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Festus Iyayi’s Death: FRSC Report Indicts Gov Wada’s Convoy

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Festus Iyayi’s Death: FRSC Report Indicts Gov Wada’s Convoy

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has blamed the convoy of the Kogi State governor, Idris Wada, and the construction firms handling the Abuja-Lokoja road for the accident that killed former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Festus Iyayi.

The commission in its five-page findings, a copy of which was made available Sunday, said the accident was caused by the failure of the driver of a black Toyota Hilux pick-up van in the governor’s convoy, carrying seven policemen, to move to his lane of travel despite the fact that the road had been confined to a two-lane roadway following the protracted construction work on the road.

According to the corps legal adviser, Wole Olaniran, an assistant corps marshal, the driver of the Toyota Hilux pickup, Danladi Baba, travelling on a high but determined speed, southbound of the road, deliberately failed to return to and stick to his lane of travel.

The report said contributing to the injury severity was speed: “the direction of the impact and one of Vehicle number 1 (Toyota Hiace Bus) body reinforcement material which pierced through the heart area of the fatally injured (Iyayi).”

The investigation also blamed the construction companies building the Abuja-Lokoja Road for failing to provide adequate guidance and channelisation.

The commission advised that governors’ convoy “maintain adequate lane discipline and desist from running other vehicles off-road.”

It also instructed politicians to regulate speed limits for convoy drivers, adding that they should liaise with the FRSC for proper orientation and enlightenment of drivers.

The FRSC also advised government and construction companies to accelerate the completion of the Abuja-Lokoja Road to avoid more deadly accidents on the road.

Iyayi died in a car crash last November while travelling to Kano for an emergency meeting called by the union over a nationwide strike by university lecturers.

Following the public outrage that greeted the incident, the FRSC ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident.

But when the commission refused to make public its findings, the law firm of a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, which said it was acting on the instruction of its client, ASUU, requested for a certified true copy of the report, relying on provisions of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

The letter from the law chamber, dated February 12, 2014, and signed by Samuel Ogala asked the FRSC to give it a certified true copy of the report of its findings within seven days of the receipt of the correspondence.

Soldiers Claim Military Chiefs Aid Boko Haram – Punch

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Soldiers Claim Military Chiefs Aid Boko Haram – Punch

By John Alechenu, Fidelis Soriwei And Godwin Isenyo

A soldier has claimed that he witnessed incidents that suggested some military chiefs work with Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, Punch Newspaper has reported

The soldier told the Voice of America Hausa Service how his military unit in Borno State was ambushed by Boko Haram members.

He said the commander of a nearby military unit in Bama recently sought assistance from his unit in carrying out a raid.

The soldier, who did not give his name, said when the two military units joined up, they were given different uniforms. The Bama unit commander, according to him, gave his own troops green uniforms while his   unit received tan “desert camouflage” uniforms.

When the troops reached the battle area, the soldier said the commander of the better-equipped Bama unit suddenly withdrew his forces, leaving the remaining troops to fend for themselves against Boko Haram fighters.

Speaking in Hausa, he said, “We had only light arms and our men were being picked off one after the other.”

The soldier also said he recognised some of the Boko Haram fighters as his former military trainers in Kontagora, a town near Abuja.

“We realised that some of them were actually mercenaries from the Nigerian army… hired to fight us,” he said.

The soldier also claimed that many of his colleagues were deserting   the army because of their frustrations with what he said was the politicisation of the fight against the militants.

He said, “I swear by Allah, there are soldiers who are coming out of the forest after they were abandoned; several of them dropped their weapons and just went home.

“There were more than 20 of them from this battalion in Kwanduga. Even me that is talking to you now, I am preparing to leave. I just want to tell the world so that they will know what is happening. These people are doing this secretly.”

He also claimed that  there was a deliberate attempt to further impoverish the North preparatory to the 2015  general elections.

•10,000 soldiers not in Maiduguri

The soldier dismissed claims that there were up to 10,000 troops in Maiduguri.

The soldier added,   “I swear, even now, there are boys in the forest where we are coming out from.

“They (Army) keep saying they are sending soldiers, it’s a lie. They claim that there are 10,000 soldiers in Maiduguri but it is a lie. If we have 10,000 soldiers, Boko Haram would have ended.  How many members does Boko Haram have?”

When one of our correspondents contacted the Director of Defence Information, Maj.Gen Chris Olukolade, he said he did not believe that the person who granted the interview to VOA was a soldier of the Nigerian Army.

