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The national
leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday asked its
members defeated in the party’s primaries to eschew bitterness and
support those who emerged as the party’s flagbearers in the forthcoming
general elections.

It also commended
the effort of the party members who supervised the conduct of the
congresses. In a statement by the PDP spokesman, Ahmed Alkali, the
party noted that now that the list of candidates has been submitted to
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ultimate
consideration is the party and not individuals.

“We appeal to all
our party men and women to realise that no matter who the candidate of
our party is, the ultimate consideration is the People’s Democratic
Party which is the only party in Nigeria that accommodates all the
creeds, cultures and socio-economic tendencies in our country.” He said.

While
congratulating those who won the primaries, the party expressed
happiness that the tortuous process of nomination has gone, adding that
it is time to move on and confront the challenge posed by the party’s
opponents in the coming elections.

It also hailed the
zeal and enthusiasm demonstrated by members during the nomination
exercise and the transparent manner of the January 13 national
convention.

“We are therefore
confident that Nigerians will continue to identify with the great party
which represents every interest in Nigeria.” Mr Alkali stated.

The PDP also
assured Nigerians that it will continue to sustain the trust they have
in it by remaining faithful to the ideals of good governance, the rule
of law, transparency, justice and respect for human dignity.

“We look forward to
renewing our mandate to serve our fatherland in the forthcoming general
elections. This is indeed part of our deep commitment to restoring our
core values.” The statement concluded.

Daniel’s faction reacts

Meanwhile, the
chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Joju
Fadairo said yesterday that the party is in the process of vacating the
court order which empowered the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to recognise the candidates produced by a faction of
the party led by the Commerce and Industry minister, Jubril
Martins-Kuye.

INEC had on Tuesday
accepted the list of candidates that emanated from the Mr Kuye led
faction of the party, which also has the sympathy of former President
Olusegun Obasanjo, as against the one submitted by the faction led by
the Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel.

By INEC’s action, a
former military governor of Oyo State, Tunji Olurin is now the PDP
governorship candidate of the party in the state while Mr Obasanjo’s
daughter, Iyabo Obasanjo is the party’s senatorial candidate for the
Ogun Central Senatorial District.

But Mr Fadairo told
reporters on phone that the court injunction cannot stand, adding that
it will be vacated in the next few days.

“The purported kangaroo court injunction they claimed to have cannot
stand,” he said. “We are in the process of vacating the court order and
the list we submitted will be the acceptable list.”

Sunday
Ichado, a former deputy provost of the College of Education, Zuba,
Abuja, is asking an Abuja High Court to commit the Minister of the
Federal Capital Territory Bala Mohammed to prison for failing to obey a
court order reinstate him to his former position. Mr. Ichado claims
that on July 2, 2010, the Federal Capital Development Authority
employed him as a chief lecturer and posted him to the College of
Education, where he rose meritoriously by promotion to the positions of
dean, School of Education and deputy provost respectively.

Mr. Ichado said
that he was dismissed by the College of Education without due regard to
and/or compliance with the provisions of the College of Education’s
manual and the public service rules and regulations.

The minister of the FCT is first defendant, while the Federal Capital Development Authority is second defendant.

In an initial lawsuit, the presiding judge, Ufot Inyang, on July 12, 2009, entered judgment in favor of Mr. Ichado.

The court granted
the relief sought by the plaintiff in the suit against the defendants
and ordered the immediate reinstatement of Mr. Ichado, the plaintiff,
as deputy provost and lecturer to his office with the defendants.

His counsel, Ogwu Onoja, asked the court to imprison the minister for contempt, and moved for the contempt proceedings.

“The plaintiff
protested his purported dismissal to the defendants and the Public
Complaints Commission, a federal government agency,” the motion stated.
“The Public Complaints Commission did investigate the case and found in
favour of the plaintiff and recommended that the defendants reinstate
the plaintiff but which recommendation the defendants have failed
and/of refuse to implement.”

Case history

Mr. Ichado said
that he was indicted with gross misconduct — perpetuating examination
malpractices — via a letter of query from the college, and that he
responded to the query on April 22, 2004. He said that some months
later, on January 10, 2005, he was served with a dismissal letter by
the college on the basis of gross misconduct of exam malpractices. Mr.
Ichado is also asking for an order setting aside the purported letters
of dismissal and termination of his employment with immediate effect
and an order reinstating him to his employment, and an order directing
the defendants to pay him all his salaries and entitlements accruing
subsequent to January 10, 2005 including promotion and N3 million as
general damages.

