U.S. expresses satisfaction over peaceful conduct of Edo election

By Lizzy Okoji

The United States (U.S) government has expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the Edo State governorship elections on Sept. 19.

The U.S. government made this known in a message posted on the Facebook page of the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria on Wednesday, as it hailed the people of Edo people for a credible and peaceful poll.

This is coming barely a week after issuing a visa ban threat on would-be perpetrators of electoral fraud in the last Saturday Edo State governorship election.

The U.S. government also lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies on the positive role played during the election, which it said, strengthened democracy in the country.

Congratulations to the people of Edo State on a credible and peaceful governorship election.

We thank the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian security services on the positive role they played in the election and commend their work in strengthening Nigerias democracy.

We recognize the critical role that Gov. Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu played in promoting peace.

We also thank our civil society partners for their invaluable work in upholding democracy and accountability in this election, the U.S. said.

The United States, however, expressed concern over cases of reported violence and vote-buying, including the intimidation of voters and civil society observers.

The U.S. government also called on all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and the security agencies to improve the electoral process during the Oct. 10 Ondo State governorship election.

The United States remains concerned with reports of some violence that did emerge during the election, and reports of vote-buying and intimidation of both voters and civil society domestic observers.

We will continue to encourage all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and the security services to improve the electoral process in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election.

As a democratic partner of Nigeria, the United States remains committed to working together to achieve our mutual goals of peace and prosperity for the citizens of both countries, the United States added.

Source: NAN News

Anglican Primate wants programmes to cushion hike in petrol, electricity tariff

Jessica Onyegbula

The Primate, Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, on Wednesday

While lamenting the negative effects of COVID-19 on the citizenry, Ndukuba expressed regret that most of the small and medium scale enterprises had collapsed and many more Nigerians had lost their jobs.

On national security, the Anglican Primate stressed the need for government to accord priority to community policing and support regional security organisations to strengthen security architecture at the local levels.

Ndukuba, however, appealed to the Church not to allow the current challenges in the country to affect the spread of the gospel and the love for the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 165 Anglican Bishops and over 500 delegates across the country are attending the synod which has the theme Priority of God.

Source: NAN News

At UNGA, AU chairman solicits comprehensive stimulus package for Africa

He noted that pandemic had underscored the urgency with which the world strive to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source: NAN News

European Union

The EUs migration system has come under increasing pressure in recent years, with bottlenecks forming at external borders.

Under current EU rules, the country where people first generally arrive has to process their asylum claims.

This means countries with external borders carry a disproportionate burden.

While some countries argue for a mechanism to automatically redistribute asylum seekers, others such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria strongly oppose this.

Rights activists are concerned that the new measures could see a tightening of asylum rules, including increased detentions at the EUs borders.

With the proposals set to cause fights between the EU countries, it is far from certain that they will be approved by the EU leaders and European Parliament.

Previous attempts have failed.

According to the commissions document registry, the EU executive body is to propose a set of new and amended regulations, including on the screening of asylum seekers and on crisis situations.

In the wake of the disastrous fire, earlier this month, at the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, which hosted some 12,000 people, the commission is also expected to propose a solidarity mechanism for crisis moments.

The commission has previously highlighted that solidarity can mean not just taking migrants in, but also, for example, sending medical supplies. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State

Zamfara Government says it has alerted security agencies to track the whereabouts of over N37 billion refunds on Federal Government projects executed by the state.

Alhaji Rabiu Garba, the state Commissioner of Finance, announced this while addressing journalists in Gusau on Tuesday.

Garba alleged that the immediate past administration led by former governor, Abdulaziz Yari might have misappropriated the money.

The commissioner said the amount was initially quoted at over N47 billion as the funds used by the former administration in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 14 federal roads in the state.

We understood that the cost of the verified projects at the Federal Ministry of Works stood at over N37 billion.

But when we asked for refunds of the said amount, it was confirmed by both the Federal Ministry of Works and the Debt Management Office that the amount had been paid fully.

On further investigation, we gathered that the money was collected by the Director-General of Nigerian Governors Forum and one lady who also worked in the same place on instructions from former Zamfara government.

We wonder how people who are not indigenes of the state nor have they ever worked for the state should collect such a colossal amount on behalf of the government and people of Zamfara, the commissioner said.

He assured that the present administration under Gov. Bello Matawalle will do everything possible to recover the money so that we can use it in the development of the state.

But reacting in an interview with the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, the former Commissioner of Finance in the Yari led government, Alhaji Muktar Idris exonerated the administration from any wrongdoing.

