In Sign of Major Crack within Ruling Party, Tinubu Takes on Buhari’s Minister

Battle may be over appointment of Onikepo Animashaun, NPDC GM Legal

Anayo Okolie

Amid widespread criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari government’s handling of the nationwide fuel shortages, national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday lashed out at the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, in a statement that exposed continuing rifts within the ruling party and the endless scramble among its leaders for sphere of influence in the government.

For more than one month, the public has been faced with the frustrations of not being able to get enough premium motor spirit – the most consumed petroleum product in the country – to buy. This has resulted in long queues of vehicles and crowds of buyers at the few filling stations selling the product. But Kachikwu told State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday that despite the government’s efforts, the fuel situation might not improve until the next two months. He said he was not a magician and did not have a magic wand to eliminate the fuel queues, a comment that drew angry responses from various segments of society, but which APC remained silent about.

However, Tinubu added his voice to the criticisms of Kachikwu’s comments, in a strongly worded statement titled, “Kachikwu needs to know that respect and good performance will do what magic cannot.”

It was however gathered that Tinubu’s denunciation of Kachikwu may not be unconnected with the appointment of Onikepo Animashaun as GM, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).

The former Lagos State governor in the statement which he personally signed said: “Much public ire has been drawn to the statement made by Minister of State Ibe Kachikwu that he was not trained as a magician and that basically Nigerians should count themselves fortunate that the NNPC under his stewardship has been able to bring in the amount of petrol fuel it is currently doing.

“Perhaps, the statement by Kachikwu was made in a moment of unguarded frustration or was an awkward attempt at a joke. Whatever the motive, it was untimely and off-putting. The remark did not sit well with the Nigerian people; they were as right to feel insulted as the minister was wrong to have said such a thing. The fuel shortage is severely biting for the average person. They are forced to remain in lines far too long, for too much time, to pay too much money for too little fuel. This is no joking matter. Livelihoods and people’s welfare are at stake. With so much on the line, Kachikwu’s flippancy was out-of-line. He was basically telling Nigerians that they should be lucky that they are getting the inadequate supply they now suffer and that they should just be quiet and endure the shortage for several weeks more.”

Tinubu criticised Kachikwu’s intervention as “unhelpful,” saying it has caused panic and despair among the public with regard to the duration of the crisis. “It insulted the people by its tonality. He spoke with the imperious nature of a member of the elitist government the people voted out last year and not the progressive one they voted in,” Tinubu said.

He added, “Kachikwu must be reminded that he was not coerced to take this job. He accepted the job and its responsibilities knowingly. He also must remember that he does not own NNPC. This also is not a private company that owes nothing to the public except the duty of fair dealing. He is a public servant. The seat he sits upon is owned by Nigerians not by him. The company he runs is owned by Nigerians not by him. They are his boss. He is not theirs. Power is vested in the people. He is a mere custodian or agent of their will. In talking to us in such a manner, he committed an act of insubordination. If he had talked so cavalierly to his boss in the private sector, he would have been reprimanded or worse. If wise, the man should refrain from such interjections in the future.

“As his ultimate bosses, the people have a right to demand the requisite performance and respect from him. He should apologise for treating them so lightly in this instance. His portfolio being a strategically important one, he needs to re-establish the correct relationship with the public. They no longer feel he is working for their optimal benefit as their servant. Instead, he seems to be standing above them, telling them to take it or leave it.

“For his policies and stint in office to be successful and a help to this government, he must have the support and belief of the people at this tough time. He must talk to them in a way that they believe he seeks their best interest and understands the hardship weighing upon them. He must ask them to work with him and, perhaps, to endure a bit longer but with the knowledge that he is working to resolve this matter as fast as he can and as permanently as possible. That he is dedicated to the position that once these current lines are gone that never again shall they reappear as long as he has any influence in the matter.”

Tinubu said to maintain the confidence of the people and keep their hope alive despite the hard times required neither magic nor training in any strange craft. “It requires empathy, compassion and the willpower to forge a better Nigeria. These must be the common trademarks of those serving in a progressive government, for these attributes are integral parts of the spirit and ideals upon which the APC was founded. Upon such notions was this administration voted into office by the Nigerian people in the operation of their sovereign will to seek a national leadership that would pursue their interests to the utmost and give them every fair chance to live in a better Nigeria,” the APC leader stated.

Tinubu, however, expressed confidence in the commitment and ability of the president to lead the country out of the current economic crisis. “From establishing full security and safety to staking a claim to true economic prosperity and fairness, this government shall salvage our national pride and purpose. Let all of us, in and out of government, never forget this. If we adhere to this remembrance, we shall see that magic will not be needed to bring the progress we seek,” he stated

Tinubu acknowledged the hash economic climate occasioned by the sharp drop in crude oil prices. He said the situation required creative reforms, stressing, “Therein lies the essence of progressive democratic governance.” He said the Buhari administration represented Nigeria’s best hope for the installation of such governance and alleged that the country would have being in a more terrible condition if the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party federal government had continued in power.

Though, he has of late been critical of some of the policies of the Buhari government, Tinubu, in the statement, appreciated the efforts of the administration to right the wrongs of the past. But he stated, “In this effort, there may be no economic matter more difficult to unravel and more sensitive to the pulse of the average person than the current fuel scarcity. Even here I am confident of progress because I know the commitment of the president to resolving this matter. I make no attempt to hide it. I am an avid and partisan supporter of this government and of the progressive policies of the party, the APC, upon which this government is based.

“With that I do reserve the right and the duty as a Nigerian to voice my opinion when I believe a member of this government has strayed from the progressive calling required of this administration. I do this because my greater devotion and love are for this nation and its people. Party and politics fall secondary.”

However, Tinubu, it was gathered, took umbrage at Kachikwu when he appointed Animashaun as GM, Legal, at NPDC. Presidency officials said they noted the unusual public criticism of Kachikwu, who Tinubu ought to know is the minister of state in the Office of the Petroleum Minister, occupied by President Muhammadu Buhari, and that they would have thought that if he had anything against Kachikwu as Buhari’s minister of state, he had all the access to the presidency to lodge his complaints, and therefore found his public reproval of Kachikwu surprising.

A presidency official who said because he was not briefed to comment on the issue, he may not be quoted, noted that Tinubu’s anger with Kachikwu may not be unconnected with Kachikwu’s appointment of Animashaun as GM at NPDC without the approval of Tinubu, given that Animashaun was a permanent secretary in the Lagos State government and a Lagos indigene.

Tinubu was said to be particularly piqued that Animashaun was recommended by Pastor Tunde Bakare, and backed by former Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola, without reference to him before being appointed. He was said to have pointedly asked Kachikwu to reverse the appointment but the minister told him that it was a bit too late in the day to do that as Lagos State government did not raise any objection or make any adverse comment to her appointment as GM and that if they do, then the NNPC management would reconsider her appointment.

When this was brought to the attention of President Buhari, according to the officials, the President maintained that anybody once appointed after following due process could only be removed by due process and not because of opposition from individuals. Following the President’s position on the issue, Lagos State government then wrote a letter to NNPC saying it did not support Animashaun’s appointment.