He said that the person claiming to be a soldier could be an insurgent trying to create a false impression to promote the activities of Boko Haram.

The defence spokesman  said, “The person that granted that interview on the VOA; we believe he is not a soldier, he could just be one of those simulated on the other side to give some false impression to support the insurgents.”

•Soldier fighting for B’Haram killed

But the soldier’s claim seemed to have been corroborated as a lance corporal has been killed by the Special Forces during an encounter with insurgents in Borno State.

It was learnt on Sunday that the military high command was investigating soldiers suspected to be involved in conducts that could compromise national security.

The lance corporal was  said to have been killed  while assisting in  the  training of Boko Haram fighters.
Investigations revealed that the soldier was ‘competent’ and trusted enough to be a trainer of Special Forces at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kontagora.

It was learnt that one of the soldiers who took part in the operation recognised the body of the lance corporal  who   dressed in military camouflage.

The soldier  was said to have called the attention of his commander to his discovery that one of the corpses   was that of a soldier well known to him as a trainer of special forces in Kotangora.

It was learnt that the commander ordered a search on the body of the  lance corporal  and   a current pass permitting  him  to leave his location at the   training centre in  Kontagora was found on him.

A security source said, “A soldier who trains Special Forces at the Nigerian Army Training Centre in Kontagora, Niger State, was among those who were killed.

“The man was not among the Special Forces; he was obviously leading the attack for the insurgents but he got killed.

“It was one of the soldiers that identified him as somebody from his unit in Kotangora.

“The soldier called attention to the man’s corpse and when the commander said he should be searched, they recovered a current pass authorising him to leave Kotangora and his Army identity card from him.”

However, Olukolade said that he would not want to comment on the killing  of the  lance corporal.
He stated   that the military had zero tolerance for people fighting on the side of the insurgents.

Voice of America Hausa Service

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11 Officials Indicted Over Missing N1 Billion Railway Pension Fund

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11 Officials Indicted Over Missing N1 Billion Railway Pension Fund

Eleven officers in the finance, legal and audit departments of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, have been indicted over a billion naira missing from pension funds .

This was disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday in Lagos by a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“A total sum of over one billion naira has been discovered missing from the Nigerian Railway Corporation Pension Fund over a period of three years.”

“A number of staff and other top management personnel of the corporation have already been indicted by NRC management over the missing fund,” the source said.

The source said that the revelation came to light after an internal investigation conducted by the management of the corporation on the pension fund.

“It was discovered that through acts of fraud, financial recklessness, miss-appropriation and conspiracy, the said sum was diverted by some officials of the corporation.”

“Investigations revealed that the management instituted an internal enquiry into the management of the corporation’s pension fund during which these shocking discoveries were made,” the source said.

He said further that the management of NRC had forwarded its report containing the names of the suspected culprits and recommendations on how to recover the missing funds to the new chairman of the NRC board, Bamanga Tukur.

Boko Haram Lays Seige To Maiduguri – Biu Road, Kill 7

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Boko Haram Lays Seige To Maiduguri – Biu Road, Kill 7

Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

Seven travellers have been killed in yet another attack along the Maiduguri-Biu road, by an armed gang suspected to be Boko Haram, members, who operated for several hours unchallenged.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, caused many motorists to abandon the road for other bypasses for most of the day.

The armed men also reportedly stormed Gwargube, a village along the road, where theu summoned the villagers and threatened them to cooperate or be killed.

“They stopped the vehicles and killed seven of the occupants. In Gwargube, they vowed to kill the villagers and burn their properties if they cooperate with security operatives. They did not kill anyone there,” a youth vigilante in the area told neesmen.

He said many others were injured and were taken to hospitals in Maiduguri.

The Maiduguri-Biu road has continued to record several attacks in spite of military patrol in the area.

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Edwin Clark’s Son Regains Freedom

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Edwin Clark’s Son Regains Freedom

From Jessica Tamaraduoye, Warri

Ebikeme Clark, son of Ijaw leader and elder statesman, Edwin Clark, who was kidnapped on April 2 in Kiagbodo, Burutu local government area of Delta State, has regained his freedom.

The Delta State police spokesman, Celestina Kalu, a deputy superintendent of Police, confirmed this on Sunday in a telephone interview.

Kalu said that the victim was released by the Kiagbodo waterside without ransom.

“Clark was released at the early hour of today by his captors and no ransom was paid,” she said.

According to her, the kidnappers freed the victim when they noticed that the police was closing-in on them, having gotten useful information from a member of the gang who was arrested last week.

