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Why Jonathan fired d IGP Sulaimon Abba
ABUJA — THE Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, yesterday, became the first major casualty of the just concluded general elections, which President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lost to the opposition. The police officer, who was elevated to the post only last year, incurred the wrath of the Presidency on the eve of the governorship and House of Assembly elections for allegedly arguing with the government officials over the directive to recall the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Charge of Zone 6, Tunde Ogunshakin, from Rivers State. DIG Solomon Arase replaces Suleiman Abba as Inspector General of Police Abba, it was learnt, had deployed Ogunshakin from his base in Calabar to Port Harcourt to oversee the governorship election in Rivers State following complaints by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, that the police had collaborated with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the PDP to intimidate APC members and rig the presidential and National Assembly elections in the state. His refusal to pick calls over Ogunshakin’s recall Another source said the former police boss reportedly ignored presidency official’s objection to the deployment of Ogunshakin to Rivers State on the allegation that the police officer was sympathetic to Amaechi and his party and would, therefore, not allow the PDP win the state. A Presidency source told Vanguard that on learning that the IG had defied its order by redeploying Ogunshakin to Rivers State to supervise the governorship elections. A presidency official called the former police boss to recall the AIG with immediate effect from Rivers State or face the consequences. The source said the presidency felt slighted when it could not get through to Abba. The former police boss reportedly told the Presidency that AIG Ogunshakin was a formidable Police officer whom he described as a ‘no-nonsense officer’ feared and respected in the Police Force hierarchy and capable of ensuring law and order in the place of new assignment. Vanguard learnt that although the sacked IG reluctantly recalled Ogunshakin from Rivers State, forcing him to quit Port Harcourt by 5 am on the election day, Presidency did not forgive Abba for redeploying Ogunshakin reluctantly. Presence at Buhari’s certificate of return presentation Another sin of the former IG was his presence at the presentation of the Certificate of Return to Muhammadu Buhari at the International Conference Centre on April 1, 2015, which convinced the Presidency that the IG was actually working for the opposition and it moved quickly against him. Arase replaces Abba The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, could not also be reached for comments on the development. Abba’s sack was announced by the president’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, in a statement yesterday. No reason was given for the sack while a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, was appointed to act in his stead. Abati’s statement read in full: “President Goodluck Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, of his appointment and duties with immediate effect. “President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect. “Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department. “Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Law, as well as Bachelors and Masters degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies. “He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.” Mr. Abba, 56, became acting Inspector General on August 1, 2014 following the retirement of his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar, after 35 years of public service. He was confirmed substantive IGP on November 4, 2014. Abba was, until that appointment, an Assistant Inspector General, AIG, in charge of ZoneJonathan defeat is God-sent avenue to recreate PDP [Senator Ndoma
Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, is the outgoing leader of the Senate. In this interview, he reviews the lot that recently befell his party Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the internal schism in the local chapter of the party in his native Cross River State and life after the Senate. Excerpts: There are rumours that you’ll be defecting to the APC any moment from now. Is it true? If I were defecting, I would have come out openly to declare it. Anything you hear about my purported defection remains a rumour. One thing I found very amusing in Cross River is that anybody who leaves PDP to any other party is Ndoma Egba’s supporter. Whereas the story before now was that I have no supporter. So, where are those ‘supporters’ coming from? There is an oversimplification of dynamics of politics in Cross River. We are no longer thinking deeply, we are no more analyzing issues the way it should be. We are becoming mentally lazy, when mental laziness comes in, it breeds impunity, and impunity breeds arrogance. That is where we are, and we are paying a very high price for impunity which has now become a culture in our party. But is there pressure from your friends and supporters to defect due to level of that impunity which you just spoke about? The pressure, actually, is not only from my supporters but from every quarter but it is now left for me to reflect on it. Corresponding traffic I will like to make this point. After the so-called primaries of last year nationwide, there was a lot of movement, but that movement was in one direction, and that was where we were supposed to listen to alarm bell which was ringing. The situation was that people moved from PDP to other parties, but we did not see corresponding traffic of people moving from other parties into PDP. Furthermore, the crisis in the PDP over the primaries were more pronounced in states that were ordinarily PDP strongholds. The crises were more pronounced in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa, Adamawa. With this, the party was weakened long before the elections and with our own complicity. I will advise that for us to move forward, political parties should be owned by members of the parties and not individuals no matter how powerful there are. What advice do you have for your party men who are defecting en mass to other political parties? *Ndoma Egba The party that is coming into power at the federal level survived as opposition for 16 years. Even though what has happened to PDP is a self-inflicted situation, we should see what has happened as a God-sent avenue to recreate the PDP to be owned by members of the party and not by barons. Mental laziness breeds impunity and impunity breeds arrogance and every situation reinforces itself. If you have small impunity today if you don’t do anything about it, the impunity would grow and if you have small arrogance today and you don’t do anything about it, it would re-enforce itself by growing so the PDP is paying a price for our own conduct and this is a God sent opportunity for us to wake up and think and I also hope that the APC will learn from what has befallen PDP. What next after your exit from the Senate in the next few weeks. Outside politics my profession is still there and as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and I have not earned a kobo with that rank because I have not gone to court and the rank was given to me while I was in the Senate so the options are many but I still remain to serve- that much I can guarantee you. The President last week refused to assent amended constitutions. Is there any friction between the National Assembly and the Presidency over this? Let us look at the history of constitutional amendment in Nigeria. From 1960 to the sixth Senate, we never actually succeeded in any constitutional amendment in a democratic setting. The only time we succeeded was in 1963 when there was an amendment to the then constitution to allow for the creation of the then Mid-west region, but beyond thPresident jacob zuma thought over south Africa issue
