Pa Clark Endorses Ex Gov Dickson For Bayelsa West Senatorial District Election

...Says Ijaw Nation needs tested men of character, courage, capacity in the National Assembly

Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has endorsed the immediate past Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Chief Henry Seriake Dickson, for the vacant Bayelsa West Senatorial District election.

The Media Advisor to the former Governor, Mr Fidelis Soriwei, also quoted the foremost Ijaw National Leader as having called on Ijaw leaders across the country to support the ex-Governor for the vacant Senatorial slot in the collective interest of the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta.

Pa Clark said that Bayelsa and indeed the Ijaw nation was seriously in need of men of demonstrable character, courage, capacity and knowledge like Dickson to run for Senate.

He said that the former Governor possesses vast experience in leadership, the political network, and the requisite knowledge to effectively tackle the critical issues of interest to the Ijaw nation such as Resource Control, True Federalism, Restructuring, Power Devolution among others.

The Elder Statesman said that Dickson should be backed for the Senatorial slot as his antecedents have rightly portrayed him as a man of immense courage, integrity and honour who has never for once succumbed to intimidation of whatever form.

Pa Clark stressed that Dickson was well equipped and prepared to defend the interest of the Ijaw nation, the Niger Delta, the South South and to collaborate with his counterparts in other parts of the country to make Nigeria a better nation.

He said that the ex-Governor left behind a record of sterling performance as a member of the House of the House of Representatives and as Governor of Bayelsa State for eight years.

Pa Clark recalled that the former Governor declared emergency in the education sector, established two universities, a polytechnic, several free boarding secondary schools, the Bayelsa International Airport, Roads and bridges, and several facilities in the health, agriculture, and other sectors.

“The Ijaw nation today, more than ever before, needs people with strong character, to run for the Senate, to tackle the lingering issues, and the interest of the Ijaw nation, the Niger Delta; such as Restructuring, True Federalism, Resource Control, and other pertinent matters in the defense of the Ijaw interest, the South-South and indeed the country.

“I make bold to declare that His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, the immediate past Governor of Bayelsa State, has displayed the quintessential Ijaw virtues of honour, courage and integrity, and has never succumbed to intimidation. I believe that he would advance our cause and join other compatriots to work for a better and greater Nigeria.

“He is well versed on issues of Restructuring, True Federalism, Devolution of Power and Resource Control. He has the right language to deploy, the charisma, the right commitment and determination to achieving these objective.

“As a former member of the House of Representatives, he has a hands-on experience on legislative procedures and workings, the leadership acumen to weather through murky waters of parliamentary democracy and gymnastics. Governor Dickson has been a leading voice in the call for restructuring of this country. He makes no pretention about it.

“As the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria, we stand to gain more by working together than by singing discordant tunes. We must, therefore, settle for the best to represent our interest at the national level.” He said

Pa Clark’s comment follows endorsements by various groups including leaders of the Ijaw Yourhs Council, other youth and women groups, across the Senatorial District.

Insecurity: Understanding The Coalition Of Northern Group As A Virus

By Adio Waziri

The biggest joke of the century is the so-called Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) which issued an ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to stem the tide of insecurity in the northern part of Nigeria or face mass protest. Ironically, the group is one of the reasons insecurity persists in northern Nigeria. 

A bunch of gerontocrats, who in their old age are claiming to belong to an age they have long crossed and are usurping the chances of the real youths in the society, have done more harm to the north than even some of the violent groups that have taken up arms against the Nigerian state. These mercenaries who hide under the guise of 'youths' to offer their services to political recidivists have again offered their discredited platform to the highest bidder to discredit the current administration. Their aim is to make the President Buhari-led administration look bad so they latched on to the recent security breaches witnessed in some northern parts of the country to make their kill. Unfortunately for them, however, this is one area people know they lack moral ground to issue any warning on as the leaders of this so-called Coalition have been the major cause of insecurity. 

Apart from encouraging laziness through thuggery, they have by their over-reliance on renegade and self-serving politicians built an army of followers from among an otherwise innocent, hardworking and unsuspecting lot and have come to make them believe the only way they can make ends meet is through violence and sabotage.

This group has done the worst service to northern interests by taking away the minds of the youths from usefully engaging in productive activities like farming and another semi-skilled labour and putting them on the streets in the name of hired protesters and some times nudging them into acts of violence. They are like Boko Haram that made young and promising northern youths to abandon school and tear their certificates with a promise of an Eldorado in brigandage and opportunism.

