#Ekitigate: My Life Is Under Threat - PDP Chieftain alleges

Dr. Temitope Aluko

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, who blew the whistle on the alleged rigging of the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State, yesterday alleged that his life was under threat.

Dr. Temitope Aluko, who on Sunday spoke of how former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly gave Governor Ayo Fayose $37 million to prosecute the election and directed that the military should facilitate victory for the then PDP candidate, said he escaped from the hands of “fake security men” on Sunday night.

He also indicted many politicians and military chiefs.

Also yesterday, All Progressives Congress (APC) urged the government to prosecute all the people indicted by the ex-PDP chief.

A human rights lawyer, Morakinyo Ogele also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the $37m allegedly given to Fayose by Jonathan.

Aluko said yesterday: “After the live television interview on Politics Today on Channels Television on Sunday at about 9.30 pm, my attention was drawn to the presence of some operatives supposedly from the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), seeking to effect my arrest.

“However, having passed though the same route before, my instinct immediately told me that something was amiss. I made some calls and found out that there was no such order to effect my arrest by the office of the IGP or from any other security agency for that matter.

“I was later made to understand that the ‘fake’ security agents were actually miscreants posing as security men and acting on the orders of Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose to get rid of me at all cost.

“I must let Nigerians know that I have made a resolution to let the whole world know what transpired during the Ekiti 2014 governorship poll.”

The Ekiti APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, called on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) to prosecute all those named in the Ekiti 2014 election rigging drama.

The party said it had twice petitioned the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice on the matter, stressing that the revelations by PDP secretary had made it imperative that the nation’s chief law officer must act now.

Olatunbosun said the election fraud crisis had refused to go despite all shenanigans by Fayose, who he said was the biggest beneficiary of the election fraud that created a blight on Nigeria’s international image.

The APC spokesman said even though there was nothing new in the PDP Secretary’s revelations, he noted, however, that it had become pertinent to prosecute the suspects as the revelations were again emanating from the insider who participated fully in what is now known as Ekitigate.

“By Aluko’s revelations, we are justified in our claim that our candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, never lost that election, but was criminally toppled by a coup d’etat orchestrated by Fayose in cahoots with President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that illegally deployed money and the military to ensure victory for Fayose.

“It is interesting that more names are coming up in the biggest election scam ever witnessed in Nigeria with the alleged participation of Ifeanyi Ubah of the infamous Transformation Agenda for Nigeria (TAN), a shadowy campaign group for former President Jonathan in the fraud. No wonder Ubah was compensated with a honorary Fellow by Fayose at the Ekiti State College of Education for a job well done.”

Ubah denied ever giving Fayose money for the election.

Olatunbosun went on: “It is in the light of this that we are calling on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute all the suspects in the election fraud for treasonable felony to preserve the integrity of the Nigerian Constitution.”

The APC said President Muhammadu Buhari should use Ekiti election “fraud” case to convince Nigerians that official impunity and fraud would not have a place in Nigeria under his watch.

“We have seen the Army already tackling the military aspect of the Army Probe Panel report. We expect the police and attorney general of the federation to also toe the line in coming out with the civilian component of the probe report and act accordingly.

“The military men were mere agents used by Fayose to rig the election. Some of the officers implicated in Fayose’s crime had been recommended for various sanctions, including losing their jobs while others are to face prosecution by the EFCC and court martial, according to the military rules and administrative procedure.

“These military men should not be made to suffer alone for the crime committed in conjunction with Fayose and his fellow conspirators in PDP who are still working free as if there is no law in this country,” he said.

Olatunbosun berated Fayose’s media aides, Lanre Ogunsuyi and Lere Olayinka, for claiming that Captain Koli’s audio tape was a forgery, saying, however, that it was gratifying that Fayose, who also first denied his voice on the tape, later admitted that it was his.

“If the Ekiti audio tape was a forgery as they alleged, were the appearances of Koli and Tope Aluko also forgeries?” he said.

Noting that Fayose had always mouthed his readiness to wave his immunity to face prosecution over alleged crimes, he said now was the time to wave that immunity to face prosecution on the electoral fraud.

He insisted that APC would not accept anything short of comprehensive review of the Ekiti State election saga, even as he urged Nigerians to prevail on the Minister of Justice to compel Fayose to explain to the world what he meant by saying that he collected INEC soft copies and got them printed as captured in Captain Sagir Koli’s tape detailing all activities connected with Ekiti poll rigging.

“Besides Fayose talking on the tape about how INEC gave him soft copies that he printed to win the election, the minister of justice must also compel the governor, who spoke on election result collation in the tape, to tell Nigerians which election result he was collating in Efon-Alaye on June 19, 2014, two clear days before the June 21, 2014 governorship election,” Olatunbosun concluded.

Ogele urged Fayose to resign from office within seven days “because the election that brought him to office was highly compromised”.

