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Tag: south south

  • South South Governors mull setting up own regional security outfit

    South South Governors mull setting up own regional security outfit

    Governors from the South South states have agreed to set up their own regional security outfit, TheNewsGuru.com can authoritatively report.

    The governors who meet on Thursday (today) at Government House, Asaba, Delta State said the decision to float the security outfit follows the recent level of insecurity in the country.

    Briefing the press after the meeting, the Chairman South South Governors Forum and Governor of Delta State Senator Ifeanyi Okowa said the issue of security and development was dear to the governors hence the need to come out with a formidable regional security outfit to guarantee peaceful coexistence.

    He said Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta (BRACED Commission) would work out modalities on the operations of the proposed regional security.

    Governor Okowa said the forum has resolved that all Commissioners of Health from States in the region will meet immediately to work out modalities on how to curtail the laser fever epidemic and the dreaded Corona virus disease that is currently posing global health challenge.

    He said there was no known case of corona virus in South South region but there was need to take proactive measures.

    The forum according to the chairman also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC to enable it perform its constitutional mandate effectively.

    He said the forum resolved that the thirteen percent derivation must be taken out of the fund from oil proceed before the rest of the money is shared by Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC.

    The forum resolved to provide logistics to revive the BRACED Commission because of its input in regional economic growth and collective development of the region.

    The meeting had in attendance five Governors including that of Rivers, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta while the governor of Cross Rivers was absent but represented by his deputy.

    The Director General BRACED Commission Ambassador Joe Keshi was also at the meeting.

  • APC south-south chairmen pass vote of confidence on Oshiomhole

    APC south-south chairmen pass vote of confidence on Oshiomhole

    …demand Shuaibu apology in seven days

    State Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the South South geo-political zone have thrown their weight behind the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    Recall that the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu had last week demanded Oshiomhole’s resignation in an open letter.

    However, the chairmen accused Shuaibu of trying to cause disaffection within the party.

    Rising from an emergency meeting in Abuja, the state Chairmen expressed confidence in the leadership of Oshiomhole, saying allegations of high handedness level against Oshiomhole by his deputy were not true and baseless.

    In a statement jointly signed by the six (6) South – South APC State Chairmen, they said it was unfortunate Shuaibu was just realising the problems in the party few days after the party set up a committee to look into cases of anti-party activities against some party members.

    Those who signed the communiqué include Hon. Ini T. Okopido (Akwa – Ibom), Hon. Amos Lalabunafa (Bayelsa), John Ochalla (Cross Rivers), Prophet Jones Ode Erue (Delta), Barr. Aslem U. Ojezua (Edo) and Hon. Ojukaye Flag Amachree (Rivers)

    They faulted the public outburst of Shuaibu who they described as a senior party official who ought to be well acquainted with the provisions of the party’s constitution regarding how to channel perceived grievances if any exist.

    They stressed: “The Deputy National Chairman North merely expressed his personal opinion on perceived issues which is not a reflection of the views of the generality of party stakeholders who are yet to find anything untoward in the stewardship of the party’s National Chairman His Excellency, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.”

    The chairmen further disagreed with Shuaibu’s claims that the actions of the National Chairman were responsible for multiplicity of court cases bedeviling various chapters of the party.

    Rather they asserted it was the landmines created by his predecessor who was bent on destroying the party before departing that fueled the unfortunate situation and wondered why Shuaibu is just realising the issues he raised barely few days after the NWC set up a committee to look into petitions against highly placed party stakeholders glaringly involved in anti-party activities, which was responsible for the loss of the number of states mentioned in his letter vis a – viz the depletion also in the numbers of elected Senators in the just concluded 2019 elections.

    They dismissed the allegations of high-handedness against the National Chairman with particular reference to the altering of National Working Committee decisions as a veil plot to crucify the National Chairman over his uncompromising stance on truth against elements bent on destroying the party from within.

    They however, urged for restraint on the part of Shuaibu asking him to employ more civilized ways of expressing whatever private grievance he has against the National Chairman instead of playing to the gallery by granting interviews to launch unprovoked attacks on the National Chairman and by extension, the very party he claims to love.

