TheNewsGuru

Tag: Crisis

  • NAF begins personnel’s trial over UNIOSUN crisis

    A panel set up by the Nigerian Air Force to investigate the cause of the crisis between the University of Osun State, UNIOSUN Ipetu Ijesa, and some air force men in the area has submitted its report.

    One airman indicted in the report but whose name is yet to be disclosed has reportedly been prosecuted as ordered by Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

    The NAF panel disclosed that the crisis was caused by the air force personnel who clashed with some cult members and gangsters from UNIOSUN.

    Some air force personnel had allegedly invaded the institution on May 24, beating up and injuring some students and lecturers in a crisis which lasted for about three days.

    NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, who also did not disclose the identity of the indicted air force personnel, said the panel had been given more time to make a fuller report on the incident.

    He said, “We assure the public that any NAF personnel found culpable will be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate laws. The NAF Board of Inquiry into the incident has submitted its report to the NAF Headquarters, Abuja.

    “There were, however, certain fundamental issues, which the report did not adequately address, and necessary directives have been issued for the report to be further enriched.

    “Notwithstanding, the report revealed that an airman of the NAF, who was allegedly relating with cultists and gangsters from UNIOSUN, was indeed involved in the fracas.

    Consequently, the CAS has directed that appropriate charges be immediately preferred against the airman, in compliance with the provisions of the Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

  • PDP sets up disciplinary panel to sanction Sheriff, Ojougboh, others for party’s crisis

    PDP sets up disciplinary panel to sanction Sheriff, Ojougboh, others for party’s crisis

    Sequel to a 14 month leadership crisis that befell the former ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, allegedly fueled by the sacked chairman, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, the National Executive Committee of the party in Abuja, on Tuesday, agreed to set up a Standing Disciplinary Committee to sanction its erring members.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that apart from the disciplinary committee, the NEC also agreed to set up a Standing Reconciliation Committee to bring aggrieved members of the party back into the fold.

    Spokesperson for the party, Dayo Adeyeye, said these were part of the decisions taken at the 74th NEC meeting, which was held at the party’s national secretariat.

    It was gathered that majority members of the NEC voted for the establishment of the two committees, especially the disciplinary committee.

    The members insisted that the former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and his followers be sanctioned for the roles they allegedly played in the 14-month crisis that rocked the party.

    Apart from Sheriff, those likely to be drawn before the proposed committee, include a former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and the acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bernard Mikko.

    It was gathered that some members of the past National Working Committee also played important and what a prominent member of the party described as “strategic roles in the Sheriff camp.”

    Some of the identified members were said to have started making overtures to the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee.

    Apart from that, they were said to have attended the Expanded National Caucus meeting of the party on Monday night in Abuja.

    Though Adeyeye was not specific about those to be invited by the disciplinary committee when it is inaugurated, he alluded to the fact that the last crisis necessitated the need to set it up.

    He said, “People know that this party was rocked by very terrible disciplinary issues which nearly brought the party down completely.

    “NEC decided to set up standing Disciplinary and Reconciliation committees; and the National Caretaker Committee has been directed to establish and inaugurate these committees immediately.”

    The former Minister of State for Works did not say when the two committees would be inaugurated.

    He also said that the meeting agreed that the party should hold its national convention on August 12, at Abuja.

    He, however, stated that the convention would be non-elective.

    Adeyeye said this was because the party needed to give the statutory 21 working days notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission, adding that the party members also needed a reasonable notice.

    He said this would not be possible because the tenure of the present members of the caretaker committee would expire on August 16.

    It was however gathered that the convention would extend the tenure of the caretaker committee and might also fix a date for the national convention, where new national officers would be elected.

    He said, “We took a decision on the national convention. So, the prolonged litigation of the national leadership tussle ended only last week on July 12 when the Supreme Court gave judgment in favour of the National Caretaker Committee, leaving barely one month for the conduct of proper elective national convention.

    “Taking into account the relevant statutory notice that we need to give to INEC and the requirements of the PDP Constitution 2012 (as amended), practically, it is going to be impossible to have an elective national convention before August 16 because we need to give certain statutory notices to INEC.

    “And our own has some special provisions that we have to meet and there’s no time to meet up with those provisions.

