Business

How Imo state government rendered citizens homeless by demolition + how they disobeyed court order to stop

Published

8 years ago

July 20, 2016

The Imo State capital, has been in the news lately for diverse reasons bordering on the good and the bad, according to the perceptions of the people. But of all the recent incidents and events recorded in the city, the ongoing demolition of structures has featured more prominently in the news as it continues to draw a lot of tears and scathing criticisms. Indeed, it has been outrage and lamentations galore since the state government commenced the demolition of properties as a prelude to the planned expansion of some roads in the state capital. Section of a school structure affected by the demolition exercise in Owerri The demolition, which started along the Amakohia/Akwakuma axis, saw the destruction of several ancestral homes, residential buildings, business concerns, the desecration of graves, parts of the premises of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Akwakuma, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Amakohia and several others. Within the past week, some bank premises, the state headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the residential home of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho have been visited pulled down by bulldozers. Establishments like the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri and the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, AIFCE, also suffered same fate after being marked for demolition. Irked by the planned destruction of their institution’s properties by the Governor Rochas Okorocha administration Students of AIFCE last week stormed the streets of Owerri in protest. Although the students pleaded with Okorocha to drop the idea of destroying any part of the school premises, their pleas obviously fell on deaf ears as parts of the institution were later demolished. The incensed students have, however, vowed to do everything possible to ensure that the state government does not carry out its threat of also destroying the pedestrian bridge, perimeter fence, gate and other parts of the school. Some of the placards carried by the students read: “Okorocha, spare our pedestrian bridge”, “Okorocha cannot destroy the beauty of our College and security of students”, “Okorocha, leave us alone and continue your demolition exercise elsewhere”, and “Okorocha, please don’t provoke us”.

Similarly, economic activities were held up for hours in Owerri, following a massive protest against the proposed plan by Imo State Government to move artisans from the Orji and Nekede Mechanic Villages to Avu in Owerri West local council area of the state. Vanguard Metro reliably gathered that Governor Rochas Okorocha invited the artisans to a meeting but it was not very clear at press time, what went wrong before the aggrieved self-employed workers stormed the streets in a protest march. Some of the protesters expressed regret that the Governor had made up his mind to forcibly move them to a virgin land where no amenity is in existence. “I can tell you that we are not against his (Okorocha’s) government. If he insists that we should move to Avu, he should also do us the favour of putting some social amenities in place,” Mr. Edward Okoli said. “Some of us have built houses and other immovable structures in the Mechanic Villages, which cost us millions of Naira. Today, government wants to move us to a place that has nothing to support us and our jobs,” he added. Another artisan, who simply identified himself as Sylvester, said “there is no access road into the place, no electricity, no potable water and no buildings”. Court issues restraining order Apparently alarmed by the threat of imminent destruction of his personal residence, Captain Ihenacho approached the Federal High Court, Owerri, presided over by Hon. Justice Ambrose Lewis Allagoa. After listening to Ihenacho’s counsel, the court issued a restraining order against the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, the Governor of Imo State, Attorney General of Imo State, Commissioner of Works, Imo State, the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Imo State and the Imo State Government. This order of court was disobeyed. Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho reacts “The signboard of Lamonde Guest House, owned by Rochas Okorocha, is located just one metre from the culvert on Orlu Road. The gate of Lamonde Guest House is located less than 10 metres from the culvert. Neither the signboard nor the gateways was destroyed by Okorocha for road expansion. “The same Okorocha personally came to my residence with armed soldiers and other security officers on Thursday, July 7, 2016, to supervise the demolition of my residence, up to 14 metres from the edge of the culvert, barely three days after a High Court order restraining him from the demolition”. Some affected victims speak Similarly, some residents of Amakohia and Akwakuma communities in Owerri North Local Council Area of the state, have decried the demolition of their homes and business outfits by government. A victim of the demolition, Nze Obinna Emereole, told newsmen that he recently accessed a loan from a micro finance bank, which he used to erect a building at Amakohia. While saying that the Owerri Capital Development Authority, OCDA, approved the building plan before he commenced the construction, Emereole however wondered why the Governor would personally supervise the destruction of his house. “Are we animals? Why must a government and governor we brought on board, treat us like animals? It is indeed most unfortunate. God is watching,” Emereole lamented. Governor’s Chief Press Secretary responds Reacting on behalf of his boss, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, had this to say: “Former Minister of Interior and the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the State, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, has been very supportive to the Rescue Mission Government in the State since 2011, and that is why efforts by certain politicians in the State to incite him against the government has failed. “It is also against the backdrop of this development that Captain Iheanacho would see the demolition of the fence of his house that was very close to the main road, and that is Orlu/Amakohia Road, as an action sincerely taken in the overall interest of the State and her people, and not out of malice. “And seeing the good work going on, on Amakohia/Orlu road, Captain Iheanacho would not have gone to Court for an Order to stop the good work; and that is why we had doubted the report on Court Order when we read it on the pages of newspapers; and that could be the reason that, uptill now, nobody has seen a copy of the reported Court Order. “The Governor and indeed the Rescue Mission government will continue to appreciate the support and understanding of Imo people, including Captain Iheanacho, whose fences or kiosks have been touched in the course of the expansion work going on, on some major roads within Owerri and environs in line with the Governor’s determination to make Owerri a model city. “The Governor will continue to work for Imo people with sincerity of purpose until his ambition of building a state of our collective dreams and aspirations is achieved. Imo PDP’s office is intact “The state office of the Imo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Okigwe Road, Owerri, is intact and has not been touched or demolished as being falsely claimed by certain elements, especially in the social media, in the course of the expansion work going on, on that road. “But the front fence of the building housing the party’s office was touched because it was built very close to the main road and there was no way it would not have been affected by the on-going expansion work on that road. “It is very unfortunate that few indigenes of the state who have sworn not to appreciate any good thing being done by the government of Rochas Okorocha have been working tirelessly to use the expansion works on some major roads in Owerri and environs to blackmail the Governor vis-à-vis the government. “Most people in the state appreciate what the government is doing at the moment to add a lot of values to Owerri as the state capital and make it a model city. “The Governor has continued to appeal to the people of the state, especially those whose fences, kiosks and other structures have been touched for understanding. The Governor’s ambition is to leave the state better than he met it and all hands must be on deck to encourage him in his effort to achieve that lofty goal.”

