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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012
NEWS Edo governor to present 2013 budget tomorrow
Traders beat up Edo WAI official TRADERS on the New Lagos Road on Monday beat up an official of the Edo State War Against Indiscipline (WAI). It was gathered that WAI officials went to the area to enforce the weekly sanitation. Traders are not supposed to open their shops until the sanitation ends at 12 noon. Sources said the officials allegedly demanded between N3,000 and N5,000 from traders, whose shops were open, but the traders insisted that the 12 noon law was binding on markets and not shops located in private areas. It was learnt that the WAI officials threatened to arrest them and the traders descended on one of them. A trader said: “We are not in the market, yet they came to pack our things.” The traders detained the official and it took the intervention of the WAI Chairman, Mr. Babatunde Olukoga, before he was released. Olukoga said that the official was on illegal duty and assured the traders that he would investigate the matter.
Church marks 14th anniversary THE World New Revival Ministries International will celebrate its 14th anniversary in Lagos from November 7 to 11. It will hold at the church headquarters at 5, Pipeline Road, OrilowoEjigbo. The theme of the fiveday programme is: “Reaching the Summit”. The General Overseer, Mrs. Margaret Durojaiye, said the programme would address various spiritual needs of the people.
From Osagie Otabor, Benin
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•Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan deworming a baby at the SPC Flood Relief Camp in Asaba, the state capital...yesterday. PHOTO: HENRY UNINI
Oshiomhole dissolves council caretaker committees
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DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday implemented the resolution of the House of Assembly, which dissolved transition committees in the 18 local government councils. He directed the Heads of Service in the various councils to take over the management of the local government secretariats. At a meeting with the former transition committee chairmen and Heads of Service at the Government House, Oshiomhole said the Assembly’s resolution was in the best interest of the state.
Ifet takes Michael out of GUS 9
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ust a day earlier, the warriors learnt lessons in cohesion and team spirit. But for the day’s challenge, they were to abide by the age-long jungle mantra: kill or be killed. It was going to be the survival of the fittest. Every warrior for him or herself. The appearance of Dominic Mudabai, the third and final gatekeeper meant that eviction was in the offing. The game was the Pot of Life. Each of the remaining eight warriors had three pots with their names inscribed on them, hanging from a beam. The Warriors were to aim axes at fellow warriors’ pots. The first warrior to have three of his pots smashed becomes the loser. The warrior whose pot remained intact after hostilities would be declared winner. The warriors made their grand appearance with painted faces and war chants. Game time: In the first round, Priscillia Ezeh smashed Ogbuefi Michael’s pot while Ifet Iniobong struckNuhu’s pot. Micheal appeared
DO State Gover nor Adams Oshiomhole will, tomorrow, present the 2013 budget proposal to the House of Assembly. This was contained in a letter dated October 6 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Simon Imuekhemen, on behalf of the governor. In the letter, which was read during plenary session yesterday, Oshiomhole sought the lawmakers’ permission to present the proposed 2013 Appropriation Bill to the House. In another letter dated November 1, the governor requested the amendment of the law establishing the Agency for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).
to have dug his own grave when he smashed his pot. At the end of the first round, Michael had two of his pots down. The stakes were raised when Chidi Mokeme, the Anchor, directed them to call out the owners of the pot they intended to smash. None of the pots was smashed in the second round. However, in the third round, axe-swinging Ifet ‘buried’ Michael when he called out his name and successfully smashed his pot. It was a death knell to Michael’s dream of becoming the Ultimate Champion. He was evicted on the spot and asked to hand over his Golden Key to Dominic the Gatekeeper. Adah James heaved a sigh of relief as Michael’s journey came to an end.James’s pots were the most targeted as warrior after warrior called out his name during hostilities. It was either that the urge to smash his pots was too tempting to resist or the majority wanted him out of the competition. Chidi soon observed that most of the warriors deliberately missed targets when they swung their axes. He directed Dominic the Gatekeeper to break the pot of warriors that miss their targets on three consecutive swings. The warriors lost a pot each after missing their target. In the end, Paschal’s pot remained hanging as the others lay shattered on the task ground. He was not only made Head Warrior, he was presented with his pot intact and asked to hang it at the camp as a memorabilia of victory. Chidi chided the remaining warriors for their poor performance and directed the warriors to properly paint their faces in order to look more warriors-like. They were also asked to make totems reflecting their personalities and their ethnic origins and presentsame to him at the next meeting. Meanwhile, James became the second contender to bear the burden of the Stump of Shame. GUS 9 continues tonight on AIT, African Magic World (DSTV), Real Star (Star Times), AKBC, Uyo and ITV, Benin at 10pm.