The CNG cannot be absolved from the corollary effect of the drug abuse that is killing northern youths as they have made these young and hapless recruits believe that the only way they can do the bidding of these misguided elements is to take mind-bending substances.

The height of the chicanery of this group, however, was the ultimatum they gave citizens of Nigeria some time back to vacate the North not minding the social, economic and security implication of that statement. To them, satisfying their paymasters to have more zeros added to their cheques was more important to them than the peace and unity of this country knowing fully well that their statement would have led to a major crisis of great proportions if not for divine intervention. 

It is this same set of people who want people to take them serious about the security situation in the north when it is clear to everyone that they are the problem. They cause a problem to happen and then hide behind one finger to pretend that they are doing something about it.

If that had been the only damage it would have been tolerable, but everybody knows that in this particular outing as in others, it is the voice of Jacob but the hands of Esau playing out and there's no denying the fact that they are being sponsored by the failed presidential candidate of an opposition party, who is doing his best to discredit the current administration. 

But that is not even the height of inanities. The stupidity of their position is exposed in the fact that they are issuing a threat to an administration that has done more than any other to secure Nigeria and every of its citizen wherever they find themselves. 

The CNG does not know and will not appreciate the much the government has committed to ensuring peace and security in Nigeria because they have been busy going around collecting money from political opponents and making all manners of careless statements to check. 

Neither would the group appreciate the much the government has done in terms of security when its leaders are busy misleading youths to abandon their lawful jobs to line up as thugs for politicians in the bid to line their pockets with filthy lucre.

However, CNG, even with its nonsensical posture and infantile pretence cannot say it did not know the efforts the current administration has put in place to ensure peace the last time it was asking certain citizens to vacate northern Nigeria. 

If only they know the shuttles top government officials had to engage in to suppress the angst of people and the number of efforts by security agencies to proactively nip the threats in the bud, they would not have been opening their mouths to comment on anything concerning security in the next five decades!

To be sure, the current administration does not need any reminder, least of all from an irresponsible bunch of useless adult delinquents to show commitment to security in Nigeria. President Buhari made it clear even in his inaugural speech that security, alongside the economy and fight against corruption would form the focus of his administration. He has not disappointed. 

The current administration has taken steps that dealt heavy blows on insurgency, banditry and related crimes. Troops recaptured all the local governments under the control of Boko Haram and checkmated the activities of criminal all over the country. 

CNG cannot pretend not to recognize the efforts of the Inspector General of Police Special Team led by ACP Abba Kyari which busted several hideouts of criminals including that of the most notorious kidnapper in the country, Evans, and arrested him or Nigerian troops sacked the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists from Sambisa forest and established a base at camp Zairo and rescued school girls that were captured in Dapchi, Yobe State.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai to show the seriousness of the government towards curbing insecurity, relocated to the Northeast and has been fighting the insurgents with great success. Last week, when there was a security breach in Katsina, all the Service Chiefs went to reinforce their commitment which led to counter operations that destroyed the base of the criminals and many of them were captured.

The government did all these without waiting for any hired group to remind it of its responsibilities to its citizens. The Federal Government is alive to its responsibilities towards citizens and does not need a bunch of lazy adults who prefer to see themselves as 'youths' to remind it, hence they can keep their advice to themselves. 

At the juncture, however, it is right to advice these elders who want to see themselves as youths that the best way they can help in addressing the problem of insecurity is to stop running to politicians for sponsorship on mischief and begin to seek gainful employment. They can lead the youths by example through farming and agriculture or by engaging in other skilled or semi-skilled labour.

Waziri is a development expert based in Kaduna.

US, UK And EU To Blame For Entrenchment Of Boko Haram In Nigeria - Centre

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies (CISS) has blamed the United States of America, United Kingdom and the European Union for the entrenchment of the nefarious activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria. 

CISS said the failure of the western powers to come to the aid of the country in arresting sponsors and promoters of the group is responsible for the elongation of the crisis in the northeast. 

In a statement signed by Secretary, Dr Ifure Ataifure, on Thursday, the centre said that the radical Islamist sect have continued to receive external support from foreign countries at the detriment of Nigeria.

According to CISS, instead of joining forces with Nigeria, the US, UK and EU have failed to embargo the sale of arms to the terrorists

The Centre added that these powerhouses' decision to turn a blind eye on the sensitive area is a deliberate plot to begin the process of recolonizing Africa.  

CISS further revealed that French authorities are the most culpable in this regards through the flagrant violations of all known international protocols.

