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APC Accuses PDP Of Enticing Defectors With Public Funds

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APC Accuses PDP Of Enticing Defectors With Public Funds

As the drama of cross carpeting continues in the National Assembly,  the All Peoples Congress, APC, has alleged that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is using public funds to entice members who had defected to the opposition.

The accusation is coming on the heels of the defection of five members of the House of Representatives from the APC to the PDP this week.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by its interim national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, the APC said the action of the PDP shows desperation, but added that there was no cause for alarm, as “no amount of inducements will stop the change that is in the horizon, because the long-suffering people of Nigeria are ready and eager to vote out the PDP next year.”

According to the party, the PDP has promised $2 million (about N328 million) to any senator who returns to it’s fold; $1 million (about N164 million) to any member of the House of Representatives who returns, and $10 million (about N164 billion) to any ‘leader’ who dumps the APC.

It said the price tag for the federal legislators from Rivers State is even higher as they would get $5 million (N821 million) each if they pitched their tents with the PDP.

The party noted that the five House of Representatives members who defected to the PDP on Tuesday were neither forced to decamp to the APC in the first instance nor given any incentive beyond the rare opportunity offered them to be a part of the looming change when they defected to the APC.

“Things are bound to get worse in the days ahead because the desperate PDP will, more and more, use public funds to try to change the course of history. We therefore urge Nigerians to remain resolute in the face of what will be a wave of inducements never before seen in these climes, because there is no going back on the plan to vote out the PDP next year and save Nigeria from a rapacious and inept leadership,” the APC said.

Defection Game Continues In National Assembly

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Defection Game Continues In National Assembly

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday reclaimed its position as majority in the House of Representatives following the defection to the party of five members of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Among the defectors are Abdulsalam Adamu (Kano), Ladan Bichi (Kano), Sani Galadinma (Zamfara), Ibrahim Gusau (Zamfara) and Umar Bature (Sokoto).

That notwithstanding, Isa Ashiru (Kaduna), announced his defection from the PDP to APC.

At the red chambers, another 11lawmakers who had written to notify the Senate of their defection from the PDP to the APC where shunned as Senate President David Mark turned down requests to read their letter, insisting that he cannot rule on the matter as the case was still in court.

Bukola Saraki who brought up the issue of the letter said the refusal of the Senate President to read the letter on the floor of the Senate was a breach of the lawmakers’ privilege.

According to the defecting senators, they had already started attending the meetings of the APC, which was an indication that they had defected.

The senators that signed the letter are Umaru Dahiru from Sokoto South, Magnus Ngei Abe from Rivers South-East, Wilson Asinobi Ake from Rivers West, Bindawa Muhammed Jibrilla from Adamawa North and Mohammed Danjuma Goje from Gombe Central.

Others are Aisha Jummai Alhassan from Taraba North, Mohammed Ali Ndume from Borno South, Mohammed Shaba Lafiaji from Kwara North, Abdulahi Adamu from Nasarawa West and Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir from Sokoto East.

A list attached to the letter sent contained 16 names but only 11 signed, indicating their intention to defect.

The other senators in the list that did not sign are Ahmed Muhammed Maccido from Sokoto North, Saidu Ahmed Alkali from Gombe North, Basheer Garba Mohammed from Kano Central, Ahmed  Zanna from Borno Central and Ahmed Hassan Barata from Adamawa South.

Yobe Builds 432 Latrines To Stop Public Defecation

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Yobe Builds 432 Latrines To Stop Public Defecation

Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

The Yobe State Government is partnering with the African Development Bank, AfDB, to construct 432 latrines in schools and other public places across the 17 local government areas of the state to further boost sanitation.

The program manager of AfDB in the state, Musa Haruna, told journalists during a briefing in Damaturu, the state capital, that open defecation is such a common practice among the people and comes with a lot of health hazards like cholera, and diarrhea among children.

He said the program is therefore aimed at discouraging some of these practices and invariably reducing the health hazards associated with it.

