20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

2 —SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
Burial ceremony of late Alh Lateef Olukayode Jakande at Volts After Gardens, long expectation, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Soludo declares interest to
succeed Obiano
How Jakande turned down offer to
become President of Nigeria — Tinubu
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
NATIONAL Leader of
the All Progressives
Congress, APC, and
former Governor of Lagos
State, Bola Tinubu, has revealed
how late first Civilian
Governor of Lagos
State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande,
LKJ, politely, rejected
the call by some progressive
groups to contest
for the Presidency of Nigeria.
Tinubu, stated this on
Friday, while addressing
the crowd at the eight
day ‘fidau ‘prayer for late
Jakande, held at his Bishop
Street, residence, Ilupeju,
Lagos.
According to Tinubu:
“To all of us in Lagos, we
have been extremely lucky
to have him, extremely
lucky to draw from the
fountain of his knowledge.
“Nigeria equally is lucky
but when the crisis of military
and many others
arose, we met him, we
said, we wanted Jakande
but he said, he was no longer
interested in becoming
the president in the midst
of chaos.
“We told him, we wanted
him to come and lead,
he said no, the field was left
for us, he has left an open
field. There is no way, one
can say, we will beat his
record, he is already immortal,
it is only from our
own character , our vision
that will drive our mission.”
Earlier, in his sermon,
the National Missioner and
Chief Imam of Ansar-Ud-
Deen Society of Nigeria,
Sheikh Abdulrahman Ahmad,
said nothing could
have stopped Tibubu from
becoming President of Nigeria
if God so destined.
He urged well meaning
Nigerians s to support the
dream of Tinubu, particularly
the Southern part of
the country in achieving
the dream.
His words: “Asiwaju
Tinubu really followed the
template Alhaji Jakande
built.
“Asiwaju, God is challenging
you by giving you
another opportunity to be
part of the history of Nigeria.
“It takes visionary leadership
and determination
to succeed. The challenges
of security, insurgency
and COVID-19 afford you
an opportunity to rescue
Nigeria.”
Nigeria to exit dependence on oil revenue in
10 years — Awolowo *Says non-oil exports to hit $30bn
THE Executive Director/
CEO of the Nigerian
Export Promotion Council,
NEPC, Mr. Segun Awolowo,
yesterday assured that given
the steps being taken to improve
the non-oil exports, Nigeria
will exit its dependence
on crude oil revenue in the
next 10 years.
Mr. Awolowo stated this
while briefing State House
correspondents after meeting
behind closed doors with
President Muhammadu Buhari
at the presidential villa,
Abuja.
According to him, in the
next decade, Nigeria can get
$30 billion in terms of non
oil export not withstanding
the effect of the current COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
He said, “But more importantly,
we must just continue,
we must increase production
and productivity all across
the two sectors that the zero
oil plan is postulating for the
country and then we get out
of it. We cannot run an economy
that 90 percent of our
earnings is from crude oil. It
is just not working and that is
what we are seeing through
out the years when we went
into first recession when the
world oil prices stood worldwide.”
While noting the changing
world dynamics, he said: “We
need to move again from just
raw materials, we need to
look at the entire value chain
and that is where you create
jobs and that is where you
earn more money.
“So ten years time frame
we are looking at to get to
$30 billion but we must be
consistent, we must invest
more in the non oil sector
From left: National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and wife of the deceased,
Alhaja Abimbola Jakande, during the 8-day Fidau prayer for the first civilian Governor
of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, at Bishop Street, Ilupeju, yesterday.
than looking for oil.”
Acknowledging the president’s
support to NEPC and
the non-oil export sector, he
recalled that the non-oil exports
sector was experiencing
challenges, especially with
the basic incentive, the Export
Expansion Grant (EEG)
being suspended, with over
N350 billion in unpaid EEG
claims.
He added: “The situation
had dire effects on exporters,
some shut down plants, some
laid off people thereby increasing
the numbers of unemployed
population. Mr
President rescued the situation
with his approval of the
new EEG scheme.”
On the implementation of
the Zero Oil Plan, the NEPC
boss affirmed that it has received
enormous support
and buy-in even as it is integrated
in the Economic Recovery
and Growth Plan, adding
that the National Economic
Council has set up a
National Committee on Exports
to drive it
Awolowo further remarked:
“The entire world is
now raising a lot of concerns
about the long-term devastating
impacts of oil and focusing
on climate change.
The unpredictability on oil
prices
will not stop. First 2008, oil
price crashed due to global
financial crises; then in 2014
oil price crashed due to shale
over production; then in
2020, oil price crashed due
to COVID.
“We have seen a return to a
positive GDP growth in last
quarter of 2020. We have now
seen strong recoveries in Agriculture
(growth of 3.4%)
and Services, and those sectors
put a lid on 2020 declines.
“We have achieved a lot, but
we continue to get requests
from all the States for Export
programmes. And these initiatives
touch the grass roots,
women, youths, creates hundreds
of thousands of jobs.”
The NEPC boss, who outlined
the improvements
achieved in non-oil export
products and jobs created
across the country, said:
“Even for what we are doing
there now on this, we need to
scale it up, and take it to more
states, It is projects like these
that we need to truly become
an ‘Export Nation’ We just
need to scale up our Zero Oil
plan so that it reaches and
touches more.
