24022021 - Banditry designed to 9 destroy Nigeria — GOVS

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2021 — 31
:Vanguard News
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
AWARD—From left: Mrs.
Tochukwu Emewulu
(left), receiveing The
Nigerian National
Legacy Award for
Leadership, in honour
of the MD, Seamfix
Ltd., Chimezie
Emewulu, in
recognition of his
relentless commitment
to Nation Building,
from Amb. Ovie Odubu,
Executive Secretary,
Nigerian National
Legacy Awards. With
them is Miss Deborah
Babudoh of Seamfix
Ltd., during a brief
award presentation
ceremony, held in
Lagos, weekend.
Sen Adeyemi under fire over anti-Ikpeazu
remarks
By Henry Umoru &
Steve Oko
THE SENATOR represent
ing Kogi West senatorial
zone, Senator Smart
Adeyemi, has come under fire
over his remarks that "Abia is
governed by drunkards".
Adeyemi had while contributing
to a debate on the floor
of the Senate yesterday, veered
off from the subject on ground
and began to attack Gov.
Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
The motion being debated
was how to protect schools
across the country against attacks
by bandits but the senator
in his contribution, stated
that while his state governor,
Yahaya Bello, had awarded
contracts for the renovation of
schools, "Abia is governed by
drunkards."
But in a swift reaction, the
Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor, Mr. Onyebuchi
Ememanka, said the Kogi
senator needed "psychiatric
examination."
Another aide of the Governor,
Sir Isaac Nkole, described
Adeyemi as " a disgrace and
national embarrassment".
Ememanka in a release,
asked the former National
President of the Nigeria Union
of Journalists, NUJ, to first
address issues of underdevelopment
in his home state before
commenting on Abia.
The release read: "Our initial
response was to totally ignore
the story because it is difficult
to believe that a Senator
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
will reduce both himself
and the institution of the Senate
to such gutter level, but
having confirmed that indeed,
the Senator made such comments,
a response has become
imperative.
"Our view is that the senator
is either suffering from a protracted
case of mental illness
or is battling with occasional
fits of schizophrenia which
manifests in making careless,
dishonorable, unrelated and
incoherent statements.
"This conclusion becomes
irresistible judging from the
total disconnect between the
matter being discussed by the
Senate and the comments
made by the senator as they
affect the Governor.
"If Senator Adeyemi was of
sound mind, he should have
known that when it comes to
education, Abia is miles ahead
of his home State of Kogi. Indeed,
not just in education but
in every single area of development.''
"If Senator Adeyemi had his
•He needs psychiatric evaluation —Ememanka
•He's a national disgrace —Nkole
•Ikpeazu's champagne drinking gov, says Adeyemi
PDP petitions security agencies over
destruction of Anyim's birthday billboard
in Ebonyi
By Peter Okutu
ABAKALIKI—THE Peo
ples Democratic Party,
PDP, in Ebonyi State, led by
Elder Fred Udeogu, yesterday
petitioned various heads of security
agencies in the state
over the removal of the birthday
billboard of the former
Secretary to the Government
of the Federation, Senator
Pius Anyim in the state.
Elder Udeogu who made
this known while speaking
with newsmen in Abakaliki,
charged the Commissioner of
Police, Department of State
Security, DSS, among others
to fish out the perpetrators
without delay.
He said: "We are not having
issues with the state government
but the attacks and
victimization that we have
been receiving is very unbearable,
like the removal of our
billboards.
"Last Friday, some concerned
indigenes of Ebonyi
State placed a giant billboard
for the birthday of the former
Senate President, Anyim Pius
Anyim at the Union bank
junction and the next morning,
the bill board including
the PDP billboard were all
removed by thugs and we
know those who sponsored
them.
"We don't encourage hooliganism
in this state. If we have
been doing that, this state
wouldn't have been governable.
I am using this opportunity
on behalf of my friends
and the good people of the
genuine PDP, to advise the
people that are sponsoring
these young men to desist
from that. I have always emphasised
that nobody has the
monopoly of violence.
