Wike pays unscheduled visit to hospitals, laments their terrible state

The Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, paid unscheduled visits to two general hospitals in Rivers State on Saturday and promised to rehabilitate them after seeing the sorry state of the hospitals.

The governor who ever since his assumption of office as governor has visited some projects’ sites and facilities lamented the internal state of the hospitals.

At the Bori General Hospital, the patients who were obviously elated to see the governor, narrated the dearth of basic facilities to save lives-disclosing that their patronage of the hospital is planked on lack of choice as they cannot afford the money to visit better clinics else where else they would have done so.

Uncomfortable with the state of the hospital the governor ordered the permanent secretary of the ministry of health, Dr. Somieari Isaac Harry, and the chairman of the Rivers State Management Board, Dr Okikere Iragunima to submit- within two weeks-a proposal/budget that will give the. Hospital a facelift.

This, the governor said, must include both equipment and the building. The visit of the governor coincided with the delivery Of a baby boy named after him. The parents of the baby were filled with joy when the governor stopped over to see the baby.

Dr Iragunima who also lamented the poor state of the hospital, disclosed that the hospital receives about three thousand patients monthly even in it’s terrible state as it serves five local government areas, namely: Khana, Gokana, Tai,Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro. He ruled that the hospital which was built by the colonial government has been ignored by governments in the past.

Straight from the Ward, Governor Wike visited the official residential quarters of the doctors and nurses. Not pleased with the state in which they are, he ordered that a budget on a befitting quarters be submitted to him within two weeks. His words:”the doctors and the nurses do not need to live outside so that they can attend to patients promptly “The quarters, he insists, must be fenced.

Wike also visited the Emohua General. Moved to tears by the sight of the abandoned hospital over grown with bushes , Gov Wike said in Emohua, the life threatening buildings put up before independence and is now derelict must be demolished and new ones built . Not a single patient was seen in that hospital as dangerous reptiles and rodents inhabited the old and collapsing buildings. He further directed that access road and security must be provided.

It is pertinent to state that the roads leading to the hospitals are near impassable.

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REVEALED: How Nigeria loses ₦50 Trillion annually from untapped natural resources

Investigations have shown that federal, states and local governments are losing about ₦50 trillion annually from untapped resources that abound in the nation’s soil.

 Nigeria is estimated to be losing about ₦8 trillion annually from untapped gold.


The estimates are monies that should have accrued to the federation account from royalties, taxes, charges and other fees from companies and individuals operating in the solid mineral sector if the Federal Government had paid enough attention to the development of solid minerals in the country.

Going by this, Nigeria should not have had any financial crisis any time crude oil prices face southward.

In fact, states in the country would have been well off financially and would not have been talking about bail out.

However, the Mining and Mineral Act of 2007 which puts the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in the exclusive list has hindered state from developing mineral deposit in their jurisdiction.

Nigerians put the blame at the feet of federal politicians that have paid lip service to fiscal federalism.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, audit report of 2012 suggests that there are about 40 different kinds of solid minerals and precious metals buried in Nigeria soil waiting to be exploited. The commercial value of Nigeria’s solid minerals has been estimated to run into hundreds of trillions of dollars, with 70 per cent of these buried in the bowel of Northern Nigeria.

Nigeria loses ₦8 Trillion annually

President of Miners’ Empowerment Association of Nigeria, Mr. Sunny Ekosin, told a national daily that Nigeria loses a whopping N8 trillion annually in unexploited gold alone. He also says that Ajaokuta remains the key to Nigeria’s industrialisation and that getting it back to work is a matter of patriotism for President Buhari and his team.

Coal in Enugu

Ekosin, in an interview with Vanguard said: “If Nigerians were taking data seriously, assuming we build a database where we have authentic information, in 2012 the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Steel came before the nation and said from precious metals alone, specifically from gold exploitation alone, Nigeria is losing N8 trillion ($50 billion) annually.

According to NEITI/CBN report, “total revenue from the solid minerals sector amounted to N31.449 billion in 2012. The revenue stream from the solid minerals sector is composed of 84.18 per cent of taxes received by FIRS. Mining taxes received by MID and MCO represent 3.48 per cent and 2.24 per cent respectively.

“According to the data collected from extractive companies and government entities, after reconciliation work, revenues generated from the solid minerals sector amounted to N31.449 billion. “Government revenues from the solid minerals sector increased from N26.925 billion in 2011 to N31.449 billion in 2012.

