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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
Benue LGSC boss bags transparency award
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he Executive Chairman of the Benue State Local Government Service Commission, Comrade Richard Gbande, has bagged the 2012 Transparency in Governance Award. Conferring the honour on the recipient, National President of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Transparency, Comrade Ibrahim Alih, disclosed to newsmen in a chat that the group, after considering various reports on the activities of various stakeholders in the Nigerian project, decided to confer the award on Gbande. He said the award was in recognition of his fair and transparent approach to governance in Benue state without fear or favour. Alih described Comrade Gbande as outstanding in protecting and projecting the welfare of local government workers in Benue state. According to him, Gbande is a true comrade who does not compromise his genuineness of purpose for bread at the cause of rendering selfless service to his people in particular and Nigeria in general. "His strict adherence to rule of law, accountability and transparency in handling the taxpayers fund is highly commendable and no wonder the plenary has voted him as the 2012 winner of Transparency Award," he said.
PDP wins Kubau, Zaria LG election
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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP has) was on Sunday declared winner of the chairmanship seats in Kubau and Zaria Local Government Areas of Kaduna State in the Saturday's council poll. The Returning Officer, Muhammad Sule-Basawa, said Khalid Yalwa-Kubau of PDP polled 75, 609 votes to defeat Rilwanu MohammedInuwa of CPC who polled 19, 326 votes. Sule-Basawa said, "having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the requirements of the law, Yalwa-Kubau is hereby returned as duly elected chairman of Kubau Local Government''. In a related development, the PDP Chairmanship Candidate, Lawal Balarabe, polled 146, 704 votes to defeat Lawal Jibril of CPC who scored 131, 358 votes in Zaria council election. (NAN)
L-R: Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, and Alhaja Modinat Bosede Adedibu, during the grand finale of Ibadan Week Festival 2012, at the weekend in Ibadan.
Reps query EFCC's N500m budget on local travels By Lawrence Olaoye
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ouse of Representatives yesterday queried leadership of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC over the whopping sum of five hundred and thirty five million earmarked for local travels of its staff in 2013 budget proposal. The lawmakers asked Ibrahim Lamorde, the Commission's Chairman to explain the rationale behind the appropriation of the sum even when it is on record that the EFCC is yet to expend lesser amount approved for same purpose in year 2013. The anti-graft agency got sum of N357.3 million in 2012 to cater for local trips on investigations and
... as FG slashes budget by N11.7b prosecutions of suspects in 2012 budge which it has yet to expend few days to the end of the year. But Lamorde who led top EFCC officials before House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes yesterday for budget defence said his agency is anticipating how to cover new grounds next year. The budget ceiling presented by Lamorde to the Committee yesterday was N21.028 billion as against N10.607 billion for outgoing year 2012. Members of the Committee expressed concerns that the EFCC boss had failed to adequately convince them on why more funds should be
appropriated under local travels item. They asked him to identify those things the Commission could not achieve with the current budget which it now intends to deliver with almost 50% increment. Under the controversial item, the Committee pointed out a difference of N178.640 million between 2012 and 2013 budget. Rep Moshood Mustapha a member of the Committee representing Ilorin West/Asa federal constituency of Kwara State wondered if there was any justification for the increment. He said the Committee would critically
Akpabio bags Lifetime Africa Achievement Awards Written by Mike Etim, Uyo
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kwa Ibom state governor, Chief Godswill. O. Akpabio, will on December 15, this year in Nairobi, Kenya be conferred with 'Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize (LAAP)", a millennium excellence award for good leadership in Africa. Akpabio received the invitation letter recently when Ambassador Ashim Morton, President of Millennium Excellence Foundation (Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize), Accra, Ghana, paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Uyo. In receiving the offer the governor said "I receive this award with great happiness and dedicate it to the children of Akwa Ibom State,
who had no hope but now have a future. Most importantly, I thank God for this award. I also thank you for this award and for decorating me with a Ghanaian attire today, which I extend my greetings to the Board of Directors of the foundation. And I congratulate my fellow awardees who would be receiving the award alongside with me". Governor Akpabio noted that their foundation was a selfless service to Africa, which would encourage good governance and change in Africa to change and help Africans to have hope that the continent could change. The Governor was then presented with a broach for his handwork to the development of the state and country, which is to be worn
on the day of the award. Speaking earlier, the President of Millennium Excellence Foundation, Ambassador Ashim Morton had explained that the award would be conferred on Governor Akpabio for establishment of programs to support the country through the development of Akwa Ibom State and contributing his quota to mankind. Morton, who described the Governor as an inspirational leader amongst his peers because of the care and love that he has for the people of the state, called on youths to emulate him, pointing out that even after his service as a Governor, his legacies of leadership would be embalmed in the hearts of Akwa Ibom people, Nigerians and Africans.
look into all details as submitted by Lamorde in a bid to defend such before the House Committee on Appropriation today (Tuesday). Another member, Bassey Ewa (Cross Rivers PDP) demanded to know progress of work on Lagos office of the Commission for which N3 billion was appropriated in 2012. Similar grey area, according to the Committee, was the disparity in figures appropriated under Drugs/Medical Supplies and Medical Expenditure. EFCC in its proposal had wanted the sum of N13.029 million for Drugs/Medical Supplies as well as another N7.753 million for Medical Expenditures. The Committee demanded to know from Lamorde the difference between the two categorisations and the reasons for the huge sums. Lamorde however explained that the slow pace on Lagos office project was due to inability to pay Lagos State government sum of N17 million as valuation cost. On the proposal for the huge travels cost, he explained that "We intend to expand our operations. We have six offices across the zones but we still need to reach out some other places. We don't have resources that's why we refer the issue to other sister agencies with similar responsibilities. We deal within the resources given to us, we are behind payment to contractors up to N4 billion" He also lamented how a dime from N25 million budgeted for purchase of arms and ammunition for EFCC was not released under 2012 budget. Also not released in this year's budget ,according to Lamorde, was another sum of N30 million approved for purchase of motor vehicles for EFCC operations.