    “Therefore, NEC took a decision that in view of all the circumstances, NEC invoking the powers conferred on it, decided to convene non-elective national convention on August 12, 2017 in Abuja.”

    On the removal of state caretaker committees, Adeyeye said those that were sacked by Sheriff, when the Court of Appeal gave a judgment in his favour on February 17, had been directed to return to office.

    The PDP spokesman added, “All state caretaker committees and state parallel executives, set up after the Court of Appeal judgment of February 17, 2017 at Port Harcourt, had been removed and replaced by the duly elected officials in the affected states.”

    Adeyeye disclosed that the meeting took a decision on constitution amendment, which he said would affect those to be elected at the national convention later in the year.

    Meanwhile, Sheriff has said he was not invited to any of the four meetings.

    Sheriff, who was reacting to some reports that he was absent from the caucus meeting, appealed to members of his camp not to leave the PDP.

    He said this through the former spokesmen for his National Working Committee, Bernard Mikko, adding that he would address a world press conference on the way forward, after studying the Supreme Court judgment that removed him from office.

    Mikko stated that Sheriff was neither in the country nor invited to the meeting at Wadata Plaza on Monday evening.

    He said, “However, he will address a world press conference on the way forward after we have received and studied the full judgment of the Supreme Court and analysed its import on our democracy.

    “We therefore appeal to all our loyal supporters nationwide not to defect as we are still committed to bringing the party back to the grass roots.

    “We assure them that we will not only give them a voice, but they will also be heard. We will collaborate with global anti-corruption networks to bring all corrupt politicians in Nigeria to book, including the PDP members having criminal cases bordering on dishonesty and malfeasance.”

     

  • Presidency/Senate faceoff: We’ll resolve crisis amicably – Lai Mohammed

    Presidency/Senate faceoff: We’ll resolve crisis amicably – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed on Wednesday in Abuja assured that the fresh crisis between the Presidency and Upper Chamber of the National Assembly would be resolved amicably.

    The minister gave the assurance when he briefed State House correspondents alongside the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Alhaji Abubakar Malami as well as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Muhammad Bello after the Federal Executive Cabinet, FEC meeting.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Federal Executive Council meeting was presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Mohammed revealed that the threat by the Senate was briefly discussed during the Council’s meeting.

    “Clearly it came up at the meeting but the fact of the matter is that we have a very excellent mechanism for resolving whatever issues are between us and the National Assembly and that is being addressed.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Senate on Tuesday frowned at a statement credited to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo that the Upper Chamber had no power to confirm certain political appointments being made by the presidency.

    The Senate, therefore, in a four-prayer motion, resolved to suspend all confirmation requests from the executive until decisions of the legislature is respected by the presidency.

    The decision of the Senate arose from a motion raised by Sen. Sani Yerima, following a letter requesting the confirmation of Lanre Gbajabiamila as Director-General of the National Lottery Commission.

    Abubakar Malami, who also commented on the matter, dismissed the assertion that the Council had never discussed the issue of confirmation of nominations or otherwise by the senate.

    He said: “Well the fundamental consideration about the alleged statement is the fact that at no point ever the federal executive council sat down to arrive at the decision in one way or the other as far as the issue of nomination or otherwise is concerned.”

    Malami also disclosed that the council approved a National Anti-Corruption Strategy to further consolidate the ongoing fight against corruption in the country.

    He maintained that the anti-corruption strategy would serve as a roadmap to strengthen the enforcement and sanctions in the crusade against corruption.

    “Well, as you are all aware, anti-corruption is one of the major points and major drive of this administration and arising from that the government had overtime recorded very positive progress and development in that direction.

    “As it relates to the idea of the prevention of corruption, a lot of policies were put in place and they have proven to be successful.

    “Policy relating to Bank Verification Number, Single Treasury Account, policy relating to whistleblowing; policy relating to open government partnership and associated policies have all proven (to be) very effective in establishing transparency, accountability and blockage of linkages associated with corruption.’’

    The FCT Minister disclosed that the Council approved the four memoranda presented by his Ministry.

    He stated that the projects approved included final engineering design for ring road number four at a cost of N242 million to be completed in six months.

