Babatope to Aregbesola: Keep S’West out of your religious extremism

A visibly angry Chief Ebenezer Babatope, took on Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on Wednesday, warning him to keep his religious antics to himself before he threw the state and the entire South West into unnecessary war, which could get at of control.

Chief Babatope

The former Minister of Transport and Aviation, who was reacting to the current crisis in the state’s education system, occasioned by the approval of a judge in the state for Muslim students to wear hijab to all public schools, told Daily Sun that bringing religion into politics had done too much havoc in Nigeria, for a governor to be wary of introducing it in his state.
Babatope, a septuagenarian and a strong first and second republic politician from Ilesha, Osun State, according to the paper, warned the governor not to introduce religion into politics because, South West had always been co-existing as Christians and Muslims, arguing that promoting one religion over the other, was not part of the
Hear him: “We don’t need any governor to come and be promoting one religion over another. Let him have very good dialogue with the Christian community and face the governance that he was elected for, because promotion of Islamic religion over Christianity was not part of his campaign promises.
“Let him concentrate on how to pay his workers’ salaries and work on how he will never owe salary again instead of this distraction he is occupying himself with.”
Lamenting the level of suffering in the state, where he has now retired to, Babatope urged the governor to listen to the daily anguish and lamentations of the people, rather than promoting religious sentiments, citing the havoc such unwholesome sentiments had already caused in states like Kano, Jos, Kaduna, Bauchi and many other place in the North where constant shedding of blood eventually graduated into terrorism as seen in Boko Haram.

Governor Aregbesola

He added: “Aregbesola should not sow such seeds of religious competition in the minds of young people in the South West now so that they will not grow up to start promoting religion crisis.
“Is it this hijab or uniform wearing that will make them to become brilliant students, promote the standard of education and let them become useful to the society?”
He then advised all governors in Nigeria to develop large heart of seeing themselves as governors to all and not for a particular religion, ethnic group or political party, saying good wishing to succeed must not go the way the governor had chosen.
A lot of confusion has crept up into the school system in the state, as female Muslim and Christian students have started wearing hijab and church garments to school to promote their Islamic and Christian religions, in what many fear could lead to serious religious intolerance that could degenerate into a major crisis if quickly checked.

Osun students and their garments in class.

The problem, which has been on for some years, came to a head with the judgement of an Osun High Court that female Muslim students in the state could now wear hijab to public schools, which some Christian leaders and owners of missionary schools like Baptist High School, Salvation Army Middle School, felt was a subtle method to start promoting Islam in their mission schools.
Incidentally, the governor has kicked against the directive of church leaders in the state to the Christian to begin wearing church garments to school, warning that any student caught wearing unapproved uniform to school would be expelled.

Source Whirlwind News/Daily Sun

Delta to introduce boarding system in schools, says Okowa

·         Commissions more projects

·        Charges Isoko community elders to stop hiding youths perpetuating evil

Some public schools in Delta state will begin to operate the boarding system from the next academic session, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has hinted.

The Governor made the disclosure on (14/06/16) at Ofagbe, Isoko North Local Government Area of the state while commissioning the rebuilt Ofagbe Technical College, Ofagbe as part of activities lined up to celebrate his one year in office.

His Royal Majesty, Ovrawah 1, the Odion-Ologbo of Oleh assisted by Governor
 Okowa at the commissioning of Kefas Road, Oleh.

The Governor also, commissioned Eni Primary School, Ellu and inspected the on-going construction work of Owheologbo/Abbi road project, also in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.
Okowa said his administration was not going to compromise technical education for the youths of the state which will enable them to be future entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
It is on record that to encourage skill acquisition, shortly after assumption of duty in 2015, Governor Okowa awarded the contract to reconstruct three technical schools into the state, namely: the technical school at Ofagbe, Sapele and Agbor.
"We need to re-equip our schools after providing the physical structures, we need to establish the boarding facilities from the next academic session," the Governor said, stating that "technical education is one of our cardinal programmes because, they afford our youths the opportunity to acquire skills and be employers of labour in future."

Okowa Commissioning the Ofagbe Technical college.

He added, "We require this school and many other schools in the state to develop skills of our youths who will in turn, provide employment for our children in the future."
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in the state, Mr. Chiedu Ebie at the occasion, said, "now that Ofagbe Technical College has been repositioned as a world class institution through massive infrastructural upgrades and refurbishment by the state government, there comes the time for the entire Ofagbe Community to reciprocate this kind gesture through community participation to secure and protect the school from vandalism and theft."
In a related development, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has commissioned the rehabilitated Kefas/Old Emede/Uzere road, Oleh in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State amidst pomp and pageantry.
At the occasion, the Governor assured Deltans, particularly, the Isoko people of more people-oriented programmes, observing that the contractor handling section C of Ughelli/Asaba road dualization project has been mobilized to site.
He appealed to warring communities in Isoko to embrace peace, saying, "I want to advise the youths of Emede and Igbide to embrace peace, I don't think if a man kills a fellow brother, he will be applauded for it, the killing of another brother will not make the land to be your own, it is time for us to talk to ourselves."

