Association of Anambra State Entertainment Practitioners visits Governor Obiano

Governor Willie Obiano says his administration will adopt an aggressive approach backed by enabling laws, towards protecting the Copyrights of Practitioners in the State Entertainment Industry as well as Authors, to encourage creativity and innovation.

Governor Obiano stated this when he received a delegation from the Association of Anambra State Entertainment Practitioners, AASEP, who called on him at the Governor's Lodge, Amawbia. The Governor who commended the State Entertainment Industry for its role in setting the moral tone of the Society through their activities, said he is initiating laws against Piracy to ensure that they reap the full benefits of their endeavours. He called on them to work out more proactive ways that they can partner Government in creating job opportunities for Youths in the industry. Governor Obiano who revealed that his Government is repositioning the State Governance to entrench a new order that inhibits negativity, promotes industry and rewards excellence, charged the Practitioners to be good ambassadors of the State in whatever they do as they are role models to a lot of youths by their roles on screen. The Governor assured that he will look into the demands of the Association with a view to empowering them to effectively play their role in projecting the programmes and policies of government. Earlier, the President of the Association, Mr Ifeanyi Ikpoenyi said the visit was to express solidarity with the Obiano administration over its laudable achievements and to seek possible areas of partnership to contribute gainfully to the realization of its lofty transformation vision for the state, especially in the areas of job creation and youth empowerment. According to him, the State is for the first time since its inception, witnessing a well-structured approach towards its development, describing Governor Obiano's four key development pillars and the enablers as capable of taking the State to the next level. In a vote of thanks, a member of the Association and Veteran Actor, Mr Amaechi Muonagor said the Security initiative of the Governor has sanitized various parts of the State that hitherto were dens for criminals and assured him that the Association has resolved to support his administration through all means within their capacity. The Governor was at the event decorated as the Grand Patron of the Association and also presented with a plague in recognition of his administration's exploits.

THE PLANNED RELOCATION OF BOKO HARAM CONVICTS TO ANAMBRA PRISONS

28/06/2015, PRESS STATEMENT

THE PLANNED RELOCATION OF BOKO HARAM CONVICTS TO ANAMBRA PRISONS, SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT The attention of the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has been drawn to the mischievous speculations on the social media that the planned relocation of some Boko Haram convicts to some prisons in Anambra State was done with his tacit approval and endorsement. I wish to categorically dismiss these speculations, hearsay and beer parlour banters as fundamentally untrue and should be disregarded by Nigerians. Hard Facts The fact is that when governor Obiano got wind of the planned relocation of these high risk prisoners to Anambra State, he quickly swung into action and contacted the relevant authorities to seek clarifications on the matter after which he raised several objections to the plan. Among Governor Obiano’s many objections are - That Anambra has been one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria in the past one year under his watch and that the arrival of these radical elements in any part of the state would disrupt this peace and lead to a new regime of a different kind of fear in the state. That Ekwulobia Prisons is not a Maximum Security Prison. It is therefore not suitable as holding place for convicted terrorists. Global experiences show that terrorists and terror suspects are kept in strongly fortified and isolated places. A good example is the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp where the US keeps high-risk terror suspects and convicts which is a military facility, located away from the people. Ekwulobia Prisons does not fit into this category of detention facilities. That Ekwulobia Prisons has a capacity to hold 85 inmates. At the moment, there are 135 inmates in the prison. Therefore, there is no space for new prisoners. The acute shortage of space presents a high possibility for the radicalization of other inmates by the Boko Haram convicts. That unlike other locations where the terror-convicts are held in sparsely populated areas which makes their isolation from the people easy, Ekwulobia is a densely populated town. There is a very high risk of contact between these radical prisoners and the civilian population with an avoidable danger. That the relocation of these prisoners to Anambra may not have paid adequate attention to the sensibilities of the country, especially the fact that some ethnic populations have suffered the most from the activities of these convicts across the North. Governor Obiano’s efforts to establish this understanding and achieve a speedy and peaceful resolution of the matter went to the highest authorities. He was given assurances that the matter would be looked into with a view to resolving it with dispatch. With these assurances he worked assiduously to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order during the peaceful demonstration staged by traders across the state on Saturday, June 27, 2015 against the relocation of the inmates. Since the demonstration, Governor Obiano has continued to engage the relevant authorities on behalf of Ndi Anambra to ensure an amicable resolution of the issue. He therefore urges Ndi Anambra and Ndigbo in general to remain calm and avoid anything that might lead to a breach of the peace as the matter is being resolved at the highest level. Thank you. James Eze, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media

Philippine Church stands firm against gay marriage

The leadership of the Philippines’ dominant Roman Catholic church stressed its opposition to legalising gay marriage on Sunday despite last week’s landmark decision by the US Supreme Court. The Philippine government meanwhile affirmed that under its law, marriage is still between a man and a woman and only an act of Congress can change this, unlike in the United States. “The Church continues to maintain what it has always taught. Marriage is a permanent union of man and woman,” said Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. “This is the way the Church has always read Sacred Scriptures. This is the way it has lived its faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit,” Villegas said in a statement on the group’s website. “We will continue to teach the sons and daughters of the Church that marriage… is an indissoluble bond of man and woman,” he stressed.

APC refutes alleged relocation of Boko-Haram detainees to Anambra

BY FRANCIS IGATA

ENUGU – The All Progressives Congress, APC, South-East geopolitical zone, has described as,”blatant falsehood” the alleged plan by Federal Government to transfer suspected Boko Haram detainees to Ekwulobia Prison in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. This came as angry youth, yesterday, paralysed commercial activities in markets in Anambra State protesting the alleged plan. But in a swift reaction, the Spokesperson, APC, South-East,Mr. Osita Okechukwu in a statement said,” we wish to state categorically that the rumour making the rounds that Boko Haram detainees will be transferred to Anambra State or any other state for that matter is blatant falsehood. PROTEST: Youths protesting alleged planned relocationn of Boko Haram prisoners to Anambra State in Onitsha yesterday. “We have made contacts with the Presidency, Nigeria Prison Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs and they have assured us that there is no iota of truth in the mischievous rumour. “In the clarification, Nigeria Prison Service stated unequivocally that, ‘most of the terror suspects are awaiting trial and so there is no way they can be moved to another state, because they must be tried in the state where they committed the crime’. “They went further to state that their primary and traditional duty is to move detainees from prison to trial courts adding that moving high profile suspects from a distance more than 1000 kilometers from Maiduguri to Onitsha will be near to very difficult.” Vanguard.

Umeh condemned FG plan, Anambra state is not a dumping ground of Boko Haram detainees.

Immediate past National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief (Sir) Victor Umeh seriously condemned the decision of the federal government to relocate detainees of Boko Haram in the North down to South East.

Former APGA National Chairman, Chief Umeh stated this today at Nanka during an occasion to mark the Grande Finale of Awka Diocesan Priests Sports Competition. Umeh opined that such decision was not in line with the promise of change APC made during its campaign, saying that ‘what the nation needs now is economic stability, construction of roads and attraction of other meaningful development that will boost the strength of the county’s economy’. The former APGA national chairman cautioned the General Comptroller of Prison to desist from such plan. It was observed that the Commercial activities in Anambra state were yesterday, paralyzed following protests by traders across the state over the plan of federal government to ship Boko Haram prisoners to South East. According to an eye witness and a journalist, Tony Okafor, The traders who closed their shops as early as 9am in major cities of : Onitsha , Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and Agulu took to the streets protesting that the called plans by the Federal government to transfer Boko Haram detainees to prisons in Anambra state is absolutely barbaric. At Tarzan junction, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of the State, traders and other citizens blocked the Enugu – Onitsha Express way chanting anti-Federal Government songs, saying that they would be forced to revive the clamour for Biafran Republic if pushed to the wall. The traders carried placards some of which read, “Buhari should not destroy the Peace in Anambra State,” “Biafra Kanyi choro” (We want Biafra,” “Buhari, Igbos cannot accept Your Prisoners,” “We Don’t Want Boko Haram in Anambra,’ “Federal Government, Why Extend Boko Haram to Anambra,” “Boko Haram Prisoners Are Not Allowed Here.” Speaking with newsmen amidst chant of solidarity for Igbo cause and Anti-Boko Haram insurgency, the Secretary-General of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association, Chief Chuma Elucharu stated that traders in the state decided to close markets to protest the rumoured relocation of Boko Haram detainees to the State. Eluchraru said it would be a continous process until they would be reassured by the Federal Government that there were no such plans. At Onitsha, the demonstrators threatened fire and brimstone should the Federal Government try to relocate the detainees to Anambra state. Tension built up and in an apparent move to check the face-off from snowballing into violent demonstration, police fired tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters. Addressing the traders, the President-General of AMATAAS, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, sued for calm saying that further consultation would be made to get clearer picture of the uncomfirmed relocation. He said the leadership of the traders was in touch with the state government on the matter. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Uche Eze said there was no need to panic , saying the police were on top of the situation. Eze enjoined the people of the state to go about their normal business , but however warned against acting on the impulse of rumour.