    “Others are final engineering design for sewage system in the FCT at a cost of N241 million to be completed in 9 months and final engineering design for completion of water treatment plant in the city at a cost of N233 million,’’ Bello said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that a one-minute silence was observed at the beginning of the Council’s meeting in honour of elder statesman and Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Minister in the First Republic, Alhaji Maitama Sule who died on Monday at the age of 88 years.

  • Gov Ishaku calls for calm over renewed crisis in Taraba

    Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State has appealed to the people of Mambilla Plateau in Sardauna Local Government Area to eschew violence and embrace peace.

    The governor’s appeal is contained in a statement issued by Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa, his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Jalingo.

    The statement said the governor described the fresh outbreak of crisis on the Plateau, where lives and properties were lost, as “a sad development.’’

    “I hereby appeal to the people of the state, especially the people living on Mambilla Plateau to eschew violence and live in peace with one another.

    “Security agencies have already been charged to be on top of the situation in order to ensure peace return to the area as soon as possible,’’ the statement quoted Ishaku as saying.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Chairman, Sardauna Local Government Council, Mr John Yep, on Tuesday, imposed a 24-hour curfew on Gembu, the headquarters of the council.

    Mr David Misal, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), told newsmen that the Police Commissioner, Mr Yakubu Babas, had temporarily relocated to Gembu to ensure restoration of peace.

    Misal, who confirmed the death of seven persons during the crisis, said that three units of Mobile police, comprising of 189 operatives, had been deployed to the area to restore peace.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that on Sunday, a fresh communal clash broke out in Gembu, Nguroje and other parts of Sardauna Local Government Area of the state.

     

    NAN

  • Clash: Trial of Ife monarch, other suspects begins

    The trial of Oba Ademola Ademiluyi; Pastor Taiwo Fakowajo and four other suspects arrested in connection with the March 8 clash between some Hausa persons and Yoruba began before Justice Kudirat Akano of Osun State High Court on Wednesday.

    The suspects, who were brought to the court in a prison van, were ordered to be remanded in prison custody when they appeared before the judge on April 28.

    The prosecution counsel, Mr. Simon Lough, said he brought four witnesses to the court but just one of the four, Nasri Malami, was taken for the day.

    Malami, who gave his evidence in Hausa language, said through an interpreter that he identified the monarch, the pastor and another suspect, Akeem Elujoba as those, who beat some Hausa children, who are food vendors for messing up the frontage of Elujoba’s wife shop.

    He said that he went to the duo but said the monarch threatened to beat him if he did not leave the place.

    He told the court that he later went to the police station go report the matter.

    Malami said some of the attackers wore masks, adding that Pastor Fakowajo shot and killed one Salmon Mohammed in his presence.

    He also said that Fakowajo tried to shoot him but he managed to escape.

    He told the court that he lost N8.7m cash to the crisis.

    Malami said under cross examination by the defence counsel, Mr. Marital Agboola, that the Mohammed’s corpse was taken to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex in Ile Ife adding that the victim had since been buried.

  • PDP factions in war of words as Supreme court hears appeal today

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has said the Supreme Court should not hear an appeal filed by the sacked National Caretaker Committee of the party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

    Although, hearing in the appeal is slated to take place before the Supreme Court on Monday (today), the Sheriff-leadership of the party has asked the apex court to strike out the appeal, marked SC/133/2017.

    The Makarfi-faction filed the appeal on February 27, 2017 against the February 17, 2017 judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal which sacked their caretaker committee.

    But Sheriff, as the National Chairman of the party, and Prof. Wale Oladipo (as the Secretary), prayed for the striking out of the appeal in their written argument accompanying an application which they filed on March 21, 2017.

    The written submission was filed on May 10, 2017, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive made during the proceedings of May 4, 2017.

    The applicants argued that having been declared illegal by the February 17, 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, Makarfi and members of the sacked committee lacked the powers to take decisions for the party, including initiating court proceedings in its name.

    Sheriff and Oladipo maintained that the PDP, under the current leadership, was comfortable with the judgment of the Court of Appeal and did not intent to challenge it.

