Lady Akinjoko, Ondo State PDP Woman Leader Joins ACN

The Immediate past woman leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state, Lady, Ambassador Folake Akinjoko has resigned her membership of the party and pitch her tent with Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

Lady Akinjoko, who announced her resignation as a member of the self-acclaimed largest political party in Africa, told PLATFORM NEWSWIRE in an exclusive interview earlier today that she tendered her resignation letter to the leaders of PDP and joined ACN in view of the actions of some PDP leaders which had brought great misfortunes to the party and for the fact that PDP seems not ready to participate and win in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo state as well as in other elections.

Lady Amb Folake Akinjoko

Her words’ “It’s a fact that I dump PDP, and the reason is not farfetched. It’s because of internal rancour and insincerity of the party leadership. I have seen it that PDP as it is cannot face the challenges of the 20th October, 2012 election in Ondo state and win. And I want to sincerely see myself as somebody who is representing her people in any position I find myself.”

Lady Akinjoko also stated that as the immediate past woman leader of PDP, her action will enable her to console her people and to help them in taking decisions that lead them to the Promised Land.

“I dumped PDP because we always talk of federal might and we believed, if truly, PDP is enjoying that federal might, we would not be losing those elections that we are not suppose to lose. For instance, when we left government in February 2009, through the travesty of justice given by Nabaruma, we believed that, as a party that belongs to the federal government, we had not lost anything. But later, we realized that we lost all,” she added.

She promised to help ACN in the area of mobilising Ondo state women to take part is dislodging the current government, headed by Dr Olusegun Mimiko, as according to her, the governor’s projects are misplaced priorities and waste of public funds, compared to the developmental efforts of the past administrations in Ondo state, especially, during the reign of Dr Olusegun Agagu.

Police rescue woman, recover N2.9m ransom from suspected kidnappers

The Police Command in Delta today, announced the rescue of the wife of the Financial Secretary, Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association,  the recovery of N2.9 million ransom and arrest of four persons in connection with the kidnap.

Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, the Commissioner of Police while briefing newsmen in Asaba, said the woman was kidnapped on Tuesday in her store at Ekpan in Warri.

“The gunmen who demanded the sum of N5 million, took the victim to their hideout in Benin, Edo State,’’ Aduba said.

He said that police officers who carried out the rescue operation returned with the woman unhurt at about 4.30 a.m. on Saturday.

“Acting on intelligence report, men of the state anti-terrorist squad stormed the kidnappers’ hideout in Benin city and arrested four notorious armed kidnappers including a 20 year-old girl.

“The victim was rescued and items recovered from the suspects included N2.9 million which they collected as ransom.

“We also recovered one black Sienna space bus with registration number EK 483 BEN and an Audi car with registration number AA 261 DGS,” the commissioner said.

Aduba told newsmen that anti-crime patrol team from Sapele also arrested two suspects during a stop-and-search operation and recovered 25 live cartridges.

“On interrogation, the two suspects confessed membership of a robbery gang terrorising the residents of Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area and its environs,’’ he said.

The commissioner, who described Ororokpe in Okpe LGA as a `den of criminals,’ appealed to parents to monitor the activities of their children and wards.

“It has become necessary to warn criminals to have a change of heart and take to legitimate business or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.

“We want to appeal to members of the public to have absolute faith in the Command as we have resolved to rout  hoodlums and kidnappers out of the state,’’ Aduba said. (NAN)

Ondo denies arrest of officials by EFCC

Ondo State Government on Friday denied a report, alleging that three top officials of the state had been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. It blamed the opposition for spreading falsehood against it and its officials.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said attempts by the opposition to blackmail the state government would fail.

He claimed that a national newspaper and an Akure-based radio station both owned by a leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria had in separate reports alleged that the EFCC operatives had arrested some of its officials.

Akinmade said the reports were false and that the officials presumed to have been arrested were still at their duty posts till the end of work on Thursday and were currently with their families within the state. He added that they were very embarrassed by calls being received since the reports.

