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Tag: Invitation

  • Ajaero’s invitation to aid police investigation – Delta CP

    Ajaero’s invitation to aid police investigation – Delta CP

    The Delta Commissioner of Police (CP), Olufemi Abaniwonda, has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to allow due process to prevail over the invitation of its president by the police.

    Abaniwonda made the call on Thursday when the Delta chapter of NLC held a protest in solidarity with its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, at the state police headquarters in Asaba.

    The protest was led by NLC’s first Vice-Chairman in the state, Comrade Ziko Okwudi.

    Ajaero, who was recently invited by the police over an alleged involvement in terrorism, honoured the invitation in Abuja on Thursday.

    The CP said Ajaero’s invitation was purely interactive to aid police investigation into the allegation.

    “As a security agency, what the police do is to investigate. No one is intimidating or witch-hunting the NLC president.

    “It is in line with our duty to carry out investigations into allegations that we extended an invitation to the NLC president to come and tell us what he knows.

    “No one has threatened him with arrest as the invitation is purely interactive; I can assure you.

    “One thing is sure, in the final analysis, Nigerians will be told what the interaction is all about; so I want to appeal to labour not to pre-empt the process,” Abaniwonda said.

    However, the CP commended the NLC in Delta for the peaceful manner it conducted the solidarity protest, urging them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.

    He said the Federal Government (FG) was not out to intimidate the NLC and its leadership, as perceived in some quarters.

    Rather, he said the FG would continue to work with labour for the betterment of the nation at large.

    NAN reports that the NLC members were earlier received by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr Aina Adesola.

    Adesola urged them to remain peaceful, assuring that the FG and the police would never witch-hunt the labour union.

    “I must first and foremost commend you for the manner you have conducted yourselves in this solidarity protest. The police remain your partners in progress in our nation.

    “I can assure you that the authorities will do justice to your cause.

    “The FG appreciates the contributions of labour to the growth of our nation,” said Adesola.

    Earlier in his address, the NLC’s first Vice-Chairman in Delta expressed the disappointment of the union over the current ordeal of its president.

    Okwudi said NLC viewed the incident as an attack on the labour movement in Nigeria.

    “We have come here today in solidarity with our national president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who is being hunted by the authorities over alleged involvement in terrorism.

    “You know that labour will never get itself involved with any act of terrorism.

    “It is unfortunate that when they want to hang a dog, they first give it a bad name to perfect the plan, but we will never allow that to happen.

    “As members of the NLC, we remain in solidarity with our president because injury to one is an injury to all,” Okwudi said.

    Reiterating NLC’s commitment to the welfare of the citizens, he urged the FG to tread with caution over the allegation against their president.

  • Unless I invite you, don’t come to FEC meeting – Tinubu warns

    Unless I invite you, don’t come to FEC meeting – Tinubu warns

    President Bola Tinubu on Monday warned government officials and family members against attending the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting without invitation.

    Tinubu issued the warning before the commencement of FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    “Last week, I noticed people sneaking in and out of this council. People had access to this place when they should not. That is not acceptable.

    “I will announce to you here, people who are supposed to be here.

    “Hadiza Usman, Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Principal Private Secretary and Damilotun Aderemi, Private Secretary.

    “These are the people who are granted the exception to be here when we are conducting the business of the nation. Unless I sent for you, don’t come.”

    The president directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Folashade Yemi-Esan, to take note of his directive.

    “Unless they are your staff that are included, no one should have access to the FEC meeting, except I have announced their names to you.

    “Let me also say that the planning of an event about the government must be well articulated and followed accurately,” he said.

    Tinubu, however, expressed absolute confidence in the integrity of his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila

    “There are a lot of stories going around about what is happening. I’ve told everyone in this country that I can make mistakes.

    “I have had to hear them out and correct them. Perfection is that of God Almighty. I have absolute confidence in the integrity of my Chief of Staff.

    “All the campaign of calumny and insinuation should stop.”

  • Why I rejected invitation to meet Osinbajo-Sabinus

    Why I rejected invitation to meet Osinbajo-Sabinus

    Popular skit maker, Chukwuemeka Emmanuel a.k.a Sabinus has opened up on why he declined Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s meeting hosting skit makers.

    The online comedian, in an interview with HipTV, said the timing was not right for the meet-up.

