frivolous expenditure and what they remit to the national purse. It is highly ridiculous.’’
MAN, NACCIMA, economists disagree, say proposal dangerous
Responding to the plan, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria described the proposal as a dangerous move that would not only reduce the already low Foreign Direct Investments into the country but also make regulatory agencies to overburden businesses for funds.
MAN’s Acting Director-General, Ambrose Oruche, told one of our correspondents on Friday, “It is a dangerous move. The business community will suffer for it. The government should not try it because the businesses pay taxes for running the government. If this proposal is implemented, I don’t see investors staying in this economy.’’
While noting that such would impair the gains of the Ease of Doing Business policy, he added, “It then means that the agencies will be all out to make money from the business community since they are the ones sourcing for their revenue. Businesses will shut down and unemployment will rise.”
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture also described the plan as a wrong move, saying the Senate should rather engage the agencies in useful dialogue to achieve the desired goal.
The Director-General NACCIMA, Ambassador Ayo Olukanni, said, “The Senate should not go this way. Such move may in fact sound their death knell. It should rather look for more innovative ways to encourage these agencies to make them more productive and generate revenue.
“If properly funded, they (the agencies) can be challenged to generate revenue, using various innovative business models in collaboration with the private sector with effective supervision.”
Also, a Professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sheriffdeen Tella, said he did not agree with the Senate proposal because it would make agencies independent of the federation account and their revenue and expenditure would be difficult to monitor.
He said, “All the money that is generated ought to go into the federation account. In that case, there is supposed to be budgetary allocations for all the agencies. They must have their own budget and they must not spend beyond the money they budgeted for.
“You cannot ask them not to be part of the budgetary system. This is so that we can track how much goes in and goes out. If you say they should spend as they generate, it means they are going to be independent of the federation account which is not good enough.”
According to an economist, Dr Ayo Teriba, if all revenues go into the government’s purse before the money is shared, it curtails excesses and leakages, noting that allowing agencies to spend their revenue and only remit a certain portion would be an aberration. ‘‘This is one of the reasons why Nigeria is poor,” he added.
Teriba, who is the Chief Executive Officer, Economic Associates, stated, “The country has moved towards a Treasury Single Account. The question to ask is; are the federal agencies the Senate is referring to part of the TSA or not? They are.
“Two, what is beneficial – to have a central budgeting system for all the agencies or to take some of them out to run individual budgeting system? It undermines accountability and I don’t know any other country in the world where any revenue generating agency has the autonomy to spend the revenue it collects.’’
LCCI, economist back move
However, the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Muda Yusuf, backed the plan, but cautioned that there should be proper monitoring to ensure accountability and prevent reckless spending.
He added, “There has to be a proper assessment to know the ones that have the capacity to generate revenue and fund themselves. So, if they have enough capacity to generate funds, why not, and the cost they incur must be realistic because some of them have bloated cost of operations.
“Some of them are really robust in terms of the revenue they generate, but we must carry out proper monitoring of what they generate.”
Also, a Professor of Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Abayomi Adebayo, welcomed the development, saying it was long overdue.
“I think we are thinking right. Under the pretence that the income generated in those agencies are low, they keep using the revenues to enrich themselves as we have seen in many investigations carried out, whereby you see some of their directors strikingly rich while the government is getting poorer.
He said, “For instance, look at Customs, how can they be collecting subventions from the government considering how much they generate?”
Addressing the concern in some quarters that the affected agencies might be pressurised to generate funds by way of taxing the people more, Adebayo said, “It is nothing to worry about. There are principles that will govern any agency to regulate taxation. But I think anybody who can’t run such agencies should please resign to give room for people who can run them profitably.”
Helicopter crash: I’ve been barred from my house, says 77-year-old landlady [Punch]
Mrs Oluwayemisi Oluwole, the landlady of one the two buildings affected by the ill-fated Bell 206 that crashed on Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos State, has said she has been barred from sleeping in her house due to the impact of the crash.
The 77-year-old woman spoke on Saturday when the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited the scene of the crash.
The helicopter, which took off from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, crashed into the fence in-between the two houses at 16A, Salvation Road, about two minutes to land at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja.
All the three crew members on board – identified as Captain Chika Ernest, Macaulay Brownson and Clement Ndiok – died in the crash.
Oluwole said she had been barred from sleeping in her house, and pleaded with Sanwo-Olu to assist in fixing the damage on time.
She said, “I thank God for what happened because there was nobody in the apartment affected by the crash. We thank God that the helicopter didn’t land on top of the house.
“I hope somebody will come and assess the degree of the damage and that should be done quickly because I have not entered the house since yesterday because I have been barred from entering the house.
