Former Edo State Water Resources and Energy Commissioner and Deputy Speaker of House of Assembly Yekini Idaiye spoke with Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR on effortS to reconcile the aggrieved lawmakers.

How is the House of Assembly coping with the crisis?

By His grace, we are doing fine with the support of Governor Obaseki. Everything has been moving well.

What should your constituency expect from you?

I am wearing a very big shoe. I took over from the former Speaker. I know God will see me through. In the past, nothing has been happening in Akoko-Edo especially my constituency 1. I have 11 communities without roads. There are no major road projects in my constituency.

There is Somorika, Imogan, Ugboshielg and many like that. I have been talking and appealing to Obaseki. He is giving me hope that something will be done. I can assure my constituents that something good is coming our way.

What does the crisis portends for the APC in Edo?

The tongue and teeth quarrel, but it is the ability to manage it that speaks volumes. There is no crisis in Edo State APC. What is happening is a family affair. At the appropriate time, we will settle and things will move on. If you are talking about our brothers (members-elect) that are not here, we will settle.

There is no opposition party here. We are all APC members. You see what happened during the sallah celebration when Obaseki paid a surprise visit to Oshiomhole. There is no crisis in Edo. It is about one family and something positive will come out of it. Edo State is APC and APC is Edo.

There are rumours that some of you planned defection, if Obaseki was not given second term ticket.

I am not aware of any planned defection. There is strength in unity. I am a party man. The kind of leaders we have will come together at the appropriate time. This is a house jointly built by all the leaders, led by Oshiomhole. I know Oshiomhole will not allow the house he suffered to build collapse and by His Grace, it will not collapse.

Obaseki will soon be marking three years in office. Do you think he has done enough?

In terms of human development, he has done well. In infrastructural development, he has done well. Look at the Civil Service, reforms in the primary schools, the judiciary and tertiary institutions. In Ekpoma, the state university, there has been uninterrupted academic calendar. Across all sectors, the governor has done well. Obaseki has been paying salaries and attending to needs of workers. He has performed above expectations.

Some party members said they are not supporting him because he is giving contract to outsiders and not patronising them…

I condemn such statement. The people making such statements have not been doing well. Before becoming a politician, you must have a second address. You should have something doing. Those saying Obaseki is not taking care of them have no other things doing. The ones they were given before, what did they do with it? Were they able to set up businesses? They squandered what they made before. That is why some of us looked down on the so called leaders because they are not economically viable. When they had the opportunity, they misused it. I have worked in the bank for many years before joining politics.

Most politicians engage in misplaced priorities. Many of those complaining now are old politicians. In those days when they were making money from all sources, they did not utilise the money well. Many of them had made money from previous administrations. They did not invest, but were building big mansions they can no longer maintain. I am advising them to have a second address. Can Obaseki share money to all Edo people? I feel sad when I hear that somebody has not been patronising politicians. If Obaseki is sharing money will he be able to pay salaries? Will he be able to do infrastructure? Politicians do not need to do what they cannot sustain economically when they are in power.

What steps are you taking to boost tourism potentials of Somorika and other places in your constituency?

Somorika is a tourist centre. If you get there, you will be amazed. We are talking to our people abroad. The reason we cannot talk about tourism sector in Somorika is because there is on access road to the place. You can only get there with motorcycle orva big car. Any small car would be finished before getting to Somorika. With the promise of Obaseki, I know the road problem will be a thing of the past in the area.

If there is no access road, how do the people get quality heath care?

We have a functioning health centre with nurses and others. We have water and electricity. The major problem is the road and that is why the place is not developing.

The PDP has said it would stage a come back to power in the state.

PDP is a dead party in Edo. They can never come back to power in Edo again. Is it because they were able to make serious in road during the presidential election? It is a dead party. I do not see the PDP coming to power in Edo again.

Will it not happen, if there was sabotage on the part of APC members?

With what is happening now, the Edo APC will come together as one. By the time we come together, we will be more stronger. In the next election, you will see how many votes we will bring out.

Are you talking to other members-elect yet to be inaugurated?

We are talking. We are not quarrelling. The only challenge is political differences which will not translate to enmity. There can be more aspirant but I know with the grass root support, there is not going to be problem about the Obaseki’s second term.

The National Chairman and others suffered to build this party and I don’t think anybody will allow the house to be destroyed. Oshiomhole is from Edo North and the leader of the party in Edo. He is like a father to me. I have nothing against him. He is our father. Our loyalty is for him. There is no division among the lawmakers over Oshiomhole. Our loyalty is to him. The most important is to win next year’s election.

ANTHONY Joshua says he needs to be more intelligent in his rematch with Andy Ruiz and expose the weaknesses he knows exist in the heavyweight champion’s game.

