14082018 - Saraki: Showdown on hold as NASS fails to reconvene

34—Vanguard, TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2018
No spread of Lassa fever in Enugu,
says Health Commissioner
ENUGU
State
Commissioner for
Health, Dr. Fintan Ekochin
has denied a report on front
page of Vanguard
newspaper of August 13,
2018, alleging a spread of
Lassa fever in the state,
stating that the publication
is false and misleading.
Reacting to the
development, the Health
Commissioner said that
the false report is capable
of causing undue panic
among the residents of the
state at a time when
personal hygiene and
environment sanitization
should be the paramount
message.
Ekochin explained that
the state had one confirmed
case of Lassa fever, which
was duly made public last
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week, adding that none of
the close contacts of the
confirmed victim has till
date tested positive for the
disease.
Wondering who was the
“source” that the reporter
quoted, his or her integrity
and medical proficiency, Dr.
Ekochin urged the general
public to disregard the
report of the purported
spread of Lassa fever in
Enugu State.
He therefore, maintained
that the state government
is committed, through its
new Public Health
Emergency Centre, to
continue active surveillance
and control measures in
keeping with its resolve to
ensure health security and
wellbeing of the people of
the state.
BZF gives FG 7-day ultimatum
to release all detained
pro-Biafra agitators
By Chinedu
Adonu
ENUGU—LEADER of
the Biafra Zionists
Federation, BZF, Barr.
Benjamin Onwuka has
issued a one-week
ultimatum to the Federal
Government to release all
pro-Biafra detainees at
various prison formations
across the country.
Onwuka, who made the
demand yesterday in a
statement said all the
affected persons must be
freed within one week to
enable them participate in
his Biafra restoration rally
on August 20.
He equally warned the
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission,
EFCC, to desist from
harassing the Deputy
Senate President, Senator
Ike Ekweremadu as well as
the governors of Benue and
Akwa Ibom States, Samuel
Ortom and Udom
Emmanuel respectively.
The self-acclaimed
Zionists who said there was
no going back on his
planned Biafra
inauguration rally told the
FG “that it should without
further delay, release all
pro-Biafra agitators
irrespective of the group
such persons belong, be it
MASSOB, IPOB, BNG,
among others. They must
all be set free to join us in
what we are doing. This
should be complied with
before August 20.
“In addition, the
government of Buhari,
through the EFCC is going
beyond its bounds. The
EFCC has no right to freeze
elected democratic state
government’s bank
accounts. How do you
expect that government to
run the affairs of the State?
“We caution against this
illegality against Benue
and Akwa Ibom State
Governments simply
because they are Biafrans
and hold different political
interests. The EFCC
should let go of their
accounts and runnings of
their governments.
“We are also aware that
they want to freeze the
account of Rivers
Government because of
Wike but that must not
happen. We are watching.
“Since the last three
weeks, the Deputy Senate
President has been facing
unjust persecution by the
EFCC simply because he
is a Biafran. He is now
being threatened to resign
from his position. This is a
humiliation and a
challenge to us."
title on Ganduje
...says it’s slap on Ndigbo
By Peter Okutu
A BAKALIKI—
MOVEMENT for
the Actualization of the
Sovereign State of Biafra,
MASSOB, yesterday
condemned the proposed
traditional chieftaincy title
to be given to Governor
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
of Kano State by HRH, Eze
Eberechi Dick in Aba, Abia
State.
The group which
described the proposal as
a slap on Ndigbo
wondered at the rationale
for such eloquent honour
on a man alleged to have
always exhibited ethnical
hatred for Ndigbo.
In a statement issued in
Abakaliki by the National
Director of Information of
MASSOB, Comrade
Edeson Samuel, the group
threatened that it will never
allow Governor Ganduje to
step his foot in Aba or the
palace of HRM, Eberechi
Dick, describing the
conferrer as a major Biafra
saboteur if he decides to go
ahead with the conferment
of the traditional title on the
governor.
“The leadership of the
Movement for the
Actualization of the
Sovereign State of Biafra,
MASSOB, has
condemned the proposed
traditional chieftaincy title
on Abdullahi Umar
Ganduje, the governor of
Kano State by HRM, Eze
Eberechi Dick.
"Mere proclamation of
such installation is a
traditional slap on Ndigbo.
What is the rationale for
such eloquent honour to a
man who grossly and
disrespectfully
dishonoured and exhibited
venoms of ethnical hatred
for Ndigbo.
“There are many alleged
atrocities and evils committed
against Ndigbo by
Governor Ganduje. In the
case of the alleged murder
of an Igbo woman named
Mrs Bridget Agbahime in
Kano state by sponsored
Islamic fundamentalists,
Governor Ganduje did
nothing in the prosecution
of the prime suspects.
