Author: oduduwanews

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, has lamented that the All Progressives Congress, APC reward system is poor.

Igbokwe’s statement is coming at a time when the APC released its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the 2023 general elections.

The council list, which comprises about 400 members, was released on Friday by the PCC Secretary, James Faleke, a federal lawmaker.

The likes of Femi Fani Kayode, who defected to the APC last year and Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Chimaroke Nnamani, who was a member of the PDP made the list.

Reacting, Igbokwe in a post on his Facebook page said, ”All things considered APC Nigeria poor reward system in Nigeria worries me to the marrows.

”The party rewards idle people, hangers-on, layabouts, interlopers, cowards, onlookers etc.”

Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, said Nnamani was listed as a member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council because Tinubu enjoys support beyond the APC and it is not unusual for the “cross-party alignment”

The socio-political group in Yorubaland, Afenifere has revealed reason why it is supporting the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi as against candidature of APC Presidential candidate who is also from Yorubaland, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Afenifere disclosed this in a press conference held yesterday in Lagos by the leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo as read in part:

“Before the political parties conducted their primaries, a journalist asked what is my view about the 2023 general election? I answered and said the country should be restructured before the general election, and he followed up by asking if there should be an election, which zone should the Presidency come from? And I unhesitatingly said, of course, the South East.
After the primaries and the candidates emerge with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from the South West, APC, Atiku Abubakar on the platform of PDP and Peter Obi on the platform of Labour Party and I announced Afenifere’s support for Peter Obi, not a few Yoruba leaders question why I should be supporting Peter Obi a candidate of Igbo extraction against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba.
I took my time to explain that the presidency is not a contest between the Yorubas and the Igbos and to a large extent I was able to convince many.
But ever since social media has been filled with comments tending to ethnicize the campaign instead of making it issue-based.
Afenifere has therefore decided to address you today and through you educate the public on the ideological and equitable principles which have influenced our decision.

“Let me state here for the benefit of those who may not know that Afenifere is the Yoruba interpretation of the social welfarist ideology of Action Group, a political party founded by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his colleagues in 1951 with strong advocacy for federalism as the best form of government to give the federating units the requisite autonomy to thrive and peacefully compete among themselves for the ultimate development of Nigeria.
The system was eventually agreed to by our founding fathers, Sir Ahmad Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and endorsed by the Colonial Secretary, Sir Oliver Littleton in 1954 and embodied in the 1960 independence constitution.
This is the modest contribution of Afenifere in shaping Nigeria into a federation where no person or ethnic nationality is oppressed.

“In the countdown to the 2023 General elections, long before the parties conducted their Conventions to elect their National Executives and candidates, we had insisted and still advocate restructuring before the elections proposing a synthesis of the identical Resolutions of the 2014 National Conference and the APC El Rufai 2018 True Federalism Committee. We did this as Afenifere and on the wider spectrum of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF). We did this, when politicians, in spite of the monumental crises confronting the nation, carried on as if the attainment of power was all that mattered, the SMBLF unanimously proposed that the minimum condition for a peaceful transition from the disastrous 8years of Buhari’s government headed by a President of northern extraction was to have the next President from the South.
This position was also supported by all the southern governors, irrespective of their political parties at a meeting held in Asaba, Delta State.

“Incidentally, this North/South consideration which is at the very root of our amalgamated federation is also the most important testament of all political parties in Nigeria. The principle of federal character enshrined in the constitution dictates that the government of the federation or any part thereof shall not be concentrated in any ethnic group or a combination of such groups.
It is therefore preposterous to adopt this principle for employment in public service admissions in educational institutions, political appointment, the composition of the executive committee of a political party only to jettison it in the most important question of rulership of the federation.
In this quest for peace, based on equity and inclusiveness, the Yoruba took the first turn at the zoning arrangement in 1999, and that led to the emergence of Chief Obasanjo, the current Vice President is a Yoruba man and equity forbids us for presuming to support another Yoruba person for the presidency in 2023. The current President is a Fulani from the Northwest and by virtue of the zoning arrangement that has governed Nigeria since 1999, power is supposed to return to the south imminently. The southwest as I have pointed out has produced a president and currently sits as VP, the South-South has spent a total of 6years in the Presidency, but the Igbo people of the South-East have never tasted presidency in Nigeria, and now that the power is due back in the South equity demands that it be ceded to the Igbo.
We cannot continue to demand that the Igbo people remain in Nigeria, while we at the same time continue to brutally marginalize and exclude them from the power dynamic.
Peter Obi is the person of Igbo extraction that Afenifere has decided to support and to back, he is the man we trust to restructure the country back to federalism on the assumption of office.
We will not compromise this principle of justice, equity and inclusiveness because one of our own Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a frontline candidate.
It is on this same principle, we condemn the PDP for sponsoring Atiku Abubakar, a Northern Fulani Muslim to succeed General Muhammadu Buhari another Fulani Muslim who will soon complete 8 years of uneventful and disastrous rule. One can imagine such a high degree of political insensitivity.

