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The Oyo State
chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday promised to
give more slots to women in the next political dispensation.

The state secretary
of the party, Bashiru Akanbi, disclosed this at the party secretariat,
Ibadan, on Tuesday, while receiving party members from Ona-Ara local
government of the state, who came to present Jumoke Akinjide, a
senatorial candidate from the council, for the Oyo central senatorial
district.

“Oyo State will be
gender sensitive. We are committed to the Beijing, China declaration
that gave women participation in politics 35 percent,” he said.

Mr. Akanbi also
said, in line with Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to credible elections
in 2011, the party will ensure a level-playing ground for all aspirants
in the party during their primaries.

According to him,
since the president, as the leader of the party, has made the
commitment at every opportunity he had to speak within and outside the
country, it is expected that the local units of the party should
express its seriousness through internal democracy.

“Ensuring credible
election must start from home. The PDP executive in the state will
remain an unbiased umpire for the primaries.

“By being fair to
all, candidates would avail anybody that eventually grabs the ticket
the confidence of every member, including those who lost the ticket to
him,” Mr. Akanbi stated.

The party scribe urged all members of the party to participate fully in the proposed review of voters’ register.

Game of number

He explained that
since the president and the chairman of Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, have assured Nigerians of free, fair,
and credible elections in 2011, the coming elections will be games of
number.

He asked them to go out and register, and mobilise their supporters to also do so, saying it is their civic responsibility.

Commending members
of the party in the senatorial district over their conduct during
campaigns and political rallies, Mr. Akanbi urged members from other
districts in the state to do the same.

“Oyo Central
senatorial district is the only place in the state where aspirants and
their supporters relate peacefully at rallies. In all their programmes
I have attended, there were never booming of guns and use of any
weapon. They have been peaceful,” he said.

The aspirant, in her speech, promised to give the district
responsible representation if elected to the upper chamber of the
National Assembly, saying she would not disappoint the party either.

Nasarawa State
joined other states in promising to support Goodluck Jonathan should he
decide to run for president in the 2011 elections after a 30-man
delegation led by the state’s governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma, and the
minister of state for information, Labaran Maku, visited the president
yesterday to convey the message.

“We wish to state
that should you decide to answer the clarion calls on you from
different parts of the country to contest the 2011 Presidential
Election, we, the people of Nasarawa State are resolved to give you our
total support and commitment,” Mr Doma, said.

The governor, who
spoke with journalists after meeting with the president, said the
decision was taken “because I am confident and believe in his capacity
to lead this country”.

Welcoming the
promise of support, Mr. Jonathan said he was greatly encouraged by the
delegation’s visit and its appreciation of his administration’s
achievements in the time it has had in office.

Mr. Jonathan said he will draw on the pledged support should he decide to contest next year.

Making votes count

During the visit,
the President reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that every vote
counts in next year’s general elections, saying he will not compromise
his commitment to credible elections.

“We will not shift
an inch away from it. Public office holders must truly enter office
with the mandate of the people. If votes do not count, then public
office holders cannot be compelled to do the right thing. Ensuring that
all votes count is therefore the best way of ensuring that our
democracy stabilizes and our people reap its positive dividends,” Mr
Jonathan told the delegation.

Plea for better roads

The Nasarawa
delegation requested that the dualisation of the Abuja -Keffi road be
extended to Akwanga and Lafia, and onward to Makurdi and Enugu.

To this Mr Jonathan
said it was his belief that all the arterial roads into Federal Capital
should be expressways to facilitate easy movement in and out of the
city.

“We must factor it
into our long-term national planning,” he said, adding that his
administration is committed to strengthening institutional structures
to enhance proper long-term planning and continuity in project delivery.

The delegation
included the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Michael Abdul; former
governor Abdullahi Adamu; the Speaker of the State House of Assembly,
Musa Mohammed; the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the State Council of
Chiefs, Mustapha Agwai; senators, Abubakar Sodangi and Walid Jibrin and
Yunana Iliya .

Others in the delegation were Yusuf Agade Ayitogo; PDP National Vice
Chairman, North Central Zone, Hussaini Akwanga; Joseph Umaru, Hassan
Mohammed Agwai; the Emir of Nasarawa, Hassan Ahmed; the Andoma of Doma,
Ahmadu Onawo; the Eus Karu, Luka Panya Baba and several community
leaders.

Enugu lawmakers, on
Tuesday, attended the plenary session of the state House of Assembly in
an all-black attire as a mark of respect to their colleague, Emma
Maduabu (PDP-Awgu South), who died earlier in the month. The late
lawmaker had been in coma for two weeks due to injuries sustained in an
auto crash in which his wife and five others died.

