News
Chidoka locks horn with Ameachi over comments that money Jonathan left could not last 3 weeks
A former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has countered the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over comments that the money left behind by the administration of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan could not last for three weeks.
Amaechi spoke on Channels Television’s programme titled, ‘Hard Copy’.
Ameachi had indicated that, “As former chairman of the governors’ forum, I was told by the security in a meeting chaired by the former President, including the former minister of finance, that at every point in time, the government must leave money behind in case Nigeria goes to war that would last for six months. By the time we came, they didn’t leave money behind that could last us for three weeks. And I was speaking at that time as the chairman of the governors’ forum.”
Reacting, Chidoka said,
“I read with surprise and disappointment comments made by the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, during an appearance on Channels Television
“The Minister’s comment is rather unfortunate and not supported by facts readily available in the public domain. As a member of the Federal Executive Council that handed over to the current administration, I am disturbed that this urban myth of “empty treasury” is still the subject of conversation by a senior government member.
“Also, I am confused about what the Honourable Minister means when he says, “By the time we came in”, as he was not appointed Minister until six months after the May 29 Handover. Since he was not a Minister on the handover date, it may be pertinent to present him with the facts again.
“On May 29, 2015, President Buhari inherited a foreign reserve of $28.6 billion, according to official data still present on the website of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as $5.6 billion Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited dividends. Also, a 2015 budget of over 4 trillion Naira was handed over to the incoming administration by the outgoing Jonathan government.
“Furthermore, the Jonathan administration left a total of $2.2 billion in the Excess Crude Account on May 29, 2015. (As verified by the Ministry of Finance both by the immediate past minister and the incumbent).
“To further create context, I would like the Minister of Transport to note the country’s economic indices after 1849 days of President Jonathan’s Presidency from May 06 2010, the date he took over from President Umaru Yar’Adua to the Handover date of May 29, 2015.
“On May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari inherited an economy that, by the testimony of the World Investment Report, prepared by the Geneva-based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was the number one destination for foreign direct investment in Africa.
“In the five years of President Jonathan, Direct Foreign Investment stood at about 35.25 Billion Dollars. You can compare this to the 11.55 Billion Dollars Direct Foreign Investment received from 2016 to 2020.
“The Jonathan administration handed over a $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) and a diversified economy.
On May 29, 2015, President Jonathan left behind an economy with a stable currency, where the Naira exchanged for ₦199 to $1, and Nigeria had a single-digit inflation rate. Today, after 2406 days of the current administration headline inflation rate hovers above 15%.
“Under President Jonathan, the unemployment rate stood at 7.5% (better than European Union) today. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, six and half years after Governor Amaechi’s government came in, unemployment is 33%.
“Before the government came in, Nigeria’s poverty rate was 32% as of May 2015. We need not compare it against 71% today after 78 months of President Buhari’s administration.
“Our External debt as of May 2015 stood at $7.3 billion, the Gini coefficient (degree of inequality) was not different from China’s as of 2015. In 343 weeks and four days of the current administration, our external debt has ballooned to $37.9 billion as of September 2021. It is important to point out that over 48% are bilateral and commercial loans.
“With the facts above, I am sure that the Minister of Transport will rethink his fixation on the past and focus on the clear and present danger of an economy on the path to Argentina – sovereign debt default.
“In the face of declining revenues, available public data revealed that external debt servicing gulped $1.82 billion between January and September 2021; this is 43.9% higher than the $1.27 billion spent in the corresponding period of 2020.
“In the same period of January to September 2021, Domestic debt servicing rose to N1.74 trillion from N1.53 trillion recorded in the same period of 2020.
“These issues should worry the Honourable Minister, coupled with unlocking the asphyxiating gridlock that Apapa port has created in the economy.
“2406 days after, a clear 557 days (1 year five months) more than President Jonathan governed Nigeria; this administration’s economic policies and heightened insecurity have left the country comatose.
“Minister Amaechi and the APC government should stop this perennial blame game and focus on redeeming its tattered image by signing the electoral bill passed by a legislature it controls”
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
Jigawa and Kano states have been ranked topmost among the 36 States of the Federation with higher number of Tobacco smokers.
