Youths occupy NASS, protest delay of 2016 budget passage

*Ask lawmakers to revisit grey areas in 2016 budget, return exotic cars *Security operatives helpless as legislators, others stranded ABUJA— hundreds of youths, under the aegis of Citizens United for Peace and Stability, CUPS, yesterday stormed the National Assembly calling for immediate resignation of Senate President, Saraki, on the allegations of corruption leveled against him and controversies surrounding the 2016 budget yet to be signed into law.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly leadership was, at press time, set to commence a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in a move aimed towards resolving the crisis arising from the passage of the 2016 budget. This came as Senate Presiden’s Senior Special Assistant on Youth Matters, Ikenga Ugochinyere, was yesterday, arrested and detained by the Department of State Service, DSS. Youths occupy NASS, demand Saraki’s resignation The National Assembly was literally sealed as hundreds of protesters, under the aegis of Citizens United for Peace and Stability, CUPS, stormed the complex calling for the immediate resignation of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on the allegations of corruption levelled against him. However, another group of pro-Saraki protesters said the trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, was another attempt to muzzle the Senate and pleaded with Nigerians to stand against it. The placard carrying anti-Saraki protesters accused the Senate President of acts of corruption, citing his alleged false assets declaration and alleged padding of the 2016 budget by legislators as well as the delay in the President’s assent to the budget as reasons he should resign. The youths, made up of civil society organisations and students, also demanded that the federal lawmakers immediately revisit the grey areas identified in the 2016 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to them, the suffering Nigerians are passing through at the moment, due to the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the 2016 budget is partly the making of the National Assembly, which has been sympathetic to Saraki. Deficient in integrity Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Sadiq Jidda alleged that the Senate President was deficient in integrity and that his inability to live above board as a National Assembly leader had disqualified him from the post. They also condemned the purchase of exotic jeeps for senators at exorbitant price and asked them to return the vehicles immediately or face the wrath of Nigerians. The protesters marched from the Unity Fountain, within the Central Area of the city, to the National Assembly, a journey of about two kilometres and forced their way to the main gate, defying all security network mounted by regular and riot police officers. The protesters, who donned T-shirts with inscription #Occupy National Assembly, had vowed to sustain the protest for Saraki’s ouster in office until he resigned. They also barricaded the main entrance to the National Assembly complex. The protesters, armed with placards containing various inscriptions, vowed to seal off the federal parliament for the initial three days to see whether their demands would be met, adding that they would resume a permanent protest that would paralyse all activities in the National Assembly until all their demands were fully met. Security operatives helpless as legislators, others stranded The youths, thereafter, forced the main gate closed, thus preventing staff, lawmakers and visitors from either entering or leaving the premises. Following the blockage of the gate, lawmakers and staff in the National Assembly were forced to make do with the alternative entrance at the back of the complex to resume work, just as vehicular movement to and fro the complex was paralyzed. Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Saraki your time is up resign”, “Saraki must go to stop corruption in NASS”, “Enough is Enough, Occupy NASS to stop corruption”, “Legislation, Yet, Legislooting, No”, To Keep Nigeria going, Nigerians Must Stand Up,” among others. The anti-Saraki group arrived the place some minutes to noon and started chanting anti-Saraki’s songs and were still there at press time. For fear of breakdown of law and order, security operatives at the complex moved swiftly to shut down the giant gates in an attempt to prevent the protesters from gaining entry into the main premises, but they became helpless as legislators, aides, staff and visitors were stranded. Earlier, the pro-Saraki group had addressed a motley crowd of supporters, saying the ongoing trial of the Senate president was an attempt to muzzle the Senate and urged Nigerians to stand up against it. Protest against NASS, bad precedent — Senate Addressing journalists on the protest after plenary, Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, who described the protest against the National Assembly and plans to occupy the complex as baseless, said the development was a very dangerous precedent for the nation’s democracy. Ndume said: “That is why we are not trying to say anything about them because what is happening out there is a very dangerous precedent that we are trying to set. “Nigerians and you too, press, will have to be able to help to define rights, know where your rights end and my own starts. “I contested to be senator of Borno South, I did not force myself on my people and, therefore, somebody out there, especially the one that did not elect me, cannot force me out because I didn’t come in by force. I came in by ballot, not by gun, not by placard. I had posters not placards. ” Buhari, NASS leadership meet The meeting of the National Assembly leadership follows a meeting between Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the President earlier in the day. Dogara did not give reason for his visit to the president and there were speculations that it was meant to set the stage for last night’s meeting between the Presidency and the National Assembly leadership. Before moving to the Presidential Villa, the presiding officers of the National Assembly met with the Appropriation Committee chairmen from both houses during which they resolved to present a common agenda to the President on the issue. DSS arrests, detains Saraki’s aide Ugochinyere was picked up by men of the DSS over alleged anti-government posture and criticism of activities of the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalong. Ugochinyere, who is also the current President, National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, was arrested barely two weeks after he conferred life patron of NYCN on the Senate President.

