Uproar as Buhari appoints SGF, Chief of Staff, others

ABUJA President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment, yesterday, of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, his Chief of Staff and four others was greeted by angry reactions as some described it as lopsided and sectional.

Same sentiments were expressed with the president’s earlier appointments.

President Buhari, yesterday appointed, his long time political associate, Engr. David Lawal as Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former banker, Alhaji Abba Kyari as Chief of Staff.

The appointments went against the grain of political permutations which had seen some key political figures being mentioned as likely appointees to the coveted offices.

Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), who had acted as chief of staff to Buhari in his private capacity and as presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was named  Comptroller-General of Customs in a key indication of the President’s yet-to-be unveiled agenda for the service. Ali was a former military administrator of Kaduna State, and was in the Military Police as a soldier before his retirement.

Also appointed, yesterday, were Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi as Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service; Senator Ita Enang as Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) and  Hon. Suleiman Kawu as Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).

The appointments which were announced by Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity were with immediate effect.

Profile of new appointees

Lawal, the new SGF, hails from Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State. He graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, and worked with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja,  Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited before establishing his ICT and Telecommunications consulting firm in 1990.

He is also a member of the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigeria Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.

Lawal is the national vice-chairman, north-east of the APC and is one of the closest associates of the president. He was helpful in mobilising support for the President and ensuring key victories for him in the north-east especially in Adamawa State.

As a pastor, he was also helpful in winning support for the President among the Christian population in the north.

Chief of  Staff, Kyari

Alhaji Abba Kyari, the new Chief of Staff to the President, holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Law and Sociology from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick. He worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years. He hails from Borno State in the north-east of the country.

Ali, Customs CG

The new Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Ali holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminology. He was  military administrator of Kaduna State.

A disciplinarian, he has in recent years acted as chief of staff to Buhari. There had been much expectation that Ali would be appointed into the position of Chief of Staff but his deployment to the Customs could be reflective of the president’s reported determination to clean the sector of corruption.

The new Comptroller- General of Immigration, Mr. Abeshi hails from Nasarawa State. He joined the Nigerian Immigration Service in 1989 as an Assistant Comptroller. His educational qualifications include a Master’s degree in Public Administration.

Enang, SSA on NASS Matters (Senate)

Senator Enang is the immediate past Chairman, Rules and Business Committee of the 7th Senate of the National Assembly. He hails from Akwa Ibom State. Until the last general election in March and April, he was a staunch member of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, now in the opposition. He recently decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Kawu, SSA on NASS Matters (House of Reps)

Kawu was a vibrant member of the 7th House of Representatives. He hails from Kano State and is a staunch member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Ezeife, Tsav, ACF youths blast Buhari

Meanwhile, angry reactions, yesterday, greeted the latest appointments by President Buhari.

Most expressed their displeasure at what they described as lopsided nature of the appointments, stating that it was purely sectional.

Appointment lopsided—Shettima, President, Arewa Youths

President, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, said the appointment is seen to be lopsided.

Shettima said: “It is unfortunate the way the situation is, because one becomes worried. We must be seen to be nationalistic than being sectionalised. I am beginning to feel uncomfortable because the complaint is that the appointments are seen to be lopsided. I also do not think that is the intention of the government. However, no matter how we pretend, the reality is that things are not done in the right way.”

He, however, said “the government should be seen to be more nationalistic than sectionalised. If we truly believe in true federalism and federal character, it should go round. We cannot say that a particular area has the best brains in the country. I think the government should look into that area thoroughly in as much as the President has good intentions.”

South-East marginalised — Ezeife

In his reaction, former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwumeka Ezeife, said the new appointments have marginalised the South-East.

He said: “I do not know the rationale behind those appointments. No South-East person is in those appointments. So I am not interested.”

It’s wrong to be sectional in choice of appointees —Tsav

Also speaking, a retired Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav said: “I see the appointments as lopsided. Nigeria is too big to have majority of the appointees from one section of the country.  We have competent people in every part of Nigeria. For that reason, he (Buhari) should spread the appointments to every part of Nigeria.

