Sale Dunoma, The Change Agent At Nigerian Airports, By Ibrahim Biu

September 21, 2015

The National Productivity Merit Award conferred on Engineer Saleh Dunoma, the Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) last week, showed that the on-going airport reforms which he spearheaded are being appreciated and acknowledged at various levels of the society.
As a matter of fact, those who are directly affected by the positive reforms are passengers who are now happy with the efforts of the Managing Director, as they see the airports as being now more secured, safe and passenger –friendly. The recent increase recorded in the number of Air-travelers has been attributed to the improved status of the airports.
The Aminu Kano international airport for example, had recently undergone massive rehabilitation to make it passenger-friendly.
There are indications that the nation’s aviation sector is now being properly repositioned to play its crucial role of securing a huge revenue of more than N959 billion annually as envisaged by the government. This is according to aviation sources.
The ongoing inspection visits to the nation’s airports by Engr. Saleh Dunoma, along with the Permanent Secretary in the aviation Ministry, Ms. Binta Bello and other top officials in the aviation sector is very reassuring and commendable, as many of such sectors are also out re-strategizing for better results.
There is no doubt that the efforts of FAAN and other stakeholders in the aviation sector will go a long way in bringing in more revenue to government and comfort to millions of passengers across the country.
Engr. Dunoma is believed to have, on assumption of duty took drastic steps to improve facilities at the Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Portharcourt airports like other airports which now have new terminals and other facilities.
In keeping with his promise when he was appointed in 2011, Engr. Dunoma had among others, improved the security network and safety at the airports and has also improved the facilities available for passengers in such a way that the airports, especially the international terminals
can boast of the same type of facilities like those in the foreign countries. He also gave priority attention to the renovation of run –ways, aviation tools, terminals and provision of
modern facilities to the airports.
Engr. Dunoma has displayed a high sense of dynamism that has enabled him to adapt to the ever changing situation in the aviation sector.
Engr. Dunoma’s ability to achieve a lot is due to the fact as FAANs former Director of Project, he has virtually worked with many FAAN Managing Directors before he rose to the MD’s position himself apart from being one of the oldest FAAN employees around since he was reported to have joined the authority.
So far among the airports remodeled under the supervision of Engr.
Dunoma, include the domestic terminal of the Abuja International
Airport, Kaduna airport terminal, the terminals at Benin and Calabar,
International terminal at the Nnamdi Azikwe, Murtala international
airport, general aviation terminal, Magret Ekpo airport, Yola airport,
Maiduguri airport, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Owerri airports. They have
all been reasonably upgraded.
Work is still being carried out on more other airports to make them more beautiful and passenger friendly. This is in accordance with the 5-point objectives of Engr. Dunoma.
Apart from the Permanent Secretary in the aviation ministry, Ms. Binta Bello, the current FAAN Managing Director has been seen physically inspecting facilities at the airports on many
occasions to ensure that things are done according to how his team has
planned them, and as directed by his superiors.

Ibrahim Biu sent in this piece from Abuja. [myad]

President Buhari Congratulates Team Nigeria For Second Position At All Africa Games

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

President Muhammad Buhari has praised the performance of Team Nigeria at the All Africa Games which just concluded in Congo Brazzaville, urging the Nigerian athletes, who came second on the overall medals table to make Nigeria proud by constantly improving on their performance.
In a statement in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President said he had never been in doubt about their zeal and determination to make Nigeria great.
The statement expressed the President’s deep joy that several of the the teams did Nigeria proud and singled out for special commendation, the basketball team, D’Tigers Basketball Team which earned the nation a Gold medal for the first time in 50 years, and by which feat, the country got an automatic ticket to the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.
President Buhari said that the performance of Team Nigeria to the Congo games has yet again brought the massive potentials of Nigerian sports men and women to excel in their chosen areas against all odds. He implored the country’s athletes to do all they can to ensure that Nigeria regains its number one position in Africa and the world at large.
The statement noted that a presidential delegation had attended the closing ceremony and conveyed the President’s congratulations to Team Nigeria and its officials. He promised the team of a fitting ceremony.
President Buhari assured Nigeria’s sports men and women that his administration would accord priority to sports, in addition to boosting the morale of the players and enhancing training for future challenges. He reminded the sports men and women not to rest on their oars because the challenges grow bigger and more complex each day. [myad]

