National Mirror

. Cash-strapped agencies buy over 800 vehicles in June . Minister’s armoured vehicles bought on credit . NCAA personnel embark on training with own money . NUATE, CACOL insist on probe

More facts emerged yesterday on the controversial two BMW 760 armoured cars recently procured for the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.

National Mirror gathered that the two cars, procured at N255, 150,000 for the minister by the agency were on credit.

A source close to the Ministry of Aviation told our correspondent that First Bank of Nigeria Plc stood as a guarantor for the agency with Coscharis Motors Limited. More so, the document with the ref. number NCAA/DG/PROC/07/8/ COSCHARIS and dated August 13, 2013 and made available to our correspondent was signed for the NCAA Director-General, by the former acting director,Mr. Joyce Nkemakolam. The incumbent directorgeneral resumed in July. Continue reading “MW 760 armoured vehicles: Controversy trails aviation minister’s cars purchase”

Culled from Sunday Mirror on Oct 13, 2013 1

…as Okunrounmu insists on ‘no-go areas’

With the inauguration of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the proposed national conference last Monday by President Goodluck Jonathan , the committee is set to draw the agenda for the conference and in doing this, it would need the inputs of Nigerians. President Jonathan heeded the advice of many Nigerians who had earlier called on him not to restrict the Committee and the conference to certain areas of the national life. Speaking at the inauguration of the committee, President Jonathan gave the committee the freedom to choose names for itself and for the conference, while he also gave the committee free hands on areas to be discussed at the conference. Jonathan, who said he had deliberately used different terms to describe the committee and the conference because he wanted the committee to select its own nomenclature, admonished it to consult widely before sitting down to develop the framework that would guide and guard the proceedings of the discussions. Also speaking, the chairman of the committee, Senator Femi Okurounmu said Jonathan’s sincerity and commitment were “further buttressed by the fact that he has not established any so called ‘no-go areas’ for his committee, thus opening up for discourse, all aspects of our present constitution and national life.” He promised that the committee would not let down Nigerians, hoping that with the conclusion of the assignment and the national conference that would follow, “even those who were once skeptical and critical of the idea of a national conference will have become persuaded of its merits and benefits to our nation.” With this sound of optimism, Nigerians are willing to set agenda for the committee and in essence, for the national conference that will come up later.

Continue reading “Stakeholders set agenda for national confab”

Nigerian Outlook

Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders CACOL has condemned the arrest and molestation of 30 (thirty) unemployedg graduates by men of the Nigeria Police in Bayelsa State.

The graduates had staged a peaceful protest in Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa against high rate of employment in the state and the state’s government neglect and insensitivity to their plight. They had given a 30-day ultimatum to Governor Seriake Dickson to lift the embargo on employment in the civil service in order to absorb more of the job-seeking graduates.

Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, its Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran decried the level of insensitivity of the government at all levels in Nigeria to the plight of an average Nigerian.

“It is very disheartening that the government cares less about the plights of its citizens. What responsible government brutalizes its citizens for peacefully demanding what rightfully belongs to them? The action of the Bayelsa State government is unconscionable and highly condemnable. The high rate of impunity displayed by the federal government and some governors has called for a sober reflection from well-meaning Nigerians. Many of our leaders have insulted the sensibility of we, Nigerians with their stupendous display of wealth while the mass of the people are living below the poverty line,” he said.

Continuing, the statement recalled the recent fund-raising for the Nigerian president’s village church and reflected, “It is very saddening that over N5bn could be raised for President Goodluck Jonathan Country home church in just a service whereas many of the youths of the state are not gainfully employed. One could imagine how many jobs over N5bn could have created in Bayelsa State if the President had ordered his priority rightly.”

“Even if the state civil service could not absorb all of them, the N5bn could have created gainful employment opportunities if the President had decided to re-channel the ill-gotten funds for the Otuoke Church into creating job schemes to mop the teeming unemployed youths of Bayelsa State. It is however unfortunate that our leaders are not only clueless but morally bankrupt, incompetent and inept,” Adeniran disclosed.

The human rights activist however warned the government against fuelling the masses anger and called for the release of the protesters.

“It is high time our leaders realised that we are gradually getting to that point where citizens would demand their just right of economic empowerment, equity and justice in the sharing of the common patrimony, so that they could be on their toes to deal with more insurgencies, especially from the teeming unemployed youths all over the country. The government should realise that if they fail to engage these youths, they would become useful tools in the hands of mischief makers. We are also calling on the Bayelsa State government to release the arrested protesters to avert further crisis,” he warned.

With an advisory committee on national conference without ‘no-go areas’, President Jonathan appears set to give the task of remaking Nigeria to the citizens themselves. But many of them insist that government must give the confab a free hand to operate

By JULIANA UCHE-OKOBI

Since his national broadcast on October 1, 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan has kept many tongues wagging along the line of keeping the Nigerian project going. Nigerians, to some reasonable extent, appear united in tackling the nation’s challenges from the root, in trying to keep pace with the President who on Monday, October 7, inaugurated a 13-member presidential advisory committee set up to fashion out the modalities for the much sought-after national conference.

These 13 members, who have been variously called the 13 wise men include Femi Okunrounmu, chairman, who was a senator for the Ogun Central senatorial district from 1999 to 2003; Akilu Indabawa, secretary of the committee and a political aide to Jonathan; Ben Nwabueze, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and a professor of Law, who later withdrew from the committee on health grounds as well as Funke Adeboye, a professor of History, University of Lagos. Continue reading “Remaking Nigeria: The Task Ahead”

Following the seizure of 150 rams by the officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) from ram dealers at Ijora Olopa, Lagos, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned the Lagos State government under the leadership of Babatunde Fashola (SAN).
KAI on Sunday seized rams from the dealers while they are transporting it to their base in Ijora.

The chairman of ram dealers, Alhaji Musa Sokoto, said the KAI officials seized the rams without giving any reason for the action.

Speaking further, Sokoto accused KAI of withholding 15 of 150 rams seized when he led some of his colleagues to the secretariat to secure their release.

Reacting to the news, the Coalition through its Executive Chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran noted that the excesses of the KAI official was becoming unbearable and the brute force they employ to suppress and molest traders was uncalled for. Continue reading “Condemnation Greets KAI’s Seizure of Rams in Lagos”