“If he  (Buhari) is looking for honest people, there are honest people in every part of Nigeria, just as we have dishonest people in every part. Most Nigerians voted for him, even those who did not vote for him are his subjects and he is bound to carry every one along.”

Ambode shifts reforms to councils, may sack 57 Exec Secs

There are strong indications that the on-going restructuring and reforms in the Lagos State Civil Service will soon be extended to the 20 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs in the state.Presently, the affairs of the councils are being managed by Executive secretaries appointed in the twilight of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration to replace the former chairmen after the expiration of their tenure, pending the conduct of fresh election.

Gov. Ambode

The implication of this is that the 57 executive secretaries may be replaced by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State in order to conduct a credible election into the offices, considering the fact that Ambode’s reforms have been characterized by several replacements of heads of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs.

It is instructive to note that Ambode, at a recent public function, had pledged to embark on local government reforms with the aim of making the 57 councils more responsive to the needs of the people.

The governor, who made the remarks during a parley with members of the various Community Development Associations, CDAs, Community Development Councils, CDC and other stakeholders, said the intention of his administration was to give governance back to the people in line with his objective of running an all-inclusive government.

Inclusivegovernment

He said his administration’s commitment to make community governance the spring board for economic and social development in the state, prompted the establishment of a Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs which has thus placed community development in the heart of its policy formation.

The career civil servant governor, upon assumption of office, set up a Local Government Reform Committee headed by Mr. Nurudeen Adeyinka Ojora-Adejiyan in a bid to reposition the councils’ system for better service delivery and ensure even development and synergy in governance in the State.

The committee, after deliberations, urged the state government to cascade major reforms of the state public service to the local government level. The committee was mandated to examine the structure and current practice of local government administration in the state, identify factors militating against optimum performance and quality service delivery by local governments and examine the modalities for instituting inter service exchange of staff, knowledge and skills between the state and local government services.

In his comment at the  presentation of the report to the Head of Service, Mrs Folashade Jaji, Ojora-Adejiyan disclosed that the committee made very starling findings that revealed that local government system had become a shadow of itself, grappling with structural, funding and administrative problems.

The committee therefore, called for a review of local government administration law and other laws regulating the operations of local government in the state. It also called for a functional template to assess the performance of local governments based on available resources and context of operations to be evolved for local government system.

The committee also discovered that there was inadequate community participation characterized by seeming disconnection between the communities and managements of local government which has created a huge service gap with on adverse effect on its service delivery capacity to the people.

Execution of policies

“We however, recommend that local governments should as a matter of policy involve community development associations and other stakeholders from the planning to execution of policies and projects, thus ensuring that the yearnings and aspirations of the people are met the committee chairman said.

The committee came up with the recommendations, following cutting edge consultations with inputs of critical stakeholders. Furthermore, in order to curb fraudulent acts in the local government system, the committee recommended strict sanctions on any officials and local government personnel found culpable.

Ojora said: “There is no doubt that Ambode will make positive use of this as he understands the place of the Local Government in governance and had met with Executive Secretaries to sensitize them on the various reforms going on in the state and the need to bring everyone on board as the reform is critical for even development and progress.”

Presently, the state governor is critically looking at the recommendation of the committee aimed at ensuring prompt implementation for the benefit of the people.

Tour of 57 councils: To this end, last week,  Ambode concluded plans to embark on a tour of the 57 local governments in the state, saying it would afford him the opportunity to listen to the challenges of the people first hand and address them accordingly. “We believe strongly that we should scale up community governance in this state. It is more about communities, its more about our people and what they want,” he said.

Lagos assembly on budget template for 57 councils

Lagos State House of Assembly, recently, fashioned out a standard budget template for all the 20 Local Government Areas, (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas, (LCDAs), in the state. The House, through the Committee on Economic Planning and Budget, had earlier approved the  2015 budget estimates for LGs/LCDAs, following the report of a 7-man Ad-hoc Committee.

