THE NATION
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ECALLING the lifetime of the former President, the late Umoru Musa Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he might have remained the Governor of Bayelsa State, but for the good role played by Yar’Adua. He spoke in Katsina State on Thursday night during the state banquet organized in his honour by the Katsina State Government. Without Yar’Adua, he went further to say that he might not have become President of Nigeria. He said: “My visits to Katsina are always a kind of homecoming. As you all know, without the role played by your great son, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in my political career, I would probably still be in Yenagoa as Governor of Bayelsa State. “Without him, I probably wouldn’t have been President of Nigeria today. He was a very good boss. He was hon-
SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014
But for Yar’Adua I might have remained Bayelsa Governor, says Jonathan Augustine EHIKIOYA Abuja est, forthright and patriotic. He had a great vision for Nigeria and set out to do things in a different and original manner. We all take consolation in the fact that he gave his best during the short period that he served our country. “If he were here today, I have no doubts that he would be impressed with the visible transformation that is taking place throughout the length and breadth of this state. Governor Shema and his able team deserve commendation not only for initiating new projects, but also for ensuring the completion of all the projects initiated by our late beloved President Umaru Yar’Adua
who, by providence, was his, and also my own predecessor in office,” he added. Commending the state governor, Ibrahim Shema, he said: “Since our arrival this morning, we have gone round parts of the state to inspect and commission projects, and the projects that I have seen, are quite inspiring and highly commendable. They confirm what well-meaning indigenes of the state have often told me about the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of the people. “Let me use this unique opportunity to specially commend Governor Ibrahim Shema for the outstanding work that he is doing. He has shown with his commitment
Court frees ex-House panel chair on Capital Market Hembe
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EPREIVE yesterday came the way of former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market, Herman Hembe. The Court of Appeal, Abuja discharged and acquitted of charges of fraud and illegal conversion made against him and one other by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC). The EFCC had accused him of converting about N600,000 estacode given to him in October 2011 by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a training programme in the Dominican Republic. Yesterday, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment, upheld Hembe’s argument that the EFCC failed to
Eric IKHILAE, Abuja establish a prima facie case against him to warrant him being subjected to trial based on the charges preferred by the commission. Justice Joseph Tine-Tur who delivered the lead judgment particularly held that what the EFCC did was not prosecution but persecution. The judge held that the proof of evidence and the evidence given by the witnesses called by the EFCC did not establish a prima facie case against Hembe. Justice Tine-Tur further held that the Abuja High Court, which granted leave to the EFCC to prosecute Hembe based on the charges preferred, erred and should not have
granted such leave. He described Hembe’s trial as a waste of precious judicial time. The judge held that the appellant did not comit any offence known to law, but that at best, what transpired was an administrative oversight for which Hembe could have been asked to make a refund. He consequently quashed the charges and discharged and acquitted him. Hembe and his deputy, Chris Azubogu, were charged with alleged conversion of the estacodes given to them by the SEC to travel abroad for a conference. They challenged their trial and made a no-case submission which the trial court refused, prompting Hembe to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Presidential aide linked to smear campaign against Sanusi
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N aide to President Goodluck Jonathan is believed to be the brains behind a smear campaign linking the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to the recent upsurge in violence by Boko Haram. Sanusi was suspended by the president last month after exposing a multibillion-dollar hole in the oil accounts. Mr Sanusi’s allies say he is the target of a campaign to tarnish his credibility as a whistleblower, the most outlandish claims being from a certain “Wendell Simlin”. A group of Lagos cyber sleuths set out to track the identity of the mysterious Mr Simlin behind the slur and after a painstaking examination of the properties of the word document concluded that the smear campaign was the handiwork of the presidential aide. Gbenga Sesan, a member of Paradigm Initia-
tive, an internet advocacy group, said the mail came via the government internet service provider in Abuja. Other metadata matched previous emails sent under the presidential aide’s name. An internet search showed his photograph on his Facebook page and threads revealing a connection between the two going back to 2010. “All of these things individually are maybe not enough to be conclusive, but when you combine the email header, the Facebook page, the threads and the word document properties it is very compelling,” said Feyi Fawehinmi, another member of the group investigating. Neither the man nor Mr Simlin could be reached for comment and neither replied to emails. A senior government official said: “If he did something, he is on his own.”
