Happenings

Busia Governor, Sospeter Ojaamong and three County Ministers  were on Wednesday arraigned before the Milimani, Nairobi, Anti-Corruption Court on a 7 count charge of corruption.

Before now the accused persons had been detained at the Integrity Centre -the headquarters of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

 Others arraigned alongside the Governor are Mr Bernard Yaite, Mr Allan Ekweny and Mr Samuel Ombui, who are County Ministers.

Charges against them include defrauding the County of Sh 8 million.

Other charges are abuse of office, conspiracy to commit an economic crime and engaging in a project without proper planning.

Also, they were charged for  willful failure to comply with the law relating to management of public funds and fraudulent acquisition of public property.

The accused persons peladed not guilty to the charges.

The financial greed of political exposed persons in Nigeria is a major problem of nation building.

Indeed, when Chief(Dr.)Olusegun obasanjo was the President, the then Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, his kinsman, was put forward as a model to discourage financial crimes.

Till date, the Former Inspector General's travails is a talking point.

Nigerians are laready exhibiting intolerant behaviour,perhaps, in violation of the 1999 amended constitution, to oppose a second term presidency for President Muahammadu Buhari. Why ? The anti-corruption fight in this dispensation has not been impressive among other neglected aspects of governance. The former Secetary to the Government of the Federation  and several other high profile public office holders remain credible reference points.

As mediocrity becomes the popular choice for political office holders at the Federal, State and Local Government levels, hitherto  vibrant institutions have been weakened to damaging and ridiculous levels.

The President's constitutional breaches have come under the heavy 'fire power' of moral indignation by milions of Nigerians, with the President's media handlers reacting feebly and unconvincingly.

Interestingly, Nigerians have interpreted the statement creditied to the Director General of the National Identity Card Management Commission(NIMC) that embarrassment awaits Nigerians who have not registered for the Nationa Identity Number(NIN), as an open threat and subtle intimidation.

The Commission had earlier in the year, lamented that lack of funds was limiting the commission's plans to produce the National Identity cards for Nigerians. Why the sudden desperation to ensure that Nigerians obtain the NIN ?

Part of the answer lies in the statement by the then Deputy Speaker of the Delta state House of Assembly, Pius Ewherido in 2005, ''Looking for an ethnic plaform, I think negates the entire concept of Democracy''.

Also of worry, is the alarm raised by the Independent Natonal Electoral Commssion(INEC) that the  Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) are been cloned, this is coming on the heels of reports that desperate politicians are already purchasing the PVCs from uninformed Nigerians at the grass roots.

The situation is made more confusing, with the satement of the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, that there are threats to the country's cyberspace. How ? And why is it coming at a time that elections are coming up in Ekiti and Osun states, while the 2019 general elections is alos around the corner. Perhaps, Government is stll hiding a lot from Nigerians.

The Aare Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Aare Gani Adams has asserted private security could only thrive when Governors in the 36 states of the Federation and other stakeholders provide necessary support and cooperation.

Aare Adams made this assertion in during an  interview session in a private radio station in the South West Geo-Political zone of Nigeria.

'' Private security organizations can only succeed when state Governors, Traditional Rulers, Landlords and Tenants Associations and other stakeholders in the security sector support and cooperate with the private security organizations '', he stated.

He also lamented that in saner climes such as South Africa, the Government encouraged and supported private security inititiatives, adding ''that is why the crime rate there is under control. But here , the Police want  private security organizatons to  become community police and the police is not ready to give them anything. In South Africa, private security organizatons assist the police in intelligence gathering and they are compensated with 10 per cent of what the police earn''.

''Communities who engage members of the Oodua Peoples Congress pay them peanuts. The service conditions of private security guards are not well coordinated. As Aare Onakakanfo, I have to consult widely before I take decisions. Nobody can take decisions alone''.

''The Army, Navy, Airforce, Directorate of State Security  and other security agencies are in place to address the herdsmen issue. I am now a statesman, it is their responsibility. When your status changes, you have to exhibit behaviour in line with your new status, if not, you wll run into trouble'', Aare Adams noted.

He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari  to without delay implement the 2014  National conference report, as a step towards addressing the country's challenges.

