The Police Service Commission (PSC) is presently considering promoting more officers in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) but is looking at gallant and well-behaved personnel.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police for zone six Calabar, Kola Kamaldeen made this known Thursday when he decorated six newly promoted officers in the zone to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP).
“The PSC and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba are considering regular promotions of more gallant officers to appreciate their efforts.
“However, they won’t do so just yet if we do not stop the ill-treatment of members of the public, Kamaldeen said.
” We have to treat members of the public well to reduce the amount of hatred they have for the police.”
He admitted that a handful of personnel are highhanded and compromised which is why the public abuses and seem to dislike them.
He charged the officers to realise that they are also Nigerians and members of the public.
“The amount of hatred for the Police force is much. This might be a result of the way we ill-treat them.
“We should begin now to treat members of the public well. This way, it will reduce the height of dislike and hatred they have for us. We were supposed to be friends of the public but that is not the case now.”
He also cautioned officers to reduce their quest for money which often leads to problems, adding that their behaviour could link them to prosperity or otherwise.
He charged the promoted officers to do more to commensurate with their new ranks, warning that insubordination would not be tolerated.
The six promoted officers include Nelson Okpabi, PRO of the zone, Anne Duru who is the zonal Admin officer, Bala Hassan, head of the zonal monitoring unit, Innocent Ibor, the zonal provost, Patience Larry, the senior staff officer and Etim Udobong, zonal transport officer.
Nelson Okpabi expressed gratitude on behalf of others, assuring that they will live up to their billing.
A leaked memo written by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and exclusively obtained by THE WHISTLER has revealed how the Minister attempted to undermine the regulatory power of the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in the $1.28bn Seplat deal with ExxonMobil.
The memo, dated August 9 with reference number HMS/MPR/005/Vol1/105 was titled, “Re: Grant of Ministerial Consent to the acquisition of
Exxonmobil Companies shares in the USA by Seplat Energy Offshore Limited.”
It was personally signed by the Minister and addressed to NUPRC’s Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe.
Seplat Energy Plc had in February this year announced an agreement to acquire the entire share capital of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited from Exxon Mobil Corporation, Delaware for $1.28bn.
The transaction involved the acquisition of ExxonMobil Nigeria’s entire offshore shallow water business. According to the deal, ExxonMobil Nigeria’s shallow water business is an established, high-quality operation with a highly skilled local operating team and a track record of safe operations.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has a pre-emptive right over the asset and had last month won a court decision temporarily blocking Exxon Mobil Corporation from selling assets in Nigeria to Seplat Energy Plc.
A Judge in Abuja had granted NNPC an “order of interim injunction” on July 6, 2022, barring Exxon Mobil “from completing any divestment” in a unit that ultimately operates four licenses in Nigeria.
Despite the verdict of the Court, reports emerged on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved that the deal be consummated by Mobil and Seplat.
The Presidency’s announcement of the approval of the deal took many industry players by surprise because the transaction had initially been declined on July 5 this year by the President who is himself the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
As soon as the announcement for the approval of the deal was made last Monday, Komolafe had clarified that the Commission, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 is the sole regulator in dealing with such matters in the Nigerian upstream sector.
In a statement personally signed by him, the NUPRC Boss stated that the issue at stake is purely a regulatory matter and the Commission had earlier communicated the decline of Ministerial assent to ExxonMobil in this regard.
In line with the decline of Ministerial assent, he said the Commission is calling on all parties involved in the deal to maintain status quo which in this case referred to the decline of Ministerial Assent.
In reaching the decision, NUPRC said it relied on Section 95, sub-section 10 of the PIA which states: “Where the application for an assignment or a transfer of a petroleum prospecting license of petroleum mining lease is refused, the commission shall inform the applicant of the reasons for the refusal and may give reasonable time within which further representations may be made by the applicant or by third parties in respect of the application.”