Leave Buhari Out Of Senator Saraki’s Trial, Presidency Cautions

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

The Presidency has cautioned against linking President Muhammadu Buhari to the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki.
A statement by the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Garba Shehu said that insinuations in some quarters that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) are acting upon external instigation are uninformed.
Garba Shehu said that there is no place in law that the Bureau and the tribunal should take instructions from any quarters, saying that as an independent institution equal to any superior court of record, the tribunal is set up by the constitution to determine the issue of default, false declaration or forgery in assets declaration.
“This therefore is purely a judicial process and has nothing to do with the presidency.
“If anyone has an axe to grind with what they are doing, they should do it in a judicial manner by challenging those actions in a proper court of law. “Let them hire a good team of lawyers to prove their innocence.”
The Presidency stressed that the government has no desire to persecute anybody even as it vowed to respect the rule of law, which is why the President is staying out of this matter. “He has said times without number that the war against corruption has no sacred cows.
“Even if the President wants to help, there is no way he can do anything. Is he going to ask the judge to stop the trial?
“It is purely a judicial process, the type of which are routinely dealt with by the CCB and the CCT. There are many cases like this that are going on.
“The President has sworn to an oath to protect the constitution and will not violate that oath.” [myad]

American Presidential Candidate Campaigns Against Muslim Presidency

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

Republican presidential candidate, Ben Carson has advocated no vote to install a Muslim as President because according to him, Islam is antithetical to the Constitution.

Carson, a devout Christian, made it clear that he doesn’t believe that a Muslim should be elected president, adding that a president’s faith should matter to voters if it runs counter to the values and principles of America.

Responding to a question during an interview broadcast today on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he described the Islamic faith as inconsistent with the Constitution.

“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” Carson said. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”

He did not specify in what way Islam ran counter to constitutional principles.

Carson’s comments drew strong criticism from the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“To me this really means he is not qualified to be President of the United States,” said the group’s spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper. “You cannot hold these kinds of views and at the same time say you will represent all Americans, of all faiths and backgrounds.”

Hooper said the Constitution expressly forbids religious tests for those seeking public office and called for the repudiation of “these un-American comments.”

In a separate appearance on NBC, one of Carson’s rivals for the GOP nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich, was asked whether he would have a problem with a Muslim in the White House. “The answer is, at the end of the day, you’ve got to go through the rigors, and people will look at everything. But, for me, the most important thing about being president is you have leadership skills, you know what you’re doing and you can help fix this country and raise this country. Those are the qualifications that matter to me.”

Carson’s comments came amid lingering fallout over Republican Donald Trump’s refusal last week to take issue with a man during a campaign event who wrongly called President Barack Obama a Muslim and said Muslims are “a problem in this country.”

Also speaking on NBC today, Trump said that a Muslim in the White House is “something that could happen… Some people have said it already happened, frankly.”

In multiple interviews Sunday, Trump tried to draw a distinction between all American Muslims and extremist Muslims in the U.S. and elsewhere.

“I have friends that are Muslims they’re great people, amazing people,” Trump said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“You have extremists Muslims that are in a class by themselves,” Trump added. “It’s a problem in this country it’s a problem throughout this world….You do have a problem with radical Muslims.”

GOP candidates have since been split over whether to criticize Trump, who has been a vocal skeptic of Obama’s birthplace and faith. Obama is Christian.

In the NBC interview, Carson said he believes that Obama was born in the U.S. and is Christian, saying he has “no reason to doubt” what the president says.

Carson also made a distinction when it came to electing Muslims to Congress, calling it a “different story” from the presidency that “depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are, just as it depends on what anybody else says.”

Congress has two Muslim members, Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana.