According to him, the project which costs N620million will be executed in phases.

“252 blocks of latrines comprising of 760 compartments has already been awarded in 10 LGAs, while the remaining 180 for the remaining 7 LGAs will soon be advertised for prospective contractors,” he said.

Haruna also who used the medium to call on the people of the state to take ownership of the projects after completion so as to ensure that they are maintained.

He also disclosed that the AfDB is intervening in over 1000 communities across the state in the area of Water Supply through the drilling of motorized boreholes, concrete lined hand-dug wells, and solar powered boreholes.

Abuja’s N18.9 billion Automated Water Treatment Plants Ready For Commissioning

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Abuja’s N18.9 billion Automated Water Treatment Plants Ready For Commissioning

The director of reservoir and production at the Lower Usuma Dam, Abuja, Usman Aliyu, has said that the new water treatment plants built by the federal government at the dam to boost water supply to the FCT is ready for commissioning.

Aliyu disclosed on Monday that the four fully automated treatment plants which cost the government  N18.9 billion are the biggest in Africa and are each capable of producing 10 million gallons of water per hour.

The project which commenced since 2005 was supposed to last for 24 months, but had suffered delayed due to paucity of funds.

Aliyu identified periodic rust of water pipes as the challenge of maintaining the facilities at the Lower Usuma Dam and advised government to set aside adequate funds to ensure the effective maintenance of the dam facilities.

“Pipes which have been burried for 20 years to 25 years or 30 years, it will not tell you when it is breaking. You will come up one day to see the water is gauging out somewhere, so you have to source money to do it. This is why we are appealing that government should set aside some funds for these emergency cases,” he said.

He stated further that the final stage of water supply project for the FCT would be completed through the installation of phases five and six  in the next 30 years.

Armed Bandits Kill 16 In Zamfara State

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Sixteen persons, including a policeman, have been killed by armed bandits who attacked three villages in Maru local government area of Zamfara State, the police in Gusau confirmed.

The three villages are Tungar Rakumi, Mallamawa and Kangarawa.

The public relations officer of the state command, Lawal Abdullahi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the attack was carried out by about 150 armed hoodlums riding on motorcycles last Saturday.

According to him, the hoodlums stormed Tungar Rakumi village where they killed 12 persons, and thereafter attacked Mallamawa and Kangarawa where they killed another four persons.

“The bandits, who are suspected to have carried out the attack to retaliate the killing of three suspected cattle rustlers by the community in Birnin Magaji local government area last week, were heavily armed with AK 47 rifles,” Abdullahi said.

He further explained that the police patrol team in the area fought back, forcing the hoodlums to flee with various degrees of injuries but lamented that the police always faced difficulties in trailing hoodlums in the area due to the inaccessible terrain and non-availability of telephone  signals.

He however assured that in spite of the shortcomings, the police would continue to make the state highly difficult for criminals to operate in and urged residents to always notify the nearest security outfit of any suspicious movement in their area.

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Electricity Consumers In Edo Threaten Showdown With Distribution Firm

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Electricity Consumers In Edo Threaten Showdown With Distribution Firm

Some residents of Edo State have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the authorities of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDISCO, to stop the monthly collection of N750 being compulsorily levied on electricity consumers.

The petitioners – Kaduna Eboigbodin, Austin Osakue, Patrick Eholor and others – acting through a law firm, Aigbokhan and Ajanaku, said the charge was not for any discernible service rendered and is therefore “extortionary, oppressive and illegal.”

They said the contract between the company and electricity consumers is to purchase a meter and thereafter purchase recharge vouchers to service their meters, noting that in a situation where they are being supplied electricity via an analogue meter, they ought to be charged only based on relevant readings on the meter, without the additional arbitrary fixed charge.

The petitioners therefore asked that the compulsory charge be suspended within seven days, failure of which they will mobilize consumers across the state and beyond to resist the charges.

