Special Assistant, Public Communication to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Mr Phrank Shaibu, has described the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the worst civilian governor in the history of Lagos State. Shaibu explained that contrary to what Tinubu’s handlers would want Nigerians to believe, the best governor of Lagos was the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande who was governor from 1979 to 1983. The PDP Presidential Candidate’s Media aide said this in a statement, in Abuja, on Sunday. He said, “Tinubu cannot be the best product from Lagos. That title belongs to the late Lateef Jakande who was a disciple of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Jakande built the Lekki-Epe Expressway from scratch, effectively opening up the Lekki Peninsula axis. “ Jakande constructed the Alausa Government Secretariat and Governor’s Office, the Lagos State University (LASU) and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). “He built all the low-cost housing units in Lagos. Some of the housing units include low-cost estates at Amuwo-Odofin, Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry. He said, “Tinubu cannot be the best product from Lagos. That title belongs to the late Lateef Jakande who was a disciple of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Jakande built the Lekki-Epe Expressway from scratch, effectively opening up the Lekki Peninsula axis. “ Jakande constructed the Alausa Government Secretariat and Governor’s Office, the Lagos State University (LASU) and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). “He built all the low-cost housing units in Lagos. Some of the housing units include low-cost estates at Amuwo-Odofin, Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry.   “Jakande built all the general hospitals in Gbagada and Ikorodu as well as LASUTH. He also built 20 health centres in the state. Jakande also constructed most of the primary and secondary schools in Lagos that still stand today.“ He further said, “Available records stated that Jakande built 11,000 classrooms between March and August 1980 and by 1983, he had built over 22,000 classrooms with 40 pupils per class. The then governor, in exhibiting his passion for education, established a Teacher Training College and a College of Education (COE). “He declared free education at all levels despite inheriting an empty treasury from the military. In fact, not only was schooling free, he also provided free educational inputs to students including textbooks, exercise books, and others. “The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria captured Jakande’s legacy perfectly last year when it said, ‘No governor in Lagos has been able to match the achievements of the late Jakande in the educational sector… To date, his housing policies still remain reference points for successive governments. “He was such an outstanding administrator that his tenure as a governor remains a yardstick for good governance in the state.” Shaibu notes that the late elder statesman was able to achieve all of these within four years. Noting that , until his death, the late Jakande lived a modest life around Coker Street, Ilupeju and refused to corner the resources of the state. According to him, “The short-lived third Republic which produced Michael Otedola lasted for barely a year and so cannot be assessed fairly. “But what did Tinubu achieve as governor of Lagos? He claims that he met an Internally Generated Revenue of N600 million in 1999 and moved it to N5 billion a month. “This has been fact-checked by the CDD Election War Room and has been discovered to be false. The verdict reads, “Data from the Central Bank statistical bulletin as quoted by Research Academy of Social Sciences showed that Lagos generated N14.6 billion in 1999. This amounts to an average of N1.22 billion monthly.” Shaibu further said, “Tinubu also claims Lagos was “a jungle, an uncivilised place” when he took over in 1999. This is pure falsehood since Lagos was the headquarters of the stock exchange and the private sector since the 1960s. “His claim that the entire state had just one ambulance when he took over in 1999 is also impossible to believe and is specious at best. “Tinubu’s strategy is based on falsehood. He paints a grim picture of Lagos he inherited, describing the state as a jungle and then exaggerates the little achievements he made in his eight years in office but Nigerians must not be fooled. “In four years, Jakande built several low-cost housing estates and reduced the state’s housing problem while on Tinubu’s watch, the World Bank says two out of every three Lagosians live in a slum. Is this the kind of development he wants to replicate at the centre? “Interestingly, while Jakande invested in schools, Tinubu relocated the Lagos State Polytechnic in Ketu to Ikorodu and then appropriated the