18022020

34—Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020
SALES CONFERENCE: From left, Managing Director, D-Bimps Stores/recipient of 2019 Nigerian
Bottling Company Limited, NBC, Regional Top Trade Partner Award, Mrs. Adebimpe Nyamida; Managing
Director, All Seasons Caravan Trading Venture/recipient of 2019 NBC Regional Top Trade Partner
Award, Alhaja Muyibat Quadri; Sales Director (Greater Lagos), NBC, Goran Sladic; Managing Director,
Vicmart MDP/recipient of 2019 NBC Regional Top Trade Partner Award, Mrs. Bunmi Adenola; and MD
Sapphires and Garnet Consult/recipient of 2019 NBC Regional Top Trade Partner Award, Mrs. Deborah
Situ, at NBC's Greater Lagos Sales Conference, in Lagos
IMO: Due process wasn’t observed
in govt contracts — Witness
By Chidi
Nkwopara
OWERRI— The Judicial
Commission of Inquiry
on the Award of Contracts
has been told that due
process was not followed in
the award of government
contracts between June 2011
and May 2019.
The commission’s Official
Witness Number 8, who also
doubles as acting Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Works,
Egbuka Edwin, stated this
when he gave evidence
from the witness box.
“I am aware of the
procedure for the award of
government contracts, but
due process was not
followed. Most of the
contractors from 2011 till we
submitted the list to this
commission, were
nominated by government.
Although adverts were
published, government did
not adhere to other
procedures for award of
contract,” the Permanent
Secretary said.
On the dualisation of
roads, the witness said the
Ikedi Ohakim
administration dualised the
roads and the Ministry of
Works was involved, but the
Rochas Okorocha
administration said it
expanded the same roads,
stressing that the ministry
was not involved in the
expansion project.
Egbuka admitted that “the
engineers in the ministry
were rendered redundant
under the Rochas Okorocha
administration.”
Answering a question on
the flyovers, the permanent
secretary explained that the
ministry started the project,
but when Ohakim left office,
the Okorocha administration
took it over without the
involvement of the ministry’s
engineers.
Explaining the monies
attached to the projects,
Egbuka said: “The amount
of money paid, as shown in
the documents, is not
necessarily based on the
actual work certified by the
ministry but what the
government on its own paid
and sent for documentation.
The government wanted us
to document and raise a
certificate of execution to the
effect, but we could not do
that.”
He further explained that
where a certificate of
execution was issued, it
believed that the company
had given Advanced
Payment Guarantee, APG,
“but not that it covered any
work done and we took it as
money given in advance for
a job that is to be done,
because we are not in the
position to certify the job
done for the payment.”
Egbuka further told the
commission that his “stoic
stand against the
irregularities and apparent
lack of due process,
subjected me to great
disadvantage that I was
Mbaka denies alleged Bayelsa
governorship prophesy
By Chinedu
Adonu
ENUGU— THE Founder
and Director of Adoration
Ministry, Emene, Enugu,
AMEN, Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka,
has refuted a purported
prophesy reported in the
social media, alleging that he
predicted that the new
Bayelsa governor will stay
only two months in office.
The Enugu fiery priest
denied the rumour during his
Sunday Sermon at the
Adoration ground, Emene,
Enugu.
Mbaka maintained that he
never at any time, place or
circumstance made any
prophecy about Bayelsa or
who becomes the governor of
the state or his duration in
office.
Describing the report as a
89 successful in army's
Lieutenant to Captain promotion
exams
By Chimaobi
Nwaiwu
N NEWI—The
Nigerian Army has
disclosed that 89 of 92
eligible candidates it
shortlisted, who
participated in the
Nigerian Army Lieutenant
to Captain Practical
Promotion Examination,
LCPPE, 2020 hosted by the
82 Division, Nigerian
Army passed the
examination.
A statement in Onitsha
by Deputy Director, Army
Public Relations, 82
Division, Colonel Aliyu
Yusuf, also disclosed that
three candidates out of the
92 shortlisted did not
report for the LCPPE
2020 due to official reasons.
The examination,
according to Yusuf, was
conducted from Monday,
February 10 to Friday,
February 14, 2020 and it
recorded 100 percent
success, even as the
participants were
rigorously tested in
Tactics, Map Reading,
Administration in the
Field, Driving/
Maintenance and French
Language.
He also disclosed that
“as part of new innovation,
physical fitness test,
which involved 3.2 km
combat race, press-ups,
step-up, sit-up, beam
heaving, obstacle test and
13 km combat walk was
successfully carried out.”
perpetuated in acting
capacity, while my
colleagues were promoted
permanent secretaries.”