The pair meet for the second time on 7 December as Joshua will try to reclaim the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles he lost on 1 June in New York. Ruiz stopped the 2012 Olympic champion in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden in a monumental upset to claim the four straps, but AJ insists he does not need to make huge changes for the rematches, but be a bit smarter.

‘‘I don’t think a little blip should change you as a person, I think you should remain consistent with who you are,’’ Joshua told Sky Sports.

‘‘It’s funny because I’ll see him more this week than I ever did in the build-up to the first fight so I can become a bit more familiar with him. I know what I’m in for, I know what I’m capable of and what he’s capable of.

‘‘I know some of the attributes he possesses, and some of the weaknesses. I have to go about exposing him that little bit more. The first time I had him down [in the first fight], I could have been smarter. These little things you think about in your head.

‘‘Now I’m meeting him eye-to-eye once again, subconsciously the clock’s ticking and I’m thinking more and more about the fight and soon it will be 7 December.’’

The board of MTN Nigeria on Thursday rejected xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other nationals in South Africa.

Its Chairman, Ernest Ndukwe, in a statement, said the board also rejected reprisal attacks in Nigeria too.

The statement read: “The board of MTN Nigeria wishes to add its unequivocal condemnation of the xenophobia and violence against Nigerians and other nationalities in South Africa over the recent days, as well as the violent response to it in Nigeria. Violence cannot and must never be acceptable and we must reject it in the strongest

“We offer our profound sympathies to all those affected and urge all stakeholders and communities in Nigeria, South Africa and other countries, to act with restraint, and to work collaboratively to address these issues.”

Ndukwe said the future as a continent will be built on enhanced connections and greater integration economically, culturally and politically. “It is in all of our interests to work together,” Ndukwe said.

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent condolences to the government and people of Zimbabwe over the passing of the founding father and former President, Robert Mugabe, 95.

The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, commiserated with family members, friends and political associates of the political activist who fought for the independence of the country from colonial rule, and lived most of his life in public service

President Buhari believed Mugabe’s sacrifices, especially in struggling for the political and economic emancipation of his people, will always be remembered by posterity.

He prayed that the Almighty God will grant the soul of the former president rest and comfort his loved ones.

A 51-year old man, Ikidi Innocent, has been jailed by an Oredo Magistrate Court for using expired Union Bank ATM card to buy drinks and fried meat.

Ikidi was said to have committed the offence on June 27, 2019.

He was said to have tricked one Blessing John and Dorothy Amaka to buy meat and beer for his consumption.

Ikidi was arraigned on three count charges of cheating and obtaining by false pretence.

He pleaded guilty to the charges.

Police Prosecutor, ASP Patrick Agbonifo, informed the court that the convict bought fried meat worth N1500, stout beer worth N9000, origin bitters worth N300, and other alcoholic drinks worth N3,430.

ASP Agbonifo said the offences were punishable under sections 516, 421 and 419 of the Criminal Code cap 48 Vol ii laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria now applicable in Edo State.

Presiding Magistrate, Ivie Akhere, sentenced the accused to three months imprisonment without an option of fine

The Igbo-Etche–Eleme Road in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State, is in a terrible state crippling commercial and social activities. Commuters have appealed for urgent Federal Government’s intervention to fix the deplorable road, reports Shola O’Neil

MOTORISTS and commuters who pass through the Igbo-Etche – Eleme Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State have appealed for urgent Federal Government’s intervention to fix the deplorable road.

Residents and business owners in the area lamented to our reporter that the deplorable state of the road has crippled commercial and social activities in the area, as travellers now shun the route.

Our reporter, who visited the road yesterday, learnt that the strategic road, which links dozens of towns in the state and nearby Imo State, has failed at more than one point.

Angry residents and motorists decried the perceived non-chalant attitude of the federal and state governments towards the road, stressing that, “the road has been bad for months and there is no effort to repair it.”

Motorists travelling on the busy Port Harcourt-Enugu expressway use the road to avoid the gnarling traffic occasioned by ongoing repair of the Obigbo axis of that road.

“This road links Igbo-Etche to Eleme Junction and the East-West Road, but for months now the road has become a source of worry to motorists and passengers who use the road,” one of the aggrieved business owners in the area, who simply identified himself as Lawrence, told our reporter.

Lawrence explained that a trip from Igbo-Etche to Eleme junction usually cost N100 – N150, but lamented that due to the failure of that portion of the road, it now costs between N200 – N300.

“Before, from Igbo-Etche community to Eleme Junction was N100, but now from Igbo-Etche to here (bad spot) is N150, and from here to Eleme Junction is N100. We are suffering so much on this road, especially when it rains.”

Car owners living in the communities around the bad spot now opt for a motorcycle as a means of commuting to and from their work and business places.

“We are suffering; everybody living around here is suffering. Those who own business here can’t feed their families again, because people are avoiding this area. Any time it rains, if you see the holdup you will understand,” Mr Omoregie Henry said.