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710 Nigerians killed by Fulani herdsmen in 10 months —Igbo Youth Movement Read

ENUGU—The Igbo Youths Movement, IYM, has lamented that Fulani herdsmen have killed 710 other Nigerians excluding the 48 Agatu people in Benue State in the last 10 months without the Federal Government addressing the issue. IYM made this known while reacting to the Monday’s killing of about 40 indigenes of Nimbo in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State by Fulani herdsmen last night. The statement signed by the Founder of the IYM and Leader of the South East Democratic Coalition, Evangelist Elliot Uko, entitled, ‘Ten Months of Carnage,’ read: “Between June 2015 and April 2016, Fulani herdsmen have killed over 710 Nigerians (excluding Agatu incident) in 48 recorded incidents, the highest in recent years. “For the first time, the nation’s Department of State Services, DSS, only interest in these avoidable blood baths, seems only to accuse one organization of killing five Fulani. That accusation is yet to be substantiated with photographs or at least a DSS invitation to media people to the graves in order to corroborate their allegations. “Monday morning, seven communities in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State received it hot, as usual from the rampaging Fulani warriors. Two churches, over 100 houses, dozens dead and hundreds injured with many still missing. “Nigerians do not expect any positive reaction from the Federal Government and the DSS, for obvious reasons.This bloodletting which began since the new government took over power is interestingly redefining how much faith, large sections of Nigeria should have in the ability or willingness of the Federal Government to protect them from this Fulani warriors, who clearly act as if they know that the Federal Government cannot (or is it, will not) save the helpless victims from their attacks. “But above all, the ongoing war by the Fulani herdsmen, have only confirmed Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB, a prophet and visionary, who saw tomorrow. Mazi Kanu correctly predicted over the radio, what the Fulani would do to the Middle Belt, South East, South- South and the South West. “The serial slaughter by the Fulani, the intimidation by the security agents and the disturbing silence of the President, who incidentally is also Fulani and life Patron of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, has put Mazi Kanu in the league of avatars, who correctly predicted events before they happened. “This development has also greatly increased Kanu’s popularity, especially among the oppressed, suppressed and consistently attacked populations, who now see him as a hero and a legend. This has resulted in a huge sympathy towards the gospel of IPOB and its leader.” Southern govs, monarchs must meet immediately—Ikokwu Second Republic politician and lawyer, Chief Guy Ikokwu, said the unceasing slaughtering of people by the Fulani herdsmen in most parts of the South demands immediate meeting of the 17 governors of the South and traditional rulers. His words: ‘’The governors of the southern states must meet immediately with their traditional rulers to discuss the issues affecting the area. Northern governors have been meeting. Southern governors must take a cue. The ethnic organisations of the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Efik, like Ohanaeze, Afenifere, among others, must meet and take a common position on the issue.”