The House of
Representatives has compelled the Ministry of Defence to build a
specialist military hospital as budgeted for in 2010 instead of using
the fund to upgrade existing military hospitals in the country.
Briefing members of the House committee on Defence yesterday, the
Director of Finance at the Defence Headquarters, Daniel Bako, had said
the shortfall in the available funds, is compelling the ministry to
replace the plan with the upgrade of existing military clinics. Mr Bako
said out of the 13 capital projects of the Defence Headquarters in
2010, only the contract for the hospital was yet to be awarded due to
the cash constraint.

HE said over
N2billion will be required in 2011 to commence the construction of the
specialist hospital and also renew the clinics located within military
barracks across the country.

But the House
committee, headed by Wole Oke, turned down the proposition, insisting
that the specialist hospital must be constructed as contained in the
2010 budget.

“This project has a
history, and it is a request from your own end. We may not agree on
this suggestion, but rather if you are asking for more funds, then you
can let us know. Our position therefore is that the budget Act must be
respected,” Mr Oke said.

The N4.5
billion-facility is planned as pivot of military health supply in the
country and is to be funded annually for three years.

In 2010, only N561 million was released for the work against a projected annual average release of N1 billion.

The committee
argued that the amount so far released, though insufficient, should
have been applied for preliminary work on the project while sourcing
for more funds.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Committee on Barracks Rehabilitation
(PCRB), headed by Binta Muazu, has been directed to pay its contractors
immediately. The committee has also been given until February 15, 2011
to present a comprehensive report of its 2010 budget implementation to
the house committee.

The federal
government yesterday announced a projection of over 8 percent national
economic growth in the first quarter of 2011, even as it plans to
resuscitate, the Marketing Boards to help boost agricultural sector in
the country. The Minister of Information and Communication Labaran Maku
disclosed this yesterday while briefing journalists after the weekly
Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by Vice
President Namadi Sambo, in the absence of President Goodluck Jonathan
who is currently in Turkey. Quoting from statistics by the Central Bank
Governor, Sanusi Lamido, which he supplied during his 2010 Fourth
Quarter Report presentation to FEC, Mr. Maku said the national growth
rate for the last quarter of 2010 was 8.29 percent. The growth, he
said, was largely sustained by improved performance in the non-oil
sector, particularly agriculture as well as the increasing availability
of electricity across the country which assisted in improving capacity
utilization from 25 percent to 29.65 percent, during the period.

“The Governor of
Central Bank of Nigeria briefed the Council on the performance of the
economy in the fourth quarter of 2010. The Council was informed that
there had been steady growth in the GDP which continues to be driven
largely by the non-oil sector, particularly agriculture,” he said.

Mr. Maku also noted
that the 2010 fourth quarter growth is an improvement from the 7.86 in
third quarter of 2010 while the CBN also projected a similar growth in
the first quarter of 2011 as capacity utilization in industries has
grown from 25 percent to 29.6 percent.

Agricultural boost

The non-oil sector
contributed 8.87 percent while the agric sector contributed about 40
percent with a positive projection. The minister further explained that
the positive outlook will be improved by the continued implementation
of the amnesty programme, stability in crude oil exports and
electricity supply to economic centers in the country. Still stating
the statistics, Mr. Maku said the CBN gave out N199.6 billion to 539
small and medium scale firms through a network of commercial banks and
which created 7,195 jobs within the period. He said although the
foreign exchange rate stabilized at N153 to the dollar, the CBN is
striving to keep the figure at N150 to the dollar as a step towards
shoring up the naira.

“Though there was
moderation in inflation, the governor cautioned that inflation remained
a major concern in the short to medium term, Interbank rates and other
money market rates, including lending, also moderate.

“The foreign
exchange market was substantially stable, while the steady recovery in
the capital market continued. The growth in monetary and private sector
credit aggregates, however, remained sluggish. The governor commended
the government for the reduction in the proposed level of expenditure
still remained high but that the general thrust of the fiscal policy
pronouncements was in the desired direction.”

The minister said
FEC also accepted in theory the resuscitation of marketing boards for
agricultural produce as proposed by the CBN governor, but with a
directive that the modalities and policy framework be worked out by the
apex bank for a possible approval Council at a later date.

