22052019 - F U L A N I S AT I O N A G E N D A : Obasanjo seeks to divide Nigeria in his old age —FG

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019—43
vicahiyoung@yahoo.com
have some information on
which he is basing his
observations.
‘’Any government
which elects to ignore his
observations about the
state of insecurity does so
at its own peril. It’s more
important for the security
operatives to begin to
interrogate OBJ’s
hypothesis and let us
know the outcome of an
intense investigation into
the origins of those
responsible for the
insurgency and
kidnapping now rampant
in many parts of the
country.
‘’There’s no doubt that
criminal elements are also
exploiting the state of
insecurity to carry out
dastardly acts but some of
these acts appear fairly
organized from what we
read in the newspapers
and social media.’’
Obasanjo
deserves praise
not insult,
Olafeso tells FG
On his part, Chief
Olafeso, the PDP National
Vice Chairman (South-
West), said Obasanjo
should be lauded for
speaking truth to power.
In a telephone
conversation with
Vanguard, Olafeso
faulted the federal
government for accusing
the former President of
making divisive
statements, stressing that
what Obasanjo said at the
2019 Synod of the Church
of Nigeria, Anglican
Communion was a true
reflection of the state of
affairs in the land.
“The federal
government should take
up the challenge of
addressing the issues
raised by President
Obasanjo in Delta State.
There is no doubt that a
particular ethnic group is
going about killing other
people for no just cause
and none of these people
has been brought to book.
“This is what the former
President talked about
and what government
ought to do is to tackle the
issues and not to resort to
abusing the messenger.
With the violent campaign
going in some parts of the
country, it will be very
difficult for this nation to
realize her economic,
human and material
potentials,” he said.
He urged well-meaning
Nigerians to speak in
condemnation of the
senseless killings going in
some parts of the country,
even as he challenged the
President Buhari-led
administration to
demonstrate sufficient
capacity to tame the
vanguardnews
@vanguardnews
Obasanjo seeks to divide Nigeria
in his old age —FG
Continues from Page 41
scourge of insecurity in
the country.
Obasanjo is
right
— Ikponmwen
Pointedly, former
Provost Marshal of the
Nigerian Army, Brigadier
General Idada
Ikponmwen, retd, one of the
frontline South-South
leaders, who vehemently
opposed compatriots that
accused President Buhari
of having an Islamisation
agenda in the last three to
four years, has made a volte
face.
Ikponmwen, also a legal
luminary, who spoke to
Vanguard, yesterday, said:
“I am unable to refute in
any solid manner the
assertion credited to former
President Obasanjo that
Boko Haram Movement,
the rampaging herdsmen
are turning into ready tools
for Islamisation of this
country.
He said: “When available
signs, signals and
indicators point strongly to
what is alleged, nobody
needs to seek further
proofs. As a strong and front
line backer of President
Muhammadu Buhari, I
strongly opposed my
friends and associates who
canvassed the idea that
Buhari had an Islamic
agenda.
“Three to four years after,
my erstwhile antagonists
appear to be winning; How,
for example do we justify
the central govt’s insistence
on open- grazing and
creation of cattle colony from
extreme North to the
southern coasts, even when
such idea has become not
only obsolete, but
inconsistent with our laws?
“How does the discerning
Nigerian interpret the
virtual failure of
government to bring to trial
or otherwise strongly
address even one of the
uncountable killings
inflicted by cattle herdsmen
all over the Middle Belt and
other areas of southern
states?
“How, indeed, can
anyone justify the outright
refusal of the then Inspector
General of Police to relocate
to Benue when the killings
of Benue indigenes were at
intolerable peak?
“Today, there is growing
tension and fear in Edo
State and other
neighbouring states over
rapid and growing
infiltration of large numbers
of people of Fulani
extraction into rural areas
suspected to be assisted in
numerous ways, including
arms and ammunition, by
powerful persons and
institutions to which there
has been no effective refutal.
“Furthermore, has there
been any satisfactory
explanation as to why
virtually those in the
security sector in Nigeria
since PMB administration
have been a monopoly of
the Muslim Hausa / Fulani
sect? Has the recent
widespread news making
the rounds that the Miyetti
Allah group (IMN) has
been pacified with N100
billion grant, even as the
unarmed IPOB remains
proscribed as a terrorist
group, been satisfactorily
counteracted?’’
“Were all Nigerians not
witnesses to how the
federal government of
Nigeria deployed the
fullest of resources,
including diplomacy and
funds to ensure the release
of our Muslim girl, Aisha,
compared to the case of our
Christian, Leah Shuibu,
who has remained in
captivity till date?
“The sudden and
unconstitutional removal of
a Christian Chief Justice of
Nigeria, CJN W.
Onnoghen and his
replacement by a Sharia
Jurist picked from below the
ladder in the hierarchy of
Supreme Court Judges
cannot, but spark religious
sentiments in a country that
has become so visibly
divided along religious
lines?
“Can any non- Muslim
Nigerian be blamed for
faulting the manner of
appointment of IGPs in
recent times when
government went down the
ladder in the seniority roll
of senior police officers to
pick the next IGP?
‘’What about the news
making the round that
Saudi people were being
strategically positioned to
play dominant role in the
Nigerian oil/ gas industry?
“In the same vein, how
do we remove religious
sentiments when our own
President would proceed to
Medina failing to hand
over affairs of state to his
Christian Vice President?
Does anyone expect that
those seeking to islamise
Nigeria would openly
admit it?
‘’I think it is increasingly
becoming clear that the
authorities are charting the
way to islamise Nigeria. It
is on this note that I posit
that those who see Boko
Haram and ravaging
herdsmen as tools for
Islamic agenda are hardly
at fault.
