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monday, april 20, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH
national
Oshiomhole: No regrets if I quit politics today Cajetan Mmuta BENIN
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overnor Adams Oshiomhiole of Edo State said at the weekend that democracy has formally been consolidated in Nigeria. He said that was demonstrated with the votes of millions of citizens who, through the ballot boxes, voted for once in favour of an opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He said the gesture has gone a step to prove some of the developed countries of the world, including the United States of America, that the nation has the capacity to choose its leaders freely through the permanent voters card as against what was the case in the past. Oshiomhole stated this in an interview with newsmen at the Government House, Benin, the state capital. He pointed out that with the APC’s victory at the Presidency at the end of the March 28 polls and the outcome of the April 11 House of Assembly election in which the ruling party secured 21 as against PDP’s three seats, he remains a fulfilled
politician with nothing to regret if he quits politics today. He noted, however, that there was still an urgent need to sanitize the electoral process in some parts of the country where the issue of miracle votes have continued to rear their ugly heads, so that the nation can grow. He said: “Today, we are happy that Nigeria has joined those nation-
ABUJA
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he National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has alleged that part of the grand plan by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to achieve its desired one-party status was to destabilise the leading opposition party and render it weak and ineffective. In a statement yesterday, Metuh disclosed that APC leaders have resorted to holding nocturnal meetings with highly respected members of the PDP with phantom promises and threats ostensibly to destabilize the party. "We are aware that as part of the plot, the APC in the past few weeks, has been luring and encouraging some of our members to issue derogatory statements against the leadership of our party. While some of their accomplices have openly
not the gun.” The governor noted that, “Of course, there are still couple of things to be done, to completely clean up the electoral process, so that those part of the country where you still have the miracle votes, where the ancestors come out to vote in the South East and part of the SouthSouth, those are areas we need to clean up so that over all, Nigeria will be-
gin to grow.” He added, “To survive these godfathers and preside over their own liquidations, only a nation blessed by God can achieve that without any shot, except the PVC. Honestly I am fulfilled and if I vacate governance today and retire from politics; I will be happy. Like I told somebody, right now, I have nothing to prove and I thank God for shielding
me from the evil machination of the opponents.” “Indeed, when President Obama visited Africa and Nigeria was not on the list, few of us were in the US in the platform of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum and visited the State Department and we expressed our disappointment that Obama would not visit Nigeria. The Secretary of State for Africa now said, Obama will not come to Nigeria because they do not encourage bad behaviour.” “He said those of them who are friends of Nigeria, each time we think you are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, they will say let us encourage these people to get there, that when you wake up the next day you will find out that the tunnel has been removed.”
Dangote Sugar obtains SON food safety certification
N Nigerian Central Bank Governor (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele (right), with the former United States Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System, Mr. Ben Bernanke, at the Brookings Institute, during a meeting with the Spring Meetings 2015 World Bank group and IMF in Washington DC…at the weekend
APC working to destroy PDP — Metuh Onyekachi Eze
states that can now say it is possible that a government has been replaced by very ordinary people equipped and armed only by their PVC.” “I believe across the country, democracy has now been formally consolidated because the real test of democracy lies in government changing, of government being elected in office, of being voted out of office courtesy of the ballot,
decamped, we know that others have been instructed to stay back and cause crisis within our ranks", Metuh stated. According to him, in states where APC lost the governorship election, the party has resorted to violence and instigating crisis all in the bid to impose a one-party system in the country. Metuh also reacted to last Friday's press statement by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, where he offered sixweek crash programme in party publicity to him, and described his approach as arrogant and self-serving. He said Mohammed in "his usual ill-mannered and condemnable approach left the issues and dwelt on insults, disdainful comments and personal attacks". According to Metuh, all that his APC opposite number does was to insult and denigrate the office and person of the President of the country.
Buhari hails Bauchi electorate for support Mohammed Kawu Bauchi
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he President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has described Bauchi as the leading state that gave him massive votes since his partisan involvement and presidential aspirations dating back to the 2003
elections. Buhari made the remark at the weekend when elected politicians in Bauchi State, led by Governor-elect, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar visited him at his Jabi Road Office, Kaduna. Buhari noted that there is personal understanding between him and the people of Bauchi State,
saying that he would continue to remember their efforts towards the actualization of his dreams throughout his life. The President-elect also called on the elected politicians to enlighten their subjects on the need to give them chance to see how to face the challenges bedevilling the society.
Lagos retirees get N32.2bn in four years Muritala Ayinla
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he Lagos State Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mrs. Florence Oguntuase, has said that the government paid over N32.2 billion into the Retirement Savings Accounts
(RSA) of 6,145 retirees in the last four years. The commissioner also disclosed that the government has issued N8 billion as Retirement Bond Certificate to workers who retired from the state public service between 2010 and 2014.
Speaking at the ongoing 2015 ministerial press briefing to mark the 8th anniversary of Governor Babatunde Fashola administration , Oguntuase said the move was to ensure that retirees get their entitlement as and when due.
North-West Forum endorses Dogara for speakership Philip Nyam Abuja
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forum of lawmakers from the North West zone is set to endorse Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of
the House of Representatives. A member of the forum, Hon. Nasiru Baballe Ila (APC, Kano), who made this known in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, said Dogara is the choice
of majority of House members. “He is the most qualified and fitted for the position of speaker and he is humble, intelligent and calm. These are qualities of good leadership”, he said.
igeria’s foremost sugar refinery, Dangote Sugar Refinery has been certified by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) as a food safety compliant Company. The management of the refinery said at the weekend that it had successfully obtained the Food Safety Management Systems certification (NIS ISO 22000:2005) issued by the Standard regulatory body. According to the Deputy Group Managing Director, Dangote Sugar, Engineer Abdullahi Sule; “the Food Safety Management System is a standard that guides the refinery’s core business, the refining of high quality sugar using safe practices to manufacture finished product using hygienically habits in the production processes”. He added that the Food Safety Management System, FSMS, (ISO 22000:2005); certification is the third in the series of ISO certification on Quality, Process Safety/ Security and Food Safety, achieved by the Sugar Refinery, and thus making it the only sugar organization in the country with three ISO certification. He disclosed that in addition to the Food Safety Management System, (FSMS) ISO 22000:2005; Dangote Sugar Refinery is also ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System (QMS), and ISO 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), certified.