Olubadan, Lam Adesina’s sons make Oyo cabinet list

Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1
| credits: File copy

Son of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Samuel Odulana, Gbade; and former Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Oyo State, who is the son of the late former Governor Lam Adesina, Dapo, top the list of commissioners and special adviser nominees sent to the Oyo State House of Assembly by the state Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

The names were read during a plenary by the Speaker, Monsurat Sumonu, on Tuesday ahead of screening by the House on Wednesday (today).

The governor had on September 23 dissolved the state cabinet, saying he the state exco needed new life. On Tuesday, The PUNCH reported that the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress had sent a list to the governor with nominees drawn from the 33 Local Government Areas of the state, APC and two other parties.

Apart from the two sons of the prominent people in Ibadan, 10 other names were also read by the speaker. Four of them are staging a return to the cabinet just like Lam-Adesina’s son. They are Adebayo Ojo, Adetutu Adeyemi-Akhigbe, Muyiwa Gbadegesin and Zacheus Adelabu.

Others are Prof. Olarewaju Olaniyan, Olufunke Oworu, Faruk Alao, Adewale Olujide, Abiodun Atanda and Deji Akande.

First son of the Olubadan, Prof. Femi Lana, confirmed that Gbade is his brother during a telephone interview with our correspondent soon after the names were read in the house.

“It’s good to hear the news. Gbade is my brother and I pray that he passes the screening and makes the final list,” he said.

Monsurat said the nominees would be screened today and urged them to come to the floor of the House with 40 copies of their credentials.

The assembly also approved the six month tenure elongation of all the Transition Committee Chairmen in the 33 Local Government Areas of the state. The tenure of the caretaker chairmen would have ended on Wednesday but Ajimobi wrote to the House to extend their tenure.

‘Osun airport ’ll have longest runway in Nigeria’

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola

Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services, the company handling the construction  of MKO International Airport, Ido Osun, in Osun State, has said that the airport will have the longest runway in the country by the time it is completed.

The Project Supervisor of the company, Mr.  Abubakar Abuyaro, said this while conducting Governor Rauf Aregbesola round the airport on Tuesday.

He stated that the airport was being built to accommodate Boeing 737 series and other big aircraft.

While assuring the governor that the airport would be ready in May 2014, Abuyaro said the runway would be 3.5 kilometres long.

With 3.5 kilometres runway, the airport under construction beats the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja in terms of the length of the runway.

According to Abuyaro, the length of the runway of an airport determines the aircraft the airport can accommodate.

Abuyaro said, “50 per cent of the earthwork on the runway, which is the most important part of the job, has been achieved. Rainy season is gradually coming to an end.

“As soon as rainfall subsides, work will definitely go at a high speed in the airport, which after completion, is going to be one of the best airports in the country.”

Aregbesola commended the company for its diligence to work and urge the workers not to fail.

The governor had earlier visited  the East By-pass Road where  he inspected one of the major bridges still under construction in an effort to ensure that contractors handling various projects in the state carry out quality jobs and complete the projects at the stipulated time.

The project being handled by a Turkish company, Slava Yeditepe, is to complete the circle of rings around the state capital and ensure no traffic bottlenecks are created as the state capital witnesses rapid developments.

Hold My Husband Responsible If I Die, Wife Of Enugu Gov Tells NHRC

Mrs. Clara Chime

Wife of Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, has called on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to deliver her from her husband.

In a petition to the commission, Mrs. Clara Chime accused the governor of an abusive relationship that has led to her suffering from depression, adding that the governor has locked her up in a room and denied her access to her four-year-old son and visitors.

The petition of the governor’s wife read:

“I have been married to Governor Sullivan Chime for five years. It has been a somewhat tempestuous relationship, which has virtually irretrievably broken down in the past couple of years.

“We do not have a relationship anymore and the situation inevitably led to my nervous breakdown. I have been diagnosed with severe depression and at some point was quite suicidal.

“The strategy of my estranged husband is to subject me to the most horrific and intolerable of conditions to cause my demise but my strength and will to live has kept me alive. It is very difficult to outline everything happening to me here but I shall enumerate the major issues below:

• Not had s*xual relationship with my husband for four years;
• Deprived of all my responsibilities as a wife;
• Prevented from bonding with my four-year-old son;
• Barred me from receiving visitors, whether family or friends;
• In the last three weeks, a lady friend who visited me was stopped from seeing me and the result is now complete incarceration from the outside world;
• In effect, I am locked up in my bedroom, without access to anybody.

“I am only allowed food but no access to fresh air; I have been locked up because I demanded to leave, even without my son. Governor Chime recently revoked my land allocation; the governor is doing everything possible to break my will.

“All I want and demand is to be allowed to leave. If I have committed any crime, I request that due process should be followed. I was also recently attacked by my husband before the visitor mentioned above who is a living witness and will be prepared to testify.

“I am falsely being imprisoned and the state House of Assembly should be made (to be) aware of this.

“My husband pays a doctor to inject me with all sorts of drugs. I have the capacity to decide whether or not I need the treatment. On occasions where I had refused the medication because of the intolerable side effects, I was restrained and given it against my will. All my rights are being violated.

