PDP condemns Ambode’s N39bn loan

The Lagos State chapter of Peoplea Democratic Party has strongly berated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for hastily obtaining a N39.4bn loan from the World Bank. In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, on Sunday, the major opposition party in Lagos also advised the governor to rescind the decision pending the book check on all previously obtained loans in the state, especially by the last administration under Babatunde Fashola. This is just as the party also described Ambode “as weak to fight corruption and block leakages” in the state with the alleged continual services of the tax consultant firm, Alpha Beta. According to the statement, the firm is allegedly milking the state of its revenue. “The party’s positions are on the heels of the reports of another World Bank loan and the recent announcement by the governor to scrap the state’s finance and administration department while renaming its administration and human resources department, the statement said in part. The PDP noted that “the history of loans in the state is very embarrassing and has plunged the state into local and foreign debts running into a trillion naira.” “Why indeed will a state still run after World Bank loan when such state realises an average of N27bn naira as monthly internally generated revenue? Governor Ambode should have a rethink and be prudent,” it said.

PDP condemns Ambode’s N39bn loan

The Lagos State chapter of Peoplea Democratic Party has strongly berated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for hastily obtaining a N39.4bn loan from the World Bank. In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, on Sunday, the major opposition party in Lagos also advised the governor to rescind the decision pending the book check on all previously obtained loans in the state, especially by the last administration under Babatunde Fashola. This is just as the party also described Ambode “as weak to fight corruption and block leakages” in the state with the alleged continual services of the tax consultant firm, Alpha Beta. According to the statement, the firm is allegedly milking the state of its revenue. “The party’s positions are on the heels of the reports of another World Bank loan and the recent announcement by the governor to scrap the state’s finance and administration department while renaming its administration and human resources department, the statement said in part. The PDP noted that “the history of loans in the state is very embarrassing and has plunged the state into local and foreign debts running into a trillion naira.” “Why indeed will a state still run after World Bank loan when such state realises an average of N27bn naira as monthly internally generated revenue? Governor Ambode should have a rethink and be prudent,” it said.

PDP condemns Ambode’s N39bn loan

The Lagos State chapter of Peoplea Democratic Party has strongly berated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for hastily obtaining a N39.4bn loan from the World Bank. In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, on Sunday, the major opposition party in Lagos also advised the governor to rescind the decision pending the book check on all previously obtained loans in the state, especially by the last administration under Babatunde Fashola. This is just as the party also described Ambode “as weak to fight corruption and block leakages” in the state with the alleged continual services of the tax consultant firm, Alpha Beta. According to the statement, the firm is allegedly milking the state of its revenue. “The party’s positions are on the heels of the reports of another World Bank loan and the recent announcement by the governor to scrap the state’s finance and administration department while renaming its administration and human resources department, the statement said in part. The PDP noted that “the history of loans in the state is very embarrassing and has plunged the state into local and foreign debts running into a trillion naira.” “Why indeed will a state still run after World Bank loan when such state realises an average of N27bn naira as monthly internally generated revenue? Governor Ambode should have a rethink and be prudent,” it said.

