21102019 - BORDER CLOSURE:‘How neighbouring countries worked against Nigeria’

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019
CARNIVAL CALABAR DRY RUN: From left, Bangladesh High Commission to Nigeria,
Mr. MD. Shameen Ahsan; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State; his deputy, Prof.
Ivara Esu, and Consular General of Belize, Central African Republic in Nigeria, Ambassador
Ifeanyi Ifedi, during the flag-off of the first Carnival Calabar Dry Run 2019, in Calabar,
yesterday.
Arms stockpile: Oshiomhole raising false
alarm to rig Bayelsa election—PDP
BAYELSA State Chapter
of Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, has condemned
the National Chairman of All
Progressives Congress,
APC, Mr Adams
Oshiomhole, for making
wild and miserable
fabrications about arms
stockpile against PDP
State Chairman of PDP, Mr
Moses Cleopas, said in a
statement, yesterday, that
Oshiomhole and other
leaders ofAPC were making
the wild allegations as a plot
to justify a plot to deploy
soldiers to rig the
forthcoming gubernatorial
election in the state in their
favour.
Cleopas said Bayelsans
would resist any attempt by
APC to deploy soldiers to rig
the gubernatorial election as
they did in the last National
Assembly election in the
state, where soldiers killed
and maimed innocent
people.
The PDP chairman called
on Nigerians to ignore the
APC allegations, which
according to him, were
inspired by the desperation
of the party to cause
mischief.
Cleopas said it was absurd
and ridiculous for
Oshiomhole and his deputy,
Yekini Nabena, to make wild
allegations about arms
stockpile against PDP when
the Bayelsa APC has a sordid
reputation that reeks of
violence.
Cleopas said Oshiomhole,
who is making the wild
allegations, would not go far
into the past to recall how he
hurried out of Bayelsa State
to avoid being kidnapped by
the leaders of the APC
during their primaries in
2015.
He stressed that Bayelsans
and Nigerians were aware
of the fact that APC was a
party of militants and cultists
in Bayelsa State with a
sickening penchant for
violence.
Cleopas said the botched
attempt to kidnap and
behead the Deputy
Commissioner of Police in
charge of the Special Anti
Robbery Squad, Mr. Kola
Okunola, by APC militia in
Brass for refusing to rig
election in February showed
clearly that the APC’s
politics in Bayelsa is
anchored on violence.
The party chairman added
that the APC colluded with
compromised soldiers to kill
Government House
photographer, Mr. Reginald
Dei, and a PDP Ward Leader
at Oweikorogha, Southern
Ijaw Local Government
Area, in February this year
without any arrest or
prosecution because of the
Carnival Calabar: Ayade preaches
humanity, calls for end to wars
GOVERNOR
Ben
Ayade of Cross River
State has called on nations
of the world to put an to wars
and crises all over the globe
and embrace peace.
Ayade, who spoke through
his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu,
made the call, yesterday, in
Calabar during the flag off
of the first dry-run of the
2019 annual Carnival
Calabar.
He said the theme of the
carnival “Humanity” was
chosen to draw the attention
of the world to be humane
and to live in peace with one
another.
The governor, who said
kindness should rule the
mindset of people around
the world, added that peace
cannot thrive in a hostile
environment.
He said: “As we flag off the
2019 Calabar carnival, the
theme has been designed to
see people as human beings
and not as robots.
“We call for an end to wars
and crises all over the globe
irrespective of religious, tribe
or ethnic group. A human
being is a human being
irrespective of status in the
society.
“We should be kind to one
another. That is the focus of
this year’s carnival and we
hope that the bands will try
to interpret the theme in
their colourful display.”
Speaking also, Mr Gabe
Onah, Chairman of Calabar
Carnival Commission, said
the 2019 edition marks
another circle in the anals of
the history of Calabar
carnival.
Onah said before the flag
off, the commission had taken
Calabar Carnival to Accra in
Ghana and other parts of the
world, maintaining that the
festival has become the
largest street party in Africa.
pitiable politicisation of
security in the state.
Cleopas added that three
suspects arrested out of
seven armed thugs of the
APC, who attempted to
assassinate the Special
Adviser to Governor Dickson
on Youth Affairs, Bobolayefa
Owoupele, have been
released by the police in a
most suspicious manner.
Bangladesh High
Commissioner to Nigeria,
Amb. Shammed Ahsan, said
he was happy to be invited
for the carnival.
He described Calabar as
an accommodating and
friendly city that is most suited
to host the carnival which
has an international outlook.
Western Delta varsity, Wema
Bank sign MoU on cooperation
OGHARA — Western
Delta University,
Oghara, Delta State, has
signed a Memorandum of
Understanding, MoU, with
Wema Bank Plc to introduce
the institution to the Electronic
Bills Payment (eBillsPay) and
WebPay platforms to enable
students and other residents
of the university community
receive payment and other
transactions through the
platform.
The bank also agreed to
provide a School Portal
Solutions through its
technical partner (Upperlink
) to the university.
