01122019 - 13 states struggle for 7.5 metric tonnes of rice

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 1, 2019, PAGE 5
KOGI SENATORIAL RERUN: Adeyemi leads
Melaye in 4 of 7 LGAs
Smart Adeyemi, candi
date of the All Progres
sives Congress (APC)
in Kogi west senatorial rerun
election, is leading Dino Melaye,
candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), in
the results of the four local
government areas announced
so far.
According to The Cable,
while Adeyemi polled 5,609
votes in the four LGAs, Melaye
trailed with 1882 votes,
a difference of 3,727 votes.
In Lokoja, Adeyemi got
4,659 votes ahead of Melaye’s
920. In Mopa Moruo,
the APC candidate had 309
votes, while his PDP rival secured
just nine votes.
Although Melaye led with
a small margin in Koton
Karfe and Ijumu, where both
men hail from, his loss in the
two other LGAs affected his
stand in the election. Melaye
secured 376 votes in Koton
Karfe local government
while Adeyemi trailed with
287 votes.
In Ijumu, the PDP candidate
got 577 votes while his
APC rival secured 364 votes.
The results of four more
LGAs are being awaited as of
the time of filing this report.
The Independent National
Electoral Commission
(INEC) had declared the November
16 rerun in Kogi west
inconclusive, announcing
that the number of cancelled
votes was higher than the
margin between the PDP and
APC candidates.
Adeyemi polled a total of
80,118 votes, while Melaye
got 59,548 votes. leaving a
margin of 20,570 while
43,127 votes were cancelled.
ENUGU MARKET FIRE:
How firemen saved us — Traders
From left: Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State (middle) with the Chairman, Enugu
North Local Government Area, Hon. Emma Onoh (right) and the Chairman, Tinker Motor
Spare Parts Market, Coal Camp, Enugu, Chief Crescent Ugwuoke, when the governor visited
the scene of the fire incident at the market to empathise with the affected traders, yesterday
Gov Ishaku calls impeachment plot
a scheme to malign him
By Femi Bolaji, Jalingo
overnor Darius Ishaku
Ghas described the news
making the rounds that he is
sponsoring the impeachment
of principal officers of the
Taraba State House of Assembly
as a wicked scheme
to malign his relationship
with the state legislature.
Ishaku, in a statement by
his Senior Special Assistant
on Media and Publicity, Bala
Dan Abu, yesterday, described
the allegation as fake
news.
The report, which the state
government refuted, had
claimed the governor committed
N200 million of public
funds to perfect the impeachment
of Speaker Abel
Peter Diah.
However, the state government
in the statement said it
was untrue.
“It is yet another wicked
and malicious attempt to
cause confusion and conflict
in the relationship between
the executive and legislative
arms of government in Taraba
State on the one hand, and
Governor Ishaku and Peter
Diah, his political god son,
on the other”, the statement
said.
“Both men have had several
years of fruitful personal
and official relationships
nurtured by mutual trust, cooperation
and collaboration.
“Gov Ishaku will never
sponsor and did not sponsor
the so-called impeachment
move, if indeed there was any
such move by the Honourable
members, let alone fund
it with such a staggering
amount of money from the
public purse.
“The allegations are ridiculous,
absolutely false and
malicious. It is certainly for
these reasons that the author
of the article failed to sign it.”
It urged members of the
public to ignore the fake
news.
Traders at Tinker Motor
Spare Parts Market, Coal
Camp, Enugu have applauded
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
for the effectiveness, efficiency
and professionalism of
the state fire service in putting
out the fire that burnt a
section of the market in the
early hours of Friday, without
any loss of life.
Expressing their feelings
when Gov. Ugwuanyi visited
the scene shortly after the incident
occurred and donated
the sum of N5 million, the
traders, who spoke through
the Chairman of the market,
Chief Crescent Ugwuoke,
told the governor that “these
men of the state fire service
you have upgraded and prepared
for emergency work
saved us today”.
Ugwuoke thanked God
that no life was lost, stressing
that the fire would have
caused more damage if the
state fire service did not respond
swiftly.
“Your Excellency, because
of the way you prepared the
fire service officials, when
they were called, they responded
quickly and they are
the people who made it possible
for us to be here.
“So, we are sincerely grateful
to you for your quick response
to see things for yourself.
We pray that God will
continue to bless you in Jesus
name. Amen”, the chairman
said.