    They wondered whose interest the media outburst seeks to serve and its original intention stating unequivocally that, the National Chairman cannot be removed on the pages of newspapers because the constitution of the party which Senator Lawal Shuaibu subscribed to, as a member of the NWC, clearly guarantees the tenure of office of the party’s National Chairman and the processes of removing him from office.

    They gave Shuaibu seven days to apologise to the National Chairman in order not to receive the wrath of party members in the South South.

    They also frowned at the intermittent and most unjustifiable attacks on the National Chairman who have maintained unblemished records since joining active politics and has untiredlessly ensured internal democratic norms are entrenched in the party since his assumption of office.

    The chairmen observed what the Deputy National Chairman , North have done is tantamount to creating disaffection amongst party faithfuls, insisting that such action was very offensive to the constitution of our great party.

    The chairman passed a vote of confidence on the National Chairman and vowed to resist any attempt to blackmail him out of office for standing against injustice that has hitherto been the hallmark of his predecessor which was the only legacy he left behind.

  • JUST IN: South-South govs condemn trial, tell CJN Onnoghen to ignore court summons

    The South South governors on Sunday condemned what they decried as “assault” on the Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, telling him to ignore the court summons.

    Recall that barring a late minute change, the CJN has a date in court in Abuja tomorrow for alleged failure to declare some of his assets, including about $3million.

    The governors noted that the attempt to drag the CJN to the CCT was a grave and dangerous escalation of the assault on institutions of state, including the National Assembly and the judiciary

    They spoke through a communique after an emergency meeting of the governors of the states of the South South geopolitical zone, held at the Bayelsa State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja on Sunday.

    It was signed by Henry Seriake Dickson, Governor of Bayelsa State, Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ben Ayade, Cross River State, Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom State and Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, of Delta State.

    The meeting, called at the instance of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, who is also Chairman of the South South Governors Forum, was attended by the Governors of Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Delta states.

    The meeting deliberated on the recent happenings at the Supreme Court involving the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen and resolved that the action against him constitutes a setback to the gains of the nation’s democratic experience of 20 years.

    The communique reads, “We note that under Section 158(1) of the 1999 Constitution, the National Judicial Council, has ample powers to deal exhaustively with matters pertaining to allegations of misconduct and discipline of Judicial officers.

    “Specifically, the NJC has the powers and clear procedures for investigating allegations, and recommending appropriate sanctions or disciplinary measures against judicial officials as a matter of first instance before any further steps.

    “The judicial pronouncements in the cases of FGN Vs Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court (January 9, 2018) and Justice Ngajinwa Vs FGN 2017 at the CCT have given validation to the express provisions of the constitution on this issue.

    “We believe that the President, Muhammadu Buhari has a constitutional responsibility and huge moral obligation to defend our democracy.

    “Therefore, we consider this step, which is directly aimed at humiliating the nation’s highest judicial officer and a prominent son of the region, as totally unacceptable as it is reflective of the South South story of endless marginalization and intimidation.”

  • 2019: Buhari meets four PDP governors

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met with four governors from the South-South geo-political zone at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
    Buhari who met with Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike , Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom.
    NAN learnt that the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, might have discussed the Supreme Court verdict on the oil-bearing states of the Niger Delta on Oct. 24.
    It will be recalled that Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states had approached the Supreme Court for the interpretation of Section 16(1) of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act in suit number SC964/2016 filed on their behalf by their lead Counsel, Mr Lucius Nwosu.
    The section mandated the Federal Government to adjust the shares of the revenue accruable to the federation whenever the price of crude oil exceeded 20 dollars per barrel.
    NAN

  • Okowa, 2 other South South Governors nominated for Niger Delta Award

    Okowa, 2 other South South Governors nominated for Niger Delta Award

    Three governors in the South South are being considered for the Niger Delta Governor of the Year Award 2017 by GbaramatuVoice Newspaper, a multi-media organisation in the region.

    The governors are Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa.

    Mr Jacob Abai, the Publisher of the newspaper, said in Lagos on Sunday that the award was to reward excellence in governance.

    “The three governors were shortlisted for the award in view of their contributions to development and impacting positively on lives of the people of the Niger Delta region, particularly in infrastructure, education, health and empowerment.’’

    Abai said that a committee to select the choice of the newspaper had been set up and the nomination would be announced soon.