It was gathered that Animashaun quickly countered that by presenting a letter of commendation from Lagos State government for her exceptional and meritorious services to the state which earned her an award as one of the best performing permanent secretaries, a development that made it impossible for Kachikwu to act on the petition.

Tinubu was said to have insisted that Animashaun must be removed if Kachikwu was to know peace. Presidency officials, therefore, believed that yesterday’s statement authored by Tinubu was one of the first salvos in that direction. They believe so because they wondered why a small comment by Kachikwu on fuel scarcity would attract a strongly-worded statement by Tinubu, a national leader of APC, when he has unfettered access to Buhari to lodge his complaints on any issue.

ThisDay

Why PTAD Boss, Nellie Mayshak, was Suspended

James Emejo in Abuja
The indefinite suspension handed down to erstwhile Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD), Nellie Mayshak, by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, shocked members of the public following developments in the recent past which had marred the reputation of pension managers in the country.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister, Mr. Festus Akanbi, penultimate week had confirmed Mayshak’s suspension by Adeosun while a director from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) was also appointed as acting executive secretary of the directorate.Apart from Mayshak, three other senior officials in the directorate were also suspended.

The statement added that the suspension was a normal civil service procedure, to pave way for an unimpeded investigation into the activities of the directorate under Mayshak’s watch.

However, apart from the announcement that the PTAD boss had been relieved of her duties, no attempt was made to give the details surrounding the development which had already put most public pensioners on the edge.

It was rumoured that Mayshak’s allegedly pocketed up to N60 million as monthly salary, a claim which her close associates had told THISDAY it was untrue and impossible. It however gathered that she arbitrarily fixed for herself salaries and allowances, far above what she ought to earn in her position, (though not anything close to the N60million being speculated) without recourse to Wages and Salaries Commission that fixes the salaries and allowances of Public Servants in her cadre. THISDAY checks further revealed the underbelly issues which led to her being suspended indefinitely.

Trouble started when Mayshak had during the tenure of the former Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla, demanded that the sum of N3 billion, which was earmarked for the verification of pensioners nationwide be released to enable her carry out the exercise. Otunla, however, reportedly declined her request and insisted that the verification exercise ought to be carried out by the OAGF and not PTAD.
The suspended PTAD boss further insisted that the money must be released to her, else she would not sign as a party for the withdrawal of the fund.

The disagreement lingered all through Otunla’s tenure, THISDAY further gathered, making it impossible for PTAD to draw the N3 billion during the former AGF’s tenure.
The issue was said to have been reintroduced to the new Accountant General, Mr. Ahmed Idris, who also insisted that the verification be carried out jointly by PTAD and OAGF.

But Mayshak, once again stuck to her guns and rejected the suggestion.
It was learnt that she later met with directors of the OAGF and maintained she wanted to carry out the exercise without any external support, a request which was further turned down.

THISDAY gathered that after much pressure, the AGF later yielded to her demand and released the money to her, even though the directors were unhappy with the release of the funds, prompting series of anonymous petitions accusing her of misappropriation of funds, nepotism, inflating contracts and using companies allegedly linked to her to corner juicy contracts at PTAD.

Adeosun was said to have called Mayshak penultimate Tuesday to prepare her documents in response to the allegations. The minister had confronted Mayshak with the allegations bordering on abuse of office.
Specifically, Mayshak was alleged to have employed her relatives to important positions as secretary, and in the ICT department of the agency. Sources gave their names as Patricia Iyohe, Mrs. Ruth Imonikhe (who is her secretary), and one Yohab. They were also alleged to be influential in PTAD and key players in some of the allegations leveled against the suspended pension boss.

After Adeosun confronted the suspended DG with the accusations and facts that Tuesday, Mayshak was said to have failed to put up a convincing defence and was ordered right before Idris not to return to PTAD as she had been suspended indefinitely.

Three other senior officials in the agency were also suspended in relation to alleged scam and abuse of office following an audit report.

Besides, counted as part of abuse of office and insubordination, inside sources also told THISDAY that Mayshak allegedly arrogated to herself the position of a director general instead of simply an executive secretary in violation of the Act that established the directorate. Section 42 (3) of the Pension Reform Act, 2014 designated her office as Executive Secretary. Her refusal to use that executive secretary designation was seen as a clear breach of the enabling Act. In the industry, only the office of the head of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), the regulatory authority of the pension industry in Nigeria, is designated as Director General.

Although, Mayshak was ordered not to return to her office, sources alleged that she went back to the office on that Tuesday night and may have left with vital information.
Following the incident, THISDAY sighted a detachment of DSS officials positioned at the premises of PTAD in two black pickup vehicles.

The DSS was said to have mounted a round-the-clock vigilance at the premises of the agency, to perhaps monitor nocturnal activities at the agency.
A staff of PTAD told THISDAY that the security operatives had also issued orders to private security operatives in the agency to be vigilant and ensure that nobody moved out of the premises with excess luggage.
“The DSS have ordered that those who come in with one bag shouldn’t leave the office with more than one bag,” the source said.

THISDAY further learnt from company sources that there had been grievances against the former DG which bothered on favoritism and discrimination in job offers in the agency.

PTAD was created in August 2013 under the Pension Reform Act of 2004 to oversee the management of pensions under the defined benefit scheme for pensioners who were not accommodated in the new defined contributory scheme.
Essentially, the implementation of the contributory pension scheme (CPS) was envisaged as solution to the old pension arrangement whereby funds had been misapplied by various government regime, creating huge backlogs of arrears of unpaid pension among other challenges.

The lastest unsavory development came as Nigerians were still trying to cope with the recent pension fraud involving the former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, with over N2 billion he allegedly stole through fraudulent biometric contracts.

However, Nigerians were particularly pleased at the new arrangement in pension management where monies are not concentrated in the hands of a unit, often giving room for abuse.
Under the CPS, pension fund administrators don’t necessarily have access to contributed funds, a situation which reduces the incidence of corruption.

Following past experiences in pension assets mismanagement, however, issues relating to funds management had always been of interest to stakeholders who want to be assured that their money is safe at all times.

Nevertheless, sensing the magnitude of the disaffection which Mayshak’s removal may generate in the public, including the condition of pension assets, the management of the agency had been quick to assure pensioners, particularly those being currently managed by PTAD that the development would not affect pension payments and services.

Experts believe negative incidences of fraud as regarding pension funds management will continue to generate tension particularly among pensioners, some of who depend on it for sustenance.

Although the situation appeared to have been put under some measure of control, the managers of public pension assets would need to be put under spotlight to reduce the incidence or possibility of corruption which is capable of destroying the reputation of the system and eroding stakeholders’ confidence in the administration of their funds.

Bumpy roads to CAN presidency

by Sunday Oguntola,
The presidential election of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) billed for May is tearing apart hitherto united groups and stakeholders with unexpected intrigues almost on a daily basis. SUNDAY OGUNTOLA reports on the tension-soaked build-up to the exercise as well as infighting among blocs and churches constituting the organization.

ALL is not well with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) ahead of its presidential election later in May. The struggle for the body’s top position worsened last Monday with the kidnap of President of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCC), Reverend Emmanuel Dziggau.