“If there’s somebody who’s of any faith, but they say things, and their life has been consistent with things that will elevate this nation and make it possible for everybody to succeed, and bring peace and harmony, then I’m with them,” Carson said. [myad]

They Killed My Son And Police Asked Me Not To Feel Offended, Citizen Inuwa Cries Out For Justice

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

A Fulani herdsman, Alhaji Inuwa Ibrahim is crying for justice over the unprovoked killing of his 35 year old son, Abdulrahman, who is a father of 5 children, by unidentified hoodlums in
Agejeju in Dakina local government area of Kogi state.
Alhaji Inuwa, who spoke to newsmen today in Lokoja, capital of Kogi state, said that after spending three nights in Dakina police station where he went to report the killing of his son, and after paying over N50,000 to police officers, all he was told by the police was “don’t be offended by the death of your son.”
According to the aggrieved father, the Area Commander of the police in Ayangba collected N25,000 in addition to another N30,000 he spent to allegedly bribe the Dakina Divisional Police Officer as well as to refuel the police vehicles and other expenditures, saying: “all of such efforts ended in nothing.”
Narrating the story, Alhaji Inuwa said that on that faithful day, August 8, he went out on his motorcycle with his late son in Itakwe village of Dekina local government area of Kogi state where they had lived for close to 10 years. He said that on their way back to their house, the son took permission to stay behind to observe the late evening prayer before returning home.
Inuwa said that he was surprised to hear that some people from another village called Agejeju, about 15 killometre apart, went to where his son was, picked him up after shooting him in his two legs and drove him to their village.
He said that the unidentified people, who have been having some misunderstanding with Fulani people in their village, simply brought his son down from the vehicle and shot him to death, along with four others, including one Mallam Saidu with whom his son was taken away.
Alhaji Inuwa said that what pained him was that since he has been living in Itakwe with his late son, they had never gone to Agejeju where he was eventually taken to and killed.
He also said that he and his family have been living peacefully with neighbours for all the years they stayed in the village, adding that even before they were allowed to settle in the village, they were screened by the local chiefs and security agents and certified to be humble, friendly and peace-loving.
Inuwa said that when report reached him that his son had been brutally killed, he rushed to Dakina police station to lodge a report, but that the police did not attend to him until after he had spent three consecutive days and nights.
“And when they turned their attention to me, they asked me to fuel their vehicles, pay for all sort of things before they would move to the site of the crime.
“Even when they were going, they asked me to remain behind. When they returned, they merely told me that ‘those people’ said that they did not take my son. They asked me not to feel offended and that I should go.
“Even when I reported the case to the Area Commander in Ayangba, it did not help the matter; that was after I had been made to part with N25,000 for the Area Commander.”
Our correspondent made several efforts to get the version of the police in Dakina and Ayangba but the Divisional Police Officer and the Area Commander snubbed him.
However, senior police officers in Dakina, who preferred to be anonymous, confirmed that Alhaji Inuwa lodged complaint about the killing of his son, but that when the police went to the village concerned, no one was ready to point out to the police those who killed the man.
“We can’t just arrest anybody on sight since no police was there when the crime was not committed.” [myad]

Aregbesola Appoints Acting Medical Director For Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has appointed Professor Akeem Olawale Lasisi as Acting Chief Medical Director for the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo.
A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the appointment takes effect immediately.
A 1990 graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife, Prof Lasisi, after his mandatory national youth service at the Comprehensive Health Centre, Guma, Benue State between 1991 and 1992, worked at the General Hospital, Ilesa between 1992 and 1993.
He started residency training in Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan in December 1993 and became a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons in Medical College of Nigeria in May 2002.
He joined the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Ibadan as a Lecturer in December 2000 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in July 2004 and Professor in October 2010.
He has received several travel and research grants including the Faculty of Clinical Science travel grant 2003 and 2005, MacArthur Travel Grant 2006, National Institute of Health Travel grant 2013 and the University of Ibadan MacArthur Foundation Multidisciplinary Team Research Grant in 2008 for the Immunological study of prenatal risk factors of ear infection in first year of life.
He is married to Dr. Mrs. Jemilat Lasisi, a fellow of the same College and Lecturer in Physiology/Oral Pathology in the University of Ibadan with 4 children. [myad]

I’ve Lost A Mother, Birthday Mate, Generous Adviser And Matriarchal Legend -Atiku

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

Former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Atiku Abubakar has described Chief Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, wife of the late political sage Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, who died yesterday in Ikene, Ogun state as a mother, a birth day mate, a generous adviser and matriarchal legend.

“I am deeply saddened and immensely touched to lose a mother, birthday mate, generous adviser and matriarchal legend, but glad that I had the privilege to drink from her fountain of abundant wisdom and knowledge.”

Atiku, who holds the traditional title of Turaki Adamawa, said he shares November 25th birthday with the deceased matriarch of the Awolowo family who was already looking forward to celebrating her centenary birthday.

