The sky is your limit, Tinubu tells Fashola

The chilled political relationship between two former governors of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Fashola came to the fore yesterday, when the mainstream of the state’s political class abstained from the launch of three books on Fashola’s stewardship of the state.

However, a testimony of Fashola’s credentials among technocrats was evident as the occasion had a surplus of professionals from various sectors of the society, who thronged the event for the launch.

The anxiety that preceded yesterday’s book launch was aptly echoed by erstwhile chairman of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr. Fola Adeola, chairman of the occasion, who described those who came for the launch as brave.

The notable political players from the state present were immediate political associates of the former governor, former governorship aspirant, Mr. Supo Sashore, former deputy Governor, Alhaja Lateefat Okunnu, former commissioner for finance in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun, Senator Munirudeen Muse, Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Funmilayo Atilade and Mr. Joe Igbokwe, the spokesman of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Also present were the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Mr Gbenga Makanjuola, who represented Senate President Bukola Saraki, Mr Lanre Babalola, Jide Sanwoolu, Rotimi Oyeko, among others.

Tinubu was represented by Prof. Tunde Samuel, a former commissioner in the state. Governor Ibikunle Amosun was represented by Otunba Bimbo Ashiru.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Adeola said he considered those who attended as those who have the interest of the former governor of Lagos at heart.

Adeola hails attendees for bravery

According to him, “I believe everybody that came here today considers Fashola as a friend, brother, cousin, so I greet everyone and welcome them. I will also say some people are here just because they are brave and not afraid. The people who are here today are simply telling him that no matter what, they still remain his friend”.

He went further, “I can tell you that with some faces I have seen here, I think I am fine. At least I can see Palace representatives and majority of our old friends, so for me, it will be a day to remember. I am so happy to be alive in my time that Governor Fashola happened and my prayer is that we will not wait for too long for another Fashola to happen”.

“I was in Benin and somebody was talking about Lagos State and Fashola, I was surprised and wondered where they knew him from. Also, in Kano State during Governor Kwankwanso’s tenure, a young man was saying his governor is trying to replicate what Fashola is doing in Lagos in the state. So in my dictionary, Fashola represents every good thing,” he stated.

My accomplishments not complete without people — Fashola

In his remarks, Fashola said the success of his tenure was made possible because of the people who worked with him while in office.

He also said the book launch was all about Mr Hakeem Bello who painstakingly documented the three books being launched.

He said: “I think it will be wrong for anyone to believe today belongs to me but it is not. It belongs to Hakeem Bello, who painstakingly documented these three books. It also belongs to Dapo Adeniyi, who worked with him. And to all those who joined us in this event, what you have done is to join us in celebrating Hakeem Bello, a gentleman, family man whose passion for his work epitomises his fidelity in what he believes in.

“We need to know that there are people who started this journey before me especially my predecessor in office, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There are also men and women who served with me while I was n office for eight years. So, those achievements would not have been possible without these people who served with me who also include judges in this state.”

The sky is your limit — Tinubu

Tinubu, who was represented by Prof. Samuel in his message said Fashola’s rugged intellect to public service differentiated him from his peers while he was in office.

“Fashola acquired a lot of apprenticeship in a wired political engineering and this further helped his actions while in office. I am happy that your ruggedness in office has shown Lagosians and Nigerians that Asiwaju took a very good decision when he made you his Chief of Staff and later two time Governor of Lagos state” he added.

He however concluded, “We are happy about your success in office and we believe the sky is your limit”.

Amosun, represented by Otunba Ashiru compared the challenges encountered by Fashola in his effort to improve infrastructure in Lagos to what late Chief Obafemi Awolowo faced when he was the Premier of the Western Region.

The three books launched yesterday were The Great Leap; In Bold Print and The Lagos Blow Down.