I don't have stretch marks like others- Cossy Orjiakor

Nollywood actress, Cossy Orjiakor, might be a controversial lady and might be perceived as a bad influence by many, but the star is in any bit moved by what people say.

Ready to grace the various red carpet events she is able to attend, the actress has become a darling to many and a topic of discuss at any slightest opportunity. With her raunchy dress style, Cossy does not care at how provocative her physical features can be as she stated that she is so beautiful and blessed with a sexy voice. Thanking her creator for a fat bank account and personality, the actress noted that she is so endowed that she does not have stretch marks like some people. Confident and bold, she urged her fans to accept her the way she is because she is very humble

PREGNANCY RUMOUR, FANS ATTACK FLAVOUR’S GIRLFRIEND, ANNA BANNER

Former winner of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2013, pageant, Anna Banner Ebere, has sent many tongues wagging after she shared a photo of herself with her dad on the social media.

Sharing the picture was not the issue but what caught fans attention was the fact that she is actually pregnant after it was earlier rumoured some months back but Anna had never shared a picture of her full self for the public to see. After avoiding public view for a while, the former beauty queen could not hold it anymore as she eventually let the cat out of the bag. miss_splash: So you are pregnant for real, show us your full belly girl if you are proud of it. No need hiding it because it is written all over you

Obiano Blazes Trail in Quest for Self-sustenance among States, Holds Strategic Retreat for EXCO with Bismark Rewane

Obiano Blazes Trail in Quest for Self-sustenance among States, Holds Strategic Retreat for EXCO with Bismark Rewane

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has blazed the trail for states seeking for a lasting solution to the financial crunch that has enveloped most states of the federation due to plummeting oil prices and the general downturn in the Nigerian economy. The governor who left the banking industry on a high to take over the reign of leadership in his home state showed his private sector background when he dragged renowned economist and financial wizard, Mr. Bismark Rewane, CEO of Financial Derivatives Company of Nigeria and Mrs Eileen Shaiyen, CEO/Founder of H. Pierson Nigeria, a foremost consulting firm to Awka the state capital to lead discussions on how best to build on the existing structures in the state to ensure a more robust and economically prosperous Anambra State. The two-day Retreat that holds under the theme – Doing More with Less, is expected to provide a comprehensive overview of the global and Nigerian economy and locate Anambra State within the matrix of these larger economies with a view to envisioning a brighter future for the state in the midst of the frightening economic climate in the country at the moment. It is noteworthy that Anambra has remained an exemplary state, paying salaries as and when due and meeting all its financial obligations at a time most states of the federation are almost bankrupt and begging for a bailout from the federal government. The Retreat is a bold move by Governor Obiano to bring the members of his cabinet, the members of the state legislative assembly, Heads of parastatals and Agencies as well as Chairmen of local government up to speed with the dynamics of the global and domestic economy and how ripples from those two can disrupt the best laid out economic blueprint. It would also prepare them for a better and prudent use of scarce resources in a season of lack and financial draught. Speaking at the opening of the Retreat, Governor Obiano noted that Anambra is the hub of economic activities in the South East and the entire West African sub-region and consequently, any financial tremor in the neighbouring states would affect commercial activities in the state. Giving an overview of the retreat, Governor Obiano described it as very intense, saying “I believe that the take away from the retreat will help us drive our IGR in trying to do more with less. The theme of the retreat is doing more with less. We are trying to change the mind-set of the civil servants on the direction we should go. I am very happy with the speakers we invited because they are very well known experts whose genius had contributed to the growth in the nation’s economy.” Governor Obiano further declared his intention to create a synergy between some ministries in his state with relevant federal ministries in a manner that would enhance the overall output of governance in Anambra State. He reiterated the commitment of his administration to a secure and friendly Anambra State that would pave way for the realization of the Vision and Mission Statements of the state. In his own presentation Mr. Bismark Rewane, the CEO of Financial Derivaties Company Limited emphasized the need for a closer collaboration between the public and private sector to ensure the emergence of more robust economy in Anambra State. The financial maverick argued that under the present economic climate, the states in Nigeria must shrug off the days of financial recklessness and brace us for the brass task of purposeful leadership by creating alternative revenue sources and sealing all leakages in their financial system. He expressed the belief that Anambra State can leverage on its enormous potentials as the largest retail market in West Africa as well as its abundant fertile land and skilled labour force to compete in the emerging markets especially with the recent interest the state had provoked in the investment community. According to him, there is an urgent need for a deeper and more viable market in the state that will stimulate the interest of investors further pointing out that state governments should always monitor unemployment and inflation as they were key misery index capable of undermining the best laid developmental efforts. He applauded Governor Obiano for heroically rescuing Anambra from the clutches of criminals who had laid the state waste for years but warned that State must not lose its vigilance in the area of security as it was vital to its very survival. Mr. Rewane also observed that the country is currently plagued by many challenges including insecurity, pipeline rehabilitation, subsidy removal, gaps in fiscal planning, huge domestic and foreign debts profiles, depleting external reserves and high cost of governance.

The Government of Anambra state will continue to pay salaries - Obiano

Anambra will continue to pay salaries - Obiano

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has assured civil servants in the state that his administration will continue to pay salaries of civil servants in the state. While speaking at a 2-day retreat organised by the Anambra state Economic Think Thank (ANETT) in Awka, Governor Obiano said that but for the simple model of financial management adopted by his administration early on, Anambra state would have been amongst the states in Nigeria owing their workers arrears in salaries. "Our focus is to increase efficiency In the system, block revenue leakages and reduce waste. "We have also been able to increase our IGR from 500 Million Naira to over a billion Naira. "Our first line charges remain salaries, pensions and gratuities. "We have not defaulted on any of our ongoing projects. "I'm assuring Ndi Anambra that I'm committed to continuing, completing and commissioning projects started both by my predecessor and my administration"; - Governor Willie Obiano.

NLC kicks against lift of ban on textile materials

By Bimbola Oyesola

Textile workers have called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to reverse the recent lifting of ban on textile materials. The workers, under the ageis of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), said the decision to lift the ban would further create unemployment and massive job loss. The General Secretary of the union and Deputy President of the Joe Ajaero-led faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Issa Aremu, who spoke in Lagos yesterday, said the decision to remove the ban on textile materials remained illegal because it did not follow due process. Aremu regretted that the decision to lift the ban remained counterproductive to government’s efforts in promoting the growth of local industry, saying the latest decision would sound a death knell for the textile sector. Aremu stated that the decision to relax the ban on the importation of textile into the country could not be in the interest of the masses, adding that the first test of Buhari ‘Change Initiave’, would be to reverse the decision. “Lifting the ban is illegal as it did not follow due process. Before the ban came into force, there were lots of discussions with all the stakeholders. Recall that the ban was put in place so that African prints can have comparative advantage because we have the capacity to produce locally as well as huge market,” he said. He lamented that the textile sector which had been the leading employer of labour is now operating in the shadow of its old self with over 20 companies shut down. The Labour leader said former President Olusegun Obasanjo, after deliberations with the stakeholders decided to put the ban in place,adding that the policy was equally retained by late President Musa Yar’adua and to some level, Goodluck Jonathan. “The same process it took to put the ban in place is the same process we expect the government to take into consideration to life the ban. It cannot be done casually.All the stakeholders must be called for deliberation”, he stated. Aremu said the Federal Government should give the sector the kind of support given to local cement manufacturers, which has made them to thrive through the total ban on importation of cement. “We are not afraid of competition, if it’s done in good faith. If importers of textile materials pay the right duties and come in with quality products, our local industry can compete favourably with them. But a situation that they come in with inferior products through the back doors and saturate the market, thereby making it impossible for the local industry to break even is not good for our economy,” he warned While calling for better funding of the Customs in order to combat the smugglers, whom he said now have more sophisticated weapons, the textile scribe said seized goods should be burnt as they often find their way back to the local markets. He also charged the state governments to look inward to grow their economy through agriculture and industrialization as it was the case in the 60s and 70s, rather than going cap in hands begging for bail out from the federal government.

