How we felt when Ortom, Tambuwal, Ahmed dumped APC for PDP – Okorocha

Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha on Thursday described the defection of some governors of the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party as painful.

He said this in Daura, Katsina State when he led other APC governors to visit President Muhammadu Buhari to felicitate with him in the spirit of the season.

Okorocha said: “We had wished that none of them, especially the governors, had left the party. We had wished, and it pains us so much.

“The pain is because they had associated and related together as brothers.

“All of a sudden, you don’t see one of your own; we feel it.”

Recall that three governors: Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State; and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State recently defected to the PDP.

Okorocha,however, noted that despite their painful exit, he believes it had no further effect on the APC.

“The governors defection had no negative effect whatsoever on the APC. Within one week, people had forgotten and we have forged ahead,” he added.

Courtesy: Daily Post

Tinubu: Three Years Not Enough to Reshape Nigeria

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has stated that three years of the party in government is not enough to re-engineer the country.

He said despite the looting of the country’s treasury in the previous years, President Muhammadu Buhari is gradually restoring the hope of Nigerians.

Speaking in Lagos, the APC leader added that treasury looters have “eaten” Nigeria’s seed of growth and development.

“Nigerians adopted democracy; we are going to live through this democratic government. We need President Buhari to retool and re-engineer it, that is what he is doing in the economy and he is doing it gradually, otherwise we don’t want it to fall apart again.

“We ate the seed of growth for breakfast, therefore, there is nothing for lunch or dinner. Nothing to harvest that is why we talk about looters. But it will not take a magical touch to bring it to reality. It takes patience and perseverance.

“Three years is not enough time for retouching, redevelopment and re-engineering the country. There is a lot of hope; there is a lot of expectation.

“Economic development and the future of the youth are crucial in the growth of any nation and we are taking care of that. You have to re-grow the economy, re-engineer it from bottom, and during that process, it is always very difficult for ordinary people,” he said.

Tinubu, according to The Cable, added that he was proud of his achievements during his time as governor of Lagos State.

“We were meticulous, dedicated and focused and we lifted the spirits of our people and that is why it is important for Nigerians to be focused now,” he said.

Courtesy: This Day

House PDP Group Kicks against Alleged Plot to Impeach Dogara

The Parliamentary Democrats Group (PDG) in the House of Representatives Thursday kicked against an alleged plot to impeach the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara and cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caucus in the lower chamber against distracting lawmakers from performing their legislative functions with their 2019 ambitions.

Spokesman for the group, Hon. Timothy Golu (PDP, Plateau), said his group has watched with apprehension, the series of accusations and counter-accusations of support groups among the APC caucus which have the potential to derail the legislative performance of the lawmakers in the lower chamber.

He cautioned the APC lawmakers in a statement issued Thursday against the idea of impeaching Dogara, adding that it would be resisted.

There are allegations that lawmakers from the ruling party within the green chamber are plotting to impeach Dogara when the National Assembly resumes from its long recess in September.

The plot was alleged to have been spearheaded by a principal officer of the House, who is alleged to be facing similar impeachment threat from his aggrieved party colleagues.

But Golu said: “We believe it is the aftermath of the gale of defections that had hit the party in recent times, of which more is being expected. In as much as we will not delve into their personal caucus matters.

“However any issue that concerns the larger House will not cease to get our attention, especially the accusation by one group that another group is contemplating the impeachment of the Speaker.”

Golu, who chairs the House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, also cautioned that all the discussions about impeaching Dogara should start and end at the APC secretariat or the secretariat.

“We are keeping our eyes and ears wide open for any such eventuality and to restate our readiness to return fire for fire on anyone thinking of it.

“If they claim that someone is thinking of becoming Speaker in 2019 when the tenure has not ended, it will not be out of place to suspect such motives especially when the same people have been talking strongly on the urgent need to address critical legislative issues,” he said.

Golu added that Dogara is on top of his job and has been doing excellently well, “respecting his colleagues and leading with the fear of God and in accordance with the constitution and our House rules”.

“He has performed very well in providing the expected legislative leadership. If anyone is thinking of replacing him even when this tenure is not yet ended, then it means a lot may be happening underground.

“We call on our colleagues leading the various splinter groups in the APC to allow the house go on smoothly until June 9, 2019.

“We do not want the externally- influenced distraction taking place in the red chamber where some anti-democratic forces want to truncate democracy to happen in the house. As true democrats, we are at alert, keeping vigilance and monitoring happenings with eagle eye wherever they are,” he said.