Moses Ogunleye.His words “What you have done in Lagos, the legacy will continue to remain forever. When late Chief Obafemi Awolowo decided to build the Cocoa House, there were several protests from Nigerians that the country was not ripe for such a structure, but he stood with the plan and today; it has remained in the annals of the country’s history. And for Fashola, look at the cable bridge between Ikoyi and Lekki, no one believed that it could happen. You have just left office but Nigerians still need your experience,” he said.

Breaking news: Oliseh calls Enyeama, 17 foreign-based players for Tanzania

Super Eagles’ Head Coach Sunday Oliseh has invited 18 overseas-based professionals for next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam.

Eagles’ first –choice goalkeeper and skipper Vincent Enyeama headlines the list that also has defenders Godfrey Oboabona, Leon Balogun and Kenneth Omeruo, midfielders Rabiu Ibrahim, Lukman Haruna and Joel Obi, and forwards Ahmed Musa, Emmanuel Emenike and Anthony Ujah.

There are a number of surprises, in line with Oliseh’s earlier pledge to make current form and first –level football key indices for selection to the Super Eagles.

There are goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, midfielder Izunna Ernest Uzochukwu and forwards Emem Eduok, Sylvester Igboun and Moses Simon.

All the 18 players, who will join up with the 23 home boys who arrived camp in Abuja on Monday, are expected in Abuja on Monday, 31st August, 2015 at the latest.

The Super Eagles take on Tanzania in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, September 5.

THE FULL LIST

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Lille OSC, France); Carl Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England)

Defenders: Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia); Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey); William Troost Ekong (FK Haugesund, Norway); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa SK, Turkey)

Midfielders: Joel Obi (Torina FC, Italy); Izunna Ernest Uzochukwu (FC Amkar Perm, Russia); Obiora Nwankwo (Coimbra FC, Portugal); Lukman Haruna (Anzhi Machatsjkala, Russia); Rabiu Ibrahim (AS Trencin, Slovakia)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Emem Eduok (Esperance ST, Tunisia); Emmanuel Emenike (Al Ain, UAE); Anthony Ujah (Werder Bremen, Germany); Sylvester Igboun (FC UFA, Russia); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium)

BREAKING: Nigeria Customs boss resigns

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Dikko Abdullahi, has resigned after six years on the seat.

President Muhammadu Buhari is said to have accepted Mr. Abdullahi’s resignation.

The circumstances of his leaving office were not immediately clear.

The former Customs boss met with the president Monday. He said he would like to be remembered as the “father of modern Nigeria Customs Service”, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The president is yet to announce a successor. (Premium Times)

Fire guts Christ Embassy church in Lagos

An early morning fire has razed a section of the Christ Embassy Church, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos State, destroying property said to be worth millions of naira.

The fire, which reportedly lasted for about two hours on Wednesday, was said to have affected four 40-feet containers, reportedly being used as storage facilities by the church.

The fire, which was said to have started at about 4am, was caused by a burning heap of refuse, which later engulfed the containers near an uncompleted building on the church premises.

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It will be recalled that another fire incident occurred in the church in March 2014, which razed generator houses, damaging about 10 generators.

According to a resident, who claimed to be an eyewitness, the Wednesday fire, which created panic and later caused gridlock in the area, was put out by firefighters from the Alausa Fire Station, who were joined by some church workers.

He said, “The fire started from some refuse being burnt near the containers. It soon engulfed the containers and lasted for about two hours. It attracted sympathisers and passersby to the area. The thick smoke also caused some traffic snarl along Billings Way, Oregun, where the church is located.”

The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe, confirmed the incident, adding that the service deployed two fire trucks from the Alausa station in the area. The director noted that no life was lost in the inferno.

He said, “We got the distress call at about 5am. We immediately deployed two fire trucks from the Alausa Station to attend to it. Four containers caught up in the fire contained electrical appliances, pumping machines and pieces of furniture.

“We were able to put the situation under control.”

Senate approves Edo $75m World Bank loan

The Senate on Thursday approved the request of President Muhammadu Buhari for a $75m World Bank loan for Edo State.