He also said in
making its recommendations for the resuscitation of the marketing
boards, the CBN drew experiences from countries like Ghana and Tanzania
where marketing boards have boosted the economies by helping farmers
buy up excess farm produce which allow them to concentrate in crop
production and avoid losses.

He however
explained that “not all the boards dissolved may make a comeback but it
is expected that farmers will thence incur less losses while
agricultural productivity will be enhanced”, adding that “the idea
sounded well and FEC accepted it and directed that modalities and
proper policy framework for it be worked out”.

The World Bank yesterday commenced its annual review
of STEP-B projects in the different educational and research institutes
in Nigeria.

Irajen Appaasamy, task team leader of STEP-B project
at the World Bank, who led the delegation on a visit to the Minister of
Science and Technology in Abuja, stated that the bank, having funded
the projects in the country within the last few years, need an
on-the-spot assessment to ascertain the level of impact on the lives of
Nigerians.

Part of the objectives of the review is to know the
challenges the project is facing and how to discuss and agree on a set
action that will lead to the project impact at the end of the day.

“Basic areas we are looking at has to do with
increases in the number of students trained in Science and
technology-related areas; improvements in quality (like more
publications, more collaborations between researchers in the public and
private sectors, and between institutions in education and in research,
and between Nigerian institutions and their partners internationally);
improvements in teaching and learning of Science and technology and
improved relevance of S&T education and relevance to the needs of
Nigeria,” Mr. Appaasamy said.

STEP-B Project is a World Bank sponsored Nigerian
project supporting Science and technology education at the post-basic
evel. The idea is to catalyse the activities of Science and technology
in Nigeria so as to meet the development objectives of Nigerians.

The total value of grant for the project is 180
million dollars and half of this has been disbursed for different
projects in education and Science and technology ministries.

Tunde Adekola, senior education specialist at the
World Bank, Nigeria, said, “once in a year we go round to see the
status of the project; to see what is ground and how much we have been
able to achieve in terms of disbursement, impact and developmental
outcomes. We will be going to the field to visit some of the
educational and research institutes.

“But according to the data we have, 50 per cent of
the project has been executed and the project life has been extended
for another two years. It gives opportunity of better things to be
achieved. ”

Mohammed Abubakar, Minister of Science and
Technology, earlier stated that with the extension of the date of
completion of all STEP-B projects, there is need for more funding.

Mr. Abubakar also commended the STEP-B team for
assistance on some projects of the ministry, insisting that more
collaboration with the ministry would help in the expansion of the
scope of coverage, especially to its research institutes that were yet
to benefit from the assistance.

“You cannot encourage the teaching of Science
without the development of the ministry of science because we are
largely responsible for the development of Science and technology
policies and researches in the country.

“We have been collaborating, but we feel that the scope of
collaboration is not sufficient enough. There is, therefore, the need
to expand the scope and funding of Step-B project with the Ministry of
Science,” Mr. Abubakar said.

Inspector-General
of Police Hafiz Ringim has said that the Boko Haram crisis is a
challenge to the police and other security agencies. He stated that the
police must therefore do all in its power to find a solution to the
security challenges in the country. Addressing senior police officers
from the rank of commissioner of police upwards at the IG Conference at
the Force Headquarters, Abuja yesterday, Mr. Ringim said that “the
police was most challenged by the Boko Haram crisis in Borno and Bauchi
states as well the social upheaval in Plateau State.”

“The police must
remain resolute and should not be dragged into the political/social
crisis in the different parts of the country,” he said.

Mr. Ringim also
said that the federal government has resolved to end the crisis in a
short time, through the provision of 450 vehicles and motorcycles to
security agencies in the area for enhanced operations and intelligence
gathering. The vehicles, he added, would be delivered to them within
one week, even as he assured that normalcy would return to the troubled
states very soon. He explained that the conference of senior officers
was called to brainstorm on the security situation in the country and
proffer ideas and strategies on how it could be addressed, noting that
the solutions to the crisis in parts of the country depended on good
thinking and performance of security agencies. The police boss
therefore tasked the participants to suggest ideas and strategies that
could help the police to combat the security problems in the country.
Mr. Ringim however praised his officers for their classic performance
during the nationwide party primaries, particularly the People’s
Democratic Party convention in Abuja, in which, according to him, no
police officer was indicted for partisanship.