NASS crisis, normal democratic process – Ahmed

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has said the leadership crisis in the National Assembly is a normal democratic process. He says he is hopeful that the crisis will soon end and pave the way for Nigerians to enjoy the programmes of the All Progressives Congress. Ahmed spoke during an interactive session with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Sunday. He said, “The National Assembly is going through the normal process of democracy. It is a process we expect to smoothen out and will take us to the level where we will begin to see the result of ‘change’ that will make Nigeria a better place to live in.” The governor added that President Muhammadu Buhari was not slow in his programmes and strategies to reposition and transform Nigeria, explaining that Buhari was laying a solid foundation for better governance and development of the country. Meanwhile, a former Vice-Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Alhaji Moshood Mustapha, has said the crisis in the National Assembly escalated because of the alleged inability of the leadership of the APC to properly address it. He accused the APC leadership of taking sides instead of quickly harmonising the opposing parties, but expressed the hope that he was hopeful that the crisis would soon be amicably resolved. According to him, nationalistic quest should override party supremacy for NASS members, warning against external influence in the National Assembly affairs. Mustapha, who is a former member representing Ilorin West and Asa Federal Constituency, urged Nigerians to be patient with Buhari. He added that it was better for the President to take his time, select credible and competent ministers and aides than to rush and appoint people who would not add value to his administration. Mustapha said, “The National Assembly crisis was unexpected. What do I mean by that? The government that was in power for 16 years had a very vibrant opposition, which has now taken over the rein of power, reversing the former situation. “And in that kind of situation, you expect all sorts of misunderstanding and crisis in the area of interests. When you have that kind of situation, the best thing for the leadership of the party to do, which of course they did not do and which actually led to the aggravation of the whole problem, was to call the whole House to order. “But in a situation where the leadership of the party decided to take side with one faction of the groups, definitely did not augur well for the house. And by and large there is no way we will get peace in the National Assembly except we stop external interference.” Mustapha said the National Assembly was not a political party secretariat, stating that it was an assemblage of people with different political backgrounds, who had an assignment to perform for the nation. According to him, the issue of party platform is therefore secondary when it comes to legislative issues.

NASS crisis, normal democratic process – Ahmed

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has said the leadership crisis in the National Assembly is a normal democratic process. He says he is hopeful that the crisis will soon end and pave the way for Nigerians to enjoy the programmes of the All Progressives Congress. Ahmed spoke during an interactive session with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Sunday. He said, “The National Assembly is going through the normal process of democracy. It is a process we expect to smoothen out and will take us to the level where we will begin to see the result of ‘change’ that will make Nigeria a better place to live in.” The governor added that President Muhammadu Buhari was not slow in his programmes and strategies to reposition and transform Nigeria, explaining that Buhari was laying a solid foundation for better governance and development of the country. Meanwhile, a former Vice-Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Alhaji Moshood Mustapha, has said the crisis in the National Assembly escalated because of the alleged inability of the leadership of the APC to properly address it. He accused the APC leadership of taking sides instead of quickly harmonising the opposing parties, but expressed the hope that he was hopeful that the crisis would soon be amicably resolved. According to him, nationalistic quest should override party supremacy for NASS members, warning against external influence in the National Assembly affairs. Mustapha, who is a former member representing Ilorin West and Asa Federal Constituency, urged Nigerians to be patient with Buhari. He added that it was better for the President to take his time, select credible and competent ministers and aides than to rush and appoint people who would not add value to his administration. Mustapha said, “The National Assembly crisis was unexpected. What do I mean by that? The government that was in power for 16 years had a very vibrant opposition, which has now taken over the rein of power, reversing the former situation. “And in that kind of situation, you expect all sorts of misunderstanding and crisis in the area of interests. When you have that kind of situation, the best thing for the leadership of the party to do, which of course they did not do and which actually led to the aggravation of the whole problem, was to call the whole House to order. “But in a situation where the leadership of the party decided to take side with one faction of the groups, definitely did not augur well for the house. And by and large there is no way we will get peace in the National Assembly except we stop external interference.” Mustapha said the National Assembly was not a political party secretariat, stating that it was an assemblage of people with different political backgrounds, who had an assignment to perform for the nation. According to him, the issue of party platform is therefore secondary when it comes to legislative issues.

