10042019 - Politicians, traditional rulers aiding bandits — DEFENCE MINISTER

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019
CONFERENCE: From left, Vice Chairman, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria,
ICAN, Mr. Nnamdi Okwuadigbo; 45th President, ICAN, Alhaji.Razak Jaiyeola; Acting
Governor of Delta State, Mr Kingsley Otuaro; and Chairman, Southern Zonal District,
ICAN, Mr. Ekeruche Onyemachi, during ICAN's 2nd Southern Zonal Accountants’
Conference, In Asaba, Delta State. Photo: Nath Onojake.
9th Assembly: How N/Central govs forced
APC to renege on Gbajabilamila’s adoption
By Levinus
Nwabughiogu
A BUJA—INTENSE
pressure from
governors and politicians
from North Central
geopolitical zone may have
forced the ruling All
Progressives Congress,
APC, to a retreat over the
adoption of Femi
Gbajabiamila as the
Speaker of the incoming
9th House of
Representatives.
Vanguard learned that
governors of the zone have
resolved to throw their
weight behind another
lawmaker from the zone to
emerge as speaker.
The zone is alleging
marginalisation in the
government of President
Muhammadu Buhari,
saying no visible position
had been given to them.
To this end, three
lawmakers from the zone
are in the race to succeed
Speaker Yakubu Dogara.
They are Mohammed
Bago from Niger State,
Idris Wase, the current
Deputy Majority Leader
from Plateau State and
John Dyegh from Benue
State who is likely to
formerly declare his interest
today at the National
Assembly.
At the moment, Bago’s
candidacy is gathering
momentum as his state
government, Niger, has
vowed to mobilise other
governors from the zone
and beyond to support him.
Gbajabiamila's
interest
M e a n w h i l e ,
Gbajabiamila who
represents Surulere II
federal constituency of
Lagos State is also a front
line aspirant for the office.
Reports of his adoption by
APC and national leader of
the party, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, had been making
the rounds, giving the
lawmaker an edge over 16
other names who had also
indicated interest in the
position.
But it was gathered,
yesterday, that
Gbajabilamila’s camp
became seemingly
distraught and deterred by
the party’s latest position on
Monday.
Reports credited to an
aide of the national
chairman of APC, Adams
Oshiomhole, had on
Monday filtered in that the
party had adopted
Gbajabilamila as its
preferred candidate for the
office.
But reacting to the report,
National Publicity Secretary
of the party, Malam Lanre
Issa-Onilu said the
information was false.
He said the party was yet
to take a final decision on
zoning of leadership offices
of the House to the
geopolitical zones.
He said: “We have not
come out as a party to say
(that we have adopted
Gbajabilamila) and it is not
in anyone’s position to go
and announce that.”
Position not
zoned to S-West
Checks, yesterday,
indicated an uneasy calm
in the lawmaker’s camp.
Sources said that APC
may be forced to ignore the
South-West and zone the
speakership to North
Central geopolitical zone in
the interest of the equity
and social justice.
When contacted, the
media aide to
Gbajabilamila, Olanrewaju
Wasiu admitted that indeed
the party has not officially
zone the speakership to
South-West or adopted his
boss.
Efforts made to reach the
campaign Director-General
of the Gbajabilamila
Campaign Organisation,
Abdulmumuni Jubril for
further comments were not
successful as he neither
answered his call nor
replied the text message
sent to his phone.
Implementing Uwais Report'll strengthen
nation’s electoral system —Nnamani
By Dirisu
Yakubu
ABUJA-
Former
President of the
Senate, Ken Nnamani, has
called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to
take another look at
recommendation of the
Mohammed Uwais
Committee Report, with a
view to implementing
same to reform the nation’s
electoral system.
Nnamani made the plea,
yesterday, in his keynote
address at the 3rd Oronto
Douglas Memorial
Dialogue in Abuja.
He urged the Buhari
administration to learn from
South Africa in the
appointment of the
chairman of Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC.
Represented by Mallam
Mohammed Bello,
Nnamani challenged
Nigerians to take credible
elections more seriously,
arguing that many
Nigerians, including
respectable civil society
leaders consider credible
election as if it starts and
ends on the election day,
noting that the credibility of
polls was more than that.
He said: “It is obvious that
the Uwais Report
represents a high point in
the search for an electoral
system that will suit
Nigeria’s peculiar
circumstances.
