Yemi Osinbajo attends emergency ECOWAS meeting in Togo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has represented Nigeria at an emergency meeting of leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Lome, Togo.

Following his arrival, Osinbajo was received at the airport by Togolese president, Faure Gnassingbe on Saturday, April 14,

Earlier, the vice-president’s spokesperson, Laolu Akande, stated that Osinbajo is expected back in the country later on Saturday, April 14.

Akande also disclosed that the ECOWAS meeting will touch on the developments in Guinea-Bissau and that ECOWAS leaders will receive a report on the situation, deliberate on the presentation and issue a communique at the end of the meeting.

“Osinbajo, who is accompanied to the meeting by Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, is expected back in Abuja later today," the spokesperson said.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on his arrival in Lome, photo credit: The Punch

Osinbajo was received at the airport by Togolese president, Faure Gnassingbe, photo credit: The Punch

Osinbajo is expected back in Nigeria on Saturday, April 14, photo credit: The Punch

The ECOWAS meeting will touch on the developments in Guinea-Bissau, photo credit: The Punch

Meanwhile, Chief Uche Ogar, a former governorship candidate under the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia state says that Igbos will benefit more under President Muhammadu Buhari if he emerges in 2019.

Ogar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Saturday, April 14, that the president had revived some projects abandoned by the immediate past administration in the southeast zone.

According to him, President Buhari’s declaration for presidency in 2019 is good news especially for Igbos.

He urged people of the zone to support the president’s intention and vote for him massively when the time comes.

Voter registration: Osun declares April 16 public holiday

The Osun government has declared Monday next week public holiday to enable the workers in the state to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obawale Adebisi, commissioner for home affairs in a statement on Thursday, April 12, in Osogbo, said the holiday was to provide ample opportunity to eligible voters to participate in the exercise.

Adebisi urged those that had yet to register to use the holiday period to do so, and those that had registered to also use the period to collect their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC).

According to him, ''Voter registration and collection of PVCs are important and strategic to the electoral process and have capability of strengthening the democratic governance.

''Voter registration helps to facilitate the credibility of the electoral process and democratic governance. That is why government found it imperative to create an ample opportunity by declaring Monday a work-free day, being the last day for the eligible voters to register.

''Thus, government passionately urges the people to go out and register in the remaining days, while those who have lost or defaced their cards can register afresh. The affected ones should guard against registering twice as each person is only allowed to register once.''

Adebisi said since the CRV was periodic, the state government considered it imperative to dedicate a day for fresh potential voters to register to enable them to exercise their franchise during elections.

The commissioner enjoined the residents of the state who had attained 18 years and above to go to the nearest registration centres to them to register.

He said a voter that had relocated to a new place should also approach the INEC office in the new area for transfer of voters’ card to enable him or her to participate in elections there. Newsmen report that the second quarter of the exercise started on April 11 and will end on April 16

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Mahmood Yakubu said electronic voting will not be used in 2019.

Yakubu said this in Abuja on Wednesday, April 11, at the end opening of a three-day International Conference of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) in West and Southern African countries in Abuja themed “Opportunities and Challenges in the Use of Technology: Experiences from West and Southern Africa”.

The INEC boss, who also doubles as the president of ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), however, said that electronics would be deployed in the collation and transmission of elections results.

N450m money laundering: You’ve case to answer - Court tells Belgore

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday, April 12 dismissed a no-case submission filed by a senior advocate of Nigeria, Dele Belgore, in response to the money laundering charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. 

Belgore’s co-defendant, Abubakar Sulaiman, a former minister of national planning, also lost a similar application, urging the court to discharge him and let him go.

Justice Rilwan Aikawa, in his ruling, held that the EFCC had succeeded in making a prima facie case against Belgore and Sulaiman, saying they have a case to answer.

The justice said: “I have read all the erudite submission of the respective counsel in support and in opposition to the no case application. I have formed an opinion that the first and second defendant have case to answer. Consequently the no case application is hereby dismissed and defendants should proceed to open their defense.''

The judge ordered them to put in their defence, if they have any, against the allegations levelled against them by the EFCC.

The anti-graft agency had arraigned them on five charges, alleging that they collected N450m cash from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.

They were accused of handling the huge sum without going through any financial institution, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

Counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that Belgore and Sulaiman acted contrary to sections 1(a), 16(d), 15(2)(d) and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012. The duo were first arraigned on February 8, 2017.

The EFCC subsequently amended the charges on two occasions, leading to the re-arraignment of the defendants. The defendants pleaded not guilty on each occasion.

After calling two witnesses and tendering a number of exhibits, the EFCC closed its case against the defendants late last year, leaving the floor for them to open their defence.

But in response, Belgore and Sulaiman, through their lawyers, Ebun Shofunde (SAN) and Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN), filed no-case submissions, contending that the prosecution failed to establish a prima faciecase against them.

It was learnt that the court, however, dismissed the applications calling on them to enter defence.

