The Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, who has been having irreconcilable differences with his principal, Governor Akeredolu on Sunday finally resigned from the All Progressives Congress and joined the People’s Democratic Party.
Ajayi, however, maintained that he remains the deputy governor of the state in spite of his leaving the All Progressives Congress. He explained that the APC has “become a poisoned space” with one man “kneeling on its neck”.
The statement, which conveyed the sack of the Deputy Governor’s aide advised Sowore to submit all government properties in his possession to the Chief of Staff to the Governor.
The Federal Government has reconstituted the Board of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company, the managing and administrative agency of the electricity pool in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.
A statement from the Federal Ministry of Finance indicated that the prevalent challenges in the power sector made it necessary to re-constitute the Board.
During the inauguration of the board, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, charged the members to come up with strategies that will facilitate the speedy resolution of challenges in the power sector.
Members of the board are Mr. Alexander Okoh, Ms. Patience Oniha, Mr Ben Akabueze, Suleyman Ndanusa, Engr. Mustapha Balarabe Shehu, Mr. Adeyeye Adepegba and Dr. Marilyn Amobi, as Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer.
Mrs. Ahmed, who is the Chairman of the Board, said: “The reconstitution of the board therefore took consideration of the current stage of evolution of the restructured electricity sector, the complexities the sector currently faces, multi-disciplinary skills of prospective Board members especially in finance and investment, electricity generation, system operations of deregulated electricity markets, administrative law, as well as economic regulation of network utilities, amongst other factors.
“It is important that we bring our skills and experiences to bear in this critical assignment.
“It is important that we build NBET to become that defensive wall against potential payment defaults, till generation companies and distribution companies are able to enter into power purchase agreements on bilateral basis.”
She said NBET should be able to successfully fulfill its role in the management and administration of financial flows in the sector, adding that it was vital for the agency to promote a contract-based market that allocates risks efficiently to parties responsible for them.
Recall that the reinstated Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer NBET, Dr. Marilyn Amobi, has been enmeshed in controversies including an alleged N517 million graft and violation of the country’s code of conduct for public officials.
Premium Times had on June 10 exposed how Ms. Amobi continued to run a private firm, ESL Economics and Management Limited, registered in the United Kingdom, while being a public officer in Nigeria in violation of the country’s code of conduct for public officials.
She also continued to run a foreign account in violation of Nigeria’s law, Premium Times reported.
File photo of a Nigerian Air Force helicopter helicopteroto of ephoto
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has foiled an attack by armed bandits along the Kwauya-Tsamiya village axis in Kaduna State.
This is according to a statement issued on Monday by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters, Major General, John Enenche.
According to the statement, the personnel of the 404 Force Protection Group (404 FPG) NAF Base Kaduna thwarted the planned attack in the early hours of Sunday.
Major General Enenche explained that this followed “reports that some cattle rustlers/armed bandits had raided the Fulani settlements adjacent to the NAF Base and seized some heads of cattle from some herders at gun point.”
The statement further noted that a Rapid Response Force (RRF) Team was dispatched to pursue and recover the rustled cattle.
“The RRF Team, supported by NAF Special Forces deployed to Operation BADAMAMAKI, in conjunction with the local vigilantes, quickly located the bandits and engaged them in a firefight causing them to retreat in multiple directions abandoning 40 cattle in the process,” the statement added.
“While there were no casualties to any civilian or NAF personnel in the encounter, some of the bandits managed to escape with gunshot wounds.”
This is as the statement commended the officers for their gallantry and urged them “to sustain their efforts to curb the activities of bandits and all other criminal elements threatening the peace and security of our beloved country.”
Governor of Edo State and PDP Governorship Aspirant, Godwin Obaseki
Idowu Sowunmi
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Monday stopped Edo State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Godwin Obaseki, from participating in the June 25 governorship primary of the party in the state.
A PDP member, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, had filed an ex parte motion, praying the court to bar Obaseki from taking part in the primary.
The applicant also sought a court order to restrain the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and the party from allowing Obaseki to buy the forms for the primary, other than those who bought the forms within the party’s timetable initially published for the election.
Joined in the suit are: Secondus, PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chairman of the party screening committee, Kingsley Chinda, and other members of the committee.
