09102019 - 2020: Buhari presents N10.33trn job creation budget to NASS

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019—35
Federal roads: FG actually incapacitated,
can’t repay states —Okowa
•Says he has no power to anoint his successor in 2023
By Emma
Amaize, Festus
Ahon, Perez
Brisibe & Ochuko
Akuopha
A SABA—GOVERNOR
Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta
State has said the economy
of the Federal Government
is not in the financial position
to make refunds to states that
embarked on the
rehabilitation of failed
federal roads in their
domains.
Why flood cuts
off NDDC road
project in Delta
community
—Contractor
By Chancel
Sunday
BOMADI—Sequel to
Vanguard’s report on
flood ravaging a portion of
the ongoing Bomadi-
Gbaregolor-Esanma-
Akugbene coastal road
project in Delta State, where
it also overran Esanma
community in Bomadi
council area, the company
handling the project, Setraco
Nigeria Limited, has
explained reasons behind the
failed portion of the road.
The construction company,
yesterday, disclosed that work
was halted on the Esanma
portion of the road, where a
mini bridge also crossed a
canal due to hostility by the
community.
Public Relations Officer of
Setraco, Mr Robert Afuruku,
in a response to Vanguard’s
investigation, said: “Setraco
was working on the road at
the said bridge location on
June 8, 2019, when Esanma
community elders, youths
and women led by the
community chairman, Mr
Theophilus Omoro, violently
stopped the company from
working.
“They seized our vehicle
keys, bruised workers who
were also hospitalised. At this
point, the company had no
choice than to inform the
military Joint Task Force, JTF,
at the Bomadi Division who
came to rescue our workers
and equipment."
“Mr Presley Yinkore, the
PRO in charge of the affected
project location and who is a
son of Esanma community,
was also beaten up and
detained in an obnoxious
closet meant for offenders in
the community.
However, when contacted,
Esanma community
chairman, Omoro, said: “I’m
going to react to all they are
talking about. Let me see with
my executive and I will
respond to their claim on the
issue on ground.”
The governor, yesterday,
during a quarterly media
interaction with journalists in
the state, also disclosed that
he would have preferred that
the states make repairs on
such roads in their domains
with the Federal
Government making
refunds, but the Federal
Government had told the
governors that they could
not receive such refunds
now.
He said: “I do not think the
Federal Government is in a
financial position to take on
all the roads. We cannot shy
away from the fact that the
economy of this country is not
where it ought to be and,
therefore, we are facing
challenges.
“Personally, I do not think
there is any contradiction as
the Federal Government has
said it will not be making
refunds.
“Actually, why we sought
for clearance from the Federal
Government before
embarking on the road
intervention is not because
we were soliciting for
refunds, but because when
we tried same in 2017, we
had issues with the Federal
Government.
“Hence this time, we
needed to get clearance and
we did not intervene
because we had money but
because the roads became a
huge challenge for us
Deltans and road users from
other states coming into
Delta.”
On his position ahead of
his successor come 2023, the
governor said: “I can have
my personal view but I
cannot enforce anyone as
governor as it’s only God that
knows who will become
governor.
ANNIVERSARY: From left, Principal, Grace High School, Dr
Stella Olagunju; Executive Director, Grace Schools, Mrs Tokunbo
Edun, and Headboy, Grace High School, Ifeoluwa Ale, at the 25th
anniversary of the school, in Lagos. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.
Nted urges FG to make sea ports
more user-friendly
By Onozure
Diana
CHAIRMAN
of
Maritime Workers
Union of Nigeria, MWUN,
Advisory Council, Anthony
Nted, has pleaded with the
Federal Government to
make the nation’s sea ports
more user- friendly, to return
the nation ports to importers’
preference and halt
associated jobs losses among
others.
Nted, a former Vice
President of Nigeria Labour
Congress, NLC, and
immediate past President-
General of MWUN,
implored the government to
fix all the access roads to the
nation’s ports to ease
transportation for humans,
goods and services to and
from the ports.
He said: "Because of the
deplorable access road,
many vessels are being
diverted to neighbouring
countries. It did not start
today; it has been in a bad
state for a very long time.
Importers and other
businesses are relocation
and scaling down their
operations to minimise loss.
“As a result, many vessels
are being diverted to
Cotonou, Togo and other
friendlier neighbouring
countries and Nigeria is
losing heavily. The roads
need to be fixed quickly so
that we can reduce the loss
to the barest minimum.
"When I was the President–
General of MWUN, we
raised this issue of the failed
access roads to the ports. We
had so many meetings with
the Ministers of Labour,
Transports and Works, and
nothing came out of those
meetings until that
administration was over. But
Gov Bello sends list of 17
commissioner nominees to
state Assembly
M
I
N N A —
GOVERNOR
Abubakar Bello of Niger
State has sent a list of 17
commissioner nominees to
the state House of Assembly
for consideration and
approval.