Meanwhile, a top official of the federal government on Tuesday, April 3, disclosed that Presidency ordered the release of a comprehensive list of those it claims engaged in the massive looting.

The official said Presidency conveyed the directive to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the weekend.

I was tortured to frame Shehu Sani - Kaduna Civilian JTF leader alleges

Garba Isa, a member of the Kaduna Civilian JTF who is in the centre of the murder case controversy against Senator Shehu Sani of one Lawan Maiduna, has alleged that the military forced him to implicate the senator.

According to Isa who made the confession while speaking to journalists in Kano state on Thursday, April 12.

His words: “I was not in Kaduna but received calls that the military are looking for me on an issue so when I went back I was at our office in Kabala Doki when the military came and asked me to come with them.

Senator Shehu Sani exonerated from murder case. Photo credit: Nigerian Senate

“The military told me that they arrested some suspects and I alongside another person we should come in our position as JTF to verified their identity at Badarawa so after an inquiry they allowed the other person to go and asked me to follow them.

"They now took me to Kukwa Ahmed Aruwa Firm, and kept me there I was there when a military captain came and left there after he sent an intelligent officer who now came and told me that I was the one who killed Lawan Bakin Ruwa.

“I told them as a civilian JTF how can I kill anybody, they now started torturing me that I must accept that I’m the one who killed him and Senator Shehu Sani was the one who contracted us to do it.”

Garba Isa added that he spent two weeks with the military but still refused to implicate Senator Shehu Sani adding that “later we were transferred to the Kaduna state CID where I spent almost a month and from where I was taken to prison.”

He said it was at the Kaduna state high court he got his bail but he sustained severe injuries on his right hand.

Senator Sani has reacted to the confession through his Twitter page, saying efforts to tarnish his image won't succeed.

Eealier the Kaduna state police command named Senator Shehu Sani as a person of interest in an ongoing investigation relating to a case of criminal conspiracy and culpable murder.

The police commissioner in the state, Austin Iwar, has asked the senator to appear on April 30 at the command headquarters in Kaduna for questioning over the issue.

Atiku Abubakar calls for restructuring of Nigeria again

Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has restated his calls for the restructuring of the Nigerian federation and the devolution of powers to the lower tiers of government.

He also urged the country’s leaders to follow the letter and spirit of federal character and other affirmative action policies to help manage distributive conflicts until such a time when the country has done enough to enhance production in order to reduce the scarcity that drives the conflicts over distribution.

In his presentation on Wednesday, April 11, in Abuja at a symposium on 'federalism, diversity and nation-building – Tackling the challenges of integration in Nigeria', organised by the institute of governance and social research, Atiku argued that: “if we restructure our federation, make compromises, and govern better, we will have a greater chance of transforming our diversity into a national asset.”

He noted that enduring changes to the country’s structure and redistributive systems can only come about through negotiations and compromises by leaders of the diverse groups and zones, adding that with a spirit of give and take, the capacity to empathise, to walk in the other’s shoes, compromises will be easier.

He said the country’s “unitary federalism” has also been characterised by too much government involvement in economic and other activities.

According to him, the country now has federal roads, schools, and hospitals, in addition to business investments that the federal government embarked upon.

He stated that the country is a diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society with three dominant groups in three geographic regions each with many minority groups.

Atiku noted that none of the three major groups and neither of the two main religions has overall dominance in the country.

Speaking on what should be done, the former vice president stated that: “So, we need to step back, agree on what the centre must do and what can and should be devolved to the lower tiers of government

“We must devolve powers and responsibilities to the federating states. Much of what is currently in the exclusive legislative list need to be moved to the concurrent List. We don’t need federal roads, federal hospitals, and federal schools.

"They should be transferred to the states along with the funds expended on them. At best the federal government may establish regional centres of excellence in medicine and research in each of the geo-political zones, which can act as models for state governments.

"The federal government should hands-off the administration of local governments. States should have the power to create as many local governments as they wish or to not create any. With the devolution of power to state governments, people in each state would know who to hold responsible if their roads are not fixed and if their hospitals have no medi.cation,” he explained.

According to him, the devolution of powers to states must extend to political parties, adding that political parties should not behave in a unitary manner and expect a robust democratic federal system for Nigeria.

“Having the party headquarters in Abuja dictate to state (and even local government) branches even on purely local matters is not healthy for democracy and federalism. Such high-handedness promotes corruption and impedes attention to minority interests and local peculiarities.

"We need to also follow the letter and spirit of such existing mechanisms as federal character and other affirmative action policies to help manage distributive conflicts until such a time when we do enough to enhance production in order to reduce the scarcity that drives our conflicts over distribution

"Inevitably in federal systems, component units will bicker over the distribution of resources, including revenues, location of investments and other opportunities.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, had previously stated that Nigeria could be restructured in six months and identified the issue of resource control as preventing this move.

Presidency Reacts as Obj.Calls Buhari's Administration Incompetent

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obasanjo had on Monday while addressing a group of youths who visited him at his country home Abeokuta described the Buhari administration as a failure.