Ruling on the motion, Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt granted the applicant’s prayers and ordered the interim injunction as requested.
All the parties in the case were to be served via substituted means.
Substantive hearing in the case has, however, been adjourned to June 24.
PDP had announced a waiver for Obaseki to enable him participate in the primary election, even though he joined the party only on June 19.
The party also reconvened the Chinda screening committee which had ended its assignment on June 5 to screen Obaseki on June 20.
It would be recalled that one of the PDP aspirants, Gideon Ikhine, had stepped down for Obaseki on June 22 and handed over his campaign office to him.
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has approved the appointment of Alhaja Selimot Olapeju Ottun as the new Head of Service in the state.
Ottun’s appointment was coming after the former Head of Service, TPL Amope Ajibola Chokor, bowed out of the public service of Ogun State over the weekend.
An accomplished psychologist, community development expert and administrator, she becomes the fifth woman to occupy the office and the 17th Head of Service since the creation of the state.
While wishing Ottun success in her new assignment, Abiodun said he believed that she would put her vast knowledge in the management of the state’s civil service to good use in her new assignment.
Ottun comes into her new position with impeccable pedigree and service record.
Until her appointment, Ottun was Permanent Secretary in the Bureau of Political Affairs and Administration. She previously served as Permanent Secretary at Ogun State Ministry of Culture and Tourism between 2015 and 2019.
A 1985 graduate of Psychology from University of Ibadan, the new Head of Service also earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Development from Pan African Institute of Development, Bua in Cameroon.
Ottun had coordinated many Community Development and Gender Programmes for the state government and was also the state Director of the United Nations Gender Development Programme between 2009 and 2015.
The new Head of Service has over the years proven to be an asset in different leadership roles she was saddled with. She’s also known to have used her network and creative ingenuity to adapt to changes in public sector management.
Ottun is happily married and she is the President of Remo Secondary School, Sagamu 1973/78 set.
President Muhammad Buhari and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu
Idowu Sowunmi
President Muhammadu Buhari Monday held a closed-door meeting with some Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The meeting, which took place inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja, has been described as Buhari’s intervention with the sole aim of finding lasting solution to the current crisis rocking the ruling party.
Ahead of the Monday meeting, the President had Sunday evening met with the Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, who hinted of Buhari’s readiness to intervene and resolve the party’s crisis.
Those at the meeting include the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu; Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Mr. Simon Lalong, and Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting on Monday, Bagudu said the governors visited Buhari over crisis rocking the APC.
Kebbi State governor said the meeting discussed “steps to support unify and bring about a peaceful resolution in our party, the APC.”
According to him, “Mr President listened attentively and discussed with us and he gave us all the assurance we need to know that a resolution of contentious issues will soon be arrived at.
“Mr President has shown that he is a democrat. He is not running the party. Yes, he is the party leader, he allows party organs to do and decide what should be done.”
APC has been in a leadership crisis since last week after the Court of Appeal Abuja upheld the suspension of Adams Oshiomole as its National Chairman.
While Victor Giadom, a suspended Deputy National Secretary, is insisting he is the acting National Chairman of the party, the National Working Committee approved the appointment of former Oyo State governor and APC Deputy National Chairman, Abiola Ajimobi, as the acting chairman of the party.
Due to Ajimobi’s ailing state, the party approved the appointment of Hilliard Eta, APC Vice Chairman (South-south), as the acting chairman pending the time Ajimobi would fully recover to take over the mantle of party’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Victor Giadom is believed to have initiated consultation with APC governors and relevant offices in the Presidency ahead of upcoming Emergency National Executive Council (NEC) of the party.
According to Independent, findings suggest that APC governors and the presidency have asked Giadom, one of the Acting National Chairman claimants to submit to the government documents relating to the last Emergency NEC of the party which was suspended at the last minute in March this year.
Founder and Chairman of Africa Initiative for Governance, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, in collaboration with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) have unveiled a new initiative geared towards significantly improving Nigeria’s healthcare system at the grassroots level.
The innovative strategy, which was in furtherance of a vision from an earlier stakeholders’ roundtable, entailed delivering one Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas at global standards.