The Senate gave the approval after considering the report of the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led ad-hoc committee which worked on the loan request.

Efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party member representing Edo South, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, to make the Senate reject the request did not succeed. (PUNCH)

Helicopter crash: Two missing victims recovered dead

The two remaining persons on board the ill-fated helicopter, that crashed into the Lagos lagoon on Wednesday, have been recovered.

The victims, who were fished out of the lagoon by the emergency management agencies and local divers at about 10.30am, had, however, died.

 

The bodies were identified as that of the pilot and his assistant. (PUNCH)

War Against Insurgency: Boko Haram begs for dialogue

FOLLOWING President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of his administration’s readiness to dialogue with genuine members of the Boko Haram, some members of the terrorist group have contacted the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) to initiate a dialogue process with the Federal Government on their behalf.

Currently, the government has increased its offensive against the sect with ample support from a host of African countries in pursuit of the president’s vow to bring the insurgency to an end by December this year.

While pursuing the military option frontally,  President Buhari, during his recent trip to the United States of America, said he is open to dialogue with genuine members of the group.boko-haram-custom-data

Towards this end, the terrorists have made several calls to the CCC claiming that hundreds of their members who were tired and now have contrary opinions to the destructive and murderous activities of the terrorist organization are willing to lay down their arms.

Making the disclosure in Abuja, yesterday, the CCC Executive Secretary, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (rtd), said: “The efforts by some members of the group to get across to the Centre and the discussions we have had, have been encouraging. We have taken measures also to ascertain the genuineness or otherwise of these persons. We believe they are ready for genuine dialogue. However, discussions are still ongoing and nothing concrete has been arrived at, but it is an opportunity to interact with what I call insiders in the Boko Haram group.”

This came as the US pledged improved military cooperation with Nigeria against the insurgency, saying that Boko Haram activities may have been funded with proceeds of illegal crude oil sales.

Commodore Anas, who also spoke on sundry national issues including cattle rustling, National Assembly crisis, pipeline vandalism, kidnapping, armed robbery and Radio Biafra among others, said he and his team were already in the process of facilitating a meeting with relevant government agencies for the much awaited dialogue.

His words: “The Boko Haram challenges have continued to become an intractable crisis situation to our nation. Recently, Governor Kashim Shetima of Borno stated that ‘more than three million innocent Nigerians from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and other parts of Nigeria live in deep agony, having lost their sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, other relations and neighbours after being brutally attacked by members of Boko Haram.

“Some prominent Nigerians have in recent times canvassed the idea of dialogue with Boko Haram. The option of dialogue, according to them, at the moment, provides a leeway for not only safely rescuing the abducted Chibok school girls alive but also possibly bringing to an end, the orgy of violence unleashed on innocent Nigerians by the group.

“Considering the unspeakable atrocities which the group has visited on Nigeria and Nigerians, this option is no doubt a hard sell. However, the recent statement of President Muhammadu Buhari on government’s readiness to negotiate with credible members of the sect has rekindled hope for dialogue.

“The Centre views this gesture as good because it has opened a window of opportunity for dialogue for these insurgents that are willing and ready to lay down their arms. This position is predicated on calls made to the Centre by some members of the Boko Haram requesting for genuine and comprehensive dialogue that could lead to hundreds of them coming out to renounce their membership”.

Towards this end, Commodore Anas said: “From discussions held so far, the members seem to be speaking on behalf of a cross section of the group. They expressed willingness to come forward to make certain proposals on behalf of other members of the group. If we pursue this line, I believe something positive will come out.

“The Centre, however, suggests that such dialogue should be done with every sense of caution and responsibility bearing in mind the previous disappointments that attended attempts at negotiations.”

It is unclear whether the latest moves will yield dividends on account of the past botched attempts and sect’s alliance with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Last March 7, following deadly bombardment from Nigerian and multinational forces, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).