Speaking, the State Chief
Fire Officer, Engr. Okwudiri
Ohaa, who stated that the
feat his agency recorded in
putting out the fire was a confirmation
that “Enugu State
is in the hands of God”, equally
attributed it to “the type of
support the governor has
been giving to us”.
The Chairman of Enugu
North LGA, Hon. Emma
Onoh, who received the governor
on arrival, thanked him
for his prompt visit and deep
concern for the well being of
the people.
God told me to be humble or He will wipe me out — Adeboye
By Olayinka Latona
General Overseer of
Tthe Redeemed Christian
Church of God, RCCG,
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye,
has explained why he
has chosen to be humble despite
his fame.
Adeboye said he decided to
humble himself because God
warned to wipe him out if he
dared to raise his shoulders
or take God’s glory for himself.
Daddy G.O, as he is fondly
called, spoke during a
monthly thanksgiving and
special programme organised
for professors, lecturers,
teachers, youth corps members,
students and their families
by the national headquarters
of the church,
Throne of Grace Parish, in
Ebute-Meta, Lagos.
In his sermon held under
the theme, ‘Rising Stars’, the
lecturer-turned-cleric recalled
his encounter with God
after RCCG’s first Holy
Ghost Congress tagged ‘Lekki
98’ where God demonstrated
how he would wipe him
from the face of earth if he
allowed pride to take over his
life.
His words: “I will tell you a
story. Some years ago, we just
had a fantastic programme
called Lekki 98; that was the
first Congress that we had at
Lekki. The crowd was so
much that we shut down traffic
in Lagos for hours. Many
people came and thousands
of souls were saved.
“After the programme, I returned
to the Redemption
Camp in the night and soon
proceeded on a prayer walk
to thank God for what He
had done, giving Him all
glory and honor.
“All of a sudden I heard God
say clearly, ‘Son, bend down’.
I did that quickly because it
was night and the camp was
still a jungle then. You never
can tell; a witch could have
been flying past. And then he
said, ‘Draw the figure of a
man in the sand.’
“I drew the figure of a man:
zero for head, one line for the
body and two lines for the leg
and so on. You know that kind
of drawing.
“God said, ‘Stand up’, I did,
but by then I knew God was
about to say something very
serious. God said, ‘Son, wipe
out the figure you have
drawn with your leg.’“I wiped
it out. God said ‘Son, the day
you forget that I am the one
in charge, I will wipe you out.
Nobody would ever remember
you ever came to this
world’”.
3.3m displaced from Lake Chad
region — FG
By Victroia Ojeme and
Glory Odizuru
he Federal Government
Thas lamented global
humanitarian crisis as over
70.8 million persons have
been displaced globally, saying
they include 3.3 million
from North-East Nigeria.
The Minister of Humanitarian
Affairs, Disaster Management
& Social Development,
Sadiya Umar Farouq,
disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday,
at the Nigerian Consultation
Meeting on the Global
Compact on Refugees,
adding that Nigeria had the
highest number and carried
the heaviest burden of the
humanitarian challenge.
She said that Global Compact
on Refugees had opened
a vista of opportunity for
stakeholders to access support
in a timely, predictable
and sustainable manner
while creating an incentive
for stakeholder to join forces
and pull resources to address
the humanitarian challenge.
“Nigerian governmnet has
been providing support for
refugees through the National
Commission for Refugees,
Migrants and IDPS. We have
over the years increased our
assistance and support in response
to the influx of Cameroonian
refugees,” Farouq
said.
Meanwhile, the representative
of United Nations
High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) to Nigeria,
Mr Antonio Canhandula,
revealed that more than
900,000 displaced persons as
a result of Boko Haram insurgency
have returned to
their home state of Adamawa.
N’Delta agitators postpone
protest over NDDC
By Emma Amaize
GITATORS in Niger
ADelta have postponed
their plan to hold a protest
and shut down the Niger Delta
Development Commission,
NDDC, over the continued
operation of an Interim
Management Committee,
IMC.
Sunday Vanguard learned
that organisers of the protest
were privy to information that
some persons plan to infiltrate
the protest and paint the protesters
in a bad light.
Leader of 21st Century
Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators
with Conscience, selfprofessed
“General” Izon Ebi,
in a statement, said the oneweek
deferment was to give
President Muhammadu Buhari
enough room to reconsider
his stand on IMC.
The group, however, said:
“If the President fails to adhere
to the voice of wisdom
and save the Niger Delta and
the NDDC from the hands of
political vultures in the next
one week, we will have no
choice, but to come out fully
prepared for the worse.
