16082018 - Uproar as EFCC seeks minutes of Benue's security meetings

14 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018
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Aare Adams frowns at kidnap rate,
calls for S’West security summit
By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS—THE Aare
Onakakanfo of
Yorubaland, Aare Gani
Adams has expressed worry
over the rising trend of
kidnapping in the South
West even as he called on
governors in the region to
convene a security summit
to curb the menace.
In a statement entitled:
‘Still on South West Security
Summit’, Aare Adams said
he was disturbed by Area
the spate of insecurity in the
South West saying it must
be “fought with all powers
at our disposal.”
The statement reads:
“Weeks after writing my first
letter to all the southwest
governors, prominent
monarchs and stakeholders
in the southwest, many
killings and kidnap cases
have occurred, the latest
being the murder of Mr.
Bunmi Ojo, a commissioner
on the board of the Federal
Character Commission,
FCC, and the abduction of
Dele Fagoriola, former
Chairman of Akure North
Local Government Area,
Ondo State.
“But possibly many other
kidnap cases may have
occurred within that same
period that were not known
because of the location and
low profile of victims. The
‘clear and present danger’
is to behave as if this hydraheaded
monster does not
already constitute a serious
problem.
As the Aare Onakakanfo
of Yoruba land, whose job is
to promote peace and unity
across the entire Yorubaland
and beyond, I feel concerned
and disturbed that the matter
is so serious now that some
Yoruba are being abducted
on the highways. If our
people are afraid of going
to their farms and
travelling on the highways,
then danger looms.
Due to the fact that this
cancer was not given an
urgent and decisive
operation when it started, it
is now spreading like
wildfire because the
perpetrators get high
financial returns with less
risk, unlike armed robbery
which involves a lot of risks
and high uncertainty.
“Kidnapping for ransom
is already creating fear in
Yorubaland and if our
people can no longer go to
farms or travel through the
highways, our economy
will be affected. We must
wage war against
kidnapping and the time for
that fight is now.
“I have suggested a
better solution to this
menace in my first letter
to all the southwest
governors, the traditional
rulers and other
prominent sons and
daughters of the race.
And I have urged them
all, to urgently liaise
with the chief executives
BRIEFING: From left: Mr. Olayemi Abass, Director, Western Zone, Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Dr. Dakuku Peterside
DG/CEO, NIMASA; Mr. Sani Mohammed, Director, Strategic Management
and Reform Coordination, NIMASA and Mr. Ischei Osamgbi, Head of
Publication of NIMASA, during the Director General's press conference on
the activities of agency. Photo by Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.
By Dayo Johnson
AKURE—DESPITE a
pending litigation
over the sack of elected
council chairmen in Ondo
State, the state Independent
Electoral Commission,
ODIEC, yesterday issued
guidelines for the conduct
of elections into the 18
council areas in the state.
It fixed the election for
December 1, 2018.
This is coming 18 months
after the state governor, Mr.
Rotimi Akeredolu sacked
the elected Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
chairmen and appointed All
Progressives Congress,
APC members as caretaker
chairmen.
The former council
chairmen have challenged
their dissolution in court
in Yorubaland, to convene
a South-West security
summit to be held in one of
the state capitals. The
meeting will involve,
among others, traditional
rulers, religious and
opinion leaders,
farmers, businessmen,
herders and security
agents in the region.”
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KILLINGS: Police commence
raid of criminal hideouts
in Ekiti
By Rotimi Ojomoyela
ADO-EKITI—IN a bid
to tackle the incessant
killings being experienced
in Ekiti State in recent time,
the State Police Command
has commenced mass raid
of criminal hideouts across
the 133 towns to dislodge
criminals.
The directive for the action
was given by the
Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Bello Ahmed, following
the killing of Mr. Bunmi
Ojo, former Personal
Assistant to former
Governor Segun Oni and
other victims in Ado Ekiti.
Another yet-to-be
identified persons were
FG'll partner Ogun to grow
fisheries — LOKPOBIRI
By Gabriel Ewepu
IMinister JEBU-ODE—THE
of State for
Agriculture and Rural
Development, Senator
Heineken Lokpobiri has
said the Federal
Government has identified
Ogun State as one of its key
Why Nigerian politicians are clowns — MOGHALU
...As Youth Party vows to rebuild Nigeria
By Charles Kumolu
& Ola Ajayi
I Presidential
BADAN—A
aspirant on the platform of
the Young Progressives
Party, YPP, Professor
Kingsley Moghalu,
yesterday, described
politicians in the country as
clowns, who have no
interest of Nigerians at
heart.