Dziggau, who is also head of TEKAN/ECWA bloc of the umbrella Christian body, was abducted in a farm some 17km off the Kaduna/Abuja expressway with two other ministers identified as Rev. Iliya Anto and Rev. Yakubu Zarma. The trio was at the farm for clearing of land for the church’s seminary, which was about to take off when six masked gunmen seized them.

They were whisked to an unknown destination immediately. But impeccable sources said the kidnappers contacted the UCC’s leadership few hours later after realising Anto, who had just undergone a surgery, was sick. They reportedly arranged to have him picked up on compassionate grounds at a prescribed location.

The operation was however busted when the kidnappers sighted policemen with the church’s leaders waiting to pick up the sick Anto. It was gathered that the kidnappers called off the pick-up effort and placed an N100million ransom on the three pastors. Our correspondent learnt that members and leaders of UCC are negotiating with the kidnappers for downward review of the ransom while also raising funds to secure release of the ministers.

Few hours after the kidnap, the national secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Asake, attributed the incident to contention for the body’s forthcoming election in an SMS to church leaders nationwide.

Asake said: “To all CAN leaders all over the country, it is with heavy heart that I send this SMS to you to inform you that the unbelievable has happened in the family of CAN. The TEKAN/ECWA bloc leader, Rev. Dr Emmanuel Dziggau was kidnapped today and it is in connection with the forthcoming CAN election.”

He later summoned all church leaders to an emergency meeting at the National Christian Church, Abuja for last Thursday by 6pm, stating “all hands must be on deck to ensure those who do not wish the church well do not succeed.”

Investigations revealed that the meeting was called off when some church leaders queried Asake for linking the kidnap incident to the forthcoming election. Many of them, it was learnt, challenged him to present evidence of the inference, expressing anger that the body’s leadership was already drawing conclusion before investigations.

It was learnt that the development led to a shouting match among some church leaders in Abuja last week. Sources said some took on Asake for having the effrontery to send out such a loaded message out before security agents were allowed to do their work.

More than a kidnap

The Secretary of National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), Pastor Bosun Emmanuel followed up with an email on the kidnap incident to selected church leaders. He said: “It is believed that the kidnap is not unconnected with subterranean moves being made by some forces in the country to influence the election of the next President of CAN.

“Rev. Dr Dziggau, according to people close to him, has consistently resisted pressures to support undue interference in the election process to produce the next President of CAN, a stand which has drawn the anger of some influential Christians in government. He has been heard to express his neutrality openly.”

Dziggau, according to investigations, is a key figure in the election process. As head of a bloc, he has the authority to recommend anyone from his group for the top post. While he has stated that he is not interested in vying for the position, some forces within the TEKAN/ECWA have been rooting for the national president of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Dr Jeremiah Gado, to represent the bloc.

It was learnt that Dziggau balked at the idea, telling many that the bloc has no interest in presenting anyone for CAN presidency. His position has been interpreted as an opposition to the ambition of Gado, making some to insinuate that he might have been kidnapped to prevent him from being a spoiler to Gado’s aspiration.

Election politicking: Not even the church is spared

One of those fuelling the theory told our correspondent on strict condition of anonymity that “You know there is an internal crisis within his bloc. They did this to shut the man up. I doubt if he will be released until after the nomination process has been concluded. This is from his bloc and it is very unfortunate.”

But those in the pro-Gado’s camp are countering the insinuation. They said such theory do not hold waters. “If we need him to nominate Rev. Dr Gado, why would we kidnap him? Will that make him do what we want as they insinuated? This does not make sense and I think people should be a bit smarter when saying things.”

Instead they are also pointing accusing fingers at the current leadership of CAN, saying it was behind the abduction of Dziggau. They said the kidnapped leader is known to have sympathies for the CAN’s helmsman, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, who they accuse of plotting to install his successor at all costs.

“Oritsejafor and his group are behind all of this. They want to make it look like an internal crisis within TEKAN/ECWA. That is why they are quick to jump into conclusion and impute motives to the incident,” the source added.

Executive Director of Voice of Northern Christian Movement, Pastor Kallamu Dikwa, said the abducted Dziggau must have connived with forces loyal to Oritsejafor to plan the incident. This, he alleged, “is to cover their corrupt activities during the Jonathan’s years and get sympathies from people, while also destabilising the next CAN election so that they can remain in CAN.”

But spokesman of Northern States CAN, Rev. Joseph Hayab, denounced insinuations that the kidnap had anything to do with the forthcoming elections. He said the incident was carried out by criminals out to make cheap money.

According to him, “It is mischievous and childish to say the kidnap is about CAN election. It is sad that some people are politicising a criminal issue that affects a religious leader. In the last one month, at least four people have been kidnapped around the same place that these men of God were seized. Were those cases also related to the elections?”

Contending interests

Investigations revealed that Oritsejafor has more than a passing interest in who succeeds him. This, it was learnt, is why the election, which has always been outside of public purview, has attracted so much attention and drawn church leaders against themselves.

President of National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), Solomon Asemota, in a document titledNext President of CAN, said the forum, which was created by Oritsejafor, “should give advice by way of guidance to help in the selection of a qualified, suitable and respectable President of CAN.”

Asemota asked members of the forum in the private document: “In the circumstance, would it be safe for the NCEF to be neutral so that a perceived Islamist or their proxy, sympathiser or agent becomes the President of CAN?” It is believed Oritsejafor is out for a successor that will protect his legacies and prevent possible backlashes from unintended mistakes.

The wars within blocs

At the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of CAN in Abuja, it was decided that the five blocs namely the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN); the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN); the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)/Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN); Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) and TEKAN/ECWA should submit names of their respective candidates latest by March 31.

The directive has thrown up serious contentions within the TEKAN/ECWA and OAIC blocs, which are yet to produce the body’s president. Many forces and vested interests have been scheming and coming up with permutations to support their respective candidates.

The OAIC clearly has the advantage in producing the next President of CAN. This is because of the general consensus that the slot should be ceded to the bloc. Churches within the bloc are however known to be disunited and always at each other’s throats, almost foreclosing the possibility of a consensus candidate.

The General Evangelist of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW), Elder Joseph Otubu, is a strong contender from the bloc. The retired gynaecologist is a leading light of Aladura Movement, which is a major component of the bloc. Some consider him the best prospect from the bloc in terms of pedigree and professional exposure.

There is a wide sentiment among the Aladura Movement in OAIC that Otubu represents their best chance to have a shot at the presidency of CAN. Many of them who spoke with our correspondent said should Otubu be stopped by forces within the bloc, the Aladura Churches might never lead the Christian community in the foreseeable future.

But he is facing serious opposition from elderly components of the church, which some forces said are just envious of his meteoric rise within the movement.

The soft-spoken, rich cleric has however been receiving endorsements from some prominent leaders of the Aladura Movement, including Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye, the Chairman of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Movement Ayo Ni O and Spiritual leader of Sacred Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Nigeria, His Most Eminence Dr. Solomon A. Alao, who is also leading the Unification arms of the Aladura Churches.    Many other members of the Movement from the South East have also endorsed his candidature from letters written to CAN secretariat that our correspondent obtained.

But there is also the South West Chairman of OAIC, Archbishop (Professor) Magnus Atilade, who is giving Otubu a big chase in the bloc. Atilade, also a medical doctor, has long years of experience in CAN.