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies, however, warned countries covertly fueling Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Nigeria and other African countries to desist.

It added that the war against terrorism should be a collective one  and foreign nations must block the sale of arms to the terrorists. 

Read full statement below:

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies wishes to state that the entrenchment of the nefarious activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria is as a result of the lackadaisical attitude of some of the western powers in coming to the aid of Nigeria.  

The United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Union have all failed to come to the aid of Nigeria despite repeated overtures from the Nigerian government and other critical stakeholders. 

We wish to state that this attitude is responsible for the prolongation of the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria because the terrorist group has been receiving external support from some European countries that are hell-bent on the disintegration of Nigeria.

These countries have been nothing but uncooperative with the Nigerian authorities by its refusal to sell arms to Nigeria for the prosecution of the Boko Haram war. The United States of America for inexplicable reasons have also refused to activate the necessary machinery for the sale of arms and ammunition to Nigeria in the prosecution of the Boko Haram war. 

The United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Union for inexplicable reasons have also refused to block the sale of arms to terrorist organizations in Nigeria and the African continent. This fact has indeed bolstered the activities of terrorism in Nigeria and other African countries.

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies views this action as against the provisions of the global war on terror, which had as its goal to prevent another 9/11 terrorist attack by increasing international security worldwide. 

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies wishes to state that global commitment has not been extended to Nigeria since the Boko Haram group began its violent campaign in Nigeria in 2009. 

The activities of the Boko Haram group has continued with tactic support from some EU countries that have been engaged in unwholesome trade in arms and ammunition with the Boko Haram/ISWAP group and other terrorist groups operating in the African continent. 

We are tempted to state that this stance of turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by terrorist organizations in the African continent might be a deliberate plot by these western countries to begin the process of recolonizing Africa so that it can have unhindered access to its natural and economic resources.  

The French authorities are the most culpable in this regards through the flagrant violations of all known international protocols by paying ransoms in huge amounts to terrorist organizations in Africa, which subsequently helps these organizations to sustain their terror activities. 

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies is alarmed to state that despite the efforts of the Nigerian Military, the Boko Haram group continues to have an unhindered supply of arms and ammunitions whose origin has been traced to some European countries.

The Centre for International and Strategy Studies wishes to use this medium to warn those countries that have been covertly fueling the activities of the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group in Nigeria and other African countries to desist from their nefarious acts in the interest of peace and tranquillity.

This is the time for the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to come to the rescue of Nigeria by blocking the sale of illegal weapons to the Boko Haram terrorist group. 

They must see the war against terrorism in Nigeria as a collective one due to the strategic importance of Nigeria in the African continent. The time to act is now to bring to an end the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group and other terrorist groups in Africa.

Coalition Of Northern Groups Accused Of Receiving N500m To Shed Crocodile Tears Over Security Challenges In Nigeria

The League of Northern Groups (LNG) has accused the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) of receiving N500m to weep in public over the security situation in the country. 

According to LNG, the Coalition is nothing but a band of merchant sponsored by top politicians behind the continuous killing of innocent Nigerians in the north to run its propaganda. 

Speaking on behalf of the group at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, LNG's Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Aminu Abubakar, said it aims to address the growing misinformation about the security situation in the north, especially at a time it has been hijacked by some disgruntled politicians. 

From carrying out protests, LNG revealed that the northern coalition's job has grown into a propaganda wing, inflating casualty figures from incidents of security breaches. 

The aim, it said, is to ultimately pressure President Muhammadu Buhari to sack his military chiefs and failure to do so has seen renewed killings and campaigns. 

Among others, the League of Northern Groups challenged CNG to publish details of its financing with particular emphasis to the identity of donors. 

It further called on the coalition to explain its ties with a former presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. 

LNG, however, confessed that it is praying for the Coalition of Northern Groups to repent and stop supporting evil. 

Read the full statement below:

Gentlemen of the press. We will like to start by appealing that everyone here present does their utmost best to conform to the protocols prescribed for the control of COVID-19 throughout their stay here. The  League of Northern Youth Groups (NYFG) is a law-abiding organization and is fully supportive of efforts to curb the spread of the virus. We thank you as you cooperate with us to support the ongoing efforts to keep Nigerians and each other safe.