"The point is that the state is
faculties intact, he should
have known that under the
watch of Governor Okezie
Ikpeazu, Abia State has
maintained first position in
WAEC Examinations in the
entire country for five years
now. Kogi has not come close
to the first 20. Never!''
Making his contribution on
the floor of the Senate, Senator
Adeyemi had said: "Despite
the fact that some governors
are doing their best, we
are lucky to have a governor
who has taken the issue of security
as a serious priority.
''We are bordered by nine
states, but we had an experience
of the unfortunate incidents
that are happening in
neighboring states.“
Some governors are committed
to the protection of
too dear to us. This is a PDP
state. And this is my state and
I was one of the youths that
fought for the creation of Ebonyi
State. I wouldn't like to
watch s ome people destroy
the state.
"I will never at any point in
time join them in doing what
they are doing. And they cannot
lure us into fight because
we are more matured than
them. But if they continue, we
will have no option.
"It will be good for them to
be warned. If they want to get
money from their sponsors,
there are some other ways to
get money from them and not
by inciting people to go into
crisis.
"They have more billboards
in this state more than us. Assuming
we start removing
their own billboards, it won't
go down well with them. And
it will be stupid of any human
being that you draw blood
because of billboard. What is
billboard? Why not allow the
billboard to be there? It was
paid for.
"I condemn that act. And I
Lagos East: Tribunal strikes
out APM's petition against
Senator Abiru
Stop using Uzodimma's name to seek attention,
Imo govt warns Okorocha
O WERRI—FORMER
governor of Imo State,
Rochas Okorocha has been
warned to stop using the
name of Governor Hope
Uzodimma to seek attention.
According to a statement
signed by Oguwike
Nwachuku, the Chief Press
Secretary and Media Adviser
to the governor, “No day
passes without Senator Okorocha
trying to use the name
of Governor Uzodimma to
either seek or divert attention
of the public from activities
linked to him, most of them
their people, in my state the
governor awarded contracts
for the renovations of schools
and provides security services
to them.
"In some states of Nigeria
today, where we have highly
intelligent people, highly educated
people, very enterprising
people, like Abia they are
governed by drunkards. The
governor of Abia is a champagne
drinking man.''
am emphasising that no right
thinking person will allow
himself or herself to be used
in that dastard act. And I assure
you that those people who
did it must be found out. I am
giving them one month, we
will get at them.
"I am calling on the security
agencies to note what is happening
because these people
are trying to cause problem
in this state.
"This billboard belongs to
his Excellency, the former
Senate president and secretary
to the government of the
federation, Senator Anyim
Pius Anyim. Anyim is our leader
in PDP. In fact, he is a national
figure. This is his state.
"His birthday was generally
celebrated by all Nigerians
and even outside this country.
And so, why would people attack
his billboard at his own
state. Attacking his billboard
does it stop people from celebrating
him? They are just
being stupid and petty. There
must be bitter repercussions
on this thing they have done"
he stated.
reprehensible.
“Senator Okorocha's recent
ordeal where he wilfully broke
the law by approaching the
Royal Spring Estate belonging
to his wife, to forcefully
unseal it after the government
had legally sealed the place,
says it all about his mischievous
intention to use Governor
Uzodimma's name to
seek public notice. Senator
Okorocha does not do this
alone, but with the People's
Democratic Party in Imo
State, his newest political ally.
But we are not surprised.
N10m trademark judgment:
A-Court strike-out Facebook's
appeal
By Innocent Anaba
LAGOS—THE Court of
Appeal sitting in Lagos,
yesterday, dismisses Facebook's
appeal challenging the
judgment of a Federal High
Court, Lagos, which awarded
N10 million against it (Facebook)
in favour of a Nigerian
firm, Double Paws Enterprise,
as damages for unlawfully interfering
with the use of the
firm's trademark.
The appellate court justices
that decided the matter were
Justices Haruna Tsammani,
Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu
and Abdullahi Bayero.
