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The Anambra State government aims to achieve over
70 percent implementation of the 2010 budget by the end of the fiscal
year, the commissioner for budget and economic planning, Chinyere
Okunna, has said.

Ms. Okunna, who addressed the media yesterday in
Awka at a town hall meeting, said only about 40 percent had been
achieved, owing to the rains, which she said had stalled road projects.

She said the purpose of the town hall budget
meeting was to ensure that the various communities made their inputs
into next year’s budget by specifying their areas of need, so that
money would be allocated to them.

“The town hall meetings are part of government’s
participatory budget preparation, which we have been pioneering. It
allows people to make their input into budgeting, unlike the situation
in the past when government imposed budget on the people,” Ms. Okunna
said.

She also noted that the state appreciated its poor
resource base and thus needed to budget meticulously and precisely by
involving the people in the planning.

The officials also said most of those involved in
the budget preparation were also part of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) programme, where she said the state had equally been doing
well.

Providing water

She said the state had scaled up the provision of
boreholes to communities to enhance availability of water. This, she
said, is a back-up to bigger water projects such as five water schemes
going on in parts of the state.

Assuring them that massive road construction would
recommence after the rains, Ms. Okunna scored the state government high
in such areas as health, education, agriculture, among others.

According to her, the recent provision by the
state government of 100 buses to secondary schools, as well as the
earlier provision of computers, boreholes, generating sets, and
construction of classroom blocks in each of the 177 communities in the
state, had marked the state out as an education-friendly state.

Activities at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and
the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) were yesterday brought
to a halt as both the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), UNIBEN
chapter, and the Association of Resident Doctors, UBTH chapter,
embarked on separate protests, calling for the immediate release of Mr.
Eugene Okpere, a professor and the former Chief Medical Director, CMD,
of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, who was kidnapped
on Sunday morning.

The protesting doctors barricaded the ever-busy Ugbowo-Lagos Road, resulting in heavy vehicular traffic.

They also hijacked one of the recently
commissioned Edo Intra-City buses, and discharged all the passengers
who demanded a refund of their fares.

Chairman of the UBTH Resident Doctors, Omoigo
Casmir, said the state was no longer conducive for them to practise
their profession. He said they would from today embark on total strike
action and would no longer attend to emergency cases.

“We are protesting the incessant kidnappings in
the state. We want the government to wake up and fight kidnappings and
other crimes in the state. We don’t know what has happened to all the
kidnappers they have arrested,” Dr. Casmir said, calling for a total
overhauling of the security personnel in the state.

The lecturers protested through some major streets in Benin City, ending at the State Government House in GRA.

Chairman of UNIBEN ASUU, Kenneth Ilavbare, said they were demanding
the release of Mr. Okpere, who is a lecturer in the medical school of
UNIBEN.

Abductors of former
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching
Hospital (UBTH), have demanded for a ransom of N50 million before
releasing the man.

Eugene Okepere was kidnapped on his way to church on Sunday morning.

A close family
source told journalists yesterday that the abductors contacted the
family on Sunday night, where they made their demands and thereafter
switched off their lines without giving room for any negotiation.

Meanwhile,
activities in government hospitals across the state remained skeletal
yesterday owing to the directive from the leadership of the state
chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to restrict their
services to only emergency cases and those already on admission before
Sunday.

Dr. Philip Ugbodaga,
the association chairman, said they had to still continue to render
skeletal services because of the presence of the old politician, Anthony
Enahoro, who is still recuperating at UBTH.

“Ordinarily, we are
to stop work totally, but we have a special guest in one of our
hospitals, Anthony Enahoro, so we are attending to people already with
us because of him, and also emergency cases. The leadership of the NMA
will meet to take a critical position on this development where medical
workers are now targets of kidnappers,” he said.

Meanwhile, as at the
time of filing this report, it was gathered that the Medical and Dental
Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), UBTH chapter, was meeting
to review the situation and may embark on total strike action to call
for the unconditional release of the former CMD who is believed to have
improved on the infrastructural and personnel status of the teaching
hospital.

Police sources
confirmed the latest development on the demands of the suspected
kidnappers, but refused to disclose what they were doing.

The state police spokesperson, Peter Ogboi, was said to be at a meeting when checked at his office yesterday.

The House of Representatives will today formally
consider lifting the suspension of its members who were sanctioned in
June, 2010, for leading calls for the removal of the Speaker, Dimeji
Bankole, accused of fraud.

