Independent 20170816-readme.ng

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INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017
Commission Promotes 6000 Police Officers
The Police Service
Commission
(PSC) has approved
the promotion
of over six thousand
police officers.
According to PSC
sources, the list of promoted
police officers will
be sent to the Inspector
General of Police, Ibrahim
Idris Kpotum, within
the week for announcement.
However, PSC says it
has suspended special
promotion for policemen
until further notice.
Mike Okiro, Chairman
of the commission,
who disclosed this at a
news conference in Abuja
on Tuesday, said that
the suspension became
imperative, following
complaints and allegations
by members of the
public.
“Given the avalanche
of disparaging reports,
comments and allegations
revolving around
special promotions, the
commission has decided
to put on hold all recommendations
until further
notice,” he said.
Okiro said that the
promotions already processed
would be referred
back to the I-G of police
for more details on the
beneficiaries.
He said that the commission
had also set up a
committee to investigate
allegations of bribery
against some members of
the commission by some
police officers.
According to the
chairman, the chairman
is expected to submit its
report in two weeks.
“As a responsible organisation,
the commission
ensures that promotions
are given to only
deserving officers based
on merit to encourage
hard work,’’ he said.
He said that guidelines
developed by the commission
on procedures for
promotion had been sent
to the I-G of Police.
“To ensure objectivity,
transparency and accountability
in the process,
the commission has
also developed and issued
guidelines on special promotion
to the Nigeria Police
Force.”
He said that the implementation
of the guidelines
was being monitored
and reviewed by
the commission regularly.
Okiro said that officers
considered for special
promotion in the force
must have sufficiently
shown concrete evidence
for meriting it.
“It should, however, be
noted that performance
of normal or routine duty
will not qualify an officer
for special promotion,’’
he said.
He said that officers
with exceptional performance
or behaviour
would be considered for
special promotion even
if they have not served
the minimum number of
years on a rank.
Okiro said that the
commission does not
unilaterally award special
promotion to officers,
adding, “The major
source or recommendations
for special promotion
is the I-G of Police,’’
he said.
•CONTINUED FROM .A1
being taken by ministers
and senior government
officials to the UK for
approval by President
Buhari.
According to Adegboruwa,
who was also a
guest on the television
programme, the ruling
All Progressives Congress
(APC) has lost the
moral right to retain
power when the administration
of President
Buhari expires in 2019.
He added that the citizens
have the right to
know the health status
of their president who
has been in the UK for 100
days, and that those asking
him to either resume
or resign were right.
“Personally, we as Nigerians
deserve to join
the president in prayers
to ask that he be healed
and return to his duty
post. But in terms of the
length of stay, in terms of
the manner of treatment,
in terms of the strategy
of relating with Nigerians
concerning what
the president is going
through, it’s quite very
discouraging and unfortunate
because this is
a party that came into
power on the mantra of
change and engagement
and so we will be surprised
that the president
could be going through
any circumstance of ill
health which Nigerians
are not entitled to know.
“Today marks 100 days
that the president has
been out of the country
on a consecutive basis
Govt Officials Attempted To Undermine Osinbajo – Presidency
and you wonder whether
you can say you have
such leadership in terms
of the capacity of the
executive president to
manage the affairs of a
nation. So I believe those
agitating that the president
should resume or resign
are right in the sense
that we didn’t anticipate
that we will be ruled from
another country because
Nigeria is a sovereign nation,”
he added.
However, Shehu, who
accused Adegboruwa of
making reckless statements,
said he is aware
that the president sent
back some senior government
officials who tried
to bypass the acting president
by taking sensitive
materials for approval in
the UK.
“I am surprised that
he (Adegboruwa) as a
lawyer has spoken so
recklessly on so many
matters about which he
showed lots of dispassion
about those matters.
That was reckless
of him because he said
things that are just completely
untrue. This man
that has just spoken with
Nigerians said this country
is being run from the
United Kingdom (UK).
He said memos are being
sent to the UK and that
ministers are reporting
to the president. That is
false. He doesn’t know
what he is talking about”.
“Let me tell you this
story. I am aware that
senior officials of government
have gone to
President Buhari in the
UK and taken some documents
to him and asked
him to deal with it. The
president said ‘No, I
won’t! The man responsible
for the country is in
Abuja, go back to him’.
So, I think the idea is to
make President Buhari
look as if he is in charge
but it is even disrespectful
to the acting president”.
Also speaking on
whether it is morally
right for the president
to tell Nigerians the
ailment he is receiving
treatment for or whether
he should resign if he
feels he can no longer
continue, Shehu said the
constitution of Nigeria
does not mandate the
president to disclose to
Nigerians the state of
his health.
He, however, said the
president may decide on
his own volition to tell
Nigerians upon his return
to the country if he
deems it fit to do so.
“You said morality, I
have no competence placing
morality in the realm
of politics. However, I
must say that I think the
president has done the
most that anybody can
do in this circumstance.
