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JUST IN: Don’t Accuse INEC Of Partisanship – Commissioner

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Eniola Olayemi

 

Independent National Electoral Commission says it is wrong to accuse it of partisanship or of being an appendage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The commission stated this in a publication made available to newsmen by Mohammed Haruna, INEC National Commissioner and member of Information, Voter Education and Publicity Committee, on Friday in Abuja.

Haruna in the publication titled: “INEC In The Last Three Years” said that since INEC’s last governorship election in Osun on Sep. 22, the entire commission had come under attack from several quarters, including media organisations, as being deficient.

He said that since 2015, INEC had conducted about 195 odd elections, including seven off-season governorship elections, a dozen senatorial and two dozen federal constituency elections and scores of State Assembly and Federal Capital Territory Area Council (FCT) elections.

He added that out of these 195 odd elections only a handful had been successfully challenged in courts and in none of them did the courts order wholesale re-runs.

“Even more importantly, in a large number of the elections, notably the Ondo governorship election in which all contestants were senior lawyers, there were no litigations at all.

“Most important of all, victories at the polls have been shared across all the major parties including the ruling APC and opposition PDP and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).’’

Harruna said that it may be argued that an election management body like a newspaper was as good as its last outing and the Osun State governorship election, as INEC’s last major outing before next year’s general election, was not perfect.

He said that certainly, it was not as good as, say, those of Ondo and Anambra states.

“Even then, no fair-minded critic of the Commission would accuse it of being tardy, or worse still, of being an appendage of the ruling APC.

“Were it so, it would not have had the courage to announce, as it did in early October, that APC had no candidate, save that of the Presidency, for all the elective offices in Zamfara State, because the party had failed to conduct proper primaries for its candidates for those offices by the commission’s deadline of Oct.7.

“The Commission would also not have had the courage earlier to have conducted a free, fair and credible impeachment process against Senator Dino Melaye in Kogi East which failed woefully in spite of the notorious fact that the Senator had become a painful thorn in APC’s flesh.’’

Haruna added that the most obvious reason why it was wrong to accuse INEC of partisanship was that ironically the same people accusing the commission of being an appendage of the ruling party were often the first to advocate that Local Government elections should be transferred to it.

He said that INEC’s watchwords in being guided by this dictum have been inclusiveness, courage, openness and transparency.

Haruna also cited media report where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum issued a statement in which it passed a vote of no confidence in the commission.

He said that the governors also accused INEC of conducting itself as a tool of the APC-led Federal Government, especially with the roles of the Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and a National Commissioner, Mrs Amina Zakari.”

Haruna said that the newspaper raised the public concern on the appointments of Yakubu as INEC chair and Zakari, which it stated violated a “tradition” of presidents appointing persons from regions other than theirs as chairmen of INEC.

Haruna explained that since independence in 1960 the Commission has had 12 chairmen, seven of them appointed by the military leaders between 1976 and 1999.

“All seven military-appointed chairmen were Southerners. All the military leaders, except General Olusegun Obasanjo as military leader between 1976 and 1979, were Northerners.’’

He said that it would then seem that the popular notion articulated by the newspaper of INEC’s chair coming from a region other than that of the serving president is correct. “In reality it is not.

“It is 23 years between 1976 and 1999 which, in certain contexts, is a long time. It is, however, debatable that a 23-year practice, being just about a generation, is long enough to be considered a tradition in the true sense of the word.

“But even if it is, it was military tradition and the appointment of Prof. Yakubu as INEC Chairman was not the first to break with that “tradition.

“What broke with it was the appointment in 2000 of Dr Abel Goubadia, a Southerner, as INEC’s Chairman by President Olusegun Obasanjo, a fellow Southerner, followed by that of Professor Maurice Iwu, another Southerner, by the same president in 2005.

“Indeed, as military head of state back in the late seventies, Obasanjo appointed a fellow Southerner, Chief Michael Ani, as the chair of the Commission which conducted the 1979 election that ushered in the Second Republic.’’

Haruna added that a president’s power to appoint members of the Commission was not absolute; it was subject to approval by the Senate.

He also explained that contrary to widespread belief, Zakari was not a blood relation of President Buhari. Her mother was from Daura, alright, but she was not Buhari’s sister.

“It is also true that Buhari’s sister was once married to Mrs Zakari’s father. But this was over 60 years ago before Mrs Zakari was born. Besides, the marriage was short-lived and did not produce a child.’’

Haruna said that nepotism and geographical origin in the composition of INEC’s membership, as in the composition of any other organ, should, of course, be of public concern.

“However, what should be of far greater concern is the character, diligence and competence of the members, not whose relations they are or where they come from.

He said that in spite of challenges facing INEC, the commission was ready to deliver more credible elections in 2019 than it did in 2015.

 

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Fidelity Bank Renovates Nasarawa PHC Clinic, Donates Water Facility

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Fidelity Bank Renovates Nasarawa PHC Clinic, Donates Water Facility

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has renovated the Primary Healthcare Clinic along the Workers Village in the Tudun Amba Community of Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The bank also provided water facilities to ameliorate issues of water scarcity being experienced in the community in recent times.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Divisional Head, Brand and Communication Plc, Fidelity Bank, Meksley Nwagboh, said the dignity of every human person is a shared responsibility. The bank decided to embark on the project as a means of improving the living condition of people in the community and as part of the bank’s social responsibility to its host community.

Expressing gratitude to the leadership of the community for giving the bank the opportunity to execute the project, Nwagboh said, “What we are doing today is not different from what we have been doing in communities, local governments and states across the country over the years. As a socially responsible organisation, we take it upon ourselves to impact our host communities positively through developmental initiatives such as these.