“This is more so when
Boko Haram has all along
declared that anything
touching on western
education is evil. One can
justifiably interpret the
failure of the PMB
administration to effectively
deal with this sect as tacit
approval by a government
that vowed to eliminate all
forms of killings wherever
they occur in this country.
“This government must
be reminded that our state
from the beginning was
based on secularism and so
it must remain for the good
of all.’’
Obaseki puts smiles on Edo pensioners'
faces, begins clearance of arrears
•Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, observing the pensioners dressed
in white during a march-past at the 2019 May Day celebration, in Benin City,
Edo State capital.
By Evelyn Usman
HIS is certainly one of
Tthe best times for pensioners
of Edo State as
they now have every right
to smile and be joyful as
Governor Godwin
Obasaki, following a farreaching
reforms, has
commenced payment of
the backlog of unpaid
benefits to the pensioners
spanning up to two decades.
Speaking during the
May Day rally, at the University
of Benin Sports
Complex, State Chairman
of the Nigeria Union of
Pensioners, NUP, Mr. Egbon
Osamwonyi, said:
“Our issues are being
looked into. Many of our
members have been paid
and others have been captured.
The governor is living
up to his promise. He
has done what many others
could not do.”
Similarly, Chairman of
the Edo State Chapter of
the Nigeria Labour Congress,
NLC, Sunday Osayande,
who commended
the governor for addressing
the welfare of the
workers and pensioners,
said, “We also commend
Obaseki for the infrastructural
development in the
state especially on the
construction of roads
across the state. Thank
you for the prompt payment
of workers’ salaries,
payment of pension arrears
that made pensioners
to be smiling today.
Before, they wore black to
this commemoration, but
today they are in white,
showing that the governor
has made them
happy. We commend our
governor for creating the
atmosphere in the state for
investors to contribute to
our development as jobs
have been created in the
state under the Obasekiled
administration”
Transformation stage
It will be recalled that
the change in the
pensioners' story began
with the inauguration of
the Ad-Hoc Committee on
Pension Management
chaired by Mr Saylor Juwobor,
in December
2017.
The committee was
charged with the responsibility
of supervising
modalities for clearing
pension arrears accumulated
from 1996 to 2000 ;
and to ensure migration
of public servants to the
Contributory Pension
Scheme, CPS.
At the inauguration,
Obaseki, said, “We cannot
solve all the problems of
pensioners in one day.
This problem accumulated
for a long time. As a
government, we are committed
to resolving all
pension-related problems.”
Obaseki, who assured
civil servants that pension
payment would
not be delayed when they
retired, explained that
the committee was set up
in accordance with the
provisions contained in
section 17 sub-section 3 of
the Pension Act, noting
that “The committee is
meant to supervise and
ensure effective administration
of the contributory
pension scheme in the
public service. Edo State
Government employees
who have more than five
years to retirement have
joined the contributory
pension scheme. The
fund for the payment of
their pension is in a special
account usually with
their pension fund administrators.
We have also
appointed pension fund
administrators and custodians
who will hold those
funds.”
Payment of pension arrears
To ease payment, Vanguard
gathered that pensioners
were divided
into batches, with a view
to ensuring that the backlog
was cleared methodologically
after due confirmation.
Report, also had it that
N200 million was
set aside every month to
defray the pension arrears.
Aside, this, local government
chairmen, also set
aside money to clear
pension arrears owed
their retirees.
For instance, in January
2019, the governor approved
the release of
N843, 324,509.46 for the
payment of arrears owed
local government pensioners,
covering years
2015 to 2018.
Speaking on the release
of the sum, Commissioner
for Local Government
and Community Affairs,
Jimoh Ijegbai, said,
“This recent approval of
N843, 324, 509.46 is a further
demonstration of the
commitment of the Obaseki-led
administration in
Edo State to ensure that
all arrears of pension are
cleared.
“ In 2018, on a monthly
basis, we were using
N264 million to pay
pensioners and at the
close of December, we
paid pensioners to the
tune of N3.168billion. If
you add this to the N1.5
billion that we paid in
June last year and this recent
approval of N843,
324, 509.46 that we are
paying today, it will bring
the total amount used in
paying pensioners for one
year to N5, 511,324,
509.46.”
Vanguard gathered that
the last batches paid were
48 to 50, with pensioners
looking forward with expectation
to the announcement
of new
batches.
To this end, Permanent
Secretary and Chairman,
Pension Bureau, Mr. Saylor
Juwobor, has called
on pensioners to present
themselves for physical
and documentary verification
at the Imaguero
Hall, Benin City, at a stipulated
date and time.
Pensioners in the previous
batches who failed
to participate in preceding
verification exercises
were urged to partake in
newly scheduled screenings
to ensure no one was
left out.
Affected pensioners are
expected to come to the
venue of the verification
exercise with their “Pension
Authority; Retirement
Letter; Letter of First Appointment;
Pension I.D.
Card; Biometric Slip; and
Bank details including
bank name and Account
Number.
Death benefits
While those privileged
to be alive expressed gratitude
for the government’s
gesture, their dead colleagues
who were opportuned
to benefit from the
Group Life Insurance
Scheme, introduced by
the governor as part of his
pension reform scheme
had their families paid the
lump sum benefit for their
upkeep.
Meanwhile, record
shows that over N28 million
has been disbursed
by the state government
to families of deceased
workers in the
state’s civil service.
Presenting cheques to
some of the families of deceased
workers in the
state, last year, at the Government
House, in Benin
City, Governor Obaseki,
noted that the presentation
of cheques to the next
of kin to deceased civil servants
with the State Civil
Service Commission, was
history being recorded
during his administration.
He said, “When this government
came into power,
I promised that we will not
leave the pension scheme
the way we met it."