Northern elders part of Nigeria’s problems – Ex-IG

Click banner for more info

Former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Gambo Jimeta
| credits: leadership.ng

A former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Gambo Jimeta, on Wednesday accused members of the Northern Elders Forum of sowing seeds of discord in the country.

Specifically, he accused the elders of causing confusion in the polity in order to discredit the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Responding to a comment credited to the NEF that the Jonathan administration was worse than that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the former police boss accused the northern elders of being hypocritical in their assessment.

Jimeta said instead of seeking real solutions to the nation’s problems, the elders “chose cowardly path to create confusion and mistrust.”

He said in a statement, “As for the unfortunate comment credited to the Northern Elders Forum that Jonathan’s government is worse than Obasanjo, it is disappointing to note that other Nigerians who should have been steering the course of nation building decided to pull those pillars down by sowing the seeds of enmity and political hypocrisy in order to distract Nigerians from the truth.

“Rather than rolling up their sleeves to actively find solutions to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians, they chose to pull us backward again and force us to play the blame game. The hydra-headed monster of collective responsibility in the nation’s down fall also has thousands of fingers pointing at those who sit in judgment in the Northern Elders’ Forum.”

Comparing the administrations of Jonathan and Obasanjo, he said, “How short is the memory of these Nigerians that they would choose to sweep away the cases of massive corruption that plagued the Obasanjo administration or the flagrant disregard of court judgments?

“What about the elections that brought the violent ethnic and religious crisis? The Jos and Kaduna crises all happened under his watch. Have they so easily forgotten the crisis in the aviation industry that saw a season of death through multiple air crashes?”

More Stories in News

Source : punchng[dot]com

Subsidy committee members arraigned over gratification

Click banner for more info

Four members of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy Verification, who allegedly received gratification from the Integrated Oil and Gas Ltd., on Wednesday appeared in court on  three counts.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the committee members were arraigned  before  a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, along with three executives of the oil company, who allegedly offered them N1.5 million as gratification.

The committee members are: Buhari Ganiyu (37), Alalade Abioye (30), Oni Oluwanishola (34) and Chukwujekwu Akabueze, whose age was not stated. Alalade and Akabueze are women.

Those from the Integrated oil and gas are: the Managing Director, Anthony Ihenacho, 57; Assistant General Manager, Humphrey Nwosu, 44; and Financial Controller, Akinwusi Julius, 50.

The three of them are male.

All the defendants are standing trial for alleged conspiracy, offering and receiving of gratification.

They, however, pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, SP Asuquo Effiong, said that the company executives, had on August 30 at the company’s office at Marine Road, Apapa, given the money to the committee as gratification.

He said that the committee members were being prosecuted for receiving the money in order to refrain from exercising their duties according to the rules.

Effiong said that the offences contravened Sections 409, 64, and 63 (1)(a)(b) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011.The magistrate, Mr Martins Owumi, earlier turned down their bail application on personal recognition, and later granted each of them bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case till November 10 for further hearing.

More Stories in Business

Source : punchng[dot]com

Ogun assembly tasks okada riders on crime, security

Click banner for more info

The Ogun State House of Assembly has urged the leadership of commercial motorcycle riders in the state to take urgent measures to check the alleged frequent involvement of their members in crime in the state.

The assembly stated that the alleged perpetration of crimes in the state by commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called okada, constituted a serious threat to the security of the people.

Speaker Suraj Isola said this at the foundation laying ceremony of the Ogun State Secretariat of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria on Friday in Abeokuta, the state capital.

He urged the riders to refrain from getting themselves involved in acts that could further tarnish the image of ACOMORAN, stressing that the various cases of people using okada to commit crime had become worrisome.

The Speaker added that it was only in a secure society that business and other commercial activities could thrive.

“I must say we appreciate your efforts in the provision of door-to-door services to our people. We, however, want to enjoin you to talk to your members on security because we hear of cases of okada riders snatching bags and all that.

“You know security is the duty of all because where there is security there will be an atmosphere conducive for doing business,” Isola said.

He urged the leadership of ACOMORAN to ensure that it contributes regularly and meaningfully to the state Security Trust Fund.

Earlier, the Chairman of ACOMORAN in Ogun State, Alhaji Adebayo Apelogun stated that the construction of the association’s secretariat in the state would gulp about N50m.

Apelogun gave the assurance that ACOMORAN would cooperate with the government on security and remain a partner in progress with the state.

More Stories in News

Source : punchng[dot]com