Will the section of the sect willing to dialogue do so with the backing of IS? Will the sect go against the terms of its allegiance to IS? It is to be seen how the issues will pan out.

B’ Haram may have been funded from illicit oil sale —US Congressman

Meanwhile, United States Congressman, Darrel Edward Issa, has disclosed that the terrorists could be getting their funding from illicit trade of oil and called on the Nigerian government to end corruption in the sector to address the insurgency.

Mr Issa, made this disclosure when he led a United States Congressional delegation to a press conference in Abuja,  yesterday, at the US Embassy.

“As long as billions of dollars in oil is being sold, you have a black market that funds many things. Boko Haram can be a clandestine beneficiary of that money too. Some of these areas are within the power of the Nigerian government. So, when they end corruption they may also reduce the flow of that kind of money that goes into sponsoring terrorism,” he said, adding that the US government is ready to assist Nigeria in any capacity.

Issa, who spoke alongside other congress delegates, said nothing in the current U.S. law prevented it from giving Nigeria the necessary support in the fight against Boko Haram.

“Nothing on the current U.S. law prevents full cooperation and technical support or training for the Nigerian military and for all the departments of government. Nothing in the law prevents the U.S. Agency for International Development from its full engagement throughout Nigeria. Nothing in the law will stop the U.S. from providing any and all assistance to the Nigerian military,” he said.

Issa said that the level of willingness of the U.S. to support Nigeria had always been the same. “The commitment from President Obama to President Buhari was: ‘We will give you all you need, just tell us what you want’. That bold statement by President Obama tells a great deal. The U.S. has been involved in training the Nigerian military and it stands ready to do a great deal of more,” he said.

He stressed that the Leahy Law does not limit the kind of training and assistance that the US is willing to give to Nigeria, adding that if the Nigerian authorities show great commitment to preservation of human rights then it will become incumbent on the US to lift the Leahy amendment.

He explained that the Nigerian military did not need equipment more than training adding: “The number one thing that we can bring to this government is professionalising the military. Your military does not lack basic firearms; it does not lack basic ability to buy ammunition on the international market.  It didn’t even lack drums which it purchased from China. In the meantime, there is a greater level of military training that is needed; that we would provide,” he said.

He said the U.S. would continue to provide some of the most high-level surveillance and tactical assistance flown by U.S. to support the hunting down of the insurgents.

Issa said the U.S. would continue to provide humanitarian relief to the North East and other areas in need.

“U.S. has contributed half a billion dollars a year of USAID support. We have contributed countless billions of dollars of military and large ships to the Navy.  We continue to bring in as many soldiers including a most elite special forces to train the military in fighting techniques. We would continue to do that. U.S. has been a partner in Nigeria, around Africa and around the globe in providing the intelligence and the capability at all levels and we will continue to,” he said.

On whether U.S. supported negotiating with Boko Haram, Issa said there was always a need for a truce so as to negotiate peace and reconciliation.

He, however, said “we do not tell sovereign nations what to do; we provide technical assistance including assistance in conflict resolution,” he added.

Congresswoman, Sheila Jackson Lee, in her contribution, expressed confidence that Boko Haram will be defeated. She charged the Nigerian government and people to work with the US to also free the abducted Chibok girls and bring them back to normal life.

She said that Boko Haram is not only a threat to Nigeria but also to the region and the international community.

“You need to provide for the internally displaced and secure their village for them to return so that they can begin their work in agriculture. You are ways ahead of extinguishing Boko Haram. African Union has now recognised that Boko Haram is a threat to the region. We can collaborate within the law to defeat Boko Haram,’’ she said.

Another Congresswoman, Federica Wilson, noted that Nigeria has all it takes to ensure the safety of its people against the dreaded sect. She also praised the resilience of the members of the Bringback our Girls team, for their ceaseless efforts in championing the cause of freedom for the girls. She also admonished them not to relent until the girls are freed from captivity. (VANGUARD)