“I would also wish the Nigerian Medical Council be informed of the activity of this doctor who is only interested in my husband’s wishes and does not care about my suffering. Medical confidentiality is not part of this doctor’s tool.

“I have tried to leave and was pushed back by the security agents and it is clear I am unable to do so except through other intermediaries.

“My passionate plea is to be allowed to leave peacefully as I no more wish to exist under this prevailing state. In the event that I die, please note that this must have been brought about by my husband. I wish to make it categorically clear that I have no intention of taking my own life. I have completely lost trust in my estranged husband.

“The possibility of the doctor injecting me with a lethal substance must never be underestimated. I have a friend who is a good friend of the family and would collaborate a lot in the event of any mishap to me and wish not to mention the name but he would contact you ultimately.

“I am begging you to help facilitate my release and bring my suffering and ordeal to an end.”

My Decision To Join APC Dependent On Meeting With Kano PDP Stakeholders – Kwankwaso

L-R GOV. BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, GEN. MUHAMMADU BUHARI & GOV. RABIU MUSA KWANKWASO IN KANO YESTERDAY

Gov. Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State has said that he will consult stakeholders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state before he can join the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Kwankwaso made the remark on Thursday in Kano when he received a delegation of APC national leaders led by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), who came to woo him to join the party.
“I will sit down with all stakeholders because there is no decision a governor can sit down and take on his own without consulting the stakeholders of the party.
“Kwankwasiyya movement is a disciplined movement. We are working as group and team”, he said.
He assured the delegation that he would consult all the stakeholders of the party in the state with a view to critically examine their demand.
He described Kwankwasiyya as a ‘powerful movement’ which had the capacity and strength to win election in 2015.
He said that the PDP had 31 out of 40 state assembly members, two senators and 14 members of the House of Representatives.

N255M BMW Bullet Proof Cars Were Not Bought For Me - says Oduah

MINISTER of Aviation,Princess Stella Oduah Thursday told members of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation that the alleged purchase of N255million BMW armoured cars were not bought for her personal use. Oduah who astonished stakeholders with this disclosure at the investigative hearing on the issue in her 12 page presentation said: “As you all are aware, what necessitated this public hearing were the events that followed a false and malicious online publication that I had compelled the NCAA to purchase for me 2 nos BMW bullet proof cars at the cost of $1.6million. ” “Let me state emphatically that from the onset that the allegation concerning the purchase of the 2 nos bullet proof cars for me by the NCAA is false in its entirety. ” After reading her presentation, Rep Zakari Lafia Mohammed asked her whether it is a loan or lease that her agency obtained from FBN, she said it is the same. She said the money NCAA would pay would still be below the N240million at the end of the year. On whether she acted within the ambit of the law in giving approval beyond N100 million , she said she approved the money and asked the NCAA to do the needfull. What is the needfull? The Committee and the minister disagreed on what do the needfull meant. She had claimed that in her approval she said kindly do the needfull. Rep Mohammed took on her that saying the needfull means a go ahead to implement. Responding, Oduah said”no you are wrong on that the needfull does not mean full approval. ” The NCAA DG Folu Akinkuotu was asked whether he did the needfull, he said he was not In-charge at NCAA when the order was given for the purchase. The permanent secretary of the Ministry, George Ossi was tackled for misleading the minister by not appropriately advising her. The committee said the permanent secretary ought to have asked the NCAA to do the right thing. The PS claimed that due diligence ought to have been done by the agency before applying for the approval. He claimed that he was not available at the time everything happened . The DG said he would have followed the procurement Act if he were the one the directive was given to do the needfull. He said the acting DG Joyce Daniel Nkemakolam ought to explain why he did not do that. Nkemakolam said we interpreted the directive to mean to go through it in line with the procurement Act. He said they did the due diligence but they had a mindset that they were within the budget limit. But he was asked why he didn’t do due diligence to ensure that it was in tandem with the procurement law, he said he thought since the agency had got the approval of the National Assembly there was no need for such diligence. He was asked why he initiated a memo to approve 54 vehicles when what the National assembly approved was 25 vehicles. He was reminded that what was approved was N240million and not N643million. NCAA was asked whether the board sought approval of the president to approve the car loan. Nkemakolam said he was working on the mindset that they were still within the approved limit. He said that what NCAA discussed with First bank was a lease. He was asked the date the board of NCAA approved the loan facility. The DG was asked how many trainings did he organise for NCAA staff , he said he relied on experts. He said that his mindset has always being that they did not exceed the amount approved. He was asked whether the NCAA board approved the money. He said the NCAA has interim board. He said that he was working on account that it was a lease not loan. The drama continued with Rep Manwe asking the former DG of NCAA to disclose who uses the controversial bullet proof cars since the Minister bluntly confessed that they were not bought for her use. “Who is using the vehicles now since the Minister said they were not purchased for her?” he asked. To the DG, that was one question that got him jolted. Minutes passed before he could provide an answer. And when he finally found his voice, he said “Anybody can use the vehicles when they are in the pool. They are operational vehicles.” But the Lawmaker wouldn’t give up. He continued with a rider to the question. “Do you mean that a messenger or cleaner in the agency can use the cars?” He asked. At this juncture, the hearing room became deadened in silence with the DG losing his voice for the second time. And when again, he found it, he answered this way: “those categories of vehicles are for VIPs which include the Minister, including you, the Honorable.” Just then a blast of laughter erupted in the hall which to some extent provided some comic relief to everyone in the hall. But Rep Manwe wouldn’t stop. He asked again, “can we have the log book of the movement of the car? With a subdued babbling voice which came in separate minutes, the DG answered ” I am not a transport officer. I don’t know whether they are still keeping those log books.” When it now became obvious that the DG was exhaustive of all the answers he had, the Lawmakers mandated the agency to bring the man who received the vehicles at the point of delivery by Coscharis Motors. With that, the hearing came to a close. In her closing remark, the chairperson, Onyejeocha assured Nigerians that justice would be done to the report of the hearing. “Fact speak for itself. We have tried to listen to people: Coscharis, the Minister, NCAA, First Bank , BPP and Customs, and we have their submissions with us. We will consider what we have whether it is in line with the extant laws and financial regulations. We assure everyone and all Nigerian that we will do justice to this hearing,” Onyejeocha said. Speaking with some Journalists shortly after the hearing, the Minister, Oduah expressed gratitude to the National Assembly for giving her an opportunity to present her own side of the story.