Business

Oil marketers counter Dangote

Published

15 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Oil marketers counter Dangote over allegation of substandard product importation

The Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has countered the claim by Dangote Refinery that any oil importers landing petrol at a price cheaper than what the refinery is selling are importing substandard products and conniving with international traders to dump low quality products into Nigeria.

The refinery had made the claim on Sunday.

In a statement yesterday, DAPPMAN’s Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, said none of its members was engaging in activities that could shortchange Nigerian fuel users by conniving with anyone to bring in low quality product into the country.

“We’ve said this for the umpteenth time, and it bears repeating, those in the downstream sector business of petroleum products trade are patriotic Nigerians who will not shortchange Nigerian citizens for filthy lucre. Our members are in this business to add value to the businesses of their fellow Nigerians and not to defraud them.

“Prices of products in the international market are dynamic as they’re dictated by prevailing circumstances at every given situation. We calculate our landing costs based on the dynamics of market forces, and the templates are always in the public domain. To claim that if the landing cost of imported product happens to be lower than that of the refinery indicates importation of low quality product is not only preposterous, but also fallacious. In any case, the management of the refinery has, until now, kept its cost and prices close to its chest and put it away from public scrutiny. “

“This type of submission, targeted at projecting our members negatively before the public, cannot help the management’s desire to have oil marketers patronise its products. What will ensure such patronage is transparency, fair play, and readiness to compete with others, including foreign refineries, on an even keel and on a level playing field.”

Adewole said the disclosure by the refinery’s management that the facility has a huge stock of 500 million litres fuel reserve came to its members as news.

“We were surprised because we believe that if the refinery has such huge stock, it’s the marketers that should be put in the know first.

‘Secondly, it was even more surprising given that the news came about the time the refinery was working on rationing what each marketer could pick from the refinery. If they had such huge stock, how is it then that they’re rationing what marketers could buy?

“On all these developments in the industry, the position of our members is very clear: we’ve always played by the rules, and we’ll continue to play by the rules. We’ll not be tired of advocating for a level playing field and a highly competitive and transparent sector that’s devoid of arm twisting and devoid of any form of dominant tendencies,” he said.

Similarly, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) said it had concluded plans to import the best quality petroleum product and sell at far cheaper prices.

The association said it was awaiting the NMDPRA to grant it import licence, saying it “has successfully incorporated a strategic business unit called PETROL.”