Blasphemy: 8 sentenced to death in Kano

An Upper Sharia Court, Rijiyar Lemo in Kano State, has passed death sentences on eight persons for blasphemy against the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

A press statement re­leased on Thursday, signed by one Alhaji Nasiru on be­half of the chief registrar, Kano Sharia Court, said those sentenced to death were convicted under Sec­tion 110 and Section 382B of the Kano Sharia Crimi­nal Procedure Law (2000) The statement added that four other accused persons were discharged by the court for not being found guilty under Section 404 of the Kano Sharia Crimi­nal Procedure Law (2000). Those discharged and acquitted by the court in­clude, Alkasim Abuba­kar , Yahya Abubakar Isa Abubakar and Abudulahi Abubakar. The case, according to the statement, was between the Commissioner of Po­lice, Kano State versus one Hajia Mero Ibrahim and 12 others . Recall that in May, 2015, one Abdul Nyass, a Tijjani preacher and others, were arrested and charged to the Upper Sharia Court in the state capital. While the court process was progressing a demon­stration took place in the state capital , which result­ed in setting ablaze a por­tion of Kano Sharia Court building, Rigiyar Lemo.

Call for Ekweremadu’s resignation absurd – Igbo leaders

BY VINCENT KALU

Call for the resig­nation of Sena­tor Ike Ekwer­emadu, as the Deputy Senate President, has been described as ab­surd and unfair, by the President of Aka Ikenga ( the Igbo intelligentsia group), Chief Goddy Uwazurike and former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwudi Eze­ife. Both were reacting to the statement credited to former governor of Kano State and a serving Senator, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who re­cently described Ekwerema­du’s emergence as Deputy Senate President, as booby trap for President Muham­madu Buhari. Senator Ekweremadu is a member of the minority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 8th Senate with the All Progressives Con­gress (APC) as the majority party. He is also the high­est ranking political office holder from the South east geo-political zone in this po­litical dispensation. Reacting to the call for Ekweremadu’s resignation, Chief Uwazurike, said the Deputy Senate President, like any other senator is eligible for election to any office, provided he secures majority votes. “So, it is absurd for Sena­tor Kwakwanso, or who­ever, to seek to overturn the decision of the majority just to satisfy his whims and ca­prices. The mantra, which any leader waves is the sup­port of those who elected him. I can only ask those op­posing the election of Saraki and Ekweremadu to perish the thought. “This election is not ac­ceptable to ethnic jingoists, who do not understand mer­it. Ekweremadu is there on merit and not for the settle­ment of the Southeast.” Uwazurike stressed that Ekweremadu is not an odd man out, but the choice of the majority. The minority he said, “will have its say, while the majority its way. That is the beauty of democ­racy.” He called on those who cannot accept the election of Saraki and Ekweremadu to bring a motion for their impeachment provided they can muster two-third of the votes of the senate. According to him, party opinion is irrelevant now. He condemned the belly aching, which he said was going on in the National As­sembly. He said, the South­east believes the seat is not its birth right, “but, if the senators in their wisdom elected the current officers, who then can question it?” The senate, he noted is autonomous in its affairs, and pointed out the looming danger of attempting to im­pose godfathers on the upper legislative house . “Are we to expect an era where senators have no say, while godfathers dictate what goes on? God forbid that it shall be the lot of this senate,” Uwazurike said. In the same vein, Dr Eze­ife, said he doesn’t under­stand the motivation for the call. “I don’t know from where it is coming from. This is not the first time an­other party has influenced something for the party in power. So, this one is just like that. In this regard, for anyone to call for resigna­tion, it is very unfair.” The former governor noted that Ekweremadu as the only Igbo man in the na­tion’s protocol list is a psy­chological boost to the race, and it would be so bad and sad if he is removed. He said: “right now, the presence of Ekweremadu gives a psychological boost for the South east because they will feel represented above, but if he is removed, the reverse will be the case.” Ezeife said he does not entertain any doubt over the acceptability of the Deputy Senate President, even as the only opposition party mem­ber in the midst of the ruling party. According to him, “As far as the mechanism that put him was free and fair; through a democratic pro­cess, then I think he should feel comfortable. I don’t see his position threatened.” On Ekweremadu’s emer­gence, which has ruffled the APC, Dr Ezeife, said it remains the ruling party’s headache, even as he pointed out that the DSP’s presence does not mean that PDP is still alive. “It is a problem within the APC. As I said, he was put there through a democratic process, I don’t see them removing him. It might not be possible. Even at that, his presence does not mean that PDP is still alive politically because minority will always remain a minor­ity.”

Assembly indicts 12 ex-LG chairmen in Ebonyi

The Ebonyi House of Assembly on Thursday indict­ed 12 of the 13 lo­cal government caretaker committee chairmen for financial misappropria­tion. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the immediate past Assembly had set up a committee to probe the financial deal­ings of the chairmen be­tween November 2014 and June 2015, when they re­signed their appointments. The indictment was con­tained in committee’s re­port submitted to the House and read by its Chairman, Chief Obasi Odefa, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. According to the report, the ex-chairmen alleg­edly embezzled the state’s funds during the period un­der review. It noted that some of their expenditures had pho­ney titles such as, immuni­sation costs, breastfeeding expenses, security expens­es and solidarity rally for former President Goodluck Jonathan, among others. “The caretaker chair­men, treasurers, cashiers and Heads of Department (HOD) of works connived to illegally withdraw mon­ey from the councils’ ac­counts and siphoned such into private accounts. “The caretaker chairmen withdrew funds from the councils’ stabilisation ac­counts in connivance with the chairman and secre­tary of the Joint Accounts Committee (JAC). “This is in contravention of Section12 of the Eb­onyi Revenue Distribution to Local Government and Development Centres Law 2006,” the report said. The Speaker of the House, Mr. Francis Nwif­uru, read the resolutions of the Assembly after it had adopted the commit­tee’s report. The Assembly resolved that the former Caretaker Chairman of Izzi LGA, Mr Godwin Nwogbaga, should re­fund N95 million. Nwogbaga, alongside the Head of Department (HOD), Works Depart­ment and treasurer of the council, were also asked to jointly refund N217mil­lion. Similarly, the Chairman of Ohaukwu LGA, Mrs. Chinyere Elom, was asked to refund N53 million, while the council’s HOD for Works should refund N7 million. Nwifuru also announced that the former Caretaker Chairman, Ezza North LGA, Mr. Jeff Ogbu, should refund N97 million, while the treasurer would refund N6 million and in addition, be dismissed from service. “The Chairman of Onicha LGA should re­fund N158 million and re­turn the 60KVA generator, which she allegedly carted away while the council’s HOD for works should re­fund N61 million. “The Chairman of Ezza South LGA, Mr. Edwin Oke, is to refund N115 mil­lion, being fund he could not explain how it was utilised while the council’s HOD works should be dis­missed,” Nwifuru said. The speaker further announced that the com­mittee did not indict the former Chairman of Ivo LGA, Mr. Joseph Obasi, of any financial misappropri­ation, but recommended that he be relieved of his duty for not being able to guide his officials accord­ingly. “The House clerk should present a memo to the governor, urging him to relieve all those in­dicted in the report imme­diately from their duties and prosecute them,” he said. Resolutions concern­ing other former council caretaker chairmen were also read. The report also indicted the immediate past commissioner for Lo­cal Government and the permanent secretary in the ministry, among other council officials.

PMB to bail out states

By Peter Duru, MAKURDI.

. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that President Muham-madu Buhari would extend bailout to states to enable them offset backlog of salaries and liabilities crippling their economic activities across the country. He made this known yesterday in Makurdi, the state capital, during separate meetings with students and other union leaders from the Benue State University, BSU. Ortom further revealed that his predecessor, Gabriel Suswam left behind a debt burden of over N90 billion for his administration, contrary to the N9.2 billion debt as claimed by the former governor. Benue is among the distressed states in the country. Others include Osun, Enugu, Kaduna, Plateau and Imo. Most of the states or their local governments are said to be owing between four to six months salaries of workers amounting to several billions of Naira. However, according to Ortom, “the list of the debt (left behind by Suswam) include N50 billion incurred from ongoing contracts, N18 billion on certificated contracts, N12 billion on salary arrears and about N10 billion for bonds and bank facilities and loans.” He stated that the President had agreed to avail the states some lifeline but noted that Benue State government had concluded arrangements to borrow funds to pay one month of the backlog of salary arrears across board and to also ensure the take off of both the executive and legislative arms of government. He said the decision was prompted by the need to demonstrate to the state work force that he was determined to address their problems and to persuade striking tertiary institu-tion workers to call off their four-months-old strike. Earlier, President of the BSU Students’ Union Government, Bobby Taver-shima, had lamented that students of the university had been at home for four months but assured that they would not do anything to jeopardize the administration. Also, a representative of the National Associa-tion of Nigerian Students, NANS, Gideon Obande appealed to Ortom to clear arrears of bursary owed students in order to alleviate their sufferings.

EFCC and ICPC to merged, Federal ministries reduced to 19

. 50 agencies of govt to be scrapped by Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North. After three weeks of consultations with international and Nigeria’s political leaders, President Muhammadu Buhari appears set to effect major changes in the administration of the country in a bid to translate the ‘change’ mantra of his party into reality. To start with, the President is said to have accepted the recommendation of the transition committee he raised a few weeks ago to slash the number of ministries from the present 42 to 19 with a view to saving cost and making them more effective and responsive to the needs of Nigerians. In the same vein, many of the ministries have been merged to ensure proper coordination of duties and ensure greater efficiency and service delivery. A source close to the Presidency told Sunday Vanguard that the number of Federal Government departments and agencies had also been trimmed in line with the policy of the administration. Effectively, it means that no fewer than 50 of the MDAs that were not backed by relevant laws might be scrapped and their staff moved into relevant departments to save cost. The Presidency source hinted,”But the point being made is that relevant MDAs that will exist under the present administration must be those backed by laws. “What that means is that the era of doing things the wrong way to please certain persons in positions of power is over.” Shedding light on some of the ministries that had been merged, the official pointed out that the Ministry of Aviation and relevant agencies had been subsumed with Inland Waterways and associated agencies. Similarly, the Ministry of Agriculture has been merged with that of Water Resources under what the Presidency source described as the consolidation of larger ministries. It was learnt that under the administration of Buhari, only 19 ministers and 17 ministers of state would operate as opposed to the previous arrangement where there were at least 42. It was further gathered that some ministries would be run by senior ministers while others would be manned by junior ministers to save cost. On the fight against corruption, the source disclosed to Sunday Vanguard that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is to be merged with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to tackle graft in a new way that would be prompt, fearless and decisive. Buhari, who travelled out of Abuja since returning from the African Union meeting in South Africa, late last week, is expected to join his wife, Aisha, at the Presidential Villa, for the first time after being sworn-in on May 29. The wife had moved into the Villa on Thursday ahead of the President to prepare the ground for his formal assumption of work at the seat of power. He has been operating from the Defence House in the last three weeks. A top source also said Buhari was expected to make some key appointments this week so as to get the machinery of his administration running. The delay in naming the critical staff of his office had forced some of his key loyalists to demand that he acts fast to deliver the change he promised Nigerians during the campaigns.

I have forgiven Muma Gee’s husband because he begged me – Angela Okorie

By TOFARATI IGE..

.. Former Delta soap beauty queen and actress, Angela Okorie has said she has forgiven Muma Gee’s husband, Prince Ekeh over the role he played in the scandal involving her and a South-African based Nigerian, Prosper, sometime last year. The actress said she has no axe to grind with Prince Ekeh anymore since he had come to apologise to her “I have forgiven Prince Ekeh because he came to apologise to me that he’s sorry for all that happened. If he hadn’t come to beg me, I wouldn’t have let it go. However, as far as taking him out of the country again is concerned, my brother, that one is out of the question. If someone tries to shoot you the first time, and you survive, would you want the person to shoot you again?” she asked rhetorically. “If there’s a producer that wants us to do a job together, yes, its okay, I’ll do it. But for me to take him out of the country and get into this kind of mess again…for someone to start blackmailing me over what I did not do, no! I wouldn’t want that to repeat itself. Do you know what that incident could have caused in my life? If my husband isn’t somebody who understands me, trusts me, my marriage would have been over by now.” Speaking further, she said, “Don’t get me wrong…I can still suggest him for movies like I’ve been doing before. As a matter of fact, I’m the one who suggested him for a job he went to do in the US sometime ago. It was my connection he used in getting visa to the US, do you understand? I can still be doing that for him based on the kind of person I am, and the type of heart I have.”

I inherited N636bn debt- Okowa

By Festus Ahon.

ASABA—DELTA State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday, decried the financial position of the state and disclosed that the government had over N636 billion debt, including contractual obligations, to contend with in the next three years. Addressing the state legislature, Okowa said: “A total monthly deduction of N4.60 billion will be made from our FAAC receipts with effect from this June through to March 2017, and thereafter N1.098 billion monthly until September 2018. ‘’This leaves us with a balance of N3.4 billion assuming the FAAC allocation stays at N8.03 billion. “The receipt from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, is about N2.0 billion monthly, after deducting cost of collection. Implication “The implication of the above scenario is that the funds available to run the state is N5.40 billion monthly in the next two years, except there is a significant rise in oil receipts and therefore FAAC earnings, as well as our IGR. “Unfortunately, the available fund of N5.40 billion is insufficient to offset our monthly wage bill, let alone fund overhead costs or for government to embark on capital projects. The state workforce as at May 28, 2015 stood at over 60,000 persons with a monthly personnel cost of N7,437,940,015.38 inclusive of the N678m state government’s support to local government councils for the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries.” The governor lamented that the 2015 budget of N409 billion as passed by the legislature, was no longer realistic in the wake of current realities which clearly showed that their expected revenue was now far below what was projected. While calling for a review of the budget, Okowa said: “It is obvious from available statistics that the state will run a monthly deficit of about N2 billion, and would need to borrow to pay salaries of its workers and finance the running cost of government. “Prior to my assumption of office, the state government had been hard put to pay workers’ salaries. Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government have been running at half steam due to the inability of the state to provide money for their operations. ‘’The staff of most local governments in the state have been on strike due to non-payment of salaries.” Continuing, the governor, who was accompanied by his deputy, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, SSG, Mr. Festus Agas and the State Head of Service, Mr Patrick Origho, said further: “This is the dilemma that we face as we strive to deliver on our campaign promise of prosperity for all Deltans. ‘’I have gone into this much detail regarding the state of our finances to put the legislature on the same page with the executive, so that we can think together, plan together and tighten our belts going forward. “We must muster the resolve and political will to boldly and decisively confront the challenges that we face, right the ship of our state and lay a solid foundation of prosperity both now and for future generation of Deltans. ‘’It won’t be easy. It is not supposed to be easy. But there is no gain without pain, no prize without a price. Sacrifices “A good place to start is for us to reject the old ways of doing business. First, beginning with me and this honourable House, we must be ready to make the necessary sacrifices to reduce the cost of governance. ‘’Secondly, the endless turf battles and approach to legislative action would need to give way to civility and respect for each arm of government. Thirdly, the House must make laws that protect and promote the interest of the state and our people. ‘’Fourthly, we must act with the sense of urgency that our current situation demands, and navigate the ship of state aright. “I have already directed the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General to restructure the Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders, ISPOs, on contractors’ guarantee and overdraft facility over a period of 42 months as a first step to reduce our monthly exposure. “We are frantically working at putting the necessary machinery in place to boost our IGR, and steps will be urgently taken to plug the loopholes in our revenue collection process. In our land resource management, action will be taken to re-certify Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) beginning with our urban settlements, while MDAs will be made more accountable in the generation of revenue.”

Enugu State: Huge tasks before the Economic Advisory Team

By Louis Amoke There is no doubt that the recent constitution of a 15-man Economic Advisory Committee by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State to assist him generate ideas on how best to tackle the adverse effects of the dwindling revenue from the Federation Account due to the drastic decline in the prices of crude oil in the global market was a right step in a right direction. Ugwuanyi To many, this brave step taken by the governor was indeed timely and a well-thought-out strategy that will help the state to navigate through the tough economic conditions in the country. The governor’s action became pertinent following the inability of our leaders to heed to the earlier warnings and advice from world leaders and foresighted Nigerians to look in other directions of revenue generation through the diversification of its economy. Although most economic indicators have been relatively stable in the past two years till early this year due to viable economic growth, accommodating interest and exchange rates’ policies, benign inflation and stable oil price index, some of these variables have been unstable in the past few months due to persistent decline in oil prices. It was on the premise of the above, that Governor Ugwuanyi, in a bid to achieve his action plans, carefully assembled a cream of notable think-tanks from all walks of life to assist him surmount the current economic crunch in the state and the nation at large.