The committee which was inaugurated on June 18, 2015, and chaired by Hon Rotimi Abiru, submitted its findings to the House on July 30, 2015. Members of the Committee include: Bisi Yusuff, Yinka Ogundimu, Adekanye Oladele, Mojeed Fatai, Lawal Mojisola Lasbat and Alimi Kazeem. The 7th Legislative Assembly had earlier, mandated its house committee to carry-out the exercise in consonance with Section 3 of the Local Government Council Committee Law, 2007, which states inter alia that:

Estimates ofrevenue

“The Committee shall be responsible for the administration of the affairs of the Local Government in accordance with the provisions of Sections 33, 34 and 40 of the Local Government (Administration) Law. Provided that with respect to the preparation of annual estimates of revenue and expenditure of the Local Governments, such shall be laid before the House of Assembly for debate and approval.”

Based on the above law the committee swung into action but could not conclude the assignment before the dissolution of the House on Monday, 1st June, 2015. The findings of the committee, revealed that most LGAs and LCDAs in the state performed poorly in the area of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), hence, their reliance on Federal Allocation.

That the overhead estimate of the LGAs and LCDAs in the state were bloated to the detriment of the capital expenditure which does not augur well for development at the grass roots as well showing that the Councils do not have a uniform template for budget preparation.  To this effect, the Ad-hoc committee chairman directed all the council representatives to appear with all the documents which include capital receipts, Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR) from January till date, breakdown of the overhead cost, breakdown of teachers’ salaries and bank statements.

Abiru said the purpose of the exercise was to prepare a uniform template for the councils. He therefore, urged councils to give priority to capital expenditure that would enhance physical development at the grassroots.

PDP reacts

Meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Lagos chapter had accused Ambode, of planning to delay the yet-to-be conducted local council elections in the state. PDP had claimed that the All Progressives Congress-led government in Lagos was not interested in conducting elections into the local government councils. Its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, also accused the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, of working with the APC to delay the polls.

The statement said, “The Lagos State chapter of the PDP has reiterated her conclusion that the APC government in Lagos is not popular among the electorates, especially for any grass roots elections and as such deliberately frustrating the conduct of local council polls long overdue since October 2014.

“The PDP has at this time accused LASIEC as an electoral body which has exposed itself as an appendage of APC in the state and not at all independent in its decisions and administration.” According to Gani, Ambode was planning to delay the polls until after one year in office.

“The delay to conduct council polls in Lagos is deliberate to eventually give undue advantage to the APC. The defence put up by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters (who was quoted to have blamed the delay in the conduct of the council polls on the Independent National Electoral Commission claiming that the electoral body has not concluded the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards and thus the polls cannot be conducted at this time) is preposterous, repulsive and clearly an indication that APC will turn out to be a party of impunity and inconsistencies,” he said.

The Lagos PDP’s spokesman further alleged that the state’s councils were operating contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution. “This is an aberration to Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees only democratically elected local government administration. The APC is unpopular and thus avoiding any grass roots election,” Gani said.

NCP sues Lagos INEC on failure to hold LGs poll

The national Conscience Party, NCP, had taken the state government to court over the delay in the conduct of LGs poll. The case number LD/318MJR/15, NCP/Lagos INEC which was filed before Hon Justice A.M Lawal, sitting at the foyer court 53, Lagos High Court, Igbosere was later adjourned for hearing to sometime in October, 2015. Adeleke Akele, a chieftain of NCP, however expressed optimism that justice will be done at the hearing by the court.

33-yr-old man commits suicide in Ondo over job loss

The decomposing body of a 33-year-old man, Gbenga Ogundana, has been discovered by Police detectives in Akure, Ondo State capital, after he reportedly committed suicide over loss of his job.

Vanguard gathered that the body was discovered in his rented apartment located at Orisunmbare Street, Cultural Centre, Akure, four days after he allegedly poisoned himself.

Vanguard was informed that neighbours of the deceased had earlier reported to his elder brother, Segun, that the whereabouts of his brother was unknown.