Borno Killings

However, less
than 24 hours after a senior police officer was killed in Maiduguri,
another officer was shot dead on Tuesday night in Biu, Biu Local
Government Area of Borno. The officer, a constable, was shot dead at
about 11.00 pm while on duty at the residence of the divisional police
officer in the area. Lawal Abdullahi, the public relations officer of
Borno Police command, confirmed the incident in Maiduguri on Wednesday,
saying that the constable was shot by gunmen on motor bikes who had
attacked the DPO’s residence at night. A deputy superintendent of
police, simply identified as Gadzama, was also shot dead by gunmen on
Tuesday in Maiduguri at about 12 noon. His 6-year-old daughter, who was
with him at the time of the attack, sustained injuries.

Bauchi Arrest

The Bauchi State
Police Command has also arraigned 28 suspects for allegedly
participating in the killing of some victims and destruction of
property during the Jan. 27 mayhem in Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi. The
suspects, led by Paul Luka and 27 others, were alleged to have
conspired and killed some innocent victims and destroyed property worth
millions of naira. The prosecutor, Sabon-Kasuwa Husseini, told the
Chief Magistrate’s Court that the suspects committed the offence with
the connivance of one Mustafa Adamu, alias “Black”, Usuman Musa and
Dang Ayuba, all of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, now at large.

He said the three
suspects, who were in possession of dangerous weapons, arms and
ammunition, conspired with 25 others, currently in prison custody, to
commit the crime. All the accused declined to enter any plea, and Mr.
Husseini urged the court to adjourn the case to a later date to enable
the police to conclude their investigations.

The Chief Magistrate, Aliyu Usman, adjourned the case till March 1, and ordered that the suspects be remanded in prison custody.

The national chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists,
Mohamed Garuba, on Tuesday, said that the call for the declaration of a state
of emergency in Plateau and Borno States is not right.

Speaking with journalists at the presidential wing of the
Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Mr Garuba explained that the declaration of
state of emergency in Plateau State in the past did not bring about peace in
the land, adding that the government should be proactive and work towards
unearthing the cause of the anarchy in the affected states. “We believe that
the issue state of emergency should not be the solution to the problems,” he
said.

“Because we remembered vividly that some time ago, when this
crisis continued in Plateau State during the time of [former governor] Dariye,
President Obasanjo then declared a state of emergency, but unfortunately the
crisis and the problems still persisted. Therefore the best way as far as we
are concerned to address this very serious problem is for government to look
inward and find out the root courses of these unfortunate incidents.”

Political repercussions

Mr Garuba noted that the upheaval in the two states may not be
as a result of religious intolerance, adding that the government should act
quickly before the level of security in the States deteriorate beyond what it
is presently. “As far as we are concerned, it has more to do with politics than
religion,” he said. “I am afraid to say that if the government allows such
insecurity to continue, it maybe virtually very difficult for us to experience
the April 2011 elections. People are already scared. If you look at the number
of turn-out on the review of the voters registers in Plateau and Borno, they
have recorded the lowest in terms of participation and I am sure it is going to
be same thing when it comes to 2011 elections.”

“Most importantly I believe there are lot of committees that were formed by
the government to investigate this incident in Jos and Maiduguri, but up to
this time nobody has been arrested and no culprits have been prosecuted and I
think that is the major problem. Government has to implement the recommendation
of all the committees that were formed. There is no reason why the government
should not expose the findings of these committees and then try as much as
possible to implement the recommendation of these committees. If the government
fails to do this, I want to assure you that this crisis will continue; and
indeed it is going to be unfortunate in this part of the country. Why we are a
little bit concerned is that if we are not careful, gradually this crisis will
escalate to other parts of the country,” he added.

Ten months after they were suspended by their colleagues, former
speaker and deputy speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Taofiq Olawale
Abdusalam and Mayowa Akinfolarin yesterday resumed parliamentary sittings.

The two lawmakers were suspended over allegations that they were
in custody of the Assembly’s properties despite the fact that they had been
removed from office. The duo fought the suspension by seeking legal redress at
the court but the court did not rule in their favor. Mr Abdusalam and Mr
Akinfolarin were expected to resume last week at the end of their suspension
however they could not because of the vacation by other members of the House.

They said that their resumption was based on the series of
announcements that were made in the state-owned radio and television stations
that the impeached officers should appear before the parliamentary session
yesterday.

Aside from the fact that their constituencies were not
represented on any of the decisions taken on the floor of the Assembly, the two
lawmakers did not receive salaries and emoluments throughout the period they
were on suspension.