We invited you here today because we find it imperative to alert Nigerians to an upsurge in disinformation and misinformation campaign around the issue of insecurity in the northern parts of the country. Let us digress a little to assert that the expression, “insecurity in the northern part of Nigeria” is in itself a misnomer because there are security concerns across the country. The difference is perhaps the intensity of what obtains in the north. It must also be said that there are security concerns in many countries of the world, including those that are regarded as advanced with the difference being in how the situation of each specific country is reported.

What stands the situation in the north out is the baffling trend where incidents of attacks resulting in the loss of human life have been packaged into a business. This business has instigators, dissatisfied politicians, who have been discovered to be the ones sponsoring the spate of violence in pursuit of whatever twisted objective it is they want to achieve. The manifestation of this dangerous class of people in recent days is the manner in which they are referring to the deaths they have caused as the basis for President Muhammadu Buhari to sack his military chiefs as if that very act being proposed is a pre-condition to stop further torment of the citizens they are killing.

There are also the foot soldiers that assist these killers recruited by these politicians in perpetuating and amplifying the terrorism unleashed on citizens through propaganda that distorts reality on a mind-boggling scale. These are groups that often inflate casualty figures from incidents of security breaches in a way that glorify the killers, demonize the government, demoralize the security and military personnel while further traumatizing survivors. Such groups have increased their activities in recent weeks, which not surprisingly corresponds with the time their political overlords were baying for the sack of military chiefs.

We have identified the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) as one of these groups that have been terrorizing Nigerians with propaganda. The group recently alleged that 240 persons have been killed in the last week. Gentlemen of the press, note that this approach by CNG marks an escalation to the protests they had hoped to use in grounding the country – their resort to compiling seemingly depressing tallies instead of protests means that they have moved their attacks against the state from the physical to the psychological. It is a strategy to instil fear in the population so that the killers sent out by their masters will meet communities that are already emotionally defeated and are therefore easy to attack.

It is crucial that no one is misled into believing that the gentlemen behind the Coalition of Northern Groups are engaged in legitimate activism, which would imply that any damage done in the course of their agitations was unintended. Far from it. These are no activists but economically activated activists, who are in it for what they have been paid as opposed to a passion for the improvement of their communities. What we have learnt is that the Coalition of Northern Groups is on the take and was paid 500 million naira by the top politicians behind the continuous killing of innocent Nigerians in the north in order for it to run its propaganda. A coalition of Northern Groups is nothing but a band of merchants of death running the propaganda wing of the sponsors of terrorism in the north. 

So that this matter can be given the right context, we are challenging the Coalition of Northern Youth as follow:

CNG should dare publish details of its financing with particular emphasis to the identity of donors, including flagging the ones that politically exposed persons among them provides.

The Coalition should explain its link or connection with the former presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, including coming clear on the nature of instructions they have received from him or his agents as well as the financial relationship of the group to Atiku and his businesses.

CNG should explain its link with the bandits in the north as well as Boko Haram since it is able to keep such a tally of body count from the attacks carried out by these bandits. It is no mere coincidence that there is usually a lull in attacks when the coalition is carrying out its protests.

It should disclose its relationship with foreign or international NGOs, with details on the nature of interactions they have had in the last three months since there are uncanny similarities between the formats they have adopted in demonizing the government and the attack plan being executed by an organization like Amnesty International. 

They should also disclose the groups and persons it has made payments to in recent weeks since such illicit payments are now known to have been used to mobilize the protests against the government.

Should it be unable to come up with satisfactory responses to the posers above, we urge the Coalition of Northern Groups to keep quiet and stop dancing on the grave of the dead. They shame their own families by the very despicable act of pretending to be activists during the day while by night they hobnob with the sponsors and promoters of the killings in northern Nigeria. 

Rather than vilifying soldiers and military chiefs that are making sacrifices for the country or attacking the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, they should rather give an ultimatum to their sponsors for the regime of killings that they have instigated to end.

The League of  Northern Youth Groups  is mindful of the voluntary commitment made by CNG when it said: “In place of the halted protests, the CNG hereby resolves to direct its state coordinators to raise their levels of vigilance and to assist the security forces with credible relevant intelligence needed to tackle the situation.” We will be watching to see the extent to which they will keep to their words and if in reality, they will join the rest of us in supporting the military as we have always done.

The genuineness of their promise will contribute to thwarting the killers that their sponsors had unleashed on the land. We pray that the Coalition of Northern Groups is truly prepared to be repentant and stop supporting evil. 

May God heal our land.

N-Power Batch C and Matters Arising

By Dan Ochonu 

There seems to be an uprising concerning the decision of the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to introduce new beneficiaries into the N-Power scheme under a revised and robust template that would be of utmost benefit to the teeming youthful population in the country. 