Its spokesman, Joseph Obele, said PETROAN had concluded plans with her foreign refinery counterparts and financial partners to import the best quality of PMS and “then sell far less than the present selling rate of PMS in Nigeria.”

He said the allegations that PETROAN would import inferior products and that an international company was trying to establish a PMS blending plant in Lagos “are all strategies for Dangote Refinery to push others out of the market…”

Also, Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited, in a statement by its Chief Executive Officer, Bob Dickerman, denied blending substandard petroleum products.

Business

Why Protesters demanded Kyari’s resignation

Published

15 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Why Protesters demanded Kyari’s resignation

Scores of youths stormed the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Monday, demanding the immediate resignation of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mele Kyari.

The protesters, led by some Civil Society Organisations, described Kyari’s leadership as incompetent, citing skyrocketing fuel prices, endless fuel queues, and economic hardship in Nigeria.

The protesters carrying placards with different inscriptions such as “we demand the immediate resignation of Kyari”, among others, said the leadership of the NNPCL boss has failed.

The aggrieved youths led by Abdullahi Bilal of the (Two Million Man March Against Oil Scam Cabal) and Barrister Napoleon Otache and Olayemi Isaac from Citizens and Economic Freedom Rights Activists in Nigeria demanded immediate action to address what they described as failed leadership in managing the country’s oil sector.

Central to the protests were grievances over skyrocketing fuel prices and the never-ending queues, which they argued have driven inflation and plunged millions of Nigerians into poverty.

They also decried the importation of adulterated fuel, which they said is a corrupt practice that harms citizens by damaging vehicles and businesses.

They demanded an immediate halt to these imports and accountability for those responsible, questioning how substandard fuel continues to enter the country despite quality control assurances.

Additionally, the group criticized the unfulfilled promise of the Dangote refinery to resolve Nigeria’s fuel crisis, expressing frustration over the billions of dollars spent on refinery development and refurbishing existing facilities.

They argued that despite these investments, fuel shortages persist, leaving Nigeria reliant on costly imports even as an oil-producing nation.

They urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene by overhauling leadership in the oil sector, enforcing greater accountability, and putting citizens’ needs first. The protesters vowed to continue mobilizing until their demands for reform and transparency are met.

Speaking to journalists during the mass demonstration, Abdullahi Bilal said, “The Two Million Man March stands as a united voice for every citizen who has been betrayed by a system that continues to enrich a few at the expense of many.

“Today, we call for the immediate resignation of the current leadership in the country’s oil sector. Their management has failed Nigerians.

“Under their watch, we have seen fuel prices skyrocket without consultation or consideration of the devastating impact on the people. We have endured fuel scarcity while substandard, adulterated fuel is imported, causing further hardship.

“We demand the complete removal of the fraudulent fuel subsidy regime that has only served to enrich a select few. Full deregulation is necessary to introduce transparency, competition, and fairness to our oil sector.”

On their part, Otache and Isaac, insisted, “This act of economic sabotage has led to endless fuel queues, skyrocketing fuel prices, and unprecedented disruptions in the daily lives of Nigerians.

“We demand an immediate end to fuel queues, transparency, and accountability from all involved parties. We want to know how substandard fuel continues to enter the country despite assurances of quality control.”

On July 7, 2019, former President Mohammadu Buhari appointed Kyari as the 19th GMD of NNPC, but with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, his current portfolio is without recourse to previous employment ranks in the company.

NNPCL reacts

Reacting, the NNPCL spokesperson, Femi Soneye, said the protestors lack understanding of the sector.

He explained that contrary to their agitation, the GCEO ensured Nigerians had access to fuel at N620 per litre for over a year, even when the landing cost was above N1,100.

Responding via a chat, Soneye said, “Unfortunately, they lack understanding of the sector. If they were informed, they would know that the GCEO is not responsible for the fuel price increase; in fact, he ensured Nigerians had access to fuel at N620 per litre for over a year, even when the landing cost was above N1,100.”

Business

Renewed Hope Agenda and Impacts in Aviation* By Mary Odoma

Published

17 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Renewed Hope Agenda and Impacts in Aviation

By Mary Odoma

President Bola Tinubu’s knack for selecting top talent is unparalleled. In his quest to build a prosperous Nigeria, he’s assembled an exceptional team. By leveraging their expertise, experience, and strategic insight, he’s fostering national stability, economic growth, and a sustainable future.