In a statement by his media office in Abuja today, Atiku eulogized and paid glowing tribute to the departed Yeye Oba Adimula of Yorubaland and ageless national icon.

“Mama HID (Awolowo) was mother to all and an epitome of honesty, integrity and dignity. She was a rare gem, a symbol of fineness and firmness, a woman of substantial depth on all matters, a devout and dedicated Christian, a successful business tycoon, a faithful and committed wife, and indeed a case-study for current generation of women leaders and those yet unborn.”

The former Vice President, who is also the Aare Adimula of the Source described the grandmother of Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), as “an embodiment of primordial and contemporary history, symbol of traditional norms and virtues, a fashionista of repute and stickler to discipline and transparency; whose indelible imprints on the sands of time would be hard to erase.”

Atiku commiserates with Nigerians, the Yorubas, the people of Osun state and Ikenne and, in particular, members of the nuclear and extended Awolowo dynasty, on the demise of a great woman leader.

This is even as Atiku has asked wives of Nigerian leaders and aspiring female politicians to imbibe and emulate the legacies of endurance, patience, honesty, integrity and dignity that Mama Awolowo, “jewel of inestimable value,” bequeathed to the nation, and the world at large, in the course of her century-old sojourn on earth. [myad]

In Bayelsa And Kogi, APC’s Positive Change Must Be Deliberate, By John Ainofenokhai

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

President Muhammadu Buhari was the least financially endowed among the contestants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Primaries in December 2014. He was also the least amenable in terms of personal propensity to spend money to woo or buy delegates. However, Buhari won the primaries because there was a consensus on the part of men of goodwill in the party to field a clean candidate with a good leadership acumen not given to corrupt enrichment and one who did not soil his hand as a former military ruler.

It is also noteworthy that the APC rode to power at the general elections on the strength of bringing change to the polity: specifically, to rid Nigeria of corruption and impunity. President Buhari no doubt has been making efforts in this regard, but he is yet to adopt an all-inclusive approach in a manner that party members across other tiers of government will key into his philosophy. An enduring change can only be achieved through collective responsibility and it must be deliberate. In essence, the governors and local government chairmen must key into the APC Change to achieve intended goals.

The emergence of Prince Abubakar Audu, as the candidate of APC for the November 21, 2015 governorship election, is still generating mixed feelings within and outside Kogi State. The reason is not far-fetched; Audu is still under the trial of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of corruption. Although he is qualified to contest the election since there is no court conviction hanging on his neck, however, the moral side of Buhari’s anti-corruption posture indeed raises posers: Is Abubakar Audu the best APC can offer in Kogi? Can APC come to equity on anti-corruption by fielding candidates under corruption trial?

Fast forward to Bayelsa State where there is every possibility that a similar situation is more likely to present itself, except men of goodwill intervene as in the case of Buhari. Political pundits will have no problem staking it that there was no way Buhari could have defeated Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso or Atiku Abubakar if the the Kogi scenario had applied to the APC Presidential Primaries. It was a deliberate intervention for Buhari to pick the ticket. Consequently, any attempt to make Bayelsa to go the way of Kogi is likely going to finally alter the anti-corruption image of the President and the APC.

If APC truly wants positive change in Nigeria, it must be deliberate and this surely goes beyond free and fair Primaries. As it is, no remedy with Kogi, as the contest is now between APC candidate and the incumbent governor from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The election has been largely dubbed by political commentators as a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea-not encouraging by all standards. In Bayelsa too, the countryman governor is already classified by some political analysts in similar negative rating. It remains to be seen if APC will get it right with its own candidate.

We have to get serious with the fight against corruption. Of a fact, we must understand that APC cannot make any impactful change and fight corruption without having governors that will inspire transparency and accountability. Buhari cannot make any meaningful change without his party supporting his crusade at the state level. We must also realize that Nigeria has not been able to overcome some of it challenges because States and Local governments are doing little or nothing to strengthen good governance.

As for Bayelsa, I will like to urge all APC stakeholders across the country to make the change a deliberate and positive one. As a matter of sincerity, I have found just one man who will not even pay anyone to write for him. Yes, I want APC to pitch it tent with the submission made by a writer, Sufuyan Ojeifo, on the choice of Emmanuel Otiotio, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Japan (1999-2003). After reading Ojeifo’s treatise on Otiotio’s aspiration, I went to enquire more about him from some Bayelsans. The verdict was remarkable- if the APC can truly support Otiotio, he will not only send the countryman to the countryside, he will indeed bring good governance to the state.