I am sure it should be surprising to discerning minds that some people would elect to view things only from the prism of their selfish interest. If this is not the case, I wonder on what basis the beneficiaries under the Batch A and B programme are protesting even with the fact that they have stayed in the programme for over 40 months.  

As a first, I think it is essential to understand that the N-Power is a job creation and empowerment programme instituted by the Federal Government of Nigeria through its National Social Investment Programmes. In other words, it's a skill acquisition programme where youths from various parts of the country are trained in various skills under four broad categories such as N-Power Agro, where volunteers will provide advisory services to farmers across the country disseminate the knowledge that has been aggregated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the area of extension services. They will also gather data on Nigeria's agriculture assets.

Another category is the N-Power Teach volunteers that are deployed as teachers assistants in primary schools to help improve essential education delivery in Nigeria, and where possible, they will also assist in taking basic education to children in marginalized communities. 

The N-Power Health Volunteers help improve and promote preventive healthcare in their communities to vulnerable members of the society, including pregnant women and children and families and individuals. 

N-Power Build, Tech and Creative volunteers have received extensive training to help develop and expand their respective skillset, which would help foster innovation and creativity among the youths, while ensuring that they can turn their skills into marketable products. The above explains the N-Power initiative of the Federal Government. 

It is therefore pertinent to state that since inception in 2018, the N-Power scheme has catered for over 500,000 youths in the country with 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018. These participants have been trained in various skills as mentioned above that they can deploy to their advantage in future. But ironically, this is not the case as the advocates that have been acting on behalf of these participants wants the programmes to be a permanent and salaried job. 

This, in my opinion, is anti-progressive in the sense that they want others to be denied the same opportunity that they had when they enrolled. This is a sad episode if you ask me given the fact that the Batch A and B beneficiaries have elected to let hell loose because the federal government revised the programme to allow room for new beneficiaries under the proposed Batch C programme. 

Welcome to Nigeria where patriotism is never the watchword if you decide to stand on the side of truth and to do the right thing, you are regarded as a villain. In my view, the actions of those that have launched an attack on the honorable minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development are nothing but greedy, selfish and against the interest of the country. 

If this is not the case, how could one explain a situation where doing the right and putting the interest of the country has become a crime as propagated by the earlier beneficiaries on the N-Power programme. This is a sad tale, and I am glad that someone has decided to change the narrative, not minding the series of coordinated attacks on her. 

It must be stated and expressly so that the N-Power initiative is for the generality of Nigerians and not for a few, so seeing it as a birthright is phenomenally wrong in all ramification. This much these set of greedy fellows must come to terms with. It is also unimaginable considering the fact that Nigeria boasts of one of the highest youthful populations in the world.  

I think rejigging the N-Power scheme to bring in new people on board is not only a welcome development; it is also an act of purposefulness in a bid to address some of the challenges facing the country.  

If only Nigerians would understand that the revised N-Power scheme would run for six months – one year depending on the category. According to available information on the N-Power Scheme website, N-Agro, N-Build, N-Creative and N-Tech will run for six months (with two batches a year), the N-Teach and N-Health part of the programme will run for one year. For the six month programmes, three months will be used for training beneficiaries, while the other three months will be used for mentorship and attachment to partners and stakeholders.

This is indeed brilliant in the sense that more youths would have the opportunity to be enrolled in the scheme in the bid to better their lives, unlike in times past where the programme ran for a duration of 2 years, thereby depriving other qualified candidates the opportunity to benefit from this laudable initiative. 

If not for anything, the honorable minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster management and Social Development has indeed justified the confidence reposed in her by Mr. President to ensure rapid and meaningful implementation of the various social intervention programmes of the federal government.

The proposed introduction of the Batch C under the scheme must go as planned because it is not only laudable; it is in the overall interest of the country that would be of immense benefit to the teeming youths in the country because over 400,000 new beneficiaries would be admitted into the programme in the following order: 200,000 beneficiaries into the N-Power Agro programme, 80,000 into the N-Power Teach Programme, 40,000 into the N-Health Programme, and 80,000 into the N-Power Build, Creative and Tech categories. 

I commend the minister in this regard and encourage her not to relent in her valuable service to the country. And those that think that they have a birthright to stay put for life in the N-Power scheme should have a rethink and retrace their steps. It is expected that the knowledge and experience garnered over 40 months should be put to use for the benefit of the country. 