land to TVC, his television station. Indeed there is a difference between leaders and dealers. “His usual excuse for his failure is that the PDP government seized federal allocation for eight years and thus he was handicapped but this is a lie from the pit of hell and has been fact-checked. “The federal allocation to the state was never touched during the eight years. The funds that were withheld were those belonging to the local governments and this was for two and half years. They were later released by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua after the dispute. “The APC Presidential candidate also lied constantly that he wanted to provide the people of Lagos with 24-hour electricity but he was stopped by Obasanjo due to political reasons. “This is another lie that has been punctured by APC Governor Nasir El-Rufai in his book titled, ‘The Accidental Public Servant’. “From pages 81 to 84, El-Rufai, who was in charge of the Bureau of Public Enterprise, says in the book that “I was concerned that this (deal) could negatively impact the future privatisation of NEPA… The Lagos State Enron case was particularly dangerous as it could have bankrupted NEPA almost overnight.” “For the sake of argument, let us even assume that

  Another round of crisis that may lead to another strike is looming in the public universities over the alleged inability of the Federal Government to conclude re-negotiations with the university-based unions on the 2009 Agreement. This is as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU has lamented that it has lost so many of its members as a result of the failure of the government to pay the four months of withheld salaries during the strike period. Recall that the four university-based unions, SSANU, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Non-Academic Staff of Allied and Educational Institutions, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, had last year, shut down public universities over the inability of the government to attend to their demands. ASUU precisely withdrew its services on February 14, 2022, and was followed by NAAT after many weeks and then SSANU and NASU. While SSANU and NASU called off their strike in August last year after they reached an agreement with the Federal Government, ASUU remained adamant until the intervention of the National Industrial Court, which ordered the striking lecturers to go back to their duty posts in October. As the case instituted by the federal government against ASUU is still pending in court, Vanguard reliably gathered that another round of storm is gathering momentum in the universities over the alleged delay by the federal government to conclude discussions with the unions on the 2009 Agreement. In a communique at its 42nd Regular National Executive Council, NEC, meeting hosted by the University of Calabar, Cross River State, SSANU demanded immediate resumption and conclusion of re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement. The national President of SSANU, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim told Vanguard that, “the earlier we conclude this re-negotiation and sign a new agreement, the better for the university system.” In the communique, SSANU had said, “NEC in session is deeply peeved by the nonchalant and detached attitude of the Federal Government towards the long-standing issue of renegotiating the 2009 Agreement. “Renegotiation of the Agreement is overdue by 12 years. This is against the statutory five years agreed for periodic review. It is most disheartening and appalling the way Federal Government is handling the issue. “We are seriously disturbed by government reluctance despite SSANU’s readiness in ensuring that this matter is urgently concluded. NEC therefore, demands the immediate resumption and conclusion of this exercise without any further delay as the content of the current Agreement has been eroded by the harsh economic situation occasioned by the hyperinflation and its effect on workers.” Speaking on the withheld four months’ salary which the government refused to pay due to the invocation of the ‘no work, no pay’ policy while the unions went on strike, SSANU President, Comrade Ibrahim said it was unfair for the government not to pay members their salary. According to him, “We have lost many members as a result of the non-payment of the four months’ salary. This non-payment of salary resulted in a lot of health-threatening issues.” The SSANU boss said that the union went on strike because of the failure of the government to address their concerns and that the union followed all the laid down Labour laws before embarking on the strike. He contended that withholding their salary multiplies the problems in the society and compounds the stress his members are facing on issues of house rents, payments of loans, and undertaking societal obligations among others.