Sub-section 14 of Section 95 also states: “For the purpose of this section, change of control means any person or persons acting jointly or in concert, to acquire direct or indirect beneficial ownership of a percentage of the voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the holder, by contract or otherwise, that exceeds 50 per cent at any time.”
Similarly, sub-section 15 states: “A holder of a petroleum exploration license shall not assign, novate or transfer his license or any right, power or interest without prior written consent of the Commission.”
Also, Section 95, sub-section 8 states, “Where the consent of the minister is granted in respect of the application for a transfer, the Commission shall promptly record the transfer in the appropriate register.”
Sub-section 9 adds, “The Commission shall communicate the refusal or approval of an application for an assignment, novation or transfer of a license or lease in writing to the applicant.”
But shortly after Komolafe issued the statement affirming the no-consent position of the Commission as a regulator in the deal, Sylva issued the memo faulting the move.
In the letter, the Minister in a move intended to undermine the regulatory power drew the attention of Komolafe to the fact that NUPRC is still an agency under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
He claimed that the regulatory power given to the Commission under the PIA 2021 is also embedded in the Minister’s role as stated in Section 3(b) of the PIA 2021.
In the letter, Sylva went further to claim that contrary to what was stated by Komolafe, the Ministerial Consent was granted in exercise of the powers conferred on the Buhari who is himself the Minister of Petroleum Resources by the provisions of Paragraphs 14-16 of the First Schedule to the Petroleum Act, 1969.
He argued that this is because the assets upon which the deal is based are Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) which have not been converted to the regime established by the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 (PIA 2021), but remain under the regime of the Petroleum Act, 1969, a legislation that has been preserved and grandfathered by Section 311 (9) of the PIA.
The Minister told the Commission in the letter that even if the Ministerial Consent was made pursuant to the regime established by the PIA 2021, the Act is also clear on the consent required of the minister on assignment of interest.
Quoting Section 95(2), of the PIA 2021, Sylva stated in his memo that ‘the consent of the Minister shall be granted upon recommendation by the Commission’, adding that Section 95(7a) states that ‘where the Minister rejects the recommendation of the Commission the Minister shall provide the reasons for such rejection.’
Drawing from these provisions of the PIA 2021, Sylva told the regulator in his memo that a recommendation by the Commission is not cast in stone and as such, Buhari who is the Minister of Petroleum Resources is not entirely bound by the recommendation of the Commission in the deal.
The letter reads, “You will recall that under cover of the referenced letter, I conveyed the Ministerial Consent by Mr. President and Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources (HMPR) dated 29th July 2022, in relation to the sale of the shares of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) by ExxonMobil Corporation companies, Mobil Development Nigeria Inc. (MDNI) and Mobil Exploration Nigeria Inc. (MENI), both of which are registered in Delaware, USA, to Seplat Energy Offshore Limited – a wholly owned subsidiary of Seplat Energy Plc.
“My attention has been drawn to the unfortunate incident of press conferences that you granted on 8th and 9th August 2022, in electronic and print media, rejecting the approval of Mr. President and Ministerial Consent on the grounds that it did not comply with the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 (PIA 2021), after the Presidency had issued a press release on Mr. President’s approval.
“The CCE is aware of an extant Presidential directive that all memoranda from his office should be passed through the Board of NUPRC to the Office of the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, for onward transmission to Mr. President. The CCE had in the past adhered to this directive, except in cases in which, for whatever interest, he chose not to.
“For the avoidance of doubt the NUPRC is still an agency under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and the regulatory power given to the Commission under the PIA 2021 is also embedded in the Honourable Minister’s role as stated in Section 3(b) of the PIA 2021, which is to ‘exercise general supervision over the affairs and operations of the petroleum industry in accordance with the provisions of this Act
“Contrary to what you stated, the Ministerial Consent was granted in exercise of the powers conferred on the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources by the provisions of Paragraphs 14-16 of the First Schedule to the Petroleum Act, 1969.
