15092022

4 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
:Vanguard
News
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
From left: Ms. Funke Opeke, 2022 The Nigeria Prize for Science (NPS) Judge; Prof Christian Agbo, Chairman,
Panel of Judges; Prof. Barth Nnaji, Chairman, Advisory Board, NPS; Mr. Andy Odeh, NLNG’s GM, External
Relations & Sustainable Development; Prof. Mohammed Magaji, NPS Judge; and Mrs. Anne-Marie Palmer-
Ikuku, Ag. Mgr Corporate Communications & Public Affairs during the announcement of winners for the 2022
edition of the prize, yesterday in Lagos.
PDP crisis: Ayu must go — Makinde
By Dapo Akinrefon,
Adeola Badru, Ademola
Adegbite & John
Alechenu
IBADAN—THE crisis
rocking the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, may be
far from over as Governor
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
and some party leaders from
the zone, yesterday, called for
the resignation of the party’s
National Chairman, Senator
Iyorchia Ayu.
The PDP presidential
candidate, Abubakar Atiku,
and Governor Nyesom Wike
of Rivers State have been
engaged in a frosty
relationship over Ayu’s
removal.
Also, Senator Ayu had
insisted that he won’t resign
his position.
But joining the growing
number of opposition to the
PDP chairman, Governor
Makinde, who announced the
decision of the party in the
zone at the PDP Southwest
stakeholders meeting with the
Presidential candidate of the
party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,
held at the popular
Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall,
University Teaching Hospital,
UCH, Ibadan, said the stand
of the party in the zone was
for the National chairman to
step down.
He said Ayu’s removal
becomes imperative in line
with the party's aim of
forming an all-inclusive
government of national unity.
Leaders present at the
meeting were Governor Bala
Mohammed of Bauchi State,
Osun State Governor-elect,
Senator Ademola Adeleke;
former Ondo State governor,
Dr Olusegun Mimiko; former
Osun State governor, Prince
Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former
Ekiti State governor, Mr
Ayodele Fayose; Ambassador
Taofeek Arapaja, PDP
governorship candidates of
Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states
and a host of others.
Our position on Ayu —
MAKINDE
The Oyo governor said the
country could only be unified
if the PDP toes the path of
honour.
He, however, noted that for
the opposition to regain power
in Nigeria and restructure the
country, it must first look
within and restructure itself.
His words: "The truth is that
we do not have any issue either
with our party or our
candidate. If there are
challenges they must be
tabled.
•Nigerians won't trust us if we remove Ayu, says Atiku•Ayu’s removal is
not about sentiment — PARTY SOURCE•Crisis not yet over —
SOURCE•There’s no cause for alarm---ATIKU’S CAMP
"We are supposed to give
hope to our people, we want
them to listen to us. Our party
wants to rescue Nigeria and
our candidate is a unifier. He
wants to restructure Nigeria.
"Eight years of the All
Progressives Congress, PDP,
has left us sharply divided.
The issue is that we must
practice what we preach. If we
want to unify Nigeria, we must
unify the PDP first.
"If we want to restructure
Nigeria, we must have the
willingness to bring
inclusiveness to the PDP. Do
we have the capacity? The
answer is a resounding yes.
"The message from the
South-West PDP is that what
we are asking is that the
National Working
Committee of the PDP should
be restructured.
"We are asking the National
Chairman to step down so
that the South will be fully
included. That is the message."
Nigerians won’t trust us if
we remove Ayu— Atiku
But the PDP Presidential
candidate said the party stood
the risk of losing the trust of
Nigerians should it heed the
call to remove its National
Chairman.
Atiku, in a statement by his
Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe,
said: “Atiku, who led other
leaders of the party to Ibadan
on Wednesday on an
interactive session with
stakeholders of the PDP said
that the call for the
recomposition of the
National Working
Committee was not
impossible, but only when the
constitution of the party has
been amended to
accommodate such demand.