Idris said that the immediate past administration constructed the roads at the cost of over N60 billion and claimed the same amount from the Federal Government.

But a federal government verification committee only approved N37.4 billion refunds which was on completed projects.

Due to dearth of funds to repay such projects to about 23 states, which stood at over N500 billion, it was agreed at the governors forum that the states would collect the refunds in two tranches via promissory notes that would mature in three years.

The states were to receive 40 per cent in the first instalment, in which Zamfaras due amount stood at N14.9 billion.

All the affected state governors also agreed that the director-general of the Governors Forum should collect for them.

I still have the documents with me where we put over N10 billion as discounted from N14.9 billion into our joint account because we needed the money.

So, we discounted and collected the amount through the Debt Management Office, Idris told NAN.

He explained further that the second promissory note was for N22 billion which was also discounted to a little over N17 billion.

All the money had been deposited into the state governments accounts.

Zamfara people are free to check and verify these facts, he said.

Source: NAN News

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has charged his counterpart in Edo, Gov. Godwin Obaseki to be magnanimous and graceful in victory.

Okowa gave the charge when the newly re-elected Gov. Obaseki, led a team on a thank you visit to Okowa in Asaba.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the media unit of the Delta Government House, Okowa congratulated Obaseki for the victory recorded in the election.

Okowa expressed appreciation to God for the victory, saying that he was inspired to support Obaseki because of his humility and the fact that he was being oppressed.

I want to congratulate you once again and I feel very excited that you won the election.

I believe God did this in your life because you have proven to be a very humble man and people who boast too much dont usually end well.

I urge you to show lots of magnanimity and grace, but do not allow the lions and the tigers to torment the people again.

May God give you the enabling grace to fulfill all your campaign promises.

Your people are expecting a lot from you because of their huge support and I pray that God assist you with more funds to provide for the needs of the people.

I thank all our party members and the Edo people for their resilience in ensuring your re-election.

Now that we are all in the same political party, it makes it easier for us to relate with ourselves in this region, he said.

Okowa also commended the Edo Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, for his loyalty and dedication, describing him as a supportive, humble and reliable partner.

In his remarks, Obaseki said that his re-election will pave way for integration and consolidation in the South-South region.

The Edo Governor was accompanied by his wife, Betsy, Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu and wife, members of the National Assembly from Edo and other top government functionaries.

He said the delegation was in Asaba to thank Okowa and the people of Delta for their support to his re-election.

Obaseki said that the support of Gov. Okowa and Deltans had rekindled the spirit of the old Bendel.

He added that his re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would pave the way for regional cooperation and development with all the governors in the South-South belonging to one political party.

Let me express my profound thanks and appreciation for receiving us. Our purpose of coming is to thank you for the support you gave to us in our re-election.

The amount of sacrifice you made for us in terms of time and the emotional energy that you put in the election is worthy of appreciation.

We know that part of your ancestry is Edo, but you went beyond that by adopting two local government areas and supported them to victory.

We express our gratitude and let you know that by your action you have rekindled the spirit of Bendel.

On behalf of all of us from Edo, we thank you and let you know that we appreciate all you have done for us and it is our prayer that God will do for you more than you have done for us, Obaseki said

On Sept. 20, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Obaseki winner of the Saturdays governorship election in Edo State.

INECs Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, declared Obaseki winner of the election after polling the highest number of votes as mandated by the law.

The results collated in 18 LGAs early Sunday, show that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won in 15 Local Government Areas of the state.

Obaseki, who is the PDPs governorship candidate defeated his closest rival, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a total of 307,955.

Ize-Iyamu, however, polled a total of 223,619.

Source: NAN News

File Photo: Tanker Explosion

By Kola Adeyemi

Twenty-three people, including seven school children, have died in a fuel tanker fire accident which occurred at Felele area of Lokoja,Kogi, in the early hours of Wednesday.

The State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Idris Ali, who disclosed this in Lokoja, said the seven school children comprised 10 male adults and six female adults.

Ali said that three of the children were females while the remaining four were burnt beyond recognition.

He said five of the dead victims were students and staff of the Kogi State Polytechnic located few metres away from the scene of the incident.

According to him, 24 people were involved in the accident which occurred some minutes before 8 a.m., and that only one female child survived with a minor injury.

The commander said that 10 vehicles, including five cars, three tricycles and two motorcycles were also burnt in the inferno.