Large sector mining was higher in 2012 due to an increase of granite and limestone production respectively to 12 million tons and 18 million tons compared to eight million tons and 15 million tons in 2011. This was a result of the increase of the consumption of granite and production of cement in Nigeria during 2012.

Solid minerals accounted for 0.02% export earnings

“The solid minerals sector accounted for an average of 0.02 per cent of total export earnings for the year 2012. Zinc and lead ores account for more than 48 per cent of the solid minerals sector exports.

All companies operating under a mining or quarrying license and which make payments to MID in excess of N2 million ($12,500) were required to report their payments in accordance with EITI Requirements.

“Despite the fact that gold and barites were being mined across the nation, there is no record to show that these minerals are among the mined or exported minerals. Further finding shows that barites are mined in Benue and Nasarawa states, they are also purchased by multinational oil companies as drill fluids, despite high activities of miners there are no record of royalty payments.

No evidence of royalties payment
“From the available records of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, there were no evidence of royalty payment on these exported minerals.

The Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act 2007 requires that any exporter of solid minerals must request for permit to export minerals. But in defiance to the act, there was no available evidence of request for permit or approval to export minerals by the companies.

“The informal players are mostly artisan miners, medium scale operators and illegal miners who hardly keep any record. Some of the minerals mined in Nigeria are exported out of the country by formal and informal players.

Gold miners in Southern Nigeria

There are no official records from Ministry of Mines and Steel Development on the actual volume of minerals exported out of Nigeria within the period under review. However, the few records available relates to transactions that were done by the formal players as they passed through the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Export Promotion Council.”

Geological survey of mineral deposits
According to the geological survey of mineral deposits in Nigeria, “the schist belt that covers the western half of Nigeria has proven reserves of gold.

Although gold production in this region dates from 1913, colonial mining companies abandoned their activities following the onset of the Second World War.

“The gold mines have since remained dormant, aside from an abortive attempt at extraction by the Nigerian Mining Corporation in the 1980s, which floundered due to a lack of funds. Artisan miners now account for most gold extraction, but primary deposits that could support mechanised mining have been identified in the North West and South-West parts of Nigeria.

“These deposits are of a relatively high grade, and it is estimated that extraction costs could be as low as $50 per ounce, due to the shallow depth at which they are found. An estimated 10 million tonnes of lead and zinc veins straddle eight of Nigeria’s states, with the 700’000 tonnes in Abakiliki in Ebonyi State representing the most favourable prospect.

Non-metallic minerals category,
“In the non-metallic minerals category, riches also abound: the building industry is supplied by crushed rock, gravel and sand; glass-making grade sand has been established in many parts of the country; and Niger, Osun, Kogi, Ogun and Kaduna states collectively boast up to 100 million tonnes of talc, a mere fraction of which is used in several medium-sized talc processing plants.”

Gemstone mining is one area that has seen something of a boom, though again the level of exploitation is running well below potential. Gemstones present include sapphire, ruby, aquamarine, emerald, tourmaline, topaz, garnet, amethyst, zircon, and fluorspar. Bentonite and barite – both of which are constituents in the mud used when drilling oil wells – are also in abundance, with 7.5 million tonnes of barite in Taraba and Bauchi states and 700 million tonnes of bentonite across the country.

Reserves of bitumen represent another under utilised resource, with estimated reserves of 42 billion tonnes or twice the country’s existing reserves of crude oil. Paradoxically, most bitumen used in road construction in Nigeria is currently imported.

Coal and tin were among the natural resources mined on a massive scale, with the former being used to generate electricity, power the railway network and meet the demands of regional and international markets.

Lead and zinc were a significant source of export revenue, and Nigeria was the world’s largest exporter of columbite.

 Stagnation in the solid minerals sector cannot simply be attributed to the meteoric rise of oil: poor management by state-owned enterprises – compounded by corruption and an incoherent exploitation of resources – has also played its part.

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APC can’t manage victory – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State has said that what is playing out in the National Assembly is a fallout of the inability of the ruling All Progressive Congress to manage their victory in the 2015 general elections.

The Organising Secretary of the party in the state, Mr. Mike Dachom, and a member of the House of Representatives under the PDP, Mr. Edward Pwajok, also justified the action of the National Assembly in the choice of their leaders, saying that the lawmakers were only abiding by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and rules of the House.

