Four Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), South-South
governors have denounced the nomination of Mr. J.U. Ake, as successor to late Chief Aminasoari Dikibo, the former national vice-chairman of the party in the south-south geo-political zone.
Akwa-Ibom State governor, Obong Victor Attah, alongside Governors Lucky Igbinedion (Edo), James Ibori (Delta) and D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa), who spoke to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, said they rather favour the nomination of Dr. Tarila Tebepah from Bayelsa State as Dikibo’s replacement as national vice-chairman (south-south).
According to Governor Attah, the south-south PDP governors were surprised at the announcement of Mr. Ake to fill the vacant position of national vice-chairman, since his nomination was not ratified by the governors and the zonal caucus of the party.
He said the party’s zonal meeting held at Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom State capital, could not reach a decision on late Dikibo’s successor because of the unwillingness of certain political leaders in the south-south zone to accept the majority decision.
“Out of the five governors present at the meeting at Uyo, four supported a particular candidate while one supported the other. The third candidate was disqualified from contesting.
Also, an overwhelming majority of members of the zonal caucus comprising National Assembly members and other accredited members supported the choice of the four governors,” the governor said.
He however admitted that the Uyo meeting was deadlocked and as a result, the choice of Dikibo’s replacement was stepped down until the convening of a meeting of the zonal caucus to pick and agree on a successor.
Since the Uyo meeting, the governor said, no meeting of the PDP south-south caucus has been convened, adding that the “purported swearing-in of Mr. J.U. Ake as a replacement for late Chief A.K. Dikibo came to us as a total surprise.”
Based on this, he said the governor of Bayelsa State whose nominee enjoyed popular support at the Uyo meeting, has since protested the undemocratic action of Mr. Ake’s nomination.
Minister alleges military threat to Nigeria
Minister of state for de
fence, Chief (Dr)
Rowland Oritsejafor, has raised alarm over an apparent military threat to the nation’s sovereignty and warned that the nation’s foreign policy made Nigeria a likely target of enemy aggression.
He said while delivering a lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State: “It does also appear that there is an apparent military threat to our sovereignty from our eastern flank. These threats apart, our bold and dynamic foreign policy, especially in Africa, makes Nigeria a likely target of enemy aggression or sabotage.”
Chief Oritsejafor added, “based on the possibility of direct attack by adversaries, there are indirect military threats posed by the activities of some foreign powers in Africa. It is possible for these powers to use the territories of Nigeria’s contiguous neighbours as staging posts for hostile activities against her.”
Given their economic disadvantages and their external dependency, Chief Oritsejafor said, “these countries who are our neighbours might be less likely to resist the possible pressure from such hostile foreign powers.”
He described as a source of external threat, civil strife and unrest in neighbouring countries that could have spill over effects on commercial activities on the nation. “Rebels and bandits have manifested this in their incessant violation of Nigeria’s north-eastern border, which is rich in fish and other agricultural products,” he said.
While also calling the country’s porous borders serious areas of threat, Oritsejafor said “until these borders are properly defined, demarcated and protected, Nigeria will operate on the basis of the expectation of threat in form of border violation, conflicting territorial claims, border conflicts and the possible blockade of her sources of communication.”
He said as a matter of deliberate policy, there was need to establish a “sphere of influence” in the sub-region, and that to be able to effectively counter any act of subversion or sabotage from any source it was imperative to articulate well-defined policy objectives.
The minister of state for defence also stressed the need for a strong armed forces, stating that the policy thrust of the present administration was directed at creating compact, highly mobile, well trained, well equipped, well maintained and highly motivated armed forces.
He also said that it was necessary to drastically reduce the nation’s reliance on external sources for her defence needs to increase her capacity to act independently within Nigeria’s sphere of influence and beyond. “If the experience we got during the Nigeria civil war is anything to go by, such a dependence is both dangerous and misplaced,” he said.
Goje denies reports on zoning, corruption
Gombe State governor,
Alhaji Danjuma Goje,
has denied a news report credited to him for faulting President Obasanjo on zoning of the presidency in 2007 and another asking Nuhu Ribadu to name corrupt governors.
A statement by the special assistant, media and publicity to the governor, Mohammed Pindiga said the statements carried by The Guardian newspaper of Monday was untrue and baseless and “clearly misrepresents the position of Governor Goje on sensitive matters such as this, especially as they affect the person of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria and his key subordinates, including Nuhu Ribadu, EFCC chairman.”
The statement said the governor advised that the said publications be retracted.
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.N3.5b mobilisation: FG to sanction contractors
The federal government
is set to sanction erring
contractors who have failed to complete road projects all over the federation after gulping mobilisation fees up to the tune of N3.6 billion.
Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe stated this yesterday when the governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Danjuma Goje paid a courtesy call on the minister in his office.
The minister named the contractors as Stirling Construction who collected N500 million for the re-construction of the Sokoto-Talata Mafara road, JMK for the Kaura Namoda-Shinkafi road; TORNO Construction Company for a road project in Nassarawa State, SINECON Co. Ltd for the Gombe-Biu road, all companies have received N500 million each, and DECKITT Construction Co. who collected N1.6 billion.
Senator Ogunlewe who described the abandonment of the road projects by the contractors as unacceptable, said government have invited the contractor for a discussion on how to resolve the matter.
He said it is always difficult to terminate such contracts because it would be difficult to recover the mobilisation fees paid to such erring contractors, but that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is to intervene in the matter.
The minister, who also commended some state governors for assisting the federal government with road projects in their states, said there is no substitute for co-operation, that a unit is never bigger than the whole, and that no state can do it alone.
Earlier in his address, Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State, said the visit is a follow-up from a recent working visit conducted by the works minister to his state, and commended the minister for his determination and seriousness in carrying out his duties.
Governor Goje called for the revocation of the Gombe-Biu road contract, describing the contractor as not capable and willing to complete the project, a project he said he had been monitoring since his days as a minister in the last regime.
The governor also requested for the assistance of the works ministry in other road projects in the state, especially the road dualisation project currently going on in the state capital.
He also commended the decision of the works minister that henceforth no road contractor would get any contract from the ministry if the company does not have asphalt plants.
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