Kefas Road, Oleh

He urged elders to always give information to security agents to nip security challenges in the bud, reiterating, "let us be wise, let us be cautious, let us live in peace with our neighbours."

He charged the elders of the communities to co-operate with the Committee set up by the Local Government Chairman, Hon. Itiako Ikpokpo and help ensure peace in the area, stressing that "It is wrong for the elders in this area to hide the identity of those youths perpetuating this evil, they should contribute to ensuring the maintenance of peace and cooperate with the committee set up by the council chairman Hon. Itiako lkpokpo to look into the crisis and l hope that a lasting solution will be found so that my administration can continue with its vision for the development of Isoko land."

President-General of Isoko Development Union (IDU), High Chief Iduh Amadhe at the occasion, said, "Your Excellency, we express our appreciation for your magnanimity towards the Isoko nation, we will remember you for making the best out of a difficult situation by completing the DELSU, Oleh Campus Access Road, completion and commissioning of the DELSU, Oleh Campus Law Faculty Complex, and on-going efforts by your administration at ensuring the accreditation of courses for Law and Engineering Faculties at the Oleh Campus of the DELSU, upgrading and improvement of physical structures of the Ofagbe Technical College and the Owhe-Ologbo/Abbi road construction work which is on-going."
The President-General thanked Governor Okowa for, "the rehabilitation of the old Oleh/Emede road, widening of the shoulders of the road from the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro to Notre Dame College, Ozoro, renovation of many primary schools in Isoko land, construction of the road leading to to the Anglican Grammar School, Iyede and the resurfacing of Otovo and other streets in Iyede; the recent approval for the construction of the Isoko Unity House which when completed, shall be pride and rallying point for every Isoko man and the oneness of purpose of the Isoko ethnic nationality.

Court adjourns case on Buhari’s certificate indefinitely

By Fredrick Nwabufo

‎

Adeniyi Ademola, justice of the federal high court in Abuja, has adjourned a suit challenging the veracity of the academic credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari indefinitely.

In his ruling on Thursday, Adeniyi said that the case was being adjourned indefinitely, following a notice of appeal filed by the president.

On Wednesday, Buhari had appealed against a previous ruling of the court dismissing his preliminaryobjection to the suit filed by Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, an Abuja-based lawyer.

President Buhari

The bottom-line of Nwokocha’s suit is that Buhari was not qualified to run for president because he did not possess the minimum qualification to run for the office.

He is alleging that Buhari did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961.

Senior lawyers lined up by the president to argue his case are Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Lateef O. Fagbemi (SAN), Akin Olujinmi (SAN), Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu (SAN), Kola Awodein (SAN), Taiwo Osipitan (SAN).

Others are Charles Edosomwan (SAN), Emeka Ngige (SAN), Femi Atoyebi (SAN), Femi Falana (SAN), Funke Aboyade (SAN), H.O. Afolabi

Source: The Cable

Sanna Mohammed Ibrahim resumes as Delta Police Commissioner, meets Gov. Okowa

Delta State has a new Commissioner of Police. He is Mr. Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim, who has resumed duty at Force Headquarters, Asaba, Monday, 13^th June 2016, with a promise to consolidate on the successes of his predecessor, Usman Baba Alkali, in the State Command, by sustaining an established cooperation with both senior and junior officers.

Mr. Zanna Ibrahim, Delta State's New Compol

CP Zanna Ibrahim was formally welcomed to the Police Headquarters, Asaba, Delta in a brief but precise ceremony, which saw him inspect the Brigade of Guards mounted to receive him, after which he took the mandatory salute and was ushered into the office of the Commissioner of Police, where the formal handover from out-going CP Alkali Baba Usman was performed smoothly.

In a brief interactive chat with selected newsmen who witnessed the short, but well organized handover ceremony, the new Delta Police Commissioner, further pledged to sustain the synergy between the command and other sister security agencies in the state, even as he promised to continue to collaborate with the state government, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the fight against crime.

CP Zanna Ibrahim, however advised a cautious appraisal on the issue of agitators and advocated for dialogue on the Biafra agitations and the Niger Delta struggle. “You cannot quench fire by pouring petrol on it,” he cautioned.  

