BusinessDay 28 Mar 2018

38 BUSINESS DAY
C002D5556
Wednesday 28 March 2018
NEWS
Bayelsa, Century...
Continued from page 4
Oil and Gas industry that state
owned oil companies cannot
produce oil.
The Bayelsa Oil and Gas Company
and CEPL have successfully
transformed the lot of the ATALA
field despite the inherent challenge
of funding and technical
expertise. They deployed top
drawer solutions and leveraged
on a vast network of relationships
to turn things around.
The global energy market is
one anchored on complex demand
patterns and money moves.
For this reason, stakeholders
in the sector simply cannot
sleep. The landscape is ever
dynamic and this explains why
a lot of things that were previously
thought to be impossible
are now happening. There is now
more pressure on field owners to
develop and produce their assets
to trigger genuine transformation
and growth.
It is believed that this rebirth
initiated by the Bayelsa Oil Company
and her partner, CEPL has
left the door open for other state
owned oil companies to look inwards
and partner with indigenous
companies to finance, operate, and
develop erstwhile comatose assets
L-R: Segun Agbaje, GMD/CEO, GTBank; Segun Ajibola, president/chairman of council, The Chartered Institute
of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); Herbert Wigwe, GMD/CEO, Access Bank plc/chairman, Body of Bankers’ CEO;
Emeka Emuwa, GMD/CEO, Union Bank plc, and Bola Adesola, MD/CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, during
a press conference to unveil The Shared Agent Network Plan-Deepening Financial Inclusion in Nigeria, held
in Lagos, yesterday.
Pic by Olawale Amoo
Tenure elongation for Oyegun, others...
Continued from page 1
to the National Working Committee
(NWC) of the ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC) led by
the National Chairman, John Odigie-
Oyegun and other executive
members at the state level is illegal.
President Buhari, who was
joined by Vice President, Yemi
Osinbanjo, made this declaration
at the 6th APC NEC meeting in
Abuja on Tuesday stressing that
the tenure elongation is not only
against the party’s constitution
but against the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, which
mandates that elections should
be held after a four year- term for
elected officers of the party.
The party’s agenda for Tuesday’s
NEC meeting was originally anchored
on the issues of the Party’s
recommendation for Restructuring
and True Federalism, which
it recently presented to the public
for optimum youth engagement
and improved revenue.
Analysts say this is the only
way out as privately owned indigenous
companies are growing
stronger thanks to their strong
resolution to succeed as well as
the efforts of the Nigerian Content
Development and Monitoring
Board (NCDMB) to transform
the capacity and competence
pool of the country.
Today, privately owned companies
are doing very well in
supporting the NNPC, NPDC
and IOCs quest to achieve set
in February as well as the party’s
constitution amendment. However,
President Buhari’s declaration
abruptly changed the agenda even
as he charged that any of the party
executive officers who are interested
in continuity should resign
and present themselves for election.
The NEC in their last meeting
held in February 27th in Abuja had
decided to extend the tenure of the
entire executive at all levels for 12
months, a move which raised serious
controversy as some members
opposed the decision and filed
court cases against the party.
President Buhari at Tuesday’s
NEC meeting, stressed that even a
caretaker committee cannot remedy
the situation and act in place
of elected officials.
“While the APC constitution
in article 17 (1) and 13 (b) limits
the tenure of elected officers to
four years renewable by another
election, the 1999 constitution of
objectives and this support must
be utilized by state governments
and state oil companies.
The Bayelsa state success must
be replicated as it is proof that
the financial responsibility to
develop and produce fields can
be undertaken by indigenous
companies and the technical
know-how is also not lacking.
The blueprint of Bayelsa State
shows that states can be involved
in the oil business without spending
a kobo of tax payers’ money
but through quality partnerships
geared towards a common good.
Nigeria as amended, in section
223 also prescribed periodic election
for party executives at regular
intervals which must not exceed
four years.
“Furthermore, article 31 of our
party constitution provides that
any principal officer wishing to
re-contest or contest for another
post must resign from his current
post at least one month before the
election. In this circumstance, what
is expected of us is to conduct fresh
election once the tenure of the current
executive approaches its end.
“A caretaker committee cannot
remedy the situation and act in
place of elected officials. Furthermore,
I think that if we deviate from
the constitutional provisions, we
might be endangering the fortunes
of our party.
“If the tenure of our party executive
can be legally faulted, it means
that any nomination and primary
election they may conduct can also
be faulted.
This is not to talk of divisions that
Atiku flags off presidential election...
