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

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4—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 , 2019 :Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 HAND-OVER: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh (left), handing over Silo complexes certificate to Managing Director, Ebony Agro Industries Ltd, Mr Andy Ekwelam, during the Concession of Federal Government Silo Complexes in Abuja, yesterday. With them is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu (middle). Photo: NAN. NASS drops stringent accreditation measures for journalists •Saraki vows to investigate •As SERAP gives Saraki, Dogara ultimatum By Henry Umoru, Olasunkanmi Akoni & Emman Ovuakporie ABUJA—THE National Assembly management has dropped plans to introduce stringent accreditation measures for journalists covering both legislative chambers. A source privy to the meeting held by management with leaders of both press corps of NASS told Vanguard that “all is set for the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Omolori, to drop the idea. According to the source, “the CNA told us that as a leader, he was going to take responsibility for the action though it was never approved by me. “He promised to go into the whole matter and get back to us before the close of work yesterday (Tuesday) to douse the issue once and for all. As it is, the plan has been dropped as all those fingered in the matter are already denying their involvement." According to the source, a committee consisting of the two leaders of both press corps in the legislative chambers would be set up to draft fresh guidelines for accreditation of journalists. He further explained that the director of information and two management staff will be in the committee to ensure that the guidelines met with international standards. Saraki vows to investigate Meanwhile, the Senate President, Saraki, yesterday, disowned those behind issuance of the new guidelines, and vowed to investigate the matter. Special Assistant, New Media, to the Senate President, Olu Onemola, said in a series of tweets, yesterday, that his principal remained committed to press freedom. Onemola stated that Saraki’s antecedents as chairman of the 8th National Assembly showed that he had always believed in the right of journalists to operate unhindered to promote transparency. He tweeted: “These alleged guidelines have not emanated from either the Senate president or the speaker, and will be promptly investigated. “The public should note that the 8th National Assembly has been committed to the freedom of Cooking gas consumers’ll no longer own cylinders — FG By Michael Eboh THE Federal Government, yesterday, said it has commenced a policy to remove ownership of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, cylinders from consumers. Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja on the implementation of the micro distribution system to boost LPG penetration, Senior Technical Adviser on Downstream and Infrastructure to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ms. Brenda Ataga, said the policy would require that the ownership of the cylinders rests solely with the press as exemplified by its work to bring governance closer to the people through live streams and live tweets. “This is because the leadership of the 8th National Assembly believes strongly in the freedom of the press and in carrying the Nigerian public along, hence, the Senate president and all his colleagues will continue to work to ensure that these freedoms remain unhindered.” SERAP gives Saraki, Dogara ultimatum These came as Socio- Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, yesterday, asked Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, to immediately withdraw the fresh media accreditation the dealers and distributors. To achieve this, she disclosed that the Federal Government has concluded discussion to inject 600,000 LPG cylinders to owners of refilling plants on credit, to end the menace of roadside sale of LPG. She noted that this new LPG policy was developed by the Federal Government to deepen the penetration of LPG, also known as cooking gas, and address issues of safety. Ataga declared that starting from next week, when the policy would come into effect with the awareness campaign, illegal and roadside gas sellers would be expected to approach the Department of Petroleum guidelines it described as repressive or face legal action. SERAP’s threat came on a day Saraki disowned those who, on Monday, came up with the guidelines that had drawn the ire of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, among others. SERAP in a statement signed, yesterday, by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, stated: “Nigerians expect the leadership of the National Assembly to show a greater level of transparency and accountability and to explain and take responsibility for what they are doing rather than implicitly banning journalists from covering their public functions. "Implementing the ‘accreditation guidelines’ would allow the lawmakers to escape accountability for their constitutional functions.” It urged the National Assembly to immediately withdraw the accreditation guidelines and allow journalists cover activities of the National Assembly freely. Resources, DPR, for permit, and convert their sales points to Micro Distribution Centres, MDCs, for the sale of LPG. She added that the Federal Government had reached an agreement with two original cylinder manufacturers to deliver the 600,000 cylinders to LPG distributors on credit, with a pre-payment period of 18 months. Also speaking, Head of