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Adamu meets Tinubu as N’Assembly crisis splits APC NWC

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The emergence of the National Assembly principal officers has caused a split in the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress.

The development was sequel to the decision of  the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, who faulted the process that led the selection of the principal officers.

As part of the efforts to resolve the crisis, Adamu alongside the National Secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, met Tinubu on Wednesday.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio had on Tuesday  announced Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as the Majority Leader;  Senator Dave Umahi ( Ebonyi South) as Deputy Majority Leader;  Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip, and Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the Deputy Whip.

He also named Plateau North lawmaker, Mwadkwon  Davou as Minority Leader while Osun West lawmaker, Kamorudeen Olarere (PDP Osun West) emerged as the Deputy Minority Leader.

Also,  Darlington Nwokeocha, (LP Abia Central) was named Minority Whip while  Rufai Hanga (NNPP Kano Central) was the Deputy Minority Whip.

Abbas on the other announced Julius Ihonvbere, the lawmaker representing Owan East/Owan West of Edo as the Majority Leader and Abdullahi Halims representing Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro of Kogi as the Deputy Majority Leader.

Abbas equally announced Bello Kumo representing Akko federal constituency of Gombe as the Chief Whip and Adewunmi Onanuga representing Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North federal constituency in Ogun, as the Deputy Chief Whip.

Ali Isa of the PDP was named the Minority Whip, while George Ebizimawo of Labour Party was announced as deputy minority whip.

But displeased with the process, Adamu told a meeting of the NWC members and APC governors the ruling party was not involved in the emergence of the officers.

He said, “The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices. Until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions.

“So, whatever announcement is done either the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.

Adamu and Omisore arrived at the Aso Rock Villa a few minutes before 5pm, and were ushered into the President’s office shortly afterwards.

However, three key members of the NWC expressed their displeasure over the chairman’s stance in an off-record chat with selected journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.

Among other things, they distanced themselves from the former Nasarawa governor’s position that the APC had not endorsed the election of the majority leaders, deputy majority leaders, chief whip and deputy chief whip for the two chambers.

“That was the national chairman’s personal opinion, not the party’s position. After all, didn’t the emergence of the two chambers of National Assembly leaders receive the blessing of Mr President?” one of the committee members said.

They also explained that some governors, who bared their minds on the issue, also cautioned Adamu and further urged him to reach out to the National Assembly leadership to resolve the matter amicably.

Another NWC member expressed concern that it would appear the national chairman had made up his mind not to work in the interest of the President as his action  “consistently’ negates virtually his government strives to achieve.’’

He stated, “It is really getting out of hand and there is an urgent need to call him to order. Many of us were not happy with what he said because it wasn’t discussed in our meeting with the governors. It was his personal view and not the position of the NWC.

 “And we wonder why Adamu is consistently doing this. The party took a position on the National Assembly but the national chairman keeps talking about having ‘further and better consultations’ at every point. Am I saying anything different? Did you media people not report it? That amounts to rebellion and insubordination to the party.

“In fact, we understand both Akpabio and Abbas went all the way to Keffi to brief him long before he made that statement. I also heard Governor Hope Uzodinma said the governors are standing with the NASS and would seek means to resolve the friction.

But the truth is that there is nothing to resolve. The point is that the president is fully in the know and consented. The national chairman and the governors were also briefed. These are the stakeholders of the party for crying out loud.

“We, therefore, distance ourselves and the NWC from such actions that clearly undermine the smooth take off of the APC federal government under the leadership of President Asiwaju and call on the National Chairman to desist from such action,” he stated.

The third aggrieved member of the committee also told journalists that he suspected most of Adamu’s actions were always deliberate in order to pass a subtle message.

“For instance, while he was speaking, we noticed that the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma was trying to signal him to stop and leave the matter for the closed door session but Adamu still went ahead to say his mind. When it was Uzodinma’s turn to speak, he sounded conciliatory and appealed to Adamu to try and ensure that there was no crisis.