Obasanjo also asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) -led government to stop complaining about the challenges it met on the ground.

“What we have now is failure. Never you reinforce failure, let failure be failure… Those of you who are in business, your business could have been better today if we have a competent and effective and performing government.’’

However, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who responded to Obasanjo’s comments in a telephone interview on Channels Television on Monday, said the assessment was not new.

“Already, the statement issued few months ago by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in response to the earlier criticism made against the government by Obasanjo had adequately addressed the issues raised," Adesina said.

He maintained that the APC-led federal government would keep making reference to the failures of the past administration with a view to guiding against such mistakes in future.

According to Adesina, the Buhari administration has successfully tackled mismanagement of the nation’s economy, as Nigeria now has more savings in its foreign reserve than ever before.

Earlier.Obasanjo has taken a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari saying Nigerians are all victims of incompetent government.

Obasanjo spoke on Monday, April 2 at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state, while hosting the New Nigeria Group.

Obasanjo also cautioned Nigeria not to be carried away by the Peoples Democratic Party’s recent apologies.

He also said they should not be swayed by the All Progressives Congress’s new reform. The former president asked the ruling party to stop giving excuses to Nigerians.

We are all victims of incompetent government - Obasanjo

Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has taken a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari saying Nigerians are all victims of incompetent government.

The former president had earlier written an open letter to President Buhari asking him not to seek re-election in 2019.

Obasanjo spoke on Monday, April 2 at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state, while hosting the New Nigeria Group.

He said: “The first lesson I learnt in my military training is to never reinforce failure. What we have now is a failure.

“Never you reinforce failure. Let failure be failure. And if you do not see what you should see, you will then be a victim of what you don’t like because it’s only when you see what you should see and you do what you should do that you put away what you do not like.

“Those of you who are into business know that by now you could have been better if we have an effective government. The truth is this – when you have an ineffective and incompetent government, we are all victims and don’t let anybody deceive you.”

Obasanjo also cautioned Nigeria not to be carried away by the Peoples Democratic Party’s recent apologies.

He also said they should not be swayed by the All Progressives Congress’s new reform.

The former president asked the ruling party to stop giving excuses to Nigeria.

He said: “Stop giving excuses; we met challenges. If there were no challenges, then we wouldn’t need you to come. You came in because you know there were challenges… stop giving us excuse that you have many challenges, that is why you haven’t achieved results,” he said.

“I have publicly said and I mean it, that as a party, neither PDP nor APC can get us there as they have been. Never mind about reforms and apology and all that.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has not seen any reason to fret over unsubstantiated claims by the opposition that there is a growing coalition against the ruling partyahead of the 2019 election.

The party said its major preoccupation now was to build and strengthen itself ahead of the polls.

National publicity secretary of the APC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said this in a telephone interview in Abuja, on Friday, March 23.

UN condemns Boko Haram attack in northeast

Mr Yassine Gaba, the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, on Monday, April 2 strongly condemned Sunday’s deadly attack near Belle Village in Maiduguri, Borno.

This is contained in a statement by Mr Abiodun Banire, the National Public Information Officer, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Abuja.

At least 34 civilians lost their lives in the attack which left 90 others injured.

Banire said that recent weeks had seen a steady continuation of attacks on civilians in the three most conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe in the Northeast Zone of the country.

Banire quoted Gaba as saying that since the beginning of the year, no fewer than 120 civilian were reportedly killed while more than 210 sustained serious injuries in more than 22 attacks allegedly carried out by non-state armed groups.

He said that civilians were also regularly abducted in Dapchi, Yobe, where 110 school girls were kidnapped on Feb. 19.

“Innocent civilians continue to suffer daily from direct and indiscriminate attacks in the North-east of Nigeria.

‘’Endless numbers of explosions, brutal killings, abductions and looting continue to uproot the lives of women, children and men daily.

“I call on all parties to the conflict to end this violence and to respect human life and dignity.

“The protection of civilians is a major focus of the ongoing humanitarian response in the north-east of Nigeria where 7.7 million people remain in direct need of humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter, water and health care, in the most conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe,” he said.

According to him, women, children and men face daily grave human rights violations and sexual and gender-based violence.

He said that since the start of the conflict in 2009, more than 20,000 people had been killed, thousands of girls, women, boys and men abducted, while children continue to be used routinely as so-called “suicide” bombers.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) issued a red-alert on Thursday, March 15, as it warns residents of Borno state against an impending attack by the Boko Haram terrorist group using vehicles loaded with explosives.

According to the police, the planned attack may result in heavy casualty if it succeeds since the insurgents are suspected to be targeting strategic locations of the city that are densely populated.

Premium Times reports that a statement by the police command in Borno state, signed by Ahmed Bello, an assistant commissioner of police, said the attack could take place in different parts of the city.

As a result, the security organs in the state have been mobilised to strategic locations to avert its possible occurrence.