He said, “The game plan of the opposition is to use the false reports to destabilise the state government, using the EFCC but forgetting that the anti-corruption establishment does not act on sentiment and would not allow itself to be dragged into politics.

“The opposition, especially the ACN, is becoming excessive in its campaign of calumny and blackmail to cast aspersion on the state government all in the name of politics.”

Fuel Subsidy Withdrawal: NLC And TUC Urge Nigerians To Prepare For Massive Street Demonstrations

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, along with the pro-people civil society organizations and patriotic professional organisations have rejected the new fuel prices and directed Nigerians to resist their imposition. 

In a statement, they described today’s withdrawal of fuel subsidies by the Presidency as “callous and insensitive,” and intended to cause anarchy in the country.

“It is tragic that the Jonathan Government has become the greatest source of insecurity in the country and the spring of danger to the Nigerian nation,” the statement said, and the bodies directed their state councils and unions to take steps to resist any price above N65 litre of PMS.
They further asked them to await a date for the commencement of general strikes and mass protests across the country.

“Similarly, we alert the populace to begin immediate mobilization towards the d-day for the commencement of the strikes, street demonstrations and mass protests across the country,” the statement said.

[Full text of the statement]:

As Nigerians mourn the victims of the bomb blasts in the last few days and grapple with insecurity, the Jonathan Administration decided to utilize this period to impose astronomical fuel price increases on the populace.

This New Year “gift” by the Presidency is callous, insensitive and is intended to cause anarchy in the country. It is tragic that the Jonathan Government has become the greatest source of insecurity in the country and the spring of danger to the Nigerian nation. 

In the last few days, Jonathan’s administration had told Nigerians that it was consulting us on the issue of fuel subsidy removal and that if any was contemplated, it would be with effect from April 1, 2012.  The NLC and TUC warned Nigerians that this government thrives on falsehood and can therefore not be trusted.  The Presidency’s New Year Day action of removing the fuel subsidy and imposing new fuel prices on the populace is a clear demonstration of the fact that the Jonathan administration cannot be trusted. We also have information that it intends to make a litre of PMS N150.00 and then ask the NNPC to reduce the price at its fuel stations by a few Naira. Nigerians must defeat whatever are the schemes of this government.

The NLC, TUC, the pro-people Civil Society Organizations and patriotic Professional organisations reject these new fuel prices and direct Nigerians to resist their imposition.  We direct our state councils and unions to take steps to resist any price above N65 litre of PMS, and await a date for the commencement of general strikes and mass protests across the country.

Similarly, we alert the populace to begin immediate mobilization towards the d-day for the commencement of the strikes, street demonstrations and mass protests across the country.

With the decision of the Jonathan administration to create chaos in the country, we Nigerians have the duty and responsibility to restore the country to normalcy and reclaim our birthright.
This promises to be a long drawn battle; we know its beginning, but we do not know its end or when it will end. But we are confident that the Nigerian people will triumph over the cabal in Aso Rock.

We call on the National Assembly and the Governors to side with the people and stand by them in this struggle.

The Labour Movement also calls on the police, armed forces and other security personnel not to accept any order to shoot Nigerians or attack them for publicly resisting these evil hikes in fuel prices.  We warn that any officer who does so will be brought to justice, and a claim that he was obeying orders, will not be an excuse for committing such crimes. 

We also put the Jonathan Presidency and its surrogates on notice that we shall ensure that they are prosecuted up to the International Criminal Court if they, by acts of commission or omission spill the blood of any Nigerian over the protests that follow their inhuman acts against the people.
In the next few days, the leadership of the NLC and TUC will jointly issue directives on the date organized national strikes, street demonstrations and mass protests will commence.  We shall neither surrender nor retreat.

Full Text Of The Press Release From The PPPRA Announcing Removal Of Fuel Subsidy

ByReginald Stanley

PPPRA Announces Formal Removal of Subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)

Following extensive consultation with stakeholders across the nation, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) wishes to inform all stakeholders of the commencement of formal removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), in accordance with the powers conferred on the agency by the law establishing it, in compliance with Section 7 of PPPRA Act, 2004.