These eminent people include the Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Monsignor Prof. Obiora Ike, who serves as Chairman of the Committee; the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu; former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji; foremost industrialist and Chairman of Innoson Group of Companies, Chief Innocent Chukwuma; and the former Economic Adviser to the President and current Director of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nigeria, Prof. Osita Ogbu. Others on the advisory list are the Pro-Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Dr. Chilo Offiah; former Aviation Minister, Amb. Fidelia Njeze; Chief Loretta Aniagolu; Dr. Chikelu Mba; Mr. Emeka Odo; Princess Ngozi Nnadozie; Mr. John Okoye; Mr. Kelvin Emeka Onah and Mr. Ikechukwu Chioke. Even though the task before the committee seems to be a daunting, if not an arduous one, one is compelled to make projections on what the public expects from the members with a view to pointing out possible viable areas they need to exploit to succeed. On the need to restructure the state’s internally generated revenue , the committee is also expected to lay emphasis on investment promotion, agricultural revolution, and prudent management of government resources. This is in view of the fact the state has the economic potentials to harness and create new viable opportunities aimed at generating resources for rapid development. For instance, the said Adarice farm settlement at Adani in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the state has about 5,000 hectares of land with the capacity to produce over 10, 000 tons of rice in a season, when functional. There is also Adapalm farm plantation at Uzo-Uwani L.G.A which also has the capacity to produce a large volume of palm oil for revenue generation for the state, when revamped. Ugwuanyi had also promised to create massive employment and enhance the income of farmers in the state through the provision of farm extension services to small and medium scale farmers and long term concessional credit facilities in partnership with the relevant federal government agencies. The committee is expected to find out how these will work. Under taxation, it is also on record that Enugu being one of the fastest growing commercial cities in the country due to its peaceful, convivial and secure environment, has witnessed visible proliferation of economic activities/outfits. In this regard, the economic committee is expected to look inward and come up with a friendly tax policy that would ensure prompt and appropriate payment of taxes by commercial outfits, and equally make sure that the monies realized from the proceeds go into the coffers of the government for utmost utilization. Another task before the Monsignor Obiora Ike led-committee is for it to encourage the governor’s stance on limiting government expenditures on vital issues that will impact positively on the lives of the citizenry and also cut down the cost of governance to be able to save money for capital projects and actualize his laudable vision for the state. In conclusion, one is convinced that the present economic scenario, which requires the critical need for government at all levels in the country to develop the non-oil sectors, strengthen their tax base as well as internally generated revenue, could be surmounted through these options enumerated above and the expected cherished recommendations of the 15-man Economic Advisory Committee. It is gladdening that the governor of the State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who has dedicated himself to the service of the state has started fulfilling his promises to continue on the pathway of vision in the advancement of good governance through the provision of the basic needs of our people, wealth creation and prosecution of programmes that will guarantee the future of our children in an atmosphere of peace, love and security. He is “ready to work” and the sky remains his limit. Amoke, the Senior Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on Media, writes from Enugu.

PDP commended State Legislators Ahead of Aregbesola's Impeachment

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Friday commended Osun State House of Assembly for commencing impeachment process against Governor Rauf Aregbesola following a petition by Justice Folahanmi Oloyede.

The commendations was made in a press statement released by Osun State’s PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bola Ajao. The statement read, “We want to commend the lawmakers for commencing the process of impeaching Governor Aregbesola in order to save the state. “For us as a political party, our concern is beyond playing the traditional role of opposition party. It is about the people of Osun State. It is about men and women who are supposedly gainfully-employed but are now refugees in their own land, living on handouts from compassionate religious and corporate bodies. “It is about the present and future of the state. It is about generations unborn and questions that would be asked us if we don’t act collectively now. “Even members of Aregbesola’s party know that he spoke from his heart when he said he was clueless about how to rescue the state from imminent doom. “The lawmakers will be writing their names in gold, irrespective of party affiliations, if they take the lead in rescuing their constituents from penury and impending economic catastrophe. “History and posterity will not forgive the lawmakers if they allow the fading administration of Aregbesola to scuttle the impeachment process on the altar of political exigency and partisan conspiracy. “We are aware of the tremendous pressure being brought upon the lawmakers by the insensitive leaders and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress within and outside of the state, but the lawmakers owe posterity and their generations unborn this moment of history to offer the state the last straw before it would collapse irretrievably. “We have it on good authority that a deal had been reached between Governor Aregbesola and the leadership of the Assembly to kill the impeachment process by referring his response to Justice Oloyede’s petition to a Kangaroo committee of the Assembly that would rule that the governor has no case to answer on the weighty allegations raised by the petitioner. “This is completely unacceptable to the traumatised people of Osun State and such shenanigan will be fiercely resisted.”

Same-sex marriage approval ‘victory for America’ – Barrack Obama

The US Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the nation Friday in a much-awaited landmark decision that triggered wild jubilation and tears of joy across the country. In a 5-4 ruling, the highest court in the United States said the Constitution requires all 50 states to carry out and recognize marriages between people of the same sex. President Barack Obama praised the ruling as “a victory for America.” The court decision marked a fresh coup for the White House, coming a day after the Supreme Court upheld an important and disputed section of Obama’s signature health care reform. “Today we can say in no uncertain terms that we’ve made our union a little more perfect,” Obama said at the White House, which was later lit up in the rainbow colors of the gay rights movement. “This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts — when all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free.” The Supreme Court ruling made the United States the 21st country or territory in the world that recognizes same-sex marriage as legal. Flag-waving LGBT advocates on the packed Supreme Court forecourt — some in tears — cheered, danced, shouted “USA! USA!” and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in celebration. Prominent in the crowd was Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the case, clutching a photo of his deceased husband John Arthur. He took a brief phone call from Obama, who told him: “Not only have you been a great example for people but you’re also going to bring about a lasting change in this country. “And it’s pretty rare where that happens, so I couldn’t be prouder of you and your husband. God bless you.” Obergefell, who was live on television at the time, replied humbly: “Thank you, sir. That means an incredible amount to me.” Also in the vast crowd outside court as the life-changing news filtered through were Robert Westover, 51, and Tom Fulton, 57, who hugged and kissed. “It feels like my birthday, the prom, our wedding day. It’s hard to express the intensity of this moment, that our love now is equal,” Westover told AFP. The decision was applauded across the country, with Hollywood celebrities such as Katy Perry and Ben Affleck offering praise, while in New York revelers waved rainbow flags and gathered at a famed gay bar to celebrate. – Dissenting voices – The case was brought by 14 same-sex couples, and the widowers of two gay couples, including Obergefell, who had challenged de facto bans on same-sex marriage in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. All four states had insisted in their respective constitutions that marriage could only be a union between a man and a woman. “The Fourteenth Amendment (providing equal protection under the law) requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state,” the court ruling said. Marriage has been a core institution in society since ancient times, “but it has not stood in isolation from developments in law and society,” reasoned Justice Anthony Kennedy, who delivered the ruling. To exclude them from marriage, Kennedy said, would deny same-sex couples “the constellation of benefits that the states have linked to marriage.” Voicing dissent was Chief Justice John Roberts, who expressed concern that the court was making a decision better left to elected state legislatures. “If you are among the many Americans — of whatever sexual orientation — who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today’s decision,” he said. “Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. “But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it.” The decision came two years to the day after the Supreme Court, in another major ruling, struck down a controversial federal law that denied US government benefits to wedded gays and lesbians. – ‘A tragic error’ – While some praised the ruling, others were eager to voice disapproval. The conservative Family Research Council expressed outrage, saying “no court can overturn natural law.” “Nature and nature’s God, hailed by the signers of our Declaration of Independence as the very source of law, cannot be usurped by the edict of a court, even the United States Supreme Court,” it said. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose state has also prohibited same-sex marriage, said the fight going forward was now one of “religious liberty.” “No court, no law, no rule and no words will change the simple truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” he said in a statement. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which champions the Vatican’s opposition to marriage equality, called Friday’s outcome “a tragic error.” “Jesus Christ, with great love, taught unambiguously that from the beginning marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman,” it said.