In a letter by the governor
to the House, yesterday, the
Speaker, Mr Abdullahi
Wuse, said the submission of
the list was in line with
Section 192 subsection 1 of
the 1999 Constitution (as
amended).
The submission of the list
came four months after the
governor was sworn in for a
second term.
Eight out of the 17
nominees had served as
commissioners in the first
tenure of the current
administration.
The nominees include
Nasara Dan Mallam, Zakari
Abubakar, Haliru Jikantoro,
Abdul Malik Sarkin Daci,
Mukhtar Nasaleh, Ramatu
Yardua, Ibrahim Panti,
Hannatu Saleh.
Others are Mustapha
Jibrin, Yusuf Suleiman,
Emmanuel Umar,
Mohammed Idris, Tanko
Zakari, Sunday Kolo,
Haruna Dukku, Mamman
Musa and Maku Sidi.
Oil subsidy: Bayelsa accuses FG of illegally deducting
N450bn in 13 yrs
By Samuel
Oyadongha
Y ENAGOA—BAYELSA
State government,
yesterday, accused the
Federal Government of
illegally deducting four per
cent as fuel subsidy from its
monthly allocation.
This, according to the state
government, amounted to
over N450 billion in the last
13 years.
now thank God, they have
started something, and we
hope it is not going to be an
abandoned project."
"The impact of the failed
road on workers, businesses
and residents of Apapa
cannot be quantified in
monetary terms.
“Many people are being
killed by hoodlums and autoaccidents
on the road, man
hours and productivity are
lost as people can’t get to
their places of work or
business on time. When they
close, some practically sleep
on the road, while others
sleep at work places. Many
workers are being punished
because of the bad road."
The state Commissioner for
Finance, Mr. Maxwell Ebibai
stated this in Yenagoa during
the monthly transparency
briefing for the month of
August.
Ebibai said: “We noticed
that there was a bit of
improvement with the
derivation figure for August
compared to July. It is
important that we highlight
that for a long time, under the
pretext that we are saving for
the rainy day, the Federal
By Wole
Mosadome
Killing of A-Ibom farmers:
Group threatens eviction of
herdsmen from N-Delta
By Egufe
Yafugborhi
PORT HARCOURT—
THE Patriotic Concerned
Forum of Niger Delta,
PCFND, has warned
herdsmen to stop further
killing of farmers or they
would be kicked out of the
region.
PCFND issued the threat,
yesterday, in a communique
in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
its operational headquarters,
following killing, last Friday,
of yet other farmer by
suspected herdsmen in Akwa
Ibom State.
Police Public Relations
Officer, Akwa Ibom
Government used monies in
the Excess Crude Account for
activities such as petroleum
subsidy, arms purchase and
others.
“Some states are
contributing unfairly to those
activities where we use that
money for things such as
petroleum subsidy and other
so-called critical government
expenses that do not relate
to the states.
“So that battle has been on.
We have managed to reach
some consensus as regards
that. But if we want to save
Command, Odiko MacDon,
had confirmed the death of
one Christopher Uduakpan
from machete injuries
inflicted on him by suspected
herdsmen who insisted on
having their herds feast on
his farm in Nkek community,
Ukanafam Local Government
Area of the state.
In the communique by its
National Chairman, Owo
Udoh and National Secretary,
Daniel Wilson, PCFND said:
“Further killings by
herdsmen will leave youths
in the region with no option
than to ask herdsmen to leave
Akwa Ibom and entire Niger
Delta.”
DeoGratias poly set for
academic activities
D EOGRATIAS
Polytechnic in Agbor,
headquarters of Ika South
Local Government Area of
Delta State, will commence
academic activities at the
middle of this month, the
founder of the institution,
Professor George Odabi, has
said.
Odabi, who disclosed this
in Agbor, explained that the
institution, which is bringing
different style to polytechnic
education in Nigeria, would
be a world-class institution for
academic excellence geared
towards meeting societal
needs.
This, according to him,
would be achieved by
expanding the frontiers of
knowledge through the
provision of excellent learning
environment in the institution
to produce graduates
that would contribute meaningfully
to the transformation
of the society through enterprising
and innovative creativity.
He said: “To the glory of
God, we are commencing
academic programmes in
DeoGratias Polytechnic by
middle of this month with
three departments which are
Computer Science in the
School of Applied Sciences,
Department of Paralegal
Studies in the School of
General Studies and Law, and
Department of Office
Technology and
Management in the School
of Business Studies."
money in the excess crude
account, let the 13 per cent
due to the states be given to
them. So we know we are
contributing at par with our
colleagues based on what is
received.
“By recent calculations,
from the 13 per cent
derivation money that has
passed through the excess
crude account, the people of
Bayelsa have not enjoyed the
benefits of about N450 billion.
That is what in the name of
one nation we are subsiding."