Reports had it that his elder brother, Segun, called the deceased’s phone line without success. On arrival at the house, Segun discovered that the doors and window of his brother’s room were locked from within.

He, and other neighbours, went to the police station and with the help of detectives, the door was forced open and the decomposing corpse discovered on the bed.

The remains were later evacuated and deposited in the general hospital morgue by the police detectives for post-mortem examination
Vanguard learned that the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, CIID, of the state police command was currently working to unravel the mystery surrounding his death.

A police source said that findings so far suggested that the deceased might have poisoned himself, having lost his job a few weeks ago.

The command’s spokesman, Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident and said detectives had launched an investigation to unravel the mystery surrounding the death.

Religion must change its message

If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, then there would be little hope for advance. – Wright Brothers.

THE 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended recognises, Christianity, Islam, as key religions, while declaring, that we shall remain a secular state, and guaranteeing freedom of worship. In order words, religion should not be a factor in  State matters, but the same constitution mentions the word ‘Sharia’ over seventeen times, and the word ‘Christianity’ not more than three tree times, showing us where the tilt lies, but that is a matter for another time.

religions

Religion however plays key roles in the affairs of Nigerians, so much so, that our so called secularity is only a matter of constitutional semantics. We have three main religions namely, Christianity, with the Holy Bible as our manual, Islam with the Holy Quran as manual, and the Traditional Idol worship, where culture and tradition provides the manuals.

Each religion has strong and powerful followership of people in authority, workers and entrepreneurs of diverse natures and means. Many Christians, and Muslims, support their faithlessness with traditional Idol and fetish practices, providing the source of the many challenges, such as the corruption and compromise we have in Nigerian society today.

For example, true and committed Christians and Muslims, cannot become cultists as we have in the South of Nigeria, and terrorists as we have in the North, although I am yet to be convinced that there is no link between Islam and violence judging from developments all over the new world.

Since most Nigerians including our leaders are either Christians, Muslims, or Idol worshipers, it follows that the deterioration in the morals of our society flows from the quality of messages that roll out of our churches, mosques, and shrines.

The Church is struggling with coping with preaching the messages of the basic moral values of society, and while standing in the place of holiness, righteousness, obedience and love of God and man, the pull and attractions from the sinful freedom of the world is so high that their messages have changed to that of prosperity – wealth without hard work and integrity.They work smart, while the true Christians work hard. They must make money at all cost.

The genuine investor is their target and victim, and once they are put in charge of any aspect of business, they steal the owners  blind, run the place down, damage machines in the factories in order to earn salaries without adequate work, and some even arrange to rob or kill the business owner. Employ them as drivers, they pilfer on fuel and repairs money, while the petrol tanker drivers would sell the content and set the vehicle ablaze.

Along the roads across the nation, you find villages and settlements where tanker drivers spend the night and time selling products meant for gas stations somewhere. The investor dares not  touch them, because they are anointed members of one form of truckers’ association or the other, and they would mobilise support, and embarrass the government with strike actions, etc.

Corruption and wickedness have mounted on their wings, run so high and deep, having permeated into every fabric of the society. This has made job creation very difficult, because in addition to the high business costs due to poor infrastructure and power supply, employees, will make the owner lose money, run him into colossal debts, if put in-charge.

To these people, a retiree who starts a business or any form of manufacturing, has ‘chopped government money’, and as employees they must collect their portions by all means. They exploit all investors, including diaspora citizens desiring to come home, and set up one form of business or the other. All you hear are mostly tales of woes of how they trusted one relation, friend or another, put them in-charge, and in no time, the business crumbled, because they ran it down. The Nigerian business environment has become hostile, rough, and harsh for the average entrepreneur, in spite of the huge potentials supported by our large and growing demand for things due to increasing population.

The banks have not helped any matters, lending is scarce, and at high rates.The banks drive for deposits, where they have not encouraged any businesses to grow, while paying majorly lip service to developing the real sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and housing. The result include that doing business in Nigeria become a dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest affair. When you listen to testimonies during worships in churches, and Mosques you realise the level we have sunk and why the messages from altars must change.