He was recently appointed as the First vice national President of OAIC in Abuja to underscore his importance within the bloc. His opponents said that the new position was to shut off from the CAN presidency while his supporters said it was to shore up his candidature.

Atilade is widely connected with active services in several capacities within CAN. But his critics said he is not a bona fide member of OAIC because his church, Gospel Baptist Conference of Nigeria and Overseas broke from the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), which is part of CCN. They said Atilade should be part of CCN and not OAIC, which has more Aladura churches.

Otubu has the support of the large Aladura majority within the bloc while Atilade is the toast of some other indigenous churches within the group. The NEC of OAIC is expected to meet soon in Abuja to present a candidate, which is seen as a tough choice. The REC meeting of OAIC has been put on holds for several weeks, ostensibly to calm frayed nerves and reduce tensions within the bloc.

In ECWA/TEKAN, Gado is the darling of most northern interest groups and bodies. They see him as a rallying point because no northern, aside from Archbishop John Onaiyekan from Kabba in Kogi State, has ever presided over CAN. Onaiyekan got the position via the CSN bloc, which dominated the umbrella body for several years. Most northern Christians, who spoke with our correspondent, said it is the turn of the region to lead the organisation.

They argue that the body took off in the north in 1964 as a response to the series of attacks and persecutions targeted against Christians before it became a national body in 1976. Hayab said there was nothing wrong with having a northerner as CAN president because the region has supported others from the South in the past.

He said: “We never saw anybody as northerner or southerner. We saw everybody as a Christian. I am surprised people are seeing this thing from a tribal point of view. This is not good for Christian unity and oneness. We should allow the best candidate to emerge that will protect Christians nationwide.”

But Gado has serious battles to contend with. The current secretary general, Rev. Musa Asake, is from his bloc. His critics said it wouldn’t be possible to have a President and Secretary from the same bloc. Many believe Asake is indisposed to Gado’s emergence so as to retain his position in the incoming administration.

But our correspondent’s findings revealed that Asake was appointed to complete the tenure of Engr. Salifu, his predecessor from the same bloc, who fell out with Oritsejafor few months after the latter became national president and resigned in anger.

Gado’s biggest hurdle to the CAN presidency however is the perception that he is the anointed government’s candidate. This perception stems from the fact that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, is a pastor in ECWA. Gado’s critics and opponents are insinuating that Lawal is using his influence and contacts in the presidency to push for the ECWA president candidature.

Lawal’s Senior Special Adviser on Political Matters, Gideon Sammani, is also a member of ECWA church. It is believed that Lawal and Sammani are working behind the scene to shore up Gado’s aspiration, an allegation that his supporters have denounced as an attempt to blackmail him out of the race.

The involvement of the presidency in the election is said to have sent jitters down spines in Aso Rock. Our correspondent gathered that there is an express directive that nobody in the presidency should interfere in the process to avoid embarrassment.

Conversation with Gado

The ECWA President told our correspondent on phone last Friday that all the insinuations against his candidacy were orchestrated to smear and frustrate him out of the race. Reacting to the allegation that he had anything to do with Dziggau’s abduction, Gado said: “Those spreading that rumour are threatened by my candidacy so they want to smear me. They see me as standing on their way out of desperation. They are just out to blackmail me.” He believes the abduction was arranged to frustrate the primary of TEKAN/ECWA from holding. “I’m for primary in TEKAN/ECWA. But some forces do not want this to hold. When we met in March 15 for the exercise in Jos, Plateau State they scuttled it.

“It has been postponed to March 29, just two days before the deadline for submission of bloc nomination to the national secretariat. I am suspecting the abduction was to prevent the primary from holding. If there is anybody that wants the primary to hold, it is me.

“If we cannot hold the primary, I won’t be able to be nominated to contest from my bloc. So, I suspect they are holding Rev. Dziggau to frustrate me. I fear he might not be released until after the primary has been foreclosed. Those who rushed to make insinuations about the incident should know something about the abduction,” he concluded.

Gado said the process leading to the primary in TEKAN/ECWA has been anything but orderly. “Due process is not being followed. There is no order. I don’t mind losing because it is not a matter of life and death. But I want to lose in a free and fair primary.”

He dispelled the notion that Lawal and Sammani were working for him in Aso Rock, saying they are just church members. “I solicited for the help and support of all ECWA members. They are our members but they have nothing to do with this aspiration. If they support me, it is only in their private capacities.”

How the new president will emerge

Until six years ago when Oritsejafor mounted the saddles, CAN election was more or less a private affair completely carried out without any hues or cries. But everything changed when Oritsejafor decided to challenge the establishment and mounted a spirited campaign that took him to most parts of the north.

His efforts yielded results when he clinched the presidency. His flamboyant lifestyle and public comments soon attracted attention to the otherwise conservative organisation. Article 18d of the body’s constitution prescribes that the President and Vice President “must be nominated by an electoral college of 15 spiritual leaders.” The Electoral College will be inaugurated by March 31 with each of the five blocs nominating three representatives. It is at the College that the real battle is expected to be fought. This is because whichever of the five candidates presented to the College members will be pruned down to two.

The two candidates with the highest votes will be presented to CAN’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which has 109 members drawn from the five blocs; 37 state representatives; national officers and the women and youth wings of the body. An election at the stage between the two candidates will finally determine the next CAN president with the one with the second highest votes automatically becoming the vice-president.

The General Assembly merely ratifies the result of elections. But it has the option of opposing the candidate with the majority votes, which will force the Electoral College to “reconsider the suitability or otherwise of the candidate based upon the reasons adduced by those who opposed.”

It is expected that the forthcoming election will go the long hull with gladiators determined to ensure that only their candidates succeed. The desperation is already creating ripples and fears of a breakaway in the umbrella Christian body. The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in 2014 suspended its participation at the national level of the body, saying it had derailed from its original mandates.

The group was bitter with the undue attention Oritsejafor was drawing to the body, saying his leadership style leaves much to be desired. It only returned less than a year ago after much persuasion from concerned senior citizens.

The imminent implosion, many fears, may result if the northern axis of the group loses out at the presidency. Some foot soldiers in northern CAN are already threatening to pull out. They say they have more numbers to stand on their own. But their Southern counterparts counter that they provide the resources and impetus to run the organisation.

Whichever way the election goes, CAN will no doubt not remain the same again. The new helmsman will face a serious hurdle on reconciliation and realignment for the apex Christian body to regain its lost glories.

Fuel scarcity: Tinubu blasts Kachikwu

•Tinubu

• Takes exception to minister’s ‘I’m not a magician’ comment
• Says respect, good performance will do what magic can’t do
National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday ruled the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, out of order for saying he should not be expected to conjure magic in resolving the current fuel crisis in the country.
He said the minister strayed from the progressive calling required of the Buhari administration by making the statement attributed to him.
Kachikwu who doubles as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had said, in reaction to public criticism of his handling of the fuel scarcity, that Nigerians should count themselves fortunate that the NNPC under his stewardship has been able to bring in the amount of fuel it is currently doing.
Tinubu, in a statement, threw in his lot with Nigerians who, according to him, were “as right to feel insulted as the minister was wrong to have said such a thing.”