He vowed to approach the Federal High Court if Fayose fails to resign to seek a declaration that the election is null and void by reason of the latest facts and figures released by Fayose’s former right-hand man.

The activist-lawyer also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain its own side of the story following the alleged sharing of N1 billion by its officials to compromise the Ekiti poll.

“They have the statutory power to probe this fraud; they should look into it to ascertain whether it is part of the arms money diverted and shared among many people. If truly the Federal Government is determined to fight corruption, EFCC, as a matter of urgency, should comb Ekiti for this gigantic fraud.”

Gov Wike declares January 27 public holiday

The Rivers State Government has approved January 27 every year as a public holiday to mark the validation of the election of Nyesom Wike as the governor of the State.

The Supreme Court delivered her judgment upholding Wike’s election on January 27, 2016.

“Every January 27 will be observed as a public holiday in this state because that is the day God came down to save Rivers State. What people must understand is that power comes from God. We know God speaks last and he has spoken,” Wike said on Tuesday while addressing thousands of civil servants at the State Civil Service Secretariat in Port Harcourt.

Wike warned against rigging the rerun elections in Rivers state, noting that electoral offenders will be treated as armed robbers by the people.

He said, “Anyone who plans to rig an election is an armed robber and should be treated as such. If you are coming to rig an election in the state, first prepare your will before embarking on the journey. Inform your wife or husband and go ahead to say your last prayer.

The governor also announced that Friday February 5, will be observed as a public holiday to enable all Rivers people prepare for the rerun elections.

He urged the civil servants and other people of the State to ensure they vote for PDP candidates in the re-run elections to promote harmony in governance and sustain the development agenda of the state government.

“When someone cannot come through the door, he may want to come through the window. Rivers people must not allow them. Our people must stop them from entering through the window to obstruct the good works of this administration,” Wike stated.

Speaking further on the rerun elections, Governor Wike said that the will of the Rivers people will prevail, adding that the use of security forces and other electoral officials to rig the process will fail woefully.

The governor assured civil servants and pensioners that his administration will continue to pay their salaries and pensions. He said all welfare issues will be given top priority.

He, however, stated that steps will be taken by the administration to verify the actual number of civil servants and pensioners to stop payment to non-existent beneficiaries.

The governor added that the administration will work out modalities to improve the state’s internally generated revenue.

Jonathan’s government most corrupt – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday identified corruption as the greatest single challenge facing Nigeria, attributing it to one of the worst legacies of misrule and bad governance.

He also noted that until President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent effort to fight corruption headlong, it had “taken a seat at the very heart of government”, and was fighting Nigeria with a vengeance.

The remark by the former president was at the inaugural conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy held at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan. It was an undisguised critique of the Jonathan years, unravelling as a very corrupt era in Nigeria’s history.

Obasanjo, who himself governed Nigeria twice, 1976-1979 and 1999-2007 tried to exculpate his regimes from blame and praised his efforts at his last coming.

“We set up the ICPC and the EFCC to tackle it head on. Today, corruption drains billions of dollars from our economy that cannot afford to lose even a million dollars.

“It seems we are just beginning the fight against corruption afresh.‎ Until recently, it seems corruption had returned with a vengeance, taking seat at the very heart of government.

“We must kick corruption out because it destroys almost everything and I am not talking about corruption of money; corruption of attitude, nepotism, favouritism, they are corruption in different forms, ‘’ he said.
On the economy, Obasanjo said the current fiscal challenge facing the country must be creatively addressed.
The former president said the drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market had unravelled the weakness of governance in the country.

“The Minister of Finance recently announced that the 2016 budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the draft document before the National Assembly to N3 trillion.

“It will be recalled that a few years ago we rescued Nigeria from its creditors with the deal in which the Paris Club of sovereign creditors wrote off USD 18 billion of debt,
“It was Africa’s largest debt cancellation. Nigeria then used windfall earnings from oil export to pay off another USD 12 billion in debts and arrears, ” he said.

Obasanjo also commended the initiator of the school, Dr Tunji Olaopa , saying that the institution seeks to engage with the people that public policy affects.
“I charge the conference to redefine the issues and catalyse a process of sustained dialogue to address them,” he said.

New Edo hospital better than many in Europe – Gov Oshiomhole

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says the state’s 200-bed Central Hospital is more beautiful and will be better equipped than many hospitals in Europe and Asia. What do you think of this?

Speaking during an inspection of the hospital Tuesday, the Governor assured that the 200-bed Central Hospital, which has attained 98% completion, will be adequately maintained to ensure its durability and effective service delivery to the people.

According to Oshiomhole: “When I said at the beginning that our intention is to build what I called a five-star hospital, most people tried to imagine what that meant, but I am sure just looking at the building, I don’t know of any hotel in Nigeria, in terms of aesthetics, that has a better appeal than this. And this is the sort of thing you find in Europe, and some other advanced economies. 

If you are in the 21st Century, begin to think as if you are in the 22nd Century because the world has changed and it will keep changing. The pace of change will keep accelerating.