We expect the government to create jobs in isolation of a deep seated work and moral ethics. We call for change, pointing accusing fingers at others, while we are rotten in ourselves with all manner of corruption, and wickedness. We may instigate our selective probes as we please, our findings will show that all the culprits are either, Christians, Muslims, or Idol worshipers, members of the three main religions in Nigeria.

The only way our nation will change for real, is for the messages from the altars of Churches and Mosques to change drastically. As for shrines, one cannot follow their messages, because they serve the devil, the father of all lies,  a master whose assignment is to steal, kill and destroy.It is from them that the pollution in our nation has come, and is thriving so much, because the first two have succumbed to compromise.

The Church of Christ in Nigeria, must therefore rise with boldness, to preach a new message of Holiness, righteousness, obedience to and fear of God, Love for one another, and the salvation of souls. Prosperity is good, but it must only come from a purpose driven life of Vision, Mission,  hard work, humility and integrity. The message must culminate in seeking the kingdom of God, and its righteousness first, for His blessings to flow, and not the other way round. May the ways of the church in Nigeria, become pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.

impediments to Africa’s devt — AfDB chief

African Development Bank (AfDB) has listed bad governance and corruption as the major impediments to Africa’s development.Vice President of AfDB, Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa, said at a symposium in Kigali that the factors not only lead to diversion of resources, but also the energies of institutions and their staff.

AfDB-VP-Steve-Kayizzi-Mugerwa

Kayizzi-Mugerwa said some of the African governments failed to translate their development agenda, into action because the public sector tended to become captive and serve individuals and not the population.

He said there was the need to honor the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, especially for leaving a great legacy for Africa and other developing countries.

“His conceptualisation of a developmental state to describe the institutional and socioeconomic frameworks that would sustain development without stifling political participation is outstanding” he said.

Kayizzi-Mugerwa said any poor and resource-challenged country could embark on sustainable growth and development if led by dutiful and committed leaders.

“African countries have indeed made progress in political and economic terms, with considerable variance in between.

“Achieving the lofty ambitions of the ‘democratic developmental state’ will take time, but many African countries see them as worth pursuing,” he said.

Kayizzi-Mugerwa said with the adoption of the 2063 template by the African Union, which emphasises the same views on the developmental state, the continent was serious about pursuing sustainable development.

“There has been no shortage of development ideas or templates in Africa since independence in the early 1960s.

“Africa’s development path is, however, full of failed policy initiatives, thus making implementation always the issue,” he said.

He said African countries must seek to address ‘implementation deficit’ at all levels of government before the made progress in their developmental efforts.

Kayizzi-Mugerwa said the biggest risk was that many African governments were unable to implement their own policies, owing, often, to domestic opposition from powerful groups.

Orubebe, an elevated thug – Oshiomhole

BENIN CITY—GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, has described Mr Godsday Orubebe, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, as an elevated thug and a political jobber, who is out to make noise as a means of getting his next meal ticket. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Peter Okhiria, the governor in reaction to Orubebe’s fresh attack on him, said: “Reading Godsday Orubebe’s infantile outburst saying that the governor of Edo State is a “garage boy,”  easily exposes the boondocks orientation and lowly mind of someone, who almost plunged the country into political anarchy in the last general election.

Oshiomhole vs Orubebe

It easily underscores one of the reasons why the Goodluck Jonathan administration failed abysmally to understand the nexus between promise and performance, between problems and solutions, and above all between prosperity and poverty. “Orubebe is no more than a common tout and political thug, too illiterate to know the difference between a “garage” and a “motor park,” recruited by his paymasters as Deputy Director-General of the 2015 Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation, and agent provocateur to truncate the last elections.

But for the maturity and sound leadership orientation of Professor Atahiru Jega, Nigeria would still have been reeking in utter anarchy and political protestations. “With such indecorous conduct coming from a man who ostensibly is an “Elder’ of a Church, calls to question the whole essence of his character, personality, upbringing and spirituality. That singular conduct of his at the election is a living symphony of his egregious blunder, absurdities, incongruities and oddities, all of which are attributes of touts always desirous to make their voices heard.