This was as the Youth
Party of Nigeria has called
on Nigerians to see its
registration by the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, as an opportunity to
rebuild the country through
a generational change in
leadership, noting that it
has a presence in 28 states.
Moghalu, who was a
deputy governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria
said this at a book reading
club organised by the
management of Ibadan
School of Government and
Public Policy in Ibadan.
He said: “Every week,
there is a defection or the
other; people still spend
the time to defend
politicians. We need to go
to the polling booth in
2019 to vote them out.
Nigeria’s politics is not
based on policies or
intellectual understanding
of the system but it is just
based on sentiments,
ethnic, or religion.
''We are either APC or
PDP. How can people who
didn’t go to school be
ruling people who are
educationally sound? The
only reason this is
happening is that we have
continued to let it happen.
It is time for something
new, different and bold.
“A leader must be ready
to take calculated risks
because humans like
certainty. We like what we
are used to. We know that
our politicians are up to no
good but we still try and
adapt to the situation. That
way we will continue to
perpetuate a cycle of
poverty because we don’t
have leaders who can take
the society forward.”
Meanwhile, the Youth
and the matter is before the
Court of Appeal.
Chairman of ODIEC,
Prof. Yomi Dinakin said this
during a stakeholders’
interactive meeting in
Akure, Ondo State.
FIRST City Monument
Bank, FCMB, has
sponsored capacity building
programme for almost 1,000
members of the National
Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
Tagged: ’Youth
Entrepreneurship and
Empowerment
Programme’, it was in
partnership with Activate
Success Foundation.
Commenting on the
initiative, the Executive
Party has dismissed fears
that it is strictly a youth
platform, saying that it is a
forum for Nigerians of all
ages.
A statement by its
National Publicity Secretary,
Miss Ilamosi Ekenimoh,
said: “The Youth Party is set
to expand the restrictive
democratic space through
transparent political
leadership and
followership that eschews
money politics, bribery,
v i o l e n c e ,
rigging and corruption.
The party’s ideas and
policies will focus on
developing and
improving the standard of
living of all Nigerians.''
killed in Ikere and Ado Ekiti
simultaneously on
Monday, which fueled
suspicion that cultists and
desperate politicians might
be behind the dastard acts.
Speaking through the
Police Public Relations
Officer, DSP Caleb
Ikechukwu, the police chief
disclosed that the raid,
which began on Tuesday,
was targeted at ridding the
state of criminals.
He said: “We have been
raiding even before the
July 14 election, but we
intensified efforts for the
mass raid when the killings
were becoming incessant.
We need to curb such
unwholesome situation
and this will continue until
normalcy returns.''
partners to grow the
fisheries industry.
Lokpobiri said this when
he commissioned four
projects built by his ministry
in Eriwe, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun
State, noted that
government was
particularly interested in
Ogun State because, “If
agriculture succeeds in
Ogun, agriculture has
succeeded in Nigeria.”
The four projects
commissioned were feed
mill, cold room, fish market
and the processing unit in
Eriwe fishing farm estate.
The minister said a lot yet
to be done, “Because our
national demand is about 3.5
million metric tonnes and
we are producing only
about 1.1 million metric
tonnes, which means that
we are only producing
about one-third of our
national demand.
“The uniqueness and
success of the fish farming
project are that it is a
community-based initiative
targeted at lifting the
people of the community
out of poverty.”
ONDO: December 1 fixed for LG polls, despite pending litigation
Dinakin said: “In
accordance with section 30
of the Electoral Act 2010 as
amended and schedule a
paragraph (1) of the local
government,
establishment and
administration law (Cap
87) laws of Ondo state
(2006), notice is, hereby,
given that election to the
following offices in the
local governments shall
hold on December 1,
2018.”
FCMB promotes entrepreneurship among youths,
urge innovation
Director, Retail Banking at
FCMB, Mr. Olu Akanmu,
said: “FCMB Flexx
account empowers
Nigerian youths with the
entrepreneurial and
employability skills they
need. Many youths set up
their own businesses from
their campuses. FCMB will
be there with them to
provide the necessary
entrepreneurial and
business skills they need to
make great successes out of
their businesses. FCMB
will also provide great
support for the youth
businesses and work with
them to nurture and grow
the youth entrepreneurial
ventures.”
Also speaking, Founder
Activate Success, Love
Idoko said: ‘’I have a
penchant for motivating
people. There are businessminded
youths out there that
are just looking for
mentorship or business
ideas and funds to start their
businesses.''