Buhari dissolves the Board of NNPC

•NACCIMA applauds action •Says Board ran Nigeria aground President Muhammadu Buhari, has sacked the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Barr. Danladi Kifasi, announced the sack in a statement issued by his Director of Communications, Alh. Haruna Imrana, in Abuja yesterday. According to the statement, a letter to that effect was conveyed to members, yesterday. The dissolution of the board was with immediate effect. The letter quoted President Buhari as thanking members of the dissolved board for their services to the nation. The NNPC is the state-run oil company which oversees Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. The last Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke was the last Chairman of the board. The corporation regulates the oil and gas sector, and also operates as a Joint Venture Partnership with International Oil Companies, IOCs , in the nation’s petroleum sector, on behalf of the federal government. Sacking the NNPC board was expected especially given recent corruption scandals over alleged billions of dollars of unremitted oil revenue. The last was the allegation by former Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria, CBN, and current Emir of Kano, Mallam Lamido Sanusi created major image problems for the NNPC and remained unresolved, even after an external audit of the corporation’s books. Mallam Sanusi had initially alleged that NNPC failed to remit $49.8 billion oil revenue into the federation. Later the figure changed to $20 billion; then $10 billion. Former President Goodluck Jonathan administration had to launch an independent audit into the allegations. It was carried out by PriceWaterCoopers and came out with an outstanding $1.48 billion to be paid into the Federation Account. Last NNPC Board was constituted in 2014. It comprised Mrs. Alison-Madueke, and Group Managing Director, NNPC, Engr., Joseph Dawha. Other members were: Abdullahi Bukar, Steven Oronsaye, Olusegun Okunnu and Daniel Wadzani. The Group Executive Director (GED), Finance & Accounts, Bernard Otti; and GED, Corporate Services, Peter Nmadu and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance. NACCIMA reacts NNPC NNPC The National Vice President, Oil and Gas, of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Mr. Billy Harry has applauded the dissolution, stating that the Board has ran this country down, and had over the years demonstrated a clear case of incompetence. Reacting to the dissolution, Harry said, “they have also demonstrated that they were not out to serve Nigeria, therefore, if the Board is been dissolved it is to the advantage and betterment of Nigeria.” He, however, advised that the new Board that would be reconstituted should comprise of tested and proven Nigerians, that will show love care and growth for the ordinary Nigerian.” He said, “Let us be careful to ensure that whichever Board comes on board now, will have tested and proven Nigerians, that will show love care and growth for the ordinary Nigerian. Because there is nothing that we do in this country that if the ordinary Nigerians do not benefit will have any meaning. Because for one poor man that we have, we are creating myriads of problems, socio-politically, economically and even spiritually. “NNPC, today, is the coordinating centre for the economy. That is really what it is, because our economy depends on oil and gas. If the president dissolves the Board, it is a very good thing and it should be done with the mindset to put people on Board who should serve Nigeria for the benefit of Nigerians.” It is a welcome development — Adonri Also speaking, an economic analyst, Mr. David Adonri, who is the Chief Executive Officer of HighCap Securities, a stockbroking firm said, “It is a welcome development, especially as it is obvious that the new administration will likely dissolve all the boards of parastatals and all. I believe this one is coming at this time because it has become very necessary because of the problems in the energy sector. “The board should have long been dissolved, especially as it has not made it possible for the country to produce refined products locally, but for the country to rely on importation. The board did not perform well. “My own thought is that the energy sector should be completely deregulated and sanitised and consequently, NNPC should be disbanded along with all the interest there. Just like we have in the electricity sector, such reforms should be carried out in the oil sector, such that the NNPC should be dissolved and every thing relating to commercial activities by government in the energy sector should be privatised and the industry should be fully deregulated so that what has been done in deregulated industries like the banking industry, the cement industry, electricity and the telecommunication industry could be replicated in the energy industry.” Other stakeholders celebrate Also reacting, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Frontier Oil Limited, Mr. Dada Thomas stated that it is in the right direction. According to him, “It is the prerogative of the federal government to appoint or dissolve the board. I assume it is done for the common good. This may be the start of changes or reorganisations that people are clamouring for “Though I need to have a holistic picture before I comment in details, I hope it is in the right direction. The just dissolved board had quality people, but it was not allowed to function as expected. “The new board to be constituted should live above board. Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Crusteam Limited, an oil servicing company stated that the dissolution is long overdue. He said, “It is long overdue. It is expected. The board has provided no value to Nigerians. The board has not lived up to expectations. That is my position. For Mr. Olisemeka Ojieh, Managing Director, Petrocarbon Limited, it is a welcome development. “I think I welcome the change, so long as it is in the positive direction. Reliable technocrats should be appointed. The new board be made up of professionals who have been in the industry and have track records of integrity. It should not be flooded with politicians,” he added. According to Presidential spokesman, Mr. Adesina, “The president has said he will clean up the oil sector. That is the beginning of the clean up. “You can’t possibly have the same board in place while the place is being investigated and with the intention to change the way things are being done there. “It’s the country’s cash cow. It has a bright future. It’s just that transparency and accountability have to be introduced into how it operates and this is the beginning of that process-

GOV. OBIANO COMMENDED FOR INSISTING ON PROMPT PAYMENT OF WORKERS' SALARIE

Governor Willie Obiano’s insistence on prompt and regular payment of workers’ salaries, despite the harsh economic realities of the day, has been described as a highly commendable decision that singles him out as an enigmatic leader with human conscience. A former Commissioner for Lands in the State and Private Legal Practitioner, Chief John Okoli-Akirika, expressed the view in his office in Awka in a chat with Correspondent, Kenechukwu Ofomah. Chief Okoli-Akirika, who, said for any government to be deemed responsive and focused, its policies and programmes must be anchored on first for the welfare of the governed, observed that by the gesture, Governor Obiano has once again exhibited a high degree of administrative responsiveness. According to him, when some state governments in the country are considering retrenching workers or reduction in their salaries as a way out of the financial crisis, the present administration is not only insisting on payment but also on making it prompt and regular. He noted that Governor Obiano has also ensured that all projects started by his predecessor are continued and completed, while commencing new ones, describing him as a proactive leader who has combined vision with managerial ability in the administration of the affairs of the state. Chief Okoli-Akirika called on workers in the state to reciprocate the Governor’s gesture by ensuring that they carry out their duties with high sense of dedication and in a manner that will give impetus to what government is doing in transforming the state to the next level. On how to scale the financial crisis, Chief Akirika advised the affected states to adopt Governor Obiano’s plan which include diversification of the state economy, aggressive IGR drive, focus on attracting investors as well as huge investment in repositioning the agricultural sector to become the mainstay of the state economy. It will be recalled that Governor Obiano has overtime maintained his stance not to renege on prompt and regular payment of workers’ salaries, despite the significant downturn in the state’s share of the Federal Allocation. This is however coming against the backdrop of the inability of twenty-three out of the thirty-six states of the federation, to pay their workers’ salaries. — with Nnamdi Okafor, Rtn Ifeanyi Ifeadinmesi Aniagoh, Diam

