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Clark Tasks N'Delta Militants on Peace, Governance
FROM KELVIN EBIRI, PORT HARCOURT
A PROMINENT Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has appealed to youths in the Niger Delta to ensure that the country remains governable for President Goodluck Jonathan amid threats by militants to unleash mayhem in the region should he be schemed out of the 2011 presidential race.
Clark, who made the appeal in Port Harcourt at the weekend, said the controversial zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was primarily intended to conciliate the Yoruba ethnic nationality for the annulled election won by the late Chief Moshood Abiola.
He said: "In 1999, the so-called zoning came as a way to please the Yoruba because of the injustice done to them when the best election was annulled. The zoning was a Yoruba affair".
The former minister, who explained that the PDP zoning arrangement ended with the 1999 election, insisted that what was uppermost at this time was how to make the federation governable.
Amid threats by some militants to disrupt oil production, Clark appealed to the new leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and youths in the region to ensure that the country was governable for President Jonathan.
Similarly, the Arewa Youth Forum said if President Jonathan must be president of the country by May 29, 2011, he should be a product of acceptance and not agitation.
The group's spokesman, Mohammed Ngiri, said that his organisation would support a situation where Jonathan would emerge as a President without expending so much funds to get his party's support and that of the generality of Nigerians.
He went on to say that Jonathan's presidency should rather be a bridge connecting the Niger Delta region with other sections of the country.
The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte, had told The Guardian that if Jonathan was schemed out of the presidential race, that would be enough motivation to provoke a small group of very angry young men to attack and sabotage a strategic pipeline, an oil installation or a key government building in Abuja.
Whyte said: "We have declared, therefore, that if President Jonathan is stopped from running for Presidency in 2011 in a manner that undermines the people of the Niger Delta, then all efforts that have been made so far in their amnesty process would be useless as more than 90 per cent of all key combatants will return to the creeks directly or indirectly".
Whyte explained that while the JRC did not want to get entangled in the politics of PDP driven by bigotry and parochial mentality, as well as the matter of zoning, what was important to it was that President Jonathan should do the right thing for the Niger Delta immediately and not foot-drag.
"If Jonathan wanted to run in 2011, then he will be careful in giving to the Niger Delta because he does not want to step on the toes of so-called powerful elitist of northern cabals. We feel that way and it is true", said Whyte.
"Political jobbers and professional conmen have flooded Abuja again and will in no small way distract the President from doing the right thing for the people of the Niger Delta. We also feel that in the event that the President seeks to run, he will be careful not to step on the toes of a certain northern elitist cabal and so, will avoid doing what he should do for the Niger Delta", he added.
Source: The Guardian, 26th July 2010.
Uduaghan, Akhigbe Differ on Electoral Fraud in Delta, Edo
FROM HENDRIX OLIOMOGBE, ASABA
FORMER Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Akhigbe and Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan during the weekend at Kwale, Ndokwa West Council of Delta State traded words over massive electoral fraud which is the bane of the nation's nascent democracy.
While Akhigbe, who spoke at a civic reception organised for Uduaghan by the Ndokwa people specifically called on the people of Edo and Delta states to turn a new leaf next year as the two states have become notorious for election rigging in the country, Uduaghan disagreed with him, insisting that Akhigbe's submission was a fallacy as it is on record that no election tribunal has ever upturned any governorship election result in Delta State.
Uduaghan stressed that the electoral cases upturned in the state were on grounds of pre-election irregularities.
But Akhigbe lamented that it was scandalous to know that Edo and Delta states have lately become the producers of the greatest election riggers in the country.
He added: "It is a thing to be ashamed of. So, I appeal to Uduaghan if he truly wants to represent the people from this area not engage in election rigging. He has to work very hard, and those who are his supporters must also avoid rigging of elections. Some of us who have had the privilege of serving in higher positions in this country will always feel terribly embarrassed."