By this announcement, the downstream sub-sector of the petroleum industry is hereby deregulated for PMS. Service providers in the sector are now to procure products and sell same in accordance with the indicative benchmark price to be published forthnightly and posted on the PPPRA website.

Petroleum products marketers are to note that no one will be paid subsidy on PMS discharges after 1st January 2012.

Consumers are assured of adequate supply of quality products at prices that are competitive and non-exploitative and so there is no need for anyone to engage in panic buying or product hoarding.

The PPPRA in conjunction with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will ensure that consumers are not taken advantage of in any form or in any way.

The DPR will ensure that the interest of the consumer in terms of quality of products is guaranteed at all times and in line with international best practice.

In the coming weeks, the PPPRA will engage stakeholders in further consultation to ensure the continuation of this exercise in a hitch-free manner.

Signed:

Reginald Stanley

Executive Secretary, PPPRA.

Letter to Mr. President: Before Withdrawal of Fuel Subsidy

By Akin O. Akinkuotu

Believe me sir, you rode to the presidential palace on three platforms: 1.The general believe that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is God-fearing and humble. 2. He is not part and parcel of our ignoble political past. 3. Flowing from the foregoing, his campaign slogan --- a breath of fresh air --- was believable.

At inauguration, Mr. President, you told us that you will abide by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This even went beyond mere speech; your Excellency vowed to this effect as provided by the Constitution.

Recently, Mr. President, you brought the issue of removal of fuel subsidy which, in my own view, when juxtaposed with the Constitution and your campaign to introduce a breath of fresh air, negates your demeanor especially before we voted.

First, Section 16(1b) of the extant Constitution provides:

 The State shall, within the context of the ideals and objectives for which provisions are made in this Constitution ----

Control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.

If the proposed removal of fuel subsidy is examined in the context of this Constitutional provision, it will be crystal clear that there is no way such policy could bring about the security of maximum welfare, not to talk of the other laudable ideals which this Section of our Constitution envisaged. On the other hand, it will engender further deprivation and, a lot more of our people would be subjected to deeper poverty, which will act as harbinger of other socio-economic problems that may put the sovereignty of the Nigerian nation into peril.

Secondly, there is no way that the issue of removal of fuel subsidy can be explained to be a fresh matter. In fact and indeed, in most recent socio-economic history of Nigeria, it remains a terribly odious matter. It was the curse in Abacha’s regime. It was the malady in Obasanjo’s government. If Mr. President had brought the issue of removal of fuel subsidy into his campaign before election, his electoral failure would have been without parallel.

It is in the context of all this factors that I respectfully urge our beloved President to view and weigh his seemingly dogmatic pursuit of withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

Mr. President, as your Excellency is an intellectual, one had expected that by now, the news media would have been awash with facts and figures of our petroleum trauma; to the effect that we would have the following at our finger tips:

1. How much it costs to import petroleum products.
2. The quantity of these products imported monthly and yearly. We may calculate from 2007 to 2011.
3. The names and addresses of the organizations supplying us these products. This will enable us cross-check to see if we are being short-changed because there may be a big difference between the amount being paid and the actual worth of our imports.
4. Have we discussed with other producers as we don’t have reason to stick to any particular producer?
5. The beneficiaries of the import arrangements in which we appear to be trapped. This arises because Mr. President was reported to have said that only few Nigerians benefit from fuel subsidy.
6. Why we are not refining sufficient crude oil to meet our needs.

After we have these facts and figures and there is no relief, we then look at other areas that can be adjusted to assist us.

The first area that comes to mind is our elected and appointed politicians. National Assembly is my first port of call. This is because a respected Nigerian, a man of unquestionable integrity, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the CBN Governor (forget what political, religious and ethnic bigots are saying) astounded Nigerians sometime ago by letting us know that we spend a whopping 25 percent of our hard-earned income on Members of the National Assembly. The “Honourable” members did not question his figures. Some of them only tried to cow him but, expectedly, they failed.

