By Chukwuka Kanu

The Dialogue to ensure Nigerians savour its own home grown Parliamentary System entered a different level on Monday as dignitaries from all walks of life espoused different views on the subject matter at the Shehu Yar’Dua International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Panelist of men of substance from egg heads to former governors, speakers, serving lawmakers all gathered to find a common solution to governance shift that would adopt Nigeria’s peculiarities and take Nigerians to the promised land.

To this end, at the National Dialogue on a Home Grown Parliamentary System of Government, a co-convener and HoR Minority Caucus leader Kingsley Chinda as one of panelists gave a breakdown on the way forward.

Hear him:

“I think that restates the cliche by Alexander Pope referred to by His Excellency that for every form of government they must contend for whatever is best administered.

“But I think it’s not just those who administer the system, you must also have a system that is administrable in your own circumstances.

“And that is why today if you ask, some persons might even say that Nigerians are inherently corrupt but that is not the case.

He stressed further: “When we started we were not like this, so you ask the question where did we get it wrong?

“The only thing that we have seen is that the system we imported, the laws we have so much loopholes and it makes it comfortable for us public office holders to do things that we get away with easily.

“The former speaker talked about the issue of impeachment, removing a councillor under our present law is almost an impossibility and so the councillor knows, I’m not talking about members of the National Assembly, I’m not talking about the executive, the councillor at the ward level because you have to get majority signatures of voters and that will be confirmed by INEC, how do you do that? When even the voters register had more than 50% ghost names, so where are you going to get the 50% genuine persons and their signatures confirmed?

“So this system has inherent loopholes that will allow those who are administering it to go scot-free and we need to tighten it.

“Another reason why we say so is that the same Nigerian who takes pride in beating the traffic light, who takes pride with even the NEPA at home you would want to do a bypass, send that same person to Ghana, I’m not talking about the United States, send him to Ghana and there is a queue somewhere, he will line up quietly because he knows that the system is not the same thing he had at home.

” So some people talk about mindset change, yes you might think about mindset change but to me the person sitting behind, the children behind are the people that require a mindset change because we already know that what we are doing is wrong and when we go to a clime where they have a better and stronger system we behave ourselves, so what mind are you going to change?

“We need to change the system, we need to begin to provide stronger penalty for those who commit crime.

“I remembered once either in the 8th or 7th Assembly we proposed a bill for death penalty for public office holders that steal public funds, it did not see the light of day.

” I think that we should begin to take extreme measures that will discourage public office holders from doing the things that they do.

“And the current presidential system we practice is one that allows a lot of leverage, there are so many things that are morally wrong but legally they are right under our laws and so it becomes difficult to hold anybody culpable even where people criticise over such actions.

“And for us to move on, we must begin to look at our own peculiar attitudes and couch laws that will take care of them, that is the homegrown.

“Homegrown is not that we look at our culture, tradition and all that, no. What are Nigerians likely to do if you give them this opportunity.

“Let me use discretion, if you bring a public office holder in Europe and bring a Nigerian public office holder and ask them to exercise discretion on an issue, I’m sure that you will agree that the Nigerian public office holder will be looking at religion, tribe whilst taking that matter.

Watch video below:

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Former Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has broken his silence over allegations surrounding his recent invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Okowa spoke through his erstwhile spokesman, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, in a right of reply press statement, issued on Tuesday evening.

Dismissing all the allegations, Ifeajika described media reports of Okowa’s alleged arrest as sensational and misleading, stating that Okowa has nothing to hide.

He, however explained some of the notable achievements of the former governor in infrastructure, youth entrepreneurship programmes, and fiscal transparency.

Specifically, Ifeajika, stated that the EFCC’s invitation was routine and not indicative of wrongdoing.

Below is the full press statement;

OKOWA AND EFCC: THE FACTS, THE FICTION, AND THE FAIRY TALE

We have observed the desperate attempt by some dubious elements and a section of the media to malign His Excellency, Senator, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the immediate past Governor of Delta State, over his recent invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). With few exceptions, the media reports and commentaries have been mostly sensational, mischievous, and gross misrepresentations and distortions of the facts of the matter.

