Daily Times Nigeria Friday, July 1, 2016
9 Politics
Anxiety over Lagos Assembly’s order to LGs to pay debts
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu?
Abia: A state with two governors? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
However, in a bid to frustrate Ogah from taking over as governor, Ikpeazu had rushed to an Abia State High Court to stop his swearing in as governor as ordered by the Abuja High Cout. Thus, Justice C.H Ahuchogu of the Osisioma Ngwa Division of the Abia State High Court has ordered the Abia State Chief Judge Justice Theresa Uzoamaka Uzoekwe not to inaugurate the President of Masters Energy, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah as the Governor of Abia State pending the determination of the Suit brought by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. The Judge ordered that no Judicial Officer should Inaugurate Dr Uche Ogah as Governor of Abia State while Dr Okezie Ikpeazu remains in Office Pursuant to section 143(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act Uchechukwu Sampson, Ogah is a Nigerian oil magnate, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist and resident in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Ogah is the President of Master Energy Group, a conglomerate with over 15 subsidiaries and interests across a variety of industries. It would be recalled that a similar scenario played itself out earlier when Alex Otti, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the election took Ikpeazu to the Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal and won only to lose at the Appeal Court which confirmed Ikpeazu’s election.
Questions are now being asked over last week’s order by the Lagos State House of Assembly to all the 20 local government councils and 37 council development areas in the state to pay outstanding debts of contractors in the state. Investigations by Daily Times indicate that the grumblings emanate out of the fact that most of the councils in the state are hit by financial crunch, hence there is anxiety over where they would get the fund to pay the debts which are said to run into billions of naira across the state. Last week, the Assembly members gave the order just as it approved the Year 2016 Budget Estimates of the councils in the state. In a resolution, they mandated the sole administrators of the Local Councils to pay all outstanding debts in the Councils as recommended by the committee. The amount approved for each of the local governments ranges between one billion and two billion naira. According to the report, the LGs/LCDAs should explore all revenue sources and block leakages in order to improve on their Internally Generated Revenue (IGRs). The approval followed the presentation of the report of the Joint Committee on Year 2016 Appropriation of the LGs and LCDAs in the state as presented on the floor
Ambode
of the House on Thursday by the Chairman of the House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Rotimi Olowo. “The Committee on Local Government Administration and Community Affairs should monitor the payment of N8,575,000.00 being owed Mr. Adele Owolabi Elijah by the Apapa Local Government. “Provisions made for the payment of severance to past political office holders and debts/outstand-
ing liabilities of LGs/LCDAs in the Year 2016 Approved Budget should be adhered to. “The leadership of the LGs/ LCDAs are implored to reduce the number of non-pensionable staff in order to save monies for developmental projects. “The Commissioner for Finance and the State Accountant-General should ensure quarterly payment of the Land Use Charge and Wharf Landing fees to the LGs/ LCDAs in the State,” Olowo said in
the report. The Local Councils were also directed to seek approval of the House Committee on Local Government Administration and Community Affairs before obtaining bank loans. In addition, the legislative arm of the Councils were ordered to submit quarterly report of their activities to the House of Assembly in line with Section 35 (1) (8) of the Year 2015 Guidelines on Administrative Procedure for Local Governments as amended. “Local Government Service Commission should be mindful of the period of posting Budget/Planning Officers in the LGs/LCDAs in order not to disrupt Budget Process. Hon. Olowo also stated in his report that “The agencies in the state that deals with all accrued fund to the LGs/LCDAs must be accountable for the operation of the law that set them up. It will be recalled that the House at the Plenary Session of Tuesday, 16th February, 2016 mandated the Joint Committee on Economic Planning and Budget; Local Government Administration and Community Affairs; and Public Accounts (Local) to consider Year 2016 Appropriation for 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs in the state. The House subsequently adjourned sitting to Monday 11 July, 2016 after Sallah holidays to enable Members go on Umrah to Saudi Arabia.
How Obasanjo and I coped in prison, by Shehu Sani CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
he said: “It is also an experience, he (Saraki) will also learn when he gets there. He challenged those who have interest in human rights to be visiting prisons at least once in a while, to perceive the kind of life they are living over there. “You don’t have to know prison when you commit an offence. If you have time for human rights, have time to visit prisons and witness the kind of life the inmates are living. “Nobody knows tomorrow, if you are not there by what you have done, you may be there by what somebody else alleged might have done”, he stressed. According to him, he had taught the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu on how to be a leader in prison rather than being scared of going to jail.
Besides, Sani berated those who have been saying that Senators accompanying Saraki to court have shares in corruption cases, saying: “they said whoever follows Saraki and other accused persons to court is involved in corrupt practices. That is their view. “Well, I went there, not as a prosecution witness nor as a witness for the Government. In fact, someone needs to be visiting prisons once in while and see how they live there”, he stressed. He reiterated that democracy preaches about rule of Law, while he pointed out that fundamental human rights of any Nigerian. “Fundamental human rights provide the best means of fighting against corruption. “When President Muhammadu Buhari took over power, there were three key issues which include: a deadly violent insur-
Sani
gency, it is not only bombing killing but they had multiplied their version. “Therefore, it has reached a point where Nigeria has had an army that fought insurgency in
Congo, Liberia among others. “Nevertheless, fundamental human rights should be respected by any law enforcement agents when dealing with corruption cases”, he added.