“On our part, we are certainly not alien to sacrificing personal interests in the quest for a National coalition to put Nigeria on the proper pedestal.
In this regard, the starting point is Southern solidarity for which we first enacted a handshake across the Niger, which had dovetailed to the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum. We enjoin the labour movement, students, youth organisations, women associations, and every institution whose foundation is built on fairness and justice to join hands in this task of enthroning a democratic government by supporting Mr. Peter Obi. If we are sincere and honest about keeping Nigeria together in peace, the slogan henceforth should be
‘To keep Nigeria one, everyone should be Obi/Datti compliant.’
In the final analysis, let it be said that we have no apologies but due courage of our conviction that Nigeria can only prosper in righteousness.

“For me, in the twilight of my sojourn on earth at 94, it is too late to derail me on the track of true federalism and National inclusiveness on which I have travelled for over 70 years of my life as one of the few surviving initial prophets, I prefer to ascend on a chariot of fire, fueled by justice and equity.
Thank you all
And may the good Lord bless Nigeria”.

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that no fewer than seven passengers were burnt to death in an accident that occured at Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State.

According to a statement made available to newsmen by Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA, the survivors have been transferred to nearest hospital for immediate treatment.

“Further investigation gathered at the scene revealed that the incident occurred due to the driver’s recklessness and overspeeding, which resulted in the fire with 12 passengers trapped.

“Fortunately, the driver escaped with some burns, 3 female adults were rescued and rushed to Gbagada General Hospital while a male adult was attended to by LASAMBUS at the scene,” the statement partly read.

The agency said the remains of the seven burnt passengers have been bagged and evacuated from the scene while the carcass of the razed bus has been removed from the road for resumption of vehicular activities at the mouth of the bridge which spans over 11.8km.

The Third Mainland Bridge is reputed to be the busiest in Nigeria, alongside the Carter Bridge and Eko Bridge, connect the Island area of Lagos to the mainland.

The Federal Government through the National Universities Commission has ordered vice-chancellors to re-open schools and allow students resume lectures.

This was made known in a letter signed by the Director, Finance and Accounts of the NUC, Sam Onazi, on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the commission, Professor Abubakar Rasheed.

The letter which was made exclusively available to newsmen on Monday was addressed to all vice-chancellors; Pro-Chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities.

“Ensure that ASUU members immediately resume/commence lectures; Restore the daily activities and routines of the various University campuses”, the letter partly reads.

Recall that the national industrial court of Nigeria on Wednesday ordered the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off its ongoing nationwide strike.

ASUU had been on strike since February 14 to press home the demand for improved funding for universities, a review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.

Several meetings between ASUU and the Federal Government have ended in a deadlock.

Consequently, the Federal Government went to court to challenge the strike.

The government through its counsel, James Igwe, prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining ASUU from taking further steps as regards the strike, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The Lagos State Taskforce has made good its promise to go after all recalcitrant okada operators,Land grabbers,environmental laws violators who have refused to heed the warnings by the State Government to stop their illegal activities.

Speaking today at his office in Bolade, Oshodi after a week long operation carried out by the Agency in areas like Ogba, Apapa, Tradefair, Elemoro, Ojodu and its environs, The Chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye disclosed that traces of okada operations had been noticed in the aforementioned areas and other parts of the State despite the ban on their activities still being in place, prompting the need for the Agency to carry out the necessary mop up exercises in the city.

Jejeloye disclosed that though there was about 95 percent compliance but yet not less than 150 commercial bikes were impounded for willfully operating on restricted routes and flouting traffic rules in some others. 10 okada passengers were also apprehended for driving on the restricted BRT corridor and they have all been charged to court and were fined 50,000 Naira or serve three months in Badagry Correctional Centre.

“It has come to our notice through our discreet investigations and also via feedbacks from members of the Public that okada riders have aggressively been returning to streets to operate. It is quite unfortunate because we will ensure that any okada caught operating will be impounded and crushed. Passengers and riders who are also caught will be charged to court as well” Jejeloye stated.

The Chairman also reiterated that the Agency would remain resolute in ensuring that the menace of okada and infractions in Lagos never resurfaces as he and his men would carry on with aggressive enforcement exercises to maintain sanity which Lagosians have evidently enjoyed since the ban was put in place.

“We will work hard to achieve orderliness on Lagos Roads in line with the T.H.E.M.E S. Agenda of the State Government and we will make sure we do all it takes to key into for a greater Lagos. No amount of aggressiveness or resistance from okada riders can match our determination to create an enabling environment for every law abiding Lagosian”

In a related developments, CSP Jejeloye revelaed that the Agency has made considerable amount of progress in dislodging Land Grabbers in the State and vowed to go after any unscrupulous element still involved in the practice. He further stated that the Agency provides security back up for other Agencies of the State Government in ensuring that developmental programmes and activities aimed at providing succor to the populace are not hindered by criminal elements around.

He urged all Lagosians to report any suspicious or criminal acitivity within their locality to the nearest Police Station or through the various online media channels of the Agency.