“MASSOB recalled that
on June 2, the 74-year-old
kitchen utensils trader from
Imo State was brutally
attacked and killed at Kofar
Wambai market in Kano by
a Muslim mob who
accused her of blasphemy.
According to Biafra
Intelligence Agency’s
report, she was pounced
upon and murdered after
she refused to allow a
Muslim man perform
ablution in front of her
shop.
“And five months into the
incident, more than
enough time for Governor
Ganduje and the Kano
State government to have
arrived at a closure on that
act of bestiality, what did the
family get? Just when they
were bracing up for a firm
prosecution that will lead to
conviction, they were
treated to the familiar
abracadabra that is peculiar
to the country’s legal
system.
“In what must go down
as a classic judicial
swindle, the chief
magistrate, Muhammad
Jibril, acting on the advice
of the Attorney General of
Kano State through
Governor Ganduje
discharged the suspects
and terminated the case."
NNPC, Seplat seal five deals to build gas
plants in Imo
By Michael Eboh
THE Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC, yesterday, signed
five agreements with Seplat
Petroleum Development
Company, SPDC, for the
Assa North and Ohaji
South, ANOH, Gas
Development scheme
which would see the
construction of an initial 300
million standard cubic feet
per day (mmscfd) gas
processing plant in Imo
State.
The agreement,
according to a statement by
the NNPC, was part of
efforts to bridge the
projected medium-term
gas supply gap expected by
2020 and was also aimed
at delivering about 3.4
billion standard cubic feet
of gas per day by 2020.
Again, visually impaired block Imo Govt House
By Chinonso
Alozie
OWERRI—IMO state
chapter of the
Nigerian Association of the
Blind, NAB, yesterday,
cried out over what they
described as the continued
refusal by the state
government to listen to their
plight.
The group led by
Christopher Kalu said they
were bothered by the kind
of treatment they receive
from the government,
adding that the issues they
had outlined some years
ago were not addressed
even at the moment.
Kalu said his group had
protested three times in the
state without getting
attention from the Rochas
Okorocha- led
administration.
Kalu recounted among
other things “that the
government promised us
that they will establish a
special school for the blind
INAUGURATION: From left—Chief Nick Nzeakor, Executive Director,
West African Ceramics Ltd; Prince Sunny Nnadi, MD, S.Nnadi
Commercial Enterprise Ltd; Alh. Bello Abdulrahim, Admin. Manager,
West African Ceramics Ltd; and Chief Paul Obi, Chairman of the
occasion, during the inauguration of Royal Exclusive Showroom in
Aba recently.
and up till now, we have
seen nothing.Some of us
had to travel outside the
state in search of schools for
the blind and we have a
government that is talking
so much about free
education.”
He adedd that “Okorocha
promised us in 2013 that he
was going to build a school
but we have not seen
anything.
“We have not received
our bursary allowances for
over six years.”
Kalu claimed that the
government had also
promised their members
empowerment
opportunities.
At the time of filling this
report, Kalu was said to
have been invited to meet
with a government official
inside the government
house and by the time he
came out, he told his
members he was not
satisfied with the position
of the government official
on their demands.
The NNPC explained
that the ANOH Gas
Development scheme was
one of the Seven Critical
Gas Development Projects
(7CGDP) which was aimed
at boosting gas production
and infrastructure
development.
Speaking at the signing
agreement, Group
Managing Director of the
NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru,
declared that a special
purpose vehicle known as
ANOH Gas Processing
Company, AGPC, was
being promoted by the
NNPC and Seplat to
develop, build, operate and
maintain the ANOH Gas
Processing Plant, with an
initial capacity of 300
million standard cubic feet
per day in Imo State.
Baru, who was
represented by the Chief
Operating Officer, Gas and
Power, Mr. Saidu
Mohammed, said the
NNPC would do
everything possible to
ensure that the project was
successfully delivered.
He said, “Following the
execution of Heads of
Terms (HoT) by the
Nigerian Gas Processing
and Transportation
Company (NGPTC) on
behalf of the NNPC, Seplat
and AGPC on December 19,
2017, the Steering
Committee for the AGPC
project has provided the
leadership the broad
guidance for the
development and
finalisation of the various
commercial agreements
required to underpin the
project.”
The MoU signed,
according to the NNPC
include: the AGPC
Shareholders Agreement
between AGPC, NGPTC
and Seplat; AGPC Share
Subscription Agreement
between AGPC, NGPTC
and Seplat; Wet Gas Sales
and Purchase Agreement
between, NNPC, Seplat
and AGPC; Gas Sale and
Purchase Agreement
between AGPC and
Nigerian Gas Marketing
Company (NGMC); and
Gas Marketing Agreement
between AGPC and
NGMC.