The senior programmes officer of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre ( CISLAC), Mr Solomon Adoga disclosed this in his speech presented at a high level stakeholders engagement that focused more on how state governments can adopt some National Framework for Tobacco control held on Wednesday at th 3 star hotel, Dutse.
Adoga pointed out that CISLAC in patnership with support of Tax Justice Network organized a sponsored multi-stakeholders engagement on Tobacco taxation in Jigawa with the aim of reducing Tobacco usage because it is inimical to health.
According to him “it’s unfortunate that research has shown that Kano/Jigawa are on top of the list of states that use Tobacco in Nigeria, while majority of users are the youths and some with minor age”.
He explained that, “to control use of Tobacco it is of Paramount that Jigawa state government adopt and domesticate National Tobacco control Act (2015) and Tobacco Tax Policy to save lives of the youth who are future leaders in our states.l
Adoga added that “Some of the laws that need to be adopted include ban on sale of cigarettes single stick, prohibition of smoking in public places and sale of Tobacco to minors (under eighteen years old) in the state”
The senior programmes officer indicated that the purpose of engaging and interacting with relevant stakeholders like traditional/ religious leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations and media is to help in creating awareness on the dangers of Tobacco as well as to advocate for both legislature and the executive to domesticate and adopt the laws.
Solomon urged the participants to support the moves by amplifying the campaign with their voices to achieve the desired goal for better future and development of the state to save thousands of lives of the teeming youths.
***Says Media Trial Tantamount To Disregard For Rule Of Law
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
A Legal Practitioner and former Spokesman to Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
Daniel Bwala has faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what he termed Disregard for Rule of Law and Media Trial of former governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi.
Bwala who made the remarks while fielding questions from newsmen in an interview on Wednesday bared his mind on the judicial relevance of the utterances of Ola Olukoyede, EFCC Chairman, at his Tuesday press conference.
The EFCC is seeking to arrest, detain and prosecute former governor Yahaya Bello over sundry allegations bordering financial fraud amounting to over N80.2 billion.
The Lawyer and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria said, “What he did and everything he said during the news conference has no consequential effect in the court of law, even if the media go out and conclude that Yahaya Bello has committed those crimes.
“The EFCC chairman knows that in criminal trial, the prosecution has the burden of proof to prove the element of the offenses in the charge.
“The standard of proof is beyond reasonable doubt. And what you need to establish that are cogent and compelling evidence should be done in the courtroom.
“That is the very reason why people can conclude by his media briefing that he actually does not want to prosecute the Yahaya Bello.
“Again,by what he did yesterday, he has given materials to Bello to use against him in the court of law.
“We don’t even want to bring the politics of it. Bello can come out and say, since he has called me personally, then | want to tell the world that he has actually asked me for money.”
According to Bwala, Bello is still at large and yet to present himself on grounds that he has a Kogi High Court Injunction restraining the EFCC from persecuting or charging or arresting him.
He said that the Federal High Court on Tuesday had fixed May 20, to rule on the argument of the bench warrant of arrest issued to EFCC on Bello .
“The import of what transpired in court based on this fact now is that it is superfluous for EFCC to be looking for Yahaya Bello. EFCC is just to wait and come that day to hear the ruling .
“If it does not, then Bello, on that day, in any case, will appear before the court and now be arraigned before the court.
“Now, what it means is that any day after that yesterday, any effort by EFCC to attempt to arrest the Bello will amount to violating the due process of law.
“This is because where parties have submitted to the jurisdiction of the court, they have to allow the court to run proceedings, and therefore they cannot run the proceedings for the court.
“These are matters of law. These are matters that at least new entrants in the legal department of EFCC ought to know. So the question now is, what is EFCC trying to achieve?
“I gave a good example. Yahaya Bello has an order that has not been set aside. The order says that he should not be arrested, he should not be prosecuted. The EFCC does not believe that that order should be sustained.
“The EFCC challenged that order. That challenge has not been determined by court. Now, attempting to arrest him when that has not been determined is violation of the rule of law.
“They also have another order to arrest him. And that order to arrest him has now been brought before a court in which counter-argument was made and court adjourned for ruling. What is the import of that? So you have coalition of judicial voices.