War in House of Reps deepens

ABUJA—Bad blood flowing from the unresolved leadership tussle in the House of Representatives literally flowed in the chambers of the House, yesterday, as members charged on one another for supremacy. For about one and half hours, members were in riot mood following an attempt by allies of the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to compel Speaker Yakubu Dogara to announce the list of principal officers of the House as dictated by the party. Speaker Dogara’s rebuff and bid to steer the House into a closed-door session was equally challenged by supporters of the APC national executive who apparently came prepared for a showdown. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in its reaction apologised on behalf of the House to Nigerians but called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party men in the House to order. Meanwhile, the APC was unapologetic over its intervention as it last night stood by the list of nominees for principal offices of the National Assembly. The party in a statement issued by its National Secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni nevertheless, condemned the riot on the floor of the House. Also, Presidency sources said, yesterday, that the President would not intervene in the issue to avoid being seen as supporting any of the contending sides in the House. Following opening prayers and other formalities, yesterday, Speaker Dogara had at about 11.08 a.m. announced that the House would go into closed session to discuss some issues of concern to the House. Fighting for the mace Fighting for the mace He hardly finished speaking when a member of the APC in a flowing gown rose up, shouting that the Speaker should announce the list of principal officers sent to him by the national chairman of the party. The list from APC That list as published in several national newspapers, yesterday, had directed the speaker to announce Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos State in the South-West Zone as House Leader; Alhassan Ado Doguwa from Kano State as Deputy Leader; Mohammed Monguno from the North-east as Chief Whip and Pally Iriase from Edo State in the South-South as Deputy Chief Whip. The demand of the party as articulated through the letter by the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun was, however, said to have violated the principle of federal character as it left the North-Central and South-east geopolitical zones out of the ranking, while giving two positions to the North-east and South-West. At about 11.05 a.m. just after Rep. Orker-Jev Emmanuel Yisa, stood up to move the motion for the House to move into closed door session, some members rose up and started chanting Party is Supreme! They demanded that the speaker should read out the letter from the national chairman. Some of the members raised placards with inscriptions that read: “Party is supreme.” Vanguard learnt yesterday that supporters of the Gbajabiamila group met up till 3.00 a.m. during which they resolved that they would not allow any other thing to be done except the letter from the party is read. The decision of the group, it was gathered, was to pre-empt the House going into a closed door session where Dogara was expected to fetch the names of the leaders as elected by the various geopolitical zones in the House. As the protesters started descending towards the floor, officers of the Sergeant-at-Arms formed a protective cordon around the mace of the House. The presence of the officials of the Sergeant-at-Arms, however, did not deter the chanting APC members. While they were at it, loyalists of the speaker also descended towards the table leading to shoving here and there. Supporting the party Supporting the party Inevitably, the fracas drew out supporters of the speaker who also rushed to form a protective cordon around him. A member from Cross-River State butted a member from the South-west with his head, while the attire of a loyalist of the speaker from the South-West was torn to shreds in the melee. Meanwhile by the table, it was a ding-dong affair for the mace as opponents and supporters of the speaker struggled for the mace, and eventually, supporters of the speaker got the upper hand and the mace was taken away by the Sergeant-at-Arms. With the mace out of the table, officially signalling an end to deliberations, Speaker Dogara vacated his seat on the upper dais and descended to the seat of the clerk, a chair otherwise reserved for the chairman of the Committee of the Whole House. There was a protective cordon mounted by several members around him as they dared the rioters to come near. The speaker was not in any way physically ruffled and from time to time he looked down at the bedlam around him. Around the chambers, some members shouted APC Shame! Others shouted Party Supremacy. A handful of those chorusing party supremacy now and again raised up their placards to buttress their cause. The speaker’s loyalists also time and again shouted Dogara! Dogara!! About one hour into the riot, the speaker’s main rival for speakership, Gbajabiamila, who had not been visible for most of the time, came to stand by those near the speaker and shared some things with him. To many, that was a signal that peace would soon reign. Gbajabiamila was soon joined on the rostrum by Rep. Leo Ogor, the unofficial leader of the opposition PDP, a strong backbone for the speaker. By 12.34, with the energy of the legislators well dissipated after about 90 minutes of uproar, an unidentified member started shouting order, order. In another three minutes, full order was restored as members had returned to their seats. Following the restoration of order, the mace was returned to the table, and the speaker lifted himself to his elevated chair from where he upbraided the members on their action. Dogara scolds Reps Dogara said: “We are very fortunate, let me remind us of the fact that, we are very, very fortunate. In a nation of 170 million people only 360 of us are selected or elected to represent the people and we should be grateful to our constituents for sending us here. “To be candid, we have promised so much in the course of our elections and even the very party I belong to, the APC we have promised change and Nigerians expect us to really talk about those matters, those issues that bother them most. “They want to hear us talk about unemployment, poverty. In my region they want us to address insecurity and as long as this House is divided and not united we cannot achieve that. “We have been down this tedious road before so I plead of us, I plead of us honourable members as leaders, all hands must be on the deck to enable us achieve the desired unity that we need in order to move this house forward; that is the responsibility we owe.” Following that, he approved the votes and proceedings of the previous day and promptly adjourned the House till July 21, 2015. Briefing journalists after the sitting, Chairman, House ad-hoc Committee on Media, Rep. Sani Zoro flanked by Rep. Jarigbe Agor Jarigbe said that the members who disrupted the session acted on a premeditated script, as some of them carried placards with inscriptions on them. “These members attempted to seize the mace, which is the symbol of authority of the House and other sundry acts of fighting, fracas, misconduct, disruption and committed unparliamentary actions unbecoming of the status of honourable members. “The House therefore sincerely apologizes to Nigerians for the ugly events of today. However, some APC members blamed the speaker for the crisis saying his refusal to read out the nominees for principal office positions triggered the riot. After the fracas After the fracas Spokesman of the group, Rep Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura representing Zango/Baure Federal Constituency, Katsina State said: “We are aware of a letter sent by our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) dated June 23, 2015 conveying the approval of the Party’s Principal Officers vis-à-vis the APC House Leader, the APC Chief Whip, the APC Deputy House Leader and the APC Deputy Chief Whip for the House of Representatives. “This letter by the Party is in compliance with the expressed wish and mandate of the majority members of the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives. President Buhari should call his party members to order – Ogor Meanwhile the PDP caucus in the House in its own reaction called on President Buhari to call members of the APC in the House who he described as rioters to order. Addressing journalists after the melee, leader of the PDP caucus, Ogor said: “A very embarrassing and unpleasant action took place from the APC group, they decided to take laws into their hands, turned the house upside down and went as far as even carrying the mace which is the symbol of authority. “I think we are starting on a wrong footing coupled with the fact that crisis created in this scenario by the ruling party, I sincerely on behalf of my colleagues want to apologise to Nigerian people and our constituents.”

As CBN sets August 1 deadline to publish debtors’ list

About N400 billion bad debt outstanding in the banking sector is causing panic in the industry and most of the debtors are individuals who have the capacity to pay but have refused to do so. Following this development, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Deposit Money Banks in the country have concluded plans to publish the list of such debtors starting from August 1, 2015. The decision to publish the list was arrived at yesterday after the bankers rose from the 322nd Bankers’ Committee meeting in Abuja with a resolution that the names of all serial bank debtors be published latest August 1, 2015 Banks to publish names of debtors Emefiele CBN Governor The CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs Tokunbo Martins, said banks had been given August 1 deadline to publish names of their debtors. Martins disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the 322nd Bankers Committee meeting in Abuja. She said: “You will recall that at the last Bankers Committee meeting, we discussed about publishing the names of serial debtors of banks. We discussed this again because of the fact that the date is drawing close. Last time we had the meeting, we said that there should be three months of grace to give the debtors the opportunity to put the facilities back to performing status. “So, by August 1, any debtor that hasn’t done so, the name will be published by the bank. So, the banks are encouraged to speak to their customers that fall into that category that they should put in more effort to pay off.” N14trn total credit Martins said the total credit currently in the system was between N13 and N14 trillion and about three per cent of it was non-performing. That implies that about N400 billion is the amount that is non performing. She stressed that banks had an upper limit target of five per cent. 12.5m customers enrolled on BVN On the electronic banking space, Chief Executive of UBA, Mr Phillip Oduzua, said 12.5 million customers had been enrolled on the Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise. He said: “We believe that this is a substantial mileage that we have made and there is still room to close the gap knowing that the deadline for everybody to enrol is June 30. In the event that any customer is not enrolled, it is possible that the customer may not be able to enjoy a lot of the banking services. “As such, we will urge all customers of banks to enrol so that they would continue to enjoy unhindered services from the banks.” According to him, customers who fail to enrol may not enjoy credit facilities, foreign exchange services and internet banking, among others. On cashless policy On cashless policy, Oduoza said with the progress made so far, the policy would be extended to every part of the country before the end of third quarter. On the foreign exchange market, Mr Jubril Aku of Ecobank said the committee reviewed the sector and would continue to partner CBN to meet legitimate needs of customers. He said: “There are some demands that raised concerns. So sometimes when such request are made, we make analysis and see the effect on the economy. As long as they are legitimate demands, we will make sure it is met. So, the committee is satisfied with the stability attained and will continue to look at the sector critically.” Mr Henry Semenitari, Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank, said the committee also reviewed the enhancement witnessed in the credit culture in the sector. He said the culture would now be extended to other financial institutions of Insurance and non-banking institutions within the banking space. He said: “As the culture continues to improve, the requisite data that will lead to uninformed judgement in terms of given credit to businessmen will become easier and control effective. “So, what we will require or implore people to do is to provide the necessary Know-Your-Customer (KYC) to their banks to ensure they are registered through the credit registry as well as other banking and non-banking financial institutions.” Semenitari said this would help to stabilise and institute a sound culture of credit that would be relevant to the economy and in consonance with financial inclusion policy.