•Heads of Service to head local governments He said the Heads of Service are there to ensure that workers salary are paid and not to run the councils as sole administrators. Oshiomhole said: “I invited you to brief you about a recent development. You are aware of the resolution passed by the Assembly as regards the tenure of the local government transition committees. “We have considered the resolution, which has since been sent to my office, and are satisfied that it was done in good faith and in the best interest of our state. “Accordingly, we have resolved to accept the dissolution of the transition commit-
tees, which means the tenure of the chairmen of the transition committees, the councillors and the supervisors have come to an end. “I appreciate the transition committees for the leadership they provided in the councils in the last two years and a month. “Everything considered, I am convinced that the chairmen have impacted in various ways on the life of the people in their respective local governments. “I have seen schools, health centres, street lights and other projects that were executed by the caretaker committees. When I look at
the score cards of the transition committee chairmen and compare them with those of their predecessors, who were elected, I believe these set of chairmen have done better. “But as they say, there is time for everything, and by the nature of caretaker leadership, there is no defined tenure of office. It is meant to be a stop gap depending on when elections are conducted. “Now that we have cleared the coast, we are sorting out the remaining legal issues regarding the State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSEIC) and we believe over the next few
months, council polls would be conducted. “But before then, we have asked the transition committee chairmen to hand over the affairs of the councils to the Heads of Service.” Warning the Heads of Service not to act as sole administrators, Oshiomhole said: “If there are specific developments that require action, those developments would be discussed and specific approvals would be given. “Ensure you have approval for anything you want to do in black and white to avoid misconception. Our instruction is not that you should go and pay contractors. You must give priority to the payment of accumulated salary.”
Rivers Assembly halts teachers’ recruitment
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HE Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) yesterday suspended the recruitment of teachers. The second round of the recruitment test was meant to begin this week. The lawmakers said they took the decision because the Universal Basic Education and the Senior Secondary Schools’ boards were not involved in the recruit-
From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt
ment. Mr. Ibiso Nwuche (Ahoada East Constituency 11) raised the motion, which was co-sponsored by members of the Committee on Education, who said the Ministry of Education did not follow due process. Speaker Otelemaba DanAmachree ordered the Com-
missioner for Education Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi and her team to appear before the House on Wednesday by 10am. Dame Lawrence-Nemi could not be reached for comments, but ministry staff said the commissioner was committed to improving the sector. A worker said the ministry has effectively curbed exam malpractices.
The worker said: “People are complaining because the commissioner is strict. She has not given them chance to manipulate the process and recruit their friends. She always insists on merit. “Due to the effective management style of the commissioner, the state has won the best price in education by the Universal Basic Education Commission and many other laurels.”
Remain steadfast, group urges Ugolor
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HE Conference of Non-Government Organisations (CONGOs) in Edo State has assured an environmentalist, Rev. David Ugolor, of their continued support. Ugolor was arrested and detained in prisons custody for alleged involvement in the murder of Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde, the former Principal Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole. He was later released on bail. CONGOs urged him not to see the recent happenings as a setback, but a catalyst for him and his
From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin
organisation, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), to continue to speak for the downtrodden. During a visit of CONGOs officials to Ugolor yesterday, the group’s President, Comrade Jude Obasanmi, said: “Permit me to make a little retrospection on the recent happenings in which the integrity of active Civil Society practitioners was put to litmus test. “No doubt, your 41 days’ incarceration has proved to
all that we have a long way to go in the quest to have a just and egalitarian society.” Assuring Ugolor of CONGOs’ support, Obasanmi appealed for the incorporation of the group in ANEEJ’s local and international activities. Thanking them for their support, Ugolor said: “Your action/demonstration on the streets with other groups is the first in our recent history as a nation. “They sent the right signal to the agents of state terror and the public that you cannot just frame up an innocent man and get away
with it. “Those who wield lethal weapons purchased for them by tax payers’ money should not turn the weapons against the innocent tax payers.” He urged CONGOs to see his travail as a call to greater duty, adding that many innocent people were languishing in prisons for offences they knew nothing about. Ugolor urged CONGOs’ leadership to come up with a proposal that would reposition civil Society groups for greater service to humanity. CONGOs is a coalition of over 80 organisations