“It is due to his amnesia that he forgot to understand that as a Nigerian and Governor of a State, Oshiomhole has statutory right to go in and out of the Presidential Villa to discuss issues that affect Edo State. Former President Jonathan was President of Nigeria and not President of his party, the PDP.  He was under obligation to attend to all parties and persons irrespective of their political affiliation.

“The real problem of former President Jonathan was having people like Orubebe, who pigeon-holed him as president of the Ijaw nation and prevented him from appreciating the enormity of the challenges facing the Nigerian nation. To further compound the challenges was the dénouement of his unruly and thuggish imputation during the elections, such tendentious character index that is now synonymous with this Niger-Deltan.” that notorious script; such a shameless role by a shameless father who was supposed to be a role model for good parenting.”

APC govs constitute committee on job creation

APC Governors Forum on Thursday said it had constituted a committee on job creation to control the rate of unemployment in the country.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, disclosed this to newsmen after the forum’s meeting in Yola.

Okoracha, who is the chairman of the forum, said the governors were concerned with the level of poverty in the country.

He said the forum had resolved to tackle the issue, adding, “to this end, a committee headed by Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu, Governor of Kebbi, has been set up to fashion out action plan.”

He said the forum had also resolved to meet on monthly basis to assess progress made and how to improve on it.

He commended Governor Bindow Jibrilla of Adamawa for hosting the meeting.

Okorocha also expressed the forum’s condolence to the government and people of Borno over the recent passing away of the state Deputy Governor, Alahji Mustapha Zannah.

Visits to Buhari, Tinubu, not on Senate crisis – Ndume

Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, on Thursday, confirmed his  separate recent visits to President Mohammadu Buhari, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, but explained that it had nothing to do with the leadership crisis rocking the Senate.

Ndume, who spoke with some journalists in Abuja, clarified that the  senate led by Senator Bukola Saraki, had put the issue of the leadership tussle behind it and was now concentrating on supporting the Buhari administration to tackle the various problems confronting the nation.

He also said he had been visiting both Buhari and Tinubu, on regular basis since the last 12 years because they are his political mentors.

He said, “On  my reported visit to Buhari, I am the  leader of the eight senate. My duties are there: One, to lead the legislative business of the senate; Two, to prepare the schedules of the senate, and Three, to liase with other committees.

“I am supposed to be the presenter of all government bills to the presidency. So, infact I am supposed to be in the Villa almost everyday. My going to the Villa is not supposed to be a big deal.

“Yes, there are some issues we had after the inauguration of the senate leadership and all that, but as you can see we have put all those issues behind us and are moving forward.

“The president has communicated several times to the senate, who did he address the letter to? He writes not only to the senate president, but he puts Bukola Saraki. We have moved beyond that.

“Of course I go to the Villa frequently, because we compare notes on bills that are going to come including on these relationships.”

Ndume added that  individual senators on their own, were supposed to be going to the Presidential Villa  on personal levels and are supposed to be interacting with the president.

He added,  “We have been doing that in the previous leadership and that is what took us there recently and of course to improve on the relationship between the executive and the legislature.

“A newspaper reported yesterday when I was seen at Asiwaju’s place. Asiwaju is one of my mentors and of course the president, too. I have two political mentors: the President and Asiwaju himself.

“We have been with this president hoping for his presidency from 2003 in APP before it became ANPP. So, I am not a stranger to Buhari. I have been visiting him in Kaduna occasionally to interact with him.

“I have been going there before now for the past 12 years. So, my going to villa is not a new thing and so also is my visit to Tinubu. He is one of the people I respect and appreciate.

“During his 60th birthday, he invited 60 people that were close to him and I was one of them.”

On the current probe of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, Ndume admitted that the senate committee had committed procedural errors but assured Nigerians that necessary things would be put in place to correct the flaws.