    “I was invited for it but I don’t think this is the right time for it, truth be told. For a while, we’ve been asking that police brutality be stopped. This is something they’ve been promising us. But right now, it’s still going on,” he said.

    “When it comes to campaigns, they come close to talk to us. But when they get into office, they’re far away.

    “Then we have to come to them. It’s very wrong. They should come over and fulfill their promises. Going to meet them, for me, is a no.”

  • Why I snubbed Osinbajo’s Aso Villa invitation – Mr Macaroni

    Why I snubbed Osinbajo’s Aso Villa invitation – Mr Macaroni

    Comedian, Debo Adebayo aka Mr Macaroni, has explained why he declined an invitation to meet Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The Vice President on Wednesday hosted a team of young skit practitioners at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The delegation, under the aegis of the Nigeria Skits Industry Awards (NSIA), was led by its promoter, Bimbo Daramola.

    Those on the delegation were Maryam Apaokagi popularly known as Taooma; Josh Alfred (Josh2funny); Ayo Ajewole (Woli Agba); Adebamiro Adeyanju (Mr Hyenana) and Adeoye Adeyemi Elesho (Yemi Elesho).

    The visit has since attracted criticisms for those who attended.

    While social media users lashed those that attended, they commended Mr Macaroni for not going.

    Speaking on his absence, in a lengthy post on social media, Mr Macaroni, who has been lending his voice to social injustice, said he declined because of his anger with political leaders.

    He said he does not want to be associated with them because of how the country has been governed over the years.

    Mr Macaroni however said he believed those that went did so in their quest for a better nation as that’s what they’ve been fighting for all these while.

    He said; “First, I do not think there is an association of skit makers. If there is, then I don’t know anything about it. And that would be fine because I am an Actor/Thespian first before the Tag “Skit Maker”.

    “So I don’t think those that went to see the VP without me or anyone else meant to sideline me. I want to believe they were invited to see The VP by the organizers of an Award Ceremony the same way I was invited. The only difference is that I declined the invitation.

    “The reason I declined is simple. As a citizen, I’m not happy with our leaders and I do not want to associate with them. It’s ok if others believe that sitting with the Govt will change certain things and decide to try it out. I don’t think they should be crucified for that.

    “I have just seen too much to know that The govt sees and hears everything. They and their workers are always on the Internet. They know what we cry and complain about and they do nothing about it. So what will sitting down with them to tell them what they already know change?

    “I don’t know what was discussed in that meeting as I wasn’t there. But I don’t believe those that went would go there to say anything other than demanding for better governance and leadership as we all have been doing all these while.”

  • Senator Dickson opens up on EFCC invitation

    Senator Dickson opens up on EFCC invitation

    Senator Seriake Dickson has explained that he was at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to clarify some issues related to assets declaration.

    The former Bayelsa State governor was at the office of the anti-graft agency in Abuja on Tuesday upon the invitation of the agency. He was later released to go home.

    In a statement he issued later in the day, Senator Seriake noted that a non-governmental organization had petitioned the EFCC over some of his assets which they claimed were not declared.

    “I understand that the subject matter of the inquiry relates to investments of my family trust, which I incorporated while being a member of the House of Reps to hold my family assets and investments which were made between 1996 and 2012 before I became Governor,” the lawmaker representing Bayelsa West, added.

    “I understand that there is a petition from an NGO alleging that these investments (largely buildings, plots, farms, etc in my village, Orua, Yenagoa, and two buy-to-let houses in the UK) were not declared. I have a duty to clarify these issues with the investigating authorities who by law have the responsibility to inquire into these matters.”

    He noted that the said family investments were made before he became the leader of the the oil-rich state and that these assets were declared to the right quarters before and after he left office.

    “My solicitors and those of the trust have written to the EFCC to clarify these issues with the accompanying documents,” he said.

    According to him, on getting to the EFCC office, the investigating team made fresh allegation of a diversion of N17.5 billion flood funds in 2012.

    “The petition further alleged that the money was used for my re-election in 2019. The fact is that there was no such donation about the 2012 flood in Bayelsa,” the statement further said.

    “Curiously, there was no mention of donor or where the money came from. There was also no re-election for governorship in Bayelsa in 2019 which are clear proofs that the petition was totally frivolous.”

    The EFCC, he said, is “looking into these allegations”.