The N-Power C project must go ahead as planned. The minister must not back down despite the avalanche of attack on her person so long the overarching objective is ensuring that more youths are accommodated in the scheme. This is what Nigeria needs, and our support for the likes of Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq should be unflinching.

Ochonu is an unemployed youth and wrote this piece from MAKURDI, Benue State.

Report Of Financial Impropriety Leveled Against Mr. Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje Is False- NCSD

The Nigeria Civil Society Desk has lashed out at a correspondent with the National Mirror Newspapers, Mr. Idemude Amour, for reporting  of financial impropriety leveled against the Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Government House and Protocol, Asaba, Delta State, Mr. Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje.

In a press release jointly signed by National Coordinator, Comrade Emeh Friday and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Peter Nwokolo, they said that the renovation of the VVIP Guest House, Asaba, comprising of 8(nos) Duplexes, which is the subject of the allegation, was carried out in 2017 by contract through the selective tendering process.

Excerpt is the full text of the press release

The report of financial impropriety leveled against Mr. Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje, Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Government House and Protocol, Asaba, Delta State, by Mr. Idemude Amour, a correspondent with the National Mirror Newspapers and reported by Sahara Reporters, came to us in the Nigeria Civil Society Desk, as an attempt to smear his reputation, thereby causing distraction.

Though the motive is still sketchy, we thought it necessary to put the records straight and discourage prospective faceless alarmists from creating confusion with the intention of derailing the activities of Government. 

Having resolved to know the facts, we visited the Office of the Directorate of Government House and Protocol, Asaba, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Energy and the State Fire Service. Our findings revealed, among others:

* That the renovation of the VVIP Guest House, Asaba, comprising of 8(nos) Duplexes, which is the subject of the allegation, was carried out in 2017, by contract through the selective tendering process;

* That the renovation works is the only major works so far carried out on the buildings within the premises since 2015;

* That two separate fire incidents had earlier occurred at House 1 and House 5 of the 8 (eight) Duplexes at the VVIP Guest House, prior to the incident of Tuesday, 21st February, 2017. This necessitated the extensive renovation and electrical maintenance works;

* That the State Fire Service was always on hand to put out the fire on each occasion, while the Minis.try of Energy was duly notified of the fire incidents; and

* That the Contractor is yet to be paid for the job it executed.

The Nigeria Civil Society Desk has also verified this claim with the Ministry of Housing which supervised and issued Certificate of Job Completion. 

As the Accounting Officer of the Directorate of Government House and Protocol, Asaba, one of the responsibilities of the Permanent Secretary is to author memos to His Excellency, the Governor, on matters as considered necessary. In this case, the Permanent Secretary forwarded a memo for the renovation works based on a Bill of Quantities (BOQ) received from the Ministry of Housing..

As an investigative journalist, Mr. Idemude Amour should have exhausted all means of exhuming his facts before they are reported, bearing in mind the implications of his false reportage on the person of Mr. Ogidi-Gbegbaje.

We are therefore constrained to ask Mr. Idemude Amour to visit the Ministry of Housing which supervised the renovation works in 2017 to find out the extent of works at the VVIP Guest House. He should also visit the Ministry of Energy, possibly to confirm if reports of fire incidents at the VVIP Guest House were made by the Directorate. Mr. Idemude Amour can also corroborate the report he would get from the Ministry of Energy, by visiting the State Fire Service. 

Having said these, will it be appropriate to state that the buildings which were destroyed by fire were only painted, and could possibly be ideal to accommodate personalities like the Commander, 63 Brigade, the State Commissioner of Police and other top Government Functionaries?

Mr. Idemude Amour, you know too well that we must be guided by conscience in all we do, as whatever we give so also we shall receive. Conscience is like an open wound, it is only truth that can heal it. You owe all men a duty of care.

Our advice to Mr. Idemude Amour would be that he should carry out due diligence of his claims and let the world know his findings.

Embattled Dr Marilyn Amobi Embarks On Vengeance Mission Through NBET Board

........Refuses to quit

The MD/CEO of NBET Dr. Marilyn Amobi who was relieved of her appointment by President Buhari on June 8, 2020 has refused to vacate her office and is desperately clinging on to her position, hoping for a reversal of her sacking as had happened earlier in December 2019.

Readers would recall that on December 24, 2019 the Minister of Power, Engr. Sale Mamman had in a terse press release announced the sacking of the embattled MD/CEO. Two weeks after the removal and following an intense and sustained lobbying by Dr. Amobi, her removal was reversed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Mr. Boss Mustapha.