DPRK urges advancement of relations with S’Korea

Both the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea should value the spirit of the agreement reached at the recent contact and advance inter-Korean relations, a senior DPRK official has said.

“It was very fortunate that the recent contact helped to defuse the danger of the touch-and-go situation … and offered an opportunity of a dramatic change in achieving peace, stability, reconciliation and cooperation between the North and the South,” Kim Yang Gon, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea told the official KCNA news agency on Thursday.

“We are pleased over the fact that the North and the South sat face to face …, had an exhaustive discussion to reach an agreement on issues of common concern, thus opening up an epochal phase for turning misfortune into blessings in the North-South relations,” he added.

He stressed that both sides should value the spirit of the agreement and further develop inter-Korean relations in order to achieve reunification.

“It is of priority importance to keep afloat and develop the present trend of situation in which the North and the South put on track of detente with much effort,” he said.

He warned that both sides should be vigilant against forces that are unwilling to see the rapid development of inter-Korean relations.

The two sides need to look to the future and join hands to repair the ties instead of being bound to the past, he said, adding that the DPRK’s stand to bring about a change in North-South relations and open up a road to independent reunification is consistent.

The two sides reached an agreement Tuesday to defuse rising tensions on the peninsula following a 43-hour dialogue.

Attendants at the closed-door meeting were Kim Kwan-jin, chief security advisor to South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo on the South Korean side; Hwang Pyong So, top military aide to DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, and Kim Yang Gon, on the DPRK side.

Under the six-point agreement, the two sides agreed to hold an inter-governmental dialogue in Pyongyang or Seoul at an earliest possible date to improve ties and to go ahead with talks and negotiations in various areas.

The two sides agreed to hold a working-level Red Cross contact in early September for the reunion of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Seoul and Pyongyang also agreed to facilitate wide-ranging private-sector exchanges.

Giesi family splits over Ooni stool

There is a crack within the Giesi Ruling House over the jostle by princes from the family to succeed the late Ooni of Ife Oba Okunade Sijuwade.

The Adesogba family, an arm of Giesi Ruling House, said in a statement on Thursday that it had endorsed the founder of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Prince Ramon Adedoyin, as it’s sole candidate for the race.

The statement, jointly signed by eight princes and two princesses on behalf of the family, said Adedoyin, who hails from the Agbedegbede lineage of the dynasty was eminently qualified to succeed Oba Sijuwade by virtue of his immeasurable contributions towards the development of the town.

The signatories to the statement are: Princess Kehinde Sijuwade Elugbaju (Nee Adewole); Princess Adekanmi Adelugba; Princeess Olufunmilayo Busayo; Princess Adedokun Adedoyin; Prince Gabriel Adedire Adewole. Others include: Prince Adebolu Adewole; Prince Adekola Adewole; Prince Adekunmi Adewole and Prince Tilewa Bimbo Adewole.

The statement read in part, ” Dr. Ramon Adegoke Adedoyin, proprietor of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, The Polytechnic, Ife, Hilton Hotels and other business concerns. He is our sole candidate for the exalted stool, which became vacant following the demise of the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II on July 28, this year.

“Prince Ramon Adegoke Adedoyin is a bonafide son of the Agbedegbede compound where he has been involved in all developmental projects. He possesses the knowledge and skills as an astute and effective manager of men and resources needed to make a success of the office of the Ooni.

But another contestant to the throne, Prince Sikiru Ayedun, who is also from the Giesi family, when contacted on the telephone by our correspondent said nobody had been endorsed by the ruling house.

Ayedun said, ” Nobody has been endorsed by Giesi Ruling House. Anybody making such claim is being economical with the truth.

“You should expect that such claims will be made at this time but I am telling you that nobody has been endorsed by the family. I don’t know any family called Adesogba within Giesi.” He urged the kingmakers and Ife people to ignore the claim.

It will be recalled that despite the claim of the Giesi family that it is their turn to produce the next Ooni based on the declarations of 1977 and 1980, the Osinkola, Ogboru and Lafogido have also joined the race.