“Since yesterday (Friday), a lot of people have come here without observing any COVID-19 protocols. In my house now, I can count 20 face masks on the floor. So, I want to appeal to government to come and help us to sanitise the place.”
Sanwo-Olu promised Oluwole and other affected residents that the state government would carry out integrity test on the structures and do the necessary repairs.
The governor also sympathised with the families of the late crew members and prayed that God should comfort them.
He said, “I am here to do a real on-the-spot assessment and I have seen things for myself. We thank God that as painful as the incident might be, the damage was not beyond what we have witnessed. We are pained by the death of the three people on board, but we thank God because it could have been worse than that.
“The affected buildings are residential homes that have citizens living there. As at the exact time the helicopter crash happened, a lot of people were not on the premises and even the elderly people that were around were in their rooms. But as God would have it, nothing in term of fatality happened to people on the ground. So, we need to thank God. If not, fatality may have been a lot more than what we are talking about.
“The people affected are senior citizens; they are people in their 80s and 70s. We have seen the level of destruction and damage. Tests will be conducted to understand the integrity of the buildings and once that is ascertained, we will start work with the federal agencies. We will start the reconstruction and renovation of the places affected and ensure that we quickly bring respite to the senior citizens that have been affected.”
Abuja trip: Ngige calls for banishment of 12 Anambra monarchs [Punch]
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has called on the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, to banish the 12 monarchs who went to Abuja without the state government’s authorisation.
He said oil magnate, Prince Arthur Eze, who led the monarchs on the trip, should also be punished accordingly for what he described as sabotage.
Obiano had suspended the 12 monarchs for one year because of the trip which the state government has described as an affront and a breach of the rules and protocols guiding traditional rulers in the state.
But Ngige, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Saturday, said the monarchs’ suspension was not enough punishment.
He said, “When somebody is suspended from performing the functions of his office, it’s natural that he should be banned from being in that vicinity. Allowing him to stay around is risky because he is a threat to peace. In order to avert such a threat, he should be sent out to another place to prevent possible conduct likely to cause the breach of law and order in the vicinity.
“So, I advise the Anambra State government to relocate the 12 traditional rulers from their communities to avoid a situation likely to cause the breach of public peace. The businessman (Arthur Eze), who took them (monarchs) on the Abuja trip, should be punished for sabotage.”
How, Eze’s media aide, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, described Ngige’s call as unconstitutional and ultra vires the powers of a state governor.
Buhari rejigs federal civil service [Sun]
…Deploys 13, redeploys 12, retains 15 Perm Secs
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday approved the deployment and redeployment of 40 federal permanent secretaries.
He approved the redeployment of 13, deployment of 12 new ones inaugurated on Wednesday, while 15 of them were retained in their current stations.
While some of the deployments and re-deployments were with immediate effects, others would be effective at later dates.
A memorandum by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr (Mrs) Folasade Yemi-Esan, stated that the new Permanent Secretaries, deployed, and re-deployed are to conclude take-over and hand-over by the end of September, 2020.
The deployment, redeployment and retainment were contained in a circular with Ref no: HCSF/CMO/AOD/012/V.11/39, released on Friday night.
Those redeployed are Chinyeaka Christian Ohaa from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the Ministry of Power; William Alo, Ministry of Labour and Employment to Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs; Olusade Adesola, Ministry of Niger Delta to FCT; Esther Didi Walson Jack, Ministry of Power to Water Resources; Akpan Edet Sunday, Mines and Steel, to Science and Technology; Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, OHCSF-Common Services Office to Works and Housing; and Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to Environment.
Also redeployed are Maurice Mbaeri, Police Affairs to OSGF General Services Office; Engr Festus Naray Daudu, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs to OHCSF – Common Service Office; Dr Magdalene Ajani, OHCSF Service Policies and Strategy Office to Ministry of Transportation; Engr. Nebolisa Anako, Police Service Commission to Information and Culture; Aliyu Ahmed, Ministry of Finance (Special Duties) to same Ministry; and Temitope Fashedemi, OHCSF to Ministry of Police Affairs.
Those that were newly deployed are Babangida Hussaini, Ministry of Defence; Dr Yerima Peter Tarfa, Labour and Employment; Dr Bayayo Kumo Ardo, Niger Delta Affairs; Dr Adaora Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, Women Affairs; Dr Anthonia Akpabio Ekpa, Foreign Affairs and Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, Mines and Steel Development.
Others are Aliyu Ganda Mohammed, Special Services OSGF; Dr Emmanuel Meribole, OHCSF-Service Policies and Strategy Office; Monilola Udoh, Federal Civil Service Commission; Mamman Mahmuda, OHCSF-Carrier Management Office; Bashir Nura Alkali, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs; and Dr Shuaib Belgore Ministry of Interior.