“This is because the assets are Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) which have not been converted to the regime established by the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 (PIA 2021), but remain under the regime of the Petroleum Act, 1969, a legislation that has been preserved and grandfathered by Section 311 (9) of the PIA.
It added, “Even if the Ministerial Consent was made pursuant to the regime established by the PIA 2021 , the Act is also clear on the consent required of the minister on assignment of interest. Section 95(2), PIA 2021 states that ‘the consent of the Minister shall be granted upon recommendation by the Commission’, while Section 95(7a) states: ‘where the Minister rejects the recommendation of the Commission the Minister shall provide the reasons for such rejection’.
“The above sections of the PIA 2021 state unequivocally that a recommendation by the Commission is not cast in stone.
“The approval of Mr. President, who doubles as the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, therefore supersedes any other position on the subject matter.
“The CCE is hereby directed, as a matter of urgency, to implement Mr. President’s approval conveyed under cover of my letter dated 8th August 2022 on the above subject.
“While awaiting your confirmation of full compliance as directed above, please accept the renewed assurances of my highest considerations.”
Barely 24 hours after the letter was written by Sylva, President Buhari reversed his approval of Seplat Energy’s purchase of ExxonMobil’s Assets, and backed the decision of the Commission.
The President ‘s Spokesperson Garba Shehu had said that the President had taken a decision that the position of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission be supported.
He said the earlier confusion was because “various agencies involved in (the) decision had not coordinated well among themselves.”
“It has become clear that the various agencies involved in the decision had not coordinated well among themselves and having looked at all of the facts with all of the ramifications, the president decided the position of the regulator is to be supported.”
Sources within the Presidency had told THE WHISTLER on Monday that there are extant laws governing such transactions, arguing that this statutory mandate lies within the purview of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
A Tanzania-based show promoter, Steven has claimed that Kizz Daniel’s missing gold chain was not the reason he refused to perform.
Steven said this during an interview with Daddy Freeze and Kizz Daniel’s brother Tolu.
He said that certain technical issues stopped the ‘Buga’ Crooner from performing.
Steven also claimed that the $60,000 he said was paid to the singer was actually sent directly to an agency managed by music executive, Paul Okoye.
He admitted that the singer tried to make amends when he arrived in the country one hour before the show after an 8-hour flight delay in Kenya. However, the show promoters told him there was no need for that as they will take care of it, but never did.
Sharing his brother’s side of the story, Tolu said Kizz was not paid in full while also adding that the contract for the show allowed for it to be postponed.
He argued that the father of two also offered to pay for a hall and for other things to ensure that the show was successful if postponed, which the show promoters agreed to but reneged after things took a negative turn.
Steven also admitted that all Tolu said was true but said they were only trying not to have issues with authorities because they are new in business in the country
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday appointed a former Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office, Dr. Habiba Muda Lawal, as Special Adviser to the President, Policy and Coordination.
Her appointment is contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
Lawal is a technocrat in management, planning and project execution and has distinguished herself in various assignments in various areas in the public sector.
Before her retirement as Permanent Secretary in the Ecological Office, she had successfully supervised a team that ensured the management, identification, planning and execution of projects that mitigated serious ecological challenges across the country.
The successful implementation of these projects yielded commendable results for the country.
She attended Ahmadu Bello University Zaria from 1982 to 1986 for B.Sc. Chemistry where she won the Nigerian Tobacco Company Prize for the Best Year II Student 1984/1985.
She also won the Imperial Chemical Industries Prize for the Best Graduating Student in Chemistry (Second Class Upper) and the Imperial Chemical Industries Prize for the Best Graduating Project 1985/1986.
In 1991, Habiba obtained a Master’s Degree in Inorganic Chemistry from ABU, Zaria and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi (1997).
She also holds Certificate in Professional and Personal Competence in Women’s Development from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, Britain.
The statement reads, “President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed former Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office (EPO), Dr. Habiba Muda Lawal, as Special Adviser to the President, Policy and Coordination.