Stressing that road users are not interested in the Federal or state government or APC/PDP politics, respondents said they merely want the government to fix the road urgently.

“As it is now, very soon we would need canoes to cross the road because if they don’t fix it immediately, the road will get worse. Trucks are plying the road. The road leads to Ngor-Okpala (Imo State), exit to Port Harcourt-Owerri Expressways and other communities in Etche Local Government.”

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, slammed the Federal Government for the deplorable state of the road, stressing that the state was yet to get a refund for an earlier work done.

Nwakaudu said: “The road in questions is a federal road. Only recently, it was reconstructed by the Rivers State Government.”

“At present, the state government is working to get a refund of funds used in intervening in Federal Roads. While other states have received their refund, Rivers is the only state yet to receive the refund.”

“Recall that on August 8, 2019 Rivers State Governor stated that Rivers is the only state of the Federation that the Federal Government has refused to refund monies used to execute Federal Projects.”

Wike, speaking when Rivers State Traditional Rulers paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, regretted that politics have been placed above due process under the current dispensation.”

“Of all the 36 states of the federation, it is only Rives State that they refused to refund resources used to execute Federal projects,” he said, adding that he would not join governors who sell their people to seek relevance.

But opposition sources in Etche local government area claimed that a recent planned intervention by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to fix the road was rebuffed by the state government. This could not be independently confirmed.

Significance of the road

IGBO-ETCHE is one of the fast-growing communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. The area is connected to other parts of the state by the Igbo-Etche – Eleme Junction on the east, and Igbo-Etche-Igwuruta-Chokocho on the other end.

The verve of this community owes mainly to its location as a nerve centre of Etche communities and Port Harcourt metropolis on the one hand, and from Eleme Junction to the major industrial and commercial hubs of Onne and other parts of Eleme.

Over the past three years, vehicular traffic on the Igbo-Etche-Eleme Junction road has increased exponentially, because of the boom in property development, growing population and growth in commercial and social activities.

The road is important for people who live, work or own businesses in Etche-Aba Road, Ebele 4 (Shell Location) and others, especially those who work in the Oyigbo (Obigbo) and environs. It is also an artery to communities, such as Chokocho, Eneka and Igwuruta in Rivers, to Ngor-Okpalla in Imo and Aba in Abia states.

The Intels Logistics Company in Onne, Port Harcourt Refinery and Indorama-Eleme Petrochemical Company are major employers of labour. These companies also attract several services companies and their workforces. The members of staff of these companies are constantly in need of affordable accommodations. This class of Nigerians has over time found Igbo-Etche and environs very attractive.

Property developers also find the area attractive because plots of land are relatively cheaper than other developed towns close to the Port Harcourt metropolis.

The worsening state of the road is, therefore, a source of worry for these Nigerians, who now spend more money and waste longer hours to get to work every day and back home in every evening.

Since the ongoing reconstruction of the Obigbo junction area of Port Harcourt-Aba-Enugu expressway, Igbo-Etche road has become very attractive for travellers who use it as a detour to avoid an equally very bad portion of the road around Oyigbo.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives has declared that the old arrangement that made it possible for South Africans to maim and kill Nigerians must be revoked.

The speaker spoke while addressing a world conference in response to the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

Gbajabiamila, who spoke from a prepared speech and with the full compliment of the House leadership members further said: “We do not intend to speak many words.

“The time for speaking has long passed, and the time for action has arrived upon us with a fierce urgency demanding nothing less than our total commitment to revoking the old arrangements that have made such abominations against our people possible.

“Nigerians have long travelled far and wide in search of knowledge, of experience and prosperity.

“As we have travelled, we have opened also our borders to those who will seek their greener pastures here.

“In Africa, we have demonstrated our commitment to the brotherhood of nations, sacrificing life, labour and wealth to achieve peace and restore freedom from Sierra Leone to Liberia, Sao Tome to South Africa.

“We have sought nothing in return, we have made no claims to the land and resources of our brothers.

“Our commitment has always has been to the advancement of Africa, to freedom in all our lands and prosperity for all our peoples.

“Yet today and too many a time, we are called to stand as pallbearers, bringing home to burial the bodies of our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, our children, savaged and decimated. What is their offence? That they dared to dream of glory and profit beyond our borders, and having dreamt, they endeavoured to make real the visions of their heart.”

” We did not provoke, nor do we deserve the violence that has been visited on our people in South Africa. We reject entirely the obvious attempt to change the true narrative of events by casting the recently organised acts of violence as merely internecine conflict between gangs fighting for turf.

“Unless it is the position of South African government that all Nigerians living in South Africa are gangsters and criminals, we demand that they reject these claims without equivocation.

“The vile images of violent devastation and death randomly visited on innocent people seeking their way in the world, strikes at our heart, causing pain that words alone cannot express. Let no one add insult to our grief.”