He said those charged with the responsibility of running the affairs of the country should learn to do things creatively and away from past practices.
His words: “The art of governance is difficult and complex, especially during trying times. The steep reduction in global oil prices from over 100 dollars per barrel to roughly 40 presents a hard challenge. “We can no longer afford past practices. Nigeria now requires creative reform, materially changing the substance of national economic policy as well as the objectives of that policy and how the policy is presented to the people. Therein lies the essence of progressive democratic governance.
“The Buhari administration represents the last best hope we have to install such governance in Nigeria and avert the catastrophe that would have befallen us had the prior government remained in place. Had the nation continued with the spendthrift corruption and vagabond economic policies of that administration, we would have soon experienced such a collision with the harsh consequences of that government’s malign ways that our very institutions of government may have been distorted beyond fixture and repair.”
Asiwaju Tinubu added, “In this effort, there may be no economic matter more difficult to unravel and more sensitive to the purse of the average person than the current fuel scarcity. Even here I am confident of progress because I know the commitment of the president to resolving this matter. I make no attempt to hide it. I am an avid and partisan supporter of this government and of the progressive policies of the party, the APC, upon which this government is based.
“With that I do reserve the right and the duty as a Nigerian to voice my opinion when I believe a member of this government has strayed from the progressive calling required of this administration. I do this because my greater devotion and love are for this nation and its people. Party and politics fall secondary.
“Much public ire has been drawn to the statement made by Minister of State (Ibe Kachikwu) that he was not trained as a magician and that basically Nigerians should count themselves fortunate that the NNPC under his stewardship has been able to bring in the amount of petrol fuel it is currently doing.
“Perhaps the statement by Kachikwu was made in a moment of unguarded frustration or was an awkward attempt at a joke. Whatever the motive, it was untimely and off-putting. The remark did not sit well with the Nigerian people; they were as right to feel insulted as the minister was wrong to have said such a thing.
“The fuel shortage is severely biting for the average person. They are forced to remain in lines far too long, for too much time, to pay too much money for too little fuel. This is no joking matter. Livelihoods and people’s welfare are at stake. With so much on the line, Kachikwu’s flippancy was out-of-line. He was basically telling Nigerians that they should be lucky that they are getting the inadequate supply they now suffer and that they should just be quiet, and endure the shortage for several weeks more.
“Kachikwu’s intervention was unhelpful. It panicked and disappointed the public as to the duration of the crisis. It insulted the people by its tonality. He spoke with the imperious nature of a member of the elitist government the people voted out last year and not the progressive one they voted in.”
He reminded the minister “that he was not coerced to take this job. He accepted the job and its responsibilities knowingly. He also must remember that he does not own NNPC. This also is not a private company that owes nothing to the public except the duty of fair dealing. He is a public servant. The seat he sits upon is owned by Nigerians not by him. The company he runs is owned by Nigerians not by him. They are his boss. He is not theirs. Power is vested in the people. He is a mere custodian or agent of their will. In talking to us in such a manner, he committed an act of insubordination.
“If he had talked so cavalierly to his boss in the private sector, he would have been reprimanded or worse. If wise, the man should refrain from such interjections in the future.”
In defending and asserting the rights of Nigerians to complain, Tinubu averred that “As his ultimate bosses, the people have a right to demand the requisite performance and respect from him.  He should apologise for treating them so lightly in this instance. His portfolio being a strategically important one, he needs to reestablish the correct relationship with the public. They no longer feel he is working for their optimal benefit as their servant. Instead, he seems to be standing above them, telling them to take it or leave it.
“For his policies and stint in office to be successful and a help to this government, he must have the support and belief of the people at this tough time. He must talk to them in a way that they believe he seeks their best interest and understands the hardship weighing upon them. He must ask them to work with him and perhaps to endure a bit longer but with the knowledge that he is working to resolve this matter as fast as he can and as permanently as possible. That he is dedicated to the position that once these current lines are gone that never again shall they reappear as long as he has any influence in the matter.
“To do this, requires no magic nor training in that strange craft. It requires empathy, compassion and the willpower to forge a better Nigeria. These must be the common trademarks of those serving in a progressive government for these attributes are integral parts of the spirit and ideals upon which the APC was founded. Upon such notions was this administration voted into office by the Nigerian people in the operation of their sovereign will to seek a national leadership that would pursue their interests to the utmost and give them every fair chance to live in a better Nigeria.
“Even though times are hard we must all realise that they would  be even harder and much darker would be the immediate horizon had we allowed the venal, kleptocracy of the PDP to continue to lord over the land solely for their selfish benefit and not for the common good.
“I am confident that President Buhari and this government can resolve the issues that press us. From establishing full security and safety to staking a claim to true economic prosperity and fairness, this government shall salvage our national pride and purpose,” Tinubu concluded.

TheNation

Segun Awolowo's Reign Of Ruin At The Nigerian Export Promotion Council

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by SaharaReporters, New York Mar 25, 2016

Mr. Segun Awolowo Jnr., the Executive Director/CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), sits atop a government agency brimming with corruption, mismanagement, tribalism as well as flagrant indifference to public service regulations and due process. Documents exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters show that Awolowo, a grandson of the revered administrator, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, along with some senior staff of the council, run a profoundly rotten agency.

The situation has provoked some insiders to call the attention of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Mike Enelamah; and the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, to the reign of impunity in the council. In letters of complaints separately addressed to the Minister and the Head of Service, the disaffected insiders are also demanding investigations into process abuse and the institution of genuine reforms to forestall a recurrence.
Awolowo, who, years back, was a famous figure on the Lagos social circuit, is living large at the expense of the NEPC. His life of immodest opulence as a public servant has further exposed Mr. Awolowo is a corrupt public officer holder. As Executive Director/CEO, Awolowo has a six-car fleet, including a siren-blaring pick-up van. However, officers on assignment at the headquarters are left to depend on car hire services. Also, only five out of 15 zonal offices of the NEPC have operational vehicles.
According to SaharaReporters sources, Awolowo runs a corrupt fund allocation system. He is said to allocate single-handedly funds, a disregard for the  federal financial rules, given the responsibility to the Fund Allocation Committee. This has resulted in inappropriate and lopsided allocations to departments. For instance, SaharaReporters learnt that the Trade Information Department, which is the biggest department, received N10 million in May 2015 while N20 million was allocated as a contingency.
Awolowo is also said to be fond of ceaseless overseas trips at the detriment of execution of operational duties. A travel agency ALML Travels & Tours, with the address. 25 Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, has so far been paid over N60 million for flight tickets issued. He has also been found to have collected monies for trips not made. Information made available to this medium show that Awolowo received funds for travel to AGOA Forum in Gabon between  August, 24 and 28 2015, Trade Mission to Belgium on  May 26th, 2015, Non-oil Export Trade Hub visit to Togo between October, 15 and 16 2014 and Export Warehouse Meetings in Maradi and Konni, Niger Republic between  June, 16 and 17 2014 and May,   12 – 14 2015 respectively. For all of the trips, payments were, made but trips were reportedly not undertaken. He has also been discovered to have developed a scheme through which he creams off money via frivolous projects. The 2013 Nigeria Solo-Exhibition in Lome, Togo, gulped over N170 million. Insiders said it should never have cost more than N15 million.
Another misdeed of the Executive Director is the practice of paying Estacode and Duty Tour Allowances, using the rates for officers in the directorate cadre for his personal staff who are not in the employ of NEPC. This is a contravention of the provision in the Public Service Rules rule as contained in Circular No 59729/T.1/154. Awolowo also paid N3.1million as out of pocket expenses to KPMG consultants to cater for their flight tickets, local transport, accommodation and feeding despite full payment of their consultancy fees.

