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The
race for the ticket of the Ondo South Senatorial district in the 2011
general elections is creating sharp division’s among the members of the
Labour Party in the state, with two aides of Governor Olusegun Mimiko
interested in the senatorial ticket.

The battle line
appears drawn between Yele Omogunwa, works commissioner, Boluwaji
Kunlere, the special adviser to the governor on political matters.
Subsequently, the supporters of both men have been pitched against one
another.

Mr. Omogunawa’s
supporters believe it is their turn to produce the next senator because
Irele community, where he hails from, has never produced a candidate
for the senatorial slot.

But the other camp argued that Irele people rejected the slot when it was willingly given to them by the Labour Party in 2007.

They further argued
that since Irele people turned down the offer in 2007, they should not
except that the ticket would be given to them on a platter of gold.

A deal gone sour

Mr. Kunlere, who
was the secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party before he pitched his
tent with the Labour Party, contested the senatorial seat in 2007 and
lost to the incumbent senator, Hosea Ehinlawo, of the Peoples
Democratic Party.

Mr. Kunlere, it was
gathered, was asked to withdraw his case at the tribunal to pave way
for Mr. Ehinlawo, who is perceived to be close to Mr Mimiko.

“It will be unfair
for anybody to stand against my ambition now because they know what I
passed through in 2007,” he said. “LP went to the tribunal and its
leader, Olusegun Mimiko, persuaded me to step down for Chief Hosea
Ehinlanwo whom he said was less harmless than those boasting that they
will emerge victorious in the election.

It was through the
order of Mr. Mimiko that I withdraw my case at the appeal tribunal,
promising me that I will be part of his government.”

Though Mr. Mimiko
has not given his words on the issue, he was quoted to have said that
due process would be allowed to take his course.

Despite the
governor’s promise to allow free and fair primaries, however,
supporters of the two politicians are trying to outsmart one another
through a campaign of calumny.

The
House of Representatives yesterday named a seven-man team to inquire
into the N257 billion Abuja airport road (renamed Yar’Adua Road)
contract, less than a week after a resolution was reached to
investigate the project.

The lawmakers voted
last Thursday to constitute an arbitrary committee with members drawn
outside the House Committee on Works, to probe the terms and funding of
the project which they argue have contravened its original agreement.

They also said the
construction of the expressways leading to the city airport, recently
named after the late president, was awarded at an exorbitant cost.

House Speaker
Dimeji Bankole named an ad hoc committee for the probe yesterday, to be
headed by Suleiman Kawu, a member of the All Nigeria People’s Party,
from Kano State.

Other members of
the committee include Olaka Nworgu (Rivers), Umaru Kurfi (PDP Katsina),
Jerry Manwe(PDP Taraba), Yusuf Tuga(ANPP, Bauchi), Agboola Ajayi (PDP
Ondo), Onyeama Chukwuma(PDP Anambra state).

The committee will
find out how the former Federal Capital Territory administration under
Adamu Aliero, arrived at the whopping N257 billion for the expansion of
the twin northern outer expressways- a contract awarded to Julius
Berger Plc.

Revaluate the project

Also, they will
determine why the administration discarded earlier agreement that the
project be funded through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the
private sector paying 60 per cent, while the government pays the
remaining.

The inquiry will
also re-evaluate the project, re-measure the road distance, compare
charges for similar construction in other parts of the northern zone,
and recommend prosecution for those found guilty of wrong doing.

No date has been fixed for the submission of the outcome of the investigation.

The
Bankers’ Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday
resolved to effect some amendment to the prudential guidelines issued
early this month, detailing criteria by banks for classification of
non-performing loans.

Though the full
amended guidelines is expected to be released in the next two weeks,
Sterling Bank’s managing director, Yemi Adeola, told journalists at the
end of the committee’s meeting in Abuja that members decided to expunge
the provision that makes it mandatory for banks to set aside two
percent of their loans portfolio for general loans provision.

“We believe with
the level of cleanup that has been done in the industry so far, there
is really no need for such general loan loss provision,” he said,
pointing out that removing such provision would make it easier for
banks to grant credits to the real sector of the economy as well as
facilitate continuous extension of credits to the general public.