It was this revelation that made me sniff around the National Assembly. And, I got some information that depressed me.

One, what is the contribution of the National Assembly to the economic welfare of Nigeria that qualifies each member to earn N20 million monthly? Why are we paying them N45 million quarterly (every three months) as “constituency allowance”? Is it true that each member collects N350 million as furniture allowance?

Why are we buying state-of –the-art vehicles for them only to hear discordant and shameful tunes from the National Assembly? Why are we paying them for aids they refuse to employ?

Was it not in our National Assembly that a medical practitioner turned politician lost his life in a free- for- all wrestling right inside the House?

Didn’t we bury our heads in shame when, in the presence of secondary school children, who escaped by the whiskers, our National Law-makers were throwing sticks, chairs and all-what-not, amidst and against themselves, not quite long ago?

Are our ears deaf to the extent that we didn’t hear that the leadership of the Lower House borrowed N10 Billion from our financial system to pacify some members?

Mr. President, this is where the real waste lies. The salary of the National Assembly members should be reduced to just N2million per month. The so-called “Constituency Allowance” should be cancelled forthwith. Extravagant furniture does not make for good law-making. Five million Naira is more than sufficient for any class of reasonable furniture. Are they there to sleep on gold when millions of decent, skilled and law-abiding Nigerians are roaming about without food?

Furthermore, the President should be courageous enough now, to introduce a Bill to the House to amend the Constitution and reduce the National Assembly to just one House of equal representation as it is in the present Senate, beginning from 2015. We can not afford the luxury of a Bi-cameral legislature in view of the astronomically high cost. After all, they have not done anything really beneficial to this country. The amendments to the Constitution for which they have been boasting is not spectacular. Also, several sections of the Electoral Act, 2010, are being contested at the Law Courts, even by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Secondly, we should stop the waste that is going on at the Executive Arm of Government, be it Federal, State or Local.

For example sir, there is no provision under any Law in force in Nigeria, for the office of the wife of President, Governor or Chairman, at the three tiers of government. Yet, Millions of Naira is spent yearly on the non-essential activities of the august wives of our leaders.

One question that agitates my mind in this aspect is, whether there would be the office of the First Man whenever a woman is elected President, Governor or Chairman, as the case may be.

Moreover, there is a monthly deduction by the head of the Executive Arm of each of the three tiers of government in Nigeria that comes under the curious name: Security Vote.

At the Federal level, it is not part of the allocation for the Military and Para-Military organizations --- Armed Forces, Police, SSS and others. Each has its own vote usually put forward by the respective Ministers in charge of such agencies.

At the State level, Security Vote is the prerogative of the Governor. How much monthly, what and how he spends it is entirely out of public glare. The same rule of no-accountability applies to the various Local Government Councils in respect of this out-law called Security Vote.

Remember sir, Armed Forces, Police and other security agencies are in the employ of the Federal Government. And, the Police posted to States are not employed under the Supernumerary system. So, the Federal Government still pays and equips them.

Next to this is the long list of Senior Special Advisers. They are political appointees and many of them are of “cabinet rank”, that is, they rank equally not necessarily in function and qualification, but in emoluments, with Ministers at the Federal level, Commissioners at the State level and Supervisory Councilors at the Local level. Many of them come with funny qualifications and they are not subject to   scrutiny, however slight, at the respective Legislative Houses like Ministers and Commissioners. There is a State with 108 Senior Special Advisers. I heard about one of them. He is reported to be a secondary school drop-out. He is Special Adviser for Domestic Affairs!

Thirdly, Mr. President should direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to ensure that State governments comply with Section 7 of the Constitution, particularly, subsections (1) and (3).

Contrary to Section 7(1), some State Governors simply appoint their cronies as Chairmen and Supervisory Councilors for their respective Local Government Councils.