President Jacob Zuma has pledged to tackle anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa and to address deep-rooted problems behind the attacks. “South Africans are not xenophobic,” he said Wednesday. “If we don’t deal with the underlying issues, it will come back.” Zuma gave few details of government plans, but said the violence was driven by “criminal elements” as well as friction between foreigners and locals. However, several thousand demonstrators marched through central Johannesburg on Thursday to protest against a spate of deadly attacks on immigrants, after further raids by the authorities on suspected gang hideouts. Watched by police, crowds sang songs denouncing xenophobia and carried banners that read “We are all Africans” as migrant workers crowded balconies, shouting their support. “This march sends an important message to the world, to Africans,” David Makhura, premier of Gauteng province of which Johannesburg is the capital, told the demonstrators. “We are going to defeat xenophobia like we defeated apartheid. “We are here to make sure that South Africa is a country of peace for all.” Soldiers were deployed in Johannesburg this week to aid police in operations against hostels housing South African men who are accused of targeting migrants from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and other African countries. At least seven people have been killed in three weeks of unrest that have revived memories of xenophobic bloodshed in 2008, when 62 people were killed. “I am here to make a stand, to say ‘Not in my name’,” Zain Mayet, 20, one of the marchers, told AFP. “Keeping quiet makes me as guilty as those who are committing violence. “We are here to demonstrate that not everyone in South Africa is a criminal who attacks foreign nationals.” UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence and called for “all efforts” to be made to avoid future attacks. “He welcomes the public expressions of the many South Africans who have been calling for peaceful coexistence and harmony with foreign nationals,” Ban’s spokesman said in a statement. - Forced to flee - Two people were arrested late Wednesday when police, backed by soldiers, stormed a workers’ hostel in the city’s crowded Alexandra township. In total, over 300 people have been detained. The unrest erupted in the port city of Durban about three weeks ago and later spread to Johannesburg, the economic capital. Many immigrants have been forced to flee their homes and abandon their small shops as marauding mobs hunted down foreigners at night. “Over 5,000 people from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi still seek refuge in displacement camps,” Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF – Doctors Without Borders) said in a statement. “Injured Malawian and Zimbabwean men told medics that they are too afraid to openly seek medical treatment for their wounds and fractures for fear of further attack.” More than 20 years since the end of apartheid, many South Africans believe the lack of opportunities for young blacks and a severe jobs shortage has led to deep frustration. One Mozambican man was stabbed to death in Alexandra township last Saturday in scenes that provoked widespread outrage after the killing was captured in graphic newspaper photographs. Alexandra, where Nelson Mandela lived as a young man, is one of the most troubled parts of Johannesburg and is located next to the upmarket business district of Sandton. Regional relations have been strained by the attacks, with Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique organising for some worried citizens to return home. Neighbouring Mozambique said more than 2,000 citizens had fled the violence. Five buses also arrived back in Zimbabwe on Wednesday. SHARE ON TwitterFacebookGoogle+Buffer You might also like Imo election result: INEC scuttles Okorocha’s victory dance Man, 24, allegedly rapes friend to death Disclose my ‘sins’, Sylva dares PDP Family laments mysterious disappearance of female banker Day a fan kissed me in the presePresident Buhari moves against ex-governors pension
President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), is to lead a campaign to repeal the pension laws for governors enacted by many states of the federation. The proposal by the incoming president is based on what sources close to him affirm as the incongruity of the laws under the country’s socio-economic environment and also, as a way of demonstrating moral leadership from the top.
Majority of the nation’s 36 state Houses of Assembly have enacted generous pension entitlements for governors that in many cases provide 100 per cent pay for the incumbent governors buildings, generous medical allowances for them and their family members and annual holiday provisions, all of which are to last for life.
Provisions in the pension allowances are also made for staff, security and vehicles that are renewable every three or four years. Buhari’s inclination towards a review of the pension for former governors was first publicly declared few days to the presidential election at the All Progressives Congress, APC, retreat in Owerri, Imo State.
It’s scandalous
A source conversant with the development disclosed that Buhari told the governors that there was no way Nigeria could survive under the financial weight of the pensions that had been earmarked for governors. He was said to have described the pension laws as enacted by states controlled by APC and PDP governors as scandalous. According to the source, “he was very blunt about it and said that it was something that was going to be done immediately, especially because it is not something that can be sustained.
“The feeling was that not only was it wrong and morally unconscionable, but that it was not something that should be encouraged, and he was appealing to them that it should be changed.” However, the response of the governors, who were present at the retreat, was not immediately given. It’s a welcome proposal —Keyamo The development was, yesterday, welcomed by leading Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, who described it as a fantastic proposal but disclosed that it was something that could, however, only be accomplished through moral suasion.
