Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—37
Govt largesse tears labour union apart in Delta
Delta 2015: Group berates Gbagi over comments on Utuama
BY AUSTIN OGWUDA BY FESTUS AHON
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GHELLI—A GROUP, Crusade for Democracy and Good Governance, CDGG, yesterday, described as petty and mischievous, media reports credited to former Minister of State for Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, that Delta State deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, should quit politics in 2015. Gbagi, in the report, had told the state deputy governor to drop his governorship ambition and quit politics on grounds that he is over 70 years old. But the group, in a statement by its President, Mr. Gabriel Choba, said Gbagi’s comments were unbecoming of someone, who is aspiring to become the governor of the state. The statement described the deputy governor as a man of impeccable character and a worthy son of Urhobo nation, whose contributions to the unity and development of Urhobo nation and Delta State at large are widely acknowledged by all. “Utuama has not decided whether or not to contest for governorship in 2015, but even if he decides to contest, that is not enough for Gbagi to ask him to quit active politics since the gubernatorial election would not only be held in Ughelli South or the ward where the deputy governor and Gbagi are from. The election will be held in all 25 local government areas of the state. “As a lawyer, one would have expected Gbagi to know that there is nowhere in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where it is stated that people who are in their late 60s and 70s cannot contest elective positions. “Our elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, at whose instance Gbagi was appointed as Minister of State for Education, is an octogenarian and he is still making invaluable contributions to the growth, development and stability of democracy in the country. We all know that Nelson Mandela was well over 70 years when he became President of South Africa and before his death, he was the most celebrated African leader globally."
SOLEMN ASSEMBLY: Governor Godswill Akpbio of Akwa Ibom State (2nd left), his wife, Unoma (2nd right); Speaker AKHA, Elder Sam Ikon (left) and Deputy Governor, Lady Valerie Ebe, during a Solemn Assembly to usher in year 2014 at the Ibom Hall ground, Uyo.
Rivers Assembly: Stakeholder urges spiritual cleansing of chambers BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI
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ORT HARCOURT—AS the Police in Rivers State carry out a security sweep on the state House of Assembly Complex ahead of lawmakers' resumed sitting, the state government has been urged to ensure spiritual cleansing of the House before it was reopened for legislative duties. Former Alliance for Democracy, AD, governorship candidate in the state, Adonye Omubo-Pepple, who made the call in a chat with Vanguard in Port Harcourt, said it was a necessary measure to prevent a repeat of last July’s bloody fracas, which led to the shutdown of the state legislative arm. He said: “There is always the physical and spiritual tone to human act. It is okay if the po-
lice thought it wise to engage bomb detectors and dogs to do a security combing of the Rivers Assembly Complex while also forcing the lawmakers to sign undertaking before reconvening in the light of what happened in the House before, but these measures alone will not guarantee peaceful resumption. “We are talking about a House where the lawmakers defiled their honour and spilled blood to desecrate the walls of the hallowed chambers. The state government, particularly the lawmakers, need to engaged men of God to do a spiritual cleansing of that House if we expect the reconvened House to be peaceful and in the interest of Rivers people.” Meanwhile, factional
Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Evans Bipi, has apologised to the people of Rivers State for the continuing crisis which had kept the House shut down for over seven months. Bipi, who is still claiming to be the Speaker of the House, in his new year message in Port Harcourt, apologised to Rivers people “on how the state has been run by the Executive arm with all frivolities and excesses due to the absence of the legislature and a Chief Judge in the state. “I assure you that these will soon be a thing of the past, as we work towards amicable resolution of the crisis so that normalcy can return to state House of Assembly from January this year to the end of our tenure,” Bipi said.
SERAP tasks Jonathan on ways to curb corruption the same.
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OLLOWING President Goodluck Jonathan’s New Year broadcast that he would fight corruption more seriously in 2014, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged him to “implement a five-point programme against corruption, if he was truly committed to fighting the problem to a standstill." SERAP noted that “promises alone can’t end corruption and impunity of perpetrators. Taking these simple actions will immediately send a clear message that as far as the fight against corruption is concerned, it won’t be business as usual in 2014.” SERAP, in a statement, yesterday, by its Executive Director, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, said “the level of corruption in the country today demands serious political will to combat and not rhetorical
statements. We recall that similar promises had been made by this government since its inception. Yet, corruption continues daily and most worryingly, suspected perpetrators enjoy almost absolute impunity. “In order to end this never-ending cycle of broken promises, SERAP is recommending to the government an easy to implement fivepoint programme against corruption for urgent action. We believe that the effective implementation of these measures will prove if the government is genuinely serious about fighting corruption. Firstly, the president should demonstrate his total rejection of corruption by publicly declaring his assets and instructing all members of his government to do
“This is the best way the President is ever going to earn the trust of millions of Nigerians yarning for good governance, development and the rule of law. Secondly, President Jonathan should urgently refer unresolved cases of corruption including in the aviation, oil subsidy scandal, alleged mismanagement of trillions of Naira by the Security and Exchange Commission, NSE, missing N300 billion in the Petroleum Ministry since 2011; and others, to the anticorruption agencies clearly requesting prosecution of indicted officials. In the meantime, any such officials such as the Aviation Minister should be immediately suspended from their official duties pending the final determination of their cases."
SABA—LARGESSE from the Delta State Government, including the ones that came before the Christmas, has torn apart the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, PSJNC, in the state, resulting in the emergence of two factions with each claiming to be the authentic body representing the interests of the workers. Addressing newsmen in Asaba, yesterday, a faction of the council led by Mr. Tony Toki, said that it had sacked the incumbent chairman, Mr. Goodluck Ofobruku. According to the Toki-led faction, “the meeting appreciates the release of 10 new buses to industrial unions in the state by the state governor and has observed with dismay the obvious laxity and mindset by the current leadership of PSJNC, of not consulting and recognising union hierarchy in the state .” In a separate briefing, Ofobruku, on his part, said: “I am still the chairman of PJNC. The truth of the matter is that Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour and Industrial Relations, Mr Mike Okeme, has been behind my purported impeachment by picking few impersonators, who are not members, because I refused to dance to his tunes. “Anytime government gives us a vehicle or any other thing, Okeme wants to hijack them. That is all because I said no, that he should concern himself with his office and not behave as the sole administrator of labour . “We are appealing to the governor to call him to order in order to continue to maintain the harmonious industrial relations in the state. Ask them what offence did they find me guilty of and whether the so called meeting summoned constitutionally? The impersonators who signed the so-called communique did not even meet the two-third majority required to unseat the leadership, in line with JNC’s constitution. And out of 10 persons who signed, three of them are not JNC members while others have admitted that they were coerced into signing same,” he stated. C M Y K