12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014
Wike never faulted Presidency on execution of UNEP report —ABUEH
Edo NMA issues 21-day ultimatum to state govt
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ORT HARCOURT— RIVERS South-East Senatorial Youth Platform, has dismissed as untrue, report in some national newspapers that the Supervising Minister for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, at the last Ogoni Day celebration in Bori, Rivers State, lashed at President Goodluck Jonathan for delaying the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, report on Ogoniland. Chairman of the body, Mr Liberty Abueh, in a statement, said the minister, who was represented at the event by Dr Fred Kpakol, had only called for synergy among the various stakeholders on the implementation of the UNEP report. “Dr Kpakol, who represented the minister called for unity among the Ogoni and appealed to all and sundry to work in synergy and not to pass any blame on the Presidency as the state, local government and multinational companies all have a role to play in the realisation of the clean up exercise. So far, the Presidency had taken steps in the right direction by the formation of Hydrocarbon Pollution and Restoration Project, HYREP," he said.
....As PDP youths berate minister BY DAPO AKINREFON
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EANWHILE, Peoples Democratic Party Youth Development Front, PDPYDF, has berated the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike, for criticising President Goodluck Jonathan over the seeming delay in the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, report on Ogoniland. The group in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Tony Bode, said the Wike’s comment was unfortunate and embarrassing to a President, who has shown strong commitment to the clean-up of the Niger Delta environment. He reminded the minister that the environmental challenges facing Ogoni and the Niger Delta region predates President Jonathan, whose administration ensured the conclusion of the report.
BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
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INSPECTION: From left: Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Mr David Olukoga, Chairman, Edo State War Against Indiscipline and Mr. Orobosa Omo-Ojo, Commissioner for Transport, during the governor's inspection of New Benin Market, in Benin City, yesterday.
Stop looming labour unrest in Delta, JNPSNC tells Uduaghan BY AUSTIN OGWUDA
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SABA—NATIONAL leadership of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, has petitioned the Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, expressing worry over the growing tension in the state’s labour circle, warning that same could snowball into unrest, if the current impasse between the state chapter of the council and his Special Adviser on Labour, Mr. Mike Okeme, was not amicably resolved. JNPSNC in the state, had reportedly split into two factions with one of the factions led by Mr. Tony Toki, believed to have the backing of the governor’s aide on Labour Relations that claimed to have sacked the incumbent chairman, Mr. Goodluck Ofobruku. Addressing newsmen in Asaba, yesterday, the embattled chairman, Mr. Ofobruku, said that he had asked his lawyers to commence
legal action against some of the officers of the union, for alleged impersonation, by signing his purported impeachment last week. A copy of the letter from the national body of the Council obtained by Vanguard, endorsed by its National Secretary, Mr Marcus Omokhuale, entitled Unnecessary meddlesomeness of Mike Okeme, Special Adviser (Labour Industrial Relations) and SERVICOM Delta State, said: “We at the national leadership of JNC find the attempt by Mike Okeme to force out the leadership of JNC in Delta State as unnecessary and an unwholesome interference in the machinery of industrial relations practice in the state. “As a former labour leader, his action to destroy the spirit of democracy in the leadership of labour and introduce divide and rule tactics is unethical
and unpardonable. This calls for your Excellency’s intervention. The national leadership of JNC is, therefore, compelled to request that Okeme be called to order and cautioned against stirring up industrial unrest in Delta State. “JNPSNC wishes to reiterate the sanctity of the election held in February 2013, under the leadership of Mr Goodluck Ofobruku. This clarification becomes pertinent in the light of the December 30, 2013 resolution purportedly reached by some members of JNC in Delta State inside Okeme’s office to the effect that the above executive committee is dissolved.” Okeme, in his defence, denied meddling in the affairs of the council, saying, “this is not the first time they (JNC) would change leadership and I have always recognised the new ones once they come to familiarise themselves with me and my office.”
ENIN—EDO State chapter of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, yesterday issued a 21-day ultimatum to the state government, alleging poor condition of service and paucity of doctors in the state government hospitals, or they would down tools. The state government, however, described as unfair, the claim by NMA that it was neglecting the problems in the health sector, insisting that the administration was doing all it could to revamp the decay in the health sector which the administration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole met when it came on board. State chairman of NMA, Dr. Emmanuel Ighodaro, who addressed newsmen in Benin City, lamented that “despite all presentations by NMA and other stakeholders to the state government on the decay of health infrastructures, work place environment and poor condition of service, the government has not shown any convincing commitment at addressing the problems confronting the health sector."
Keyamo accuses Jonathan of disobeying court orders ...insists on sack of Service Chiefs BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI
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BUJA—LAGOS-BASED lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, yesterday, accused President Goodluck Jonathan of showing disrespect to the judiciary by his refusal to sack all the Service Chiefs despite a subsisting court judgment that directed him to do so. In a letter to President Jonathan, he insisted that the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff were illegally appointed, stressing that “all official actions taken by them since July 1, 2013, when judgment was delivered, are null, void and of no effect in the eyes of the law.” Consequently, he gave the President 14 days, from the receipt of the letter, to comply with the judgment of the Abuja Division of the Federal
High Court, or face legal action for contempt of court. The letter was copied to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It read: “Kindly recall that on July 1, 2013, I obtained a court judgment in the case of FESTUS KEYAMO Versus PRESIDENT & 4 ORS, delivered by Justice A. Bello of the Federal High Court, Abuja wherein he declared that the appointments of Service Chiefs without the approval of both the Senate and the House of Representatives was null and void in line with Section 18(1) and (2) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A20, Laws of the Federation of Niger-
ia, 2004. “For the avoidance of doubt, I enclose herewith a copy of the judgment. Up till now, no appeal has been filed against that judgment. It goes without saying that all the present Service Chiefs namely: Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika (Chief of Army Staff), Air Vice Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh (Chief of the Air Staff) and Rear Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba (Chief of Naval Staff), were all appointed without the confirmation of the National Assembly. Their appointments are therefore null and void ab initio. “Your Excellencies, and Honourable Speaker may I, most respectfully, remind you that ours is a constitutional democracy founded on the rule of law and
not the rule of force. “In fact, that is why the real intent of Section 18 of the Armed Forces Act is to subject the Armed Forces to civil authority. “It is also pertinent to observe that neither the President nor the Service Chiefs are constitutionally superior to the National Assembly. As a result, the appointments of Service Chiefs, which are political appointments, cannot be different from other political appointments that require the confirmation of the National Assembly, e.g. the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Ministers of the Federation and Ambassadors."