The former Chief of General Staff said that as although he would not vie for ant elective office next year, he would like to see a situation where Delta and Edo states as well as the South-South would take the lead in holding free and fair elections in 2011.
Akhigbe, who chaired the event, counseled against voting on ethnic lines, stressing that the electorate should ensure they voted in those who would represent them well.
His words: "What we need today is not 'this is a member of my ethnic community' but 'this person is a Nigerian who can deliver the goods.' I will, as one of you, as a member of the old Bendel State, it might be difficult for us to separate Edo from Delta State, to elect leaders who are representatives of the people and who work for the people."
Source: The Guardian, 7th July 2010.
DELTA: Out In The Cold, Opposition Promises To Fight Back
From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba
THIS is probably not the best of days for the opposition in Delta State, going by the depletion in the rank and file of its membership. Almost all the political heavyweights are under the refuge of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Only recently, one of the last main men standing, Mr. Peter Okocha, the governorship candidate of the Action Congress (AC) dumped the party, but state chairman of the Democratic People's Party (DPP), Mr. Tony Ezeagwu is not perturbed. Even though he walks through the valley of the shadow of the PDP, he said, he should fear no evil because he and his fellow journeymen will eventually triumph.
The DPP, he insisted has always been the real opposition. The others who pitched tent with the opposition and later went back to the ruling party, Ezeagwu said, were never real but only fair weather political chameleons that showed their true colour at the slightest shove.
In the 29-member House of Assembly, 26 were originally PDP members, but Mrs. Amaechi Mrakpor who was elected on the ticket of Accord Party has since sought refuge under the big umbrella of the PDP, which was her original party, while the Minority Leader, Mrs. Pat Ajudua seem to be more PDP than Speaker Martin Okonta.
The role of the opposition in a democracy is to checkmate excesses of the ruling party and offer an alternative, but Mrs. Ajudua is so close to the ruling party that she virtually toes the PDP line in every parliamentary debate. There is but a very thin line dividing the opposition and the PDP in the House of Assembly.
Okocha and so many other carpet- baggers were originally in the PDP and only crossed over to the opposition AC when they fell out with the "owners of the PDP". Now that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is back to the PDP, it came as very little shock to the DPP chairman when Okocha dumped the AC.
He said that they only came to seek fortune in the land of the opposition and that he never took them serious right from the very beginning. "Okocha and all the rest of them were never serious opposition politicians. At heart, they were PDP, but merely pretended to be opposition. We had always suspected them all along," he said.
As for Accord Party, which returned Senator Patrick Osakwe to an unprecedented third term, he said it is an open secret that the party is an extension of the PDP. Osakwe had since returned home to the ruling party where he is said to be eying a fourth term.
The Accord Party in Delta State was a safe house for aggrieved PDP supporters of former Governor James Ibori, who could not have their way at the national level of the party, as the garrison ex-Chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali smoked out the "dissidents" who dared raise a voice against his jewel, Mrs. Maryam Enyi Kpakando Ahaba Ali.
Ezeagwu recalled that during the bitter fight between Enyi Kpakando Ahaba and Ibori, supporters of the ex-governor who were bombarded with federal fire needed protection. So when Osakwe lost the party's ticket to Mrs. Ali, he had to temporarily take refuge in Accord Party and come back home when the coast was clear. "You can see that these people were never in the opposition. They only flew the opposition flag when it was convenient for them," he said.
And for that reason, he explained that the real opposition leaders never trusted them. Their loyalty to the opposition cause was always in doubt. With the recent turn of events, there is no doubt that Ezeagwu's laugh has come last.
He said he chose to position himself firmly in the opposition because of his principles and strong conviction that the PDP has nothing to offer the people of Delta State and Nigeria. The almost 11 years of PDP government in the state has been a waste. There is practically nothing on the ground to show for the several billions of Naira, which the state got since 1999.
