NDYM SWEARS-IN NATIONAL DEPUTY PRESIDENT

The Niger Delta Youth Movement, NDYM, has sworn in Mr. Godspower Odenema as its National Deputy President. The swearing-in ceremony held at the LawFab Hotel, Osubi near Warri, on Sunday, February 24. The ceremony was witnessed by the leadership and members of the NDYM in the Niger Delta states. Acting on behalf of the group's President, Dr Nelson Elekima who was unavoidably absent, the group's secretary Barr. Cosmas Akuneho, said the action was in compliance with the constitutional provision of the body. Mr. Godspower Odenema was nominated and endorsed by the national executive council of the body during a meeting held in Aba, late last year. Thus the group swore him in as the deputy president of the Movement and gave him powers to act on behalf of the president whenever the president was absent.In his acceptance speech, Mr. Godspower Odenema said the Niger Delta region was in a path of self rediscovery but noted that unfortunately, intra and inter communal conflicts have often frustrated and messed internal cohesion. "These conflicts have tended to scuttle attempts at forming a common front to the problems that faced the region. If the region is to make any progress it must look inward to dismantle every obstacle to its internal cohesion" he said. For him, the NDYM is the only umbrella youth body without military antecedents and pointed out the fact that the body's action in taking the FG to court for failure to release the statutory allocation to NDDC is an ample demonstration of the leadership style of the NDYM that adopt the rule of law and dialogue rather than violence. He promised to do anything possible to discharge his duties creditably.

APRM/CRM: STAKEHOLDERS INDICT NIGERIAN LEADERS IN GOVERNANCE

Stakeholders at the two day interactive session of the Country Review Mission of the African Peer Review Mechanism in Yenagoa were unanimous in their views that governance in Nigeria was still in tatters. The verdict of the stakeholders, who were drawn from Bayelsa and Rivers states , was the outcome of syndicated groups which independently discussed the thematic areas of the APRM. The APRM, a vital pillar of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) seeks to assess the performance of African governments on democracy and political governance, economic governance and management, corporate governance and socio-economic development. The stakeholders noted that the practice of federalism as a form of governance in Nigeria was a contradiction of democracy which had impeded proper development of the people and every sector of the economy. Leaders of successive governments in the country, including those at state and local government levels, the stakeholders pointed out, were not accessible to the people just as large scale mismanagement of the abundant commonwealth had aggravated massive poverty and diseases across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Another aspect of the stakeholders' inference was that corruption in high places had deepened almost uncontrollable just as greed and self-aggrandizement of public office holders had led to poor implementation of government policies and programmes. The stakeholders observed that the real sectors of the country's economy were dysfunctional and in comatose because there had been no sincerity of purpose in governance over the years.The participants were also worried that very few women were holding positions of trust, insisting that, this had occasioned a huge gender inequality in governance. The stakeholders, who deliberated for over two hours during their syndicate groups' analysis of governance in Nigeria, vis-à-vis the four key areas of the APRM, described lack of participation in governance by the people as a travesty of democracy and good governance. According to the stakeholders, good corporate governance could only be achieved when practical transparency and accountability has been instituted through actionable mechanisms that give priority to sanctions for maladministration at all levels. Making his observation on the verdict of the syndicate groups, Team Leader of the Country Review Mission, Professor Shedrach Bhutto corroborated the views of the stakeholders, saying that corruption had been Nigeria's greatest predicament. Bhutto, a South African, said the cancer of corruption had gone very deep into the country so much so that it had been internationalized. The Country Team Leader maintained the four planks of the APRM would not make impact if corruption and the several other factors highlighted by the stakeholders were not removed from the system. Bhutto said hunger, poverty, disease and under-development had become common features in the index of governance in the country, pointing out that the four thematic areas of the APRM, if well implemented, would enhance development and governance.Earlier, Bayelsa State governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Peremobowei Ebebi, noted that good governance was a basic requirement for peace and sustainable political and socio-economic development."The success and failure of economic vision lies with our sense of commitment, the political will and above all the much needed ingredients of good governance for the overall benefit of the common man", Sylva opined. Sylva, who wondered whether African leaders were living up to the challenges of the goals set by African Union, further said lack of commitment to democratic ideals had led to avoidable conflicts in African countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe and Corte de'Ivoire, among others. While drawing attention to the Niger Delta crises which had become an international problem, Sylva said sustainable peace would continue to elude Nigeria unless there was justice, equity and fairness in governance."Nigeria's self-assessment card also shows that there is endemic poverty, hunger and disease ravaging the country with the grim statistics of living less than one dollar per day, which is the United Nations bench mark for poverty, while life expectancy which used to be 53 has been reduced to 47 years", he said.He urged that affirmative actions and practical solution should be achieved at the end of the review mission to justify the aims and objectives of the APRM to strengthen transparency and accountability in governance in Nigeria.In her remarks, the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Dr. Boloere Ketebu-Nwokeafor said the focus of the APRM was to deepen democracy and enthrone good governance through effective leadership. The African continent, Ketebu-Nwokeafor noted, still to a large extent is confronted with leadership crises, adding that Nigeria could only catch up if "we tackle this overwhelming challenge of engendering good leadership.”The SSG expressed hope that the four key planks of the APRM, at the end of the review exercise, would have charted a new roadmap for rapid socio-economic development in Nigeria .