Courtesy: This Day

Abacha Loot: Cable Foundation sends FoI request to Adeosun on N7bn payment to lawyers

Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), a not-for-profit organisation, has sent a Freedom of Information request to Kemi Adeosun on the payment to lawyers in the recovery of $321 million Abacha Loot from Luxembourg.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had engaged two Nigerian lawyers, Oladipo Okpeseyi and Temitope Isaac Adebayo, for the recovery after the money was returned to Nigeria with $1.5 million interest by the Swiss government.

However, TheCable online newspaper, a partner organisation to Cable Foundation, reported that Enrico Monfrini, a Swiss lawyer, had done all the legal work and completed all the recoveries for which he had been paid in full by the Goodluck Jonathan administration as far back as 2014.

Mr. Monfrini denied allegations that he was asking for extra payment to complete the job, maintaining that the recovery had been finalised and that all that was left was for Mr. Malami to write a simple letter to the Swiss government.

However, Mr. Malami still engaged the services of two lawyers for a fee $16.9 million (about N7 billion).

CNJF had sent an FoI to Mr. Malami to make available copies of the agreements signed with Mr. Monfrini, but the attorney-general did not respond to the request.

Cable Foundation’s lawyers, Kusamotu & Kusamotu, are now in court seeking an order of mandamus to compel the AGF to make the documents available in line with public interest.

In the FoI request to Mrs Adeosun, the Cable Foundation is seeking a breakdown of the amount approved and released for the Nigerian lawyers between the time they were appointed and today as well as records showing payment timeline for the services of the Swiss lawyer.

This request is in line with Sections 2(3) & (4) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 which require all “information relating to the receipt or expenditure of public or other funds of the institution” to be “widely disseminated and more readily available.”

“We are trying to help President Muhammadu Buhari in his war against corruption,” Abiose Adelaja Adams, the programme officer of CNJF, said in a statement on Thursday.

The House of Representatives has set up an ad-hoc committee to probe the payments to the lawyers.

TheCable also reported earlier in the year that the American government has told Mr. Buhari it would not entertain the involvement of private lawyers in the return of another $500 million Abacha Loot which was domiciled with the US Department of Justice in 2014 after the recoveries by the Jonathan administration.

The US government would only deal with Nigeria on a government-to-government basis, TheCable reported.

Courtesy: Premium Times

Nigeria: Third Mainland Bridge Closure - Tankers, Trucks Take Over Alternative Routes

*LASG deploys 650 LASTMA personnel

*We're deploying 1,000 men -- Police

*FSRC deploys 200 men

LAGOS--THE temporary closure of the Third Mainland Bridge to allow for a three-day investigative maintenance test prior to its repair began last night with strong indications that serious hardship awaits motorists and other road users in Lagos. Reason: Most of the alternative routes announced by the Lagos State Government are currently blocked by trucks.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ade Akinsanya, had while announcing the closure, advised motorists to use designated alternative routes pending when the bridge would be reopened to traffic.

Alternative routes

The designated alternative routes include: Those coming from Lagos-Abeokuta, Agege, Ogba and Ikeja are to make use of Oshodi via Mushin Ojuelegba to connect Carter Bridge into Island; those from Ikorodu, Maryland are to make use of Funsho Williams Avenue, formerly, Western Avenue via Yaba to Oyinbo and connect Eko Bridge into Island. Motorists from Okokomaiko, Festac, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway are enjoined to ply through Ajegunle via Marine Bridge to Ijora to connect Carter Bridge to Apongbon into Lagos Island. Conversely, motorists from the Island are expected to ply Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge into Mainland, while those in Lekki Ajah can also make use of Epe axis through Imota into Ikorodu.

Accessing alternative routes

However, accessibility remains a big factor in routes bordering Okokomaiko, Festac, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Ajegunle via Marine Bridge to Ijora, and Carter Bridge to Apongbon into Lagos Island as the areas are still choked by hundreds of illegally parked tankers and container-laden trucks.

An on-the-spot count done by Vanguard last month revealed that over 12,000 of these articulated vehicles were parked in different locations in that axis.

A breakdown of this figure then showed that from Iyana Isolo to Tin Can, there were 3,200 trucks parked on the road; Ijora to Palmgrove, 3,485; from Marine Bridge to Ijora, 1850 and down the bridge, 1050; from Stadium to Eko Bridge, 874; from Costain--Stadium-Alaka--Fadeyi, 865; from Berger Suya to Kirikiri Road (New Road Bus stop) 678; from Wilmer Bridge to Awodiora (Ajegunle) 187; and from Coker to Costain Bridge, 63. The entire Berger area had 671 of these articulated vehicles of which 210 were parked on the bridge.