Akanu Ibiam Airport: Sirika, Arthur Eze land at airport as it reopens today [Sun]
All things being equal, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport will be reopened today for both international and local flights.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who took the first flight to the airport after the rehabilitation/expansion of the runway yesterday with billionaire businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, said that today’s commissioning would be historic.
The duo with few other officials of the ministry touched down at the airport in a private jet marked 5N-PAZ, said to belong to Prince Eze at about 4:50p.m.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after a brief inspection of the runway, Sirika said that government was ready for reopening of the airport.
“We are ready for tomorrow. We landed at the runaway safely and there is no problem at all.
“This is the first flight that is landing after a long time and I am happy to be on board,” he said, adding that the Federal Government was glad to have achieved the upgrade on time and as budgeted.
Also talking to newsmen, Prince Eze expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for approving and making fund available for the project.
He reiterated that the president and indeed the Northerners love Ndigbo and appealed to the Igbo to love the Northerners as well.
He said, “we must love the North so we can live in peace.”
Enugu killing: Mbazulike blasts Southeast governors [Sun]
…Says “we have very weak set of governors in Southeast”
Foremost nationalist and elder statesman, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, has expressed fears over the increasing clamour for the South East region to produce the president in 2023.
In this interview, the vocal First Republic Aviation Minister spoke on the need for the Igbo to reconcile with the North if they want to brighten their chances of clinching the number one position. He also decried the brazen killing of Ndigbo in their state by security, alluding that the killers are emboldened by the set of ‘weak governors’ the region has. Excerpt:
What’s your take on the recent clash at Enugu between members of IPOD and the police?
I really don’t know much about that because I haven’t got the details. I cannot say because for example, some delegations that met at my house, alongside the President of Ohanaeze youths who were part of the team told me that it was not IPOB that was involved in the clash. I learned that it was another group with a different designation. And that they assembled to say prayers and hold their meeting when some security men went to attack and dispersed them. But the group defended themselves. Now the scuffle had already finished when more men in uniform arrived at the scene and started shooting anybody they saw. That was what the Ohanaeze youths told me. So I really don’t know what happened. But I have told IPOB that they must never resort to violence. It is their cardinal policy, but that does not mean that when a lion comes to attack you that you should not defend yourself the best you can. The scenario happened at Oraifite and they defended themselves, that was IPOB, but I don’t know much about the killing at Enugu because IPOB says it’s not them. It is quite sad because these security officials believe that they can kill the Igbo without anybody asking any question. And this continues to happen because we have a very weak set of governors in the Southeast.
The politicking of 2023 is already heating up, what do you make of the whole frenzy and clamour for a president of Igbo extraction?
2023 is crucial to the unity and existence of Nigeria, particularly as the Igbo are concerned. If Nigeria accepts to elect an Igbo president of Nigeria, then we will be there to work for Nigeria. We worked for the independence of Nigeria more than any other section of the country, so, we’ll be there to work., but if in 2023, they still think that Ndigbo should be treated as slaves or second class citizens of Nigeria, then the Igbo would give a second thought to their being in Nigeria. We’ll give a second thought to it. It’s not going to be easy because it’s not going to be violent. We’ve tried it with violence with Biafra, it did not work, but this time new strategies have to be worked out. And that is the essence of the Ohanaeze/ IPOB arrangement which was made in my house. We intend to work for 2023. But if in 2023, Nigeria rejects us, then we have to resort to the Igbo saying that Onye ajuru anaghi aju onwe ya ( He that is rejected doesn’t reject himself ). But we hope it will never get to that. I personally hope it will never get to that because we are working to be in Nigeria, and to be fully part of Nigeria. There are great political, economic, military, and power advantages in being a big country. If we have a corrupt system today, that does not mean that it would not come to pass. The world is moving around, everything moves and comes around.
Looking back at your time, the Igbo played better politics than our present crop of politicians. Do you agree to this notion, particularly in the ability of the Ndigbo to woo other regions?
