25052018 - BENUE KILLINGS: ETHNIC CLEANSING OR JIHAD? Soyinka, Northern leaders tango

8—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018
:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
Nigeria’s economy on right track
—Presidency
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
A BUJA—THE
Presidency said,
yesterday, that the nation’s
economy was on the right
track with steady growth
under the present
administration.
Special Adviser to the
President on Media and
Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina,
in a statement in Abuja,
said though the opposition
elements might not see the
positive growth in the
economy, the report of the
National Bureau of
Statistics, NBS, was the
evidence that the economy
was in safe hands under
President Muhammadu
Buhari’s government.
He said: “Some people
have made it a pastime to
talk as if there is no silver
lining in the sky as far as
the Nigerian economy is
concerned. They carry on
as if it is doom and gloom
all the way, a thoroughfare
of woes. This they do, to
hoodwink the public and,
peradventure, gain political
advantage for themselves
or their principals.
“But facts are stubborn
things. Those arrayed
against facts may abhor and
deride them, but there they
are, staring them starkly in
the face. Here are some
current facts about the
Nigerian economy, which
naysayers may not be able
to do anything about:
“According to the
National Bureau of
Statistics, NBS, the
economy has recovered
from the slow-down and
eventual recession, which
started in 2014. There has
been improvement with
stronger growth for three
successive quarters. From
contracting by 0.91 per cent
in Q1 2017, the economy
has grown by 0.72 per cent
in Q2 2017, to 1.17 per cent
in Q3 2017, and 2.11 per
cent in Q4 2017.
“The Q1 2018 GDP
shows that the economy
has recorded a GDP growth
of 1.95 per cent, compared
to a contraction of 0.91 per
cent in Q1 2017.
“The growth is driven by
agriculture and industry,
which shows that finally,
after more than 50 years of
lip service, the Nigerian
economy is on the road to
diversification. The oil
sector’s contribution to GDP
is 9.61 per cent, while nonoil
sector’s share is 90.39
per cent.
“One of the factors
responsible for the positive
performance of the
economy in Q1 2018 was
the spending of about N1.5
trillion on infrastructure
projects in 2017.
“For the past 15 months,
inflation has declined
consistently from 18.72 per
cent to 12.48 per cent. The
country is steadily on the
road to single digit
inflation rate.
“The first quarter of 2018
saw a continuous growth
in total capital importation
into the country, the fourth
consecutive quarterly
increase since Q2 2017. The
total value of capital
imported is $6,303.63
million, a 17.11 per cent
growth over the figure
reported in the previous
quarter.
“Foreign reserves stand
at $47.79 billion,
compared to $29.6billion
inherited in May 2015,
after about six years boom
in oil prices in the
international market. The
increase came at a time of
modest oil prices, showing
transparency
accountability by
F-SARS chief seeks N2bn, apology
from Wike, media
THE Commander of
Federal Special Anti-
Robbery Squad, F-SARS, in
Rivers State, Mr. Akin
Fakorede, an Assistant
Commissioner of Police, ACP,
is asking N2 billion damages
from Rivers State government.
He has given seven days
ultimatum to the government
to retract the libellous
publications against him, and
demanded an unreserved
apology from the state
government.
Fakorede said the apology
must be published on the front
pages of national newspapers
that carried the false
advertisements.
This, he said, should be
published twice the number
of times the advertisements
ran in each newspaper.
Fakorede’s lawyer, Ayodele
Akintunde, in a 10-page letter,
dated May 22, and addressed
to Attorney-General and
Commissioner for Justice,
Emma Aguma, yesterday, in
Port Harcourt, accused the
state government of
deliberately lying against his
client.
The F-SARS commander
approached his lawyer after
the Inspector-General of
Police, Ibrahim Idris,
authorised him to sue
Governor Nyesom Wike and
the government for the
malicious, false and libellous
publications against him,
having been exonerated by
the IGP of allegations levelled
against him.
Akintunde said: “The
allegations that our client is an
election rigger and an enemy
of democracy, and that our
client is recruiting, training
and arming a special squad
to rig the 2019 elections in
Rivers State though violent
means are totally false and
baseless.
“In the consequence, our
client’s reputation has been
seriously damaged and he
has suffered considerable
distress and embarrassment.
We hereby demand that you
retract the libelous
publications contained in the
national newspapers within
seven days of the receipt of
this letter and tender an
unreserved apology to our
client for the damage to his
reputation and the distress
and embarrassment caused
him by the libelous
publications.
“The retraction and apology
must be given as much
publicity as your libelous
advertisements and they must
be inserted on the front pages
of the same newspapers, in
as large a type and in as
prominent positions as your
advertisements. The apology
must also be printed/
published twice the number
of times your libelous
advertisements were
published in each of the
national newspapers.
“The Rivers State
government must also give a
and
UNVEILING: From left, Henry Ajetunmobi, Executive Chairman, SIFAX
Off Dock; John Jenkins, Group Managing Director, SIFAX Group; Adewale
Adetayo, General Manager, SIFAX Haulage and Logistics, and Fola Rogers-
Saliu, Executive Director, Human Resources and Administration, at the official
commissioning/unveiling of 20 new trucks by SIFAX Haulage, in Lagos,
yesterday.
written undertaking never
again to publish any similar
libel against our client in
future.