“You know that we arrested one of them last week and his members became afraid that he was leaking information to us as we were closing-in on their hide-out. So, they have to release the victim,” she said.

Another source however, said it was passionate pleas from a former federal minister of information and the leadership of Ijaw Youth Congress, IYC, with the help of ex-militant warlord, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) who was said to have sent emissaries to the hoodlums after identifying their hide-out in the creeks, that led to the release of Ebikeme.

The victim, who narrated his ordeal in the kidnappers’ den, said that it was an unpleasant experience.

“I cannot explain how it happened, but it was unpleasant. I was released by the grace of God; I was taken to an unknown destination in the creek,” he said.

He added that he was released by his captors at midnight on Saturday.

Clark was whisked away last Wednesday when he was paying the salaries of the employees of Edwin Clark Foundation at about 6:00pm in Kiagbodo.

Subsequently, the abductors demanded the sum of N60 million from the family to free the victim.

Probe NNPC Swap Programme, APC Tells NASS

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Probe NNPC Swap Programme, APC Tells NASS

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on the National Assembly committees probing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to beam their searchlight on the activities of the two companies involved in a crude-oil-for-refined-product barter programme – Taleveras and Aiteo – in view of recent developments concerning the them.

In a statement issued by its interim national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the call was necessitated by the fact that the two firms involved in the swap programme, recently submitted the highest and unmatched bid of $2.85 billion for the largest of Shell Nigeria’s four oil blocks slated for sale.

She’ll is selling the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 290 with its 97-kilometre Nembe Creek oil pipeline.

It described as incredulous the fact that the two firms, with a track record as oil marketers (not explorers) of less than five years, could make such a huge bid by simply exchanging crude oil for equivalent refund of petroleum product.

The APC wondered how two companies that were nowhere prior their joining the swap programme, have metamorphosed in just five years to become companies that can buy assets at the huge cost of $2.85 billion.

“Is there a link between this sudden leap in fortunes and the possible underhand dealings in the swap programme, considering they are the two firms involved in the programme?” the Party queried.

It noted that while Nigeria as a country continues to get less and less from the programme, those who service the programme were feeding fat on it.

The APC again wondered: ”Is there any link between the stupendous wealth of these firms and the ever-expanding huge revenue losses going on at the NNPC? And is there a link between the activities of these firms and the alleged missing $20 billion oil funds?”

The party therefore urged the National Assembly committees, including the House committees on downstream, upstream and justice and the Senate Committee on finance to investigate the suspicious rise to wealth of the two companies, as it believes that findings might provide answers to some of the missing monies at the NNPC.

Under the swap arrangement, the NNPC is allocated 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day for refining for local consumption but because the refineries do not have the capacity to refine all the quantity allocated, it swaps it with refined fuel with foreign refineries.

The Senate committee on Petroleum Resources upstream last November commenced investigation on the NNPC over the programme.

The Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI, had accused the Corporation of profligacy, alleging that the country  loses an estimated $8 billion annually through the crude oil-for-refined products exchange arrangement.

The committee led by Magnus Abe (PDP, Rivers), however, could not proceed with the investigation as a result of failure of the NNPC to submit relevant documents relating to the transaction requested by the panel.

Only last week, the Senate gave the NNPC a week to provide it with relevant documents on oil sales.

Confab Delegates Discussing Irrelevant Issues – Itse Sagay

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Confab Delegates Discussing Irrelevant Issues – Itse Sagay

Respected constitutional lwyer, Itse Sagay, says the National Conference is discussing a number of issues that it should not concern itself with.

Sagay believes that the conference should focus on issues of how Nigerians can associate and live peacefully together.

He stressed that about 75 per cent of the 492 delegates at the conference do not know what they are there for.

“The younger ones and some of the old ones do not know what they are there for,” he said.

The lawyer outlined some items he said were irrelevant and contained in the recommendations submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan by the Presidential Advisory committee on National Conference.

“You will hear things like good governance, corruption, cost of governance, deepening democracy, democratisation, political parties, education; about 20 of the items in the list are totally irrelevant.

He insisted that issues that could be discussed outside the conference were not relevant in the conference.

“We can always discuss education, we can meet to trash out corruption, discuss cost of governance,” he said, listing some of the relevant issues that should be discussed to include things that would determine the mode of association between communities in future and how different communities and people should use resources.

The conference, which began in March will  dwell on these issues for three months.