“The whole idea is that when a typical Edo person comes from a village like mine, if he gets in here and realizes that even the environment psychologically impacts on him and he begins to appreciate that he is important, he is in the hands of professional healthcare providers, that way, that forgotten rural man, for once, will have access to modern facilities. 

You don’t need to board an airline to London, to India, to Europe to be told how hospitals look there. I am sure that those of you who may have for one reason or another travelled; there are many hospitals in Europe and in India that are not as beautiful as this.”

Speaking further, Oshiomhole said: “And so, I believe that a hundred years from now, this hospital will not look outdated. You will see that as you look at the internal finishing, we took into account the conventional challenges you have with public building, problem of painting and repainting, and with the facials that you have, you will never need to do repainting, all you need is proper cleaning at regular intervals.”

African Union base attacked in Somalia by Al-Shabaab

Islamic extremist group, Al-Shabab attacked a base for African Union peacekeepers in southwestern Somalia on Friday, blasting their way into the compound and exchanging fire with peacekeepers, a Somali military official said.

Many of Islamic figthers started a complex attack on the military base which is run by Kenyan troops who are part of the African Union force in the town of El-Ade, not far from the Kenyan border, Ahmed Hassan told The Associated Press by phone from Elwak, a town near the scene of the latest attack.

The attack started with a suicide car bomb, and then heavy gunfire was heard as militants stormed into the base, he said.

Fighting is still going on inside the base, he said. He had no details about any casualties.

Al-Shabab reported on its online radio that its fighters had managed to penetrate the base and were fighting African Union troops.

Despite being pushed out of Somalia’s major cities and towns, al-Shabab continues to launch deadly guerrilla attacks across the Horn of Africa country.

The group, which has ties with al-Qaida, has also carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenya.

Nigerian researcher wins Kwame Nkrumah Prize for Earth Sciences

                 Kwame Nkrumah

 

The Committee of Vice-Chancellors has commended Prof. Umezurike Opara, a Nigerian researcher, for winning the African Union Kwame Nkrumah prize for Life and Earth Science.
The CVC’s Secretary-General, Prof. Michael Faborode, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja that Opara’s feat was a welcome development.

NAN recalls that Opara was issued a cheque of $100,000 for the award at the 26th session of the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 30.
According to Faborode, the award shows that Nigeria’s education system has not fallen to the level it is being portrayed.

He said: “This is good news.
“It again confirms the danger of undue over-generalisation on issues concerning the standard of education in Nigeria.
“We still have a lot to be proud of in the system.
“This prize is, indeed, a welcome development.
“Definitely, more are in the offing as the academia begins to pick up again.
“That Nigeria won the hosting of 10 out of a total of 22 African Centres of Excellence Supported by the World Bank and Association of African Universities gives hope of the new dawn for Nigeria’s higher education system.

“So we are very delighted at the news and congratulate ourselves.”
Faborode said, however, that more still needed to be done to revamp the standard of education as knowledge infrastructure had been undermined according to findings of the 2013 NEEDS assessment.

FG shortlists more investors for national broadband project

 

 

The federal Government through the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has planned to continue the implementation of the 2013-2018 National Broadband Plan (NBP) stating that plan has been fine-tuned to license five new Broadband deployment Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) before the end of first quarter into the year.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Professor Umar Dambatta who made this known stated further that the two firms already licensed to handle broadband deployment in Lagos and North Central Zones have been invited for discussion in the bid to fast track infrastructure deployment on the National Broadband Plan.

Although the industry regulator is yet to approve licenses for the other five Zones of North East, North West, South- South, South West and South East but the EVC admitted that not much was going on in the deployment of services in the two licensed zones.

He, however, explained that discussion is on-going in the bid to address the challenges MainOne which won the Lagos central license for broadband deployment in Lagos is facing stating that HIS consortium which won the license for the North Central will also be engage.

He Said the Federal government wants to grow the sector's contribution to the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and create jobs with the deployment of broadband services nationwide stating that the government is ready to address challenges that is delaying service deployment.

He further assured that licenses for the other Zones will be ready before March of this year stating further that the process for licensing the new five zones will be determined by the report submitted by the committee set up for that purpose.

He said, “Nigeria’s internet access hiccups characteriesd by slow, high cost, exasperating access to the cyberspace, inspite of the growing numbers of underwater cable systems in the country coast line, would soon be resolved.

“The InfraCos Committee will soon submit their report for consideration. I can assure a new industry structure will be adopted to engender effective competition at all layers as well as drive innovation and speed broadband infrastructure nationwide.”

According to the NCC chief the telecoms industry has thus far generated about 2.5millio direct and indirect jobs explaining that out of this figure 500,000 million represented the number of directed jobs generated while the number of indirect ones was put at two million.

Hence he said with provision of broadband license to the other regions of the country Nigeria is open for more investment, attract new investor, encourage more ICT innovations and as well engender healthy competition in the industry.