A similar scenario seems to be playing out in this latest dismissal. The Minister of Power had on June 15, 2020, through a press release signed by his Special Adviser on Media Aaron Artimas announced the sack of the embattled MD. The announcement also conveyed the approval of the President for the appointment of Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa as the new MD/CEO with immediate effect. Dr. Amobi who had a month to go on her tenure was directed to proceed on her terminal/ outstanding leave.

Curiously, on June 16, 2020 a memo emanated from the Federal Ministry of Finance (the Minister of Finance is the Chairman of NBET’s Board of Directors) signed by the Permanent Secretary Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse confirming the sacking of Dr. Amobi and the appointment of Dr. Ewelukwa to the position of MD/CEO of NBET. However, a twist was introduced in the matter, when the memo stated that “The President has approved that you serve out your tenure at the completion of which you should hand over to Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa who is to take over from you as the MD/CEO. Your appointment which took effect from 25th July 2016 for four years is to end on 24th July 2020”.

It is this letter from the Ministry of Finance that is at the center of the controversy. The embattled MD has latched on to this letter as an excuse to dig in and has refused to hand over to the new MD. Our sources at the Office of the Head of Service expressed surprise at the sit-tight behaviour of the out-going MD. According to our source, best practices demand that since a substantive MD has been appointed to take over from her, the outgoing MD should have used the remaining one month of her tenure as her terminal/outstanding leave.

Echoing the position of senior technocrats in the Office of Head of the Civil Service, the Special Adviser Media to the Minister of Power, Aaron Artimas in an interview with the Daily Trust Newspaper queried the power of the Minister of Finance to authorize the continued stay in office of the embattled MD who has been indicted for corruption. In an exasperated tone, he asked “How can the Ministry of Finance under Mrs Zainab Ahmed say she should continue to stay? Buhari in the letter from the Chief of Staff approved Ewelukwa as the substantive MD of NBET, not in acting capacity. And there is no way there will be two heads of an agency at a time”. Mr. Artimas further asked, “How can she stay when her successor has been appointed in substantive position?”

Despite the raised eyebrows about her refusal to vacate for her successor, Dr. Amobi is still occupying the office of the MD/CEO and in a replay of her earlier sacking, she is desperately doing all she can to reverse the presidential sack order.

NBET staff were alarmed when she was overheard on the phone frantically speaking with a powerful Minister perceived to be close to the President. The said Minister, who was flown out of the country while the domestic/international flights were banned by the federal government is reported to be facing severe health challenges. In the telephone conversation, she was frantically pleading with the Minister to intervene in any manner possible to save her job. Our source did not hear what the Minister said to her in response but her countenance after the call didn’t portray that she received a positive response.

The embattled MD is also trying to use her media consultants to throw mud on the new MD/CEO. She has spent the better part of the week compiling a dossier of negative things about Dr. Ewelukwa, which she intends to release to the media within the coming week. The plan is to tar him with false, scurrilous and unfounded allegations that may perhaps make the government have a rethink on his appointment.

She is also applying the same tactics with other members of NBET senior management who have been at loggerhead with her over her high-handedness and penchant for corrupt practices. She has compiled a list of allegations of misconduct against virtually all members of management. The documents is being circulated to Board members in advance of an inaugural Board meeting slated for Monday 22nd June 2020 despite the reconstitution of the board since August 2018. Our source at NBET said that the entire staff are looking at her with contempt and pity. According to the source, it shows her level of depravity that on the eve of her departure after her inglorious tenure, her priority presentation to the Board at its inaugural meeting are scurrilous documents making all sorts of allegations against her entire senior management staff.

Sources at NBET told our correspondent that on her appointment as MD of NBET in July 2016, Dr. Amobi met an efficient company with a well-motivated staff. There were nine senior management staff members. Dr. Amobi, had issues with ALL of them. Starting with Waziri Bintube (the Chief Finance Officer) and Sambo Abdullahi (the Chief Internal Auditor) whom she unlawfully stopped payment of their salaries for over two years running. Sambo, after exhausting all administrative remedies, took Dr. Amobi and NBET to court for her unlawful stoppage of his salaries despite the fact that he is still a staff of NBET till date. The court gave judgment in his favour and berated Dr. Amobi for acting unlawfully and in absolute disregard of extant government regulations. She is yet to comply with the court judgement of March 11, 2020 directing her to pay Sambo’s outstanding salaries for over two years despite the fact that 21% would be accruing on the salaries after 30 days from the judgement date.