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PDP CHAIRMANSHIP: S’West chieftains threaten to dump party.... READ

Stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South West have threatened to leave the party if the zone is not allowed to produce the next national chairman of the party. This came as former National Deputy National chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George called on members of the party to conduct themselves peacefully during the PDP congresses scheduled to begin this weekend. Former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Doyin Okupe, who made the position known after party leaders in the zone met in Ikoyi, Lagos, said the decision was taken on how to respond if the zone is not allowed to produce the chairman at the party’s national convention next month. Okupe said “We took a firm position which was that we will dump the party en masse if we get robbed again at this year’s convention.” PDP leaders present at the meeting included a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Olabode George; former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Olajumoke Akinjide; a former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Bode Olajumoke, governorship candidate of the party in Lagos in the 2015 election, Jimi Agbaje and a former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel. While he appealed to Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State to resist pressure from politicians and do the right thing by zoning the PDP chairmanship position to the Southwest, Okupe said Governor Udom’s final decision would determine if history would judge him kindly or as a villain. He said “Governor Udom is a young gentleman whom I believe still has a long future in Nigerian politics ahead of him. It will be unfortunate if he allowed himself to be used to relegate Yoruba people within the affairs of the party once again. The PDP has done a lot of wrongs to the Yoruba people and our position now is that they should start making amends by allowing us to present the next chairman.” He argued that since the PDP had already zoned its presidential ticket in 2019 to the north, zoning the party’s topmost position to the same zone would amount to a “robbery and betrayal’ on the part of the party’s leadership.

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Boko Haram insurgents have new uniforms — ARMY ... EG

Abuja—The Nigerian Army yesterday alerted the nation that members of the Boko Haram terrorist’s sect had resorted to wearing local government or community uniforms to deceive security agencies.

A statement from Army headquarters said, “Troops of 22 Brigade Garrison and elements of 3 Battalion that went out on long range fighting patrol on Monday, to Gima village in Ngala Local Government Area made a startling discovery; Boko Haram terrorists now have new means of identification. The patrol came in contact with some elements of the Boko Haram that started escaping in disarray on sighting the team. “However, they were able to apprehend 2 terrorists in their new styled uniform of green colour and use of ropes on their legs and necks. This is a new development in the ongoing clearance operations of the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in the north east. “In addition, the patrol team recovered 1 Isuzu Canter lorry which was found concealed with grasses, 5 motorcycles and 2 bags of guinea corn. Other items recovered include 3 Dane guns, a Solar panel, 3 bows and arrows. The arrested terrorists are currently being interrogated to further assist in the clearance operations.”

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Fuel scarcity: N150bn debt hampering availability of products — Marketers

LAGOS— Marketers of petroleum products said, yesterday, that non payment of N150 billion outstanding debt owed them by the Federal Government was also hampering the availability of products nationwide.

Their position came as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said the ongoing fuel scarcity might linger as marketers face the challenges of non-availability of petrol in depots. A major marketer, who chose to be anonymous, said with the non payment of the outstanding debt, coupled with the scarcity of foreign exchange, marketers were finding it difficult to import products. “We have been told that the government included the outstanding debt in 2016 budget. We are yet to see it as you and I know that the budget is yet to be passed,” he said. No petrol to load in any depot Also speaking to Vanguard, Chairman, Western Zone of IPMAN, Ahmed Debo, said marketers were facing serious challenges because there was no petrol to load. “There is no product to load to the hinterland. Most marketers depend on Lagos and they could not get product; so, it’s very difficult getting petrol in Ilorin, Kogi, Osun, Ekiti, Ibadan and other areas.

“We hope government would expedite action on petrol importation to salvage the situation as most marketers have been thrown out of business. We could not load petrol in major depots in Lagos as it is only NIPCO and Folawiyo that have products, which is strictly for NNPC retail outlets,” he said. Debo explained that loading tickets given to marketers couldn’t work as “there is no petrol to load in any depot.” He, however, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene in the lingering fuel scarcity issue and importation challenges to avoid hindering socio-economic growth of the nation. He said: “We are still having the fuel problem because there is no supply. Even with the little we are rationing, if you look at the queues very well, they have returned to what they used to be. And it is a very devastating situation now. “Most of the depots are not loading well. Even the products they promised that they will soon pump to the depots are not in sight now.” Emmygist gathered that the slight improvement in product availability seen in recent days has worsened as queues grew longer since weekend at the few petrol stations selling the product in Lagos. It was also gathered that queues grow longer in Lagos metropolis, while loading at depots has not improved significantly, with many of them still attending to tickets issued in 2015. Consequently, many filling stations in Lagos do not have the product, while those who have sell between N120 and N180 per litre. Some stations on Ikorodu Road such as NIPCO, Total, Conoil and Forte Oil are selling but experiencing long queues. At filling stations such as Techno, Oando, MRS within the Ojodu – Berger axis, motorists buy petrol between N150 and N200 per litre, as against the official price of N86.50k