“The Peoples Democratic
Party is the oldest political
party in Nigeria since the
return of democracy and even
before then. It is a party that
has laid down rules and
regulations.
“I have been a member of
the party since when it was
formed and I am still a
member of the party up to the
point of what it has grown to
become.”
In a direct response to the
demand by stakeholders of
the party in the South West as
expressed by Governor Seyi
Makinde, the former Vice
President said: “There is
nothing any individual can do
to change the outlook of the
National Working
Committee of the PDP.
“The PDP is a party where
there are laid down rules and
regulations.
“What Governor Makinde
is asking for is possible only
when we have amended our
party’s constitution.
“As things stand today no
single individual has the
power to tamper with the
NWC of the party. Doing so
will be illegal and it will be
against our rules in the party.
“Nigerians will not trust us
to govern by the tenets of rule
of law if we take such arbitrary
action against our own party.”
Ayu’s removal is not about
sentiment —PARTY
SOURCE
Also, Vanguard gathered
that Atiku first met with
Governor Makinde as well as
other party elders behind
closed doors in the early hours
of yesterday before meeting
with a larger audience later
in the afternoon.
A source privy to what
earlier transpired behind
closed doors, who spoke in
confidence said: “The
meeting was held in a friendly
atmosphere. We presented the
position of the South West
which is the need to address
the current imbalance within
the party.
“It is not an issue of being
sentimental, the entire
south which the South West
is a part of, would feel a
greater sense of inclusion
when practical steps are
taken to address our
concerns.
“The governor and most of
us agree that our interests, as
individuals and as a party, are
better addressed within the
PDP, should we lose the 2023
elections-God forbid, it would
mean an end of our great party
because the last eight years
did a lot of damage which we
are yet to recover from.
“We are willing to do our bit
to ensure that we win. As
stakeholders and
representatives of our people,
we also demanded to know
what is in Atiku/ PDP
administration for Nigeria
and Nigerians in general and
the South West in particular. “
Crisis not yet over —
SOURCE
Meanwhile, a former
member of the National
Working Committee, NWC,
who spoke to Vanguard in
confidence, said: “Contrary to
the impression given to party
members that the crisis will
be resolved, yesterday’s event
in Ibadan indicates that the
crisis is just beginning. If the
constitution is followed, it
means there is nothing, Ayu
won’t go. It means the crisis is
still on.”
No cause for alarm—
Atiku’s camp
But a source within the
Atiku camp said the former
Vice President’s camp
remains optimistic that the
issues at stake will be resolved
amicably.
He said: “This is the PDP. We
have a way of resolving our
disputes this one too will be
resolved sooner than later,
there is no cause for alarm.”
JAMB seeks hike of exam
registration fees to N5,000
By Levinus
Nwabughiogu
Tackle insecurity, inflation, collapsing education system, Anglican Primate tasks FG
By Chidi Nkwopara &
Luminous Jannamike
THE Archbishop,
Metropolitan and Primate of
the Church of Nigeria
Anglican Communion, His
Grace, Henry Ndukuba,
yesterday asked the Federal
Government to find a lasting
solution to the insecurity,
fuel crisis, collapse of
education system and
inflation in the country.
He also expressed regret
that some people, in recent
times, wrongly believed
that shedding of innocent
blood and destruction of
property remained the best
way to go about legitimate
demands for equity, fairness
and self-determination.
The Primate stated this on
a day President of the
Christian Association of
Nigeria, His Eminence
Archbishop Daniel Okoh,
said Nigeria would rise from
the current state of despair
and pain posed by insecurity
and economic woes to
abundance and prosperity.
The Anglican Primate,
who spoke at the opening
ceremony of the Church of
Nigeria Standing
Committee Meeting
(Anglican Communion)
with the theme, ‘‘Your
Kingdom come, your will be
ABUJA-The Registrar,
Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board,
JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, has
asked the federal
government for permission
to upwardly review the fee
of its entrance examination
from N3,500 to N5000.