“The blame will be on the
Federal Government for ignoring
the illegality and evil
in the NDDC.
“Our planned protest is not
borne out of hatred for Minister
of Niger Delta Affairs,
Senator Godswill Akpabio or
the Managing Director of the
Interim Management Committee,
Madam Joy Nunieh.
Niger Delta people have suffered
so much in the hands of
political buccaneers who use
the NDDC for their political
interests.’’
How to resolve conflicts in Nigeria
— Miyetti Allah, Yoruba, Igbo, groups
Group cautions against media trial
of Air Peace boss
HE Pan African Move
Tment for Peace, Human
Rights and Social Justice
(PAMPHRSJ) has risen in
defence of Mr. Allen Onyema
the Chief Executive Officer of
Air Peace, who was recently
indicted of bank fraud and
money laundering by the
United States Department of
Justice (USDoJ).
Convener of the movement,
Rex Ekiugbo Anighoro said
at a press conference in Warri,
Delta State: “We condemn
the ongoing the media trial,
hasty and premeditated
guilty verdict in the court of
public opinion on Barrister
Onyema even before he
makes appearance in the
United States to defend himself.”
Anighoro, who is also the
spokesman to Alhaji Mujahid
Dokubo Asari, stated that
Lauretta Onochie series of
tweets where she accused
Barrister Allen Onyema of
been part of the plunderers of
the Niger Delta was in bad
taste.
Anighoro, who recently led
a protest walk in New York
during the 74th United Nations
General Assembly
(UNGA), said the conspiracy
against the Air Peace boss
would fail and attempts by
imposters and outlawed organizations
like the Movement
for the Emancipation of
Niger Delta (MEND) to score
cheap points are dead on arrival.”
Anighoro, who addressed
newsmen in company with
Ambassador Obinna Sixtus,
President of the Independent
Pan African Youth Parliament
(IPAYP) stated that the two
groups are already mobilizing
millions of youths to
march in solidarity with Onyema,
whom they consider as
Africa’s global citizen and a
great entrepreneurial brand.
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway:
FG opens Kara Bridge today
The Federal Govern
ment yesterday said
the barricade around
Kara Bridge would be removed
today, December 1 to
ease the gridlock around that
axis.
The Federal Controller of
Works, Lagos, Mr. Adedamola
Kuti told newsmen that
construction work had been
completed on that part of the
road.
According to Kuti, when the
contractors return to the site
in January, construction work
will begin on the outbound-
Lagos traffic side of the road.
YOUNG leaders of ethnic
and socio-political
groups in Lagos have resolved
to continue to work together
to ensure peaceful coexistence
in the country. The participants
said a major conflict in Nigeria
has the potential of engulfing
the entire West Africa sub-region.
The groups include Miyetti
Allah, Oodua Peoples Congress
(OPC), Ijaw Youth Congress
(IYC), Igbo Youth Congress,
(IYC), Arewa Youth Consultative
Forum (AYCF), Oodua
Nationalist Coalition (ONAC),
Agbekoya and Middle Belt Indigenous
Peoples Congress
(MBIPC).
A retinue to civil society
groups working on conflict and
peace building also attended
the event. The groups identified
corruption as one of the major
causes of conflict in Nigeria.
They said, in a joint statement
issued at the end of the meeting
held under the theme, Engaging
the Media, Community
Based Groups for Peace Building
and Conflict Prevention, and
organized by Journalists for
Democratic Rights (JODER)
with the support of the Institute
for International Education,
(IIE) and the Ford Foundation,
West African Regional
Office, urged the Federal Government
to intensify the mopping
up of illegal weapons
across the country and initiate
the process for continuous dialogue
driven by the people
themselves. They also promised
to strengthen and promote
a National Working
Group for Peace and Conflict
Prevention across the country.
Speaking at the occasion, Assistant
Commissioner of Police
(ACP), Akinbayo Olasoji,
said crisis in Nigeria had continuously
been fueled by corruption,
greed and the selfserving
interests of some religious,
political and community
leaders.
“Now that inbound has
been completed, we don’t
want to start work on the outbound
and leave it halfway,
so we decided to open the
road to commuters tomorrow,
Sunday, so that people can
move freely this Christmas,”
Kuti said.
The contractor on Section
1 of the road, Julius Berger
on September 2 this year, diverted
inbound and outbound
traffic to one lane of the road
when reconstruction of that
part of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
commenced.