The committee,
which also reviewed the performance of the economy in the last quarter,
the financial market operations and regulatory issues, also resolved to
evaluate current impact of the automated teller machine (ATM) on the
banking penetration in the economy.

Managing director
of First Bank Nigeria Limited, Bisi Onasanya, said a sub-committee was
constituted to re-evaluate the capacities and competencies of the three
licensed outsourcing companies selected to manage the machines to
ensure uninterrupted services prior to the proposed shared
infrastructure and services phase in the industry.

Due to the
multiplicity of ATMs in some off site locations across the country, Mr.
Onasanya said a decision was taken that banks should limit their
deployment of the facility to their branches, while allowing
professional outsourcing companies to handle the deployment of ATMs in
off site locations.

Deliver better value

However, following
concerns by most banks about the need to verify the capacities of the
out sourced agencies to maintain the facilities, he said the
re-evaluation became necessary not only to ensure discipline and
effective coordination, but to also guarantee adequate maintenance and
management of the facilities to ensure that the final model that would
be rolled out would be able to deliver better value to the banking
public.

“The committee has
been given two weeks to re-evaluate the proposed model to identify
issues that need to be resolved before the deadline for banks to hand
over their ATMs to these outsourcing companies. The sub-committee will
evaluate the capacities and financial strengths of the three licensed
ATM outsourcing switch company – Corporati, Interswitch and Chams –
with a view to ensuring that they possess the necessary muscle to not
only continuously maintain the ATMs, but also to replace them when the
need arises.

“This is part of
efforts to ensure that the handing over of these ATMs to these private
institutions does not fail, considering that it will form the bedrock
of the ongoing effort to establish the process of shared infrastructure
and services in the nation’s banking sector,” he explained.

Tenure for directors

On Code of
Corporate governance validating the tenure of non-executive directors
of the banks, CBN’s director of banking supervision, Sam Oni, said four
years of three terms was prescribed, pointing out that to qualify for
re-appointment as directors, the regulatory authorities will administer
continuous assessment of their performance every two years as a
certification process to help assess and evaluate their performance on
an ongoing basis.

“It is the responsibility of the directors to ensure that their
institutions are well run in a firm and sound manner,” he said. “The
assessment would be guided by the type of contributions by the director
as reflected in the minutes of the books of the company and the report
of the expert auditors of the performance of the director as well as
other criteria to confirm that the director can continue in office.”

Opposition parties in the country under
the aegis of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), in
Abuja yesterday, asked President Goodluck Jonathan not to appoint the
chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) if he
intends to contest next year.

They also criticized moves by the National Assembly to legislate a two party system for the country.

Briefing journalists after a meeting in
Abuja, CNPP national chairman, Balarabe Musa, said it will be immoral
for Mr. Jonathan to appoint the INEC chairman if he is contesting the
presidential election, noting that it will amount to somebody who is
participating in a game appointing its referee.

According to Mr. Musa, if the president
makes the appointment, the election will not be credible. He then
advised the present government to implement electoral reforms and adopt
the report of the Uwais Panel, which, among other things, recommends
that the president should not have a hand in appointing the INEC
Chairman.

“If (Mr.) Jonathan is going to run,
then he will likely tamper with the electoral reform to favour his
return, therefore he should not appoint the INEC chairman because he
will end up appointing a PDP member and there won’t be any level
playing ground in 2011,” said Mr. Musa.

Implementing the reforms

The CNPP boss
explained that the electoral reform is critical if the nation is to
break away from the shackles of flawed elections.

“We need this
electoral reform so that votes can count and when the votes count, that
is when you can know the real strength of the political parties,” he
said.

On legislation for
a two-party system for the country, and which the House of
Representatives is scheduled to vote on today, Mr Musa, who is the
national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) said adopting
the system will deny Nigerians their freedom of choice.

“Let leave the multi party system, which is what democracy is all
about,” he said. “Parties that are not popular will fizzle out, but
then government should stop grant to the parties. Let the parties be
independent and find their level, this is a way of reducing the number
not just by pegging the number of parties to two. Government shouldn’t
fund parties again, let us go back to the old days when it was
difficult for parties to use public funds for political activities.”