    He said that the award presentation would be part of the grand finale of the third anniversary of the GbaramatuVoice newspaper.

    Abai said that presentation of the award would take place take place on Tuesday, September 11 at KFT Place in NNPC Housing Complex, Ekpan, Delta.

    A lecture on “Niger Delta Beyond Oil: Searching for Sustainable Development” will be delivered by Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme,
    will be followed by the Award of Recognition/Induction into the Gbaramatu Voice Hall of Fame.

    Gbaramatu Voice is a multi-media newspaper in the Niger Delta established in Effurun Sapele in 2015.

    The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of the truth as it affects the South-South region of Nigeria and the larger society.

     

  • 2019: South-South PDP leaders meet, promises to Liberate Nigeria

    The leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-south have resolved to work together to ensure that the party wins the 2019 presidential election.

    The party, during its Zonal Executive Committee meeting on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, declared that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has “destroyed the economy, destabilised the nation’s security infrastructure, and made the country to slide into unprecedented suffering”.

    The meeting was attended by the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, the PDP governors, former governors, and senators from the South-south.

    A statement from the Government House, Port Harcourt, quoted Mr. Secondus to have said in the meeting that Nigeria has collapsed and that the presidential villa was in ruins. The situation, he said, calls for a solemn struggle to salvage the country in 2019.

    “This crisis is no longer a laughing matter. The country is coming to an end and we must rescue the nation,” the PDP national chairman said.

    He said the PDP governors across the country were performing well, compared with their APC counterparts which he said have failed their people.

    “Come 2019, Nigeria will be liberated from the hands of the APC. The APC has lost ground in all the six geo-political zones. We have to take one final step to sack the APC government,” he said.

    The Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, was among those who spoke at the meeting.

    Mr. Wike, who appealed to PDP leaders to remain focused, said: “APC took power by deceit, but they cannot govern”.

    The governor said there was need for free and fair elections for Nigerians to determine the future of the country.

    While the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, described the South-south as a “foundation for the revival of the country”, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, called on the party leaders to support Mr. Secondus so that he could work towards party’s victory in 2019.

    During the meeting, a minute silence was observed in honour of the victims of violent killings in different parts of the country.

    In a related matter, the PDP criticised the statement by the information minister, Lai Mohammed, that Nigeria was in safe hands with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The party in a statement on Monday by its publicity secretary said that due to the “incompetence and corrupt proclivities of its current handlers” Nigerians have suffered untold hardship.

    “If a minister of information who ought to give the correct state of affairs can announce that a government which collapsed the nation’s once robust economy and plagued it with violence, ethnic division and political tension, is indeed a safe hand, then our nation is in much more trouble under the All Progressives Congress.

    “How can anybody say that the same presidency whose incompetence and bad policies are directly responsible for the unabated killings, massive unemployment and job losses, collapse of businesses and even the lingering fuel crisis which has brought untold hardship in the land is indeed a safe hand?

    “This is a government under whose watch the nation has become heavily polarised along dangerous fault lines and where citizens now live in fear and mutual suspicion; where citizens are slaughtered by the day by marauders; where hunger and strange diseases ravage the people due to its bad policies.

    “The reasonable take-away from the statement of the information minister is that this government has come to its wits end and has no solution for the troubles it caused the nation.’

    “More so, the minister’s statement has further exposed the fact that this failed administration is not the least remorseful for the pain it has caused the people, which underpins its arrogance and disdain towards Nigerians,” the opposition party said.

  • PDP National Convention: Why South-West cannot produce Chairman – Tom Ikimi

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former External Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, has alluded reason why the South-West cannot produce the chairman of the party.

    Chief Ikimi was speaking at the PDP Zonal Congress that held in Port Harcourt on Monday when he said the PDP cannot afford to allow the South-West produce the chairman because it is prone to crisis.

    Speaking at the zonal congress, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike declared the PDP still exists because of the investment and commitment of South-South members and leaders of the party.

    He urged the PDP from other zones to extend their gratitude to leaders and members of the PDP from the South-South for their commitment to the survival of the PDP.

    “If PDP leaders and members from the South-South are not committed, there wouldn’t have been PDP today.

    “It is important that PDP members from other zones of the country congratulate South-South PDP members for their steadfastness at a time PDP was in crisis”.

