Television Nigerian

…lauds NASS leadership for patriotism

The Governance Accountability and Advocacy Centre (GAAC) has rubbished insinuations that the 2024 budget was skewed in favour of the southern part of the country.

The group said there is no iota of truth in the allegations of lopsided allocations by the Northern Senators Forum, adding that such fallacious claims are intended to cause disaffection among Nigeria’s federating entities.

The GAAC which made this known at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja said the budget was passed after careful consideration and debate by the National Assembly.

Okwa Dan, the convener, therefore, reaffirmed that the budget is designed to benefit all Nigerians, not just a particular region or group.

While urging the Senators to interact as colleagues to ensure that the budget is implemented in a way that benefits the nation, Dan said they were elected to work for the good of all Nigerians.

He, however, passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the National Assembly, describing them as patriotic, committed, and focused on the Nigerian cause.

“We would like to remind the Northern Senators Forum to come forward with a message that clears the air and reasserts that Nigeria is a diverse country with many different ethnic groups and religions. We must work together to build a united and prosperous nation. We must not allow ourselves to be divided along geo-political lines,”  Dan said.

“We understand that the Northern Senators Forum may have concerns about the allocation and distribution of resources in the 2024 budget. But these are concerns that can be addressed through dialogue and collaboration.

“We urge the Northern Senators Forum to engage in constructive dialogue with their colleagues in the Senate to address any concerns they may have so that some characters will not impersonate them to exploit such. There are provisions for amending the budget, which can be explored to address any identified concerns.

“We believe that the 2024 budget was passed after careful consideration and debate by the National Assembly. It is a people’s budget that is designed to benefit all Nigerians, not just a particular region or group. We urge the Senators to interact as colleagues to ensure that the budget is implemented in a way that benefits all Nigerians.

“It is of note that the Leadership of both houses of the National Assembly are evenly distributed across North and South. Membership of the two chambers is also distributed across the country, with the North having more seats than the South.

“The Chairmen of Appropriation Committees for both Chambers of the Parliament come from the North and the South, which shows balance. The budget was not passed by lawmakers from the South but by the plenaries of both houses, which had northern lawmakers actively contributing to debates and voting to pass the budget.

“The reservations that some people are now expressing could have been expressed at the stages when the budget was being considered. This would have ensured that amends were made if there was truly a need for it. But to now begin to castigate a budget they were part of approving smacks of mischief that would not bode well for anyone.

*On the executive side, the Minister of Budget and Planning is from the North. He prepared the budget document for the country and could not have allowed the projected spending to be skewed against the North.

“As a competent public office holder, he must have put in his best to deliver a budget that addresses the developmental needs of the country. Even if the other stakeholders in the budgeting process colluded to skew the budget against the North, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a true nationalist would not have allowed anything that would undermine the North.

“We would like to remind Nigerians that Senators Forum were elected to represent the people of Nigeria. They must consequently work for the good of all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Their utterances as leaders must therefore be well-guided at this point, particularly bearing in mind the peculiar challenges that the country is having to deal with.”

Four men from Port Harcourt are accused of invading, damaging, and setting fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly last year. The federal government has harshly charged them with terrorism.

The accused individuals are believed of being supporters of Siminalaye Fubara from Rivers State. They are charged with terrorist related offenses that they allegedly committed during the political unrest that shook Port Harcourt in October of last year.

Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, Ochueja Thankgod, Prince Lukman Oladele, and Chima Eguma Ezebalike are among them.

Although the immediate past factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Edison Ehie was named in the 7-count terrorism charges, he was however said to be at large alongside other suspects.

The four alleged terrorism suspects who have been in the custody of the anti-terrorism department of the police at the Force Headquarters in Abuja are to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja today.

In the charges against them marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, obtained by our correspondent, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun is named as the complainant.

Some of them were accused of killing five police informants at the Ahoada hamlet in the state, as well as Superintendent of Police (SP) Bako Agbashim, in addition to burning down the State House of Assembly.

Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu, and Saturday Edi are the police informants who are rumored to have died.

They were also charged with utilizing cults, including Greenland, Degbam, Iceland, and the Supreme Viking Confraternity, to terrorize the populace and disrupt their business ventures.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Simon Lough has been detailed to lead the prosecution team before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja today.