His latest win is in Aviation and Aerospace Development, where he’s appointed a fearless and straightforward leader, Festus Keyamo, SAN. Keyamo’s commitment to excellence makes him an ideal fit. President Tinubu’s vision for Nigeria is taking shape, and his leadership choices are truly commendable.

A dedicated, charismatic and impactful lawyer, the dynamic and astute developer is a terror to mischief makers and enemies of progress. A tough and forceful personality who is determined with an ultimate goal to change Nigeria.

Appointed on 21st August 2023 as the helmsman of the Ministry, Keyamo has been unwavering in his drive for positive transformation, reforming the sector and bringing about enduring positive impact in a transparent manner.

His Ministry has the core mandate of regulating air travel and aviation services in the country. It is also responsible for overseeing air transportation, air development, maintenance, provision of aviation infrastructural services and other needs.

A very patriotic Nigerian, Chief Festus has several achievements, in line with the Renewed Hope Aviation Roadmap approved by President Tinubu to his credit.

In a steadfast commitment towards revitalizing the nation’s aviation sector, Mr Keyamo was able to ensure the approval of the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano Airports. This is in line with the initiation of the Nigerian Airport Concession Strategy.

Also, in line with the Federal Ministry of Aviation Roadmap, Chief Keyamo initiated the signing of an MoU with the Nile University for the take-off of African Aviation and Aerospace University (AU). This milestone achievement of the Minister aims to integrate and create an avenue for the training, research and development of ready middle-class manpower for the sector.

Equally, under his watch, the pragmatic leader led the Ministry into partnership with the ICRC and also a collaboration with the IFC on infrastructural development. This partnership is to both develop and implement a comprehensive and durable framework that will meet the infrastructural needs of the sector over a long period.

Through Keyamo’s congruence and dynamism, the BASA arrangement is another revolutionary innovation aimed at ensuring the operationalization of direct flights between Nigeria and Brazil.

Keyamo’s motivation and altruistic devotion to having a functional aviation and aerospace sector also moved him to upgrade the Muhammadu Buhari, Airport, Maiduguri to the standard of an international airport. This airport is ready to commence full operation on January 1, 2025

In the area of staff motivation, retirees of the Ministry now have no cause for alarm as their interest is covered. Recently, the Ministry honoured 24 retirees drawn from the lowest rung to the highest. It is in a bid to acknowledge those who have contributed immensely to the growth and development of the sector as Nation-builders.

His prompt response to issues including distress reveals an empathetic personality and someone who is very much alive to his responsibilities. Recently, while reacting to the accident involving a helicopter on the 24th October 2024, Mr Keyamo, immediately upon receiving the distress call, activated protocols aimed at search and rescue operations, mandating all relevant bodies to do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the passengers on board the ill-fated vehicle.

The Minister was also actively involved with all the relevant agencies towards ensuring a coordinated response. His active and physical involvement led to the minimization of casualties.

In a show of collaboration and solidarity, the Hon. Minister travelled to far away Marrakesh, Morrocco, to give support to the 2024 International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) congress. His presence was to underpin the importance the federal government attaches to the role of the transport workers in stabilizing the aviation sector.

Festus Keyamo as the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development is certainly the best thing that has happened to the industry. He has exhibited passion, dedication and selfless forthrightness in the discharge of his duties and a total comprehension of what it takes to carry out his roles. He is well-groomed for the job and his background has helped him greatly towards shaping the positive impact he is making on society.

Today, Festus has proved that a faithful, disciplined, and dedicated Nigerian can stand out of the crowd because he symbolizes what governance is all about. These feats can only be achieved by a man with the right comportment and conduct in the service of humanity and the fatherland.

Deserving of note is that Chief Keyamo, through the foresight of President Tinubu has well-prepared team leaders appointed as heads of the agencies of the Ministry.

The supportive and collaborative roles of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Nigeria Metrological Agency, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigeria Airspace Management, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), have brought about those tangible and noticeable volte-face experienced today in the Aviation sector.

With Keyamo at the helm, Nigeria’s aviation sector is experiencing a transformative shift, thanks to President Tinubu’s foresight in appointing well-prepared team leaders. The Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Nigeria Metrological Agency, and others are working together to bring about tangible change. Keyamo’s dedication, discipline, and commitment to service have improved Nigeria’s image and reformed the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Odoma is the President of New Nigeria Network [NNN[ writing from Abuja.