The MoU will also bring
the WDU and the bank in a
close relationship that will see
the bank aiding the university,
especially it’s Finance and
Business departments and in
several other areas.
The MoU was signed at a
short ceremony in the office
of the Vice Chancellor of
Western Delta University, Prof
Cecilia Okobia; Dr. Henry
Oghoator, Dean, College of
Social and Management
Sciences, who also doubled
as chairman of the
implementation committee for
the speedy and successful
completion of the agreement
process and the officials of
Wema Bank led by Mr
Damola Bolodeoku, Head, E-
Business and Payments,
Wema Bank; Mr Bryan
Igbinedion, Regional Legal
Officer and Mr Edah
Emmanuel, Regional Head,
South South of Wema Bank
Plc.
Speaking to newsmen
shortly after signing the
MoU, Prof Okobia explained
that the strategic partnership
with the bank would bring
transparency to the
institution’s financial
management, create easy
opportunity for students and
other human population in
the university community to
pay their bills and other
transactions.
Court grants appearance of key
ex-militants witnesses in suit
against FG over exclusion
By Onozure
Dania
A
Federal High Court
sitting in Yenagoa,
Bayelsa State has grant leave
to four key witnesses to testify
in the suit by 19 aggrieved
ex-militants from three states
of Niger Delta against the
Federal Government, the
Presidential Amnesty
Implementation Office and
the Amnesty boss over their
alleged exclusion from the
programme.
The aggrieved ex-militants,
Asenekiri Oyinle, Angiama-
Owei Oyindoubra, John
Government, Henry
Gomoromo, John Sawyer,
Trydi Okpeke, Dollar Motor,
Selebi Ayowei, Bobra Angese,
Ekerebi Umber and others,
had dragged the Federal
Government and Amnesty
Office before the court over
issue of non-inclusion.
The ex-militant leaders, in
the suit, are contending that
“the Amnesty Committee
erred by refusing to include
them in the ongoing amnesty
programme after series of
A-Ibom govt reiterates
determination towards
realisation of sea port
By Chioma
Onuegbu
UYO —AKWA Ibom
State government has
reiterated its determination
and commitment towards the
realisation of the Ibom Deep
Sea port project.
State Commissioner for
Economic Development and
Ibom Deep Sea Port, Mr.
Akan Okon, said it was
unnecessary to join issues
with critics of the
government, who are
insinuating that the project
is a sham, noting that the
state government is currently
awaiting approval of the final
document on the project.
His words: “I don’t need
to convince the critics
because that is their work.
Their responsibility is to
criticise while the
resolutions from meetings
with the past and present
National Security Advisers to
the President, late General
Owei Azazi and Col. Dasuki
Sambo respectively at the
time.
“Instead of respecting the
resolutions and directives
from the National Security
Adviser, the Amnesty
Committee turned down the
call to include the ex-militants
and adopted a divide and rule
tactics with the inclusion of
three out of the 22 persons.”
At the resumed hearing in
the matter, trial judge, Justice
Jane Iyang, allowed the
plaintiffs to call their first
witness, a boat driver and one
of the aggrieved militants,
Asenekiri Oyinle.
Oyinle in his deposition,
identified the identification
card issued them by the
Presidential Amnesty Office
and the letter issued by the
Nigeria Police Force to
acknowledge that they
submitted arms and
ammunition as required
under the Presidential
Amnesty deal at the time.
responsibility of the
government under the
leadership of Governor
Udom Emmanuel is to
continue to deliver on
projects that will have
meaningful impact on the
lives of our people.
“I am quite sure these
same critics are the ones who
criticised the airline, but is
the airline not flying today?
If you want to join issues
with them, you can’t focus on
what you are supposed to do.
“As I speak to you, what is
called Full Business Care,
FBC, which is the final
document, is ready and it is
with the Federal Ministry of
Transportation, which will
now present it to Federal
Executive Council for
approval. Once that is
signed, we are good to go.”
'Delay in inaugurating NDDC
board will affect forensic audit'
By Emma
Amaize
Y CAMPAIGNERS
ENAGOA—
under the auspices of the 21st
Century Youths of Niger
Delta and Agitators with
Conscience, yesterday, urged
President Muhammadu
Buhari to quickly inaugurate
the Niger Delta Development
Commission, NDDC, Board
in order not to create room for
corruption and jeopardise the
forensic audit of the
commission that he recently
ordered.
The group in a statement
by self-styled “General” Izon
Ebi, implored him to lobby the
National Assembly to confirm
the nominees, saying: “The
audit will lead to stalemate if
the board is not in place
because the guilty within the
commission will attempt to
frustrate the audit to paralyse
all activities in the
commission.
“Mr President should
prevail on the leadership of
the National Assembly to
confirm this new board in
order for the audit which he
has proclaimed to be
effectively carried out. We
believe that if the National
Assembly fails to do this, the
event of the audit will lead to
a stalemate because the guilty
within the commission may
attempt to frustrate the
investigations."