Two members, out of the 11 lawmakers banned, are to
be considered first, following a guideline which spokesperson, Eseme
Eyiboh, said will accept such reviews on individual basis only if the
affected members quit litigations, and tender apology.

The roles played by Ehiogie Idahosa (Edo State) and
Olugbenga Onigbogi (Osun State) – who did not seek legal redress – will
be reviewed today in a report that is expected to recommend their
recalls.

Both members, with nine others, under a group named
The Progressives, asked for Mr. Bankole’s removal, accusing him of
misusing House 2009 capital budget funds amounting to N9 billion. On
June 22, agitations for the Speaker’s removal led to violence, which
left two members hospitalised.

Members of the group, led by Dino Melaye, were forced out of the sitting, and handed indefinite suspension terms.

The House Ethics and Privileges committee, the
equivalent of an in-house jury, which scrutinises erring members, laid
reports of over three months of hearings on the matter last week, and
the House indicated yesterday that a resolution will be reached to pave
way for their recall.

The report will be the first to be considered on
Tuesday, according to the House weekly notice paper released Monday,
amid alleged threats by some members to disallow proceedings until the
recommendations are concluded to reinstate the members.

Although members of the group, Mr. Idahosa and Mr.
Onigbogi, were absent from the chamber during the fracas, the two
lawmakers petitioned the House, offering to surrender themselves for
internal inquiry.

Two other members of the group, Gbenga Oduwaye and
Kayode Amusan, who also waived their rights to court action and last
week offered to be investigated, will be considered next while Austin
Nwachukwu who withdrew his case from court will also receive attention,
the Ethics committee chairman, Saleh Minjibir, said.

The leader of the group, Mr. Melaye, and five others, challenged the ban in court, and are expecting a ruling November 15, 2010.

“For those who are still in court, we expect that
some of them will take similar step to obey and respect the
institution, but we assure you that the House will take necessary steps
to ensure that such a thing does not repeat itself again,” Mr. Eyiboh
said.

The House Ethics committee, which also investigates corruption
allegations against its members, had promised it will probe the N9bn
charge against the Speaker, but is yet to make any report on that.

The Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation has
commended the pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for
endorsing the presidential bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.

It also commended another group, the Igbo Professionals
resident in Lagos, for their objective and nationalistic position that Mr
Jonathan is the preisdent Nigeria needs at the moment.

Sully Abu, the director of media and publicity of the
organisation, said “Ohaneze and the Igbo Professionals are pointing the way to
the Nigeria of our dreams where Leadership is determined by competence rather
than ethnicity”.

Mr Abu urged Nigerians not to be deceived by those who have
been using primordial sentiments to divide the polity.

“The endorsement of Jonathan by these patriots has put paid to
the devious machinations of those divide-and-rule politicians who think they
can hoodwink our Igbo brethren by dangling fake carrots, even when their antecedents
are full of broken promises,” he said.

He called on all political aspirants to emulate the president
in embracing an issue-based campaign devoid of ethnic rancour and acrimony.

NPC forms

Meanwhile, the national executive committee of the Nigeria Peoples
Congress (NPC) at its meeting on Monday fixed the costs of its nomination forms
for members aspiring for elective office during 2011 general elections.

In a communiqué signed by its national chairman of the party,
Ngozi Emioma, the party approved N1 million for office of president and
N500,000 for the governorship office.

The others are Senate (N200,000), House of Representatives
N100,000, House of Assembly N50,000. Women aspirants, he said, are exempted
from nomination fees.

Mr Emioma said that the NEC strongly condemns the spate of
violence, arson, bomb blasts, armed robberies and kidnappings in the country
and calls on security agencies to halt the trend in tandem with section 14 (2)b
of the 1999 constitution which states that, “the security and welfare of the
people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

The NEC, he added, also urged the federal government to take
steps to alleviate the sufferings of the masses who, it said can no longer
afford three square meals a day due to the harsh economic meltdown, in addition
to various natural disasters particularly flood, erosion and desert
encroachment that have worsened the plights of these citizens.

Mr Emioma also said the NEC asked the government to expedite action on the
minimum wage the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) demanded, stressing “Nigerian
workers deserve a fair deal and improved standard of living.”

The members of the
Ondo State House of Assembly seeking re-election in the 2011 general
elections under the platform of the Labour Party should go to their
various constituencies and campaign, the party’s leadership has said.