“Fantastic, fantastic. It is a very welcome proposal,” the Lagos lawyer, who backed General Buhari against President Goodluck Jonathan in last month’s presidential election said. He, however, said the proposal was something that Buhari could only effect through moral suasion as the pension acts were enacted by state Houses of Assembly.
The crave for financial safety out of office was recently also extended to the legislature after the Lagos State House of Assembly passed pension laws to guarantee generous pension entitlements with proposals for former presiding officers of the house. States that have passed the law Many states of the federation had steadily been passing the law since return to civil rule. States like Lagos, Edo, Gombe, Oyo, and Rivers have passed the law, through which several former governors are already drawing applicable benefits, which in some cases are 100 per cent of what the incumbent is earning, while in others, some benefits in the pension laws are as high as 300 per cent of what obtains in some states. 100% of basic salary in Lagos The Lagos State Governor and Deputy Governor Pensions Law of 2007 provides that “a former governor and family (spouse and children both married and unmarried) are entitled to free medical treatment which is not capped. Another highlight is that the ex-governor is entitled to a cook, steward, gardener and other domestic staff who are pensionable.
The benefits:
Annual Basic Salary: 100% of annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy. Accommodation: One residential house in Lagos and another in FCT for the former governor; one residential house in Lagos for the deputy. Transport: Three cars, two backup cars and one pilot car for the ex-governor every three years; two cars, two backup cars and one pilot car for the deputy governor every three years. Furniture: 300 per cent of annual basic salary every two years. House maintenance: 10 per cent of annual basic salary. Domestic staff: Cook, steward, gardener and other domestic staff (no limit) who shall be pensionable. Medical: Free medical treatment for ex-governor and deputy and members of their families (not just spouses).
Security:
Two DSS operatives, one female officer, eight policemen (four each for house and personal security) for the ex-governor; one SSS operative and two policemen (one each for house and personal security) for the deputy. PA: 25% of annual basic salary. Car maintenance: 30% of annual basic salary. Entertainment: 10% of annual basic salary. Utility: 20% of annual basic salary.
Drivers:
Pensionable (no limit to number of drivers). Severance gratuity: Not specified. 100% of basic salary in Kwara The law stipulated that qualified former governors and their deputies be paid pension for life, without other perks like accommodation, cars, etc. The law was reviewed in 2010 by Bukola Saraki, a former governor of the state and a serving senator, who with the support of the state House of Assembly imposed outrageous raises on all the benefits. The 2010 law gives a former governor two cars and a security car, replaceable every three years. The governor is also entitled to a “well-furnished 5-bedroom duplex,” furniture allowance of 300 per cent of his salary (which totals over N6 million). The law also gives the governor five personal staff paid for by the state, eight policemen, three DSS operatives (of which one must be a female), free medicals for the governor and the deputy. Other entitlements are 30 per cent of salary for car maintenance, 20 per cent for utility, 10 per cent for entertainment, 10 per cent for house maintenance. 100% of basic salary in Rivers The Rivers pension law was first approved in 2003 by former governor, Peter Odili, having been passed by a state assembly headed by the present governor, Chibuike Amaechi as speaker. The 2003 pension law provides pension for life for governors and deputies, defining “pension” as embodying annual terminal basic salary, annual transport allowance, annual rent subsidy, annual utility allowance, entertainment allowance, domestic staff of not more than four. Like Lagos, the new law gives the former governor a house in Rivers State and anywhere in Nigeria. The former governor is also entitled to pension for life at the rate of the governor’s basic salary, 300 per cent of salary for furniture paid every four years, three cars every four years, free medical and 10 per cent for house maintenance. The law gives the former governor a security detail comprising two DSS operatives, four police officers, 30 per cent for car maintenance, 10 per cent entertainment, 20 per cent utility and several domestic staff. 100% of basic salary in Edo The Edo State House of Assembly on May 16, 2007 passed a law entitled ‘Provision for the Pension of Rights of the Governor and Deputy Governor of the state.’ This law was passed few weeks before Governor Lucky Igbinedion left office as Governor of Edo State. It provides for 100 per cent pension for the governor at a rate similar to the salary of the incumbent office holder and for domestic staff among others for the former governor. 300% of annual salary in Oyo The Oyo State Pension Law 2004 provides that the Governor and Deputy Governor after leaving office shall be entitled to Pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent Governor or Deputy Governor. Furniture Allowance of 300 per cent of the annual basic salary, Leave Allowance of 10 per cent of annual basic salary and severance allowance of 300 per cent of the annual basic salary.
Obasanjo fantastic behaviour
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (O.B.J) will amazenigerians and the political caucus has he just this morning returned 200 million dollars to the federal government of nigeria and also promised to release names with nigerian money and will expose if those who do not follow his lead and return “what belongs to the Nigerian people” as he put it, an official announcement of this development will be made tomorrow, Thursday, 9th April 2015.
we look forward to Tomorrow but wait does this really means the change nigerians look forward to has commence already ????