“Bago, on the other hand, was very direct. He told Adamu that it was wrong of him to have spoken the way he spoke and that the principal officers of the National Assembly emerged after wide consultations with relevant stakeholders. Yobe state Governor, Mai Mala Buni also observed that stakeholders of the party were all working at cross-purposes. In fact, he expressed concerns that even the NWC appeared constantly divided. He therefore pleaded with Adamu to seal all cracks and ensure that everyone was on the same page”, he noted.

An ally of the APC national chairman, who preferred to be anonymous, disclosed that Adamu’s statement was largely misconstrued.

While arguing that the matter was blown out of proportion by a section of the media, he explained that dealing with Adamu demands tact.

He added, “Adamu is an administrator, a former legislator, minister and was a two-term governor. People who have passed that threshold always adhere so much to bureaucracy hence anything that is not communicated to you formally in writing, you consider it has not done.

“A lawyer and administrator will tell you there was no information or action unless he has officially communicated by writing. That was the spirit with which the chairman spoke yesterday because the information was not officially communicated to the party. By tradition and culture, this is an action that ought to be carried out by the party.’’

“Adamu has disowned NASS leaders.” That’s not true. He didn’t disown anything. He neither confirmed or denied when he said it has been conveyed officially to him,” he stated.

A source, however, ruled out any threat of sanction or punitive measures on Akpabio and Abbas.

The Deputy National Organising Secretary of the party, Nze Chidi Duru, declined to comment on the matter because he was indisposed.

He said, “Besides, I didn’t attend the meeting of NWC with the APC governors.”

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Ekiti Airport targets 24-hour flight operation, says Gov Oyebanji

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….Says Ekiti economy has improved significantly under his watch

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has revealed that efforts are in place to ensure the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport runs 24-hour operation, in a bid to make the route competitive.

The Governor also expressed delight that the economy of the state has recorded significant improvement in the past two-and-a-half years, promising to do more in order to ensure a more sustainable development of the state and better living standard for the people.

Governor Oyebanji who stated these on Monday night during the March edition of his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, said his government intends to make the Ekiti Airport a major hub, as well as a major driver of the economy, attracting more investors to the state and boosting the economic capacities of the citizens.

He explained that his administration has entered into discussions with three major airlines in the country to commence commercial flights at the airport, facilitate air travel, tourism development, more investment and transportation of cargoes and export of farm produce to local and international destinations.

While expressing optimism that at least two of the airlines would operate flights to and from the airport, Oyebanji said his administration also hopes to make the route competitive by working hard to install Instrument Landing System (ILS) that will enable the operation of 24-hour flights in the airport.

The Governor said: “The issue is to make the route profitable and competitive for airlines and if the route is profitable, they will bring their planes. Part of what we are doing is to make it an airport of choice and by next year, they will be able to run Hajj and (Christian) pilgrimage.

“To make it an airport of choice, we must put a structure that guarantees 24-hour landing.

There is what we call Instrument Landing System (ILS) which enables night operations and also enables planes to land in extreme weather.

ILS as at today will cost close to N4.6 billion but we are determined to get it done.

“We are determined that before the end of this year, we will install ILS at the Ado Airport.

If we are able to do that, it will be the second airport in Southwest after Lagos Airport that has such a facility so that aircraft can land at night. We are also talking to a vendor that will provide a hangar for airport services, so it’s a whole gamut of transaction that is going on.

“The Governor also disclosed that a cargo shed is being constructed at the airport to serve as storage facility for farm produce and cash crops. He commended the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele for facilitating its inclusion in the budget.

The Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport was given approval for non-scheduled flight operation for six months last December. Governor Oyebanji who said expressed optimism that the airport would be one of the most competitive by the time it commences commercial operations.

Speaking further, Governor Oyebanji identified some indices of economic growth witnessed under his administration to include springing up of more businesses in the state made possible by an enabling environment for them to flourish, improved internally generated revenue and receipts from the Federation Account, as well as adequate protection of lives and property.

