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Tag: Peter Obi

  • Anambra polls: Obiano doesn’t deserve second term says Peter Obi

    Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has said that his successor, Chief Willie Obiano, doesn’t merit a second term.

    Obi urged Obiano to focus on telling the people of Anambra State what he has done for them in almost four years, rather than using the non-existent demand for N7 billion as an excuse to hide his gross incompetence.

    He was reacting to the statement credited to Obiano yesterday to the effect that Obi demanded N7 billion from him.

    Responding through his Special Adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, in a statement made available to newsmen, the former governor said that now is campaign time but rather than tell the people of the state what he has done for them, he is busy sponsoring people on different media to say he demanded N7 billion from him, which was entirely false.

    The statement added that “now that he has accepted that he did not give the N7 billion to anybody, that he should go ahead and tell Anambra people what he used their money to do, bearing in mind that major projects in the state such as roads, Awka and Nnewi malls as well as Onitsha and Agulu Hotels, among others remain abandoned.

    “We know the governor has many questions to answer and cannot run away from them through blackmail. For instance, on the issue of the N75 billion Obi left for him, he tried to deny it by saying he met ‘near cash’, we went on and published the banks and account numbers where the money were and the bank certified the statement of accounts, but they tactically kept quiet.

    ”To refresh our minds, Obi left N2,139,951,400 billion in First Bank (Acc no. 2018779464) for Oko erosion; N4,909,576,925.98 billion in Sure-P Diamond account (0026290200); 1,782,568,032 billion in UBEC 1 Diamond account(0023484282); N2,101,864,766 billion UBEC 2 Diamond Account (0031151473); over N4 billion in many MDG accounts one of which was the N3,048,355,196 billion in Fidelity Bank (5030047097); over 35 billion Naira cash (set aside funds added) in all the banks. ”Obi also left $156 million in Fidelity Bank ($56 million); Diamond Bank ($50 million); and Access Bank ($50 million).

    ”If left as Anambra’s Future Growth Funds as conceived by Obi, the money with interest and accruals would have been about 200 billion Naira, but Gov. Obiano has sold all of them. In fact, it was one of the disagreements about the sale that led Mr. Oseloka Obaze to resign.

    Obiano should be busy telling us the status of these moneys rather than his current blackmail.”

    The statement further said: “Now is also the time for Obiano to justify before Anambra people why he takes 1.2 billion Naira as security votes, which is biggest in Nigeria relative to income.” The statement said that what was curious was that within his first 6 months in office, he vired all the money in MDG account, with which schools and hospitals get monetary and development support to his security vote.”

    The statement further said that now was the time for Obiano to clear so many lies his administration has been dishing out to the people of the state, with the phantom $5 million ugu export as an example. “As a seasonal vegetable, at least ugu would be exported once every year, but now, going to two years, we do not hear about it again.

    He recently told us that Anambra got the order to export 10 million tubers of yam, maybe he did not even realize that over 80% of yam consumed in Anambra State come from Benue and Taraba States. He also said that Anambra is now producing over 200 metric tons of rice, when even Stines company source rice from Ebonyi State.”

    Concluding, the statement said there were legion reasons why he does not merit a second term, some of which, the statement said, included the signing of over 100 MoUs that are not functional, the claim that he attracted 7.5 Billion Dollars investment to Anambra State, the concentration of 90% of his few development projects in his town, saying that rather than develop Awka, he only built three falling and cracking flyovers and evacuated 50% of the power meant for the capital to his Aguleri town, which now enjoys 24 hours power supply as well as the relocation of the on-going stadium project in Awka to his Aguleri town.

  • Anambra polls: I will fight with last drop of my blood to defeat Obiano, says Peter Obi

    Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi on Wednesday said he would fight against the re-election of Governor Willie Obiano with the last drop of his blood.

    Obi said this during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

    He expressed disappointment at the manner in which his successor has managed the resources he left in the state.

    He added that Obiano’s government has destroyed all he laboured for with bad governance.

    Obi said, “I will fight in this election aggressively. I will fight with the last drop of my blood. I will fight to win this election the way the PDP has not won any election before.”

    The former governor pledged to reconcile all aggrieved PDP members in the August 28 primary election of the party.

    “I’m the beneficiary of the PDP confusion when I was governor on the platform of APGA. Today, I’m 100 per cent in the PDP. That confusion must end. We must win the November 18 poll; nothing can stop us from doing that. It’s a fight I must win for the PDP.