Under this private sector-driven initiative, universal health access would be provided for low-income citizens residing in rural and urban areas through the Adopt-a-Health Facility Programme (ADHFP).
ADHFP, according to PSHAN Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sonny Nwarisi, would be sponsored by a group of Angel Investors and other institutions.
He said these “Angels” would each take responsibility for one or more PHCs – they would build and operate the PHCs for the period of adoption under strict rules and guidelines.
ADHFP is a multi-impact initiative with several benefits including: Saving lives, Improvement in health outcomes, Job creation, and Gender empowerment.
Aig-Imoukhuede and PSHAN recently initiated ADHFP design phase which would be handled by Vesta Healthcare Partners, a global healthcare consultancy firm.
This consultancy engagement was expected to deliver key programme components such as: legal and regulatory framework, public private partnership framework, PHC facility and management standards, financing arrangements, governance arrangements, supply chain management, and technology and systems.
The design phase would involve active participation of notable development-focused organisations like: Global Citizen, ABCHealth, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), MTN Nigeria Plc, Dangote Group, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Stanbic-IBTC Bank, PwC, Cisco, Ford Foundation, Nigerian Stock Exchange, and Flying Doctors Nigeria.
Others are: Africa Practice, Cedar Advisory Partners, GBCHealth, Health Federation of Nigeria, Health Law, Eti-Osa Local Government, JNC International Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, Justice in Healthcare, Lagos State Government, MSD for Mothers, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), ONE Campaign, PharmAccess Foundation, Women-At-Risk International Foundation as well as Lagos State Government and the Office of Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals among others.
All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo 2020 Governorship Candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu
All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has emerged the flagbearer of the party in the September 2020 Edo election.
Ize-Iyamu, who has been touted as the preferred candidate by political observers was declared winner of the primary election by Imo state Governor, Hope Uzodinma after the end of the exercise on Monday.
Ize-Iyamu, a former 2016 Edo governorship candidate in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was said to have won the direct primary election with a total of 27,838 votes to defeat Dr. Pius Odubu who scored 3,776 and Osaro Obazee who got 2,751 votes.
Meanwhile, an Acting Chairman of the party, Victor Giadom has distanced himself from the primary election held within the APC Edo chapter on Monday.
The letter dated June 18 and sighted by Echotitbits indicates that the erstwhile National Secretary of the APC, Giadom, who leveraged a court judgement in his favour to declare himself as the Acting Chairman of the party wrote to inform the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the exercise lacks authenticity.
Giadom had in the letter, which also copied the Inspector General of the Police, Director General of the DSS and Chairman of Edo APC, advised INEC not to lend support or recognition to the said primary election.
The Lagos State Fire Service has explained how it successfully averted an escalation of a fire explosion involving three tankers and one trailer on Kara Bridge along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the early hours of Sunday.
Lagos State Fire Service and other first responders like Ogun State Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency and Federal Road Safety Corps had swiftly moved to the scene of the incident in order to avert multiple fire explosions.
Speaking on the incident, the Acting Head, Lagos State Fire Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, said the quick and timely response by the agency ensured that the fire disaster was effectively contained before it escalated.
“Lagos State firemen responded to a fire call at about 0046hrs on Sunday, 21st June, 2020 at Kara Bridge and quickly reached the location where some vehicles were already engulfed by fire.
“Nevertheless, our firefighters were able to contain the situation from escalating before it was finally extinguished a few hours later.”
Adeseye added that one of the tankers involved was conveying gas, while two others were filled with Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).
She explained that the firemen were on standby until the gas leakage from one of the vehicles in the accident stopped in order to avert further havoc and chaos.
“The fire incident was a delicate operation that required the use of chemical foam compound to avoid explosion,” she noted.
Men of the Federal Fire Service battle to put out fire from a twin tanker explosion on Kara bridge. Sunday, June 21, 2020.
One person has been confirmed dead in the fire resulting from an explosion involving a petrol tanker, a gas truck and a cement transport truck at the Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Many residents within the area were startled when the explosion took place at about 1 A.M on Sunday morning.
At the time of filing this report, it was yet to be made clear what stirred the explosion.
Men of the Federal and Lagos State Fire Service arrived the scene swiftly to douse the flames, a task which has continued for hours, thereby causing heavy traffic jam on both sides of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
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