What I am saying is that
there is politics and there
is morality and they
don’t always mix.
“That is not to say that
you can ask this question
from the president if the
president had said to
you that ‘I will give full
disclosure, one hundred
percent of my health
situation in all circumstances’.
If the president
fails to do that, then he
has a moral problem.
“When he campaigned,
he said that I
will declare my assets
publicly. He got to office
and lawyers of many
colours are saying ‘sir,
you don’t have to do it
because there is no basis
for it in law’. But because
that commitment
had been given, on the
99th day of the 100 days
promise he made, the
president published his
assets. The vice president
also published his
assets. Therefore, had it
been the president had
reneged on this promise,
people would have raised
the issue of morality. As
it is now, we are dealing
with matters of law.
“The constitution
of this country doesn’t
make it a requirement
for him to say that he
must disclose his health
situation. He went to the
UK in January and when
he returned, without the
prompting of anyone, he
faced the television cameras
and said this is what
I went through.
“So, let’s give him the
benefit of doubt and a little
bit of patience. President
Buhari will return.
I will not be surprised if
he stands before everyone
and says ‘this is what
I went through and it’s all
over’”, he said.
Speaking on the occasion
of the president’s 100
days in the UK, Matthew
Urhoghide, representing
Edo South Senatorial district
in the National Assembly
said the demands
by some Nigerians that
President Buhari should
resign on health grounds
is childish, saying the Nigerian
constitution does
not provide for that.
Speaking in an exclusive
chat with INDEPEN-
DENT, Urhoghide said
the fact that he is a member
of the opposition People’s
Democratic Party
(PDP) will not make him
support an unnecessary
demand.
Urhoghide, who is
the Chairman, Senate
Committee on Culture
and Tourism, said rather
than dissipating energy
on whether the president
should resign or not, Nigerians
should pray for
the quick recovery of
the president so he can
resume his work for the
betterment of the country.
He added that the president
has fulfilled constitutional
requirements by
handing over to his deputy,
Yemi Osinbajo, who is
now the acting president.
“If somebody is ill, it
is not due to a desire of
his. It’s just nature. I don’t
know why people are
making an issue out of
it. To me, it is completely
unnecessary. Let us pray
for the well-being of this
man so he comes back
and continue his work.
“All these people who
are clamouring that the
man should resign, do
they want to take over his
job? If they want his job,
they should wait till 2019
and contest in the presidential
election. Why do
they want him out?
“He has an acting president
who is doing the job,
why can’t they just allow
the man to have some
rest? That I am a PDP
senator does not remove
my opinion on what illness
and wellness means.
Everything comes from
God and I don’t know why
those clamouring for the
president’s resignation
over health issues are
playing God.
“Resign on what
grounds? Does the constitution
provide for that?
That when somebody is
ill, the person resigns?
We don’t have such position
in our constitution.
These are things that are
completely out of the
spheres of influence of
man.
“These are things that
are in the exclusive preserve
of God. Mandela
was ill for 33 years and
there are other countries
where you find important
dignitaries falling
sick. So, I believe asking
the president to resign on
health grounds is a childish
demand”.
•CONTINUED FROM .A1
EFCC Begins Probe Of Failed Federal Road Projects In South-East
tioning.
The EFCC’s Zonal
Head of Operations,
Johnson Babalola, said
this on Tuesday in Enugu
while briefing journalists
on the activities of the
commission in the past
seven months in the area.
Babalola said that
probe became necessary
in view of the deplorable
condition of the roads in
the zone.
“The deplorable condition
of federal roads in
the South-East has caught
our attention. The zone
has one of the poorest
roads in the country. Yet,
the contracts were awarded.
“So, we have invited
the contractors and we
are currently inspecting
their records. Everything
that surrounds the award
of the contracts and execution
of the roads will be
probed.”
Babalola urged members
of the public to avail
the commission of useful
information that would
aid it to do the investigation.
He said that the whistle
blowing policy of the
Federal Government still
subsisted and urged the
people to leverage on it.
“We solicit for useful
information from members
of the public in order
to get to the root of
the investigation we have
started.”
He said that anyone,
including contractors,
politicians or ordinary
Nigerians found culpable
during the investigation
would be prosecuted.
Babalola also said
that the zonal office had
created an office at the
Akanu Ibiam International
Airport, Enugu,
to checkmate money
laundering.
He said that the effort
was in partnership with
other sister agencies that
had roles at the airport.
He said that the EFCC,
under the supervision
of Ibrahim Magu, had
recorded significant feat
in the onslaught against
corruption.
Babalola attributed
the success story of the
commission to the zeal of
President Muhammadu
Buhari who had been at
the vanguard of the fight.
“Since the inception of
this administration there
has been resurgence in financial
crime fight.”
Babalola said that
though the commission’s
successes had drawn the
ire of some politicians
and their cronies, the
commission was not deterred.