These appointments, apart from being undemocratic, negates the letters and spirit of our Constitution.

Also, it constitutes a wide drain of public kitty. There is no way we can query how much they spend. They have no budget as there are no elected Councilors to which the so-called Chairmen will present their respective budgets for approval. They don’t abide by the Code of Conduct provision of the Constitution. They have no plan!

Many of these illegal appointees, parading themselves as Caretaker Committees, enjoy a life style that borders on the ridiculous; more so that we are not sure they are qualified for the positions to which they are appointed. They are only answerable to the Governor.

Mr. President, I strongly believe that if these steps are taken, there will be enough money for fuel subsidy if, indeed, there is any subsidy.

I pray that God Almighty who directed me to vote for you will guide you and protect you from people that want you to cause chaos by this eye-wash bogey they call fuel subsidy.

I am an Attorney-at-Law and author of The Pocket Lawyer Series, based in Ondo State.

Phone:* 08064382259 * 08052244171.

Mimiko assures of speedy completion of ongoing projects

Written by Yinka Oladoyinbo, (Nigerian Tribune)

Ondo State governor, Dr OlusegunMimiko, on Saturday, assured the people of the state of the completion of the ongoing projects across the state.

The governor, who spoke at the Ekimogun Day 2011 celebration, held at the Oba Adesan-oye Civic Centre, Ondo town, said the projects, particularly the road projects, would be speedily executed during the current dry season.

The governor, who lamented the slow pace of work on some of the roads, however, said the contract for the dualisation of roads in Ondo town had been given to a new contractor in order to ensure that the project is completed in time.

He said the development efforts going on across the state were to ensure that Ondo State becomes a model to all other states in Nigeria.

Mimiko, who lauded the participation of Ondo indigenes in the programme sponsored by Globacom, also highlighted the development programmes and projects being implemented in Ondo town.

He explained that the state government intended to create a corridor of medical excellence in Ondo town with the establishment of the Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre, the Trauma and Emergency Centre and the Mother and Child Hospital around the same area.

He stated that apart from the health sector, the government intend to fight poverty and unemployment among the people with agriculture, as the Epe Farm City in Ondo East Local Government area had been completed.

The governor, however, solicited the support of the people of the state to enable him to realise his vision of turning the state to tourists and investors' haven.

The Osemawe of Ondo kingdom, Oba, Adesimbo Kiladejo, urged the people of the community to continue to commit themselves and their resources to promote the economic development and foster good governance.