The Executive Director is said to regularly brag about his family background and the fact that he is an in-law to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Two weeks to the release of the now controversial results of the last promotion exercise in the NEPC, Awolowo was said to have issued an internal memo, saying whoever is aggrieved should write a petition. In another memo published on  October  28 2015 and titled “Decisions taken on NEPC Examination/Promotion Exercises,” Awolowo approved the abandonment of the aggregate formula as enshrined in the Public Service Rules that a pass in one section is the only qualification to another round/section. This action points to an abusive unilateral changing of Public Service Rules to suit personal interests.
A primary source of the complainants' anger is 2012, 2013 and 2014 promotion exercise conducted by the NEPC management between July 27 and 29  2015 was its assault on Public Service Rules and due process.
Awolowo, who was said to have repeatedly told NEPC staff that he had never heard of the NEPC until his appointment as CEO, is said to be dependent on the council's most senior Director, Mr. M. O. Ibrahim, for direction. Ibrahim, who is said to have a coterie of loyalists in the NEPC, is widely viewed as a champion of ethnic interests, an attribute that has promoted the institution of impunity, and the CEO's sidekick.
Specifically, the complainants identified a variety of abnormalities in the conduct of the promotion exercise. First was the alleged manipulation of the 2015 Establishment Budget by the Senior Staff Committee (SSC).
This, said the complainants, was deliberately done to hurt the promotion opportunities of staff by reducing the approved establishment budget. According to them, the arrangement was hurriedly made on  July 27, 2015, a day before the promotion examination and approved by the retiring Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment on July 28,  2015, which post-dated the effective date of promotion of  January 1 2015.
Another source of disaffection was the delay in the promotion exercise in the directorate cadre for three years (2012,2013 and 2014). This was said to have been done to smoothen the path for some selected officers, despite the existence of a circular halting notional promotion after 2011.
The Senior Staff Committee (SSC) also deliberately provided for accounting examination to the directorate cadre, which was not mentioned in the establishment budget. This was construed as having been done to accommodate and unduly favour some staff. Somewhat bizarrely, Awolowo included his Special Assistants (personal staff) in the SSC that conducted the 2014 promotion exercise contrary to the Public Service Rules as shown in circular No B.63433/73
Another curious occurrence was the changing of the Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) scores and cut-off marks after the conduct of the examination. The NEPC management, in total disregard of the stipulated provision in the Public Service Rules, raised the pass mark to 70% as against the 60%-after the conduct of the examination and without informing candidates who sat for the examination, something akin to changing the rules after the game.

This, naturally, promoted the belief that APER forms were not assessed. The belief is strengthened by the failure of by Mr. Ibrahim, the most senior director, to give forms back, as expected, to most staff assessed for countersigning. The affected officers were awarded flat marks. A look at the Guidelines for Appointments, Promotion and Discipline issued by the Federal Civil Service confirms the illegality of what was done by the NEPC management. Tagged "Promotion Interview", it states: " Interview/examination marks shall be awarded as follows: a)Interview 70%, b) APER 20 %, c) Seniority 10 % and d) Overall pass mark is 60% respectively." While the guidelines stipulate the presence of a representative of the Head of Service at promotion interviews to ensure fairness, the NEPC promotion exercise was marked by the absence of observers from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Office of the Head of Service.
Similarly curious is the fact that the examination questions were set days before the exams, an action contrary to Public Service Rules (PSR), and which made the questions susceptible to leakage. The rules provide that examination questions are to be set at the point of writing the examinations, while promotion exams will be conducted by the relevant statutory committees and not by ‘external consultants’ which, in this case, is the Centre for Management Development.
The infidelity of the exercise, said the complainants, is evidenced by instances of candidates scoring higher marks than the maximum achievable and bizarre coincidences in scores. They pointed to an instance where two friends, Messrs Faleke and  Oyeyipo on one hand, and Lawal Fatima B. (Nee Ibrahim), M. O. Ibrahim’s sister, and her friend, Akande M. Ajibola, on the other, scored same points in each section on a written examination. This, they argued, puts the fidelity of the exercise in doubt.
Equally dodgy was the deliberate addition of five marks to the scores of candidates aspiring to be directors. This appeared to have been done to boost the chances of the prospective ethnicity of candidates, an action in disregard of the Federal Character principle. The complexion of the results of the exercise provides a confirmation of ethnic/tribal considerations in its conduct. Of the 16 officers promoted in the directorate cadre, eight are from the same ethnic group.
While the promotion exercise may have headlined the decay in the NEPC under Awolowo, beneath it lies a raft of general administrative malpractices. SaharaReporters investigations reveal the NEPC as an ethical free-trade zone characterised by falsification of information as well as mutilation and distortion of staff records.
In one instance,  Mr Babatunde Faleke said to have been employed on February 25, 1991, and confirmed on  February 25  1999, has no letters indicating those milestones in his file, including that of transfer.
Faleke, who was said to have absconded from service, later pleaded to be allowed to proceed on secondment but denied by the former CEO. He was eventually granted transfer of service to Lagos International Trade Fair Complex. But surprisingly and at variance with Public Service Rules, he was later re-absorbed into the NEPC.
Even the most senior director, Mr. M. O. Ibrahim, is a beneficiary of the widespread malaise. Ibrahim, who should have retired by now, apparently falsified his age. He claimed to have been born in September 1956 and started his primary education in 1960. His current records, as SaharaReporters investigations show, indicate that he started school at the age of three years and four months, something almost unheard of at the time of his childhood when children started school at much older ages. He was also promoted to the directorate cadre in 2009 when no vacancy existed there. This gesture was also extended to two other directors, Mr. H. O. Otowo and Mr. Sidi Aliyu.
Down the ladder, it is the same. One Mr. R. S. Durodoye was promoted from the confidential secretary cadre to the officer cadre without proper conversion as stipulated by the rules. Also, an officer, Mr. A. G. Ganiyu, who had earlier been issued a letter that there was no vacancy for his promotion, was arbitrarily promoted in 2015. The promotion was back dated to 2011 when there was no corresponding vacancy and in bold disregard to the provisions of the Public Service Rules.  One Mrs. Opeyemi Abebe was seconded illegally from the NEPC to work in Canadian Embassy in Nigeria when her functions had no relationship whatsoever with activities of the council and the country.
Similarly symptomatic of the freak show at NEPC is the case of Mr.Tijjani K. Zakari. In 2011, Zakari was denied the chance of the writing promotion examination despite meeting all the requirements and after being invited for promotion interview. Another officer, Mr. Hassan Bala, suffered a similar fate, as he was excluded from being considered in the 2014 promotion exercise despite being eligible. He was also for the invited interview and participated fully.
Within the council, Awolowo's integrity continues to be questioned. For example, a huge cloud of doubt hangs over the authenticity of the letter of approval to implement an institutional and functional review of the NEPCl from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. The letter is a litany of errors. One of these is the designation of the CEO, NEPC, which out to be known by the supervising ministry. The letter, however, addressed him as Director-General instead of the Executive Director/CEO. Also, the letter was effective  September 3 2015 and should therefore not be applicable to exercises effective January 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The doubts swirling around his integrity has provoked loud and strident calls for full investigation of his tenure, outright cancellation of the last promotion exercise, a probe of the role of the Centre for Management Development in the exercise a far-reaching reform of the NEPC.

