Sanusi’s suspension: Jonathan breached Constitution, CBN Act- Governors
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Sanusi’s suspension: Jonathan breached Constitution, CBN Act- Governors
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) led by Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has accused President Good luck Jonathan of breaching the 1999 Constitution by suspending the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
According to the governors, the suspension was aimed at diverting attention from the missing $20bn from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation account, which Sanusi claimed was not remitted to the Federation Account.
The governors spoke in Abuja at the end of their meeting in the early hours of Tuesday. The meeting started around 8pm on Monday night.
They also threw their weight behind calls for a forensic audit of the NNPC Account to unravel the truth about the issues.
Reading a four-paragraph communique at the end of the meeting, Amaechi said: “The suspension of Sanusi by Mr. President is in clear breach of the Nigerian Constitution and the CBN Act, 2007.”
“The suspension is aimed at diverting attention from the current national discourse on the allegations of corruption and questionable accountability.”
“We support the call of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Senate Committee on Finance for a forensic audit of the NNPC Account.”
The governors also accused the Presidency of plotting to impeach the Governor of Nasarawa State, Mallam Tanko Almakura.
The alleged plot, they say, is an assault on the 1999 Constitution.
The communique reads: “It has come to our notice that the Presidency is plotting to illegally impeach the Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr. Tanko Al-Makura.”
“We condemn this renewed assault on constitutional democracy.”
They also faulted the Presidency for what they called deliberate refusal of the Presidency to convene the National Economic Council meeting for seven months.
The refusal to call the meeting, the governors said, is preventing them from their constitutional opportunity to discuss the “perilous state of the Nigerian economy thus plunging the nation into an economic and political crisis.”
The governors therefore appealed to the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, to accelerate the hearing on all constitutional cases especially the suit on the Excess Crude Account and other illegal deductions.
They condemned the killings in the North-East, but the commended the Nigerian military and other security agencies for their efforts against the insurgents.
The Forum called on the Federal Government to wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property in the country, especially in the North-East.
Among the governors that attended the meeting included Rivers, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Kano, Lagos, Imo, Sokoto, while deputy governors from Osun, Borno and Edo were also in attendance.
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Edo govt, doctors reach agreement
BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN—Edo State Government and doctors in the state under the aegis of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, have reached an agreement on matters affecting the doctors’ condition of service and improving of infrastructure in the state’s health sector.
The doctors had embarked on a strike last year over their demands for employment into various cadres in the health management board, improvement in the infrastructure in hospitals and health centres across the state and full implementation of the doctors’ Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS.
Speaking after a meeting with the doctors, the state governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole told newsmen that “I just finished a meeting with the doctors, and we discussed the entire healthcare delivery chain, including primary healthcare centres and the fact that we have carried out a comprehensive survey to establish precisely where we have health centres, hospitals, and how many doctors and nurses we need. Now we have all these figures with us and the challenge is finding the money to employ all the hands that we need.
“We are convinced that there is no point opening a hospital without a doctor, because the building will not treat anybody, it is the doctor inside the building that treats patients. If we have all the equipment and the human beings are missing, then we have a problem,” he added.
The NMA Chairman, Dr Emmanuel Ighodaro, on his part said: “Today is a happy day in the health sector in Edo State, the reason being that you will recall in the last two months, issues concerning health have been very turbulent and stakeholders in healthcare in Edo State, nurses, doctors and all others have been agitating. But today, there was a landmark achievement.”
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Orubebe’s exit for betterment of N-Deltans —Omoru
BY FESTUS AHON
UGHELLI—CANDIDATE of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the October 12, 2013 Delta Central senatorial by-election, Olorogun David Omoru, yesterday, said the sack or resignation of the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, was for the betterment of the Niger people, insisting that Orubebe failed Niger Deltans as a minister.
Omoru, in a chat with newsmen, said: “The sack of the affected ministers was not only timely, but appropriate, considering the failures recorded by them. Therefore, their sack is a welcome development and huge relief to Nigerians.”
He alleged that Orubebe, had, in many instances, especially with regard to the East-West Road, which he could not complete, demonstrated that he lacked the capability to assist in pushing the president’s transformation agenda.
Omoru, a former Special Assistant to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, said that the former minister, who hails from Burutu area of Delta State, had the opportunity to endear himself to the people of Niger Delta by ensuring the completion of the East-West Road, but chose to neglect it, alleging, “it shows he did not mean well for President Jonathan.”
According to him, the inability of the Jonathan administration to complete the road before the end of 2015 election will be a minus on his electioneering chances in the Niger-Delta region and blamed it on Orubebe.
Noting that it was time for President Jonathan to identify and work with astute and credible politicians from Delta State in the realisation of his 2015 presidential ambition, he said: “Most of those parading themselves as governorship materials in Abuja are paper weight in the grassroots politics of Delta State.
“If Orubebe was honest in his quest to become the governor of Delta State in 2015, he would have handled the Niger-Delta Ministry with commitment, and would have completed the East-West Road on schedule.”
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Zambian tribunal probing ex-minister begins sitting
The tribunal constituted to probe Zambia’s Tourism Minister, Sylvia Masebo, for alleged interference in the operations of the Zambia Wild Life Authority begun sitting in Lusaka on Monday.
The petitioner, former Transport and Communications Minister, William Harringtone, maintained that Masebo interfered with the ZAWA Act.
He also told the tribunal that Masebo breached the Zambia Public Procurement Act by cancelling the tendering process for hunting blocks.
Harringtone also charged that Masebo’s decision to dissolve the ZAWA board and later on management was a breach of the ZAWA Act.
He told the tribunal that Masebo breached the parliamentary and ministerial code of conduct when she publicly alleged that some foreign registered aircraft were allegedly violating Zambian laws.
She said they were violating the law by uplifting wildlife or government trophy from the country.
Harringtone said the issue of air lifting government trophy was supposed to have been referred to the Zambia Air Force because it boarded on breach of state security.
The tribunal is being chaired by Acting Supreme Court Judge, Roydah Kaoma
This is the second tribunal sitting this year to probe a cabinet minister.
The Justice Minister, Wynter Kabimba, was also being investigated by a tribunal for alleged abuse of office and breach of the oath of secrecy.
It was alleged that Kabimba abused his office by using government information rendered by Solicitor General, by attempting to block parliamentarians whose seats had been nullified by the Supreme Court for engaging in corrupt practise.
The tribunal, last week, submitted its findings to President Michael Sata, who is studying the findings before being made public.
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