He said the review was the
only way the Board would
remain financial viable and
make appreciable
remittances to the public
coffers.
Appearing before the
House of Representatives
Committee on Finance on
the Medium Term
Expenditure Framework,
MTEF, yesterday, Oloyede
who also appealed for
financial autonomy for the
board informed that in
2017, they reviewed the
fees downward after
remitting N7.5 billion to the
government.
According to him, the
board should revert to the
N5000 to enable it meet up
with the current economic
realities.
He said: "There is nowhere
that government funds this
type of examination. They
actually provide some
support for the institution
because students pay some
token as registration fees and
from it, they bear the
responsibility of salaries and
provide some succours.
“We are comfortable to be
taken off the budget but
there are conditions. One of
done’', said it was saddening
that Nigerians, unlike other
oil producing nations, could
not benefit from increased
oil prices, in spite of OPEC’s
increase of her output quota.
”We call on the relevant
authorities to expeditiously
address this sharp fall in
remittance by NNPC. We
re-emphasise the urgent
need for a lasting solution to
the lingering abused fuel
the conditions for example,
when students registered in
2016, we collected N5,000
and that had been on for 5
years before I joined. When
we came in, we remitted
N7.5 billion.
''We felt it was too much
and approached the federal
government to reduce the
fees. We have not added a
Kobo since.
“I believe we should revert
to the N5000 we were
charging. Given the
inflation, if we charge
N10,000– I am just giving
it as example, nobody will
ask the federal government
for one kobo.
''I am not aware of
anywhere in the world,
except maybe Finland—
that charges as low as JAMB
is charging. In Finland, we
know that everything is
free.
“We are hearing that you
are planning to borrow
billions. We are all going to
sink at the end of the day. If
there is any way anybody
believes he can save this
country, we should start
doing that. The earlier we
start the better for us.''
In his remarks, the Deputy
Chairman of the
Committee, Saidu
Abdulahi, argued that
N5000 would be a huge
economic burden on both
the students and parents.
The committee, however,
commended the registrar
for running the board
prudently
transparently.
Old PH Refinery will become
functional by December this
year — FG
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
ABUJA-THE Minister of
State for Petroleum
Resources, Chief Timipre
Sylva, said yesterday that
the Old Port Harcourt
Refinery would become
functional by December this
year.
The Minister disclosed this
when he briefed State House
correspondents at the end of
the Federal Executive
Council FEC, meeting
presided over by President
Muhammadu Buhari at
the Council Chamber,
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Sylvia said the
development of the
compressed natural gas,
CNG, was still in progress.
The minister, who was
responding to a question on
the state of the ongoing
repairs at the nation’s
refineries, said one of the two
refineries, the old one with
60,000 barrels-per-day
capacity, would be
functional by the end of
2022, adding that as works
were also progressing on
both the Warri and Kaduna
and
refineries.
He said: “The
rehabilitation of the
refineries is ongoing. As we
said earlier, the old refinery
in Port Harcourt, which is
about 60,000 barrels per
day capacity, will be
functional by December
and, of course, we still have
some time in the
contracting time to
conclude the rest of the Port
Harcourt Refineries.
“Works in the Kaduna and
Warri refineries are also in
progressing very well. We
will soon be embarking on
an inspection visit and some
of you journalists will be will
be able to go with us to
ascertain for yourselves
what the extent of work is."
On the country’s CNG
development programme,
the minister said progress
was being made, adding
that it was one of the steps
that must be achieved
before the removal of petrol
subsidy.
He said, “On the CNG
development, it's very much
in progress. That is part of
the promises we made, part
of the things we want to put
in place before the removal
of subsidy.
subsidies and persistent oil
theft of our national oil
infrastructure.
”Government must show
the political will to curb this
malaise and leverage on
technology to protect these
assets
”We demand more
transparency and
accountability by NNPC in
the management of this key
national wealth.''