Before the session,
a minute silence was observed for the deceased and the others who died
in the auto crash. A condolence register has also been opened at the
entrance of the Assembly and at the legislators’ quarters. The Clerk of
the House, Ifeoma Okereke, described the death of the lawmaker as
unfortunate, because “he died without a word to anybody.” “There will
be a valedictory session for him on September 8 and a wake at his
residence in the evening same day,” she said.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers (NUPENG) says it has stopped the supply of petroleum products
to Lagos State to enable it get to the source of adulterated products
in the state.

Igwe Achese, the National President of NUPENG,
told journalists in Abuja on Monday that there was a claim from
government that union members were involved in the supply of the
products.

“We are workers in the sector and if there is any
problem of product adulteration we want to be involved and we want to
trace those who are involved in this and we are going to join
government to fight this.

“We want to fight the issue of product
adulteration whereby some individuals are adulterating products that
are causing fire incidents in various forms and posing danger to life
and property,’’ he said.

Mr. Achese disclosed that last weekend, the union
discovered about 20 trucks loaded with adulterated products at one
location in the state.

He said that the union informed the Lagos State
commissioner of police who deployed officers to guard the location till
Monday when the trucks would be handed over to the appropriate
authorities for investigation.

“Surprisingly, the same police DPO who sent his
people to come and join our members to protect the environment, came
back and ordered that the trucks should be released and also asked our
members to leave that place,’’ he added.

“So this morning our members who were asked to go and inspect the
area found that the number plates of the trucks had been removed. All
we want to do is to let government know that we are fighting a just
cause, so we decided not to supply petroleum products until this issue
is settled.

Hundreds of youth under the aegis of
the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), on Monday, staged a protest
at the Ministry of Justice, Abuja, calling for the release of Hamza
Al-Mustapha, former chief security officer to the late head of state,
Sani Abacha, and three others.

The others are former Lagos
commissioner of police, James Danbaba, former Zamfara State military
administrator, Jubrin Bala Yakubu, and former chief superintendent of
police, Mohammed Rabo Lawal. The youth carried various placards with
pictures of Mr Al-Mustapha, with various inscriptions calling for their
immediate release.

Some placards read: ‘President Goodluck
Jonathan, free Al-Mustapha and others for democracy’, ‘The youths want
Al-Mustapha released’, ‘Justice delayed amounts to justice denied’,
among others.

Let justice reign

However, another human rights group,
Education Right Campaign, called on Goodluck Jonathan to ignore the
calls for the release of the four who are currently standing trial in a
Lagos court.

According to Taiwo Soweto and Chinedu
Bosah, Mr Al-Mustapha and the others committed various nefarious
activities under the late Abacha, and must face justice rather than be
released.

But the leader of the AYCF, Shettima
Yerima, said that keeping Mr Al-Mustapha and others behind bars
contradicted Nigeria’s position as a signatory to UN and Commonwealth
Conventions and Resolutions on Human Rights, Torture, Detention and
Imprisonment.

According to him, all the witnesses
that the state has pushed forward in the court have, by and large,
debunked the allegations levelled against these gentlemen.

Neither the Attorney General of the
Federation, Mohammed Adoke, nor any official from the ministry,
addressed the protesting youth, while the two gates to the ministry
were locked, thereby preventing people from going in or coming out of
the building.

Nigeria has
officially received the exclusive United States of America Category 1
air safety rating which allows direct flight operations to the US.

Nigeria’s aviation
minister, Fidelia Njeze, received the certification from outgoing US
ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders, yesterday at a brief ceremony in
Abuja, making Nigeria the sixth African nation after Cape Verde, Egypt,
Ethiopia, Morocco, and South Africa to receive the status.

The rating is
determined under the US Federal Aviation Administration’s assessment of
how countries meet the International Civil Aviation Organization safety
standards, and Nigeria’s certification is based on the results of July
2010 FAA review of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

The certification
means Nigeria has complied with the safety regulations set by the
international body, as assessed by the US aviation authorities, and
Nigerian-registered flights have direct permits to the US. Such flights
too would benefit from reduced premium charges and receive preference
for leasing.

Ms. Njeze said the
“covetous” status marks a “milestone” in the history of the nation’s
aviation. “By this certification, Nigeria has been put in the premier
league of aviation. We celebrate commitment today, we celebrate
dedication, and celebrate success,” she said.

Nigeria’s aviation
relations with the United States was seriously hurt after last
December’s failed terrorist attack on the US by a Nigerian, Umar
AbdulMutallab. In recent months, the NCAA director general, Harold
Demuren, has assured of efforts the agency has made to secure the
rating.