"The eminent members of
that committee proposed
many innovations that
could restore credibility and
fairness to our electoral
system. Unfortunately,
many of these innovative
proposals were not
implemented.
“The independence of
the election management
body is mostly determined
by the mode of
appointment.
"In South Africa and some
African countries, the
process of appointment of
electoral management
officials is more of
competitive recruitment
where those appointed will
have a sense that they
merited the position, not
that they are beneficiaries
of political patronage.
“We spend so much on
providing security, yet, we
continue to witness a high
level of violence and
electoral crimes. In a third
World country like Nigeria,
public offices are very
attractive. So politicians
have incentive to fight dirty
to gain access to these
political offices.
“Until we can reduce the
financial rewards of
occupying political offices
through anti-corruption
and accountability
measures, we should
expect desperation from
politicians. We must deal
with violence and other
electoral crimes through
institutional redesigning. “
FG approves N100bn for
completion of East West
road project
By Chris Ochayi
THE
Federal
Government has
approved N100 billion for the
completion of sections 1 to 4
of the East West highway
finalisation project.
Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani,
disclosed this at a meeting
with the Host Communities
of Nigeria Producing Oil
and Gas, HOSTCOM, led
by its National Chairman,
Chief Style Tamaranebi, in
Abuja, yesterday.
It will be recalled that the
findings from a Presidential
Inter-Ministerial team on
assessment tour of Sections
1 to 4 of the East West Road
from Warri, Delta State to
Oron, Akwa Ibom State, in
the year 2018, showed that
contractors would require
about N100 billion to
complete the four sections
of the flagship project in
Niger Delta.
The minister said the
submission from the
committee culminated in
the said approval of the
fund.
Boko Haram attacks
Damaturu
By Bala Ajiya
P ANDEMONIUM
broke out in
Damaturu yesterday, as
Boko Haram attempted to
attack Damaturu, the
Yobe State capital
Residents were seen
running towards
different directions to
escape the attack.
The insurgents who came
in convoy of three Hilux
vehicles had attempted to
invade Maisandari ward of
Damaturu, Yobe State,
which is dominated by
Kanuri.
The residents of the area
on sighting the anti aircraft
Hilux alerted the military.
In a swift response, the
military contained the
insurgents but not after the
whole capital city had been
deserted.
A resident that spoke to
Vanguard on phone
confirmed the incident,
saying the army’s quick
intervention saved the
situation.
Abuja cultural carnival to
gulp N82.109m —FG
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA— AHEAD of the
2019 edition of Abuja
Cultural Carnival
coordinated by Ministry of
Information, Culture and
Tourism, the Federal
Government disclosed,
yesterday, that it would gulp
N82.109 million.
Disclosing this in Abuja
while making presentation
on 2019 budget proposals of
the ministry and defence of
the 2019 estimates before the
Senate Committee on
Culture and Tourism,
Minister of Information,
Culture and Tourism, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed, also told
the Senators that cultural
centres had been
established by Nigeria in
China and Brazil where
goods for marketing the
image of the country and
making the outside world
appreciate Nigeria and
Nigerians better.
This came when the
committee headed by
Senator Fatimah Raji-
Rasaki, took on the minister
on why N82 million was
proposed for Abuja Cultural
Carnival in 2019, even
when the carnival did not
hold last year despite N62
million appropriated for it.
Responding, the minister
said the N62 million
appropriated for the
carnival last year was not
fully cash backed as the
sum was lumped with
other items on capital
component of the budget,
which were not adequately
funded.
He said: “Money for
cultural carnival of national
magnitude ordinarily,
should even be more than
N82m but because of the
synergy the ministry had
with the Federal Capital
Territory and other
sponsors in terms of
accommodation for
participants from the
various states, feeding,
transportation etc, made us
to make modest proposal
of N82m.”
He also explained to the
committee that cultural
centres established by the
Nigeria government in
China and Brazil, which
had budgetary allocation of
N25 million in 2018 and
N35 million proposal for
2019, were necessary for
positive projection of the
country’s image.
He said: “Cultural
centres are meant for
foreign image of the
country. They promote
tourism and even the
economy of the owner
country. Though not
revenue generating
centres, but in the long run,
add value to the economy
and citizens of countries
that established them.”