    Their retinue of lawyers, led by Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who filed the court processes on their behalf, argued that since the Court of Appeal, in its February 17, 2017 judgment, declared the Sheriff-led National Working Committee as the authentic leadership organ of the PDP, the Makarfi-led committee could no longer pursue an appeal in the name of the party.

    The Sheriff-led PDP leadership argued that the decision of the Makarfi committee to file an appeal in the name of the PDP without its (the party’s) authorisation was not only illegal, it violated the party’s constitution.

    They cited the provisions of Chapter 5, Articles 35(1), 36(1) and 42(1) of the PDP constitution to back their position.

    They stated, “The decision of the Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal cited above (that nullified the ‘National Convention’ of the 21/5/2016, as well as the appointment of the ‘National Caretaker Committee’) and the order made therein for status quo as of May 18, 2016, judgment of Justice Mohammad in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/1443/20l6, to be reverted to by parties, are still valid and subsisting, and as such, are not only binding on the parties and their privies, but also on the courts including the Supreme Court.

    “In the circumstances, we humbly urge that these orders be given effect by recognising that only the National Executive Committee of the PDP, as represented by its National Chairman (Sheriff), National Secretary (Oladipo) and National Legal Adviser can act for the PDP to prosecute this appeal and to instruct counsel to act on behalf of the PDP.”

    The Sheriff-led PDP leadership noted that it had not, by its argument, said the Makarfi Committee could not appeal the May 17 judgment of the Appeal Court, having been parties in the case from the trial court, it (the Makarfi Committee) or its members could only appeal as interested parties after first obtaining the court’s leave to so appeal.

    In a counter-argument, the Makarfi committee’s group of lawyers, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), urged the court to discountenance the Sheriff leadership’s arguments and proceed to hear its appeal.

    In its reply of argument, dated May 15, 2017, the Makarfi committee queried the legitimacy of the application filed by the Sheriff-leadership and argued that it was not only strange, but intended to frustrate the hearing of the main appeal.

    It argued that it was wrong for Sheriff and others, who had briefed Akin Olujinmi (SAN) to represent them in the substantive appeal and had filed a respondents’ brief, in which they also made similar arguments in relation to the competence of the appeal, to go ahead to brief Fagbemi to ask the court not to hear the appeal but to strike it out.

    Relying on Order 8 Rule 6 (1), (2) and (4) of the Supreme Court’s Rules, the Makarfi faction faulted the March 15, 2017 letter of the Sheriff-led NEC, applying to withdraw the appeal and the subsequent application for it to be struck out.

    It argued that since the appeal was not filed by Sheriff and others, they lacked the right to apply to withdraw it.

    In a response on point of law, filed by Fagbemi on May 18, the Sheriff-led NEC faulted all legal arguments by the Makarfi committee, urging the court to discountenance its contention and hold that it lacked the locus standi to file an appeal in the name of the PDP having been sacked by a subsisting judgment.

  • Southern Kaduna: Resolve crisis now or be ready for war – CAN warns FG

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to either resolve the lingering Southern Kaduna crisis with immediate effect or be prepared for war.

    This was revealed by the President of the Christian body, Reverend Olasupo Ayokunle.

    He stressed that it is only when the suspects are made to face the wrath of the law that tension that had risen in the two states would reduce.

    Ayokunle, who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), warned that failure to stop the unprovoked killings by suspected herdsmen in some parts of the country could spark war in the country.

    He stressed that government must rise p to protect innocent Nigerians through effective security surveillance particularly at the nation’s borders to prevent illegal immigrants from gaining entry.

    The cleric spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital at a special service held at First Baptist Church (Miracle Cathedral). The Centenary Estate built by the Ekiti Conference of NBC which is located in Oke Ila area of the town was also commissioned during Ayokunle’s pastoral visit by the Ewi, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe.

    A book titled: “The History of First Baptist Church, Ado Ekiti” was also launched at the event. It was written by the church’s Historical Committe and was reviewed by the Vice Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Prof. Matthew Ojo.

    Ayokunle urged members of the church and Christians in general to be more committed to evangelism and preaching of the gospel saying, “We wouldn’t have had Boko Haram if we had evangelized well.”

    In a sermon entitled: “Moving Forward, Exhibiting the Features of a Prevailing Church”, Ayokunle said the church has a duty to pray for Nigeria to overcome all its social, economic and political problems.

