16112022

30 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2022
By Emmanuel
Elebeke
CHIEF Executive
Officer of MTN
Nigeria, Karl Toriola,
says the first step expected
of the winner of the
2023 Presidential election
is to appoint the
right people into his cabinet.
Also, the immediate
past President of the Nigeria
Bar Association,
NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata,
collaborated the
earlier position that the
first thing the next president
should do is to assemble
the right people
to deal with the issues
confronting the
nation and hit the
ground running by tackling
the problem of energy
headlong, in other
to fire up the economy.
Speaking during a panel
session at the Nigeria
Economic Summit Group
conference with the
theme: ‘2023 and Beyond:
Priorities for
Shared Prosperity', the
MTN chief said there is
not much the next president
of Nigeria can do to
:Vanguard
News
MTN sets agenda for
incoming president
change the trajectory in
the first 100 days other
than ensuring that the
right people and the
right leadership team
are brought on board to
make positive changes.
For him, “part of the
Immediate things to do
by the next administration
in the first 100 days
in office is to improve on
the Ease of doing business
and stabilizing the
Forex rate, allowing capital
to flow freely in and
out of the country, address
multiple taxation.
“The security of lives
and property is the primary
aim of government
and without a secured
operating environment,
the private sector cannot
achieve the goals we aspire
have in an unsecured
environment . The
next president should harness
the human capital potential
of Nigerians and set
up developmental and educational
institutions that addresses
the opportunities of
the future and ensure consistency
in policies. Policy stability,
consistency and clarity
is what the private sector
wants.”
We've accessed N30bn from
N150bn bridging finance —Okowa
By Festus Ahon
A
S A B A —
GOVERNOR
Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta
State, yesterday, said the
state government has
accessed N30 billion out
of the N150 billion that
it applied for from a
financial institution,
under the 'Bridging
Finance' facility.
Okowa made the
disclosure while fielding
questions from
journalists, shortly after
inspecting the Koka
flyover and Interchange,
Stephen Keshi Stadium,
the Leisure Park and
Film Village, as well as
the Dennis Osadebey
University, all in Asaba.
The governor
explained that N25
billion out of the N30
billion 'Bridging
Finance' loan already
accessed by the state
government had been
deployed into some
ongoing projects,
adding that the
remaining N5 billion
was channelled into the
payment of pensioners
in the Bureau for State
Pensions and the Local
Government Pensions
Bureau.
Okowa, who is also the
vice presidential
candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
however, said local
government pensioners
were not under the
state's purview,
explaining that the N2.5
billion was given to
them as grant from the
state government.
He said: "On the Bridging
Finance, as at today, we have
only been able to access N30
billion of it and we have
deployed it into various
projects.
"We also have directed
that N2.5 billion from
that N30 billion be given
to Bureau for State
Pension and a grant of
N2.5 billion to the Local
Government Pension
Bureau to help off set
pensioners debt."
Ugwuanyi inaugurates PDP state
campaign organisation
GOVERNOR Ifea
nyi Ugwuanyi of
Enugu State, yesterday,
said the state chapter of
the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, has constituted
a robust campaign organisation
to ensure all
candidates of the party
comfortably win in the
2023 polls.
Speaking while inaugurating
the PDP Campaign
Organisation in
Enugu State, under the
leadership of Ikeje Asogwa,
a former state chairman
of the party, as the
Director General, DG,
Ugwuanyi congratulated
the DG and members of
the organisation selected
for the onerous task, reminding
them and all
teeming members of the
PDP that “we are in this
together.”
The governor, who
harped on grassroots'
campaign and mobilisation
stressed that “we
must campaign for our
party in our political
wards and communities as
politics is indeed local,” noting
that “When we win all the
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
GRADUATION—From left: Founder, Potters Wheel Foundation, Mr. Godsown Onuzurike;
First Lady, Enugu State, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi; Brewery Manager, Nigerian Breweries,
NB, Plc., Peter Ani, and Corporate Affairs Manager (East), Nigerian Breweries, Mrs. Joy
Egolum, during the graduation ceremony of the NB’s Youth Empowerment Programme,
held in Enugu.
Buhari orders security to fish out killers
of Imo monarch
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
A DENT
BUJA—PRESI
Muhammadu
Buhari has condemned
what he described
the heinous killing
of Eze Ignitus Asor,
the traditional ruler of
2023: There’ll be no elections if... —Okorie,
Njoku
By Levinus
Nwabughiogu,
Luminous
Jannamike & Ezra
Ukanwa
FACTIONAL presi
dential candidate of
the All Progressives
Grand Alliance, APGA,
Chekwas Okorie, has
said the general elections
may not hold in
2023, should the authentic
APGA and its lawful
candidates be excluded
from the polls.
