Politics

Arewa Youth Forum (AYF), yesterday, expressed displeasure with the National Chairman of the  People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur for  endorsing the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan for 2015. The northern yout...

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State Chapter on Wednesday faulted Gov. Babatunde Fashola's position on the National Good Governance Tour, describing it as hypocritical.

The party said that the governor’s rejection of the team on good governance tour was an attempt to hide the state's ``shortcomings’’.

The PDP said in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik Gani that Fashola was only playing to the gallery, pointing out that he (Fashola) and other governors had endorsed the tour.

``The same governor who has condemned the good governance tour is currently on tour of project sites in the state.

``Honestly, the attitude can be described that of kettle calling pot black.

``Lagos State Government has no moral right to criticise the tour; it has been celebrating every 100 days in office since 2007 wasting public funds,’’ the party said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Fashola had on Feb. 26, while marking his 2,100 days in office, said that Lagos would not welcome the team.

According to him, ``a government does not need a good governance tour to showcase its projects as good projects can be seen by the people.’’

The National Good Governance Tour, led by the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, was inaugurated on Sept. 20, 2012.

The tour has so taken them to all the South-South states and some states in the North

A former Speaker, House of Representative, Alhaji Aminu Masari, on Wednesday urged INEC in the FCT to conduct free and fair elections that would satisfy the yearning and aspirations of the people.

Masari, a CPC chieftain, made the call during a visit to the Resident Electoral Commissioner of FCT INEC, Mr Godwin Kwanga, in Abuja.

``We are here to demand for transparency, accountability and fairness in the conduct of the forthcoming FCT area councils’ elections coming up on March 16,'' he said.

According to him, the forthcoming FCT area councils elections will be a litmus test for the conduct of the 2015 general elections by INEC.

He said that Abuja was a centre for unity; therefore, the commission must ensure that the outcome of the elections reflects the true vote of the people.

Masari said that the rational surrounding the creation of the area councils was to bring government nearest to the people.

According to him, the area councils could be regarded as the foundation of democracy in Nigeria.

Responding, Kwanga emphasised the commitment of the commission to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in the territory on March 16.

Kwanga said that as part of the efforts to ensure smooth elections, the commission held meeting with different political stakeholders in the territory to clarify issues concerning the conduct of the poll.

``We will ensure that there is no secrets in the conduct of the elections and transparency will be our driving force throughout the exercise.

``The commission will do its best to fulfil your demand if it is within the orbit of the law or in line with the provision of the electoral Act 2010,'' Kwanga said.

Other members of the CPC chieftains present at the meeting were the former FCT Minister, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai and Sen. Naziru Gamawa.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar, has called for synergy between the Bank of Agriculture, National Poverty Eradication Programme ( NAPEP ) and the National Directorate of Employment ( NDE).

Abubakar, who made the call when the Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture, Dr Mohammed Santuraki, paid him a courtesy call in Sokoto on Wednesday, said that such an arrangement, would further reduce poverty and unemployment in the country.

The sultan said: "Not that I am calling for their scrapping or merger, rather they should work hand in hand as they have similar mandates.

"They should have an efficient inter-link among themselves . They all have the same aims of engaging more Nigerians meaningfullly.

"By such gestures, more Nigerians will be taken away from violence and crimes and have a better society."

Abubakar observed that poverty is the major factor precipitating crimes and various security challenges in Nigeria.

"When it comes to food, there is no politics. A hungry man is an angry man.

"When the people are left with no food or nothing to do, there must always be problems for the society.’’

Abubakar commended the Federal Government for re-invigorating the bank, recalling the glorious old days of the defunct NACB, the predecessor of BOA.

"We are delighted with what the Federal Government has done to revamp agriculture after the sector was neglected after the discovery of the black gold.

"No amount of oil or gold etc you still have the need for food to eat . You cannot just throw away agriculture because of this basic need," he added.

Abubakar pledged to continue to be an active partner with the bank and other agencies aimed at further improving the living standard of Nigerians.

Earlier, Santuraki had told the Sultan that the visit was aimed at showing appreciation to him on his sustained support to the bank.

"It is a fatherly visit to also thank the sultan for his contribution to peace and unity in Nigeria and humanity across the globe generally.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised government agencies to ensure full implementation of the 2013 budget for the benefit of all Nigerians. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Olisa Metuh, gave the advice in a statement he ...

The Senate on Wednesday pledged support for a bill that would empower the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and states chief judges to order the monthly release of prison inmates, unlawfully detained. The chief judicial officers are expected to act based ...

There indications that the emergence of Chief Tony Anenih as the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a total declaration of war against former president Olusegun Obasanjo. It may also be a pointer to the intention ...

The controversy surrounding the alleged $1.56billion loan threatening to engulf the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) took a new twist yesterday when the minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Deizani Allison Madueke, and the group managing director...

The senior special adviser to Taraba State Governor on media and publicity, Mr Syvanus Giwa, has refuted the reports in some national dailies that the wife of Governor Danbaba Suntai has packed her belongings from Government House. Giwa, who made this ...

The deputy chairman of the House Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Hon Nkem Abonta, has blasted government’s war against corruption, saying it is insincere and does not have the seriousness required to address the problem. Abonta ...

Second Republic Senate President, Chief Joseph Wayas, has said that since. The Nigerian does not provide for any president to rule for more than eight years, President Goodluck Jonathan is automatically disqualified from the 2015 presidential race. Sen...

The Sokoto State government said yesterday it spent N3 billion to execute various Millennium Development Goals projects in its 23 local governments within three years . The state Commissioner for Local Governments, Alhaji Faruk Malami, told the News Ag...

Former Senate President Ken Nnamani has been slated to be the chairman of the second National Discourse on Local Government Autonomy billed for Tuesday next week at the Shehu Musa Yar ‘Adua Conference Centre, Abuja. Speaking with journalists in L...

President Goodluck Jonathan in Malabo on Friday  called for the establishment of a secretariat for the Africa-South-America (ASA) Summit.

Jonathan  made the call in an address at the third Africa-South America Summit, saying that the establishment of the secretariat would consolidate the various institutions that would drive the collaboration.

He said it would also help to place the regions at an `advantageous position’ in the wider context of multi-lateral engagements.

``I urge that the secretariat be established without further delay.

``It is not enough to have the Strategic Presidential Committee play the role of an interim secretariat when we have already agreed to establish a permanent secretariat at our previous summit,’’ he said.

Jonathan described Africa and South America as two regions of `immense possibilities’.

He urged the leaders of two continents to take advantage of the summit to give further impetus and practical expression to South-South cooperation which the continents had long been engaged in.

The president lauded President Obiang Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea for hosting the summit, especially when the prospect of having the meeting faced some challenges.

He described the theme of the summit, "Strategies and Mechanism to Strengthen South-South Cooperation", as `a welcome reminder’ of the objectives which the two regions had set for themselves when the partnership was established.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria hosted the first edition of the summit in June 2006 and Venezuela hosted the second edition in 2009.

However, since 2009, efforts to host the summit proved abortive. Equatorial Guinea made a fruitless effort to host the summit in 2012.

The opposition to the eligibility of a Goodluck Jonathan/Namadi Sambo ticket in the 2015 presidential election on grounds of allegedly agreement to run for one term has been described as of constitutional backing. A group under the aegis of Jonathan/Sa...