They fall far short of the journalistic standards of factual reporting, fairness, balance, and simple logic. Most of these reports are riddled with outright lies, wild conjectures, and unverifiable claims, with the unmistakable diabolical intent to beguile and incite the unsuspecting public against Dr Okowa. But you cannot pull down him whom God has lifted. Like previous failed attempts to drag Dr Okowa’s name in the mud, this renewed offensive against him by his traducers is an exercise in futility.

The Facts of the Matter

The first point that needs to be made is that the EFCC has not established any case against Dr Okowa. As is customary with the anti-graft agency, the former Governor was invited to answer questions relating to some petitions that were filed against him by some disgruntled elements. Upon his return from vacation, and as a man with a clear conscience, Dr Okowa proceeded to the EFCC office in Portharcourt as requested.

The substance of the petitions was that Dr Okowa allegedly corruptly enriched himself and used state resources to acquire 80% stake in Premium Trust Bank. He was also alleged to have diverted state resources to build housing estates in Asaba and Abuja and two hotels in Asaba, for himself.

Governor Okowa cleared himself of those allegations as the estate in Abuja is owned by a public figure. The ex-Governor lives in his own private house in an estate in Asaba that is occupied by other residents who are home owners. Similarly, the owners of the hotels in Asaba are persons known to the public and the EFCC, while Okowa has zero financial interest in Premium Trust Bank. These are facts that are easily verifiable from the Corporate Affairs Commission and by virtue of the Freedom of Information Act.

The allegation that the former Governor allegedly diverted N1.3 trillion oil derivation funds is as ludicrous as it is outlandish. This is just a rehash of the same spurious allegations that some malicious, myopic, vindictive, and prejudiced persons concocted while Governor Okowa was still in office.

These haters simply latched on to the EFCC invitation to launch a well-orchestrated propaganda, using their hirelings and hack writers in a section of the media. It is obvious that these people, including their puppets in the media, are bereft of commonsense. Otherwise, how can anybody in his right mind allege that N1.3 trillion was diverted for personal use? Are we to believe that Okowa’s administration did not pay salaries or execute a single project in eight years? It will take an individual to appropriate an average of N16b every month for eight years to amass a whooping sum of N1.3 trillion as alleged.

The implication of such a scenario happening is that there will be no money to run the government or pay the salaries of the state’s almost 50,000 workforce. Prejudice is a terrible thing, and those caught in its web, often develop a warped sense of reasoning.

For the avoidance of doubt and for the benefit of the public, we wish to bring to the fore some salient information from the audited accounts of the Delta State Government for the eight years that Okowa presided over the affairs of the state.

Total Revenue (FAAC, IGR, Other receipts) = N2.65 trillion

Salaries = N628.5bn

Pensions/Contributory Pensions/Social Benefits = N141.22bn

Overhead/Consolidated Revenue Charges = N489.83bn

Grants/Contributions = 107.88bn

DESOPADEC = N221.2bn

Internal Loans Repayment/Public Debt Charges = N200.38bn

FAAC Deductions for Loan Repayment = N150.63bn

Total Capital Expenditure = N729.2bn

Among the flagship projects executed by the Okowa administration include the Professor Chike Edozien Secretariat, which recently won the Nigerian Institute of Architects award for Most Iconic Corporate Building in Nigeria, the Ogheye Floating Market in Warri North LGA, the 19.7km Obotobo 1 –Obotobo 11 – Sokebolou – Yokri coastal road in Burutu LGA, Maryam Babangida Film Village and Leisure Park Asaba, Koka Flyover in Asaba, and Asaba Storm Water Drainage. The Warri Storm Water Drainage project, designed to tackle the perennial flooding in Warri and environs, was at advanced stage by the time Okowa left office on May 29, 2023.

