MIMIKO EMERGES NEW CHAIRMAN PDP GOVERNORS’ FORUM

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has been elected the chairman the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ forum.
Mr. Mimiko was elected at a meeting of the PDP governors in Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday.
The Ondo governor was deputy to the former chairman of the forum, Godswill Akpabio, the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, said: "the forum of PDP governors unanimously elected Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State as the chairman of the PDP Governors' Forum" but did not give reasons for the absence of five of their colleagues.

Oko Polytechnic Management Denies Allocation Marks to Deceased Student

The Management, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra has described as malicious, misleading and inciting ‘’rumours” that a certain deceased student was awarded marks by the management, saying that it was a deliberate ploy to tarnish the image of the institution and further discredit the innovation of the Computer Based Test, CBT, by those whose nefarious activities were stopped through the exercise.
The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Obini Onuchukwu, who spoke on the issue, told South East Voice that those making the alleged malicious allegations that a deceased student was awarded marks due to the irregularities in the CBT were mischievous.
Obini, who spoke on behalf of the Management, explained that after an investigation into the matter, it was discovered that a student of Science Laboratory Technology, late Uche Henry, participated in all academic work, including examinations in August 2014 but died at about 9p.m. on Sept 17.
He said that the deceased student having passed all his course work had his results released along with those of his mates, but unfortunately some staff cashed on the situation with some few students in the department to blackmail the institution.

NASS ELECTION: SARAKI’S AMBITION HAS RESURRECTED PDP — SEN KWANKWASO

Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso immediate past governor of Kano State in this interview with newsmen in Abuja gives his views on the crisis arising from the National Assembly leadership contest. Excerpts:
You were one of the senators at the ICC when the leadership contest started in the National Assembly?
Honestly speaking, it was on the morning of that day that I saw a text message that we should go to the ICC, unfortunately for me I had so many people who came from Kano, so I was trying to receive them when I got a call that members and senators were waiting at the ICC. As I was moving out of Hilton Hotel, somebody called again that they were at the National Assembly and were just about to start election. So I diverted the driver, instead of going to the ICC I thought now that election was taking place, I said instead of going to ICC, it was more important for me to go the National Assembly and in any case I was sure that those who were at the ICC will not want to stay there when election was taking place. So I drove straight to the National Assembly, moved straight to the chamber. It was when I entered that I saw Bukola being sworn in as Senate President. So I wasn’t at the ICC, I was at the National Assembly but I arrived after the election and I was there calling them to come unfortunately they didn’t come so I had to follow them to ICC and other places. That was what happened that day.
Did the president summon that meeting?

Anambra Revenue Officers Kill Motorist In Onitsha

Police in Anambra State have arrested two revenue agents for allegedly killing a driver attached to the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Mission in the process of demanding for the driver’s vehicle emblem in Onitsha, yesterday.
A source told Ashiwaju.org that the deceased, whose name was given as Okechukwu Onwuamaegbum, was driving the church bus along Owerri Road, when the revenue agents attached to Anambra State Ministry of Transport in-charge of sale of vehicle emblems, confronted him.
The source said trouble started for the driver when he was flagged down along Onitsha/Enugu expressway, Upper Iweka axis in Onitsha by the ad hoc staff, numbering about 20.
Claiming to be on enforcement operation for the sale of the emblems, the officials allegedly demanded to see the emblem the driver had procured for his bus.
A heated argument was said to have ensued, which resulted in a fight and the driver was reportedly beaten to a pulp and collapsed thereafter.

TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK: AMBODE ORDERS RELOCATION OF BUS TERMINALS …

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, on Thursday ordered the relocation of bus terminals in congested areas in order to tackle the persistent traffic gridlock witnessed in the state.
The governor gave the directive during an inspection of some traffic flash points at 3rd Mainland Bridge, Oworonshoki, Ketu, Abule-egba, Alimosho and Mile 12 area of the state.
He said government is greatly concern about situation, adding that all hands will be on deck to address it.
Ambode said, “What we have done in the last three hours is to show that we are greatly concerned about the traffic gridlock that we have been experiencing in the last few months. It’s not enough for us to stay in the office and believe that we can create solutions to the traffic challenge that we have in the state.
“So we decided that we are going to go round ourselves and see how we can improve the traffic situation. That’s not the end of the story. We’re still going to Apapa and Mile 2. The truth is that we must start to have solutions to our traffic challenges in the state and that’s what we are doing.”
The governor also hinted that he has given approval for the construction of Pedestrian Bridge at Berger, adding that this is needed to allow free vehicular movement.
“We have seen that Berger needs a foot bridge and immediately the engineers are going to work and make sure that we put something there. We don’t want any traffic on that highway,” he stated.