  The Force Headquarters has said that there is no truth of a planned strike by personnel of the Nigeria Police. Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi made this known on Sunday while reacting to a publication by an online news platform. There had been reporting of a planned mega protest in Lagos by policemen over alleged six-month unpaid arrears with the report revealing that the protesting was keen on embarking on strike. The police personnel allegedly claimed that only grade levels 03,04,05,06 and a few 07 police officers were paid arrears while those in grade levels 08, 09, 10 and 11 were not paid. They further claimed that senior officers from the ranks of Assistant Commissioners of Police up to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had however been paid four months arrears. “They started paying last week but it was stopped on Tuesday, January 4, 2023. Everywhere is quiet and nobody can say this is the cause,” a source had claimed. The report quoting a senior police officer (name withheld) said, “Senior inspectors from Lagos police command are planning to protest at the Lagos command Headquarters on Monday over the unpaid six months arrears. “Police officers who did not collect their six months arrears are creating WhatsApp groups to gather numbers for the protest on Monday in Lagos. “It has been two weeks now but no communication from police authorities concerning the arrears, and Mobile Police officers are threatening to protest; that is why the IGP called all the Squadron Commanders for retraining but it was a warning; not training.” However, this in a series of tweets on Saturday, Force PRO Adejobi in several tweets, denied the allegations saying, “Most times, I laugh when I read what some bloggers and news platforms write or publish on policing in Nigeria. “This news, at times, look sponsored because they lack professional touches and merit. They are garnished with and full of lies, unfounded issues, assumptions, presumptions, etc.” “The Police Force is not a labour union or group where its personnel meet and deliberate on protest or strike. It’s not possible. “We know and are aware of some ‘don’ts’ in the NPF being a regimental organisation. There is a particular news platform whose name sounds like or resembles a desert that will always want to stir up the NPF and our nation with its fake news, unfounded points, unguided arguments, and fallacies. “We are disciplined in the police and uphold our ethics and sanctify of traditions and doctrines. “We appreciate the improvements in our welfare and conditions of service under this present administration. It’s unprecedented, and I am sure more goodies will come for police personnel as soon as possible.”

  Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has condemned the attack by some gunmen on the home of Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) located in Akokwa, Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State. Saraki in a statement from his media office noted that while media reports stated that the compound was set ablaze and some residents were shot leading to the death of Ugochinyere’s uncle, the situation which looked like a targeted attack on the home of a candidate in the coming elections was a sad commentary on the nation’s democracy. “Coming a few weeks to the general elections and given the recent experiences of the CUPP spokesman and House of Representatives candidate of our great party, the PDP, Ikenga Ugochinyere, there is the general belief that the attack is politically motivated and that those who want to return the nation’s democracy to the dark era are at work. “I call on the security agencies in Imo State to ensure they get to the bottom of these attacks and unveil the perpetrators and their sponsors while also ensuring they face the wrath of the law. “Such criminal acts if not properly investigated and pursued conclusively not only send wrong signals about the coming elections to the local and international communities, it also encouraged other evil minds to repeat such unlawful acts. “The security agencies and the government of Imo State must reassure our people that such uncivilized acts of arson, murder, disturbance of public peace, and invasion of privacy have no place in a decent society like ours and they must be strongly deterred”, Saraki stated.