Bawa’s appointment will achieve required
reforms in EFCC — Omotola
THE Director-Gener
al, Center for Institutions
Reforms in Nigeria,
CIRN, Lai Omotola has
described the nomination of
a 40-year old Abdul-
Rasheed Bawa to head the
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC.
as capable of achieving the
required reforms in the
anti-graft agency. Reacting
to the development, Omotola
applauded President
Buhari, saying that the appointment
vividly shows
that Buhari is committed to
making reforms that would
springboard Nigeria to
higher height in all sectors.
‘President Muhammadu
Buhari has demonstrated
that he is indeed a man of
reforms. By choosing Bawa,
he has demonstrated his
commitment towards the
continuous fight against
corruption in Nigeria. He
has shown the commitment
in two forms: one; he
has nominated the youngest
man in history to run
EFCC, secondly, for the first
time in history of EFCC, an
operative from the antigraft
agency will run the
commission. “You will recall
that during the travails
of the former Chairman
of EFCC, Ibrahim
Magu; when he was being
investigated by the presidential
panel, CIRN called
for an amendment of EFCC
Act that would make an insider
within the operative
to take control of the dayto-day
operations and workings
of the anti-graft commission.
At present, Abdul-
Rasheed Bawa is the head
of Lagos Zone of the commission.
Within a short
time, we have seen a lot of
reforms he has brought to
the zone. He has changed
the ambience of EFCC and
he has also ensured that operations
of EFCC in terms
of Investigation are based
on specialized departments;
meaning that it now operates
in a specialized way.
Omotola also said that the
appointment shows the belief
of the President that
youths possess the needed
knowledge and the capacity
to govern Nigeria effectively.
By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka
AFTER long expectation by members of the ruling All Pro
gressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and other stakeholders
in Anambra State, the former Governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, Professor Charles Soludo has finally declared
his intention to contest the November 6, 2021 governorship
election in Anambra State.
Soludo’s name began to make the round as the likely successor
to Obiano for more than two years, but he had not come out
to say he was interested in the race, until Thursday when he
visited the headquarters of APGA in Awka.
Over time, however, no fewer than 15 groups have been campaigning
for Soludo, with some of the groups making donations
in the various churches and at ceremonies across the state
on his behalf.
At a time, some politicians in the state who perhaps were
afraid of his intimidating credentials started saying that he had
decided not to contest, while others said the presidency had
promised him the governorship only if he contested on the platform
of All Progressives Congress, APC.
But declaring his governorship ambition at APGA secretariat,
Soludo said he is aspiring to contest under APGA, adding that
the November 2021 governorship election in Anambra State is
consequential to the survival of the party.
His visit to the party headquarters was like a carnival, as
notable past and present political office holders accompanied
him. Among those that came with him included serving and
former commissioners, former deputy governor of the state,
Chief Emeka Sibeudu, chieftains of APGA and all the local
government chairmen in the state.
Before his declaration, the former CBN governor had visited
APGA stakeholders in the 21 local government areas of the
state, culminating in his Aguata Local Government area naming
him as the sole candidate from the area, despite the fact that
there were other governorship aspirants from the local government.
Addressing the party officials, Soludo said: “This election is
consequential in Anambra State and if APGA does not win, it
means the party is gone. Let no APGA member toy with this
election. If APGA loses Anambra, it has lost direction.
“Therefore, do not make mistake in the person the party will
field for the election as candidate because the party cannot
afford to lose the November election.”
According to him, the collective destiny of the party is at stake
and must be protected by all means.
Anambra State chairman of APGA, Sir Norbert Obi assured
Soludo that the party would be fair to all the aspirants during
the forthcoming primaries to select the governorship candidate
of the party.
#End SARS Inquiry: Wike receives
report indicting SARS officials
By Egufe Yafugborhi
GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike on Friday challenged Inspec
tor General of Police, IGP, Adamu Mohammed, to justify
Federal Government’s seriousness in setting up nationwide
#EndSARS Judicial Commissions of Inquiry by implementing
emanating recommendations.
Wike declared the challenge when the commission of inquiry
in Rivers State, chaired by Justice Chukwunenye Uriri
(rtd) submitted its report to the Governor at Government
House, Port Harcourt.
Uriri had told the Governor that the commission received
190 petitions, struck out 82 for lack of due diligence or jurisdiction
and eventually considered 108 of them. He noted
that policemen who committed crime against Rivers people,
do not have any affinity with the State.
He stated that, “it is noteworthy that our commission has
the highest number of petitions in the federation. Lagos has
210 petitions while we have 190. Lagos is still there but by
the grace of God, we are here presenting this report to you.
“It is our opinion that this figure represents the highest degree
of total disregard of law and order by law enforcement
agencies in the State.”
Governor Wike then immediately set up a 5-man committee
to extract White Paper from the report of the commission
that investigated Human Rights Abuses, Police Brutality
and Extrajudicial Killings by now disbanded Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state.
He said, “The truth of the matter is that I am not sure the
Again, Boko Haram invades
Dikwa in Borno
By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
BOKO Haram members last night invaded Dikwa
Local government Area of Borno state shooting sporadically
after engaging security operatives. Residents
including thousands of Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) according to sources scampered for safety following
the attack. This happened few days after some
insurgents stormed neighboring Marte Local Government
Area and wrecked havoc, as well as took control
and mounted their flags at the Council Headquarter.
A resident who did not want his name, in a text message
to Saturday Vanguard last night said, “the insurgents
invaded Dikwa at about 5:30pm on Friday and
have been exchanging fire with troops up to 9:05pm at
press time.” He said he did not have actual number of
casualties but he suspected that the terrorists, the troops
and innocent civilians were likely to suffer casualty.