In our time we were nationalists. we fought for independence. Nigerians handed us power, and we continued to rule as nationalists without expecting any gain. We only thought of the best we can give to Nigeria, not what we can get out of Nigeria. We only thought of how to make Nigeria the best in Africa, and have a country that can challenge the big countries of Europe and Asia, until the military struck in 1966. The Igbo were edged out because of certain political mistakes by military rulers in those days that led to war. But from indication so far, a great majority of Nigerian people who are reasonable are seeing the justice in our case, and I believe we are going to have a favourable result, but to have favourable results, the Igbo would have to work for it, nobody would dash you independence on a platter, you have to work, strategize, plan, scheme; you have to do everything possible to get it. You take political power, it’s not given and I can tell you that we are working on that. I’m making my little experience available to our people. God has placed me in that father position, kept me alive, and prepared me. I didn’t know that was why God was preparing me for when it was raised to become the engine room of the NCNC politically. I was the party’s principal organising secretary, and master of strategy and politics. Also, God thereafter made me pass through governance and politics of Nigeria, both inside and outside the government, both in politics and outside politics. And so God has taken a long time to train me for this. I didn’t know that was going on in the minds of God, and He has spared me; at the age of 91 going to 92, I am still able to go to work in my factory, I drive myself within my compound and around the village. I don’t drive outside, not that I can’t, but I just want to do it that way. God has given me reasonable good health. My real trouble is Rheumatism and waist pain. and recently in 2017, I’ve been having problems in my heart, but at every stage when the thing is about to come, God says ‘no it’s not yet time’, and so I thank God. Now, I realised that God has an assignment for me, and I’m not going anywhere until I have accomplished that for Ndigbo and for Nigeria.
What if this whole 2023 project fails, and the presidential seat is not given to the Igbo, does that mean that Southeast leaders and groups would now back IPOB’s clamour for Biafra?
The present IPOB may not be what would emerge if Ndigbo is not given a chance in 2023. We are not asking to be given the position, we are asking to be given a level playing ground, that is all. So, the present IPOB organisation is not the plan of Ndigbo in 2023 if we fail in our objective. But I’m confident that we would not fail because of the reactions I get from the North. The thing is that the Igbo lost a chance when they allowed themselves to be edged out from the North. No politician in Nigeria can succeed nationally and particularly as far as the office of the 0resident is concerned without the North. The nlNorth is a very powerful section of this country both in population, experience, and positions. And each time the Igbo work with the North there was peace in Nigeria. But each time the Igbo and the North break away crisis comes. That was our experience after the coup, even after the civil war. In the Shehu Shagari government, the original plan which I made with Osadebe and R.B.K Okafor, was for a Zik (Nnamdi Azikiwe) and Shagari ticket. I led the delegation while Shagari led the delegation from the North and we always met in Lagos. The northern delegation comprised Shattima Ali Monguno and Sunday Awoniyi, and my delegation comprised Osadebe and myself; we worked out an agreement that Zik would be the presidential candidate in 1979, and Shagari would be his running mate. We also agreed with the man from the northern side that Zik would work for one term and step aside. And so we asked Zik to accept that agreement because by the time he has done one term he would be about 87 or so, and we thought that would be the appropriate time to resign. But suddenly people like Jim Nwobodo and others came into the thing with their own ambition. They went and deceived Zik and told him to come to NPP that they would push him through as president. However, Zik realised his mistakes after the election when he lost the presidential elections. He then agreed again to work with the North by NPP and NPN forming a coalition government, sharing offices. This continued until 1983 when Awolowo and others went to Nwobodo, Mbakwe, and said that they are progressives. And the North and the East fell out again till the 1983 coup. So, each time we were together, there was peace in the country. Any section that wants to rule this country must recognise the importance of the North. And the North must not take undue advantage of this importance God has given them by population and spread, they must also recognize that there is reciprocity in the whole thing. It should be a matter of give and take, and then there would be peace.
So, my advocacy is that there should be peace and I want to take the Igbo back to reconciliation. Right now, the Igbo have no quarrel with the Yoruba or the South-south people. It would appear that the North is where the problem lies, and I want to lead the Igbo to effect a reconciliation with the North so that we can all have a whole happy family of Nigeria – North, East, West, and South, all united in peace and fraternal love and unity, that is what I want to work on, even though I’m working mostly from my home because I can’t do much travelling, but most meetings are now held in my house and people come here for regular consultations.
Political watchers always raise concerns about the antecedents of Ndigbo and their knack to refuse to step down for one another. They cite example at what happened in 1999, where many believed that Alex Ekwueme stood a better chance to get block votes from the Southeast zone against Obasanjo at the PDP primaries, but Jim Nwododo joined the race. And this divided their votes. So do you foresee duplicity of Igbo candidates? Do you nurse fears of betrayal by the Easterners themselves?
That is a reality in politics. in politics, you expect disappointments, betrayals, disloyalties, opportunism, careerism. So, these are the things you find in politics. So, I will not be surprised if as we go along there are betrayals, disappointments. As Zik told us, that in Nigerian society, particularly Igbo society, if you want to attend an area with 10 people, by the time you get there, if you look back, about three or four at least have dropped off on the way. But it won’t stop you from going to where you are going to. Nwobodo betrayed Ekwueme at that time, but also don’t forget that at that time the military who were handing over, and who was handling everything wanted to compensate the Yoruba for Abiola’s issue. So, Obasanjo was the favoured one.