“Take notice that if you do
not cause to be printed/
published, a retraction and an
unreserved apology, in the
manner demanded within
seven days of receipt of this
letter, and pay an agreed
amount as damages for the
libel, we have our client’s
instruction to commence legal
action against the Rivers State
government for N2 billion as
damages for libel. You have
been warned.”
Fakorede’s lawyer faulted
the government’s claim on the
report of the Independent
National Electoral
Commission (INEC) on the
December 10 legislative rerun.
He said: “The words
contained in all the
advertisements are clearly
intended to disparage our
client in his duties as an ACP
in the Nigeria Police Force
and particularly as the
commander of F-SARS,
Rivers State and expose him
to hate, ridicule and contempt.
All the allegations contained
in the publications, including
the report of INEC, are false,
malicious and completely
unfounded. During the 2016
Rivers State rerun elections,
our client never assaulted
Mary Tunkayo, Dr. C.
Odekpe or any INEC staff.
This is clear from all the written
statements obtained from the
relevant INEC staff.”
Court declares Jibrin’s
suspension for 180 days
illegal
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
ABUJA—The Federal
High Court sitting in
Abuja, yesterday, knocked
the House of
Representatives, saying it
acted illegally when it
suspended its former
Chairman on Appropriation,
Abdulmumin Jibrin, for 180
legislative days.
The court, in a judgement
delivered by Justice John
Tsoho, held that Jibrin acted
rightly by exposing alleged
“malfeasance” by leadership
of the House with regard to
the 2016 budget, to the
appropriate anti-graft
agency.
Tsoho maintained that Jibrin
acted properly as he did not
employ unlawful means to
achieve his goal of exposing
his corruption allegation
against principal officers of
the House of Reps to a law
enforcement agency.
According to the court,
leadership of the House
ought to have “approached
the law enforcement agency
concerned to justify their
actions by clearing
themselves of the apparently
nasty allegation.
“That is the approach that
accords with democracy
tenets. But the defendants
discarded it and adopted
approach aimed to gag the
plaintiff.”
Tsoho held that Speaker of
the House of Reps, Yakubu
Dogara, the House of Reps
itself, and its Clerk, who were
sued as 1st to 3rd defendants
before the court, “violated the
plaintiff’s right to freedom of
expression guaranteed by
section 39 of the 1999
constitution, as amended.”
He dismissed as lacking in
merit, a joint preliminary
objection the defendants filed
to challenge the powers of the
court to meddle in an affair of
the House.
The court, after nullifying
Jibrin’s suspension, ordered
that he should be paid all his
salaries, allowances and
other entitlements that
accrued to him within the 180
days period.
Police, Shekarau's
supporters clash in Kano
By AbdulSalam
Muhammad
KANO— Pandemonium,
yesterday, broke out at
the premises of Federal High
Court, Kano, as security
agents and hundreds of
supporters of former
Governor of Kano State,
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau,
clashed.
The clash at the court
premises in Kano is second
in a row after a violent
encounter with the police 24
hours earlier, following a
botched attempt to frustrate
Economic Financial and
Crimes Commission, EFCC,
from detaining Shekarau
ahead of yesterday ‘s court
sitting.
Shekarau, who was
Minister of Education, was
arraigned at the court by
EFCC over allegations of
conspiracy and money
laundering.
Trouble started when
thousands of Shekarau's
supporters celebrating the
decision of the court to grant
him bail, crossed the red line,
which subsequently forced
heavily armed security
guards to apply force to keep
the peace.
In the ensuing melee,
scores were injured,
including a prominent female
politician, Hajiya Yahanasu
Yahaya.
However, at the time of this
report, normalcy had been
restored to the area.
Meanwhile, the court
granted bail to Senator
Shekarau, Ambassador
Aminu Wali and Mansur
Ahmed in the sum of N100
million each.
They were arraigned before
Justice Zainab Baji Abubakar
by EFCC on a six-count
charge bordering on alleged
conspiracy and money
laundering to the tune of
N950million.
APC convention: Buhari, Okorocha,
Oshiomhole meet at Villa
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
ABUJA—AS controversy
continues to trail the
ward, local government and
state congresses of All
Progressives Congress,
APC, in many states of the
federation, President
Muhammadu Buhari,
yesterday, had a closed-door
meeting with Governor
Rochas Okorocha of Imo
State and the former
governor of Edo State,
Adams Oshiomhole.
Recall that Okorocha, who
is chairman of APC
Governors Forum, had
opposed the proposal by the
National Working
Committee, NWC, of the
party for tenure elongation
of the Chief John Odigie-
Oyegun-led executive.
Former Governor
Oshiomhole on his part, had
recently declared his
intention to contest for the
national chairmanship of the
party and his declaration has
attracted support from some
of the party chieftains.