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Tag: Special Adviser

  • Obasanjo’s former adviser, Titi Ajanaku is dead

    Chief (Mrs) Titilayo Ajanaku, former Special Adviser on Women Affairs to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, has died.

    Ajanaku, who was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), died in the early hours of Thursday at the age of 73.

    According to the DAILY POST, the female politician reportedly died after a battle with a terminal illness for years.

    Until her death, the late Ajanaku was the Otun Iyalode of Egbaland.

    She was also the chairman of the old Abeokuta Local Government in Ogun State and, indeed, the first woman to be elected as a local government chairman in Nigeria.

    A trained nurse, administrator, and women leader, Ajanaku was born on January 25, 1946, at Ago-Odo Quarters in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

  • Okowa swears-in Emuoboh Gbagi as Special Adviser On Youth Development

    Okowa swears-in Emuoboh Gbagi as Special Adviser On Youth Development

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Tuesday sworn-in his new Special Adviser on Youth Development, Chief Emuobor Kenneth Gbagi Jnr.

    The governor during the brief swearing-in ceremony however urged the youth to look inward and jettison the rush to other countries of the world, so as to reduce the inhuman treatments and deportation as was the case in recent times.

    Okowa noted that it makes great economic sense for those travelling overseas through dangerous deserts and high seas to invest such funds in small scale businesses in the state and Nigeria.

    He lamented the frequent death tolls of Nigerians travelling illegally through all kinds of deserts, forests and high seas to seek for menial jobs in foreign land. The governor suggested that monies spent on such uncertainty and journey to the unknown can deployed to kick start small scale businesses that guarantees growth and expansion, create wealth and provide jobs for others as investments yields steady profits.

    Governor Okowa disclosed that his administration shall continue to create wealth and jobs for women and youth through skills acquisitions and multifaceted empowerment programmes, and charged the Special Adviser on Youth Development, to work closely with the Bureau of Job and Wealth creation as well as Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants and Executive Assistant on Youth Development.

    “It does not make sense for our Youth to waste their time and financial resources travelling abroad, instead of investing on small and medium scale businesses. We are faced with sad and horrible stories of how some of them met untimely death while others suffered untold hardship in the process of searching for greener pastures that barely exist in those countries.

    “As a government we shall continue to invest on our youth because they are the future of our state and country. The Special Adviser on Youth Development in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other political appointees saddled with such responsibilities are to design and implement programmes that will empower and develop our Youth in line with the Stronger Delta Agenda.

    “I have no doubt in my mind that Chief Emuobor Gbagi will do the needful to ensure that Youth in the State are properly integrated into the system by way of engaging as many as possible subject to availability of funds at government disposal,” Okowa said.

    The governor also inaugurated five boards including; Governing Board of Ozoro Polytechnic with Barrister Andrew Orugbo as Chairman, Board of School of Health Technology, Ofoma with Dr Chris Oharisi as Chairman. Others are Primary Education Board, Delta State Waste Management Board and Delta State Library Board, respectively.

    The occasion was well attended by some Royal fathers, party leaders, political appointees and top government functionaries which includes; the state deputy governor, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro and his wife, Speaker Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.

    Others are Secretary to Delta State Government, Barrister Chiedu Ebie, Head of Service, Reginald Bayoko, Chief of Staff, Olorogun David Edevbie, Senior Political Adviser to the Governor, Rt Hon Solomon Funkekeme and some commissioners.

  • Bayelsa guber: Dickson sacks Special Adviser over running mate crisis

    Bayelsa guber: Dickson sacks Special Adviser over running mate crisis

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has dismissed Mrs. Helen Bob, as a Special Adviser in his administration.

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said that Bob was dismissed for repeated acts of gross misconduct, indiscipline, irresponsibility and acts unbecoming of a person occupying the high position of Special Adviser in any government whatsoever.

    Soriwei said that Bob, who was a governor’s aide for almost eight years, was among 130 special advisers out of over 2000 appointees engaged by the governor.

    It was gathered that the development was in connection with Bob’s recent public outburst over Dickson’s choice of candidate and running mate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 16 governorship election.

    Bob had condemned some decisions taken by the governor describing them as recipes for failures in the election and saying she was ready to be relieved of her post in the government.

    Bob, who was former Chairperson of Brass Local Government Area, particularly expresses her angst over governor’s choice of Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor as the party’s running mate.

    She also described a stakeholders’ meeting proposed by the governor to seek possible substitution of Erwujakpor as unnecessary since according to her the governor had the knife and the yam.

    She said: “For me, there is no need calling stakeholders to hear governor’s briefing as usual because they may not be given opportunity to speak out their minds. Even if they do, their opinions will never count because of our past experiences.

    “We all recalled how three aspirants emerged from him to speak for a Restoration political family and the entire PDP. Not even the party leadership could call a meeting to discuss the way forward but strongly supported the governor to ensure one of them won the PDP ticket while others were disgraced.