Speaking, yesterday, at
a briefing in Abuja, Okorie
expressed disappointment
over the nonrecognition
of Edozie
Njoku by the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, as
the lawful national chairman
of the party.
polling units in our ward, our
ward is won; when we win all
the wards in our local government
area, our local government
area is won; when
we win all our local government
areas, our state is finally
won. Therefore, in reality,
it is everybody’s business to
sell our party.
The governor pointed out
that the PDP has enjoyed the
overwhelming support and
kind consideration of the good
people of Enugu State in the
past two decades, stressing
that this demonstration of
love, unflinching support and
committed solidarity have
been the wind in the sail of
the party in the state.
He regretted that even
after the ruling of the
Supreme Court, which
reinstated Njoku, INEC
was yet to accord recognition
to the ruling.
He appealed to President
Muhammadu Buhari,
the National Assembly,
the National Security
Adviser, NSA, the
Inspector General of Police,
IGP, among other
authorities, to prevail on
INEC to give recognition
to Njoku's faction.
It will be recalled that
APGA has been in a long
drawn leadership feud
between Njoku and the
Chief Victor Oye-led faction
which produced
INEC recognized Professor
Peter Umeadi as
APGA's presidential candidate
in next year's elections.
Okorie said: "I am speaking
on my behalf, on behalf of the
vice presidential candidate,
Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed,
and on behalf of all legitimate
and lawful candidates of
APGA who have been restrained
and constrained by
the unfortunate non-recognition
of the authentic and
supreme court recognized
national chairman of the party,
Chief Edozie Njoku.
"By not obeying the judgement
of the supreme court,
we are unable to join others
in the campaign and APGA
is being put in a very precarious
situation because any
person parading himself as a
candidate of APGA, even
from 2019, has gone against
the judgement of the court.
"Mine is to draw the attention
of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, National Assembly,
all political parties and
candidates who are going
the Obudi-Agwa community
in Oguta Local Government
Area of Imo
State, and others.
The President, in a
statement by his Senior
Special Assistant on
Media and Publicity,
Mallam Garba Shehu,
directed security agencies
in the State to thoroughly
investigate the
dastardly act and ensure
that the perpetrators face
the full wrath of the law.
While commiserating
with family, friends, the
Obudi-Agwa community,
as well as all those
affected by the attacks,
the President prayed for
the speedy recovery of
those injured.
about campaigning, thinking
there will be an election if
APGA is excluded.
"I am drawing the attention
of the international community
to what is happening that
will bring a lot of scandal to
our country. I have consulted
with senior lawyers, Justices
of courts, both serving
and retired and they all shook
their heads in wonder of how
President Buhari said
he acknowledged the
spirited efforts by the Imo
State Government at improving
the security situation
and encouraged
all Imo residents and citizens
to robustly support
the collective efforts of
state actors and members
of the local community
to keep everyone
safe.
a certified Supreme Court
judgment duly served on
INEC by an executive bailiff
of the Supreme Court with a
sworn affidavit of service, will
be practically set aside by
mere statement of the Director
of Communication of a
court who took advantage of
the court being on recess to
make himself available to be
so procured."
Azeez Amida Foundation partners
Dakolo to support victims of
Bayelsa floods
Y Amida ENAGOA—AZEEZ
Foundation, a
brainchild of Nigerian author
and business executive, Azeez
Amida, has partnered with the
support initiative of Nigerian
singer, Timi Dakolo, to
provide relief aid to 50,000
victims of the Bayelsa Floods.
The recent flooding in
Nigeria, which the BBC has
described as an
overwhelming disaster, is the
worst flooding Nigeria has
seen in a decade.
The floods, which started
earlier in October, have left
over 600 people dead,
displaced 1.3 million people,
and destroyed more than
200,000 homes, a large
expanse of farmlands with
several properties lost.
According to the Minister of
Humanitarian Affairs,
Disaster Management and
Social Development, Sadiya
Umar Farouq, the floods
happened because many
states were not adequately
prepared for the disaster
despite warnings.
As part of its drive, mission,
and objectives to alleviate
hunger and poverty in Africa,
the Azeez Amida Foundation
has donated to support the
victims. Thousands of medications
covering the treatment
of malaria, typhoid,
cholera, skin infections, allergies,
and cough were donated.
In addition, first-Aid kits and
antiseptic supplies for improved
living were also made
available.
“Nigeria’s economy has
been through terrible
moments in the past year, and
inflation has affected people’s
cost of living and income
levels. The flooding has
further wrecked more havoc
on an already fragile
economy and people, making
living even more
unbearable,” said Azeez
Amida, founder of the Azeez
Amida Foundation,
According to him, it was a
no-brainer to accept when
Nigerian singer and Bayelsa
native Timi Dakolo reached
out to the foundation in his drive
to support the people of Bayelsa.
“To assist victims of this
overwhelming disaster, we have
partnered with Timi Dakolo on
his support initiative to provide
relief materials to the affected
people. This will also be our first
outreach as a foundation to the
Niger Delta, so we are grateful
for the opportunity,” Amida
added.