Let me reproduce a few lines from Ojeifo: “But the aspirant who distinguished himself the most in the manner he came to submit his form was former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Japan, Emmanuel Oseimiegha Otiotio. No hired or rented crowd. He was driven into the party secretariat in two vehicles: a Peugeot 406 in which he and his wife rode and a Toyota Sienna Sedan that conveyed his children driven by his eldest daughter.

“For, in Otiotio, a gentleman that I know very well, an uncompromising man of faith, Bayelsa people will find a compass to God. Under his watch, Bayelsa will be ruled with a palpable and tangible fear of God. His words will be his bonds because he believes in the power of the spoken words. He is therefore not a frivolous talker.”

I think President Buhari has in Otiotio, an incorruptible man and someone of his Spartan nature, one who can support his vision and lead APC anti-corruption and good governance revolution in the South-South, as an alternative to the PDP. This is a serious intervention that is needed on September 22, 2015 as the APC selects its governorship candidate in Bayelsa.

Mr Ainofenokhai, a political analyst, sent this piece from Benin City. [myad]

Mandedes: Why I Will Still Be Singing Like A Nigerian

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

United States of America based Nurse cum singer, Chidiebere Nwosu aka Mandedes has revealed that come rain or shine, he would never cease to identify with his home country Nigeria when it comes to music.

Mandedes who spoke to newsmen ahead of the release of his new single, said home is always the best place and the fact that Nigerians and Africans in the Diaspora are enjoying Afro Pop means he can still make something out of it, irrespective of his location.

“This is music and it’s a global language. It doesn’t matter where it is done and how it is done, people will always be moved by it. I want to sing in Igbo language especially because I feel comfortable with it. For God’s sake I’m known around here as Nwa Mazi and I have to live up to that.

“People believe in me and I owe them what they deserve, which is good music. These are just part of the reasons I can just switch genre.” He said.

The new single titled ‘Shake Ogodo’ according the Arondizuogu, Imo State born singer will be going online on Friday, September 18, 2015 and he described the single as another side of what he can do very well.

“It’s a dance-hall track with swinging Igbo language rhythm and I’m so sure my fans around the world willenjoy it. It will surely get you dancing from beginning to end and it represents every single thing I can do in music” He added.

Mandedes urged his fans to mark the date which is just few days ahead and do everything possible t make the release a worthy one. [myad]

Islamic Bank Promises To Commit N20 Billion To Bilingual Education In 9 Nigerian States

Greenbarge Reporters

September 20, 2015

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has announced the plan to commit the sum of $98 million ( about N19.5 billiob) to Bilingual Education Project in nine Nigerian states.

The President of the group, Ahmad Ali, made the disclosure yeterday, when he led other executives of the bank to host the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, at the organization’s headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Kano emir is in Saudi Arabia as Nigeria’s Amirul hajj where he and his committee are paying for their expenses.

The IDB boss listed the states that would benefit from the investment to include Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Osun states.

“This project was successful in Niger and Chad republics where the Madrasa and Quranic schools were worked upon in such a way that it facilitated the graduates of the schools to enrol in public schools.

“The establishment of this program will help Nigeria overcome some of its education challenges like illiteracy and also to enable those that learned in the Madrasa to be integrated into public schools,” he said.

He said that the board of the bank has approved the investment and is awaiting the final approval from Nigerian authorities.,

The acting country manager, Sierra Leone IDB Mamoud Kamara, said the BEP has been approved in nine countries – Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Djibouti and Somalia – while seven others – Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Cameroun and Comoros – have formalized the requests.

He lamented that one in six out-of-school children worldwide are in Nigeria.

Mr. Kamara, who is also the Manager, West Africa Region Country Programs of the IDB, said the project would lead to the building of 30 modern schools with 720 classrooms, 30 ICT labs, training of 1800 teachers and provision of 1.7 million textbooks among others.

Responding, Mr. Sanusi said he would take the project as a personal responsibility and work towards getting the necessary approvals and actualization in the interest of Nigeria.

He also urged the IDB to consider investing in solar energy in Nigeria, saying the abundance of sunlight in the country makes it a veritable alternative source of power. [myad]

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