Henry Okah Allegedly Involved In Foiled Prison Break  

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Henry Okah Allegedly Involved In Foiled Prison Break  

Former leader of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Henry Okah, who is serving a 24 year jail term in South Africa for terrorism, has been caught in a failed jail break attempt, prison authorities said Monday.

“I can confirm that Okah is one of the five inmates that attempted to escape and whose efforts were foiled,” spokesman for South Africa’s department of correctional services, Manelisi Wolela, told AFP.

He did not give details of the attempted escape from Leeukop prison in northern Johannesburg that is said to have taken place in January.

Okah was convicted last year and sentenced on 13 counts of terrorism, including twin bombings that killed 12 people in the Nigerian capital Abuja as the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence in 2010.

He was arrested, tried and convicted in South Africa where he has permanent residency.

The department said most of the offenders involved in the botched bid to escape are serving life sentences for serious offences including murder, kidnapping and robbery.

Correctional services officials said security at the prison, which recorded 11 attempted jail breaks in the 12 months until March last year, had been tightened.

 

 

 Jonathan’s Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadhome, Resigns

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 Jonathan’s Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadhome, Resigns

The Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mike Oghiadhome, has resigned, presidential spokesperson Reuben Abati confirmed on Monday.

Abati told State House correspondents that Oghiadhome tendered his resignation letter to the president on Monday, refuting earlier social media reports that he was sacked for several alleged contract scams in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Oghiadhome, who is also a former deputy governor in Edo State under Lucky Igbinedion, resigned to pursue his political ambitions, Abati said. He is believed to be interested in running for the governorship election in Edo State.

“Nothing extensive to say other than to confirm that the Chief of Staff has resigned his appointment. The president received the letter today which is titled “Letter of Resignation” and it says he wishes to pursue other political necessities in our great party. It has nothing to do with the speculation that one online has tried to put out,” the presidential spokesperson said.

President Jonathan had announced about two weeks ago in a council meeting that if there was any member of the cabinet or any major political appointee who wants to pursue some other political roles, he or she should notify him.

Abati said that Oghiadhome had discharged his duties diligently and by so doing had contributed immensely to Jonathan’s administration’s successes.

“This is a man who had served and who had given time and energy to the pursuit of the good interest of our country. The country is very grateful to him and the president personally will like to wish him well in his future endeavours,” he added.

No replacement has yet been made to fill the vacant position.

14 Northern States To Start Oil And Gas Exploration

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14 Northern States To Start Oil And Gas Exploration

Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State would today declare open the meeting of Association of Petroleum Inland Basin States of Northern Nigeria, APIBONN, in Minna.

This was made known in a statement signed by the press secretary to the governor, Danladi Ndayebo, on Sunday.

The statement said the 14 northern states which fall under the region’s sedimentary basin were set to kick-start oil and gas exploration in the inland basin states.

It stated that the relevant commissioners in the affected states would brainstorm on the modalities and action plan that would kick start and sustain oil and gas exploration in the north.

“The meeting will fashion out strategies to harness the resources in Sokoto, Chad, Bida and Benue basins, although their hydrocarbon contents are yet to be properly developed and estimated,” it said.

The statement also expressed support for ongoing efforts by the federal government to explore oil in the sedimentary basin of Northern Nigeria.

The inland basin states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Kogi, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kwara, Nasarawa, Taraba, Yobe and Plateau.

APC Extends Registration Exercise

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APC Extends Registration Exercise

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has extended its nation-wide membership registration which was to end Monday by two days due to allow for more persons to be registered following the massive turnout of members witnessed last week.

Interim national publicity secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, said the party has exceeded the number of members it set out to register but still had more grounds to cover and that it is in granting the requests of Nigerians that it has decided to extend registration to February 12.

“While we are aware that the good people of Nigeria have accepted our party, the APC, as the agent of the much-needed change that our country desperately needs at this time, we have apparently under-estimated the number of those who are eager and willing to participate actively in the change process by joining the APC,” Mohammed said.

The party urged all interested citizens who are yet to register to utilize the opportunity offered by the extension to do so.

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