“Before retirement, Dr Lawal had successfully supervised a team that ensured management, identification, planning and execution of projects to mitigate serious ecological challenges across the country, with commendable results.
“She attended Ahmadu Bello University Zaria from 1982 to 1986 for B.Sc. Chemistry; there, she won the Nigerian Tobacco Company Prize for the Best Year II Student 1984/1985, the Imperial Chemical Industries Prize for the Best Graduating Student in Chemistry (Second Class Upper) and the Imperial Chemical Industries Prize for the Best Graduating Project 1985/1986.
“In 1991, Dr. Habiba obtained a Master’s Degree in Inorganic Chemistry from ABU, Zaria and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi (1997). She also holds Certificate in Professional and Personal Competence in Women’s Development from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, Britain.
“Dr Lawal, who served as Acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation, 19th April 2017 to 30th October, 2017, has resumed in her new office.”
The Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Ambassador, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd), on Tuesday expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will surmount the new security challenges facing the country and called on Nigerians to exercise patience.
Besides subsiding terrorists attacks in the North East, banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism have led other criminal activities in other parts of the country.
Speaking in Abuja when Security Watch Africa (SWA) Team led by its President/C.E.O., Mr. Patrick Agbambu, paid him a courtesy visit, Amb. Buratai, pointed out that President Buhari brought the rampant activities of terrorists in the North East before his tenure under control when he assumed office in 2015.
He said “But a new challenge has emerged in other parts of the country which is a fall out of what happened in the North East.
“But I believe government is concerned and is not sitting idle, its not resting.
“Things are being done and I believe the current state of fear, the sense of despair in some quarters will soon be resolved,” he stated.
Recalling the situation in the country before President Buhari assumed office in 2015, he said “The security situation continued to deteriorate. But we give glory to God for the change in 2015.
“We contributed our little quota to stop the drift into anarchy. People tend to forget where we were.
“When we were in the office, we responded immediately there was any attack and we were always ahead of them.
“I believe we have done our country proud as members of the Armed Forces and we are still doing our best,” he added.
With so much conviction, the former COAS concludes, “The situation now will soon be tackled just like we did with the Boko Haram issue. President Buhari has the will and requisite capacity to surmount these challenges.”
Timawus Mathias, a Veteran broadcaster at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Yola, Adamawa State, has regained consciousness after five weeks of being in coma.
He broke the news on Monday evening on Facebook.
The 73-year-old who retired as a manager before going into private practice, stated:
“This has miraculously restored itself and I hope and pray it remains so. I came under the weather and was in coma for 5 weeks. When I came round I found I had been spun out of this cyclone of social media. I will tell my story in due course. For now help me sing Halelluiah, glory to God. “
After his retirement, he
started his own media firm, Quest Media.
CBA FOUNDATION TAKES INTERVENTION AMONG UNDERPRIVILEGED WIDOWS TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WITH THEIR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INITIATIVE
If indications from two separate but related events that were held few months ago are anything to go by, then one of Nigeria’s most vulnerable groups may be on the verge of experiencing better times. The events, hosted in two separate states/regions and split by a 20-day interval, held at a time when self-splurging by many young Nigerians was at octane levels, and saw young men and women behind an NGO that caters to the welfare of underprivileged widows and their vulnerable children, passionately putting the widows’ needs above their wants.
The NGO, CBA Foundation, its dedicated and passionate staff, some supporters and donors came out in their numbers on two dedicated days to give widows in selected communities in Lagos and Anambra a treat. The Lagos outreach benefitted, in a unique way, widows in six communities in Ibeju-Lekki, namely: Badore, Iberekodo, Museyo, Magbon Alade, Okunola Ilado and Magbon Iga.