“Making N1b will make this my last robbery”

 Late TK

 The life and times of TK, the militant, pipeline vandal and robbery kingpin felled by police bullets in what turned out to be his last robbery. By Ifeanyi Okolie Place of birth, areas of operation He was relatively off the radar of security operatives in Lagos State until last September, when he organized the abduction of the wife of the Deputy Managing Director of the Sun Newspaper, Steve Nwosu in their apartment in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State. Toweki Joseph, a.k.a. TK, a 32-year-old native of Arogbo in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, until last Thursday, was the leader of one of the most notorious and dreaded criminal gangs terrorizing states within the South-West and South-South regions of the country. Members of his gang who are mainly Ijaw natives and based in the creeks of Ishawo in Ikorodu and Ijegemo areas of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, were said to be responsible for most of the bank robberies that took place in Ondo and Lagos states in 2015, that saw several residents including security personnel lose their lives during the operations. They were also linked to the abduction and killing of several security operatives in Ikorodu area of Lagos State. Late TK Late TK Waterloo Last Thursday, TK and 10 members of his gang met their Waterloo when they attempted to rob some banks and bureau de change operators at Seme, a border town between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. Their target was to make up to the sum of N1 billion. It was gathered that TK, who lead a 17-man gang was ambushed by the security operatives when he arrived Seme through the waters in four speed boats and was armed with heavy assault rifles, such as two General Purpose Machine Guns, GPMG, seven AK-47 and 49 rifles, two LAR rifles and one automatic pump action gun. Sources disclose that operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, SIRT, an elite squad of the Nigeria Police Force, newly established by the current IGP Solomon Arase and trained to combat terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery and other heinous crimes within country, gathered an intelligence indicating that TK and his boys were planning to carry out a large scale robbery on banks and bureau de change at the Seme Border. Unlike in the past when such intelligence was generated by the SIRT and passed on to the Lagos State Police Command to act on, the SIRT operatives were deployed to Lagos State by Arase and they also alerted the Nigeria Customs Service, the Border Patrol Unit of Nigeria Police Force and men of the Intelligence Team B of the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism. Crime Guard gathered that 72 hours before the operation, the Lagos State Police Command deployed men of its Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, their counterparts at the Area K Command and the Seme Police Division to protect the banks and bureau de change at the operator, while the policemen attached to Border Patrol and their counterpart at Anti-Pipeline Vandalism were deployed into villages around the border. Gang member assures on the N1 billion target Crime Guard gathered that 48 hours before the operation, the SIRT operatives, while acting on its intelligence, arrested a driver to a popular bottling company in Lagos, who was contracted as a member of the gang to help them ferry rifles, ammunition and explosives for the operation. The driver who was identified as Jonson Chukwuma, was picked up at the premises of his company at Ijora area of Lagos and when he was interrogated, told the police that he was contacted by one Ozoremena Obi, a.k.a. OZ, who he said resides in Seme to carry the arms, ammunition and explosives to the border so as to beat police check points. He told the operatives that OZ promised to reward him handsomely if the job was successful but he declined, thinking it was risky and it could get him into trouble. Chukwuma then took the SIRT operatives to Seme where they caught OZ in a hemp joint where he was smoking. The hemp dealer at the joint was also arrested by SIRT operatives. During interrogations, OZ confessed and told the SIRT operatives that he and one of his friends identified as Ifeanyi were the informants to TK and gave the idea of the job to TK. He explained that after conducting his surveillance around the banks and bureaux de change at the shops, he was confident that they would make as much as one billion naira if the job was successful. He added that to convince TK about the job, he told TK not to give him his own share of the loot if the money was not up to N1 billion. He added that TK told him that it would then be his last robbery if they succeeded. OZ also explained that TK wanted to come by road and escape through the waters and he wanted a truck to bring to Seme the arms, ammunition and explosives that would be used and he told him that it would be too risky, but TK insisted. He said he contacted Chukwuma to do the job for him, but later he brought in Ifeanyi to explain to TK that coming by road could be too risky due to heavy presence of security operatives on the road and he urged TK to come through the waters. He said TK accepted and promised to call him when he left his camp for Seme. Hours before death Crime Guard gathered that Seven hours before TK met his Waterloo, he called OZ while he (OZ) was in police custody, and said he heard he was arrested and OZ was asked to tell him that he was picked up by policemen from Area K Command who raided the joint where he was smoking hemp and he was detained for a night and he paid N1000 as bail. TK then told him not to worry, that he was on his way and after the operation, he would be well rewarded. Five hours later, OZ got another call from TK asking him to join them by the waterside in Seme with a motorbike, so that he would lead them to the banks as they were not familiar with the areas, but the SIRT operatives asked him to tell TK to come to land and TK refused. But while he was thinking of what do, TK was said to have moved closer into Seme and birthed close to Custom Barracks. Unknown to him, he was moving into an ambush. The custom officials on guard at the barracks on sighting TK and his men on the water, opened fire on them and they went into different directions. 13 of them, including TK, who were on three speed boats ran into Poturume, a village between Nigeria and Benin Republic, and they had a clash with policemen from the border patrol unit, backed by the Intelligence Team B of the Anti-Pipeline Vandals. Crime Guard gathered that 11 of the suspects including TK sustained fatal bullet wounds before they were handed over to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja. “TK was like a field marshal” The Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni, while confirming the deaths of the suspects, told journalists at the Command Headquarters Ikeja, that they found the following with the bandits: Three speed boats, one with inscription “Castina Marine”, 22 pieces of dynamites, four Ak-47 rifles, two GPMG, 3,678 assorted live ammunition, 28 magazines, eight live jackets, three 50 litres jerry-can of fuel, two 100 litres jerry-can of fuel, assorted pieces of charms and military magazine jackets. Owoseni described TK as a Field Marshall who commanded different armed gangs that engaged in all forms of criminalities such as kidnapping, high-profile bank robberies, pipeline vandalism, piracy and cultism. He said, “TK had his signature on almost all violent crimes in Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Ogun, Edo, and Benin Republic. Intelligence had revealed that TK, at a time, led a gang to hijack a vessel on the waterways of Ghana. Intelligence had also revealed that he had his base in a creek situated somewhere in Ijagemo in Amuwo Odofin LGA of Lagos State.” Residents mourn death of TK When news of TK’s death filtered into Ishawo Ikorodu, Arepo and Ibafo areas of Ogun State, Ijaw communities within these areas were thrown into mourning. A source who spoke to Crime Guard on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that TK’s father has been crying uncontrollably since he heard the news of his son’s death. When asked why TK’s father was crying for a son who was a known criminal, the source explained that TK built a house for his father and that made him very close to his father. Becoming a terror The source added that TK took to crime after he was excluded from the amnesty programme for Niger Delta ex-militants. The source said it was same with Ossy, another pipeline vandal. Said the source: “I am from the same town with TK and his real is Tokiwe Joseph. I knew him while we were growing up. I learnt he was angry that he wasn’t included in amnesty package given to the Niger Delta ex-militants and he came to Lagos with his boys and formed the Arepo Camp, where they were vandalizing NNPC pipelines. He had his boys at that time but in 2013, he was arrested for being in possession of a gun, was charged to court and remanded in prison. “When he formed the Arepo Camp, he and his boys weren’t using guns and I don’t know how he got the gun the police found on him. While he was in prison, Ossy came with his own boys and took over the camp. Ossy and his boys came with guns and they accommodated all TK’s boys into their command and became so strong that no one could confront them. They became very brutal and were killing anybody that stood on their way. They were responsible for the killings of many security operatives. When TK was granted bail, he came out a very angry man. When he went to Ikorodu, he discovered that Ossy had taken over the camp, and one Igbala was controlling the Yoruba boys and his deputy, Double Prince was all in charge of Ishawo and Arepo. “TK then decided to form his own camp since his boys were not ready to stay under Ossy. He took them to Ijegemo and they chased out the man controlling that creek and started working. I actually don’t know what made him go into armed robbery and kidnapping. I was shocked whenever they mentioned his name in any of these bank robberies or kidnapping across Lagos State.” Attracting the spotlight. Crime Guard investigations revealed that before Nwosu’s wife was kidnapped in their apartment, TK was almost completely off the radar. The IGP Special Task Force, Anti-Pipeline Vandalism, was the only security outfit that knew about his existence. However, the kidnapping of Nwosu’s wife, Toyin, and the subsequent killing of nine operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, who were in Ikorodu to rescue the woman brought him into the larger picture. He took the top spot of the most wanted criminal after that incident and the IGP was said to have deployed the SIRT operatives to track him down. TK, who was said to be highly shrewd and tactical, was said to have always taken refuge within the creeks in Ijegemo or Arepo. Crime Guard gathered that SIRT operatives, in October 2015, arrested one of TK’s girlfriends in Abuja and it was discovered during interrogation that TK was planning a massive bank robbery in Lagos State. The information was passed on to the Lagos State Police Command with no specific area. Sources at the Lagos State Police Command told Crime Guard that the command swung into action and was placed on red alert with more emphasis placed on the Island and Ikorodu areas that had been previously attacked. There was also security beef up around Ikeja and other parts of the mainland, but a few days after, TK, led the gang and they struck at three banks in Festac Town and carted away large sums of money, while a middle-aged woman and her baby were killed during the operation. The source at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters also told Crime Guard that intelligence was also generated on the Agbara bank robbery, but the intelligence indicated that TK and his gang would strike at Badagry and Seme areas. According to the source, “The intelligence from the operative monitoring TK indicated in November 2015, that he was planning to attack banks within Badagry and Seme areas of Lagos State and security around banks in those areas was beefed up to maximum level by the late Area Commander, Epko Esoung who coordinated the operation. “But while he was doing that, TK and his team took a detour and attacked a bank in Agbara area of Ogun State and carted away over N110 million from the bank. But the Area Commander gave them a fight. Though he arrived the bank minutes after the robbery started, he engaged the robbers and forced them to abort the operation as they had intended to raid all the banks in that placed. They escaped through the waters and he hired a speed boat that took some of his men and went after the boys. When he arrived the creek where the boys abandoned their boat, he recovered several military uniforms and a cell phone belonging to one of the robbers, Blessing Olotu, who was eventually arrested a few days later. “Meanwhile, when the SIRT got the intelligence on the plan to rob banks at Seme, the IGP deployed the SIRT and ensured there was a synergy between all police formations and other sister agencies. The result is what you have seen. They didn’t just take down 11 members of his gangs, TK was killed and a large cache of his arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered”, the source concluded.