President Goodluck
Jonathan yesterday announced a change in the top hierarchy of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) management, with the
appointment of Austin Oniwon as the new Group Managing Director (GMD).

Mr. Oniwon replaces Shehu Ladan, who was appointed barely one and a half months ago to succeed Mohammed Barkindo.

Until his appointment, Mr. Oniwon was the Group Executive Director (Refineries & Petrochemicals) of the corporation.

A statement signed
by Ima Niboro, the President’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity,
did not give any reason for Mr. Ladan’s removal. According to Mr.
Niboro, the President has also directed Bayo Aganga, the Finance
Minister, to engage the services of a world-class auditing firm to
carry out a comprehensive audit of NNPC accounts.

Born on April 1, 1951, Oniwon is an indigene of Okene, in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria.

The new GMD
commenced his working career with the NNPC in 1977, and rose to the
position of Head, Planning of the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals
Company in 1987. Between 1988 and 1991, he was the Technical Assistant
to the GED (Downstream) and later Head, Engineering and Technical
Services Department (ETSD) of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals
Company, from 1991 to 1992. That same year, Mr. Oniwon was made Head,
New Business Development, Corporate Planning and Development Division,
a post he held until his appointment as Head, ETSD, at the Port
Harcourt Refinery (1993-1999).

A fellow of the
Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, between 1999 and 2000, Mr.
Oniwon was General Manager, Information System, Engineering and
Technology Directorate, before moving on to function as Senior
Technical Assistant to the GMD and General Manager, Information Systems
Department at the GMD’s office.

He was also
Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company
(PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC, before moving on to the Eleme
Petrochemicals Company Limited as Managing Director in 2003, where he
served till 2009 when he was appointed Group Executive Director.

Holder of the
Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Chemistry from the Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, he also holds a Diploma in Business Management from
Harvard University, USA, and Diploma Petroleum Management from Oxford
University, United Kingdom.

In a related
development, the President announced the appointment of Mike
Oghiadomhe, as his new Chief of Staff, while Hassan Tukur was named
Principal Secretary to the President. Mr. Tukur replaces David Edevbie.

Until his
appointment, Oniwon was the Group Executive Director (GED), Refining
and Petro-chemicals, and also the most senior GED.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Abuja called for accountability and good governance in the public sector.

Mr. Jonathan,
represented by the Minister of Interior, Emmanuel Iheanacho at the
opening of the Regional Conference of Commonwealth Association for
Public Administration and Management (CAPAM), said without good
governance, there could neither be accountability nor trust in
democratic governance.

“In the same
vein, there can be no good government without good public sector
institutions with a critical mass of public servants who are
irrevocably committed to the promotion of the common good.

“Accountability
is also an embedded process of good governance within an agreed
framework for holding someone or institution responsible for the
delivery of anticipated results or outcomes,’’ he said.

The president said
global challenges could be effectively resolved through a regime of
good governance across nations, with enabling institutions in each
country.

“It is therefore
incumbent on us all as leaders in various spheres of our national life,
to take effective steps to improve the quality of public administration
and management in order to ensure substantial improvements in the
quality of livelihood in our respective countries,’ he said.

Speaking at the
event, the Head of Service of the federation, Stephen Oronsaye, said
public service in the 21st century should achieve relevance in
delivering the dividends of democracy to its citizens.

Mr. Oronsaye said
that globally, low ethical standards in the business of governance,
whether in public or private sector, had led to a degree of mistrust of
those saddled with the responsibility of leading.

“In Africa, like
in other parts of the world, efforts are now on to regain the long lost
trust that the citizenry had in their leaders, particularly the
political class.

“The public
service, on its part, must also mobilise required policy intelligence
to ensure that it earns the trust of the citizenry and aid state to
record quick wins in war against poverty and disease.”

Earlier, the
Chairman of the Conference, Amal Pepple, said institutions such as the
public service had to function efficiently and effectively.

“It is in this regard that we are gathered here, over the next
three days, to continue our shared journey on good governance,
accountability and trust as essential pillars of building more capable
states in the Commonwealth,” she said.