    “He may be the last PDP governor if he doesn’t fix all these disheartening issues that have clouded our dear PDP. The governor is a very intelligent and experienced personality that knows what best to do at the right time.

    “He need not any stakeholders meeting to fix the party back to the way it used to win general elections. Since 2015 that the model of choosing who bears the PDP flags in state House of Assembly, House of Reps and Senate seats changed to imposition of candidates due to favouritism, family and friends, we have lost more seats than ever.

    “With all due respect my boss, the truth is bitter but I have to state it here clearly that this imposition of candidates is an unpopular and old school kind of party primary model that is why we lost those seats to the APC.

    “Frankly speaking, even those who are close with you are only there to ensure there salaries read hence will never tell you the truth. Please take a good decision yourself as you have always done to fix all the collapsing walls of the party as no stakeholders have any role to play at this point”.

  • How Gov Okowa’s Special Assistant was shot dead in Delta [Graphic photos]

    The Special Adviser on Youth Development to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Mr Lawrence Ngozi Akpomiemie was on Friday night murdered in cold blood.

    Akpomiemie, popularly known as Ngozi was reportedly shot dead by gunmen in the volatile Ekpan community in Uvwie Local Government Area of state. Before his untimely death, Ngozi had been busy attending various political meetings.

    Relieving details of his last momemts and movements, a source close to the late Ngozi said: “We were together in a meeting in Honourable Evelyn’s place, later in Honourable Solomon Ighrakpata’s place and lastly in Honourable Efe Ofobruku’s place.”

    As if the late Ngozi had an inkling of danger ahead “he objected to the meeting at Efe’s place, he wasn’t comfortable going to Efe’s place but, every other person that was to be in the meeting agreed we should go to Efe’s place and so he couldn’t help it. He joined us. While there, he made mention to us that he was a security target. And after the meeting, we all left for our different destinations.

    “Meanwhile, while in the meeting, he had an uproar with one of us there which was immediately settled. He had an issue with one other person that was with us in that meeting inside Ekpan town last night. Though l was not there but i was told. I am still trying to get full details,” the source said.

    However, further findings by TNG revealed that the deceased was ambushed by arms wielding youths while returning from an outing with a lady suspected to be his girlfriend.

    It will be recalled that before his appointment by Okowa in 2016, Ngozi was allegedly standing trial for sundry crimes, including murder, but was controversially released from prison before being appointed SA on Community and Youth Affairs to the governor.

    His murder last night was the latest in a bloody chapter which has seen a spike in insecurity in Ekpan and Jakpa Road areas of Uvwie LGA.

    It would be recalled that at least six persons were killed in the area in the last couple of weeks in the latest upsurge of violence before the botched February 16 general elections.

    The Delta State Government is yet to officially react to Ngozi’s gruesome death as at the time of filing this report.

  • Alleged certificate scam: Buhari’s special adviser reacts to calls for his sack

    The Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has reacted to a call for his dismissal by the House of Representatives.

    Obla has been under attack over an alleged forged WAEC certificate ever since he commenced investigations into the activities and finances of some senators and Reps members.

    In a statement issued on Friday, Obla described the calls for his sack as ‘Hogwash and Balderdash” adding that it was a ‘Hatchet Job by Merchants of Corruption’.

    The Statement read; “The call by the House of Representatives on Mr President to sack me for alleged certificate forgery is hogwash, balderdash and absolute rubbish!

    It is a hatchet job by agents and merchants of corruption and graft that have looted our country for the past 19 years to intimidate , hound and harass me.They are agents of looters that I have investigated. Is the house of representatives the police?”


    He addressed the certificate issue, stating that he graduated from university over 30 years ago.

    “I left university 30 years ago. I graduated and went to law school. I left Law School in 1990 and was called to Bar in June 1991.

    The university screened me and awarded me a degree after deeming me worthy and after fulfilling the entry requirements.

    I wrote JAMB and scored excellent grades in all the subjects I wrote. It is a blackmail contrived by looters and their agents using the House of Representatives.”

    The anti-corruption czar has also filed a lawsuit against the House of Representatives over the matter.

    “I have even filed a suit in Court challenging the power of the house of representatives to conduct such an investigation. It is a hatchet job with a premeditated mission. The so called report is illegal and unconstitutional.

    Let me inform Nigerians how this people work. All the members of the House of Representatives Committee that purportedly investigated me were cohorts of some members of the National Assembly I was investigating.

    One of them openly boasted that for daring to investigating some powerful people in the National Assembly I will be dealt with.

    It is a reaction to my press conference early this week where I informed Nigerians that my Panel has forwarded the names of those under it investigation to the Nigeria Immigration Service to implement the travel ban stipulated by the Executive Order No 6 of 2018 for those under trial and investigation for corruption and abuse of office.

    I must be a genius to pass through University and Law School, practice law for more than two decades without a “ school certificate”.

    The whole issue is really laughable but it is sad the extent to which corruption can fight back.