  Igbo youths under the auspices of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, have expressed rage over the assassination attempt on the Spokesman of the Conference of United Political Parties, CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, describing it as barbaric. They demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the masterminds. No fewer than three persons were killed Saturday evening when armed men invaded the Akokwa country home of Ugochinyere who is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, House of Representatives candidate for Ideato federal constituency. His house and many vehicles parked in the compound were razed by the yet-to-be-identified gunmen. COSEYL, in a statement by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, strongly condemned the barbaric attack, and urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to thoroughly investigate the incident and ensure anyone involved is brought to book According to COSEYL, Ugochinyere’s attackers could not gain access to him due to stiff resistance by the security forces attached to him, however, they ended up killing his Uncle, two persons and burnt down properties in his compound.” The incident was the second time an assassination attempt was made on his life. “We condemn in strongest terms the assassination of these three persons who did nothing wrong to be sent to their early graves. When did participating in the campaign and electoral process become a crime in Nigeria? “It is surprising that in a democracy that guarantees freedom of speech and expression, CUPP Spokesperson and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency would be marked for assassination because he sometime exposed the electoral manipulation and rigging strategy of the ruling party APC. “Ugochinyere in a World Press Conference had exposed the electoral fraud perpetuated by the APC during the Continuous Voters Card Registration exercise for the 2023 general elections were he showed proofs of APC registering dead persons and foreigners as those that will vote in the 2023 elections.” COSEYL threatened Armageddon should any harm befall the CUPP Spokesperson. “We warn those killers and their sponsors who came to assassinate Ugochinyere who has always stood firm to defend our hard-earned democracy to have a rethink because if any harm should befall him there will be a corresponding response from the Nigerian youths. “The youths have woken from their slumber to take back their country and we will not be stopped by any antics of anti-democratic forces who have held our nation down. “We call on the CUPP Spokesperson to stand firm for our democracy and should not be discouraged because the youths are solidly behind him and his vision to defend our hard-earned democracy which our founding fathers fought so hard to achieve. “We call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, the DSS and other security agencies to immediately move into action to arrest and prosecutes those assassins who came to assassinate the peoples voice Barr Ikenga Ugochinyere and ended up killing three innocent persons who did nothing wrong to deserve such barbaric death. “

  Former governor of Rivers State and immediate past Minister of Transpiration, Rotimi Amaechi, has regretted that governance in Nigeria has been very bad. He attributed the development to a lack of accountability, saying people in positions of authority have been allowed to operate at will without being held accountable for their negative actions. The chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, who spoke in Abuja, at a fundraising dinner of the Bauchi State APC governorship candidate and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, rtd, said people who preside over their states as governors without pilfering the treasuries of their states do it because of self-discipline and determination to enthrone good leadership and not because they feel they are being checked somewhere by anybody. He described Abubakar, who is the immediate past Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Chad as a fine retired public officer, who he had known when the latter was a commander of the Nigerian Air Force unit in Rivers State at the time he held sway as governor of the state. According to him, both Sadique Abubakar and Lt. General Tukur Buratai,rtd, former Chief of Army Staff, who was also then Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army, never approached him for money until the left the state, because according to him, “people lobby to be posted to Rivers State to make money.” He said:”Sadique was the commander of the Nigerian Air Force in Rivers State. General Buratai was also the Brigade Commander at the time. I wish that Nigerians were like you because I was not under any pressure from you to give you money until you left and I was surprised at that because the reason why Nigerians come to Rivers State is to collect money. When it’s time for postings, they lobby to be posted there, because they want to get money. And if you remember, that was at the height of fighting criminals. So while Nigerians were saying that Amaechi was a no-nonsense governor, they didn’t know that it was you people (Sadique and Buratai) that made me the no-nonsense governor. “Today,I ask you, the people from Bauchi to think twice about governance in Nigeria, it’s been very bad. The reason why it’s bad is that we vote for people who don’t know what governorship is all about. You vote for people who see governorship as employment, who go there to make money. And unfortunately for all of you, people are not held accountable for what they do. ” And the worse is that Nigerians don’t care to hold people accountable for what they do. So if you are voted in as governor, then it is your discipline that determines how you behave not because anybody will check you or not because anybody will punish you. “If you like, go to Bauchi