As for the fugitive former governor who was recently declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Delta DPP chairman said when the genuine opposition leaders raised an alarm about the squander mania in the state some years back, they were labeled as cynics who never saw anything good in Ibori.
He is a very happy man now that the Commission has finally seen what he and his fellow travelers saw long ago and has pledged to apprehend and prosecute the beleaguered former governor.
He said the party's long march to true democracy was the reason why its governorship candidate in the April 2007 election, Great Ogboru has been in court since. In what seems like a roller coaster ride, the case has been tossed back once again to the Appeal Court in neighbouring Benin, Edo State from the Election Petition Tribunal where a retrial was ordered.
As the leading light of the opposition in the state, Ezeagwu vowed that the party would soldier on, no matter how daunting the task may be. The party will never give in and join the bandwagon no matter how long and lonely the road to the liberation of the state may be.
In a free and fair election where there is one man, one vote, he said, there no is doubt that his party will vanquish the PDP as it has not shown any tangible achievement for its over one decade in office. "There is just no way the PDP can win a free and fair election in the state. Even then it must be noted that it has never won genuinely," he said.
But Mr. Peter Oracle Nwaoboshi, the PDP Chairman said there is no opposition in the state, which he emphasized, is a one party state. There is no terror in the ranting of the opposition for the PDP has become so strong in its five star performance.
Nwaoboshi predicted an earthquake victory for the party based on the solid foundation laid by Ibori and consolidated upon by Uduaghan. The party, he said, is not afraid of a free and fair election where vote counts. He said that almost everybody that matters politically in the state is in the PDP, wondering how the party could lose the state. In a test of popularity, he said, there is no iota of doubt that the party will win. "From the Asaba Airport to the stadium and street lights in the capital and Warri, there is no doubt that Uduaghan is an achiever who deserves a second term," he said.
The PDP, he reiterated is a moving train which cannot be stopped, advising that the earlier the opposition members shine their eyes and get on board, the better. Waiting in vain to board another train under the elements and without an umbrella for cover is a recipe for disaster. This is no time for any serious politician to position himself in opposition because life out there is cold and cruel.
Sounding upbeat, opposition leaders promise to contest the governorship polls next year and are confident that if there is a level playing pitch for all the parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the opposition will prove itself.
The DPP Chairman dared to hope that, this time around, things will be different especially as the controversial chairman of the electoral body, Prof. Maurice Iwu has been removed from office.
He warned that anybody who thinks that the DPP will only end up as just another party in the 2011 polls is only deluding himself.
Source: The Guardian, 2nd May 2010.
Uduaghan, Fashola Condemn Murder of Journalist
From John Ogiji, Minna
CONDEMNATIONS have continue to trail the killing last Saturday of The Nation's Judicial Correspondent, Mr. Edo Ugbuagwu.
Yesterday, Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, expressed shock at the brutal killing of Ugbuagwu, describing it as "mindless."
"What has this life turned to? Why couldn't society do anything to stop the killing? How could the killers have escaped?" he queried.
Uduaghan said the death of the journalist calls for greater vigilance from security agencies, government and the entire society.
"All hands must be on deck. Security agents, governments at all levels and everyone must be extra vigilant. We must learn to be our brother's keepers. That's the only way we can ensure such a sad development does not occur again," he added.
But the governor stated that justice can only be served and the family of deceased partially assuaged, if Ugbuagwu's killers are caught and brought to book.
"I agree that the killers must be fished out to face the music. That way, justice would have been served and the family of the slain journalist would feel that he did not die in vain," he added.
Also, the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), also on Tuesday expressed shock over the killing.
Fashola, in a condolence letter to the Managing Director and Editor-in- Chief of the Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation Newspaper, Mr. Victor Ifijeh, said he personally shares in the grief of the members of The Nation's family.
The governor stated that he is particularly horrified by the circumstances of the dastardly act which though is occurring in spite of the avowed commitment to outrun any competition which the criminally-minded who are by far in the minority offers, the passage would only strengthen the resolve of the security agencies to bring his killers to justice and protect the life and property of every law-abiding citizen in the state.