Before the commission rose
for the day, the Chairman,
Justice Benjamin Iheka,
ordered the witness to
furnish the commission with
full particulars of the
contractors and projects not
captured in the list from the
Ministry of Works on or
before the next adjourned
date.
malicious handwork of
mischief makers and wicked
individuals who are on
demonic and satanic
assignment to damage his
reputation, Mbaka warned
them to desist, else they
would attract the wrath of God
upon themselves.
According to a statement
signed by the Media and
Publicity Secretary of
Adoration Ministry, Ike
Ugwuoke, “Our attention has
been drawn to a report in a
section of the media that the
Spiritual Director of Adoration
Ministry, Fr. Mbaka, has
prophesied that the newly
sworn-in governor of Bayelsa
State, Diri Douye, will stay in
office as governor for only two
months.
“The report alleged that he
predicted this in “Delta State
at the ceremony to celebrate
his friend and colleague who
clocked 68 years.
“For the sake of justice and
fairness, we challenge the
originators of this false and
mendacious report to
mention the name of the socalled
Fr Mbaka’s friend and
colleague whose ceremony
he attended in Delta State.
The truth is that Fr Mbaka
has not even been in Delta
since this year.
“During Fr Mbaka’s
Sunday mass, he refuted this
report publicly on the altar.
Those who impersonate Fr
Mbaka in the media should
be careful, else they attract
the wrath of God upon
themselves.”
Imo Police ban protests
By Chinonso
Alozie
OWERRI—BARELY 24
hours to the planned
review of the January 14,
2020 Supreme Court
judgment, Imo State Police
Command, yesterday,
banned all protests linked
to the judgment.
The warning was
announced by the state
Police Public Relations
Officer, PPRO, Orlando
Ikeokwu, in Owerri.
The reason was that
hoodlums have concluded
plans to use such protests
to unleash mayhem on Imo
people and their property.
Just as the people of Imo
State await the review of
the judgment, the police
have issued a statement
saying that : “some
hoodlums are planning to
Great Minds donates pipe
borne water to Delta
community
AS part of its annual
humanitarian gesture,
Great Minds International
has donated a mono-pump
water machine to the people
of Okpara-Inland in Ethiope
East Local Government Area
of Delta State.
Making the presentation,
weekend to the community,
President of the group,
Onwuenwosi Chidubem,
said the exercise was part of
the group’s palliative effort in
complementing the
developmental drive of the
state government.
He said the group, which
is apolitical, it normally
embarks on such gestures
like prison visits and
presentation of gift items to
old people’s home every
February 14 to better the lives
hide under the protests/
rallies as witnessed in the
last few weeks to cause
mayhem in the state.
“In view of the above
therefore, the command
wishes to inform the
general public that all
protests/rallies of any kind
are hereby banned
forthwith, especially as they
affect the Supreme Court
ruling of January 14, 2020.
“Also, it is important to
note that since the Supreme
Court has acknowledged
an application for the
review of the judgment and
as such fixed a date for the
review, this has rendered
the matter subjudice.
"It is therefore pertinent
that both parties should
remain calm pending the
outcome of the review."
World Bank intervention:
21 GVGs receive over N53m
in Enugu
By Chinedu
Adonu
ENUGU— ENUGU State
Community and Social
Development Project, CSDP,
has disbursed World Bank
intervention fund of
N53,603,963.58 to 21 Gender
and Vulnerable Groups,
GVGs, in seven local
government areas of the state
for the execution of microprojects
as contained in the
World Bank approved
Community Development
Plans.
General Manager of the
CSDP in the state, Dr
Maximus Asogwa disclosed
this yesterday, during the
formal presentation of
cheque of the first tranche of
the World Bank fund to the
GVGs from the benefitting
communities in the state.
Asogwa also used the
opportunity to explain to the
beneficiaries the requisite
knowledge and skills needed
for the implementation of the
World Bank-assisted
projects, reiterating that the
authorities have zero tolerance
for corruption and misappropriation
of funds
meant for the projects.
While calling on the
communities within the
benefiting local government
areas to follow strictly the laid
down rules to beef-up their
infrastructure, Asogwa
assured of their readiness
towards supporting them
with funding and technical
assistance immediately they
completed the first phase of
the projects.
He said: “The money is
there and once you complete
your projects, the second
tranche will be disbursed to
you. It is pertinent you finish
the project in time so that we
cannot have abandoned
projects. Once the money
with World Bank is finished,
there is nothing we can do
because other states in the
country that are interested in
World Bank assisted projects
are also accessing the
money."
of rural dwellers in the
various communities.
According to him, “Great
Minds International is a
group with branches all
around the world and we
have embarked on this drive
for the past couple of years to
act as a pointer to the
government on what it needs
to do for the people rather
than just carrying placards in
protest against the
government.
“We see ourselves as a
pressure group that puts
government on its toes on the
need to provide
infrastructural amenities for
its people rather than just
talking and tasking the
government on this. We have
decided to live by example,
hence the establishment of
this project here in the
community.”