Gas, Abuja Zone of DPR, Mr. Umar Gwandu, said the clampdown on illegal roadside sellers of LPG would commence in earnest, noting that the requirements for licensing of MDCs had been reduced to encourage more individuals to venture into the business. Reps pass bill abolishing HND/BSc dichotomy •Await harmonisation, presidential assent; offenders to pay N5m fine By Levinus Nwabughiogu A BUJA—-THE House of Representatives has passed a bill abolishing dichotomy between Higher National Diploma, HND, and Bachelor’s of Science, BSc, degree holders in the country. It also mandated all individuals and corporate bodies in both the public service and private sector to henceforth carry out the new rule. According to the lawmakers, contravention of the law will attract penalty of N5 million and N1 million for corporate organisations and individuals or five years imprisonment. The bill for an act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and discrimination between first degrees and HND in the same profession was passed at yesterday’s plenary. The bill now awaits harmonisation with the Senate for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent. Nigeria’s population can only be determined via auditable census —NPC By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor PROJECTIONS by international and local a g e n c i e s , notwithstanding, Nigeria’s true population figure can only be determined through a credible, technologydriven and auditable population and housing census, National Population Commission, NPC, has said. The commission maintained that although the figures given by different local and international groups were well within scientific margins, they remained nothing but mere projections, which were not sacrosanct. Director of Census at NPC, Mr. Usman Kolapo, who was responding to findings by Vanguard on DISCOs require $10bn investment to improve electricity supply in 5 years —Report THE French Agency for Development, AFD, has said the 11 electricity distribution companies, DISCOs, in Nigeria will need an investment of $10 billion to improve power supply in the next five years. AFD said it commissioned AF Mercados, a consultancy firm, to carry out an indepth study of the challenges of Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, with the support of the European Union, EU, with the aim of finding a way forward. The agency noted that the consulting firm worked with DISCOs and other stakeholders in the industry since mid-2017 while conducting the the alarm raised by International Monetary Fund and Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on the matter, said the commission was fully aware of the projections, adding that they were not new to the agency. Kolapo said: “It is possible that our population could rise to 425 million in 2050 if we project from our population of 140.4 million as at year 2006. "If we continue to grow at an average rate of 2.6 per cent per annum, then Nigeria’s population would be up to 440 million people by 2050. “However, to establish the base population, let there be a census with the use of modern, refined scientific techniques and technology that will lead to accurate, reliable, auditable population and housing census needed for sustainable development plan.” study. Presenting the report at a conference in Abuja on Monday, Jose Guerra, team leader at the consulting firm, said the study would help policymakers to make the right decisions in the electricity industry. AFD lamented that despite the investments by the agency and other development partners in the industry, it has not witnessed improvements since the privatisation of the sector. “According to the best estimates, the 11 Discos operating in Nigeria would need more than $10bn in five years. Also, innovative financing solutions must be devised, possibly involving new players,” the study said.
vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES 018773962, 08052867058 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019—5 POCKET CARTOON VALEDICTORY NEWS CONFERENCE—From left: Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu; Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah; and Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Prof. Sonny Echono, during a valedictory news conference by the minister in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN. Obasanjo seeks to divide Nigeria in his old age —FG By Chioma Gabriel, Emma Amaize, Clifford Ndujihe, Sam Eyoboka, Emmanuel Elebeke, Olayinka Latona, Dirisu Yakubu, Olayinka Ajayi & Luminous Jannamike L F AGOS—THE he withdrew his e d e r a l statement and apologize Government, yesterday, to Nigerians. thumbed down former The government said President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments, weekend, that the Boko Haram insurgency has become an agenda to ‘Fulanise’ West Africa and Islamise Africa. Describing the comment as absurd and divisive, the government in a statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, urged Obasanjo not to allow personal animosity override his love for a united Nigeria, saying it will not be out of place if comments imputing ethno-religious motive to Boko Haram and ISWAP were deeply offensive and divisive, and far below the status of an elder statesman who had taken bullets for Nigeria’s unity. The Federal Government’s position was toed by an Islamic group, the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, which asked the former President to come clean with any grouse he may have against the Fulani ethnic group, saying his recent comments on the threats of Boko Haram and armed herdsmen in the country were unbecoming of a statesman. However, Christian leaders