Said he: "Losing a dedicated reporter and family man like Mr. Ugbuagwu, whose beat ironically centres around dissemination of information on justice delivery, could be devastating. Be assured that I am one with you in prayers at this moment of pains."
"On behalf of the Government and people of Lagos State, please accept my heartfelt condolences. God in his infinite mercy will endow you, the management and family of the departed, with the strength to bear this irreparable loss," the letter stated.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Baba Barau, has called on Nigeria journalists not to relent in the pursuant of the truth as demanded by the profession.
Speaking in Minna yesterday while commissioning the secretariat complex of the Correspondents Chapel of the NUJ, Niger State Council, the commissioner regretted the senseless killing of journalists across the country by those he described as paid assassins.
He said journalists in the country are the watchdogs of the society, adding that "no amount of intimidation or threat to their life should deter them from discharging their professional responsibility."
He added that "the society is watching and relying on you for day-to-day happenings in the society. You should always ensure neutrality in your reporting even at gun-point."
The commissioner reminded them that with the 2011 general election around the corner, they should expect more attacks because, according to him, Nigeria politicians have abandoned decency in pursuance of public office for what he called do-or-die politics.
He, therefore, urged the media to be partner in progress with the government in order to remove rancour and misunderstanding which often arise in their coverage of government activities.
Source: The Guardian, 29th April 2010.
Electricity: Uduaghan Urges FG to Decentralise Distribution
From Eddy Odivwri in Geneva
Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has called on the Federal Government to decentralise power distribution so as to accelerate the development of the country.
He made the call while making a presentation in Geneva, Switzerland, at a two-day state organised summit, Delta Diaspora Direct (D3), for Nigerians and non-Nigerians on how Nigerians, especially Deltans in the Diaspora can make meaningful contribution to the development of the state.
Uduaghan noted that the failure to decentralise the energy sector has hampered the development of many states in Nigeria.
He said it is bad enough that the Federal Government has not been able to fix the energy challenges facing the country, but it is even worse that when alternative options are sought, the centralisation of the sector constitutes a lot of constraints in making any headway.
Uduaghan informed the audience at the summit that although Delta State has contributed about N3.9 billion to the Independent Power Projects (IPP) initiative of the Federal Government, the fruit of the investment is yet to be reaped.
He regretted that even though Delta State is already working on a private energy plan that can generate between 100 to 250 mega watts, "we will still not have access to it when it is ready because the sector is not yet deregulated", adding further that we may generate any amount of megawatt, but it has to be sent to the national grid, and it is only from there that whatever you generate can be transmitted and distributed".
He argued that the relative efficiency Nigeria has recorded in the telecommunication sector is because the sector has been completely deregulated.
The governor expressed concern that the failure of the Federal Government to fix the energy problem has slowed down the development pace of the country in general and Delta State in particular.
According to him, one-third o f the people of Delta State are not on the national grid, stressing that for the fact that the Federal Government is in charge of generating, transmitting and distributing power, "we can use our own power plant initiative to deal with that group of Deltans". He announced that despite the regulation by the Federal Government, the state is building a modular power plant.
In his presentation, Professor Philip Emegwali, the U.S-based Nigerian computer guru, lamented that the situation in Nigeria had caused the country to lose so many of its human capital.
He said: "Nigeria can become an economic power if it improves the situation in the country so it can record 'a brain gain from the brain drain'."
Emegwali challenged Nigerians to develop visions that can launch the nation into the next level, "because it is when you show the light that the people can find their way."
"Africa and indeed Nigeria can alleviate poverty by expanding the frontiers of science, climbing the tree of knowledge", he said, stressing that, "we must challenge the status quo".
Source: This Day, 27th April 2010.
