15102019 - What Benin, Niger must do to get borders reopened — FG

12—Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019
AWARD: From right, Tony Attah, MD/CEO, NLNG; Dr Nike Akande, former Minister of
Industries and awardee; Prof. Michael Adikwu; Prof Barth Nnaji; Prof. Alfred Susu and
another guest during NLNG Award Night, in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.
There was no attack on Oshiomhole,
Edo CP insists
By Gabriel
Enogholasae
BENIN CITY—EDO
State Commissioner of
Police, Mr. DanMallam
Muhammed, has restated
the command’s position that
there was no attack on the
person or residence of former
governor of the state and
National Chairman of All
Progressives Congress,
APC, Mr Adams
Oshiomhole.
Muhamme in a chat with
journalists in Benin City,
yesterday, denied
allegations of an attack on
the former governor, warning
troublemakers to steer clear
of the state.
He said: “To the best of my
knowledge, no one had
access to the house of the
National Chairman. When
he came into the state, we
beefed up security around
him, from his house to the
Oba’s palace, from there to
the airport before he left for
Abuja.
“Let me use this medium
to warn trouble makers that
Edo State is very peaceful
and calm. The state is the
most peaceful in the South-
South region. We will do
everything according to the
law to ensure that the peace
the people of Edo State enjoy
is not truncated and any
attempt by anyone to cause
trouble in the state will be
resisted with maximum
force.”
A chieftain of the APC in
the state, Charles Idahosa,
has described the allegations
as efforts by unscrupulous
elements to heat up the polity
so that evil elements can
have their way.
According to him, “the
state Commissioner of Police
has come out to state
categorically that there was
no such attack on
Oshiomhole. The state
government has also denied
knowledge of such an attack.
But these people keep
insisting that the former
governor was attacked. They
have brought in other actors
to corroborate what never
happened. That is the height
of spreading fake news.
“It is obvious that they are
concocting these attacks to
get public sympathy. They
should quit the charade. We
want to warn them not to
heat up the polity. The Edo
State government is led by a
man who puts a premium on
law and order, as can be seen
in Governor Godwin
Obaseki’s numerous reforms
as well as other public
engagements.”
Another APC chieftain, Dr
Peter Ologun, said it was
regrettable that a national
chairman of the ruling party
would resort to spreading
fake news to draw sympathy
to himself.
...Obaseki insists on zero-tolerance for
thuggery in Edo
THE Edo State
government has
condemned attempts by some
unscrupulous elements to
cause a resurgence of
thuggery in Edo State,
insisting that the state
government will not tolerate
acts of hooliganism in any
form or guise in the state.
The state government also
urged the National Chairman
of All Progressives Congress,
APC and former governor of
the state, Mr Adams
Oshiomhole, to always put
the state chapter of APC and
the government on notice
when visiting so that he can
be accorded courtesies due
him as a national figure.
In a statement by Secretary
to the State Government,
Osarodion Ogie, the
government said its attention
“has been drawn to reports
in the media over activities of
some unscrupulous elements
attempting to create a
resurgence of the menace of
thuggery in the state, which
this administration has
worked assiduously and has
succeeded in bringing to an
end.
“On October 10, 2019, some
hoodlums invaded a meeting
of the APC in Ikpoba Okha
Local Government Area of the
state and this was followed
by an attack on the Chief of
Staff to the Governor, Mr.
Taiwo Akerele, at Protea
Hotel on October 12, 2019.
“This development is most
unfortunate, totally
condemnable and as a
government, we condemn it
in its entirety. This
administration will not
tolerate the resurgence of
•Urges Oshiomhole to notify
state APC, govt when visiting
thuggery or hooliganism in
any form or guise in our state.
“We have worked extremely
hard to ensure that
opportunities are created for
all citizens to leverage on
government initiatives and
earn a living legitimately
without resort to crime and
criminality.
“With regards to the
purported attack on
Oshiomhole, the state
government wishes to
reiterate the comment of the
Edo State Commissioner of
Police, Dan Mallam
Muhammed to the effect that
the purported attack 'never
happened'.
“As National Chairman of
the ruling party, APC, and
former governor of the state,
Oshomhole is a national
figure and his safety is of
utmost importance to us as a
government.
"Accordingly, it is expected
that the state government and
the state chapter of the APC
would be put on notice
whenever the National
Chairman desires to visit the
state so that adequate security
and logistics are made and
courtesies deserving of his
status are accorded
throughout the period of his
stay."
PIB: Stagnation hits nation's
oil reserves —FG
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA— THE Federal
Government, yesterday,
lamented that the non
passage of the Petroleum
Industry Bill, PIB, since 2007
for required regulation of the
oil Industry was affecting the
growth and development of
the economy.
According to the Federal
Government, the dragging
of the PIB has discouraged
investments in the sector,
thereby leading to stagnation
of the nation’s oil reserves at
37.5 billion barrels.