Vanguard

Tributes Pour in as Johan Cruyff Dies of Cancer

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Netherlands footballing great Johan Cruyff has died of cancer aged 68 years.
Cruyff, who made his name as a forward with Ajax and Barcelona, was European footballer of the year three times.

He won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax from 1971, coached Barcelona to their first European Cup triumph in 1992 and helped the Dutch reach the 1974 World Cup final, where they lost 2-1 to West Germany.

The Dutch FA said: “Words can hardly be found for this huge loss.”
It added that Cruyff was the “greatest Dutch footballer of all time and one of the world’s best ever” and wished everyone “a lot of strength in this difficult time”.

Cruyff scored 293 goals in 521 appearances for five different clubs – including 204 in 276 games while winning 18 trophies in two spells for Ajax.
He first showcased the ‘Cruyff turn’ at the 1974 World Cup in a match against Sweden and scored 33 goals in 48 internationals.

With his precision passes, speed, technique and goalscoring ability, Cruyff set new standards as a player.
He helped end an era of dour defensive football, inspiring the Dutch team in their ‘Total Football’ offensive that took them to the 1974 World Cup final.

Cruyff had double heart bypass surgery in 1991 and gave up smoking immediately after the operation, swapping cigarettes for lollipops.

He even featured in a Catalan health department advert, warning the public: “Football has given me everything in life, tobacco almost took it all away.”
Barcelona won four consecutive La Liga titles – 1991 to 1994 – under Cruyff, who remained influential at the club after his sacking in 1995.

Cruyff was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2015 but in February said he was “2-0 up” against his illness and was “sure I will end up winning”.
He “died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer”, according to a statement on his official website.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands said the country had “lost a unique and brilliant sportsman”.
He added: “He was a Dutch icon. He belonged to us all.”
Holland’s friendly against France on Friday will stop after 14 minutes for a minute-long silence in tribute to Cruyff, who wore number 14 as a player.

Barcelona FC expressed their “pain and sorrow” at the news of his death, adding: “We will always love you, Johan. Rest in peace.”
Pele, regarded by many as the best footballer of all time, said Cruyff “was a great player and coach” who leaves a “very important legacy”.

Bayern Munich’s Manchester City-bound manager Pep Guardiola, who played under Cruyff at Barca, said his former manager “painted the chapel and Barcelona coaches since have merely restored or improved it”.

David Beckham called Cruyff a “true hero” who was “not just one of the best footballers in the history of the game but also one of the greatest men and nicest person you could meet”.
Gary Lineker, an ex-Barcelona player, added: “Football has lost a man who did more to make the beautiful game beautiful than anyone in history.”

BBC football commentator Barry Davies said Cruyff deserved to be in the top three footballers of all time, along with Brazil’s Pele and Argentina’s Diego Maradona.
“He was so exciting to watch, so full of ideas,” Davies told BBC Radio 5 live.
Manchester City and Belgium captain Vincent Kompany called Cruyff “true football royalty”, adding: “I don’t think anyone has ever influenced the game as much as he has done. Football will miss him, but we will never forget.”
World Cup-winning Germany captain Lothar Matthaus said Cruyff was “a great man who transformed football”, while Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal called his fellow Dutchman “one of the true legends of the game”.

ThisDay