Mimiko through the microscope

By Kayode Akinmade

When he took the baton of governance in February 2009, he had declared: “I will work for you”. Implicit in that declaration was a message to the people: “You have not voted me as your governor in vain?” 
He came out with a 12-point developmental agenda that is today telling the story of a Caring Heart. 
The areas targeted by the agenda include agriculture and food security, community-driven city and coastal region renewal and general development initiatives, aggressive capitalisation of land resource, roads and infrastructure, industrialisation, no-to-poverty, and gender equality/women empowerment. Others are healthcare and housing, education and capacity-building, artisanship development and empowerment programme, rural development, tourism, sports and youth development. 
The Mimiko vision on agriculture and food security is that Ondo should not only be sufficient in food production, it was also an avenue to stem unemployment in the state by engaging the youths in modern day farming. Agriculture has since been reinvented in the state, while the youths have returned to the land to eliminate poverty and create wealth. 
About 15,000 graduates are engaged in Caring Heart Agricultural Villages at Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area, Epe in Ondo East Local Government Area and Auga in Akoko North-East Local Government Area under a participant-ownership scheme. One feature of the agricultural villages is the provision of infrastructure, including housing units. The community-driven city and coastal region renewal agenda of the Mimiko administration has seen modern markets emerging from the ashes of the old ones across the state. 
From Akure to Okitipupa, Ikare and Ondo town, people now carry out shopping activities in decent environment as against the former dispensation when you could not distinguish between the neighbourhood markets and pig sties. The new era has moved traders away from the streets to the market stalls, thereby freeing the roads from avoidable traffic caused by hawking. 
Dealers in cars have also been relocated from road sides where they formerly displayed their wares, thus constituting public nuisance, especially in Akure. They now have the Caring Heart Auto Mart to operate from. The activities of the Mimiko administration in the almost three years of being in office also show that provision of good roads is high on its priority. 
The rehabilitation and reconstruction works are based on the premise that government cannot drive the desired economic growth and development in the absence of good roads. And the Mimiko initiative does not discriminate between state and federal roads. The mantra is “zero-tolerance for bad roads”. 
Roads currently getting attention across Ondo State include Ogbese-Owo Road, Oyemekun-Adesida-Fiwasaye Road, Mobil/Fiwasaye-Oba Ile-Airport Road and NEPA - Arakale Road, all in Akure; as well as Itanla Junction - Ademulegun - Idi Ishin - Yaba and Akure Motor Park Road in Ondo. 
Before then, the governor had caused Akure-Ilesha Road, a federal road, to be repaired, having gone into serious disrepair and causing mind-boggling accidents. Activities in the Ondo industrial sector are upswing. This is the evidence of Mimiko's impatience to industrialise the state, set a new tempo for economic growth and tackle headlong the unemployment challenge. In the pipeline is a cement manufacturing factory at Okeluse in Ose LGA. This is a product of strategic partnership with the private sector. 
The moribund tomato paste factory at Arigidi - Akoko has been reactivated while the Alpha - 3D Factory at Ikare-Akoko is completed. The comatose Ifon Ceramic Industry and the Cocoa Catalytic Industry, Idanre are also receiving attention. 
An automobile assembly plant is being constructed at Bomodeoku, Ita-Oba in Ondo East LGA. The N2 billion loan the state government got from the Bank of Industry is being disbursed to cooperatives, small scale enterprise operators and medium scale entrpreneurs to help in the creation of wealth, creation of jobs, accelerate industrialisation and stem rural-urban migration. 
The no-to-poverty programme of the Mimiko administration and wealth distribution policy is an affirmation action that has been translated into reality as an offshoot of the ideology of the Labour Party which produced the governor. It established skill acquisition centres in the 18 LGAs of the state for people to learn vocations through which they can make a living. There are also micro-credit facilities for low income earners. 
Mimiko is also supporting the state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC, with funds to expedite the transformation of lives of the people of coastal areas of the state. 
For women, there is the Special Market Women Improvement Loan and Empowerment Scheme, SMILES, which gives non-collateral loans at an amazingly low nine percent interest rate. In the health sector, the Mother and Child Hospital, the Abiye Safe Motherhood project showcases the Governor's position to cut the rate of infant and maternal mortality in the state. 
The innovation is on the way to becoming the World Bank's model to deepen safe motherhood in Africa. The Governor's intervention in the housing sector in collaboration with the private sector is bringing houses within the reach of the common man. Mimiko's '31s initiative' has made rural development much easier. 
Under the administration's rural development scheme, graduates are employed as Community Change Agents to help reach the grassroots to identify confidence building projects. On tourism front, Idanre, the town built on amazing hills, is being developed into a tourist hub of international repute. Beyond this, a Tourism Village, to be sited in Ore, Odigbo Local Government headquarters, is in the pipeline. 
The Dome, an international cultural and event centre, is also proposed for Akure. 
The laurels that the football teams sponsored by the state government have been winning in international competitions are enough evidence of the pride of place sports get in the scheme of things in Ondo under the Mimiko administration. 
The intervention in the education sector is lucid, and flows from a heart that truly cares. It seeks to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich, the haves and the haves not, the privileged and the less privileged. A visit to any of the mega schools will convince you that this is indeed a new dispensation in public school system in Ondo. 
And to be convinced of the new dispensation, you must rewind to the pre-Mimiko era in the state when the public school system not only suffered criminal neglect but also pushed to the brink of extinction. The public school system operated in a dilapidated environment. If you are a teacher and you are teaching in a dilapidated environment without the requisite infrastructure, it doesn't matter how good you may be, pupils cannot learn well. A government is relevant to the people only to the extent at which it provides the necessary infrastructure that will aid the work of the teacher, and this has been the preoccupation of the Mimiko administration in the state education sector. The sum total of the Ondo situation of almost three years is that Caring Heart is at work. 
And viewed from the microscope, the governor's sterling performance in delivering democracy dividends may be the weapon against the opposition in 2013 when he is sure to be re-elected for continuity.

