ACN: PDP Lacks Capacity to Rule Nigeria

ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Wednesday cast doubt on the ability of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) to handle the intriguing security and developmental challenges currently facing the country.

Against the background of a statement credited to the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, that the PDP is not a security agency and should not be blamed for the insecurity in the country, ACN said Tukur has revealed how clueless his party is over the worsening state of insecurity and other ills bedevilling the country.

A statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed its happiness that the Chairman of the biggest non-performing party in Africa has finally come to terms with what the ACN and others have been saying for a long time, that the PDP lacks the wherewithal to preside over a country that is hungry for security and development like Nigeria.

“What the PDP chairman is saying, in essence, is that his party is no longer fit to rule and that Nigerians should look elsewhere if indeed they want a government that will ensure the security of their lives and property.

“Thank you, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for speaking from the heart and admitting that your party, the PDP, has finally reached the end of its tether,” the statement added.

ACN said it was inconceivable that a man of Tukur’s standing, experience in public life and international exposure will not know the powers and responsibility of a ruling party.

“The PDP sired the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government that controls the security agencies in the country, and the party’s chairman is not unaware of this fact. If therefore he says the party should not be blamed for the insecurity stalking the land, he definitely knows what he is saying, which is that the ‘PDP is clueless,” it said.

The party said Nigerians should take their destiny in their own hands by using every democratic means to get the PDP out of their lives, since the ruling party has wasted all of 13 years and billions of naira in the resources of the

commonwealth since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

“The insecurity that has now reached a level at which daring gunmen will attack the police and the military, the very institutions the country relies upon to ensure its internal and external security, is a reflection of the deep rot in other spheres of life in Nigeria.

‘’To be fair, the rot did not start in 1999. But 13 years is a long enough time for a party that is worth its name to make an appreciable effort to turn things around. Sadly, the situation is worse today than it was 13 years ago. If the PDP says it should not be blamed for the country’s woes, it means it is finally ready to get the heck out of the scene to allow capable hands to take charge,” ACN said.

NDIC Releases N1.072 Billion to Savannah Bank

Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, CEO, NDIC

In order to enable Savannah Bank of Nigeria (SBN) resume operations, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) said it has released a total of N1.072 billion of the bank’s fund.

The corporation stated this in its 2011 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, which was made available to journalists Wednesday.

A breakdown of the amount showed that NDIC released N450 million to the bank in 2009 and a balance of N460 million. Similarly, it disclosed that the sum of $1.029 million (N162 million) belonging to the bank was equally released in 2011.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, said recently that the corporation was working with the management of SBN to ensure that the financial institution return to business.

The report also showed that the cumulative recovery of assets of closed banks in liquidation had reached about N22.236 billion in 2011.This represented an increase of about 2 per cent compared to about N21.756 billion recovery made in 2010. Moreover, it said a total sum of N13.48 million had also been recovered from closed microfinance banks as at December, 2011.

Ibrahim, while appraising the corporation's activities in the period under review, also noted that it had further commenced payment of insured deposits to the depositors of Triumph and Fortune Banks) which were closed in 2006.

He said about N26 million out of N804.35 million had been paid to 656 depositors of Fortune Bank in-liquidation while about N1.6 million out of N45.36 million had been paid to 35 depositors of Triumph Bank in-liquidation as at December 2011.

The NDIC boss also stated that the corporation enhanced the pace of debt recovery as well as payment of uninsured deposits by appointing a number of debt recovery agents and offering for purchase 13 eligible bank assets with total book value of N3.85 billion to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to boost recovery and facilitate payment last year. 

According to him: “It is heartwarming to indicate that during the year under review, three (3) additional banks in-liquidation, namely: Co-operative and Commerce Bank, Commercial Trust Bank and Ivory Merchant Bank, had declared a final dividend of 100 per cent of total deposits. With that development, fourteen (14) of the thirty-four (34 liquidated banks prior to 2006 had declared a final dividend of 100 percent of total deposits, indicating that all their depositors would fully recover their deposits trapped in the banks.”

Continuing, he noted that: “The NDIC had in the last one year recorded notable achievements in the protection of depositors and promotion of safe, sound and stable banking system in Nigeria.

“There is ample evidence that with careful formulation and adoption of appropriate strategies, the management and staff of the corporation are committed to ensuring that the corporation fulfills its statutory mandate. The corporation is committed to remain an active component of the Nigerian financial safety-net, particularly in the area of engendering confidence and contributing to financial system stability.”

Edo: Court Rejects Airhiavbere’s Witnesses

Major-General Charles Airhiavbere

The appeal filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14 governorship election in Edo State, Major-General Charles Airhiavbere, against a ruling of the lower tribunal that stopped him from presenting additional witnesses Wednesday suffered a set-back.

A judgment of the appellate court Wednesday would have determined whether Airhiavbere could call additional witnesses to testify at the tribunal, since he is challenging the outcome of the election.

The lower tribunal under Justice Suleiman Ambrusa-led panel had ruled that Airhiavbere could not call more witnesses on the issue of academic qualification because it had earlier ruled that the issue of academic qualification was a pre-election matter.