Speaking with reporters, Mr Abdusalam said they are back in the Assembly to
contribute their quota to the development of the state and their
constituencies.During the sitting, the Speaker introduced the former deputy
speaker, Mr Akinfolarin, as ‘honourable’ without attaching the prefix ‘Rt.
Hon’normally accorded to old speakers.

The People’s Democratic Party, on Tuesday, described the
alliance talks between the Congress for Progressive Change and the Action
Congress of Nigeria as a mere roadshow which was bound to fail.

According to Ahmed Alkali, national publicity secretary of the
PDP in a statement: “As for the ACN and CPC, we wish them well as they continue
in the wilderness of alliance. If these two political parties could not allow
their followers an ordinary choice of who flies the flag in their respective
parties, we dare say that they have nothing to offer to Nigerians as far as
democracy is concerned.”

Mr. Alkali said that the party was not surprised when the ACN
national secretary, Lawal Shuaibu, announced a few days ago that talks had
collapsed, adding that he (Mr. Shuaibu) was merely echoing what Nigerians
already knew.

“It is all a question of one party trying to lord it over the
other,” he said. “This again did not come as a surprise as none of the two
political parties has ever made any pretences as to how greater its selfish
interest is to that of the nation.”

According to him, “While the ACN, in perpetual indulgence of
name change, could not after all change in its hatred for internal democracy
and democracy as witnessed in the charade that went for its congresses and
primaries, with impunity and imposition as the order of the day, the CPC with
its cult heroism has been devastated by internal divisions.”

Mr. Alkali said that the conduct of the PDP primaries has re-affirmed the
party’s position as the only sure vehicle for the entrenchment and growth of
democracy in Nigeria.

The Federal High Court has restrained the People’s Democratic Party,
Oyo state, from presenting Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and other contestants
who emerged at the party’s primaries in the state last year, as its candidates
for the 2011 elections.

The court, on Tuesday, ordered the suspension of results of the
congresses and restrained the party from presenting the beneficiaries to the
Independent Electoral Commission pending the determination of a suit against
the legality of the shadow elections.

Three governorship contestants in the party – Wole Oyelese,
Azeem Gbolarumi and Yekeen Adeojo, and 34 other party faithful, including Lekan
Balogun, had approached the court to seek an ex parte motion against the
state’s PDP primaries held to pick candidates to contest for members of the
state House of Assembly, National Assembly and the governorship elections.

Umpires’ Whistle

Giving the ruling yesterday, Justice Johnson Shakarho, ordered a
halt to presenting the governor and other emerging aspirants to the INEC as the
party’s candidates to allow the court to determine the merit of the substantive
suit.

The judge, however, refused the plaintiff’s prayer to restrain
the INEC from receiving, accepting or in anyway acting upon any nomination of
any person or persons for any election purportedly elected at the congress,
saying it has been overtaken by event.

Contending that the congresses fell short of the provisions of
the nation’s constitution, Michael Lana, counsel to the plaintiffs, had sought
for an order to restrain the PDP and the governor from acting on the results
produced there.

The plaintiffs joined the INEC, PDP, Dejo Afolabi, party state
chairman, and the governor, Mr. Alao-Akala in the suit. Mr. Shakarho had
adjourned till February 10 for the hearing of the substantive case. But the
court order came a few hours after the news of acceptance of the governor’s
nomination by the INEC hit Ibadan, the state capital.

The state had been thrown to confusion early Tuesday when the
report of INEC’s rejection of the governor’s nomination came as the exercise
closed on Monday. A statement from Dotun Oyelade, special adviser to the
governor on public communication, described the story as wishful thinking,
saying “the candidature of Governor Alao-Akala is unassailable and cannot be
taken away”.

“We hereby submit that the story is false and a continuation of
the serial desperation of the opponents to plant confusion when they could not
succeed through legitimate means,” the statement read. “The national
headquarters of the PDP successfully submitted the list of PDP candidates in
Oyo State, including our governorship candidate to INEC and there is no problem
whatsoever with the list.

“As a matter of fact, INEC has issued acknowledgement receipt to
all our candidates whose names were submitted by the National Headquarters of
the PDP. We seize this opportunity to appeal to the citizens of Oyo State, who
have been thrown into confusion by this publication to discountenance it and go
about their normal duties.”

Mr. Oyelade described the injunction as ‘height of frivolity’.