    “There is need to pray more for Nigeria because it is only prayer that can save us. Let us continue to pray for the leadership of this country. But I want to urge the government to check the menace of the herdsmen in some parts of the country.

    “We are calling on the Federal Government to prosecute the hersdmen arrested in connection with the recent killings in Benue and Southern Kaduna because this will ease tension in the two states.

    “We also want the Federal Government to investigate through intelligence gathering those unpatriotic Nigerians supplying the hersdmen with weapons being used to perpetrate evil.

    “If the government fails to stop the provocation of the Fulani (herdsmen), they should be prepared for war. No ethnic group has monopoly of violence and no ethnic group should be a monster to others.”

  • FG should establish Southern Kaduna Development Commission to end crisis – Bishop

    FG should establish Southern Kaduna Development Commission to end crisis – Bishop

     

    Rev. Cyrose Tukson of Go Rich Ministry, Abuja, has urged the Federal Government to establish a Southern Kaduna Development Commission, to rebuild communities destroyed by protracted violence in that area.

    “Most communities have been destroyed; many of the inhabitants have no where to go and have become refugees in their country. Government should step in to assist them,” he said

    Tukson made the call in a sermon at ECWA Church, Rafin Gora, when the Church launched an appeal for N7 million to fund its Church rehabilitation project.

    He explained that many had been killed, houses destroyed, and property reduced to rubles since attacks started in the area in 1987.

    The clergy called for concerted efforts to rebuild the area to minimise the effect of the destruction on the people.

    “The Niger Delta has a commission; only recently, too, a development commission was approved for the North East following the destruction of the area by Boko Haram.

    “Similarly, the people of southern Kaduna, who have been under attacks since 1987, deserve a development commission after such massive destruction over the years,” he opined.

    He, however, noted that government agencies had been distributing relief materials to victims of the attacks.

    “Relief materials are good, but that is not enough.

    “Relief materials, no matter the quantum, will never rebuild communities destroyed over the years; what will address the protracted problem is a development commission like we have in the Niger Delta and the north east.”

    The clergy called on representatives of the area in the national and state house of assembly to “push” for the establishment of the commission as part of service to their people.

    Earlier, the minister in charge of the Church, Rev. Mapunu Yohana, had explained that the fund appeal was organised to raise funds to rebuild the Church which he said was “about to collapse”.
    NAN

  • Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis largest in Africa – UN

    The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations, UN, for Nigeria, Peter Lundberg, on Friday said the humanitarian crisis in the North East is the largest in Africa.

    Lundberg made the remark during a Press Conference organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair, OCHA, in Abuja.

    The press conference was aimed at launching OCHA’s Humanitarian Response Plan, HRP, for the North East region in 2017.

    Lundberg also appealed to the international body to donate the sum of $1bn to meet the needs of 6.9m people facing humanitarian crises in the North East.

    The Deputy Director disclosed that in 2016, Nigerian Armed Forces, “pushed back Boko Haram from territories it had formerly occupied, thereby making the scale of human sufferings to become more apparent to humanitarian community.”

    Speaking further, he said, “We welcome the full cooperation of the Nigerian government and the initiative behind the Inter – Ministerial Task Force to address the humanitarian situation.

    “This is the largest crisis on the African continent and I am confident that with the support of the international community and the private sector, we can begin to bring hope to the people of the north east.”

    He noted that the Humanitarian Response Plan will address the need of 7m people in “dire need of nutrition, food, shelter, health, education, protection, water and sanitation needs of the very vulnerable.”

    Lundberg projected that 5.1 million people in the north east will face serious food shortage due to the conflict and the risk associated with unexploded improvised devices which have prevented farmers from planting for a third year in a row, thereby causing imminent food crisis.

    “The narrative on this humanitarian crisis can no longer be ignored and we are appealing to the international communities to help us prevent deaths of thousands of innocent civilians over the coming 12 months,” Lundberg added.

    Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, expressed Federal Government’s resolve towards working with the International communities to eradicate the humanitarian crisis in the North Eastern part of the country.

    “The Government has already demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate strong commitment to working together with the international humanitarian community,” she said.