When the case came up for hearing at the Court of Appeal, there was confusion when the suit No CA/B/EPT/320/2012 was called.

Counsel to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) refused to take appearances after counsel to Airhiavbere, Efe Akpofure, announced his appearance.

Olanipekun said the case suit number called was strange to him and that they had no brief on the case 320.

He said: “I don’t have 320 at all. I am still confused as to which appeal I am to appear for.”

Akpofure told the court that the suit number for hearing was 330 and that it was the fault of court registry that two numbers were assigned to two appeals in one record.

He urged the court to take the appeal suit number 320 and applied that the appeal with suit 330 be changed to 320.

Akpofure had also requested for some minutes break to enable them sort the differences in the suit number.

According to him, “320 were listed today. The petitioner case will close tomorrow at the tribunal. We should take the appeal on the suit listed on the cause list.”

“There is no confusion. All the parties filed their brief to the appeal. The mistake is by the registrar.”

Counsel to ACN, Austin Alageh, said the appeal was unknown and that it would be better for an adjournment to be taken for the appellant to sort it out with the registrar.

He opposed the oral application by Akpofure for temporary adjournment.

Head of the three-man panel of Justices, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju urged Counsels to the Respondents to announce appearances for solutions to the confusion as regards which suit number could be resolved.

However, Olanipekun said it was not the fault of the registrar for the confusion.

According to him, “We sympathise with them. You can’t use one record for two different appeals over a judgment delivered on two different days. The application to amend is totally incompetent.”

The court in its ruling, while adjourning the case to December 3, 2012 ordered that two separate files be created and that there cannot be any amendment.

Obasanjo Scores Shema’s Govt High

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has commended Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State for impacting positively and promoting the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the state.

According to him, “Governor Shema did not disappoint me in the art of governance when I inspected some developmental projects in the state capital during my visit.”

Obasanjo, who said his visit penultimate week provided him the opportunity to be taken round to inspect some developmental projects executed by Shema’s administration, said with the way Shema was going, the sky was his limit.

Shema had taken Obasanjo round some of the project within the state capital, which include the New Government House, under construction at Modoji, GRA.

Other projects visited include Ring road project with three lane carriage way, an Orthopaedic hospital with a capacity of 250 bed space nearing inauguration, which would serve as reference hospital in terms of providing orthopaedic and other specialist care to the people in the state.

Obasanjo who also taken round for inspection of the ultra-modern Olympic size stadium also nearing completion, Barhin Housing Estate and one of the many newly built physical structures at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, the main auditorium of the institution and building of primary schools.

Obasanjo said having gone round to inspect these projects, “I must give commendation over the purposeful leadership quality of Governor Ibrahim Shema in terms of selfless service to humanity.”

He said: “I was highly impressed with the performance of Shema which he described as impressive”.

The former president described the projects, especially the orthopaedic hospital and other healthcare services provided by Shema’s administration as some of the needed impetus for human life.

On structures provided at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University,   Obasanjo described it as wise investment that could further develop the education sector.

This, according to Obasanjo, was a clear demonstration of a sincere and honest administration.

Boko Haram Kills Five Policemen, One Soldier in Borno

Boko Haram members

Suspected Boko Haram members Wednesday attacked Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State killing five policemen and detonating several Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Eyewitnesses said members of the sect who invaded the town on motorcycles, also succeeded in attacking the official residence of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the council, Central Primary School and Government Lodge.

It was also gathered that they destroyed the masts belonging to major telecommunications firms, MTN, Glo and Airtel.

Some of the policemen killed during the attack, were Corporal Emmanuel Kwaya, Ishaku Sam, Yahaya Mohammed and two others whose names were withheld.

It was also gathered that one of the officers sustained bullet wounds, even as the gunmen also carted away three AK 47 rifles from the station.

This development is coming barely 24 hours after a popular beer joint at Bayan Railway Quarters, few metres away from the demolished enclave of the Boko Haram leader, Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, was attacked last Sunday evening and two customers shot dead.

The Kala Balge incident, it was gathered, took place at  about 3.am on Tuesday when most of the residents were still asleep.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jubrin, on phone proved abortive.

In another development, there was apprehension in Maiduguri Wednesday as heavy artillery was moved within the town by the Joint Task Force (JTF) to engage the members of the Boko Haram sect in deadly battle in one of their strongholds, Bulabulin.

Bulabulin had seen many confrontations in the past as many patrol vehicles of the JTF have had many improvised explosive devices thrown at them in the area.

The movement of the heavy artillery, which include motorised machine guns, armoured personnel carriers, held up traffic for minutes.

Gunshots were heard for more than 30 minutes as there were casualties on both sides.

Confirming the confrontation in a statement, the spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said based on information, a cordon and search operation was conducted at Bulabulin Ganram area of Maiduguri metropolis at about 12:30pm Wednesday.

He said during the exchange of fire, a soldier was killed with another injured and an immigration personnel still missing in action.

Sagir said three suspected Boko Haram members were shot dead in the confrontation with 31members arrested.

He said items recovered include an AK47 rifle, a G3 rifle and some quantity of assorted magazines and ammunition.