''About 496 delegates participated in th 2014 National conference and former President Goodluck Jonathan did not waste money on the national conference, however, it would be a waste of financial resources if President Buhari does not implement the report, even if he implements 70 per cent of the recommendations, it is alright, Nigerians are not saying he should implement everything'', Aare Adams concluded

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has raised that alarm that the Federal Government has with held salaries of workers nationwide for the month of June, to frustrate the one day sit-at-home action of the workers on Monday July 2.

According to the National Coordinator of the AWC, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, who made this disclosure, in a chat with People, the workers will go ahead with the action.

''In fact Government is trying to frustrate the one day sit-at-home national strike. Government has refused to pay workers their June salaries, just to frustrate the one day national sit-at-home action. To this end, we call on workers natiowide to sit at home on Monday July 2, 2018, in protest gaainst the denila of the rights of existence of the Nigerian workers by Government''.

''Any worker that is not comfortable with the N18,000 minimum wage should sit at home on that day. We are appealing to the conscience of all Nigerian workers to make it succeed. An it shall succeed'', Comrade Emelieze asserted.

Howevr, the Chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), who is also the Chairman Joint Negotiating Council(JNC) in the state, Comrade Emmanuel Ogundiran disclosed that there was no directive from the Labour centres in Abuja to that effect.

''There is nothing like that, I have no directive, no letter to that effect, in respect of the sit-at-home action, as leaders of organized Trade unions in the state, we will not do anything that would jeopardize or prejudice the negotiation, whatever we cannot defend we will not go into it. Any worker that abides by the directive and is absent without leave, the consequence is summary dismissal, and they cannot call us to defend them because we did not call them out'', Comrade Ogundiran warned.

In a related development workers in the a siazble number of  Local Governments of Oyo state have insisted that the state Government was yet to pay them for a number of months, just as they stressed that the N9 billion the state Government claimed to have released, only covered payment of  salaries for two months.

In his reaction, the state President of the National Union of Local Government Employess (NULGE), Comrade Tititlola Sodo said that the over N9.7 billion released by the state Government was used to pay two months salaries of Primary School Teachers.

''The N9.7 billion the state Government released was a allocation for March and April, 2018, including 10 per cent Internally Generated Revenue(IGR), no gratuity was paid About N3.6 billion was used to pay the two months salaries of Primary School Teachers and another N1.3 billion was used to pay leave bonus. Salaries for workers at the newly created Local Council Development Areas(LCDAs) are still paid at the mother Local Governments. 2o Local Goverments are up to date in the payment of  salaries, quite a few still have salary arrears outstanding, ranging from one to six months''.

Comrade Sodo urged the workers to still have confidence in their union leaders, saying ''we have come this far, workers should not lose hope, they should rely on their unions ''.

As the Kenyan Government intensifies its clampdown on contraband products, traders have increased the prices of local sugar.

 A kilo of sugar  in western Kenya now sells for between Sh10 and Sh20.

Consumers now avoid brands from factories that have links with  the controversial importation of sugar. A 50kg bag of Sony sugar now goes for Sh5,500, up from Sh4,300.

 The Government had two weeks ago, seized a consignment of contraband sugar  in a warehouse in Eastleigh, Nairobi.

Women farmers from Amakohi-ubi community in Owerri West Local Government Area  of Imo state have staged a peaceful protest to the state Government house to appeal for government intervention in the incessant destruction of their farmlands by herdsmen.

The hundreds of palcard carrying protesters lamented the losses they are incurred as a result of the persistent attacks.

The spokesperson of the protesters, Betty Uneze disclosed that they had no option but to bring their predicament to the notice of the state government.

“We are in Imo State Government House to tell our Governor, Rochas Okorocha that Fulani herdsmen have destroyed our farms. This is not the first time it is happening.

“Our farms have been destroyed and we do not know when this suffering will end. As we are talking to you now, the herdsmen are still in our farms. Please, we want them to leave.

“If our grievances are not proactively addressed now that it has not gotten to a dangerous point, is it when we are physically attacked and killed that the government will come to our rescue?” Uneze opined.