In road infrastructure, the Okowa administration constructed over 2,000 kilometres of roads (including bridges) and 1,400 kilometres of drains. The administration established three new universities and six model technical colleges that have remained functional. Of course, there was the novel youth entrepreneurship development programmes of the Okowa administration that saw thousands of youths become small business owners and employers of labour. As a result, Delta was ranked the Best State in Human Capital Development in the 2017 states peer review by the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria. Furthermore, Delta State under his watch enjoyed peace and security.

UTM INVESTMENT

The insinuation that the state government’s investment in the first Floating Liquified Natural Gas project promoted by UTM, a private indigenous company in the oil and gas sector, is a phantom project is at best laughable and at worst disingenuous. As a state rich in oil and gas, the administration of Okowa saw a viable opportunity in the project and, upon approval by the Delta State Executive Council and the House of Assembly, purchased equity in the company with N42.05b in two tranches of five percent and three percent. The authenticity of this project is evidenced by the signing of the Shareholders’ Agreement between UTM, NNPC limited, and the Delta State Government on December 19, 2023. Today, the state government’s investment has appreciated to at least N190.85 billion underscoring the wisdom and foresight of the Okowa administration.

CONCLUSION

It bears restating that Dr Okowa has nothing to hide. His governance of Delta State was marked by fiscal discipline, prudent management of resources, and excellent service delivery. As a matter of fact, the state won World Bank awards in Overall State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability Programme (All DLIs), Fiscal Transparency and Accountability, Efficiency of Public Expenditure, and Debt Sustainability. Dr Okowa is a man of unassailable integrity and we welcome any honest attempt to investigate his eight-year tenure as we believe it will vindicate his exemplary stewardship of the state.

We know that the current campaign of calumny against Okowa is at the behest of unscrupulous politicians who see him as the biggest threat to their 2027 political aspirations. Instead of engaging in lies and propaganda, we urge these persons to work at winning the hearts and confidence of the people. Power resides in the electorate and they are the ones who determine who is to govern or represent them.

Finally, we urge our media practitioners to always abide by the ethics of the profession. They should not allow themselves to continue to be used by desperate power mongers whose stock-in-trade is to engage in political subterfuge, stoke the fires of hatred, and foment crisis in the polity.

Olisa Ifeajika
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okowa (2019-2023)

President Tinubu has directed State Burial for the Late Chief Of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja.

A delegation from the Nigerian Army, led by Major General Kamal Yusuf, announced on Tuesday that President Bola Tinubu has directed a state burial for the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.

The announcement was made during a condolence visit to the Olobu of Ilobu, Oba Ashiru Olaniyan, at his palace in Osun State.

Major General Yusuf, a classmate of the late Lagbaja at the Nigerian Defence Academy, reflected on their early days together, recalling how they travelled by train from Osogbo to Kaduna to begin their military careers.

“Lagbaja was a gallant and pragmatic officer, a true combatant, which is why President Tinubu trusted him with the role of Chief of Army Staff,” he said.

During the visit, Yusuf informed Oba Olaniyan that the late General would rest at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, where Nigeria honours its national heroes.

“Our visit here is to express our condolences and inform you of the burial plans. President Tinubu has directed that Lieutenant General Lagbaja be given a state burial,” Yusuf stated, adding that arrangements have been made to accommodate family members who wish to attend the ceremony.

Delivering a condolence letter from the Nigerian Army, Yusuf expressed hope that such tragic losses would not recur.

“Lagbaja’s dedication to duty and leadership from the front earned him steady promotions throughout his career, culminating in his appointment as Chief of Army Staff,” he noted.

Earlier, the Army delegation visited Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, at the Osun Government Secretariat in Abere.

Commending Tinubu’s decision for a state burial, Governor Adeleke described the late General as “a bright star of Osun and Nigeria dimmed too early.”

He praised the Army’s commitment to completing community projects initiated by Lagbaja in Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin Osun.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke said, “I thank Mr. President for approving a state burial for our late brother. We also appreciate the Army’s commitment to completing the community projects initiated by General Lagbaja. We will continue to support these efforts.”