GOV SYLVA URGE PDP MONITORING COMMITTEE TO ENSURE FAIRNESS IN CONGRESSES

Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State has urged the Peoples Democratic Party national monitoring committee to ensure that the conduct of Ward and Local Government congresses in the state were free and fair. Sylva made the remark when a delegation of the monitoring committee for the state's Ward and Local governments led by Mr. Edwin Rimgwat called on him at Government House, Yenagoa. Sylva described members of the state PDP as one big family and assured the monitoring committee of the state's preparedness towards the conduct of the congresses.He said government was confident there was not going to be violence during the congresses in the state as "some of the initial teething issues have all been trashed out and we are ready to go ahead to conduct the congresses with you". The governor said because the crisis in the state chapter of the party had been resolved, the monitoring committee should ensure that the congresses would not be another source of chaos for all stakeholders. "As believers in the reform process, we would like you to conduct a very free and fair congresses in Bayelsa State because that is exactly what our party stands for", Sylva stated. He assured the monitoring committee that the state government would provide all necessary logistics to enable it execute the assignment diligently.Sylva also expressed the state government's support for the political reform process and asked the committee to convey his gratitude to the national body of the party for providing a focused leadership. Earlier in his remark, the leader of the PDP national monitoring committee to the state, Mr. Edwin Rimgwat explained that the delegation was in the state to ensure that the conduct of the Ward and Local Government congresses were properly conducted. According to Rimgwat, the committee was saddled with the responsibility of seeing to fair conduct of election of officers from Ward to the highest level. He said the election for the Wards would be conducted first while that of the Local Government would take place next weekend and expressed appreciation to Governor Sylva for the support given to the party.

Gunmen Kidnap Total Official, 2 Toddlers

There appears to be no end to the spate of kidnapping and abduction in the Niger Delta as Secretary to the Deputy General Manager of Total Oil, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Nkwo was, Monday night, kidnapped by unknown gun men on her way from Church in Port Harcourt. The kidnappers have already demanded for N80 million ransom. Mrs. Nkwo, who was driving a blue Honda City car, was said to have been trailed and eventually blocked at the gate of Trans Amadi Estate on her way home from evening service at the Royal House of Grace Church on Peter Odili Road. She was subsequently overpowered and taken away. She was however allowed to speak to her husband, Mr. Sam Nkwo , who is said to be the Manager, Training Services in Total at 3am yesterday morning to inform him that her car had been abandoned at the First Artillery junction .When Nkwo and security men got there, there was no sign of the car and till the time of filing this report, it has not been seen. Also yesterday at 7.42am, two toddlers, Chimaroke Okocha (two years and two months old) and his brother Kelechi Okocha (one year and seven months old) were abducted, some distance from their home, by unknown gun men who blocked the Toyota Previa minibus in which they were being taken to the University of Port Harcourt Day Care School in Choba.Spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Rivers State, Lt. Col. Musa Sagir confirmed the two incidents, saying the Commander of JTF in the State, Brigadier General Sarkin Yaki Bello had placed the Force on high alert to contain the situation. “Mrs. Nkwo was trailed and overpowered by her abductors who snatched her vehicle, a light Blue Honda City with registration number AH 48 DBU and driven to an unknown destination. The motive behind this abduction is purely for pecuniary gains as they have requested for N80 million ransom for her,” Sagir said. On the reasons for the upsurge in kidnappings, he said: “The ugly trend is not unconnected with the JTF’s recent dogged crackdown on illegal oil bunkering and trade in condensate in the State and the attendant, consequences, repercussions and outcome on the finances of he miscreants. Right now, the bandits are terribly in a fix and require alternative sources of income, hence the mad resort to abduction.”

FG Grants Bayelsa Concession to Import Cement

The federal government may have given a boost to the process that will boost the socio-economic development of Bayelsa state and make it an investors’ haven. Governor Timipre Sylva has disclosed that the concession granted the state government to import bulk cement into the country will lead to the opening of a cement bagging factory in Yenagoa, the state capital. Preparation to kick-starting the importation process has already commenced with the government’s move to provide warehousing facilities for the storage of the cement. The governor said this will led to an accelerated development of the state as the price of cement has gone beyond the reach of the average Bayelsan. Sylva explained that before now, Bayelsans were buying cement from neighbouring states at exorbitant prices. He pointed out that, with the importation grant from the federal government, Bayelsans will have access to the commodity at an affordable price, and as well attract patronage from other states. He expressed gratitude to the magnanimity of the federal government , noting that this will not only lead to a drop in the price of cement within the state, but will also help the on-going rapid construction works going on in the state.Sylva expressed the hope that the trend will bring about employment opportunities for the youths in the State, stating that the construction of a factory for the bagging and distribution of the cement will be embarked upon by his administration immediately. The Governor also pledged government’s commitment to the construction of an industrial estate and ten thousand units of residential houses for which, according to him, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed.He solicited the co-operation of Bayelsans for a peaceful environment for development to thrive.