Prior to his arrival to resume at the Police High Command, Asaba, CP Zanna Ibrahim had earlier been led by his predecessor CP Baba Alkali Usman on a homage courtesy call to Delta State Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa at Government House, where he was warmly received and welcomed to Delta State, by the Governor and a top level executive team, including the Delta state Deputy, Barr Kingsley Otuaro and the Delta SSG, Rt. Festus Ovie-Agas, amongst others.

Zanna and predecessor, Usman Alkali Baba in formal handing and
taking over ceremony

Recall that the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase, on Sunday, June 6, 2016, had approved the posting of CP Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim as Delta State Commissioner of Police. Ibrahim replaced Usman Alkali Baba, who himself was transferred to the FCT Police Command, Abuja.

According to the posting, nine Commissioners of Police were affected in the exercise. The posting, which appeared on the NPF website, stated that it was with immediate effect.

The affected Commissioners and their locations included: CP Chika Abubakar Maidana – Yobe State; CP Zannah Ibrahim – Delta State; CP Usman Alkali Baba – FCT; CP Basen Dapiya Gwana – Abia State; CP Jimoh Omeiza Ozi-Obeh – Cross River State; CP Henry Fadairo – Administration, Research and Planning; CP Joshak Habila – Border Patrol; CP Abdul Buba – Communication Force Headquarters; and CP Wilson Inalegwu – Commander Police College, Ikeja, Lagos State.

A statement later issued by Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, the Head, Press and Public Relations of the commission, in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the deployment was is in line with Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the commission to appoint Officers to States as Commissioners of Police.

CP Zanna Ibrahim was, until his transfer to Delta State, the Yobe State Commissioner of Police and had also been a former Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department in the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

Below are photos of the arrival of CP Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim, his visit to Government House, Asaba and the formal handover from former CP Alkali Baba Usman, at Force Headquarters, Asaba, Delta state.

Reps summons AGF, ministers over MTN fine reduction from N1.4trn to N330bn

The House of Representatives has summoned Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for explanation on the reduction of fine imposed on MTN Nigeria.

Also to appear with the minister before the lawmakers are his Communications counterpart, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu and the Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Garba Dambatta.

Rt. Hon. Dogara, Speaker, House of Reps.

Chairman, House Committee on Communications, Rep. Shaheed Fijabi, issued the order at the committee’s resumed investigation on the alleged SIM infractions by MTN and the fine in Abuja on Monday.

He said that the committee was irked by Federal Government’s decision to conclude negotiations with MTN by reducing the fine from N1.4 trillion to N330 billion.

Fijabi said the decision was a disregard to the committee's resolution that further negotiations with the mobile communications firm be suspended pending conclusion of its investigative hearing on the matter.

He described the action of the government as ``undermining the integrity and independence of the National Assembly’’.

``The two ministers, the Chief Executive Officer of NCC and all other persons involved in the negotiations are to appear before the committee on Monday next week by 10.00 a. m,’’ he said.

Earlier, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, Mr Sunny Echono, had told the committee that the N330 billion settlement reached with MTN had the approval of the highest office of government.

According to Echono, I am in a position to confirm to this committee that government has approved N330 billion as full and final settlement of fine impose on MTN by NCC.

``This was pursuant to series of procedural and other reviews, including the constitution of inter-ministerial committee under the auspices of the AGF,’’ he said.

He said that the case was in court and that the court directed that the parties should go into negotiation.

The permanent secretary also said that the seeming impasse on the matter, which was credited to the ongoing investigation by the committee, was not correct.

``We were told that the action of the committee was independent of whatever action the executive arm may want to take on it.

``It is the need for finality for the closure of this impasse that has been on for long time and its general impact on the sector that the decision was taken.

``I can confirm that the decision has the blessing of the highest level of government,’’ Echono said. (NAN)

Bayoko is Delta’s 11th Head of Service, sworn in

Okowa calls for commitment, professionalism in Civil Service

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa Monday (13/06/16) swore-in Mr. Reginald Bayoko as the 11th  Head of Service (HOS) of the state, saying the public sector must be driven by the principles and values of good governance and professionalism.

Gov. Okowa congratulating the new HOS, Mr. Bayoko after the
latter took the oath of office.

According to Governor Okowa who spoke during the swearing-in ceremony which took place at the Government House, Asaba, "we are desirous of a public sector driven by the principles and values of good governance, professionalism, transparency, fiscal discipline, timely and excellent service delivery and zero tolerance for corruption."

"I don't think there is anybody who does not agree that the rank and file of the civil service need a paradigm shift, this shift is needed more in the attitude and orientation of the workforce," the Governor said.  "I make bold to say that the civil service has never lacked qualified personnel; I believe we have enough of them in the system but, I must say, many civil servants are just not committed to their work which has led to absenteeism, unethical conduct, sharp practices and the ghost worker syndrome." The Governor emphasized.

