THE NATION THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
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NEWS
•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (third left); his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (second left); Chief of Staff to the governor Mr. Gboyega Oyetola (left); Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) Olusegun Oladitan (third right); Alhaji Olatunji Kazeem (second right); Mrs. Abosede Omibeku and others at the swearing-in of OSSIEC members at the Governor’s Office in Osogbo, the state capital...yesterday.
Mark averts crisis over New PDP
Danjuma donates N500m to skill centre
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From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta
ORMER Defence Minister General Theophilus Danjuma yesterday urged the Federal Government and states to address unemployment. Danjuma spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the second graduation ceremony of the multi-million naira Youth Centre for Industrial Training. The centre was set up by the retired Primate of the Anglican Church, Most Rev. Peter Akinola, through the Peter Akinola Foundation (PAF). Danjuma donated N500 million to the centre to expand its facilities. He lamented the high rate of insecurity in the country, which he linked to the worrisome unemployment rate. Danjuma said it was regrettable that unemployment and insecurity had become the foremost challenges confronting Nigeria. He said: “Is it not sad to see our youths roaming the streets aimlessly daily because they have no jobs?” The centre focuses on training youths in various vocations, such as welding, electrical installation, tailoring, hairdressing, automobile repair, vulcanising and masonry, among others. The Anglican Bishop of Asaba, Delta State, Rt. Rev. Emeka Mogekwu, who was a special guest on the occasion, said unemployment was responsible for the insecurity in the nation. Primate Akinola said the management was exploring the possibility of affiliating the centre to the London Institute of City and Guild, stressing that “our mission is to provide a world-class trade centre”.
Ondo Varsity may pull out of ASUU strike, says VC
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From Leke Akeredolu, Akure
ICE-CHANCELLOR of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State Prof. Femi Mimiko yesterday said the institution may pull out of the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), if the Federal Government and the union fail to resolve their differences before month end. Speaking with reporters at the World Pharmacists’ Day celebration in Akure, the state capital, Mimiko said the management plans to reopen the university in the next couple of days. He said the management is discussing with workers on the need to resume work, if the ASUU strike persists. Mimiko said: “The strike has interrupted our academic calendar. We managed to run the university in the past four years on an interrupted calendar. We are particularly concerned about this strike because our academic calendar has been affected. “We hope ASUU calls off the strike before the end of the month, otherwise, we may begin to take steps that will enable students return to the campus. That is our strategic interest. “We are already consulting with lecturers because they are not employees of the Federal Government. We do not have any substantive dispute with our workers, so technically they should not have been on strike in the first instance. The university is funded by the state government and not the Federal Government.”
50 BRT buses for Mile 12-CMS route
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By Adeyinka Aderibigbe
HE Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has introduced 50 more Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses on the Mile 12 – CMS route to ease transportation. LAMATA’s Managing Director Dr. Dayo Mobereola said 40 of the buses were already plying the route and the other 10 would be delivered before the end of the year. He said the government was refurbishing 100 buses, 22 of which were already in operation. Mobereola said: “The government will continue to support initiatives that would meet the people’s transportation needs.” He said the government was working on other transport projects, especially the Blue Line (Okokomaiko to Marina) rail project, the Red Line rail line (Agbado to Marina) and extension of the BRT to Ikorodu.” To guarantee the longevity of the buses, Mobereola said the government is rehabilitating the Mile 12 to CMS BRT road. He said the BRT lanes would eventually be turned into concrete pavement.
•Senators angry over reference to party as ‘divided’ From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja
•Mark
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ENATE President David Mark yesterday averted a rumpus on the floor of the Senate over the reference to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a factionalised party by Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central). While contributing to a motion on the demise of former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu, Goje described himself as a member of the New PDP.
He said the New PDP, led by Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, was the authentic PDP. Some senators applauded him while others shouted “no, no, no”. Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West District) moved a “Point of Order” to stop Goje from further referring to the PDP as a divided party. Adeyemi said Goje used “offensive, abusive and insulting words against the PDP”. The disorder in the chamber got louder and Mark intervened, saying: “This is the upper chamber, do not let us reduce it to a market place”. He asked Adeyemi to con-
tinue with his Point of Order. Adeyemi said: “As far as I know, it is wrong for anybody to use offensive and abusive words against a party. It is absolutely uncalled for and uncharitable for a former governor, who has not defected to another party, to stand up in the Senate to insult the PDP and members of the party.” He said Goje should be made to withdraw the alleged offensive statement. Goje did not take the interjection of Adeyemi kindly. He said he was more PDP than Adeyemi, adding that he joined the party before Adeyemi. Goje said: “As far as I am concerned, I am a member of the PDP faction led by Baraje”. Some senators applauded him.