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Edo ALGON to FG: Take over primary school teachers’ salaries

BENIN—MEMBERS of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, in Edo State, whose three-year tenure expired on April 22, have appealed to the Federal Government to take up the responsibility of payment of primary school teachers’ salaries, saying that the burden of payment was one of the major problems militating against development at the grassroots.

The members, led by their chairman, Mrs Itohan Ogbeide, commended Governor Adams Oshiomhole for giving them the opportunity to conclude their tenure in office, noting that “the governor deserves more praises because unlike others, he never tampered with the allocations coming to the councils.” Addressing journalists in Benin City, yesterday, Mrs Ogbeide lamented that the councils were finding it difficult to cope with the high number of primary school teachers on their pay rolls, saying that unless the Federal Government comes to the aid of the councils, they will continue to suffer under-development. The ALGON boss, who urged other state governors to emulate Governor Oshiomhole who allowed the council chairmen to complete their tenure without dissolution, attributed the successes recorded in the councils to the conducive environment provided by the govern

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Ex-Finance Minister Refunds N140m, Surrenders 2 houses

ABUJA—Embattled former Finance Minister, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, has returned N140 million out of the N2.5 billion she allegedly received from the office of the former National Security Adviser ahead of the 2015 Presidential elections. In addition, the former Senator, who served as the Director of Finance for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Campaign Organisation, has surrendered two of her houses to the Federal Government as a condition for her release from the custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

A top source in the commission, who confirmed the figures to Vanguard, hinted that the former Finance Minister might be released on bail on health grounds, given the amount of money and the property she has forfeited to the government in lieu of what she collected. Although the source said the commission had obtained a court order to keep her beyond the stipulated time to interrogate her further, it was learned that an undisclosed health challenge facing her had compelled the operatives to consider granting her administrative bail to seek medical attention. When asked if the former minister had been released, the source said: “She is still with us, but we are considering granting her bail, even though we have a subsisting court order to keep her. “The former minister and lawmaker has agreed to surrender two of her choice property in Abuja, in addition to refunding N140 million to the Federal Government.” According to findings, the former minister is being quizzed over various sums of money, which were paid into her account, including the N2.5 billion which was transferred out of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, into her account. In addition, N140 million cash was allegedly paid into her Zenith Bank Account in January 2015. Usman is alleged to have had access to what EFCC sources described as “huge cash,” some of which the agency says came from the CBN. Credit: vanguardngr.com

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Fulani herdsmen hold 8 hostage in Delta community .....

OBIARUKU—APPREHENSION, yesterday, gripped residents of Obiaruku community, Ukwani Local Government Area, Delta State, as eight persons were held hostage for several hours by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Those held hostage, Vanguard gathered, were working in a farmland in the community when they were seized at 6 a.m., by the herdsmen who allegedly brutalised them. Youth leader of the community, Chika Uwabuofu, told Vanguard that the captives were later released at 1 p.m., as tension was building in the community. He disclosed that the herdsmen had told their victims that the reason they were held hostage and manhandled was that four of their cows were killed and butchered in the neighbourhood. Speaking further, he said: “For some time now, Fulani herdsmen have been harassing our men and women in their farms, eating the food in their barns and using their cows to destroy their crops. “On account of this, we have been reporting their activities to the police and a meeting was held by the council chairman, some top government functionaries and the state chairman of the Fulani herdsmen where they were given three days to leave the community.” credit: Vanguard

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