He said that the corpses had been deposited at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, where the only survivor was also receiving treatment.

He said that 11 corpses had been claimed for burial by their relations.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident has thrown some schools that lost their children in the accident into mourning as they hurriedly closed down.

One of them is the Baptist Group of Schools at Ganaja, which lost three pupils and their parents to the accident, and whose management immediately closed the school till Sept. 28 in honour of the deceased.

NAN gathered that the accident occurred when an Abuja bound fuel tanker had a brake failure and in the process fell down at a spot close to GT Plaza and spilled its content on the road, which immediately ignited fire.

The fire engulfed the entire spot and extended to other parts of the area, including a major bus stop where school children , workers and other people were waiting to board vehicles to their various destinations.

Meanwhile, Gov. Yahaya Bello has expressed shock and sorrow over the fatal tanker fire accident .

The governors reaction was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Mohammed Onogu.

Bello lamented the loss of lives and property in the accident which he described as very sad and tragic.

He expressed his deepest condolences to the relations of the dead victims and grieved with those that lost their property.

He also commiserated with the students and staff of the state Polytechnic , urging them to remain calm and peaceful and bear the loss of their colleagues and staff with great fortitude. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Edo Election: Residents congratulate Obaseki

By Kayode Olaitan

The much publicised governorship election in Edo has taken place as scheduled on Sept. 29 and the winner has emerged.

Looking back at the peaceful conduct of the election, it has, incontrovertibly, proved wrong cynics expectations of violence during the election, a development that many political observers see as a sign of hope for the countrys democratic process.

The election began with the enthusiasm of the electorates who complied with all security measures and filed out in various quarters of the state, expecting a credible election.

With peaceful presentation and impressive turnout of voters in most wards across the state, critics agree that Edo citizens really know what they want with respect to who governs them.

While security agencies, going by security reports, did not envisage violence, they, nonetheless, provided a security network described as a better deal by many observers and civil society organizations.

With total compliance with restriction of movement across the state, the process of making the election peaceful and credible was very smooth.

Even in fairly remote places such as Uzzebba, Igueben, Auchi, Ososo, Ekpoma, Jattu and Ughoton, among other towns and villages in Edo, voters expressed the willingness to contribute to the making of a leader for another four years.

But, who wins the Edo governorship election is a riddle solved by the choice of Edo citizens via the announcement of the results by the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that announced votes cast for each of the candidates.

With the benefit of hindsight, Edo has 192 wards and 18 local government areas with most of electorates holding Permanent Voter Card (PVC) in Edo South district.

Now, for the election that produced the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki for a second term in office on Saturday, INEC announced that only 1.72 million voters had PVCs.

Out of this, Edo South District alone has 1,281,414 card carriers, meaning the attention of all the candidates would be in the district.

INEC however claims that the level of ineligible voters in Edo is on account of failure of many citizens to collect their PVCs.

So, observers believe that if there would be any electoral malpractice, it is likely to be more pronounced in Edo South.

Although some voters alleged that certain political parties attempted to induce them to vote for their candidates, the claim could not be substantiated by security operatives.

Even, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of the state who won the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that vote buying was visible in many polling units.

Obaseki stated further that he expected better preparations from INEC for the governorship poll, rather than voters waiting in the queue for more than an hour.

According to him, to wait for one and half hours in the queue before exercising his franchise was a bit disappointing.

Given that this is a sole day election, I expected a bit more planning and preparation and resources should have been put into this election.

Obaseki, who won by scoring the highest votes cast of 307, 955, in a brief acceptance speech, however, dedicated the victory to the collective resolve of the Edo electorates to destroy Godfatherism in the state.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing a free and fair election; irrespective of the platform he contested the election.

Also, the Chairman of PDP in Edo, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, said that the people of the state voted for the governor again because they believed he meant well for the state.

Aziegbemi said: This is somebody we can give the umbrella to, so that the people of Edo will smile again.

During the accreditation and voting, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the peaceful and smooth electoral process.

The process is good and going on smoothly; there is no thuggery and violence, Ize-Iyamu said.

But in a twist, after the verdict, Ize-Iyamu, who scored 223,619 votes, expressed concern about the results of the election.

I thank and appreciate my supporters who had to endure many evils, including being prevented from voting, for their support and determination during the election.

I assure you all that I am studying the results along with other party members and will announce my next move, he said in a message.

In the same vein, the Chairman, Edo APC Media Campaign Council, Mr John Mayaki, said that the party rejected the result, citing alleged strong arm tactics in the process.