Dachom and Pwajok told our correspondent in separate interviews in Jos on Sunday that the crisis over the leadership of the National Assembly showed lack of understanding of the basic democratic tenets by the ruling APC. They added that it also amounted to undue interference in the affairs of the legislature when a party began to dictate to lawmakers who should be their leader.

Dachom said that when they were on power problem, the PDP was able to manage this kind of crisis by discussing, agreeing and harmonising their position with their members before such issues were tabled at the National Assembly.

He said, “When Nigerians said that they voted for change, I keep telling people that change could come in different ways. This means that you can have a positive and a negative change. But it is unfortunate that the APC has started on a very bad note. This is a party that Nigerians expect so much from. When you look at the Constitution of Nigeria, it only says that principal officers of the National Assembly can only be elected by a simple majority of members of the House. It did not say by whom.

“Since they were elected as members, they have the right to elect who should lead them. So, I don’t think that the party was right in writing straight to the National Assembly. We have been in power and I don’t think this was the practice in the PDP. If we had an issue as a party, we discussed it in the House and sat down and agreed. By the time our position was presented to the National Assembly, our position would have been harmonised. By writing a letter to the National Assembly, we are sure that the intention was to manipulate the House. The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, are right, and you can see that in the APC. The 2019 has already begun to play out, which is very unfortunate. The PDP has never experienced this type of circumstance. They are now telling Nigerians that they have no respect for democratic principles. “

Pwajok, who is representing Jos East and South Federal Constituency, said, “We, as lawmakers, were only respecting the Constitution and standing orders of both Houses of the National Assembly. There is no provision that allows any party to write to the House; it is strictly an affair of the members. So, the APC should go and put their House in order and not bring their problems to the National Assembly.

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Five-year tenure of INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega expires next week

The five-year tenure of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, expires on Tuesday next week.

Jega, who hails from Kebbi State, is to retire with six National Commissioners.

The former university vice chancellor had said he would not seek re-appointment after finishing his first tenure. 

The other six National Commissioners whose tenures expire on the same day with Jega are Col. M.K. Hammanga (rear.), Adamawa state, (North-East); Dr. Ishmael Jikiri Igbani, Rivers state, (South-South); Prof. Lai Olurode, Osun state, (South-West); Dame Gladys Nne Nwafor, Abia state, (South-East); Mrs. Thelma Amata Iremiren, Delta state, (South-South); and Dr. Nuru Yakubu, Yobe state, (North-East). 

Jega and these commissioners were inaugurated by former President Goodluck Jonathan on June 30, 2010.

Four other National Commissioners are to leave the Commission in July and August this year. They are Dr. Abdulkadir Oniyangi, Kwara State, (North-Central), whose tenure will expire on July 21; Mrs Amina Bala Zakari, Jigawa state, (North-West), whose tenure will also expire on July 21; Dr. Chris Iyimoga, Nasarawa state, (North-Central), whose tenure will expire on August 11; and Amb. (Dr.) Mohammed Ahmad Wali, Sokoto State, (North-West), whose tenure will also expire on August 11, 2015.

The commission, in its bulletin, added that the tenure of 16 Resident Electoral Commissioners have expired and they have left the Commission last week. 

It added that a gala night was held in their honour last week Thursday at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom. 
The affected RECs were Ahmad Makama, Bauchi State; Haliru Tambuwal, Sokoto State; Abdullahi Danyaya, Niger State; Abubakar Wara, Kebbi State; Mr. Mike Igini, Delta State; Prof. Selina Oko, Ebonyi State; Hussaini Ahmed Mahuta, Katsina State; Dr. A.L. Ogunmola, Oyo State; Alh. Ibrahim Zarewa, Kano State; Prof. Tukur Sa’ad, Adamawa State; Dr. Emmanuel Onucheyo, Kogi State; Kassim Gana Gaidam, Yobe State; Mr. Timothy Ibitoye, Osun State; Amb. Rufus Akeju, Lagos State; Prof. C.E. Onukaogu, Abia State; and Ibrahim Bagobiri Marafa, Zamfara State.

But even as the commission is being depleted, following the progressive expiration of the tenures of National Commissioners, the commission, nevertheless, said that its work will continue apace and uninterrupted because it can always form a quorum. 