Continued from page 1
and infrastructural sectors
through poor budgetary allocations
and releases.
He said: “Since 2015, we have
not seen 100 kilometres of roads
constructed by the APC Federal
Government anywhere in the
country.”
The Former Vice President
said that the APC Federal Government
has destroyed the foundation
of unity and cohesion of
the country.
Atiku, who is said to be a
patron of Miyetti Allah said: “I
have never seen Nigeria so divided
along religious, ethnic and
regional lines. This division is as
a result of the mismanagement
of the APC”.
The Presidential hopeful
called for the unity of the country,
saying that no component
part of the country will progress
alone.
Atiku, who was the first from
the North to support the restructuring
of the country, called
on Rivers PDP stakeholders to
support his ambition to emerge
as the party’s presidential candidate.
Speaking as host, Gov Wike
declared that all Nigerians must
take up the solemn responsibility
of sacking the non-performing
APC Federal Government
in 2019.
The PDP leaders spoke at the
Government House Port Harcourt
on Tuesday during a visit
by the Former Vice President
who was in the state to consult
with Rivers State PDP Leaders.
Governor Wike urged all PDP
members irrespective of their
status to ensure that the march
to the Presidential Villa is not
truncated by disunity.
He urged all PDP presidential
aspirants to contest within acceptable
limits as the race is not
a do-or-die affair, but a movement
to oust a failed APC Federal
Government.
“Every presidential aspirant
must see himself as a member of
the larger PDP family. We must
do everything to ensure that PDP
may arise or is already arising within
the party when some of our party
members feel that they are being
denied the right to aspire to executive
positions or that internal democracy
is not at play within the party.
“I am therefore of the firm belief
that it is better to follow strictly the
dictate of our party constitution
rather than put APC and it activities
at grave risk.”
President Buhari also warned
party faithful not to allow internal
dissension to derail the party to
avoid being exploited by the opposition
saying “we should not
allow our party to be vulnerable
and susceptible to the opposition
by delaying us and go to court and
quoting appropriate constitutional
provision from either the party or
national constitution to delay us or
divide us further. Please take note
of this my statement.”
Speaking to reporters shortly after
the NEC meeting, APC National
Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi,
who had earlier said that the
returns to the Presidential Villa
in 2019.
“Only one aspirant will become
a candidate. We will do
everything to ensure that the
party comes out with a candidate
that has a track record to upstage
the APC”.
The governor said that he has
received former Jigawa State
governor, Sule Lamido, and
now former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar, noting that other
aspirants would be offered the
platform to consult with Rivers
PDP members.
“God will make sure that the
right candidate emerges. When
the right candidate emerges, we
will team up and remove this bad
government.
“There is no benefit that Rivers
State has gotten from this
APC Federal Government. All
the APC Federal Government is
doing is plotting to rig the 2019
elections, “ Governor Wike said.
He said that the former vice
President has the right qualification
to fly the PDP flag, noting
that he should extend his consultations.
Also speaking, former Enugu
State Governor, Okwesilieze
Nwodo said that Atiku Abubakar
is a detribalised Nigerian,
with the capacity the rescue the
country.
Former Ogun State Governor,
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, said Atiku
is a true Nigerian with business
and political links across
the country. He said Nigeria
needs Atiku Abubakar to revive
the country.
Former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar was accompanied
to Rivers State by former Ogun
State Governor, Otunba Gbenga
Daniel, former Enugu State
Governor, Okwesilieze Nwodo,
former Attorney General of the
Federation, Michael Aondoakaa,
and a Senator, Abdul Ningi.
Atiku met with State and
Federal Lawmakers, Caretaker
Committee Chairmen of Local
Government Areas and Party
Leaders.
party will sanction those who had
dragged it to court over the issue
of tenure elongation, said that the
party will set a technical committee
to look into President Muhammadu
Buhari’s advice. He added that the
decision of the NEC on tenure elongation
stands until further notice.
The Secretary to the Government
of the Federation, Boss
Mustapha, about 17 APC state
governors and 4 other deputies attended
the meeting. Some of them
are; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya
Bello; Edo State Governor, Godwin
Obaseki; Kano State Governor,
Abdullahi Ganduje and Ondo
State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Others are; Bauchi State Governor,
Mohammed Abubakar; Jigawa
State Governor, Abubakar Badaru
; Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu;
Imo state Governor Rochas
Okorocha among others.
Kogi state governor, Yahaya
Bello, in his reaction said the issue
“is a family issue” that will be
resolved.