The Governor who disclosed that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) have moved from about N600 million monthly to over N2 billion monthly, attributed the feat partly to the fact that more residents are now encouraged to pay their taxes, having seen evidence of the government’s effective utilization of proceeds of the taxes in every part of the state.

He explained that his administration has not restricted development strides to only Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, as it is being speculated in some quarters, noting that virtually all parts of the state including the rural areas have been touched.

He also expressed readiness to keep on working for the people of the state till his last day in office, stressing that he wont be distracted by on going politicking.

Speaking on the state of the treasury, Oyebanji said what the state government and local governments receive monthly are not hidden as they are published by the office of the Accountant General noting that they vary from one month to the other.

He emphasized that his administration does not tamper with the local government funds as the State House of Assembly has an enabling law with established the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) with the monies for the councils coming directly into the account from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

While noting that he does not get involved in how the funds are shared, the Governor pointed out that he only monitors the projects the council chairmen execute with the funds to ensure that they are in line with the needs of the people and they such projects are satisfactory.

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Kogi State enforces ban on rallies, public gatherings amidst riding security concerns

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In view of the growing security concerns in Kogi State, the government has announced a ban on all forms of rallies or public gatherings that have the potential to disrupt public peace.

According to a statement on Monday by the Kogi State Commissioner for information and Communication Kingsley Fanwo, the decision comes after reports of planned violent rallies disguised as political and religious agitations surfaced.

The Commissioner averred that the state government has taken proactive measures to prevent any form of security breach that could destabilize the peace and security of the state.

Explaining further, Fanwo said “With recent incidents in various local government areas, including clashes in communities and tensions rising due to planned rallies, the government has deemed it necessary to implement stricter security measures.

“The ban on public gatherings includes suspending all fishing activities in Kogi Local Government Area until peace is completely restored after recent clashes resulted in the loss of lives.

Additionally, security operatives have been deployed to affected areas to restore calm and implement the directive.

“Furthermore, in Ankpa Local Government Area, communal clashes between Ika-Odele and Ika Ochala are threatening the peace in Kogi East. Security personnel have been deployed to the area to calm the situation and avert further loss of lives and property.

“The ban on rallies and public gatherings applies to all individuals, groups, or organizations within the state until further notice. The government acknowledges citizens’ constitutional rights to express themselves but emphasizes that security considerations must take precedence for public safety.

“The state government has also directed that any individual or group entering Kogi State with a convoy of security personnel must obtain prior clearance from state commands to prevent unauthorized movements and ensure the presence of duly accredited security agents.

“To ensure strict enforcement of these measures, the State Security Adviser has been tasked to work closely with all security agencies and maintain high alertness to prevent any breakdown of law and order”.

Fanwo added that the government urged residents to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and cooperative with security agencies to guarantee the safety and well-being of all citizens.

“With the Chief Servant of Kogi State leading efforts to protect lives and property and maintain peace and stability in the state, residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activities or movements to the appropriate security authorities.

The government reassures the public that any attempt to undermine the peace and security of Kogi State will be met with the full force of the law.

“By implementing these measures and collaborating with security agencies and community leaders, the Kogi State Government is committed to safeguarding the state and providing a safe environment for all residents” the statement added.

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President Tinubu congratulates Jim Ovia on admission to the freedom of the city of London

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President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, on his admission to the prestigious Freedom of the City of London.

Admission to the Freedom of the City of London is an honour bestowed on individuals for their service to the city or for their achievements.

In a press statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described the honour as a fitting recognition for Mr Ovia’s exceptional contributions to business, innovation, and technology, as well as for his role in shaping Nigeria’s financial landscape and strengthening economic ties between Africa and the rest of the world.

“This honour is a testament to your unwavering commitment to excellence, your pioneering role in the growth of the financial services sector in Nigeria, and your visionary leadership that continues to inspire generations.

As an accomplished entrepreneur and advocate of innovation-driven development, your recognition in the City of London affirms the global relevance of Nigerian excellence and enterprise”, the President stated.

President Tinubu commended Mr Ovia for being a distinguished ambassador of the nation’s private sector and wished him continued success in his endeavours.

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