     

    READ FULL STATEMENT

    About two weeks ago I received an invitation from the EFCC to clarify some issues relating to assets declarations as alleged by an NGO.

    On account of our busy schedule at the time, I wrote to inform them and we agreed to reschedule the interview for today.

    As a law abiding citizen and with a life long commitment to supporting Law enforcement and security agencies, I honored the invitation today as rescheduled. I understand that the subject matter of the inquiry relates to investments of my family trust, which I incorporated while being a member of the House of Reps to hold my family assets and investments which were made between 1996 and 2012 before I became Governor.

    I understand that there is a petition from an NGO alleging that these investments (largely buildings, plots, farms, etc in my village, Orua, Yenagoa, and two buy-to-let houses in the UK) were not declared. I have a duty to clarify these issues with the investigating authorities who by law have the responsibility to inquire into these matters.

    However, for the avoidance of doubts, let me state that my family investments, Seriake Dickson Trust Incorporated were made between 1996 and 2012 before I became Governor.

    These investments were funded by loans and advances and repaid from salaries, allowances, savings and others. One of them is still on mortgage and I have made these documents available to the EFCC.

    These investments were declared in my assets declaration form at the House of Reps in 2011; my Governorship form in 2012, 2016, 2020 after I left office and the Senate Assets declaration form this year.

    I went beyond these declarations and wrote several letters to the appropriate agencies, copies of which have been made available to the EFCC. My trust and I subscribed to the federal government Voluntary Assets Income AND Declaration Scheme (VAIDES) and also paid the necessary taxes.

    As a result of blackmail from some quarters, the Trust and I went to the Federal High Court where there is a subsisting judgement declaring that no Nigerian law is breached by a public officer who takes loans and other verifiable avenues to make investments for his family provided these are declared.

    It should be on record that I have since resigned from the Trust Administration since 2011 before I became Governor.

    My solicitors and those of the trust have written to the EFCC to clarify these issues with the accompanying documents.

    However on getting to the commission, the investigating team came up with a new allegation of diversion of flood funds in 2012 totaling N17.5 billion. The petition further alleged that the money was used for my re-election in 2019. The fact is that there was no such donation about the 2012 flood in Bayelsa.

    Curiously, there was no mention of donor or where the money came from. There was also no re-election for governorship in Bayelsa in 2019 which are clear proofs that the petition was totally frivolous.

    The commission after looking into these allegations have since asked me to return home on self recognition.

    I have authorized this statement to be released for the avoidance of any misinformation.

    Senator Henry Seriake Dickson
    Senator representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly

  • Insecurity: Gbajabiamila, lawmakers wait in vain as Buhari shuns invitation

    Insecurity: Gbajabiamila, lawmakers wait in vain as Buhari shuns invitation

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday failed to honour the invitation by the House of Representatives to address them on the security situation in the country.

    Recall that the House in a resolution on 1 December invited Buhari to address them on the true state of the security situation in the country, in the wake of the killings of 78 rice farmers by Boko Haram.

    The invitation was delivered to the President by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and other leaders.

    Buhari at the meeting agreed to address the House.

    Few days after, the President’s Personal Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie announced on 7 December that the President will address a joint session of the National Assembly today.

    But at the commencement of plenary on Thursday, there was no sight of President Buhari.

    Reps Solomon Bob from Rivers State raised a point of order over the President’s no-show.

    He asked the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to update the House.

    In response, Gbajabiamila said the House will wait for official communication from the President.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the President’s refusal to show up may have been because of the advisory by Justice Minister and Attorney General Abubakar Malami.

    He issued a statement on Wednesday, saying the National Assembly has no right to invite Buhari.

  • Court throws out Mailafia’s suit seeking end to police probe, invitations

    Court throws out Mailafia’s suit seeking end to police probe, invitations

    A High Court in Jos, Plateau State has thrown out a suit filed by former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailafia seeking to stop the police from investigating him.

    The court said on Tuesday that the police had the power to investigate anybody.

    The police had invited Mailafia for questioning on criminal matters last month but he turned it down and ran to court to stop the invitation.

    This was after two consecutive invitation and interrogation by the Department of State Services, DSS. The police again invited him for questioning.

    Mailafia went to court asking it to restrain the police from inviting him to appear before the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Force Investigation Department, Police Headquarters, Abuja.