Specifically, they are alleged to have on October 29, 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt conspired to commit acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offence punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

Part of the charges read, “That you, Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37 years, business man of Street 5, Radio Estate Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Prince Lukman Oladele, 47 years of Okocha Street, Port Harcourt, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Hon Edison Ehie and others now at large on 29th of October 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, while acting in concert conspired together to commit felony to wit: acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 26 (1) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

“That on October 29, 2023, at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, you, Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37, a businessman of Street 5, Radio Estate Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Prince Lukman Oladele, 47, of Okocha Street, Port Harcourt, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Hon. Edison Ehie, and others who are currently at large, willfully and maliciously invaded, attacked, and set fire on the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex. As a result, you committed an offense under section 1 of the Miscellaneous Offenses Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja is anticipated to preside over their arraignment.

On Wednesday, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party demanded an explanation as President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja for France on what the Presidency described as a private visit.

According to Ibrahim Abdullahi, the deputy national publicity secretary for the PDP, Tinubu chose the worst possible time to travel abroad due to the country’s economic situation and level of insecurity.

This was in response to claims made by Yunusa Tanko, the spokesperson for the LP 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, that the President was ill and that the trip had a secret objective.

For a private visit, President Bola Tinubu left Abuja on Wednesday and traveled to Paris, France.

Read Also:

Niger: FG closes border, but northern senators reject military intervention

APC USA warns protesters against disrupting Tinubu’s visit to UN Assembly

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed this in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu travels to France.’

Although the statement did not state the reasons for the visit, Ngelale said, “He will return to the country in the first week of February, 2024.”

Wednesday’s visit was Tinubu’s third to France since he assumed office eight months ago.

On June 20, 2023, three weeks after assuming office, Tinubu opened his foreign schedule in the city he last visited as President-elect, Paris, the French capital.

During his four-day stay, the Nigerian leader participated in the Paris Summit for the New Global Financial Pact, to “review and sign a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on the priority list for support and investment, following the devastating impact of climate change, energy crisis, and after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic,” a statement signed by then-Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, read.

In September 2023, the President spent nine days with world leaders in New York, USA, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, which began on September 19, his first UNGA as President.

Afterward, he proceeded to Paris, France, where he remained for five days, arriving in Abuja on September 29 ahead of Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Day anniversary on October 1.

Reacting, the PDP scribe, Abdullahi, in a phone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, challenged the Presidency to come clean regarding the President’s travel to Paris, France.

He said, “The feelers we are having are that he (Tinubu) has gone for medical treatment as usual because that is where his doctors are. So, we challenge the Presidency to come clean and explain to us the details of his ailment.

“Though he’s been around for some time. We commend his decision to stay back, but we also would want it to be sustained. For now, we are wishing him well but we are asking his handlers to come clean and tell us what exactly is disturbing him, what he has gone for, and how he intends to avoid incessant trips because the machinery of state and the life of over 250 million Nigerians are in his hands.

“We will be concerned as Nigerians because the state of the nation is appalling economically, politically, security-wise, the nation is under siege. This is the worst time for a leader who understands his responsibility or mandate requires of him. These are not the best of times for Nigerians, they are living on imagination first of all from the economic angle. Nigerians are also in palpable tension from the security angle. Nigerians are equally disturbed about even the uncertainty from the political angle.

“What is the state of the nation? What is their presidency, going to shun out for them? How is the implementation of the budget? All of those things are shrouded in mystery. And at a time that we need our president to be around and discharge the functions of his office, as he has sworn to do. We’re not getting him at any time we want him.”

The LP spokesman, Tanko, described President Tinubu’s travel as unacceptable.

According to him, “We are back to another Muhammadu Buhari, who prefers to travel than to lead. The fact is that President Tinubu has a health challenge and they are trying to cover up the health issues. The last time we saw him was when he was in Imo. And I noticed that his hands were shaking. That is to tell you that probably his state of health called to question.”

He continued, “So the fact remains that when you see it shady exit of the President without detailed information, then you must question it. That means that there’s a hidden agenda somewhere.

“So as far as we are concerned, this is completely undemocratic and it is unacceptable. Nigerians deserve to know details about his travels. And at the same time, he must transmit power considering the level of insecurity in the country at the moment.”

In the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged former Anambra State governor Willie Obiano with fraud and embezzlement totaling N4 billion.

Arriving in a white bus with EFCC personnel escorting him, was the former governor.

Recall that Obiano was detained at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in 2022 while attempting to take a flight overseas, just hours after he turned over power as governor to Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, his successor.

As a result, the anti-graft agency added him to its watchlist. He faces allegations of misappropriating state monies and charging them to his account.
Part of the charge reads, “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between 9th August, 2017 to 4th March, 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 5600062873 belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”