NASS crisis, normal democratic process – Ahmed

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has said the leadership crisis in the National Assembly is a normal democratic process. He says he is hopeful that the crisis will soon end and pave the way for Nigerians to enjoy the programmes of the All Progressives Congress. Ahmed spoke during an interactive session with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Sunday. He said, “The National Assembly is going through the normal process of democracy. It is a process we expect to smoothen out and will take us to the level where we will begin to see the result of ‘change’ that will make Nigeria a better place to live in.” The governor added that President Muhammadu Buhari was not slow in his programmes and strategies to reposition and transform Nigeria, explaining that Buhari was laying a solid foundation for better governance and development of the country. Meanwhile, a former Vice-Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Alhaji Moshood Mustapha, has said the crisis in the National Assembly escalated because of the alleged inability of the leadership of the APC to properly address it. He accused the APC leadership of taking sides instead of quickly harmonising the opposing parties, but expressed the hope that he was hopeful that the crisis would soon be amicably resolved. According to him, nationalistic quest should override party supremacy for NASS members, warning against external influence in the National Assembly affairs. Mustapha, who is a former member representing Ilorin West and Asa Federal Constituency, urged Nigerians to be patient with Buhari. He added that it was better for the President to take his time, select credible and competent ministers and aides than to rush and appoint people who would not add value to his administration. Mustapha said, “The National Assembly crisis was unexpected. What do I mean by that? The government that was in power for 16 years had a very vibrant opposition, which has now taken over the rein of power, reversing the former situation. “And in that kind of situation, you expect all sorts of misunderstanding and crisis in the area of interests. When you have that kind of situation, the best thing for the leadership of the party to do, which of course they did not do and which actually led to the aggravation of the whole problem, was to call the whole House to order. “But in a situation where the leadership of the party decided to take side with one faction of the groups, definitely did not augur well for the house. And by and large there is no way we will get peace in the National Assembly except we stop external interference.” Mustapha said the National Assembly was not a political party secretariat, stating that it was an assemblage of people with different political backgrounds, who had an assignment to perform for the nation. According to him, the issue of party platform is therefore secondary when it comes to legislative issues.

States yet to get FG’s bailout funds – Oshiomhole

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has said none of the 36 state governors has received ‎his state’s share of the N713.7bn bailout fund from the Federal Government, meant to assist cash-strapped states to pay their workers months of arrears of salaries. Oshiomhole, who disclosed this to journalists shortly after a reception in honour of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, at Sabongida Ora, in Owan West Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, explained that while he was unaware of any disbursement, there were conversations going on between the governors and the Federal Government. The governor added that President Muhammadu Buhari had been “extremely positive” in recognising that he did not want to preside over a country whose workers were not paid. He said the President was also worried about the expenditure of the states as well as measures aimed at the effective management of their resources. Oshiomhole added, “It doesn’t matter who is responsible for it; but at the end of the day, it is simply not acceptable to have a situation in which about 13, 14, 15 states for two, three, four, five, sometimes, one year‎, people have not been paid. “He (President Buhari) is angry with that and he is ready to work doable programmes to deal with that and then, going forward, to ‎look at the structural issues in the expenditure pattern of states because, you see, nobody ever has enough. “The basic law of economics is that resources are scarce in relation to our wants. So, who gets what done has to be a matter of creativity, of priority and of proper costing and project management. “So, I think the good news is that the President is there to stand by us in finding solutions beyond cash giving. Nobody has gotten any one dime. But there is always a time lag between when you conceptualise a solution, when you think through it, when you reach a conclusion and when it begins to manifest. “So for now, no governor, no government has gotten any one naira under the bailout. But the hope is there; the President is determined and we are all working to see that it is done in a way that it benefits the target group, which is that no Nigerian worker should go home at the end of the month without getting a positive alert from his banker.” Oshiomhole, who was part of the President’s delegation to the United States last week, described the outcome of the meeting with the US President, Barack Obama, as a demonstration of commitment to the development of Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous nation.

