TheNewsGuru

Tag: VON DG

  • Reps query FRCN, VON DGs over alleged sale, lease of government properties

    Reps query FRCN, VON DGs over alleged sale, lease of government properties

    …also quiz VON boss

    …set up sub-cttee to dig deeper

    Emman Ovuakporie

    The House of Representatives on Monday querried the Directors-Generals of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Mansur Liman and his Voice of Nigeria VON,counterpart Osita Okechukwu over the alleged outright sales and leases of government properties in parts of Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.vom, (TNG) reports Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee on Abanddoned Properties Hon.Ademorin Kuye and other members of the probe panel at an investigative hearing had grilled the two top government agencies officials on the reports to the committee on the sale of some properties of the agencies.

    He had hinted that the Adhoc Committee vide letters had written to the Special Presidential Inveatigative Committee on Sale of Abandoned Properties to the two agencies in March 2020 seperately requesting for the documents on the sales as well as processes and proceeds of it.

    The probe panel chairman while grilling the two top chief executive officers of the information agencies requested the evidences of the valuation of the sold or leased properties and hand over documents of the properties to find out the real reson for the sales and leases.

    Some of the federal agencies properties said to have been sold or leased by the foremost broadcast agency include Lagos Zonal Office of the FRCN, 30 hectares of land in Kano, and No 3 Savage Cresent GRA Enugu property of the agency said to be under litigation.

    But the FRCN DG in his testimony before the ad-choc committee said the agency bought the Lagos property in 2010 from the Special Presidential Committee on Abandoned Properties and later sold it to Seaman Tech Co Ltd Idumota Lagos before it was gutted by fire.

    He further told the probe panel that he made enquiries at the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC on the property and they confirmed that the Special Presidential Committee on Abandoned Properties had sold the property.

    He said:” I made enquiries at the CAC and some names came up. I showed the documents to the honourable Minisiter and he said that it is a government building and further said he ‘ll take it up at the Federal Executive Council FEC”

    Fielding more questions on the sale of the Lagos property from Hon.Lynda Ikpeazu from Anambra State and other lawmakers on what led to the sale and for how much, he said that there was no plan to sell the property even as there was no insurance cover on it.

    On the Kano landed property of the agency, he said that the property is about 30 hectres of land adding that the report the agency has is that some elements had began selling some parts of the land
    to build estates.

    He added that the propertybwas handed over to the Kano State Government by the military government after a coup.

    On the Enugu property of the agency it was said to have been had been leased out at N20 million to Innoson Technical Co Ltd and a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Minister with the leasee..

    Nonetheless before the the new owner was able to put up any structure at area, it was demolished which led to initiation of a legal action against the agency.

    The Committee Chairman who later constituted some 3-man sub committee to inspect some of these properties also demanded the valuation report, mandate extract, evidence of remittances to the federation account from the sale and all the documents relating to sales and leases.

    He infomed that due to the complacency of the Kano State government the probe panel is yet to get the reaction of the later on the agency’s land issue in the state.

  • 2023: ‘Igbo presidency will save Nigeria’s threatened democracy’

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has called on APC, and PDP to adopt Igbo Presidency for 2023.

    Okechukwu spoke with journalists on Sunday, said if APC and PDP produced Igbo presidential candidates in 2023, it would solve the “prevalent gun-box democracy” and return “ballot box democracy” to Nigeria.

    He appealed while reacting to issues on the country’s democracy and the 2023 presidential election in Enugu state. He urged the two dominant political parties to adopt the Falae/Obasanjo model by fielding an Igbo presidential candidate.

    According to him, the adoption of Igbo Presidency is the only way to have a peaceful 2023 presidential election and save Nigeria’s ‘threatened’ democracy. He added that rotation of president among different regions is the ligament holding the country’s fledgling democracy.

    Okechukwu said, “I have tremendous respect for His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially Tinubu, who more than anybody contributed the critical supplement to President Buhari’s 12 million vote-bank in 2015 which led us to victory.

    “I also salute other prominent Nigerians who are angling to be president in 2023. However, Nigeria, our fatherland is bigger than any of us and her unity is of paramount importance.

    “The Falae/Obasanjo model was founded in 1999, on equity, natural justice, and good conscience, with the sole objective of a harmonious and peaceful country. We may recall that in 1999, two Yorubas were fielded by national consensus under PDP and AD/APP alliance. That was the genesis of rotation of president between North and South.

    “The destination was peace, unity, equity and good conscience. We need that now more than ever, especially now that Mr. President had denounced those fifth columnists who bandied 3rd Term.

    “Igbo presidency is the recipe to create a sense of belonging and save Nigeria’s threatened democracy.”

  • APC suspends Buhari’s minister, VON DG Osita Okechukwu

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended the Minister of Nigeria Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani from the party.

    The NWC also suspended the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu.

    Recall that TNG had earlier reported the suspension of two sitting governors, Rochas Okorocha of Imo and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun.

    All the four people suspended are diehard supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari but have worked at cross purposes with their party in state elections.

    The NWC announced the suspension on Friday after its meeting in Abuja.

    “The NWC has also taken a decision to recommend the expulsion of the suspended individuals to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party,” the party’s spokesperson, Lanre Isa-Onilu said in a statement.

    BELOW IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE STATEMENT

    Anti-Party: APC NWC Suspends Amosun, Okorocha, Usani, Okechukwu

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha for anti-party activities.

    Also suspended by the APC NWC over anti-party activities are the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani and the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu.

    This decision was reached on Friday at a meeting of the Party’s NWC, presided by the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole at the APC National Secretariat.

    The NWC has also taken a decision to recommend the expulsion of the suspended individuals to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

    The NWC would also issue a query to the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu over his glaring anti-party activities, which greatly affected the fortunes of our candidates in the recently-conducted Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

    Recall that the NWC had earlier written to the suspended governors on their anti-party activities, and several other steps were taken to ensure they desist from taking actions that are inimical to the interests of our party and candidates. Notably, these individuals have not shown any remorse and have actually stepped up their actions.

    The party reviewed the serial anti-party activities of the concerned individuals before and during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections in their respective states and resolved to enforce party discipline in line with our constitution.

    The NWC noted how the suspended members have continued to campaign openly for other parties and candidates that are unknown to our great party, even while they have constituted themselves as opposition to APC candidates in their respective states.

    Importantly, the NWC is closely monitoring the activities of our members across the country, and particularly, in the states these suspended members belong to. We wish to reiterate that any member of our party who takes any action solely or in line with the directives of the suspended members to undermine our party’s candidates in the coming governorship and House of Assembly elections would face disciplinary actions.

    We wish to congratulate our members nationwide for the victories we recorded across the country in the last elections and particularly, the renewal of our party’s mandate for President Muhammadu to continue to pilot the affairs of this country for another four years. This could not have happened if not for the hardwork and commitment of our members. We therefore urge all our members to unite and work ever harder to ensure victory for our candidates across the states in the coming governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Consequently, the NWC calls on our members to disregard directives and actions of the suspended individuals as APC would continue to live by the dictate of our constitution.

    SIGNED:

    Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu

    National Publicity Secretary

    All Progressives Congress (APC