     

  • Alleged certificate scam: Reps recommend sacking of Buhari’s special adviser

    The House of Representatives has called for the sacking of Chief Okoi Obono-Obla as the Special Adviser on Prosecutions and Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel.

    While asking the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to investigate and prosecute Obono-Obla, the lower chamber of the National Assembly urged the schools the presidential aide claimed to have attended to withdraw his certificates.

    The lawmakers alleged that Obono-Obla’s Law degree was allegedly “obtained fraudulently and should be withdrawn by the University of Jos.”

    These were part of the recommendations in a report by the Houses’ Ad Hoc Committee on ‘The Need to Investigate the Legality and Modus Operandi of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel.’

    The report was unanimously adopted at the plenary on Thursday.

    The recommendations as approved were that “the President should be urged to dissolve the panel in view of the arbitrary use of powers and abuse of office by the chairman (Obono-Obla).”

    Other recommendations included, “That the Code of Conduct Bureau should be utilised to perform the functions that the panel sought to perform in the current anti-corruption drive.

    “That the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission should investigate the allegations of corruption contained in the Audit Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation on the financial transactions of the panel and prosecute the culprits.

    The House further approved that, “The Law degree of Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, having been obtained fraudulently, should be withdrawn by the University of Jos

    “That the Council of Legal Education should withdraw the Law School Certificate awarded to Ofem Okoi Ofem, now known as Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, as it was based on the degree which he obtained from University of Jos through fraud.”

    The lawmakers urged the Nigerian Bar Association to drag the presidential aide before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee of the National Judicial Council, adding that the “President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should discharge Chief Okoi Obono-Obla of his responsibility as Special Adviser and Chairman of the SPIP.”

    They also resolved that, “Chief Okoi Obono-Obla should be investigated by the Inspector-General of Police and prosecuted for forgery and misrepresentation.”

    The House further urged the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN); NBA President, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN); Director General of the Nigerian Law School and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos, to investigate Obono-Obla and consider his prosecution.

    The committee had earlier in March written to Obono-Obla to demand 12 sets of documents about the presidential panel.

    The committee had in the letter dated March 28, 2018, said the details demanded were needed for the House’s investigation into “the modus operandi and legality” of the presidential panel.

    As at the time of filing this report, the embattled chairman was yet to issue any official statement to the reps decision.

     

     

  • Secondus appoints former minister as Special Adviser on Strategy and External Engagements

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, has appointed former Minister of Aviation and former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Osita Chidoka, as his Special Adviser on Strategy and External Engagements.

    A statement issued by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday in Abuja, said that the appointment was with immediate effect.

    “Chidoka, who is reputed for his ingenuity and organisational skills in public office, is expected to bring to bear his analytical expertise and wealth of experience in political strategy development, coordination and implementation, as the PDP sets for the 2019 general elections,” he said.

  • Special Adviser on graveyards to Kano Gov resigns

    Yakubu Nagoda, special assistant on graveyards to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state, has resigned.

    Nagoda in a letter addressed to the Secretary to the State Government dated August 4 thanked the governor for giving him the opportunity to work with him and the people of the state.

    However, he did not state the reason for his resignation.

  • Yari’s Special Adviser, Abdullahi-Tsafe, dies at 61

    Special Adviser to Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara on intergovernmental matters, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi-Tsafe, is dead, aged 61.

    Malam Ibrahim Dosara, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Public Enlightenment, announced the death in a statement in Gusau on Wednesday.

    Dosara stated that late Abdullahi-Tsafe died in the early hours of Wednesday at Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, after a protracted illness.

    Abdullahi-Tsafe, who worked with Voice of America over the years, was the Special Adviser to the Zamfara governor on Media between 2011 and 2015.

    Gov. Yari said the death was a huge loss not only to Zamfara but to Nigeria in general.

    He described the deceased as a complete gentleman of the highest order who contributed to the development of Zamfara and the entire northern Nigeria and beyond.

    Yari said “Alhaji Sani Abdullahi-Tsafe spent his life meaningfully, serving humanity and was always ready to assist in making life easier and meaningful to others, particularly the less privileged in the society.

    “The deceased was actively involved in the struggle for the creation of Zamfara, with other eminent citizens of the state over 20 years.

    “He contributed a lot through his active, vibrant and aggressive media campaign for the creation of Zamfara.

    “We cherish and appreciate his laudable contributions and successful media struggle.”

    The governor prayed to Allah to grant the deceased Aljannat Firdaus and the family the fortitude the bear the loss.

    Born in 1957, the deceased left behind three wives and 16 children.

  • Saraki appoints Ex-Senator as Special Adviser

    President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has approved the appointment of Sen. Abubakar Danladi Abubakar as his Special Adviser on Special Duties.

    According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the President of the Senate, the appointment takes immediate effect.

    Abubakar, according to the statement has served in the 8th Senate representing Taraba North where he served as chairman of Committee on NEPAD and member of other committees.

    The 53 year-old former lawmaker also served as Deputy Governor before his election into the Senate in 2015.