Speaking, yesterday, in
Abuja at a public hearing
session organised by the
Joint Committee on
Petroleum (Upstream),
Finance, Gas and Judiciary
of the Senate on Deep
Offshore and Inland Basing
Sharing Contract
(Amendment) Bill 2019,
Minister of State for Petroleum,
Timpre Sylva, said
reviewing the Petroleum
Industry Act to meet current
economic realities in the
sector had become
imperative, as Nigeria must
boost investments and
production in the oil
industry.
He said: “From 2007 to
2019, our reserves stand at
37.5 million barrels. That
means that we have grown
a reserve within a period of
about 12 years by just 500
million barrels. If you
compare it with the growth
between 1999 and 2007, you
will know that the only thing
that is different was a clear
regulatory environment and
between 2007 and now, it
has been quite unclear
because of the regulatory
laws to govern the oil
industry."
Firm demands $285m
judgment from FG
Bayelsa guber: 867,088
persons to vote as INEC
displays voter register
By Emem Idio
YENAGOA —
INDEPENDENT
National Electoral
Commission, NEC, has said
that a total of 867,088 registerd
voters will cast their votes in
the November 16 Bayelsa
State governorship election.
INEC National
Commissioner, incharge of
Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers
states, Mrs May
Agbamuche-Mbu, disclosed
this in Yenagoa, yesterday, at
the official display and
presentation of INEC voter
register to the 45 political
parties contesting the election
in the state
Agbamuche-Mbu, who
also presented the soft copies
to the parties, explained that
the document revealed
number of registered voters
in each polling unit,
registration area and local
government areas.
According to her, the
exercise is “to enable eligible
voters to check their details
and know the location of their
polling units.”
She also called on the
political parties to submit
names of their party agents
to the commission not later
than 14 days before the
election.
In his remarks, Director of
Voters Registry in the
commission, Iro Gambo, who
was represented by Mr Paul
Ayaeze, said out of that, a
total of 923,182 voters were
registered in Bayelsa at the
end of the 2017 and 2018
Continuous Voter
Registration, CVR, exercise
but only 867,088 voters were
able to collect their Permanent
Voter Cards, PVCs.
Deep seaport: Ayade pays
N200m as compensation to
Bakassi people
GOVERNOR
Ben
Ayade of Cross River
State, yesterday, announced
the payment of N200 million
as compensation to the
people of Bakassi for the
donation of 35,000 hectares
of land for the development
of deep seaport.
The governor announced
the monetary compensation
during a stakeholders
meeting at the state
Executive Chamber,
Calabar, with leaders and
traditional rulers of the area
led by the Paramount Ruler
of Bakassi, Etinyin Etim
Okon Edet.
Ayade, who was
overwhelmed by the
donation, said: “We as
parties have come together
to say we will support the
people of Bakassi Local
By Henry Ojelu
Communications firm,
Interstella Communications
Ltd, has appealed to
the Federal Government to
comply with a $285million
Supreme Court judgment
over a alleged breach of contract.
The Supreme Court had in
a judgment delivered on
Dec. 15, 2017 in Appeal No.
SC 500/2014 ordered that
$285 million be paid to Insterstella
Communications
Ltd. and Mr Obi Thompson
over breach of the terms of a
telecommunications contract.
The creditors had sued
Nigerian Telecommunications
Ltd (NITEL) at the Federal
High Court Umuahia,
Abia in suit No. FHC/UM/
CS/04. Judgment was delivered
in favour the judgment
creditors on Nov. 6, 2007.
In October 2008, the judgment
debt stood at N23billion
and $48million and an interministerial
committee was
set up by the Federal Government
for amicable settlement
of the judgment debt.
As a result, Interstella Ltd
and Thompson (judgment
creditors) accepted N12 billion
as full and final settlement
of the judgment debt.
With the consent of the
Federal Government (FG)
and the Attorney-General of
the Federation (AGF), the
sum (N12billion) was entered
as consent judgment
in court. The judgment
creditors alleged that the FG
and AGF reneged on the
agreement by paying less
than 30percent of the judgment
sum.
Due to the alleged failure
of the FG to pay the full
judgment sum, Interstella
Communications Ltd and
Thompson launched garnishee
proceedings against
the FG and AGF which was
made absolute by the High
Court.
Government Area of the state
with a token of N200 million
for donating 35,000 hectares
of land for the development
of the Bakassi Deep Seaport.
“While we appreciate that
the ultimate beneficiary of
the port is Bakassi council, it
is noteworthy to state that it
is for the good of the nation
and indeed Africa. The N200
million is not value for the
land but a token as
compensation.”
Earlier, Paramount Ruler of
Bakassi, Etinyin Edet, told
the governor that “the land
is all yours, it is for the Deep
seaport project. We have
given the land, all we need
is the assistance of the
Federal Government to
enable the project come to
fruition. I am the Paramount
Ruler and the people
concerned are all here.”