GOVERNORS SHOVE BAILOUT, WANT FG TO PAY DEBTS OWED STATES

After the botched election that split the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) two years ago, a reunited forum of governors of the 36 states of the federation rose from a meeting in Abuja wednesday, resolving to meet President Muhammadu Buhari on the financial crisis crippling the states and has impeded their ability to pay workers’ salaries and meet other obligations.
Also, the governors congratulated the newly elected Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, pledging cooperation with the National Assembly.
According to the Chairman of the NGF, Abdulazeez Yari, who was also confirmed at the meeting as the leader of the forum, the governors viewed the financial crisis crippling the states as a national issue, noting that there are federal government agencies that also owe salaries of workers for seven to eight months.
Yari said: “We decided not to talk of the bailout directly, though the problem we observe is not only a state matter; it is a national matter. Workers of some of the federal agencies are being owed for seven months and above.

TOP 10 NIGERIAN STATES WITH HIGHEST INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE [IGR]

1-Lagos -- N276.1
2-Rivers -- N89.1
3-Delta -- N42.8

4-Enugu -- N19.2
5-Ogun -- N17.4
6-Oyo -- N16.3
7-Akwa Ibom -- N15.9

8-Kaduna -- N12.7
9-Bayelsa -- N10.9
10-Anambra -- N10.4

The National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday released a snapshot of the Internally Generated Revenue profile of 23 states of the federation for the year 2014, which generated N586.6bn in total in the fiscal period.
The IGR, according to the NBS report, was earned from four major sources. They are Pay-As-You-Earn, direct assessment, road taxes and other revenues.
The bureau stated in the report, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, that Lagos State recorded the highest IGR of N276.1bn in the period under review.
The N276.1bn generated by Lagos last year was N108.1bn or 28.1 per cent lower than the N384.2bn, which the state earned as IGR in the 2013 fiscal period.
Further analysis revealed that the amount that Lagos earned in 2014 was also 47 per cent of what all the other 22 states collected as IGR in the same period.
The report stated that while the figures for the other 13 states were still being expected, Rivers State, with a total IGR of N89.1bn, followed on the revenue chart.
The N89.1bn earned by Rivers State represented an increase of N1.19bn when compared to the N87.91bn for 2013.

Nigeria spends N4.62 trillion on National Security in 5 years, yet widespread insecurity remains

Amidst claims by Nigerian security agencies that they are being underfunded, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today that a total N4.62trillion has been allocated to the federal security sector in the past five years.
How this huge sum was spent however remains unclear as there is no reliable performance report by the security agencies.
Year after year, the security sector continues to gulp the highest chunk of the country’s expenditures.
In the 2015 budget for instance, N934billion was allocated for the security sector, the highest for the year.
The figures for 2011 and 2012 were N920billion and N924billion respectively while N923billion each was thrown at the sector in 2013 and 2014.
Yet, Nigeria continues to face attacks from the extremist Boko Haram group, whose activities have claimed over 11,000 lives in last five years.
Kidnappings, crude oil theft, armed robbery and other sundry crimes are also widespread across the country.
The heads of the country’s security agencies have repeatedly claimed allocations to the sector were insufficient to equip the armed forces and make them operationally efficient to deliver on their mandates.

Aregbesola blasts Ben Bruce for donating own wardrobe allowance to Osun workers

The Osun state government has lambasted the senator representing Bayelsa central senatorial district, Ben Murray-Bruce, for offering to donate his wardrobe allowance to Osun state workers who are owed 7 months salaries.
Mr. Bruce stated this in a series of tweets on Wednesday evening.
But in a response to the comment later on Wednesday evening, the Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, accused the Senator of mocking Nigerian workers.
In a state through his spokesperson, Semiu Okanlawon, Mr. Aregbesola accused the lawmaker of playing to the gallery  and engaging in self-serving philanthropy.
“Of all the states in the federation who are battling to pay salaries as a result of the precarious economic situation his party the PDP threw Nigeria into why is it that it is Osun he wants to take his pay to?” the governor asked.
“This is certainly playing to the gallery and nothing but a mockery in the faces of Nigerian workers and not only of Osun extraction.

GANG BEHEADS MAN, PLAYS FOOTBALL WITH HIS HEAD IN MUSHIN

Residents of some parts of Mushin area in Lagos have cried out over incessant killings in the area by suspected hoodlums.

Speaking during a protest to the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Abiodun Leshi, who led the residents, revealed how suspected hoodlums severed the head of a resident of the area and used it to play football on the streets.

He stated that the menace is being experienced in areas such as Taniolodo, Lawani, Ojelawe and others, adding that the people of the areas have been having sleepless nights over the issue.

“We have been facing incessant killings of our people. One Tunde was beheaded and they used his head to play football. Another resident, Sodiq was killed last Friday after Jumat service.

“One Adeolu was also killed recently, we have always been living in fear in the area and we cannot sleep with our two eyes closed, but we felt we should see you to seek a permanent solution to the problem,” he said.