Fenog celebrates record time N a feat its Executive Direc execution of project tor described as unprec
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edented in the history of underground pipe laying worldwide, an indigenous oil and gas servicing company on Thursday completed the laying of 20inch pipes across 3.45km river in a contract awarded by a major oil company. It was gathered that the indigenous company, Fenog Nigeria Limited (FNL), achieved the pioneering feat within one month. Before the feat achieved by the Warri, Delta State-based oil servicing firm in the Amukpe/ Escravos pipeline project, it had set previous landmark records
in the laying of 24" pipes across the 1.7-km Escravos River in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State and 24" pipes across 2.82kilometre/ObOb Kwale River in Delta State for Agip Nigeria Oil Company (NAOC). Briefing newsmen on FNL’s latest achievement, its Executive Director, Mr. Mathew Tonlagha, said: “The one that is very close to what we have achieved, as available record shows, was the laying of 3.9 km, but that involved the laying of just 12” pipes, and it was achieved in one year.
“But in our own case, we laid 20” pipes across 3.45 km river in just one month in the Amukpe/Escravos pipeline project. “You can see that this is no mean achievement that we have recorded worldwide. This is an improvement over what we did in the Chevron project when we laid 24”across 1.7kilometre Escravos River in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State and 24" pipes across 2.82-kilometre/ObOb Kwale River in Delta State for Agip Nigeria Oil Company (NAOC).
that what matters most in governance are the people, not politics. By justifying the trust that the people have reposed in him, he has also made the Peoples Democratic Party, our great party which he once served as Deputy National Chairman, very proud indeed.” He extended his condolences to the government of Katsina State, people of the state and families that lost loved ones in the attacks on innocent villagers in Faskari and Sabuwa local government areas. “We totally condemn the attacks which were carried out by unidentified gunmen,” he said. He also noted that Katsina State is an important beneficiary of his administration’s nationwide road construction and rehabilitation drive. “In Katsina, our administration has already completed the following roads: the Jibia – Kaura Namoda Road with a length of 97.10Km and the 97kilometre Katsina-Daura Road at the total cost of N11 billion and the Funtua-Dayi – YashiCharanchi Junction of 166 kilometres at the total cost of N5.6bilion. “Apart from the completion of these roads, the Federal Government has also awarded the contract for the dualisation of the first phase of the KanoKatsina Road to terminate at Yankamaye, the border village between Kano and Katsina states. “The construction of another 10 kilometres road from Kankara to Gurbi, with a long span bridge which will provide
a short-cut from southern Katsina State to neighbouring Zamfara State, has also been contracted,” he added. The President also assured the people of the state that the contract for the 2nd phase of the dualisation of the KatsinaKano Road from Yankamaye to Katsina metropolis will soon be awarded. “The Federal Ministry of Transport has also initiated discussions with the Katsina State government for the construction of a dry port in Daura. “We are also doing a lot in agriculture. As I pointed out at the palace of His Majesty, the Emir of Katsina, we are intervening in the agriculture sector, not as a rural development programme, but as a business with emphasis on growth across the value-chains. “Here in Katsina State, in 2013, 210,000 farmers benefited from the Federal Government Growth Enhancement Scheme, in partnership with the Katsina State Government. “As part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, I launched the dry season farm support programme to increase our food production and stimulate job creation for the youth. In 2013, over 3,300 rice farmers from Katsina State benefited from the dry season rice farming support of the Federal Government, with free seeds and subsidized fertilizers. The impact was dramatic, as Katsina State rice farmers produced a record 13,000 MT of paddy rice which added an estimated N1bn to the local
economy and created over 6,000 jobs. “Katsina State is the largest producer of cotton in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were supporting the revival of cotton production in partnership with the Katsina State government. Over 65,000 cotton farmers in Katsina State received improved cotton seeds and fertilizers. Four ginneries in Katsina State were revived with financial support of the Federal Government.” President Jonathan assured the people of the state that the Wind Mill power project located in the Rimi Local Government Area of the state will soon be completed. He gave the assurance when he inspected the 10 megawatts power project during his two-day official visit to the state. The Federal Government, he said, would work with the state government to ensure the project is completed and put to use as soon as possible. The Ministry of Power officials who conducted President Jonathan round the project told the President that the wind power project, the first of its kind in West Africa, was 90 per cent completed and would be ready for commissioning in three months. The funds for its completion were said to have been captured in the 2014 budget. The project was stalled for some months in 2012, following the kidnap of one of the consultants.