Oduah Ordered Six Bulletproof Cars Not Two [ too much nigerian money to waist]

Wow! Nigerians who have expressed their displeasure at how Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah spent $1.4 million on two cars would be shell-shocked when they find out it she actually ordered six of such bulletproof cars, according to reports by a group known as Investigative Reporters In Aviation (IRA). Going by this report, I can't seem to understand why she needed so many bulletproof cars, who is after her life? Is this just another case of excessive greed? Here's how  Reporters tell the story: A group known as Investigative Reporters In Aviation (IRA) has come out with yet another bombshell on the wanton looting of the nation’s financial resources by the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, and her disorganization of the entire aviation sector. Speaking for the group, Mazi Kanayo Ochei, and Kenneth Uti President and Secretary respectively, said their investigations reveal that in addition to the two cars she forced the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to purchase for her, she also forced the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to buy two each of the same brand of cars. “I don’t understand why Nigerian media are shouting about NCAA alone, when a total of six bulletproof cars were actually purchased by the Minister on the bill of three aviation agencies,” they said. “Our work as IRA revealed that while Nnamdi Udoh of NAMA bought two BMW, Joyce Nkemakolam (Acting DG) of NCAA bought two BMW, and Mr. Uresi George of FAAN bought two bullet-proof American specs limousine for the Minister of Aviation.” They further stated that all the purchases were made from Coscharis Motors and cannot be denied. “If Nigerians really know the magnitude of the rot in the Aviation Industry as at this moment, they will carry placards against this administration,” the IRA officials said, noting that the FAAN is heading for bankruptcy, with the MD on the verge of taking a bank loan to pay workers’ salaries last month. “The only option left for FAAN now is to begin to use part of their statutory remittance to Federation Account to offset their bills.” On the part of NAMA, the IRA described it as being in disarray, that nobody seems to know what is going on and that the workers have completely lost confidence in the Management. They noted that members of the NAMA staff have threatened on several occasions in the recent past to embark on industrial action based on poor conditions of service and heaps of unpaid allowances. “IRA further wants EFCC to call Coscharis Motors for questioning on the six cars purchased by the Minister so as to get to the root of this issue,” they said. It would be recalled that on October 19, the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, told a press conference in Abuja that the Federal Government was hunting for the whistleblower who leaked the story of the two scandalous armoured cars the agency bought for Mrs. Oduah at a cost of N225m. On October 21, SaharaReporters further reported that NAMA had also purchased four Toyota Tundra vehicles for Mrs. Oduah in addition to four stretch limousine cars that were said to have been bought for the transportation of VIPs to the Ministry. In a statement, Supo Atobatele, the General Manager of NAMA, attacked the report as “frivolous, malicious and mischievous.” “We hereby make it categorically clear to the unsuspecting public that this evil story as being promoted, is patently false in its entirety and calculated to put the agency and the office of the minister into disrepute,” he said. IRA has called on President Jonathan to recognize that only a level-headed, matured and patriotic Minister can help Nigerian Aviation industry, “not a self-seeking, corrupt and proud person like Stella Oduah.” Furthermore, the group said, “We also want to advise the newly confirmed Director-General of NCAA Fola Akinkotun to stop defending what he knows practically nothing about, while we sympathize with his position, we advise him to stop making any further reckless press statement in any futile attempt at defending those who all Nigerians know how they ganged up to prevent him from taking up the position of the DG NCAA for almost 5 months after he was chosen by President Jonathan.” This morning, George Uresi, the chief executive officer of the FAAN admitted to a hearing of the Senate Aviation Committee that the agency indeed bought four bullet proof cars for Ms. Oduah at N70 million each. Share you thoughts..