Ritualists kill 2 inUghelli
PALPABLE tension yesterday enveloped Ughelli, Delta State, as two persons were allegedly killed by suspected ritualists.
The victims of the two separate incidents of the onslaughts which occurred at the Ughelli main market and Amekpa street in the Ughelli metropolis, had their hearts and other parts of their bodies removed by the suspected ritualists.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that one of the victims, a security man at Ughelli market, was allegedly strangled to death while attempting to resist his assailants who bungled one of the market stalls.
The hoodlums were to have carted away recharge cards and an undisclosed sum of money after they allegedly unleashed the dastardly act on the security man of about 65 years of age.
The other victim was allegedly attacked by the suspected ritualists in his house last Thursday night.
The hoodlums allegedly found their way into the apartment of the deceased after cutting down the burglary proof and killed him, removing his heart.
When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer, Ughelli 'A' Police Division, Mr Chris Sorgbara confirmed the killing of the security man.
He said the police was investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing, adding that the police was determined to unmask the perpetrators of the inhuman act.
Source: Vanguard, 24th April 2010.
Delta Dragged to Court Over Land Dispute
Written by Ben Dunno, Warri
Delta State governmenthas again been dragged to court over illegal demolition of structures and confiscation of a parcel of land belonging to the Ogbe-Owelle community in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state.
The plaintiffs, through their counsels are demanding a stay of action on further demolition as well as N200 million as compensation.
The court action instituted against the Delta State government by Messrs Lewis Ifeadi, Mordi Chukwu, Stephen Okoye and Andrew Chuwuzo on behalf of the community is premised on alleged illegal demolition by the Delta State Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban development.
In a suit filed in the Asaba High Court, Counsel to the Ogbe-Owelle community institution by Onyechi Ikepazu (SAN) and Dennis Nwanokwai claimed the various plots land belonging to their clients from the part of a larger expanseof land precisely 49.32 hectares, de-acquired by the Delta State government in 2005 and reverted to its orginal owners. The Ogbe Community vide a Delta State of Nigeria Gazatte No. 8 Vol 16 dated February 23, 2006 page 26.
The counsels averted that the land in question was legally de-acquired from Delta State government in 2005 and receipted for by the state lands, survey and urban development.
Affected members of the Ogbe-Owelle quarters, Okpanam in Osimili North Local Govenrment Area of Delta State had claimed that they started having trouble in the said parcel of land when the state government choose a site across the land for the construction of the Delta State Airport.
They claimed top Govenrment Officials and political Office holders then saw prime advantage of their land started pulling strings to covert the said land for their own use by forcefully taking it over from the legal owners...
Source: Leadership, 18th April 2010.
Delta Shares in Oceanic Bank not Used in Paying Ascot Loan
The management of Ascot Offshore Nigeria Limited has denied the allegation that the shares of Delta State government in Oceanic Bank were sold to pay the loan the company obtained from Intercontinental Bank to buy an oil servicing company, Willbros Group Inc, in 2006.
In a statement issued by Ascot Management on Friday, the company debunked the claims, saying the allegation was baseless.
While acknowledging that Delta State Government "used a portion of its shares in Oceanic Bank Int. Plc for the transaction," the company, however, insisted. "The Portion of Oceanic Bank shares used to part-secure the loan was never sold to pay off the loan obtained by Ascot."
Delta State government, Intercontinental Bank Plc and Ascot have confirmed that the shares are still in place. This fact can easily be verified through the CSCS (Central Securities Clearing System)".
The company emphasized that it emerged winners in a "very keenly contested bid. The purchase price was approximately $150m. As in any leveraged buy-out, Ascot had to source for funds to buy the company.
It approached Intercontinental Bank for a facility."The Ascot management further explained that the involvement of Delta State government in the purchase of Wilbros, an American based company, when it divested its holdings in Nigeria four years ago due to the crisis in the Niger Delta, was an open deal, which has benefitted the state.
Source: Vanguard, 18th April 2010.
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