A visit to the affected areas, yesterday, showed that the situation has not changed much, with different articulated vehicles still occupying key access roads and completely impeding the flow of traffic. It is a development many see as likely to render unworkable the alternative routes announced by the Lagos State government for use by motorists pending the reopening of the Third Mainland Bridge.

LASG deploys 650 LASTMA personnel

However, the Lagos State Government has assured residents that all necessary measures had been taken to ensure smooth traffic within the period, saying

that 650 officers of the StateTraffic Management Authority, LASTMA, along with sister agencies would be on ground at strategic points to control traffic and maintain safety of lives and property.

The State's Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr.Ade Akinsanya, speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Taiwo Salaam, urged," motorists and residents to comply with all traffic rules and directional signs to alternative routes during the period the exercise will last."

He said: "Out of the 3,710 LASTMA capacity in the state, we have decided to deploy 650 personnel covering all the corridors of the Third Mainland Bridge, including all circular roads and bridges, that is Carter and Eko Bridges linking to Third Mainland Bridge.

"The first circular road, Carter Bridge linking Third Mainland Bridge will be closed today (Yesterday) at midnight from all entries and outlets, coming from Idumota to inner and outer Marina, while also the Oworonsoki and Apapa axis to Third Mainland Bridge will be blocked at all access points.

"In order to further reduce pressure and eliminate traffic gridlock, we are talking to market leaders of the need to impress it on their members to stay off during the period as well as those on unessential travel in their own interest.

"However, to stagger the traffic, we implore communters and motorists to make use of public transportation, particularly, Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, in order to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and prevent possible gridlock."

We're deploying 200 men - FRSC

Also, the Lagos Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Hyginus Omeje, said many personnel had been drafted to the various alternative routes to ease free flow of traffic. Expressing optimism that the exercise would be a huge success, he urged motorists to show understanding during the period.

Omeje said: "We have enough men on ground to ensure effective management of traffic situation during the period of closure of third Mainland Bridge. FRSC has deployed 200 personnel already on the axis while 800 policemen and 500 Lagos Traffic Management Authority officials are working with us.

"We advise people not to drive against traffic and to avoid unnecessary trips to the Lagos Island, even if they have to, they should do so with BRT buses, and other means of transportation like waterways.

"We have identified critical traffic areas within the axis such as Costain, Apongbo where commercial drivers stop to pick passengers; Our men will ensure that drivers use lay bys in such locations to ensure traffic flow. There are enough personnel to do the job and they have been strategically deployed."

On the menace of trailers and other articulated vehicles blocking the roads in Lagos, Omeje explained that they have been able to bring some measure of control by ensuring that the trucks maintain a single lane. "The trailers are streamlined. The best we can do for now is to manage the situation the way we are doing. There are no holding bays to take the trucks and we shall continue to manage it until we find a lasting solution," he said.

We're deploying 1,000 officers - Police

When contacted, Spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Chike Oti, said: "A total of 1,000 police officers, consisting of traffic officers and regular policemen, will be drafted to the Third Mainland Bridge during the temporary closure to secure the route and also direct traffic to alternative routes."

Also, the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Ashafa while stressing the need for the exercise, yesterday, urged residents to cooperate with both the Federal and Lagos State governments during the three days closure.

Ashafa traced the history of the repairs of the bridge to 2013 when he moved a motion on the floor of the Senate for the Federal Government to rehabilitate the 28-year-old bridge.

The statement reads in part: "On 7th February 2013, I moved a motion calling on the Federal Government to immediately conduct a comprehensive rehabilitation of the 3rd Mainland Bridge. This was borne out of an independent assessment showed that substantial portions of the bridge had began to fail.

"Following this motion, the Government has committed itself to necessary periodic repairs to ensure that the bridge is safe and strong to carry the weight of thousand of vehicles that ply the road daily.

"Once again, the Government has scheduled a closure of the bridge for a pre-maintenance assessment between the 23rd and 26th of August, 2018.

"I am fully aware of the inconvenience that the closure of this critical infrastructure will cause all of us. However, we must see it as a necessary inconvenience and a little sacrifice we must all pay for the safety of the millions of Nigerians and other lives that ply the 3rd Mainland bridge."

Courtesy: All Africa