“And these courts that have given the various orders are courts of coordinated jurisdiction, which each other’s decision does not bind the other. So we are not even going into the administration of the federal high court as to how do you deal with this kind of conflicting order.
“All these orders are valid and subsisting until they are set aside. But you see, all of them have been overtaken by event because before this court, it has been adjourned for ruling, ” Bwala said. (Ends)
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket as the candidate of the party for the forthcoming November 16 governorship election in the state by sefeating fifteen other aspirants in a landslide victory
The Chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee and Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, made the declaration on Monday morning in Akure, the state capital.
Ododo said Aiyedatiwa clinched the APC ticket with a total of 48,569 votes followed by his closest rival, Mayowa Akinfolarin, who trailed behind with 15,343 votes, while Chief Olusola Oke secured the third position with 14,865 votes.
Below is a breakdown of the final results of the election.
Total number of voters – 117922
Total number of accredited voters – 95,178
Total votes cast – 95178
Invalid – Nil
Jimi Odimayo – 490
Omogoroye Judith – 115
Lucky Aiyedatiwa – 48,569
Isaacs Kekemeke – 1045
Soji Ehinlanwo – 492
Olugbenga Edema – 395
Jimoh lbrahim – 9456
Adekojo Funmilayo – 529
Akinfolarin Samuel – – 15343
Wale Akinterinwa – 1952
Olusola Oke – 14,915
Olamide Ohunyeye – 424
Morayo Lebi – 290
Diran lyantan – 348
Prof Dayo Faduyile – 353
Ife Oyedele – 462
1: Ilaje LG
Lucky Aiyedatiwa 2,485
Wale Akinterinwa. 26
Olusola Oke. 2,511
Jimoh Ibrahim 589
2: Ile Oluji/Okeigbo
Jimoh Ibrahim: 282
AIYEDATIWA: 1225
WA: 474
3: Ondo West LG
Jimoh Ibrahim: 2668
Aiyedatiwa: 10610
4: Ese Odo LG
Aiyedatiwa – 298
Akinterinwa – 0
Oke – 147
Jimoh Ibrahim – 174
5: Owo LG
Aiyedatiwa – 2,123
Akinterinwa – 345
Oke – 225
Jimoh Ibrahim – 192
6: Idanre LG
Aiyedatiwa – 1, 579
Akinterinwa – 119
Oke – 225
Jimoh Ibrahim – 120
7: AKOKO NORTH EAST LG
Aiyedatiwa 1, 664
Akinterinwa 135
Oke 138
Jimoh Ibrahim 505
8: AKOKO NORTH WEST LG
Aiyedatiwa 5, 430
Akinterinwa 198
Oke 2, 721
Jimoh Ibrahim 728
9: AKOKO SOUTH EAST LG
Aiyedatiwa 2, 533
Akinterinwa 43
Oke 391
Jimoh Ibrahim 67
10: AKOKO SOUTH WEST LG
Aiyedatiwa – 2, 747
Akinterinwa – 272
Oke – 415
Jimoh Ibrahim – 466
11: No results for IFEDORE LGA due to alleged violence
12: OSE LGA
Aiyedatiwa 1, 091
Akinterinwa 39
Oke 800
Jimoh Ibrahim 267
13: IRELE LG
Aiyedatiwa 1, 203
Akinterinwa 15
Oke 93
Jimoh Ibrahim 139
14: ODIGBO LG
Aiyedatiwa 2, 631
Akinterinwa 114
Oke 138
Jimoh Ibrahim 845
15: AKURE NORTH LG
Aiyedatiwa 2, 860
Akinterinwa 177
Oke 1, 239
Jimoh Ibrahim 1, 606
16: AKURE SOUTH LG
Aiyedatiwa 3, 265
Akinterinwa 86
Oke 328
Jimoh Ibrahim 294
17 OKITIPUPA LG
Aiyedatiwa 1, 622
Akinterinwa 27
Oke 1, 571
Jimoh Ibrahim 109
18: ONDO EAST LG
Aiyedatiwa 4, 803
Akinterinwa 141
Oke 1, 171
Jimoh Ibrahim 406
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