Mr. KAYODE AKINMADE is Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

Unknown Gunmen Kill Ondo Monarch

Unknown gunmen have killed the Ajalaye of Ofefeland, Oba Akindamade Ajinhan, in his house at Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo.

The monarch’s first son, Gbenga Ajinhan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday at Odigbo, that the incident happened between 7.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday.

He said: “The two gunmen just entered the compound and requested to see my dad, who was sitting on the veranda near the front door and my dad asked them what they wanted.

“But they requested to go inside the house, saying it was a political issue which needed secrecy.

“One of them stood at the gate, while the other one spoke to my dad.”

Ajinhan said that as soon as his dad reached the front door, the man brought out a gun and shot him on the leg.

“He shot daddy again in his stomach and when daddy fell, he shot him again for the third time in the head.

“As soon as he turned back and saw me standing near the car, he shot at me too but I dodged it and the bullet shattered the car’s windscreen.

“The gunman then went after my junior brother, who came out of the house with an empty Jerry can, but my brother hit the gun with the Jerry can and took to his heels.

“The gunman picked the gun and ran into the bush with his partner. They didn’t enter the house and didn’t take anything, as my mother and sisters were all inside the house.”

Also speaking to NAN, the deceased younger sister, Mrs Lara Ayelomi, described the incident as “shocking and painful.’’

“People are very wicked, they didn’t let him finish his assignment, he was a very important person, everyone loved him and he loved everyone.

“I don’t suspect anyone but I know that God knows him. This is a very big loss to our family.”

The Odigbo Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr Adekimi Ojo, who confirmed the incident, said it was unfortunate and a surprise.

“It was the first of its kind in Odigbo, we don’t have any suspects yet, but the case is under investigation,” he said.

Source: PM News

NYSC DG wants politicians to watch utterances

Brig.-Gen. Nnamdi Okore-Afia, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has urged politicians to guard their utterances and to stop using inciting words that could threaten the security of corps members during elections.
Okore-Afia made the appeal in Abuja on Sunday at a meeting with security chiefs and INEC commissioners in respect of elections to be held in some parts of the country.
The states where elections will be held are Bayelsa, Sokoto and Adamawa.
The NYSC boss urged security agencies to intensify surveillance and security around the corps members during and after the elections.
He called on politicians to be cautious of their choice of words so as not to trigger any violence which could endanger the lives of corps members, adding that ``NYSC members should be allowed to do their work.
``I want to urge our political actors to desist from uttering inciting statements that may likely make the corps members targets of attacks.''
He reminded politicians that the corps members deployed to states during elections were not indigenes of the states and did not have any political interest, aside from doing their national duty.
Okore-Afia called on members to always stand firm in their resolve to enthrone an enduring democracy, stressing that good governance would guarantee their future.
He, however, warned them to resist any attempt by any political party or their agents to influence them in the discharge of their duties.
The DG assured corps members of adequate security throughout their service year, saying: ``the scheme and the Federal Government will protect you wherever you are posted to.
``Don't allow yourself to be cohort or intimidated into abandoning your conscience and duty to your country as history will certainly record your sacrifices in positive light as the heroes who brought Nigeria out of political darkness of rigging and thuggery.''
He called on well-meaning Nigerians to always care, provide and protect the corps members as their children, ``whose only concern is to see to the development of any community they are posted to.''

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