CBA Foundation seized the opportunity of the outreach to launch a new initiative it tagged Social Enterprise Initiative. The Initiative, which is aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of all efforts to protect and promote the welfare of widows as well as their children, is to cater to the financial, mental and physical health needs of beneficiaries. The Initiative is designed to provide comprehensive support, including health interventions, skill acquisition, business set-up, food and drinks, clothes and shoes.It also includes general support for all affected widows.
The Founder/CEO of CBA Foundation, Mrs Chinwe Bode-Akinwande explained the reason for the Foundation’s shift to the new Initiative: “We have been doing outreaches and it has been non-stop, but the essence of this Social Enterprise Initiative is for the widows to have something that will sustain them even for a longer period, something that will give them hope, knowing that they have a sustainable source of livelihood and activities that remind them that they need to keep going.”
Continuing, she reveals when the idea for the new initiative began: “When the lockdown came during the peak of covid 19, we realised that there was a need again to have something sustainable for these women. With the Social Enterprise Initiative, we identify the skills they need to possess, and what they are passionate about, we also empower them with the necessary training and then set them up with all they need for the business. At the end of the day, they won’t have to wait daily for the CBA Foundation to give them food or clothing.”
Mrs Bode-Akinwande noted that the Initiative had been informed by a rigorous analysis of the data in their database, gathered over the years on widows whom they have reached out to and the support they have been receiving from both individual and corporate donors. She said that they had dimensioned all the critical issues from widows with critical needs, where the Foundation needed to begin its interventions, to widows who needed to be set up in business and to several widows’ children who needed to be reinstated back in school.
She also remarked that plans were underway at the Foundation to take the skills acquisition training further, beginning with adire-making (tie and dye). She announced that the Foundation would have a line of products that would be its adire pattern, displaying its unique signature. When sold, the net proceeds would be ploughed back into the Foundation as a constant stream of income.
The idea, the Foundation’s CEO stressed, would inspire the widows who show a keen interest in adire-making as they would be involved and exposed to its value chain which is essential to optimising their execution after their training. So, the adire-making training followed with tutorials on the step-by-step processes involved in it, materials needed and how to identify them, necessary safety precautions, various tie and dye techniques, packaging and distribution and how to make a living from adire-making.
For widows with impaired vision at the event, they were able to have free consultations with an ophthalmologist, get free eye tests and free reading glasses, courtesy of a partnership between FirstBank and Vision Spring. What followed when beneficiaries had the free reading glasses fitted and could see clearly were scenes similar to ones where people had experienced supernatural miracles. The ecstatic joy was palpable.
Take 59-year-old Hassanat Oyewunmi, for example. Tears of joy rolled freely from her eyes as she remarked that her farsightedness challenge had been addressed. She confessed excitedly that she felt “better, much better now with the glasses, and I can even see everyone clearly. It is good to know that we are not forgotten.”
Olabode Sadiat, 62, could not contain her joy as she wore her glasses and pointed in the distance, while indicating that she could see everything in her line of sight. She had suffered from a blurry vision that made reading her Bible difficult. “Nothing is more painful than not being able to read your Bible,” she had noted following the medical intervention.
The widows also received food, drinks, clothing and other materials that were distributed during the outreach. They were also given a final charge by Mrs Bode-Akinwande in which she reminded them that they were not alone and could always count on the support of the CBA Foundation.
In all, 165 widows across the six communities of Ibeju-Lekki benefitted when the Lagos outreach was held. The Anambra outreach, on the other hand, benefitted 75 widows from four communities in the Nnewi area of the state.
Food items and financial empowerment constituted the bulk of the support CBA Foundation gave the Anambra widows to celebrate the festive season. The Anambra initiative has enjoyed tremendous support from a donor who has been consistent over the past four years. The Founder of the Foundation expressed gratitude to the donor while remarking that the outreach is a source of enablement for the underprivileged widows and their children.
She continues: “We give hope to the hopeless. We are driven to support underprivileged widows to have a positive outlook on life despite the problems they experience by losing their loved one, mostly the breadwinner of the family.”
