Nation
Ex-Militants In Ondo Seek Inclusion In Pipeline Surveillance Contract
Some ex- militants in Ondo State have called for inclusion in pipeline and waterway surveillance contract awarded to former militants by the state government.
The ex-militants, formerly under the aegis of Sea Wolf Avengers, made the appeal in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by their leader, Deji Ehinmowo.
Ehinmowo expressed displeasure with the exclusion of the group in the surveillance contract.
According to him, in 2017 when Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was the Acting President, he came to Igbokoda where the youths told him that “our major problem is amnesty and surveillance.”
“We told the vice president that we need amnesty and surveillance contract and he directed Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to immediately address the issue.
“After the governor met with the Federal Government, he advised all the militants to surrender their arms and a meeting was held at the International Culture and Event Centre (The Dome) in Akure on Nov. 9, 2017 where Amnesty programme for ex-militants was flagged-off.
“After the programme, we were given twenty-one days to surrender our arms with a promise that we would be paid stipends as well as expose us to training on skill acquisition programmes.
“At the event, there was also a promise that some us would be sent abroad to acquire more skills”, he said.
Ehinmowo expressed regret that while the former militants had fulfilled their own side of the amnesty deal, the government failed to fulfill its own side of the agreement.
He particularly expressed disappointment that government had not kept it promises to the group on their inclusion in the amnesty programme.
“We have made several reports and nothing has been done up till now.
“Some militants were disarmed in Edo and they are getting paid. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, offered amnesty to some militants in Rivers State and they are being paid.
“Why are they not paying us in Ondo State. Do they want us to go back to our vomits?
“When we talk about amnesty in Ondo State, we in the Ilaje/Ese-odo Federal Constituency, we don’t depend on the state allocation, what we depend on is the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“To our greatest surprise, government is doing empowerment through OSOPADEC for the youths of the region, that is pipeline security surveillance, but excluded us.
“In Ilaje and Ese Odo Local Government areas, we have the old amnesty when militants surrendered arms during the tenure of the former President Musa Yar’Adua which was the first phase of the amnesty.
“We also have the new amnesty. This group under the aegis of Sea Wolf Avengers under my leadership as the most senior general, surrendered arms in the 2017 amnesty programme.
“We are the major camp in the new amnesty programme that submitted arms and ammunition in 2017 in Ilaje,” he said.
Ehinmowo said the former militants worked for the re-election of Governor Akeredolu as part of their commitment to ensure the sustainance of the amnesty programme in the state.
“We worked for the re-election of the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, and we believe we should benefit from the amnesty programme and the government is supposed to use the surveillance contract to take care of us.
“It is our turn to be empowered with surveillance job. If the state government wants to give it to Ilaje, it should be between the old and new amnesty groups.
“We leant that N300,000 would be given to each camp which would be about N30,000 per slot out of N28 million surveillance contract.
“We are urging the government to separate the old amnesty from the new amnesty,” he added.
Nation
Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
Nation
Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
Nation
AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.
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