    Mailafia’s legal team led by Yakubu Bawa, had said his client would not honour the invitation.

    According to him, “It is sacrosanct to note that the DSS is the only statutory body empowered by law to investigate alleged crime against internal security, not the Nigeria Police. Section 3(a) of the Security Agency Act eloquently stipulated this position. In consonance with the said provision, the DSS had commenced investigation into the matter. For the purpose of clarity and emphasis, the DSS is still investigating Dr Mailafia in respect of the said matter.”

  • German Chancellor, Merkel rejects Trump’s invitation for G7 summit in Washington

    German Chancellor, Merkel rejects Trump’s invitation for G7 summit in Washington

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not attend the G7 summit in Washington due to the coronavirus pandemic, the German Press Agency reported Saturday, citing government spokesperson, Steffen Seibert.

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 20 that he was aiming for a real G7 summit in Washington in late June as a sign of normalisation after the outbreak of the pandemic.

    The summit was originally scheduled for June 10-12 at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland.

    In March, however, the U.S. government cancelled the arrangement because of the pandemic and scheduled a video conference instead.

    Merkel had initially left open whether she would accept Trump’s invitation to participate in a video conference.

    In whatever form this meeting takes place, “whether as a video conference or otherwise, I will definitely fight for multilateralism.

    “That is very clear, both in the G7 and the G20,’’ the chancellor said on May 20.

  • Abandoned projects: Again, NDDC MD, Directors Shun Reps Invitation

    By Ezeike Jonas, Abuja
    The Chairman House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC Hon Osai Nicholas Osai on Thursday revealed that the Acting Managing Director of the agency Prof. Nelson Braimbriaifa and other directors of the agency had for the third time failed to attend the investigative hearing on all abandoned NDDC projects by the Committee.
    Osai who said this at a press briefing of the Ad-hoc Committee at the House Press Corps added that they have extended invitations to the NDDC officials three times and they failed to appear in all of them.
    He submitted that the House view this non-appearance by the NDDC officials as a breach, an obstruction and a slap on the powers of the House to investigate any matter within its legislative purview.
    He however informed that the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria CBN Mr Godwin Emefiele and other directors of the apex bank who were summoned alongside the NDDC officials had made appearance at the investigative hearing.
    He informed that the CBN team had sent in their papers requested by the Committee for scrutiny and the Committee will work on them and make appropriate recommendation to the House based on its findings
    Speaking further on what the Committee will do to ensure compliance, he said that they will extend another invitation to the NDDC helsman and other directors to appear before the Committee on Monday September 23, 2019 unfailing.
    He added that failure on the the part of the invited officials to appear before the Committee, they will immediately issue a bench warrant of arrest to them based on the powers confered on the House in Sect 88 of the 1999 Constitution.
  • I won’t honour EFCC’s Fresh Invitation –Jang

    I won’t honour EFCC’s Fresh Invitation –Jang

    The Senator representing Plateau North Senatorial District, Jonah David Jang has said he will not honour the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), to report to its Kano office on 5th December, 2018.
    He said he has written to the commission asking it to pick another date in January 2019.
    Jang who is the former Governor of Plateau State explained that the decision to turn down the invitation was to enable him appear in court in Jos where he is under trial having been charged to court by the same commission, and the matter is expected to commence definite hearing about the date of the invitation.
    In a statement by his Media Consultant, Mr Clinton Garuba, Jang added, “To be sure, it is baffling how the EFCC expects the serving Senator to be in two places at the same time since he does not possess any psychic abilities.”
    Explaining further, Garuba said that the Senator’s fresh invitation “is not unconnected with the story in the news alleging that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced a mansion worth N500million to him.”
    He said, “The property located at No. 8 and 9 Gobarau Road, Unguwan Rimi GRA, Kaduna State does not belong to Senator Jang, and this is not the first time the commission would investigate its ownership.
    “The property formerly belonging to Northern Nigerian Development Company, Kaduna, was allocated to the Senator while he was the executive Governor of Plateau State but eventually lost interest and did not continue with the acquisition.
    “EFCC has this information and it knows the the actual owners of the said property . Unfortunately but deliberately EFCC continues to harass the Senator in its usual media trials aimed at tarnishing his glowing name and reputation.”