Tinubu behind Toyin Saraki’s EFCC ordeal — Sen. Waku

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu A former Vice-Chairman and member, Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Senator Joseph Waku, has accused the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of allegedly masterminding the petition that has changed the wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, to be invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. According to him, the decision was followed by a promise to help secure a second term for the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde. But Tinubu said Waku should not be taken seriously, as he was broke and needed “a quick fix.” Waku, a leader of the APC, in a statement sent to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, described a situation where Tinubu would be allegedly using his personal relationship with the EFCC Chairman “to embarrass and torment fellow party members” as unfortunate. Waku, in the statement, claimed that his findings showed that Tinubu personally gave the petition to Lamorde under the guise that he was submitting it on behalf of the APC leadership to punish Saraki for working against the party’s leadership on the choice of National Assembly leaders. He said, “I have chosen to speak out on this issue and make my findings on this issue known to the public. After days of painstaking enquiries, I discovered that both Tinubu and Lamorde maintain a mutually beneficial relationship since the days of Lamorde as the EFCC Director of Operations and based in Lagos between 2003 and 2007, when Tinubu was equally the Governor of Lagos. “I also discovered from my findings in EFCC that the so-called petition against Mrs. Saraki was personally given to Lamorde by Tinubu under the guise that he was submitting the petition on behalf of the APC leadership to punish Saraki for working against the party’s leadership on the choice of National Assembly leaders. This was followed by a promise to help secure a second term for Lamorde as EFCC chairman.” The controversial Benue State politician, who once called for military coup few years after the return of democracy, expressed his concern that EFCC “is again being dragged into the political arena to settle political scores like some years ago.” But when SUNDAY PUNCH contacted Tinubu’s Media Adviser, Mr. Sunday Dare, he said, “No one should pay Senator Waku any attention. We know when he is broke and needs a quick fix.” He added, “What he has said is fit for the trash. No one should dignify Waku’s tales by moonlight with any attention or ever take him serious. “For any serious individual with a reputation to protect, Waku is a very poor hire. Waku is an individual with no shred of reputation and a political pariah in his home state. “Tinubu does not run or dictate to the EFCC. And like countless others, Tinubu had also been investigated by the EFCC several times in the past. Tinubu has no hand in the travails of anyone because he is right now very busy, working with others of like minds on how the APC political agenda can set sail as quickly as possible. That is the urgency of now and not the tantrums of the likes of Waku.” Also, some members of the House of Representatives have kicked against Saraki’s wife’s invitation by the EFCC, who is billed to answer the invitation on Tuesday. In a statement signed by the lawmakers representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency, Umar Buba Jibril, and another representing Okehi/Adavi Federal Constituency, Muhammad Kabiru Ajanah, on behalf of 25 others in Abuja on Saturday, described the invitation as “highly suspicious.” The group said while it would continue to encourage the EFCC to carry out its legal mandate, it was optimistic that the highly professional anti-graft body, “will not lend itself as a tool to propagate the political agenda of any person or group.” The lawmakers added that they held strongly that the days of using the EFCC to harass and intimidate political opponents were gone, warning that, “We must never return to that dark and dangerous side in our polity.” Several telephone calls, emails and SMS messages to the spokesman of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, on Saturday for his response to the allegation were not replied. However, an Abuja-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Society for Exemplary Leadership and Transparency, in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, dismissed the Like Minds Senators’ political insinuation into the invitation of Mrs Saraki by the EFCC. The group, in the statement signed by Mr. Emmanuel Johnson, asked why the senators could see the invitation as one from a legally constituted agency of the state instead of their “parochial angle.” It said, “It is now clearer than before that this set of senators are, indeed, hindrance to transparent governance promised Nigerians by the APC, and they will scuttle legislations and policies design to enthrone accountability and transparency.” The NGO reminded the senators that it would have been more altruistic if they had also questioned a similar invitation of the daughter of the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua and wife of a former Kebbi State Governor, Hajia Zainab Dakingari by the EFCC. “In view of these, we hasten to ask: why were you silent and did not mention ‘political motivation’ when, recently, other former state governors such as Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa) were invited to account for their years in office?” The statement added.

Female suicide bomber kills 14 in Cameroon

At least 14 people have been killed after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a popular night spot in the town of Maroua in northern Cameroon, three days after two attacks there, authorities say. Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the far northern region of Cameroon, told The Associated Press news agency that authorites were still counting the dead and wounded following Saturday night’s explosion in the Pont Vert district. A local official, who was reportedly at the scene of the attack, told Reuters that the suicide bomber was a woman. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, fighters from Boko Haram have been blamed for scores of attacks in the region this year. On Wednesday this week, in separate attacks in the town, explosives worn by two young girls detonated, killing at least 20 people and injuring at least another 22. One of the girls was at a central market and the other was at the adjoining Hausa neighbourhood when the explosives detonated. Authorities later told the Associated Press that one of the girls, aged nine, was disguised as a begger before the explosives went off. Boko Haram, which was founded in neighbouring Nigeria, has vowed to attack Cameroon because the country has supported the Nigerian military’s mission to defeat the group.