Gunmen Kill 20 Worshippers, Others In Yobe

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Gunmen Kill 20 Worshippers, Others In Yobe

At least twenty persons have been killed in a mosque in Buni Gari in Gujba local government area of Yobe State, when gunmen suspected to belong to the Boko Haram sect launched an attack during the early morning prayer.

The attack reportedly took place around 5:00am, just as the prayer started with the insurgens mindlessly shooting at the worshippers from close range.
According to eyewitnesses, the insurgents also went on to destroying houses and shops while some residents of the town were equally killed in the shooting spree.

A source confirmed to journalists that at least 20 persons were killed, while 22 others who were injured are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital in Buni Yadi.

The source claimed that the attack went on for about an hour and that the insurgents had a field day as no one came to the rescue of the residents of the village.

Security authorities are yet to confirm the incident.

Omisore Emerges PDP Governorship Candidate In Osun

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Omisore Emerges PDP Governorship Candidate In Osun

Chairman of the  People’s Democratic Party, PDP’s governorship primary organising committee in Osun State, Adamu Aliero, has announced Iyiola Omisore as the party’s  flag bearer for the August 9 governorship election.

In the party’s primary election conducted Saturday, Omisore polled 1,128 votes to beat Olasunkanmi
Akinlabi, who got 35 votes and Wole Oke, who had only  five votes.

Eighteen void votes were recorded.

A former governor of the state, Adetunji Adeleke, had on Friday withdrawn from the contest.

Aliero advised all the aspirants to support Omisore to ensure victory for the party at the polls.

In an interview with newsmen after the declaration, Omisore said he was humbled by the outcome of the election.

“The next step is to reach out to my brothers who also participated in the race; this victory is for us all. The party will be made stronger through sincere reconciliation in the interest of all,” he said.

He said the party will explore all democratic means to win the general election, stressing that it will not be provoked to violence.

There was a heavy presence of security personnel drawn from the police, civil defence, road safety and State Security Service during the election.

Omisore was deputy governor to Bisi Akande, who is now interim chairman of the opposition All Peoples Congress, APC.

He was also a senator between 2007 and 2011.

Squabble Over Competency Test Deepens In Edo

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Squabble Over Competency Test Deepens In Edo

From Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

The squabble between the Edo State government and teachers in public primary and secondary schools is getting even fiercer as governor Adams Oshiomhole insists he would not compromise standard in the education sector, threatening to sack those who refuse to submit for the assessment test.

But the defiant teacher’s hands appear to have been strengthened in a new twist as the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, declared that it had sole legal authority to conduct competency test for teachers.

This declaration was contained in the council’s defence by its counsel, Daniel Osiagor, in the suit filed by the teachers at the Akure Division of the National Industrial Court, in which it is the 3rd defendant.

Fewer than 200 of the over 13,000 teachers sat for the Assessment Test conducted by a committee set up by the governor last month; the majority are hiding under the umbrella of the union which is opposed to the test

But governor Oshiomhole has maintained his ground that “no teacher will remain in the pay roll of Edo State Government if we have not assessed him and convinced that he is indeed a fit and proper person to be entrusted with the classroom or the particular subject which our pupils are asked to learn.”

He says his insistence has no political undertone.

“This, for us, is not politics; it is to stress the essence of governance and prepare our kids for the future for the inevitable role they have to play. We are in politics to drive change. I do not think it is enough for someone to say that was how I met it. I want to be remembered for a guy who took the difficult decision and at the end paid the price,” he said.

He said further: “There is no stopping and no one is going to block us till we get to that point where we are convinced that as government we have done enough to secure the future of the Edo children.”

The state government may also be planning to conduct another assessment for those who missed the first one and may have had a rethink about the exercise.

Meanwhile, citing the Teachers Registration Act 2004 as its authority, the TRCN argued that the Edo State government lacked the power to conduct competency test for teachers in the state as it relates to certification.

Osiagor said that the role of the state government as an employer of teachers is to organize mandatory continuing professional development programme, wherein the participating teachers can earn credit hours for all TRCN approved programmes.

“This mandatory Continuing Development Programmes, which are organized yearly does not dwell on competency, which is the sole exclusive preserve of the 3rd defendant as the only appropriate body that can certify teachers,” he told the court.

The TRCN insisted that its capacity and wherewithal to conduct competence test for teachers is in line with Section 1 (1) (b), (d) and (e) of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria Cap T3, 2004 (Decree 31 of 1993).

It would be recalled that the court sitting in Abuja had given an interim order restraining the Edo State government from conducting any competency test for teachers in Edo State pending the hearing and determination of suit.

But Edo State government refused to comply with the order, claiming that it was not served.

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