The US ambassador,
Ms. Sanders, said the recognition was “hard fought and well-deserved”
and praised Mr. Demuren, for the success.

“This achievement
is an important milestone for Nigeria and US bilateral relations. The
US Mission, NCAA, and FAA have worked together as a team in the true
spirit of bilateral partnership over the last two years to achieve this
goal,” she said.

The International
Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) carried out by the FAA, offers the
category 1 rating to countries with laws and regulations that can
oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards
for technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping, and
inspection procedures.

Ms. Njeze, becoming
the first aviation minister to achieve this, said “it was a long
journey that had ended well.” However, she said “the journey has just
started.”

“I thank the
American government for the confidence in Nigeria and assure them that
we will maintain that.” She said the government will continue to
upgrade the airports, personnel, and safety standards.

Farmers in Jigawa State have commended the state government for making fertiliser available and affordable to them.

Hashiru Umar, a
farmer in Auyo Local Government Area of the state, who spoke with the
News Agency of Nigeria, on Monday, in Dutse, said the gesture would
improve the state’s lot. “This singular gesture by Governor Sule Lamido
is one of the things that farmers in the state will not forget,” he
said. “You know Jigawa State is rated as one of the poorest states in
the country going by statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
However, with the provision of fertilisers, insecticides, and other
modern farming implements to farmers, the economy of the state will
improve.’’

Nasidi Ali, the
state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, had told
announced that 14,463 tonnes of fertiliser, worth N1.5 billion, would be
distributed to farmers. Mr Ali said the gesture was meant to support
farmers who constitute the bulk of the state’s population and also to
boost food production. According to him, the fertiliser brands comprised
of NPK and Urea; and would be sold to farmers at a subsidised rate of
N2,000 as against the cost price of N4,600.

Giving a breakdown of how it will be distributed, the commissioner
said that 13,816 tonnes would be distributed to farmers across the 27
local government areas of the state, while 225 tonnes would be
allocated to the state’s Agricultural Development Programme. He also
reiterated the governor’s warning that anybody caught diverting the
commodity would face the wrath of the law. And to prevent diversion, Mr
Ali said fertiliser distribution committees had been constituted at the
state, local government and ward levels.

NAN

A total of 57, 000
candidates are expected to be screened for the 4, 500 vacancies
available for the 2010/2011 academic session in the Auchi Polytechnic,
Edo State.

The spokesperson of
the polytechnic, Mustapha Oshiobugie, who gave the figure, said that
the screening was for candidates who chose the institution as their
most preferred, more preferred and preferred school.

Mr Oshiobugie also
said that the post matriculation screening exercise would hold between
August 25 and August 27, and that the figure was 50 per cent more than
the number screened by the polytechnic in the 2009/2010 session.

More than 1.3 million candidates had applied to study various
courses in the country’s tertiary institutions of learning for the
2010/2011 session, while according to JAMB, only 550, 000 admission
spaces are available for the candidates.

The National Assembly Service Commission has confirmed the appointment of Salisu Maikasuwa as its substantive Clerk.

A letter signed by the Executive
Chairman of the Commission, Ahmed Dogondaji, dated August 17, said the
appointment followed the retirement of Oluyomi Ogunyomi from the
service.

Mr Ogunyomi, who had proceeded on a
mandatory three-month leave beginning May 13, finally left the service
on August 15. While he was on leave, Mr Maikasuwa, a former Deputy
Clerk, was appointed in acting capacity.

The letter quotes Mr Dogondaji as
saying that the appointment was in recognition of “his work,
dedication, responsible conduct and loyalty to the leadership of the
highest law-making institution in the country”.

The commission charged the new clerk to continue exhibiting good
conduct and attributes of exemplary leadership, to justify the
confidence reposed in him. The appointment takes effect from August 16.

Courts in Ekiti
State on Monday proceeded on the 2010 annual vacation, with the state
Acting Chief Judge, Silas Oyewole, saying in a statement in Ado Ekiti
that normal court activities would resume on September 24.

He said the legal
year for 2010/2011 would commence on September 27 and that the vacation
would not lead to closure of court activities, as criminal cases might
be heard subject to the leave of the court.

The statement added
that during the period of recess, courts would remain open and operate
throughout the vacation. Meanwhile, the state judiciary has released
the results of examinations conducted for the post of Higher Registrar
on Grade Level 08.

A statement issued
by A.J Apuabi, a Deputy Chief Registrar, on behalf of the Registrar,
said 24 out of 29 candidates passed the examination with more than 50
per cent, with the remaining five candidates scoring below.