State and take everything, nobody will ask you. In fact, Nigerians will come to your house and dance for you. So vote for anybody who is disciplined enough to leave your money at Bauchi State Government House, since there is no way to check anybody. ” The best thing to do is to vote for anybody who has the fear of God, who is contented with providing you with service, who thinks that the public office he holds is for the people, who understands that if there are no people, he would not govern. Think back.,” he said. He recalled that “In the past, rich men used to go home and people gather to dance for you and eat your food. Now, nobody gathers to eat your food, they want to eat you because you have eaten enough and nothing is remaining. So sit back and vote for the person that will recover your state “ The politician who bemoaned governance in the country said the country should be reset, fall back to governance experienced in the 1970s, which he noted, made people safe, education available for people cost of living affordable for all. “If we don’t want to progress, let us go back to the 1970s. Vote for that governor that if he can’t take you forward, let him take you back to 1970. In the 1970s, there was no free education but there were schools. There was power. It was safe, you could drive anywhere, and you could drive from Port-Harcourt to Bauchi. You could leave Port-Harcourt by 10 pm and get to Bauchi by 8 am and nothing would happen to you. Try driving from here to Nyanya now and see what will happen to you. So, God has provided us with somebody and that person is Sadique Abubakar. “Don’t vote where you will regret again because that is what Nigerians don’t know. They will provide you with money you don’t know it’s your own and you will collect and still vote for them and then two months after, you start regretting it. ” The problem with Nigerians is that if they come back a day to election and provide you with money, you will forget what you have gone through in the past four years and vote for them again. “So here, you have two responsibilities, the first responsibility is not that of prayer yet, leave a prayer for people like us, it’s that of asking questions. Ask those that want to run for the governorship of Bauchi,’ show me what you have done.’ Hold your leaders accountable. ” Ask that politician that was two years ago, driving and pushing Mercedes Benz and now bought his Jeep how he gets the Jeep. Ask that question in Bauchi and you will vote for Sadique because he has good character and I can endorse that. Hold me responsible if he fails. “If he could be the Commander of the Nigerian Air Force in my state and never asked me for money, I’m not lying and I’m not joking. Both he nor Buratai never asked me for money. If he could do that, it means

  The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has confirmed the electrocution of a barbing salon operator in Nsukka while attacking and vandalising electricity installation belonging to the company. The company identified the deceased as Tochukwu Onah (alias Toshiba), a barber and an indigene of Ede-Oballa Community (the same community where the transformer is located). Relaying the development to newsmen in Enugu on Sunday, the Head of Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, described the incident as very unfortunate, one which had cut the young man’s life short at its prime. Ezeh said that the lifeless body of the vandal suspect was found within the space of a distribution transformer belonging to the EEDC at the early hours of Saturday, Jan. 14, at Ede-Oballa community, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, He said that it was suspected that the unfortunate vandel was electrocuted while attempting to vandalise the distribution transformer which already had some of its cables severed. Ezeh recalled the numerous cases of vandalism recorded by the company in 2022, which negatively impacted not just the quality of service to its customers, but also its revenue. He, therefore, called on the public, especially those who are quick at pointing accusing fingers at employees of the company to also look inwards, as some of the perpetrators of these attacks miyht be residing within the neighborhood or community. Ezeh recounted an experience sometime in November 2022, after a transformer was vandalised in the same Ede-Oballa community, where their representatives directly accused employees of EEDC of being responsible for the attack, alleging that “they are the ones who understand electricity.”   “As fate would have it, the deceased happens to be one of their own, an indigene of the community whom we were told operated a barbing salon and had never been associated with anything relating to electricity, talk less of being an employee of EEDC,” he said. According to the company’s spokesman, vandalism has been a big challenge to the company, and there is no way it can deal with it all alone without the support of its stakeholders. Ezeh appealed to customers to join hands with the company to fish out these few individuals, who live among us, that are making life miserable for the larger public, instead of engaging in unfounded allegations. He reiterated the company’s position on any of its employees that is found to be involved in such act. The EEDC spokesman noted that such a person would not only be shown the way out, but would be prosecuted, °as the company has zero tolerance for such criminal act°. Ezeh also affirmed that in all the arrests that had been made, none of the suspects had been identified as staff of the company, neither had any of the suspects apprehended claim that they were working or colluding with any employee of the company. °EEDC condoles with the family of the deceased, and hope that this incident serves as deterrent to those engaging in this act of sabotage and wickedness of throwing entire neighbourhood or community into total darkness,” he added.