As voices continued to rise, Mark told Goje: “You said you are a PDP member. The fact that you belong to the PDP means the PDP remains one united party. The issue of who is the PDP chairman is not a matter for this chamber.” Though Mark did not ask Goje to withdraw the alleged offensive statement as demanded by Adeyemi, he urged Goje to address the issue on the Order Paper, the demise of Agagu. As other senators were spoiling to join the commotion, Mark insisted that Goje should concentrate his comments on what is contained in the Order Paper. After plenary, some senators hailed Mark for averting what could have erupted in a crisis.
just building edifices about and buying state-of-the-art cars without considering the people whose money they are spending. Party leaders cannot even call them to order, as they appear too big to be corrected. “We are tired of them and we do not want the situation to degenerate into violence, that is why we are protesting and asking the governor to relieve them of their jobs before their misdeeds cost the party winning chances at the next election.” State Chairman of the Justice Party Prince Adesoji Macillo urged the protesters not to personalise the issue but to see it from a broader perspective. He said it was not the
governor’s wish to make the council secretaries stay in office without being elected, adding that there was a pending case on the appointment of the state electoral body, which conducts council polls. Macillo said now that the governor had inaugurated seven members of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), council chairmen would soon be elected. Commissioner for Information and Strategy Sunday Akere said the protesters had a right to express their grievances, but cautioned them not to be violent. He said the governor would look into their demands.
Group demands removal of council secretaries
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EMBERS of a group in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, the Good Governance Group, yesterday called for the removal of council secretaries. The members from the 30 local government areas, stormed the state secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital, in 18seater commercial buses around 10am. Their leaders, Ade Ipadeola and Joel Oyekunle, said the removal of the council secretaries was overdue because they were not adding value to local governments. They alleged that many council secretaries were “corrupt, ar-
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From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo
rogant and selfish”, saying they could no longer cope with the hardship foisted on them by their “misrule”. Morufu Adegoke (Olorunda Ward 3); Oluwaseun Komolafe (Olorunda Ward 8); Adekola Adegbite (Boripe Ward 1); Saheed Adebayo (Ifelodun Ward 8); Tajudeen Aderemi (Boripe Ward 9); Ibrahim Busari (Olorunda Oba-Ile Ward 9) and Sarafa Adeyeye (OdoOtin Ward 4) said they had nothing against the governor, but felt it was time the council bosses were removed in state’s interest. They said: “Many of them are
Court to rule on jurisdiction in Baraje’s suit Oct. 10
USTICE Oludotun AdefowopeOkogie of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, has fixed October 10 for ruling on the preliminary objection filed by the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain a suit filed by a faction of the party, led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje. Justice Adefowope-Okogie fixed the date after hearing arguments from parties in the suit filed by the Baraje faction. The other claimants are Dr. Sam Jaja and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Baraje and others are praying the court to restrain Tukur and three others from parading themselves as PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) members. Joined in the suit are Deputy National Chairman Uche Secondus, Women Leader Kema Chikwe and National Publicity Sec-
By Adebisi Onanuga
retary Olisa Metuh. At the last hearing on September 18, Tukur and his co-defendants urged the court to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction. They argued that the writs of summons filed by the claimants did not comply with the mandatory requirements of Section 97 of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act because they were not signed. At the resumed trial yesterday, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Robert Emukpaeruo, urged the court to dismiss Tukur’s preliminary objection. Emukpaeruo insisted that the court had jurisdiction to entertain the matter, stressing that its judgment could be enforced against the defendants. According to him, as long as a court can enforce its orders, the court can exercise
jurisdiction. “The mere fact that the defendants are not resident in Lagos State does not mean that the court does not have jurisdiction over the matter,” he said. Emukpaeruo pointed out that the writ of summons were endorsed for service outside Lagos State, stressing that the endorsements had brought the defendants within the jurisdiction of the court. Tukur’s counsel, Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu (SAN), argued that Emukpaeruo’s submissions on the issue of jurisdiction were misconceived. “The issue of physical effectiveness is a post judgment matter. The main issue is the competence of your lordship to adjudicate on this matter,” Nwaiwu said. He argued that the writs of summons were not properly endorsed under the Sheriff and Civil Process Act.