Olaiya Oni, the
Labour Party chairman who dropped the hint when the 13 lawmakers went
to the party’s secretariat to procure nomination forms.

Mr. Oni noted that
the party was ready to conduct transparent primaries adding that there
will be no automatic tickets for any political office holders seeking
re-election.

The party chief,
however, commended the nine LP lawmakers who were declared winners of
the election held on April 14, 2007 for their steadfast and rare show
of loyalty when the party was struggling to regain its mandate.

“For 21 months that
we were battling to reclaim our mandate, the nine LP lawmakers shunned
all forms of financial inducement and remained steadfast to our course.
They were sending N400, 000 to the party secretariat regularly.

“It is not as if we
are endorsing them as a party; we are only commending them for the work
they had done in the past. We will also be glad if they are re-elected
to continue the quality representation they have been providing for
their people.”

The lawmakers are:
Emiola Dare, Ifedayo Akinsoyinu, Oladejo Adeloye, Akinsiku Afolabi,
Abiodun Ogunbi, Omotayo Abidakun, Henry Akinsuroju, Bakita Bello,
Ayodele Awodeyi, Samuel Pelemo, Oyebo Aladetan, Olatunji Dairo, Adeniyi
Akindele and Dejo Adeloye.

Speaking on behalf
of his colleagues shortly after submitting the forms the Majority
Leader of the Assembly, Ifedayo Akinsoyinu, said, “We decided to come
as a team to submit our forms because we believe that together, we can
effectively work with the executive to deliver dividends of democracy
in the next political dispensation.

“We are seeking re-election because we had many unfinished assignments at the House which we hoped to complete”.

The federal
government has set up a sub-committee to streamline and report on the
status of the Lekki Freezone Methanol Project, with a view to making it
more explicit, and to outline those areas needing immediate action for
implementation.

Vice president,
Namadi Sambo, stated this while meeting with a committee set up by the
federal executive council to look into the methanol project.

The VP noted the
need for a complete synchronisation and review of all contractual
claims including those of engineering and electro-mechanical works.

He charged the
Ministries of Finance and Justice to provide “detailed financial
commitment of government, and examine the existing legal agreement,”
with a view to bringing up a clear view of the project.

The committee,
which is to be chaired by the executive secretary of the Nigerian
Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Mr. Mustapha Bello, an engineer,
is expected to submit its report within three weeks.

The vice president
emphasised the need for a consultant to effectively supervise the
project and harped on the need to prioritise on “our economic issues
with a view to resolving them accordingly.”

He also enjoined
the committee to critically look at the concept, cost, and location in
terms of raw materials supply for the project. He directed that the
Ministry of Petroleum Resources should be the client ministry.

Earlier, the
meeting examined the directives of the Federal Executive Council, as
regards the need to proffer recommendations on the methanol project.
Mr. Mustapha briefed the committee on the concept and progress of the
project.

He said the project
was conceptualised on a debt conversation strategy and that the
promoters were to buy the Federal Government debt and use it to develop
the project. The concessions unavailable were in terms of loans and
grants but subsequently, government exited from the debt conversation
strategy and no money was appropriated for the project.

The account was maintained by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He urged that the project should not be dragged backwards as a result of the issues observed.

In attendance at the meeting were the Attorney General and Minister
of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, the Minister of National Planning,
Shamsuddeen Usman, and the Minister of State, Finance and Commerce,
amongst others.

The
fresh air breathed by residents of Edo State following a month-long
lull in the activities of kidnappers came to a sudden end yesterday
morning as a former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of
Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Eugene Okpere was abducted in Benin
City.

This is certainly
not good news as it could trigger another health crisis as medical
workers have decided to down tools, compounding the near collapse of
healthcare system in Edo State.

Mr. Ukpere, a
professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was allegedly kidnapped on his
way to the early morning Sunday service at about 6.30 am.

According to family
sources, the former CMD was driving out of his house in BDPA Estate,
opposite UNIBEN, Ugbowo, Benin City when he was accosted by four armed
men who dragged him out of his car and took him away.

As at the time of
filing this report yesterday, it was gathered that his abductors have
opened contact with the family but were yet to name their ransom.

Thanks to Enahoro

The state chapter
of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) immediately embarked on an
indefinite strike to press for the unconditional release of their
colleague. State Chairman of the NMA, Philip Ugbodaga told newsmen
yesterday that doctors in all public hospitals would not admit new
patients but would only attend to those already on admission and those
with emergency cases.