Nigeria’s
nationhood for the past 50 years with very little to show for it was
the centre of discussions yesterday in Benin, as the Edo state chapter
of the Nigerian Union of Journalists began its press week activities.

Julius Ihonvbere, a
professor of political science who was guest lecturer at the event,
attributed Nigeria’s slow pace of development to bad leadership over
the years, and blamed Nigeria’s upper and middle class of having ruined
the country’s present and future.

“The truth is that
I often feel sad when politicians, so called leaders and bureaucrats
try to confuse, mislead us with half truths, concoctions and
fabrications about our progress as a people and nation in several
respects,” he said. “Nigeria is more of an undeveloped rather than an
underdeveloped society.”

Bothering God for everything

Mr. Ihonvbere
lamented that Nigerians rather than face the realities on ground to
change the system turn to God for divine intervention.

“We bother God with everything,” he said. “God is our excuse for laziness and failure to organize our people for struggle.”

He said the country
and the states could only make progress through “discipline, focus,
sensitive, compassionate and visionary leadership, planning,
investment, savings, productivity, stability and good governance. We
just have to abandon political rascality, posturing, noise making,
populism and diversionary tactics for focused and strategy-based
planning and leadership to move forward.”

Government by committees

According to him,
the failure of leadership in Nigeria has also been exemplified through
the constitution of various committees who turned in reports that were
never considered.

“We believe in
government by panels or committees but have no regard for the report
from such committees,” he said. “Their reports are dumped as soon as
they are presented. We hear of assets verification but never know what
assets were verified.”

Mr. Ihonvbere, who
served as special adviser on project monitoring to former president,
Olusegun Obasanjo, and intends to run for governor of Edo state, lashed
out at political parties in the country who he said have been
infiltrated with sycophants and individuals who only believe that
political offices could only be got by moneybags and not people with
programmes to change the system.

“Candidates are
sponsored for political positions not necessarily based on competence
but their predispositions to being manipulated and ability to pursue
narrow interests,” he said. “Just have a godfather, sufficient wild
looking thugs, money- the source is not relevant- and strategise on how
to influence the electoral commission, the police and the media, and
pronto you are ‘elected’ into office.

Politics in our country is costly, diabolical, unsteady, uncertain
and announced results hardly ever reflect what took place on election
day.”

The nine aspirants
for the position of national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) will meet today in Abuja, as the party decides how they will
choose their next party leader.

The meeting follows
last week’s resignation of the party’s national chairman, Vincent
Ogbulafor. Mr. Ogbulafor is facing charges of fraudulently awarding
contracts worth about N200 million to fictitious companies when he was
the Minister of Special Duties during the Olusegun Obasanjo regime.

In the meantime,
candidates for the position are already emerging. Special Assistant to
the President on Political Matters, Polycarp Nwite, yesterday announced
his intention to contest for the position. Mr. Nwite is a Third
Republic senator and former ambassador to Botswana.

Others in the race
include former external affairs minister, Ike Nwachukwu, former Senate
President, Anyim Pius Anyim, former Ebonyi State governor, Sam Egwu,
Sunny Iroche, Dan Ulasi, and former Enugu State governor, Okwesilieze
Nwodo.

Mr. Nwodo is one of
the founding members of the party and is considered a favourite among
South-East senators who will meet later today to consider their
nominees for the chairmanship job.

Party at a standstill

While the race
ramps up, the ever-busy secretariat of the party in Wuse, Zone 5,
Abuja, was quiet on Monday. Car parks within and outside the premises
were empty and the secretariat is operating on skeletal staff. Workers,
who asked to remain anonymous, said that until a new chairman emerges,
they have nothing much to do.

An emergency meeting organized by party elder, Alex Ekwueme, to
discuss the emergence of a new chairman, was scheduled for Wednesday,
but has been postponed.

Eleven
workers of a firm owned by former vice president Atiku Abubakar,
recruited from Lagos for the installation and commissioning of a
hi-tech printing technology, “Atlantic Sizer”, are now stranded in
Yola, the Adamawa State capital, after their sack.

The sacked workers
claim that the management of Abti Press Group of Companies terminated
their appointment on May 4, “without any tenable reason.” They said
this was done after they had been “used” by the company to achieve its
aim of commissioning the “Hi-tech scratch card making facility”,
imported from Germany.