    “I’ll be in Anambra State all through from today (Wednesday), to accomplish this goal. In 2002/2003, I contested against an incumbent governor and defeated him; so there is nothing strange to me in defeating an incumbent governor.

    “If all the money I kept for this (Obiano’s) government, both in dollar and naira were properly utilised and our legacies sustained, Anambra will be on top of other states in development by now.”

  • Anambra governorship election: I don’t need Peter Obi to win, says Obiano

    Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State said he doesn’t need the help of his predecessor, Mr Peter Obi to win in the forthcoming Anambra governorship election, stressing that the former governor, cannot on his own make him governor.

    He said this when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, shortly after he emerged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

    Asked how he expects to succeed in his reelection bid having reportedly fallen out with some of those who were key to his emergence as governor, including Peter Obi, he said it was up to God and not one man.

    “First, it is God that makes the king. Again, let me also correct this impression; Peter (Obi), the former Governor, cannot on his own make me the governor if the former chairman of the party or the whole party did not agree. So, it is a wrong perception to think that one person can come and make you a candidate,” he said.

    He, however, acknowledged that the former governor played a role in getting him elected.

    “But having said that, he (Obi) helped us during the campaign, ran around and all those stuff, but I have established myself firmly through my performance and that is what people listen to.

    “I don’t believe in Godfatherism and you can see how I played it out. I am a very straightforward, no-nonsense, very focused, very visionary leader and I don’t need to climb the back of anybody. My performance this past three-and-a-half year is stellar,” he added.

    The emergence of the governor as the sole candidate of the party, which is witnessing a leadership tussle between Victor Oye and Martin Agbaso has not been without criticism.

    Tuesday’s primary was organised by the Oye-led faction and saw the governor emerge as the party’s flag-bear having been the sole aspirant in the primary.

    In a phone interview, also on Politics Today, factional APGA chairman Agbaso said the primary was unconstitutional.

    “I always say that the key to unlocking Nigeria’s progress is the rule of law so you can say that what happened today is quite an abuse of the law and constitution of this country,” Agbaso said.

    “The Supreme Court is very clear on this matter that only the National Working Committee of a party can conduct primaries into any office. Now the leadership of APGA as an order of court rests under my control, I am the Chairman of APGA.”

    Governor Obiano, however, dismissed the claim, saying Agbaso is “a non-issue” and has no say in the activities of the party.

  • News Hour 17-07-2017 I TNGtv

  • Poverty, hunger are reasons behind several agitations in Nigeria – Peter Obi

    Poverty, hunger are reasons behind several agitations in Nigeria – Peter Obi

    A former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has identified poverty and hunger as main causes of agitations by ethnic groups in Nigeria.

    Obi said this in Calabar during the 7th lecture organised by the Bridge Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by a former governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke.

    The foundation was established in 2011 by Imoke to inculcate entrepreneurial skills in young citizens.

    The theme for the 2017 edition was ‘Made in Nigeria: Local production, global market.’

    Obi, who spoke on the topic, ‘Leadership and Integrity,’ said that some of the agitations across the country had gone beyond control because Nigeria lacked visionary leaders.

    He cited Boko Haram in the North-East, militancy in the Niger-Delta, the Independent People of Biafra in the South-East and farmers/herdsmen clash as some of the challenges facing the country today.

    Obi said, “Nigeria has the resources and potentials of becoming the greatest country in the world; but, the country lacks visionary leaders.

    “Today, we have different forms of agitations in Nigeria because the people are poor and hungry. The leaders have lost touch with the led.”

    He commended Imoke for sustaining the foundation for seven years, adding that capacity building for youths was one of the ways of curbing youth unemployment in the country.

    Earlier, Imoke said the objective of the foundation was to groom and encourage youths to take leadership role and have the basic knowledge of becoming entrepreneurs.

    “The foundation provides a valuable platform for young people to be inspired by the success stories of youths in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, who are scaling the huddles and challenges of growing up.” he said.

  • Stop borrowing, make use of available resources – Obi tells Buhari

    …Says ‘I bought my first car as an undergraduate for N3,000’

    A former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi on Saturday advised the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to look inwards instead of embarking on external borrowing for every of its project.

    The former governor also recalled how he bought his first and second cars for three thousand Naira (N3,000) and eight thousand five hundred Naira (N8,500) respectively.