Both Lagos and Anambra outreaches were in some sense CBA Foundation’s way of giving underprivileged widows a “December to Remember” treat annually. Of course, that treat would at best be modest compared to how people who were not in any known vulnerable categories took care of themselves and themselves alone. Even with the best of intentions, CBA Foundation could only work with donations received from donors and supporters at a time of the year when most (young) people were dedicating more resources to the self-splurging that December has come to represent.
While it may not be in one’s place to dictate to others how they should spend the money they have worked so hard to make, one cannot help but try to point them to ways they could better dispense their hard-earned cash that would be in their enlightened self-interest. Or what sense is there in spending on oneself so lavishly and ostentatiously as though spending was going to go out of fashion at any moment only to provoke the have-nots to make one the target of their misdirected anger in a society that is largely dysfunctional?
A similar question should be addressed to the government and public officials: What sense is there in expending huge public resources on projects that have no direct bearing on the welfare of vulnerable groups when it only widens the gap between the haves (including public officials) and have-nots and exacerbates the conditions that heighten security concerns among the haves? At what point will the government, public officials and the privileged class start acting in their enlightened self-interest by committing genuine efforts to narrow the gap between those who have and those who can only wish?
It is high time public officials and the privileged began building strong coalitions and partnerships with groups and organisations that have been working to protect and support as well as advocate for the vulnerable for years now. They must begin to key into and support the organisations’ laudable initiatives that show great potential in helping to narrow the frightening gap.
CBA Foundation’s Social Enterprise Initiative represents one of such laudable initiatives. It is a well-thought-out initiative capable of transforming the existing arrangement for care and support of vulnerable groups such as underprivileged widows and their children and taking their welfare to the next level. The Government, individuals as well as corporate organisations must join hands with the Foundation if the Initiative is to have any chance of success.
Through its avowed commitment to “touching lives, giving hope…” not in mere words and empty promises but genuine and visible action on the ground (see ample examples captured on its website: www.cbafoundation.org), CBA Foundation has already demonstrated its readiness to do more with additional support. It has shown that it is living true to its #CareIsAction DNA and can thus be trusted with more support. The Social Enterprise Initiative, therefore, will be delighted to have interested partners (individuals and corporate bodies) to send an email to: cbafoundationng@gmail.com to partner with the Foundation in the drive to take the welfare of underprivileged widows to the next level where its long-term sustainability is guaranteed.
The Nigeria Police Force, Osun State Command, has confirmed the arrest of a notorious serial killer, Rasheed Okoilu.
Okoilu, whose birthname is Rasheed Hamed, is said to have been on the command’s wanted list over involvement in life-taking activities in the state.
Naija News learnt that Okoilu was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, August 7, 2022.
His arrest was confirmed in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo yesterday by the command spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola.
The statement explained that the suspect was arrested by a combined team of police officers from Dugbe Police Station and Oke Baale Police Station with support from local hunters.
Opalola said Okoilu was tracked and arrested after he went on a killing spree in Egbatedo, Osogbo, where he killed three people.
She said the suspect had been handed over to the anti-cultism department of the Police Command in the state and was undergoing processing.
Naija News understands that Osun Police Command had sometime in March this year declared Okoilu and one Solomon Adedimeji (Solo Iwara) wanted in connection with offences of murder, arson, ritual killings, armed robbery, rape and kidnapping.
The police had warned that anybody that harboured the suspects would be treated as an accomplice to their crimes.
The command had also promised anyone with useful information that can lead to the arrest of the wanted persons, a handsome reward.
The opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly have said there is no going back on their resolve to impeach the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), if he fails to address the insecurity in the country within six weeks.
The lawmakers in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday, dismissed a report that they had backed down on the plan to remove the President after the expiration of the six-week ultimatum handed down on July 27.
The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had come under ferocious assaults by terrorists who launched separate attacks on troops and the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The militant attacked the Presidential Guards Brigade troops at Bwari-Kubwa road, Abuja, killing a captain, lieutenant and six soldiers while others sustained injuries.
