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Today’s Headlines: I Can’t Wait To Return To Daura On Monday – Buhari; Ortom’s 5 Unfulfilled Promises

I Can’t Wait To Return To Daura On Monday_Buhari

President Muhamaddu Buhari has criticised opposition parties in the 2023 elections for creating the impression of chaotic elections to the international community while highlighting the success of the elections at both the national and state levels.

Buhari spoke at the Book launch: “A promise kept, a compendium of significant achievements of Muhammadu Buhari administration 2015-2023”, held at the council chambers of the presidential Villa.

He said he was looking forward to Monday when he would return to his hometown, Daura in Katsina State.

“I assure you, I have been counting the days, I am looking forward to Monday very desperately. I will use the weekend to sign some of the papers so that from Eagles Square, I will fly to Kaduna and eventually go to Daura.”

The president stated that the APC has achieved it set objectives as a political party, noting that the last elections were transparent as people voted their choice candidates.

Buhari said citizens were not influenced by money judging by the outcome of the exercise where serving governors and lawmakers lost their bids for re-election.

Ortom’s 5 Unfulfilled Promises

Governor Samuel Ortom’s eight-year administration began in 2015 with many mouth-watering promises to the excitement of people of Benue State. But with barely 2 days to the end his tenure, at least five of those promises are yet to be fulfilled. They include revival of moribund industries; remodeling of the state-owned newspapers, establishment of a civil airport, prompt payment of salaries and pensions and creating gainful opportunity for the youth.

Although the administration made appreciable advancement in the educational sector by restoring the lost glory of the state-owned schools of nursing and midwifery, building of legacy palaces for two paramount traditional rulers of Tiv and Idoma kingdoms, construction of a befitting secretariat for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), construction of some roads and provision of electricity, among others, he could not achieve the five promises that would have had direct bearing in the lives of the people.

He had promised to make the issue of unpaid salaries a thing of the past at different fora during his campaigns eight years ago.

During a church service in Otukpo, the governor was visibly angry at the plight of workers, who were then owed four months by the then Governor Gabriel Suswam administration. He was moved to tears when he addressed the congregation over the issue of delay in the payment of salaries and other welfare packages.

Today, Ortom would be leaving the stage with at least 14 months of unpaid salaries.

The state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers’ (NUT), Levi Terna Akuma, told our correspondent in Makurdi that the state government presently owed teachers 10 months salaries.

Appeal Court Puts On Hold Arrest Warrant On Amaechi

An Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt has warned against further action from the order of a Rivers State High Court, in a criminal suit by the Rivers State Government against former Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi and five others.

The State High Court presided over by Justice Chiwendu Nwogu, issued a warrant of arrest on May 17, 2023, against former Governor of Rivers State, Amaechi, the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Patrick Tonye-Cole, former state Commissioner for Energy, Augustine Wokocha and three others.

When the matter resumed at the Appeal Court on Friday, Counsel to Amaechi, Akin Olujimi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, informed the court about the ruling of Justice Nwogu of the state High Court on the criminal suit, which he said is in disregard of the stay of proceedings pending before the Appeal Court

Olujimi also drew the attention of the court to an application to set aside the proceedings of the Rivers State High Court, pending before the appellate court, which was also disregarded by the state High Court.

DAILY POST reports that a three man panel led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh reserved ruling on the applications after the parties argued and adopted their final written addresses.

Don’t Go with Official Vehicles, Presidency Tells Ministers

Two days to the end of the eight-year regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and handover of power to the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29, the Presidency has said ministers will not be allowed to leave office with their official vehicles.

It said they would only get what the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission prescribes as their severance benefits.

It noted further that Buhari and the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), would also leave behind their armoured, luxury vehicles, which would be taken over by their successors, Tinubu and his deputy, Kashim Shettima, respectively.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, gave the clarification in an interview with one of our correspondents, following the usual practice of government officials leaving office with their official vehicles.

Across the country and at all levels of government, it has become a norm for heads of the executive arm and some heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to leave office with government vehicles; some sold the vehicles to themselves at a rate many people describe as ridiculous; some allocate huge funds for themselves for the purpose of buying vehicles; while some buy or convert government properties to personal use after their tenure.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Shehu stated that Buhari, Osinbajo and the ministers would not leave office on May 29 with the vehicles allocated to them.