Justice Bayero read the lead
judgment.
Facebook had appealed the
“It is on record that Senator
Okorocha recently said he is
working in cahoots with the
opposition to achieve his political
ambition, and he has not
hidden his romance with key
PDP figures in Imo State to
undermine the All Progressive
Congress government of Governor
Uzodimma.
“Nothing can be as embarrassing
and unfortunate as a
former governor deliberately
flouting the law and instead
of facing the reality, he is busy
stoking flame with inciting
comments he knows are not
true representation of what the
APC government of Governor
Uzodimma stands for.”
By Onozure Dania
LAGOS—THE National
Assembly and State House
of Assembly Election Tribunal
sitting in Ikeja, yesterday,
struck out a petition by Allied
Peoples' Movement, APM,
challenging the December 5,
2020 election victory of Senator
Adetokunbo Abiru of the
All Progressives Congress,
APC.
The three-man panel struck
out the petition while granting
an application by APM
and its candidate, Olusola
Babatope to withdraw the petition.
The panel is chaired by Justice
Bassey Ikpeme with Justice
Mohammed Abubakar
and Justice M. Odanya as
members of the team.
Abiru, following his victory
at the poll, represents Lagos
East senatorial district in the
National Assembly.
But, dissatisfied with the election
outcome, the APM approached
the tribunal seeking
to nullify it.
Other defendants in the petition
were the APC, and Independent
National Election
Commission, INEC.
Yesterday's session was the
scheduled for hearing of the
APC and INEC's objections to
APM and Babatope's petition.
But the petitioners did not
file any response to the respondent's
objections.
Rather, APM and Babatope,
having appraised the
respondents' defence to their
petition, filed an application
seeking to withdraw it.
Abiru's counsel, Mr. Kemi
Pinheiro, SAN, confirmed receipt
of the petitioners' application
to withdraw.
Pinheiro informed the Tribunal
that under paragraph
30 of the First Schedule to the
Electoral Act, 2010 (as
Amended), Abiru had filed the
affidavit required and would
not be opposed to the application.
The APC's counsel, Mr
Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN,
and INEC also confirmed receipt
of the petitioner's application
to withdraw.
Consequently, the APM and
Babatope's application to
withdraw their petition was
heard, granted and the tribunal
struck it out.
lower court judgment
through its counsel, Jackson
Etti. However, counsel to the
respondent, Double Paws Enterprise,
was Mr Gideon
Okebu.
Facebook challenged the
competence of the appeal and
urged the Appeal Court to
dismiss same for being fundamentally
flawed.
Justice Bayero in the lead
judgment, yesterday, upheld
the arguments of Okebu,
counsel to the respondent and
struck out the appeal.
It will be recalled that Justice
Ayokunle Faji of the lower
court had in March last
year, in his judgment, also
granted a perpetual injunction
restraining the social
media firm from interfering
with the plaintiff's statutory
rights under the Trademark
Act.
Gas Flaring: Group wants FG to
initiate environmental audit of
Bayelsa community
By Samuel
Oyadongha
YMENTAL ENAGOA—ENVIRON
Rights Action/
Friends of the Earth Nigeria,
ERA/FoEN, has expressed
concern over the safety of Ogboinbiri
community in Southern
Ijaw Local Government
Area of Bayelsa State, where
the natives are daily exposed
to gas flaring from a flow station
in the area operated by
Nigerian Agip Oil Company,
NAOC.
It urged the Federal Government
to initiate a move for
an environmental audit or
post-impact assessment of the
community.
ERA/FoEN in its report
presented to newsmen in
Yenagoa described the Ogboinbiri
situation as pathetic
due to the intensity of the roaring
flares from the two vertical
gas flare stacks in the area
which sometimes causes panic
among the natives.
The report by Alagoa Morris,
Head of ERA/FoEN
Bayelsa office lamented the
plight of the locals, noting
that apart from the destruction
of their means of livelihood,
the extreme heat and
buildings vibration they are
confronted with, their sources
of drinking water have also
been polluted.