    Obi was speaking on the economic challenges facing the nation. He expressed his disappointment on how most countries that were behind Nigeria are now beginning to take the lead

    The former governor spoke at an ongoing conference organised by the Andy Osakwe-led The Summit Bible Church tagged ‘This Generation.’ He noted that Nigeria is in a grave danger as leaders have refused to cultivate the savings culture.

    In his words: “We are in crisis because we have no savings. We are only borrowing. Everybody comes to the government with this popular anthem of I meet an empty treasury.

    Two years after he is still digging deeper into the treasury instead of closing the one he met. The success of every manager is how much he has overcome challenges and not the challenges he created”.

    “As a student at the University of Nigeria, Nssuka, we used to travel to London through Nigerian Airways with N40. You just go to the counter and buy a flight ticket for just N40. You can see how far we have come. I could recall that I bought my first call, a Volkswagen for just N3,000. When I was coming out of the university, I bought my first 505 for N8,500. We are in a serious crisis,” Obi said.

  • Photos: Peter Obi teaches sustainability in business

    Photos: Peter Obi teaches sustainability in business

    Former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi was a special guest at the Golden Tulip hotel on Sunday where he extensively lectured members of the Igbo community on entrepreneurship and sustainability in business.

    TheNewsGuru.com captured the event in pictures:

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • N15bn Ikoyi funds: Only thing EFCC found in my apartment is my wife’s clothes – Obi

    N15bn Ikoyi funds: Only thing EFCC found in my apartment is my wife’s clothes – Obi

    Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi on Monday shared his view on the $50 million recovered from a flat in Ikoyi, Lagos in April, stressing that the only thing searchers found in his apartment was his wife’s clothes.

    Recall that Obi was named among the occupants who live in one of the apartments in the building where the cash was recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    He who said that he rented the flat for his family stressed that the EFCC searched his home but found nothing incriminating.

    The former governor made the statement while speaking at “The Platform,” an event organized by the Covenant Christian Centre.

    When asked about the stolen funds uncovered in Lagos apartment, the former governor answered “YeI live in the apartment, I was there, and I saw them when they came to search the building. It is worrisome that we are still dealing with who knows the money.

    “But my own bigger worry is, let us even assume that the money is even questionable, but why should anyone place such money in such place. Anything could have happened; the place could have caught fire.

    “If that money was kept in our banking system, whoever kept it would have earned about 8% per annum, so he or she would have earned about $7m dollars, which is about N2.8bn is the amount spent on the entire secondary School education in Anambra and If they had decided to share it among graduates N1m, the money would have been shared to about 2800 graduates”

    “Even the bank keeping the money would would have made 7% interest on the money.

    “When they told me they wanted to search my apartment, I was abroad but I forwarded my key to them through a very good Nigerian coming home to enable them do their job”

    “And they searched the whole apartment, and I can tell you the only results they found was my wife clothes.

    “I have said it to Nigerians, I have only two pair of black shoes and I travel with them; the purpose of shoe is to protect the leg from being hurt, nothing else. I bought the one I’m wearing from Mark and Spencer $49.99”

    “The even said they couldn’t find wrist watches, yes! I have said it to everybody, this is the only wrist watch I have [Showing is watch to the audience], the purpose of watch is to keep time if I keep one at home whose time does it keep”

    The former governor, urged Nigerians to find out about him before he became governor stressing that he was rich before he joined the public service.

    “Go and check my background , I was very rich before I joined the public service, however, I problem with money wrongly spent”

  • Recession won’t end until govt cut down extravagant spendings

    Recession won’t end until govt cut down extravagant spendings

    …says 2017 budget shows clearly that recession won’t end soon

    Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has said the economic recession in Nigeria would last longer than expected.

    Obi stated this while inaugurating a building donated to the Department of Mass Communication, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, by the institution’s Dean of Social Sciences, Prof. Chinyere Okunna.

    He said: “I laugh when I hear people say the recession will soon end. This is not true. A critical analysis of the 2017 budget will show you that the recession will not end soon.”

    Obi, however, insisted that there was hope if the government changed the spending system.

    “But there is hope. The hope is for us to change our spending system. Government should cut down the cost of running government.

    “If you see any government spending extravagantly, you shout and nothing will happen to you because it is your money that is being spent. That is one of the ways to tackle this recession”‎, he added.