They also attacked a checkpoint at Zuma rock, a few kilometers from the nation’s capital.
An attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists on the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, Abuja, resulted in the release of 69 Boko Haram commanders and hundreds of felons on July 5. This happened 24 hours after suspected terrorists attacked the president’s advance team in Katsina.
Following these developments and the impeachment threat against the President by the opposition lawmakers, the National Assembly leadership expressed fears over the worsening insecurity in the country.
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, thereafter, summoned the security chiefs to a marathon meeting where he described the security situation as frightening.
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The various House Committees on Security similarly met with the security chiefs on the matter.
Speaking to The PUNCH, the People’s Democratic Party Senator representing Osun East senatorial district, Francis Fadahunsi, said it was not true that the opposition were retreating on their move to impeach the President.
According to him, it is a unanimous decision and nothing different has been communicated to them.
When asked if the senators had backtracked on their impeachment plans, he said, “Who said so? Who are the opposition (lawmakers) that met? You did an interview with Senator Gershom Bassey who said that we meant what we said. Those people saying such are not feeling fine.
“Even northern senators are in support of the impeachment; you heard Senator Clifford (Ordia) from Edo, Senator Bulkachuwa (Mohammed) and the rest. So, who are those that told them so?’’
The Osun senator hinted that the lawmakers would remove the Senate President from office in advancement of the moves against Buhari, adding that he had been a victim of the grave insecurity in the country.
Vowing never to back down, Fadahunsi insisted that his voice would not be silenced by anyone.
He added, “Bulkachuwa had earlier moved the motion but the Senate President shot him down because we were not around. Very soon, we will push him out of the place instead of dying one after the other and keeping silent.
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‘Lawyer kidnapped twice’
“My lawyer was kidnapped twice on Kogi road; his wife was just released from the hospital after she got shot. Before then, I was also attacked twice, so why will I allow anyone to shut me down from expressing my grievances.
“I have not heard such communication that we are backing down on the impeachment move and, I won’t back down.
Corroborating his colleague, the All Progressives Grand Alliance lawmaker representing Abia South, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, also debunked the claims that the opposition senators had jettisoned their decision to remove Buhari.
Abaribe stated that he was not aware of such a decision as the plenary was adjourned on the same day they moved to impeach the president.
He said, “No such thing. We went on break that same day.”
The Senator representing Benue North West Senatorial District, Senator Orker Jev, also dismissed the insinuation that the opposition senators had stepped down the impeachment move.
“I’m not aware of any such development. Most likely untrue,’’ he stated.
The Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Toby Okechukwu, also debunked the report that the impeachment threat had died.
Faulting the media report on the plan, he said, “Who did they quote? They quoted an anonymous source. How can the Senators back down and there is no name (of those interviewed)?”
Like her colleagues, the Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, Abiodun Olujimi, said the reports that the senators were aborting the impeachment were untrue.
She said, “I am not aware of such a decision, it was a settled issue that we have all agreed on the impeachment of the President if the insecurity state of the nation was not addressed.
“We haven’t held any meetings since then; at least to the best of my knowledge. So, things remain as they are.”
The Senator representing Southern Kaduna and Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Danjuma La’ah said the opposition senators had yet to jettison the impeachment threat.
The lawmaker also disclosed to one of our correspondents on the telephone on Sunday night in Kaduna.
When asked if the opposition senators had dropped the impeachment process on the President, La’ah said, “No. We are still on the process” adding that the ultimatum still stands.”
Also, the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District of Ondo State, Nicholas Tofowomo, said he was not aware of the withdrawal of the threat.
The senator also said such did not happen and if it happened, the minority leader would had informed all the senators concerned about the matter.
He said, “ I am not aware of anything of such. Although we are currently on recess, if there is anything of such it is the responsibility of the minority leader to inform all the opposition senators before any decision would be taken in that regard.” Continue reading