“We are calling an
emergency meeting tomorrow (Monday) to discuss the way forward.
Meanwhile I have instructed doctors in the state to embark on an
indefinite strike, but during the strike, we will attend to those that
have already been admitted and emergency cases, we will no not go on
ward round. We are calling on emergency meeting of the exco and we are
demanding unconditional release of Professor Okpere,” he said.

Mr. Ugbodaga told
NEXT that doctors will attend to patients already in admission as a
sign of respect to elder statesman, Anthony Enahoro who is currently
undergoing medical care in the UBTH.

Edo State police
image maker, Peter Ogboi, could not be reached as his mobile line was
switched off. A senior police officer who pleaded anonymonity however
told NEXT yesterday that the state command was yet to be informed about
the abduction of Mr. Okpere.

The incumbent CMD of the hospital, Michael Ibadin was few months ago kidnapped in a similar manner in the same area.

A former governor
of Oyo State, Lam Adesina, has cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan
not to shield governors facing allegations of corruption from
investigation.

Mr. Adesina, who is
also the leader of the Action Party of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, at
the weekend, accused the president of preparing a soft-landing for some
governors allegedly implicated in cases before the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by preventing the commission from
pressing the cases to ensure that they do not return to office next
year.

The opposition
politician said many of the governors, who are members of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), are hiding under Mr Jonathan’s presidential
ambition to escape the law.

“We have it on a
good authority that President Jonathan recently called the chairman of
the commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, to the Presidential Villa where he
ordered her to stop forthwith, further prosecution of the serving
corrupt governors while her attention should be focused on former
governors who were not well disposed to his ambition to return to Villa
in 2011,” Mr. Adesina said.

He said the
development could set a bumpy trap for the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), whose chairman, Attahiru Jega, has, at
different forums, reiterated their readiness to give credible elections
to the nation and its people next year.

“Apart from the
fact that such corrupt governors, mostly drawn from the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), came into office through the back door created
by the infamous do-or-die antic of former President Olusegun Obasanjo
in 2007, they have manifested total disaster in governance and allowing
them to repeat the fraud in 2011 would spell doom for the country and
the states they come from in particular,” said the former governor.

Making reference to
the current governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, whom he
described as one of the affected governors, Mr. Adesina said the
governor has shown lack of respect for the public purse.

“The incumbent, who
has numerous substantiated cases of official corruption and looting of
public funds hanging on his neck but could not be made to answer for
these cases at present owing to the immunity he enjoys as a sitting
governor. But the same man is busy creating panic in the state and
beyond in his preparation for another term in office,” he said.

“It is to the
common knowledge of the people that Mr Alao-Akala does not care a hoot
when it comes to siphoning public funds, going by his antecedents; but
he added another dimension recently when he purchased 1,000 brand new
buses and cars from the government funds to pursue his electioneering
campaigns ahead the 2011 elections while daring those who asked
questions about the matter to go to hell”.

Nigerian governors,
at the weekend, donated a sum of N62 million to the family of late Yobe
State governor, Mamman Ali, who died at a United States hospital in
January 2009 after a prolonged battle with leukaemia.

The governors,under
the umbrella of Nigeria Governors’ Forum ,according to a press
statement signed by its Director General, Assishana Okauru asked its
Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to hand
over the money.

The money was
subsequently presented to the family of the late governor in a brief
ceremony at the Kwara State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.

Accompanied by a
member of the State House of Assembly, the brother to the late governor
and Yobe State Deputy Governor, Abubakar Ali, who represented both the
state and his brother’s family at the event, thanked the group and
promised that the money would be used for the upkeep of the family left
behind.

“Mr. Saraki prayed
for the repose of the soul of the late governor, who he described as a
committed member of the NGF and a patriotic Nigerian who served his
state and country well during the 51 (fifty-one) years he lived on
earth,” the NGF statement said.

“Immediately Ali
died, a decision was taken by the NGF to stand by his family and make
moral and financial contributions to them.” He explained that the
donation was made by every member of the NGF (excluding Yobe State) as
a token contribution to the welfare and upkeep of the family members
left behind.

The forums’ secretariat however states that the N62 million
represented the contribution from 31 states received to date, who each
contributed N2 million to the fund. Once the balance is received from
the remaining four states, their contributions would also be sent to
the late Governor’s estate, Mr Okauru said.