Our people were arbitrarily arrested; many of the figures were fabricated. Areas where we won, they cancelled them; they decreased the votes in areas we had advantage.

They rejected our results and jerked up theirs, Mayaki alleged.

However, among the citizens, opinions are divided on which political parties and candidates could deliver specific development projects in the state.

Many voters in the state note that while peaceful and credible elections are essential tools for the development of the state, a good candidate would be needed for such development projects

They argue that all stakeholders must ensure that efforts are made to make democracy work irrespective of personal interests.

Miss Gina Osewenkae, a teacher, said that the election was free and fair.

We expect more from him for the next four years, Osewenkae said while referring to the winner, Obaseki.

Mr Ehisunwen Osayande, a resident, said majority of people voted their conscience. We commend the media and INEC for monitoring votes strictly.

Also, Mr Lucky Osagie, a resident of Benin, said that the Edo election had taught Nigerians to defend and wait for their votes to be counted after elections.

Nigeria can have a free and fair election if godfatherism is put aside. INEC did a very good job by monitoring votes strictly, Osagie said.

Many residents of the city also commended the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, for maintaining neutrality in the election.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the INEC, and security agencies for the success of the election.

IPAC described the poll and its outcome as exemplary and recommended the same method applied in Edo for the Ondo State governorship election on Oct.10.

IPAC Chairman, Tade Ademola said that the level playing ground allowed by the President and INEC had further deepened Nigerias democracy.

Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu and other 12 candidates participated in the contest with 557,443 accredited voters and 537,407 valid votes.

The rejected votes were 12,835 and the total number of voters cast was 550,242.

Many political analysts, therefore, conclude that holding such election amid forecast of violence which never occurred is a testimony that if political actors allow the will of the electorates in any election to prevail, there will be less apprehension during elections. (NANFeatures)

If used, please, credit the agency and the writer

Source: NAN News

FG restates commitment to job creation

By Rotimi Adeyeye and Grace Alegba

The Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Mahmood, has pledged the Federal Governments commitment to training of beneficiaries of high-pressure polyurethane foaming machines to create more jobs.

Mahmood made the pledge during inauguration and hand over of four sets of portable high-pressure polyurethane foaming machines to beneficiary companies in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister supervised a demonstration of how the equipment worked.

The equipment is a spraying and pouring machine under the UNIDO component of stage II of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) phase-out Management Plan (HPMP).

While handling over the machines to beneficiaries, the minister commended UNIDO and the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol for their assistance.

He said that the machines were intended to help beneficiaries manage their transition from the use of HCFC based foaming equipment to HCFC and Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) free ones by replacing the existing equipment to use environment friendly methyl formulae (MF) as the foaming agent.

Mahmood added that the transition was aimed at phasing-out the eligible consumption of 30.5 metric tonnes of HCFC-141b used in the manufacturing of polyurethane foam in the production of cold rooms and other commercial refrigerators.

In order to achieve this phase out target, the government, in collaboration with UNIDO, will ensure that adequate training is provided on the use of the machines, inspect the installation and routinely monitor their use, the minister said.

The Regional Director of UNIDO, Mr Jean Bakole, explained that Nigeria, in conjunction with UNIDO, was not only contributing to the protection of the ozone layer but also supporting the industrialisation drive in the country.

Nigeria, being a party to the Montreal Protocol, has an obligation to phase-out HCFCs.

This cannot be achieved without the manufacturing and servicing players of refrigeration and air-conditioning, agriculture, fire-fighting sectors and so on, Bakole said.

He said that the UNIDO-Nigeria Country Programme spanned from 2018 to 2022 and had nine programmatic components with component eight as Environmental Protection.

This country programme will contribute towards the industrialisation drive without compromising the Nigerian Environment.

Responding on behalf of the other three beneficiaries, Mr William Adebisi of Coldcare Limited, thanked the government for the gesture.

Adebisi promised that the beneficiaries would put the machines to good use and create more employment opportunities. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with former governor of Ekiti, Ayo Fayose, over the sad loss of his immediate elder sister, Mrs Moji Ladeji.

The presidents condolence message is conveyed in a statement by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Buhari prayed Gods comfort for the former governor on the sad incident.

The president equally condoled with the nuclear family of the deceased, the larger Fayose and Ladeji families, friends, relations and associates.

He urged them to take heart, since death is the ultimate end of all mortals.

Buhari also prayed that the soul of the departed would rest in peace.(NAN)

Source: NAN News