Section 159 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) states:
(1.) The quorum for a meeting of any of the bodies established by section 153 of this Constitution shall be not less than one-third of the total number of members of that body at the date of the meeting.

(2.) A member of such a body shall be entitled to one vote, and a decision of the meeting may be taken and any act or thing may be done in the name of that body by a majority of the members present at the meeting.

(3.) Whenever such body is assembled for a meeting, the Chairman or other person presiding shall, in all matters in which a decision is taken by vote (by whatever name such vote may be called) have a casting as well as a deliberative vote.

(4.) Subject to its rules of procedure, any such body may act or take part in any decision notwithstanding any vacancy in its membership or the absence of any member.

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House of Reps turns boxing ring, as lawmakers exchange blows

Nigeria's federal  lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday engaged in a free-for-all over the sharing of principal offices by the majority All Progressives Congress.

Reacting to the development, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party slammed President Muhammadu Buhari, saying “the disgraceful act” in the House was a direct consequence of President Buhari’s lack of democratic credentials and lack of respect for the independence and sanctity of the legislative arm of government.




But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, insisted on Thursday that Buhari would not intervene in the leadership crisis currently rocking the National Assembly until the APC state governors asked him to do so.

Shehu said this while featuring on Sunrise, a programme on a Lagos-based private television station, Channels TV.

He said, “When the governors met with the President, they told him that ‘we are the leaders in our states and we have influence over all of these senators. They come from our places and from us and we can handle it.’

“The President will step into the crisis at the point when the governors say they can no longer fix it.”

Angry APC members on the floor of the House tore each other’s clothes, threw punches, upturned tables, threw bound copies of law books, kicked chairs and shouted on top of their voices for about 105 minutes the rowdy session lasted.

Some daring members, led by a lawmaker from Sokoto State, Mr. Balarabe Salame, actually made to snatch the mace, but the Sergeant-at-Arms and other lawmakers quickly rescued the authority symbol of the legislative House and deposited same in the Speaker’s office.

Directly behind Saleme was a member from Kano State, Mr. Ali Madaki.

Salame also made to attack the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, but he retreated as Dogara loyalists rushed at him and threatened to throw him out of the chamber.

Amid the shoving and punching, shouts of “Dogara”, “Dogara”, “Give us our leaders”, “Party is supreme’’, “PDP, power”, “APC, change” and “APC, shame”, were heard in a discordant manner.

The bone of contention, was the non-announcement of the names of principal officers of the House as directed by the leadership of the APC.

The party, had in a letter dated June 23, asked the Speaker to announce Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos State) as the Majority Leader; Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (Kano State) as his deputy; Mr. Mohammed Monguno (Borno State) as the Chief Whip; and Mr. Pally Iriase (Edo State) as his deputy.

The party had explained that it took the decision following “consultations” with the various caucuses.

There had been tension in the House over the matter even before the Thursday’s sitting.

For example, the North-Central and South-East caucuses had protested their exclusion from the sharing of the positions.

They had protested against giving the South-West and the North-East additional positions, having produced the deputy speaker and speaker respectively already.

Thursday’s fracas was fallout of the lingering dispute in the APC following the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate and Dogara as the Speaker on June 9.

How Speaker ignited ‘riot’

Trouble started on Thursday when contrary to the expectations of many APC lawmakers, Dogara did not announce the names of the principal officers. Rather, he opted to call for an executive session soon after his procession entered the chambers.

The Speaker had beckoned to a member from Benue State, Mr. Orker Jev, to move a motion for the executive session.

But several hands promptly went up, with members shouting, “point of order, “point of order”, but Dogara ignored them and directed Jev to continue.

The Speaker’s action apparently infuriated some members hence the pandemonium that followed.

Ado-Doguwa climbed onto a desk right in front of Dogara and attempted to incite members, but he was chased down by those backing Dogara. The Speaker’s backers threw hard copies of law books they picked from the desk at Ado-Doguwa.

Also, some members suddenly produced and carried placards with an inscription, “Nigerians voted party; party is supreme.”

Some members of the APC, who were not favourably disposed to the decision of the party, as well as the Peoples Democratic Party members in the House, were also seen forming a protective human shield around Dogara.

The PDP members claimed that they were out to protect the House as an institution, not that they were part of the crisis in the APC. They were led by a member from Delta State, Mr. Leo Ogor.