 While congratulating Mr. Bayoko on his emergence as the Head of Service of the state, the Governor challenged him to "pursue an aggressive orientation for the workforce so that they can appreciate and key into the policy plans of this administration in order to achieve our stated goals of job creation, inclusive economic growth and sustainable development."

Bayoko and wife

"As Head of Service, your role in this vision is to build an efficient, disciplined and performance-driven civil service, critical to the successful implementation of our S.M.A.R.T agenda," the Governor said while eulogizing the immediate past Head of. Service, Mr Patrick Origho "for his faithful service to the state, not just as Head of Service but as a civil servant who played his part in moving the state forward."

Responding amid applause from the audience, Mr Bayoko thanked Governor Okowa for giving him the opportunity to serve the state as Head of Service promising to offer "useful suggestions on the recruitment and appointment process, capacity building, performance management, promotion, including conduct, integrity and discipline."

Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has urged the new Head of Service, Mr Reginald Bayoko to sustain remarkable programmes initiated by his predecessors in office.

The Governor made the call yesterday (13/06/16) when the immediate past Head of Service, Mr Patrick Origho paid him a valedictory courtesy visit at the Government House, Asaba.

Bayoko and his predecessor, Mr. Origho.

According to Governor Okowa, Mr Origho as Head of Service introduced some programmes to deepen the service one of which was breakfast meeting with Permanent Secretaries and civil servants which the Governor described as a fertile ground for the sharing of ideas without fear.

He observed that the change needed in the service must come from within with little external influence because we desire a robust civil service that is knowledge and focused-driven.

Governor Okowa commended Mr Origho for the effective ways he piloted the affairs of the service and wished him well in his future endeavours.

Mr Origho had earlier, told the Governor that he was on a ‘thank you visit for the opportunity to serve the state,” disclosing that he worked for 35 years and “as Head of Service, we ensured a civil service that is well focused and knowledge based; the person who is taking over from me understands the values and ethos of the service.”

Okowa calls for sober reflection on Nigeria's future

·       As Delta State Legislature holds thanksgiving

As Nigeria continues to suffer financial woes as a result of the fall in oil revenue, Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has called for sober reflection on what should be done to put the country in an irreversible part of progress.

Governor Okowa being received by the Speaker, Delta House of Assembly,
 Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya

Okowa made the call Sunday (12/06/16) at the first anniversary thanksgiving service of the 6th Assembly of the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA) at the Divine Way Baptist Church, Asaba.

Speaker of DTHA, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya took the first reading at the service which was attended by top political office holders, traditional rulers, clergy men, among others.

According to Governor Okowa, the price of oil nose dived in 2014 and since then, the country has been faced with how to meet its her financial obligations, observing that the multiplier effects of the dwindling revenue were affecting all arms of government.

While stating that Nigerians deserve to reflect on what happened during the oil windfall periods, the Governor called for prayers so that the situation can be turned around by God.

Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi, Deputy Speaker, (R) with Majority leader,
 Hon. Tim Owhefere at the thanksgiving service.

"In the midst of plenty that we had, within a space of one day, the price of oil started going down and it has continued," he said, reiterating, "we are not only grappling with poor oil price, but, we are even unable to produce 50 per cent of our allotted capacity; it is time to return to God, only God can heal the land and deliver us. He is able to unite us, bring the glory back, if genuinely we call on His name, the Lord will definitely bless us but, we need to present our hearts to Him to turn things around."

He congratulated the House of Assembly for a successful one year, saying that putting God first in every situation is the best thing to do.

Rt. Hon. Igbuya at the occasion commended Governor Okowa for effective management of resources to deliver democratic dividends to the people despite the tough economic situation.

"The last one year has been very rewarding, Governor Okowa has shown wonderful fatherhood to the legislature, in spite of the bad economy, you have been very good to us, come 2019, you will not campaign, we will campaign for you," the Speaker emphasized.

Delivering a sermon at the occasion, the Vice President (Ministerial), Nigeria Baptist Convention, Rev. Dr. Dickson Madogwe thanked God for the unity of purpose between the three arms of government in Delta State, and re-echoed the need to thank God, noting, "we can say that without God, we will not be able to achieve what we have achieved."

Rev. Madogwe who spoke on the theme, "Our song of victory', stated, "leadership is tough, leadership is not easy, but God remains God, if He has placed you there, you will remain there, our life is anchored by God, so, hold on to God, look for every opportunity to make impact and trust God for your future, because of your future don't go and dabble into fetish things; if you see yourself that God has appointed you, you will see Him as the one who will take care of your future and your future will continue to be a testimony."

High point of the occasion was special thanksgiving by members of the Delta State House of Assembly accompanied by the Governor, his Deputy, Barr. Otuaro and other dignitaries.