    “We are going as a family and we will continue to work as a family. We will not allow any external force to divide the South-South. We will continue to be together,” Wike said.

    Also speaking, Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson said, “We are in very trying times. We are in opposition, facing a very fierce and ruthless government at the Federal level. This is a time the governors need your support”.

    Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was present at the event said for the stability of the PDP, it is necessary for the next chairman to come from the South-South.

    “It is important we stabilize the PDP. That is why we need a chairman of PDP from the South-South”, he said.

    National Vice Chairman of PDP, South-South, Elder Emmanuel Ogidi said that the South-South will work with other zones to strengthen the party.

    The congress attracted PDP leaders from all the six states of the zone.

     

  • Biafra: We are committed to a united Nigeria – South-South, South-East Governors

    Governors from the South-east and South-south Zones on Monday rejected calls for the breakup of the country while rallying support for its continued existence as an indivisible entity.

    The governors made their position known in a communiqué issued at the end of an extensive meeting of the South-east/South-south Governors Forum in Owerri.

    They reiterated that a divided nation would not be acceptable to the people of the two zones and re-echoed the need for the country to remain united.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that eight governors and one deputy governor attended the meeting.

    The communiqué was signed by Chairman of the forum and Governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel.

    The forum commended the role played by stakeholders and patriots in instituting broad-based negotiations between the North and the South-east, saying this led to the setting aside of a quit notice issued to the Igbo by some groups.

    It, however, expressed worry over what it considered lack of significant federal presence in the region and called for more attention to be paid to the infrastructural needs of the affected states.

    The forum also resolved that the regions would unite in a way that would be beneficial to the political future of the people of the regions.

    It said that the bond between the South-east and South-south zones was much more than political party considerations.

    The forum also commended the efforts of security agencies in the regions, saying these had brought peace and stability.

    It commended the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for organising security summit in different zones and expressed optimism that the outcome would lead to better policing in the country.

    Governors who attended the meeting apart from Emmanuel were Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta).

    Others were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ben Ayade (Cross River) while Anambra was represented by its deputy governor, Nkem Okeke.

     

  • South-south, South-east governors to meet in Rivers August 27

    South-south, South-east governors to meet in Rivers August 27

    Governors from the South-south/South-east geopolitical zones will meet on August 27, 2017, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Rivers State by 7 p.m.

    Interim Chairman of the South-south/South-east Governors’ Forum and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, made the announcement on Wednesday.

    Emmanuel, in a statement, said the meeting would provide another avenue for deliberation between the governors of the states in the regions on issues of regional and national interest, with a view to solidifying the ties that bind the people of the states together.

    Emmanuel added that the meeting would also explore areas of economic, socio-cultural and political cooperation between the states to the overall benefit of the citizens and residents of the regions.

    “I hereby extend an invitation to all the governors in the two regions to attend the meeting as a follow up to the successful inaugural meeting held in Enugu on July 9, 2017,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the governors had earlier met on Sunday, July 9.

    They discussed restructuring and re-echoed calls for the implementation of the 2014 national conference resolutions, among others.

    The also said it was regrettable that the entire South-East has only 5 percent allocation out of the entire power generated in the country.

  • Udom Emmanuel elected Chairman South East/South South Governors Forum

    Udom Emmanuel elected Chairman South East/South South Governors Forum

    The South East, South South Governors’ Forum on Sunday elected Akwa-Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, as chairman of the forum.

    The forum at the end of its meeting in Enugu also agreed to pursue regional cooperation and integration for the economic benefit of the two regions.

    The governors, after the three-hour meeting, also agreed on political cooperation.

    The governors in their first meeting in the current dispensation, also resolved “to work together and realign as a people that share common heritage, culture and and affinities”.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the forum agreed to hold its next meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on August 27, 2017.

    The communique of the meeting was read by Governor Udom on behalf of the governors.

    The meeting was attended by eight governors and a deputy governor; while two governors were absent.

    The governors present include: Igwenyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), and Nyesom Nike (Rivers).

    Others are; Okezie Ikpazu (Abia), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) and Anambra Deputy Governor, Nkem Okeke, who represented Governor Willie Obiano.

    Governors Ifeanyi Okowa and Godwin Obaseki of Delta and Edo states were absent at the meeting.