All the while, Gbajabiamila sat quietly at a corner, watching the unfolding drama.

But, after sensing that the matter was getting out of hands, he rose to meet and discuss with Dogara briefly at the Chair. At 12pm, he tried to address the rowdy members but his efforts failed.

It was not until 12.31pm that calm began to return gradually as Gbajabiamila and Ogor appealed to the warring members to return to their seats.

We’ll resolve our conflict, Dogara says

Dogara thereafter addressed the House, expressing disappointment over the conduct of the members.

He said the 360 members should consider themselves “fortunate” to be elected as representatives out of 170 million Nigerians.

Dogara noted that the members were sent to Abuja to promote national interest and not personal or sectional interests.

He said, “To be candid, we have promised so much in the course of our electioneering and even the very party I belong to, the APC, we have promised change and Nigerians expect us to really talk about those matters, those issues that bother them most.

“They want to hear us talk about unemployment, poverty; in my region, they want us to address insecurity and as long as this House is divided and not united, we cannot achieve that.”

On the issue that led to the fracas, Dogara said all available channels would be explored to resolve it.

“As to the issues that led to the fracas today, we will sit down as leaders and resolve whatever caused the fight. We have to ensure that this matter, as quickly as possible, is resolved and that is what we will do by the grace of God,” he stated.

The Speaker quickly adjourned the House till July 21, apparently to douse tension.

‘Action breached legislative proceedings’

In its official position, the House expressed regrets over the conduct of the members, accusing them of breaching legislative proceedings.

The Chairman, House Ad Hoc Committee on Media, Mr. Sani Zoro, said, “It was obvious from the action of these members that they were acting on a premeditated script, as some of them even carried placards with inscriptions on them.

“These members attempted to seize the mace, which is the symbol of authority of the House, and other sundry acts of fighting, fracas, misconduct, disruption and committed unparliamentarily actions unbecoming of the status of honourable members.

“The conduct of these members amounts to contempt of the House and is in clear violation of the Standing Orders of the House and Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and the customs and traditions of Parliament.”

But, the majority of the APC members, who took sides with the party, described as “illegal” the refusal of Dogara to announce the names of the principal officers as directed by the party.

Mr. Nasir Zango-Daura, who spoke for the APC Caucus, argued that the positions in question were party positions and not House positions, hence Dogara could not dictate who occupied them.

“That is the responsibility that lies with the party and its caucuses. If I may ask, can he appoint principal officers for the PDP? His action will truncate our democracy”, Zango-Daura said.

He vowed that the members would continue to fight, “come rain, come shine”, until the matter was resolved in their favour.

On its part, the PDP caucus took the same position as the official position of the House.

Its leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, told a news conference that the APC members disrupted the House proceedings because of an issue that was “purely the internal affair of the APC.”

He added, “We ruled this country for 16 years, but now we are starting on a very bad note.

“We apologise to Nigerians for the conduct of the APC members and we appeal to the members that if they have a crisis in their party, they should resolve it within their party and not take the entire country hostage.”

Meanwhile, the APC caucus resolved at a late night meeting on Wednesday that Monguno should swap positions with Iraise.

Iriase is now to be the Chief Whip, while Monguno will be his deputy.

Iriase announced the switch at the same news conference where the APC members gave their reactions to the fracas.

It was a disgraceful act–PDP

The PDP condemned the fracas in the House, describing it as a show of shame and national embarrassment.

It said that the ugly development questioned Buhari and APC’s commitment to democracy, unity and the stability of the country.

The opposition party’s reaction was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Thursday.

“The barbaric attempt to physically assault a duly elected Speaker, seize the mace, the authority of the House, is a direct attack on the Nigerian parliament, which embodies the supremacy of the people and our freedom as a democratic nation,” it said.

The PDP said what Nigerians witnessed in the House on Thursday clearly underscored the fact that the APC had exhausted its excuses and had imported “its internal contradictions” into an independent arm of government as a way to further cover its lack of ideas for governance.

“We state unequivocally that the onus lies on President Buhari to ensure that all democratic institutions are harnessed for effectiveness, a responsibility he has apparently abdicated by allowing his personal interest to instigate division in the parliament, a tendency that poses great threat to the survival of our democracy and the stability of the nation,” the party added.

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