Because the interest on Sambo’s salaries is not coming from Dr Amobi’s pocket but rather from the taxpayers, she rebuffed the court.

Yesufu Alonge, who was the Head of Power Procurement and a very knowledgeable hand was frustrated out of the company by Dr. Amobi, who was always accusing him of coveting her job and scheming to unseat her. To save himself from the fate of Waziri and Sambo, Alonge tendered his resignation and left.

Abba Aliyu, the erstwhile Head of Corporate Services, suffered a similar fate and his salary is still being illegally withheld by Dr. Amobi knowing full well that she has no power to discipline management staff. The AGM legal Demvihin Tsumba was unlawfully abducted from the office at the instance of Dr. Amobi and taken to a police station on cooked up charges. The police after investigations gave her a clean bill as they didn’t find anything against her. Despite that, Dr. Amobi is still hounding her and claims that her case for dismissal is to be presented to the Board.

Late last year, she assaulted Mrs. Itohan Ehiede, the Head of Corporate Services in her office and in the presence of junior staff.

This outrageous conduct, led the entire senior management staff to write a petition calling for her removal from office. The matter is still pending but she has queried Mrs. Ehiede and has included her in the list of staff to de dismissed in her submission to the Board. The Deputy General Counsel and former Head of Procurement, Dr. Eugene Edeoga did not also escape the wrath of the outgoing MD. For failing to carry out her instructions to dismiss a staff through a disciplinary committee he chaired, Dr. Amobi visited her anger on him and issued him with several queries. She has also sworn to get rid of him and will also make a case for his dismissal to the Board.

The Head of Risks and Guaranties, Johnson Akinnawo is also in her bad books. For joining the rest of senior management staff to protest her assault on Mrs. Itohan Ehiede, he incurred the wrath of Amobi. Several times, she has summoned him to her office to berate him for daring to sign the petition and told him to his face that she will make him regret his action for the rest of his life.

Her worst anger is reserved for Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa whose appointment Mr. President has approved as her replacement. She is going all out to tar him with her brush of hate and anger. A source at NBET who saw the dossier she has compiled against Dr. Ewelukwa marvelled at how an outgoing MD would have the time to compile such a dossier running into hundreds of pages against her successor, who was her General Counsel and who had served her loyally.

An uneasy silence reigns at NBET as the staff ponder on how the high-wire game of wits between the outgoing MD and her entire senior management will play out. A staff, who asked for anonymity to avoid victimization, wondered how Dr. Amobi within four years had problems with the entire nine-member senior management staff. Does it mean that not even one person is good enough for her? If she is a good person, how come that not even one out of the entire nine-man senior management staff is on her side?

Another staff wondered what Dr. Amobi learnt in all the places she boasts to have worked. In civilized climes, where she claims to have worked, once a successor is appointed, the decent thing is to take your exit. Why can’t she take one month terminal/outstanding leave and go home with some modicum of respect to take care of herself despite looking very sick? The staff stated further that Dr Amobi in an attempt to destroy sensitive documents that could be used to jail her has restricted staff entry and exit into the office while she only has unrestricted access to the office, this was communicated to the staff on Friday June 19, 2020 by the Head of Corporate Services, Ms Halima AbdulSalam.

Our sources at the Ministry of Finance said that Dr. Amobi has been advised to take her terminal leave, more so since she didn’t take any leave during her four-year stint at NBET because of fear of Waziri and Sambo might do in her absence. The Board meeting slated for Monday 22nd June, 2020 promises to be an explosive one with several directors already of the opinion that she should gracefully step aside to allow the new MD start the rebuilding of the company that has been so badly damaged by Dr. Amobi and her toxic governance.

Dr. Amobi soldiers on amidst a forlorn hope that the President could be made to reverse her sacking. She continues to run from pillar to post in her desperate attempt at reversing her dismissal. The letter from the Ministry of Finance asking that she serve out the remaining one month of her tenure has provided her with a lifeline, which she has grasped with all her strength as she continues her crocodile cry and rounds of begging amongst influential people in government.

But this government that claims to be fighting corruption seems to have been handling Dr. Amobi's matter with kid gloves. Here's an MD/CEO who has for long not only been indicted for corruption by at least three anti-corruption agencies in the country, but has also been found to have grossly violated public service rules by operating a private company while in public service. In a government that is truly fighting corruption, what Dr. Amobi deserves is not only an outright sack immediately but also diligent prosecution before a competent court to serve as a deterrent to like-minded public officers.