and some stalwarts of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, said former President Obasanjo was in order and urged the government to do the needful to halt the slide into anarchy. Among those who agreed with Obasanjo were the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins and NADECO stalwart and elder statesman, Chief Ayo Adebanjo. Others include National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Eddy Olafeso; National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Supo Shonibare; South-South leader, Col Tony Nyiam, retd; and Brigadier- General Idada Ikponmwen, retd. It’s tragic Obasanjo is dividing Nigeria in the twilight of his life – FG In the statement, the minister said it was particularly tragic that a man who fought to keep Nigeria one was the same person seeking to exploit the country’s fault lines to divide it in the twilight of his life. Mohammed said Boko Haram and ISWAP were terrorist organizations, adding that they cared little about ethnicity or religion when perpetrating their senseless killings and destruction. His words: ‘’Since the Boko Haram crisis, which has been simmering under the watch of Obasanjo, boiled over in 2009, the terrorist organization has killed more Muslims than adherents of any other religion, blown up more mosques than any other houses of worship and is not known to have spared any victim on the basis of their ethnicity. ’ It is, therefore, absurd to say that Boko Haram and its ISWAP variant have as their goal the ‘Fulanisation and Islamisation’ of Nigeria, West Africa or Africa.’’ He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari put to rest the mischaracterization of Boko Haram as an Islamic organization when he said, in his inaugural speech in 2015, that ‘’Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group, which is as far away from Islam as one can think of.’’ The Minister said Obasanjo’s comments were, therefore, as insensitive and mischievous as they were as offensive and divisive in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country as Nigeria, wondering whether there was no limit to how far the former President could go in throwing poisonous darts at his perceived political enemies. He said Obasanjo’s prescriptions for ending the Boko Haram/ISWAP crisis, which include seeking assistance outside the shores of Nigeria, were coming several years late, as President Buhari has done that and more since assuming office, hence the phenomenal success he has recorded in tackling the terrorists. ‘’Shortly after assuming office in 2015, President Buhari’s first trips outside the country were to rally the support of Nigeria’s neighbours - Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger - for the efforts to battle the terrorists. ‘’The President also rallied the support of the international community, starting with the G7, and then the US, France and the UN. ‘’That explains the massive degrading of Boko Haram, which has since lost its capacity to carry out the kind of spectacular attacks for which it became infamous, and the recovery of every inch of captured Nigerian territory from the terrorists,’ the minister added. He said Obasanjo’s call for wide consultations with various groups as part of efforts to tackle the Boko Haram crisis has been neutralized by his ill-advised comments which have served more Continues on Page 41 By Bose Adelaja,Yinka Latona, Dickson Omobola, Tolulope Oke, Chiamaka Uba & Erinfolami Abdulkudus Does FG have right to seize property without court order? (4) It makes no sense whatsoever. The government has no such right. In as much as an individual acquires his or her property through legitimate means, to seize the property would be a violation of, and an infringement on the individual’s right. Miss. Ayeni Elizabeth Student That would amount to oppression by the Federal Government. If there is a corruption allegation, a mandatory investigation should be carried out and prior to receiving the investigation results, actions should be taken according to the law. Mr.Ogwoni Cletus Student Idon’t agree with that. It is wrong in every aspect. Why would you seize people's property without corruption allegation against them and when the law hasn’t actually condemned them? That is wrong and against fundamental human right. I can’t help but just wonder the essence of having a right when you cannot exercise it. Mr Areogun Amos Analyst It is not the best decision. It would be the right decision if those whose properties would be confiscated have corruption allegation against them. Furthermore, it has to be proven in a court of law before such could be done. Mr. Ipinjugba Mayowa, Corps member I think only a competent court has the right to order the seizure of property of corrupt people after thorough investigations of course. Since landed property are immovable, the best thing to do is to place a notice on the propertyy, indicating that it is under investigation while investigations are ongoing.Comrade Adeola Soetan Activist It is an infringement on the right of the people. It is only when an individual acquires his or her wealth illegally that such can be done. Before this can be done, investigation has to be carried out and the individual must be proved guilty by the court. Otherwise, if the government does that, it calls to question the role of the Police, EFCC, the judiciary and other law enforcement agencies whose duties are to investigate and prosecute according to the provisions of the law.Mr. Dennis Okeroghene Banker
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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

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