They narrated their
ordeal shortly after been quizzed by the police at the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office of the Adamawa Police State
Headquarters, the result of a complaint brought by the management of
Abti Press against the sacked workers on “threats” being issued by the
group.

The sacked workers,
however, explained that their protest was based on the “refusal of the
company to pay us our due entitlement.”

‘We were naive’

Akinrinola
Akintunde, the leader of the sacked workers regretted that they
“naively” took the offer of employment on the “strength of the name” of
Mr. Abubakar, without getting the management to commit in writing to
some of the verbal agreement reached before their offer of employment.

“The 10 of us
recruited from Lagos were all comfortable and living fine but then came
this organisation from Yola and they said it was owned by the former
vice president, Atiku Abubakar,” he said. “We failed to see the other
side and thought to ourselves the grass would be greener here, only to
come to this miserable end.”

The workers, who
claimed they are protesting against “modern slavery”, pointed out that
they are not ignorant of the fact that the company wanted to keep
afloat. Another of the worker, Odiase Ronald noted that they understood
that the company could no longer keep them. “We know they want to down
size, but why do it through the back door?” Mr. Ronald lamented.

Brandishing a copy
of what appeared to be a copy of another offer of employment for the
same job they were being paid over a million naira in gross annual
income now pegged at a paltry three hundred and sixty-thousand
naira(N360,000) albeit for the new employees as trainee operators.

‘We don’t talk to journalists’

ABTI Press Group of
Companies, established by the former vice president, has been battling
to come out from troubling financial waters it has been sailing in
since last year when it entered negotiations with some of its staff to
slash their remuneration.

Johnson Agwu, the
managing director, however refused to speak to the press on the issue.
However, a management staff, speaking anonymously on the matter in
Yola, said “everything was going by the dictate of the rule of law.”

But it was gathered
that the management has agreed to settle the entitlement of the sacked
workers at the instance of the commissioner of police.

Mr. Akintunde said
“the management of the company offered to give us a cheque for 60 per
cent payment of our salary,” adding that “the company promised to pay
the balance of their outstanding 40 per cent accruing since July, 2009
as entitlement sometime in July 2010.”

He concluded that they accepted the offer only to be given dude cheque for payment from a dormant account of the company.

Following the shut
down of airports and airspaces across Europe due to the prevailing
volcanic ash erupting from Iceland, the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA) on Monday, implored international travellers in the
country to be tolerant with airlines.

Advising passengers
to liaise with their respective carriers to confirm the status of their
trips, the authority disclosed that flights disruptions have started
and travellers may experience delays and even cancellations.

“Once again, the
NCAA is urging passengers intending to travel to Europe, particularly
UK, Ireland and some Scandinavian airports, to be patient with their
airlines, as volcanic ash have forced authorities to close and re-open
airspace, depending on the prevailing situation,” said Harold Demuren,
director general of the authority.

It could be
recalled that the volcanic ash eruptions of April disrupted flights
activities across Europe for about five days, which also affected
Nigerian passengers as most flights were either delayed or cancelled
outrightly for safety reasons.

“Another volcanic
eruption has occurred, and current weather patterns over parts of
Europe have resulted in an extensive ash cloud that is likely to result
in closure of some airspace zones,” Mr. Demuren added.

The authority,
however, disclosed that Virgin Atlantic and Arik Air departed the
Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Monday, at about
11am, adding that British Airways departed the airport at about 3.30am
and landed “safely” at Heathrow, England, at 3pm.

Outlining some
international airports that are currently open for flight activities,
the authority disclosed that Amsterdam airport was closed till 2pm
Monday, and would be re-opened thereafter, adding that Frankfurt,
Paris, Madrid, and Rome airports are all currently open to operations.

Admitting that
larger number of delayed flights and stranded passengers would crowd
airport departures halls and with limited rooms to accommodate the
travellers, the NCAA boss disclosed that passengers should endeavour to
contact their travel agents or international carriers.

“It is advisable for passengers to re-confirm their departure
details with their airlines and find out any special arrangements that
have been made for passengers whose journeys have been disrupted to
avoid untold hardship,” he said.