Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2013—13
Archbishop prays for Amaechi, lauds landmark achievements
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HE Archbishop of the Niger Delta Province of the Anglican Communion and Diocese of Niger Delta North, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, has prayed God to grant grace, strength and wisdom to Rivers State governor, and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, to continually perform and overcome every challenge. Archbishop Kattey, when he led a delegation of clergymen on a courtesy visit to the governor at Government House, Port Harcourt, lauded the governor for his achievements in the state. He said: “Your administration has made landmark achievements in all sectors of our economy. Rivers State came first in the country in malaria eradication and control. The siting of the biolaviocide production factory by ECOWAS in the state is also a significant milestone. This speaks volumes for your government in funding the health sector."
Delta 2015: You can’t stop Orubebe, ex-aide tells Clark BY CHRIS OCHAYI
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BUJA—SOUTHSOUTH leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday, came under attack over reports credited to him that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, cannot be governor of Delta State, come 2015. Reacting to the remarks, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, to Elder Orubebe, Mr. Ekenwan Ekwagbe, said Chief Clark has no power to stop Orubebe from realising his governorship ambition in Delta State in 2015. Ekwagbe told Vanguard in Abuja, that the remarks on Orubebe by Chief Clark were unbecoming of an elder statesman well respected in the region and beyond. He said Chief Clark cannot stop Orubebe from becoming the governor of Delta state, advising the elder statesman to stop playing God because he is not. He said: “E.K Clark’s press conference, that come 2015, Elder Orubebe cannot be governor of Delta State, doesn’t disturb anybody. It doesn’t move anybody because we know where we are coming from and where we are going. All of us in Delta State, in Burutu Local Government Area, where both E.K Clark and Elder Orubebe
come from, know each other. We know ourselves. “In the last elections in 2011, a former Speaker in Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Frank Enukura, decided to contest election to the House of Representatives. E.K Clark put forward his son, Ebikime, to contest for the same office under the platform of Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, and wanted everybody, irrespective political party, that was contesting the election, to step down for his son.
“But they all refused. At the end of the day, Frank Enukura defeated his son at the primaries of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The boy had to defect to DPP. He used that platform to contest the main election in 2011. “Frank Enukura, son of a fisherman in Burutu council, whose parents toiled day and night on the rivers, fishing to train him, defeated E.K Clark and his son, not just his son because it was E.K Clark who contested the election indirectly. So, if E.K
Clark’s son cannot win election in Burutu council, can he determine who becomes governor of the entire Delta State?" On the said Orubebe’s embarrassment of President Jonathan through indicating of interest in the governorship race, the SA noted that Clark had caused a lot of embarrassment to President Goodluck Jonathan in the history of the administration through his utterances by attacking highly placed Nigerians.
BRIEFING: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State (2nd right); his Ekiti, Edo, Ogun, Osun, Imo and Oyo States counterparts, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (right), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (3rd right), Senator Ibikunle Amosun (4th right), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left), Owelle Rochas Okorocha (2nd left) and Senator Abiola Ajimobi (left), briefing the Press at the end of the meeting of the Progressive Governors of All Progressives Congress (APC), at Imo State Government House.
Rivers Assembly flays invasion by protesting youths BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME
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ORT HARCOURT— SPEAKER of Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Otelemaba Amachree, has condemned Monday’s invasion of the House by youths under the aegis of Grassroots Development Initiative. It will be recalled that the youths, who stormed the House, protested the suspension of the Chairman, his Vice and the 17 councillors of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. In a statement, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, the Speaker, who described the invasion by the youths as desecration of the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, said the protesters connived with the police to carry out the action. He said: “Fellow citizens of Rivers State and Nigerians, I crave your indulgence to update you on the recent happenings, especially with the callous invasion and desecration of the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly by armed thugs
with the connivance of the Nigeria Police, under the command of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu. “We have severally alerted the state and the world of the commencement of the planned gradual collapse of security and democratic structures of our state and called for the transfer of the Commission-
er of Police , Mr Mbu out of the state. “On May 6, 2013 our democracy suffered a serious setback. Despite our earlier warning, the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, which is directly adjacent to the Police Headquarters, Moscow Road, witnessed a violent and disruptive takeover by over 300 thugs."
Dangote to invest $4.25bn in refinery
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RESIDENT, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has disclosed that he has negotiated a loan of $4.25 billion from two foreign and Nigerian banks to build a refinery to help Nigeria reduce fuel imports. Refining “is an excellent business to get into,” Dangote said in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Ryan Chilcote in Cape Town, South Africa, where he was attending a business forum. “We have already secured $4.25 billion from two offshore banks and the rest are Nigerian banks,” he said.
Nigeria imports about 70 per cent of the oil products it needs to meet domestic requirements. The nation’s four refineries process less than the 445,000 barrels a day of their capacities because of aging infrastructure and poor maintenance. The country exports about four times that volume in crude oil. “Moving into the oil refinery business is smart as there is a clear need for investments in this sector to help the country achieve its GDP growth potential,” Andy Gboka, an analyst at Investment Bank Exotix Ltd., said in London.