“On behalf of the management and staff of Fidelity Bank, I want to say thank you to everyone who made it possible for us to touch the lives of the people positively in this community and we remain committed to playing our part in helping individuals grow, thrive and prosper”.

On his part, the Honourable Commissioner of Health, Nasarawa State, Gaza Gwamna, while commending Fidelity Bank for the donation of a water facility and the renovation works at the Primary Healthcare Clinic, reiterated the state government’s commitment to continue to support commercial banks to boost the economy of the state.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, John Damina, further called on the Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency to utilise the upgraded facility with care to encourage the bank and other private investors to continue to support the less-privileged people of the state.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on the management of the NAPHDA to ensure proper utilization of this facility for the good of the host community and beyond. This will go a long way in encouraging other private sector players to extend the same gesture to other communities in the state,” he said.

Ranked as one of the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged customer commercial bank with over 8.5 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as well as on digital banking channels.

The bank has won multiple local and international awards including the Export Finance Bank of the Year at the 2023 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards; Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023; and Best Domestic Private Bank in Nigeria by the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2023.

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Exec Sec NCDMB, Felix Ogbe Bags Fellowship of Engineering Society

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Exec Sec NCDMB, Felix Ogbe Bags Fellowship of Engineering Society


AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe was on Wednesday inducted into the Fellowship of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

The investiture was performed by the President/Chair-in-Council of the NSE, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, FNSE at a ceremony in Abuja.


In her remarks at the occasion, the President of NSE congratulated the 63 new inductees and urged them to uphold the values of their new position in their field of engineering.

She highlighted that engineers have been at the forefront of driving progress and development across various sectors of the economy, notably in the oil and gas industry.

She particularly lauded the Executive Secretary of NCDMB for his excellent leadership and expertise through the strategic development of local content and in-country value retention, which is a testament to his brilliance in the field of engineering.

She also applauded the strategic partnership between the NSE, the NCDMB and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.


Similarly, the chairman Board of Fellows/College of Fellows, Engr. Kamila Maliki, FNSE, commended the new inductees for their resilience, dedication, and contribution to the field of engineering.

He added that it was not a small feat to be chosen for the investiture due to the rigorous and thorough nature of the selection process.


The Executive Secretary later was joined by the Managing Director of Setraco Nigeria Limited, Engr. Ziad Mouannes and Senator Patrick Ndubueze for the unveiling of the very first edition of the 2024 NSE Quarterly Magazine.


Some senior officials of the Board who accompanied the Executive Secretary to the event included the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, Director, Project Certification and Authorization, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, and the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq.


Before he was appointed the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Ogbe had nearly 30 years top -level career in the field of engineering in the employment of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), before retiring voluntarily to set up his private firm.


His last position at Chevron Nigeria was Construction Services Group Superintendent, and he oversaw 200 personnel, including Nigerian nationals and expatriates.

Other notable positions he held at the company included Offshore Projects Manager, Construction Manager (Lagos & Escravos -Warri), Construction Engineer (San Ramon) in California, United States of America.

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Nigeria’s Adekeye Emerges Chairperson, APPO Training Directors

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AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Nigeria’s Adekeye Emerges Chairperson, APPO Training Directors 

Nigeria’s Folashade Adekeye has emerged as the Chairperson, Forum of the Directors of Oil & Gas Training & Vocational Education Institutes of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO). Adekeye, who is the Director, NNPC Academy, took over from the former chairperson, Mr. Abdelkader Guenone, the Managing Director of the Algerian Petroleum Institute (API), during the second meeting of the Forum, in Abuja, at the weekend. 

L-R: Secretary General, African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim; Executive Vice President, Business Services NNPC Ltd (Representative of the GCEO NNPC), Mr. Inuwa Danladi; new Chairperson, Forum of the Directors of Oil & Gas Training & Vocational Education Institutes of APPO and Director NNPC Academy, Mrs. Folashade Adekeye and Managing Director, Algerian Petroleum Institute (API), Mr. Abdelkader Guenone, during the second meeting of the Forum, in Abuja, at the weekend

Adekeye, who heads the NNPC’s oil and gas training arm, brings into the role over 30 years of experience, and is expected to work with her colleagues from APPO Member Countries in order to foster more collaboration towards addressing the challenges of competences, skill gaps, infrastructure, and poor funding in the organization’s training institutions. 

Earlier in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the meeting, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mele Kyari, represented by Inuwa Danladi, Executive Vice President (Business Services), emphasized the importance of a standardized educational and training approach to meet the changing demands of the oil and gas industry. 

L-R: Executive Vice President, Business Services NNPC Ltd (Representative of the GCEO NNPC), Mr. Inuwa Danladi exchange pleasantries with the Secretary General, African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, during the second meeting of the Forum of the Directors of Oil & Gas Training & Vocational Education Institutes of APPO, in Abuja, at the weekend.

Also in his keynote address, APPO’s Secretary General, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, charged the Member Countries to work towards further enhancing collaborative efforts to establish Oil & Gas Centres of Excellence across the African continent.

 Dr. Ibrahim, also from Nigeria, said having good knowledge of the Forum’s challenges would enable APPO Member Countries to make recommendations and provide solutions in areas such as Oil & Gas project funding, technology adoption, and the formation of Africa Energy Bank. 

He concluded that such collaboration by all member countries will guarantee Africa’s energy accessibility, affordability and sustainability, which overall, will strengthen her economies and bring prosperity to its citizens. 

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