About N400 billion bad debt outstanding in the banking sector is causing panic in the industry and most of the debtors are individuals who have the capacity to pay but have refused to do so. Following this development, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Deposit Money Banks in the country have concluded plans to publish the list of such debtors starting from August 1, 2015. The decision to publish the list was arrived at yesterday after the bankers rose from the 322nd Bankers’ Committee meeting in Abuja with a resolution that the names of all serial bank debtors be published latest August 1, 2015 Banks to publish names of debtors Emefiele CBN Governor The CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs Tokunbo Martins, said banks had been given August 1 deadline to publish names of their debtors. Martins disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the 322nd Bankers Committee meeting in Abuja. She said: “You will recall that at the last Bankers Committee meeting, we discussed about publishing the names of serial debtors of banks. We discussed this again because of the fact that the date is drawing close. Last time we had the meeting, we said that there should be three months of grace to give the debtors the opportunity to put the facilities back to performing status. “So, by August 1, any debtor that hasn’t done so, the name will be published by the bank. So, the banks are encouraged to speak to their customers that fall into that category that they should put in more effort to pay off.” N14trn total credit Martins said the total credit currently in the system was between N13 and N14 trillion and about three per cent of it was non-performing. That implies that about N400 billion is the amount that is non performing. She stressed that banks had an upper limit target of five per cent. 12.5m customers enrolled on BVN On the electronic banking space, Chief Executive of UBA, Mr Phillip Oduzua, said 12.5 million customers had been enrolled on the Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise. He said: “We believe that this is a substantial mileage that we have made and there is still room to close the gap knowing that the deadline for everybody to enrol is June 30. In the event that any customer is not enrolled, it is possible that the customer may not be able to enjoy a lot of the banking services. “As such, we will urge all customers of banks to enrol so that they would continue to enjoy unhindered services from the banks.” According to him, customers who fail to enrol may not enjoy credit facilities, foreign exchange services and internet banking, among others. On cashless policy On cashless policy, Oduoza said with the progress made so far, the policy would be extended to every part of the country before the end of third quarter. On the foreign exchange market, Mr Jubril Aku of Ecobank said the committee reviewed the sector and would continue to partner CBN to meet legitimate needs of customers. He said: “There are some demands that raised concerns. So sometimes when such request are made, we make analysis and see the effect on the economy. As long as they are legitimate demands, we will make sure it is met. So, the committee is satisfied with the stability attained and will continue to look at the sector critically.” Mr Henry Semenitari, Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank, said the committee also reviewed the enhancement witnessed in the credit culture in the sector. He said the culture would now be extended to other financial institutions of Insurance and non-banking institutions within the banking space. He said: “As the culture continues to improve, the requisite data that will lead to uninformed judgement in terms of given credit to businessmen will become easier and control effective. “So, what we will require or implore people to do is to provide the necessary Know-Your-Customer (KYC) to their banks to ensure they are registered through the credit registry as well as other banking and non-banking financial institutions.” Semenitari said this would help to stabilise and institute a sound culture of credit tha

As CBN sets August 1 deadline to publish debtors’ list

About N400 billion bad debt outstanding in the banking sector is causing panic in the industry and most of the debtors are individuals who have the capacity to pay but have refused to do so. Following this development, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Deposit Money Banks in the country have concluded plans to publish the list of such debtors starting from August 1, 2015. The decision to publish the list was arrived at yesterday after the bankers rose from the 322nd Bankers’ Committee meeting in Abuja with a resolution that the names of all serial bank debtors be published latest August 1, 2015 Banks to publish names of debtors The CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs Tokunbo Martins, said banks had been given August 1 deadline to publish names of their debtors. Martins disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the 322nd Bankers Committee meeting in Abuja. She said: “You will recall that at the last Bankers Committee meeting, we discussed about publishing the names of serial debtors of banks. We discussed this again because of the fact that the date is drawing close. Last time we had the meeting, we said that there should be three months of grace to give the debtors the opportunity to put the facilities back to performing status. “So, by August 1, any debtor that hasn’t done so, the name will be published by the bank. So, the banks are encouraged to speak to their customers that fall into that category that they should put in more effort to pay off.” N14trn total credit Martins said the total credit currently in the system was between N13 and N14 trillion and about three per cent of it was non-performing. That implies that about N400 billion is the amount that is non performing. She stressed that banks had an upper limit target of five per cent. 12.5m customers enrolled on BVN On the electronic banking space, Chief Executive of UBA, Mr Phillip Oduzua, said 12.5 million customers had been enrolled on the Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise. He said: “We believe that this is a substantial mileage that we have made and there is still room to close the gap knowing that the deadline for everybody to enrol is June 30. In the event that any customer is not enrolled, it is possible that the customer may not be able to enjoy a lot of the banking services. “As such, we will urge all customers of banks to enrol so that they would continue to enjoy unhindered services from the banks.” According to him, customers who fail to enrol may not enjoy credit facilities, foreign exchange services and internet banking, among others. On cashless policy On cashless policy, Oduoza said with the progress made so far, the policy would be extended to every part of the country before the end of third quarter. On the foreign exchange market, Mr Jubril Aku of Ecobank said the committee reviewed the sector and would continue to partner CBN to meet legitimate needs of customers. He said: “There are some demands that raised concerns. So sometimes when such request are made, we make analysis and see the effect on the economy. As long as they are legitimate demands, we will make sure it is met. So, the committee is satisfied with the stability attained and will continue to look at the sector critically.” Mr Henry Semenitari, Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank, said the committee also reviewed the enhancement witnessed in the credit culture in the sector. He said the culture would now be extended to other financial institutions of Insurance and non-banking institutions within the banking space. He said: “As the culture continues to improve, the requisite data that will lead to uninformed judgement in terms of given credit to businessmen will become easier and control effective. “So, what we will require or implore people to do is to provide the necessary Know-Your-Customer (KYC) to their banks to ensure they are registered through the credit registry as well as other banking and non-banking financial institutions.” Semenitari said this would help to stabilise and institute a sound culture of credit that would be relevant to the economy and in consonance with financial inclusion policy.

Joda-led Committee- Appoint only 19 senior ministers, advises Buhari

The Ahmed Joda-led transition committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to prune the number of federal ministries from 28 to 19. In its report seen by TheCable, the advisory committee recommended that Buhari should have only 19 senior ministers, while 17 ministers of state should be appointed, bringing the total to 36 in fulfillment of the constitutional requirement of one minister per state. Previous governments, starting from 1999, appointed 42 ministers — picking one from each of the six geo-political zones in addition to one from each of the 36 states of the federation. Under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, there were 28 senior ministers and 14 ministers of state. Three of the ministries were directly under presidency. The issue of small government has dominated public debate, with the new governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai, reducing the number of ministries from 19 to 13 upon inauguration. Buhari promised to reduce the cost of governance and only on Thursday ordered that nine of the VIP transport aircraft under the presidential fleet, better known as presidential jets, should be sold. The Joda transition committee submitted its report to Buhari on June 12, but the details, which the president is expected to evaluate before taking his initial key steps, are yet to be made public. TheCable can report that under the Joda proposals, only nine ministries will not be affected in the pruning exercise: (1) industry, trade and investment (2) education (3) defence (4) FCT (5) finance (6) labour and productivity (7) justice (8) foreign affairs and (9) national planning. The report posited: “There is no direct relationship between the number of ministries and efficacy of service delivery. The US with a population of 316 million and with GDP of $17,328 trillion (30 times Nigeria’s GDP) has 15 ministries. India has 24 ministries, while the UK has 17. “The current structure of the FGN with 28 ministries and 542 agencies (50 of which have no enabling laws) [results in] very high cost of governance. The portfolios of ministries are not responsive to all the major critical national challenges such as family and child affairs; religious affairs; vulnerable and elderly group affairs as well as the North-eastern crisis. “[There is an] apparent conflict between the desire of reducing the cost of governance through cabinet downsize and the constitutional requirement of a cabinet-level ministerial appointment from each of the 36 states of the federation.” The Joda committee wants mines and steel development, petroleum resources and power to become one ministry to be named “ministry of energy”, while environment, land and urban development as well as works and housing will now be known as works, housing and environment instead of being three separate ministries. These proposals are believed to have been influenced by the report of the Stephen Oronsaye committee which was set up by Jonathan to provide a comprehensive blueprint on reduction of cost of governance in 2012.