10-Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011
NEWS Egbejule warns against burial of non-natives in Sapele BY FESTUS AHON GHELL I CHAIRMAN of Sapele Okpe community, Sapele Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Michael Egbejule, has warned against burial of non-indigenes in the council. Appealing to the Delta State government and other relevant authorities to call the Diden famlly in Sapele, who purportedly buried one of their family members in Sapele last
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week to order, he alleged that tbeir action in recent limes was threatening the peace in tbe community. Speaking to newsmen in Sapele over wbat be termed an the act of provocation and flagrant violation of the orders of the Orojde of Okpe Kingdom, whicb forbids nonSapele natives from being buried in Sapele, Egbejule alleged tbat "the Diden family has consistently shown disdain to tbe Orojde's order."
Greed, bane of N-Delta
underdevt-Ebikeme BY INNOCENT ANABA HE Democratic Peoples Party, DPp, candidate for Burutu Federal Constituency, Della State, in the House of Representatives election, Mr. Clark Ebikeme, has identi!ied greed by politicalleaders of tbe Niger Delta as the bane of underdevelopment of the oil rich region. Clark said tbe that neglect and marginalization of tbe region was self induced, adding that unless political leaders from tbe region turn a new leaf, the
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area will continue to remain impoverished. The of House Representatives candidate, who spoke during his campaign tour of Egodo and Gbekebo communities, said that the Federal Allocation and derivation tunds accruing to the state were enough to develop Burutu Local Government Area, as an oil bearing area. He said that if given the mandate, he will draw governance . closer to the people , adding that the wealth of Burutu council bad not been fully explore and tapped by the people.
272 new transformers for A-Ibom rural communities BYTONYNYONG YO - DETER MINED to link all the communities in Akwa Ibom State to the national grid by 2012, Akwa Ibom government has taken delivery of 272 new trans-
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rorrners and accessories.
The transformers, wbich arrived , yesterday, were stacked at the premises of the Ministry of.q,cal Government and Chieftaincy Alfairs, Uyo. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Third Investment Umited,
the clearing agency, wbich brought the transformers to the state, Cbief Sunny Ibanga , told newsmen that more 561 transformers are b eing expected within the week. Ibanga said that the Governor Godswill Akpabio administration was poised to give a new lease of life to all the villages in the state by linking them to the national grid . He said, his company was committed to assisting the governor to deliver on his electioneering promises to the people.
Sekibo condemns attack on members BY GBENGA OKE HE Abiye Sekibo Campaign Organisation, ASCO, bas conde mned attacks on its supporters across Rivers Stale by the thugs suspected to be sponsored by the ~eoples Democratic Party, PDP. The organisation, however, said that It will not be intImidated by tbe antics of the PDP In the state, adding that attac ks on the part~ faithful w IiI no t deter ACN [mm acllle\'ing vielo· ry at Ih ? poll,. In a statement by the nirector nl Pl1hhcit!' or the
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campaIgn org,lTlt"ialion ~1 1 Jpny Np·. . dcm, hp !'did
that developments in tbe last few days in Rivers State, had shown that the PDP was 'out to foment trouble ahead of the elec· tions in tbe state. He said, "recent clampdown on ACN supporters in Rivers State has clearly shown that tile PDP led government in the slate is tryIng to intimidate ACN . Ac co rding to hIm , "rorme r Commissioner for InformatIOn and ACN House of Representatives candidate [or lkwerrel Emohna Federal COllshtue ncy narrowly esraped lwIng kidnapped l'PstE'rday WhPll some fhu gs beli~ved to be spotl';mpd hy PDP. aitack~d hI m
30,000 ~etired police officers vow to boycott April polls BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU ALA BAR-OVER C 30,000 retired police officers have threatened to boycott the forth coming general elections in the country, if their pensions are not paid before the elections by the Police Pension Board . The Cross River State Chairman 01 Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, ARPON, Chief Effiong Orok, who disclosed tbis in an interview in Calabar, said that apart [rom the 30,000 retired officers, tbeir families and dependants will also not participate in the elections i1 their pensions were not paid , Chief Orok alleged that some elements at the Police Pension Board, PPB, were frustrating lbe elforts of the Federal Government, that had approved the sum of N24 billion in 2010 for the setUement of allowances and pensions of retired police officers . "But out of the money, N3.286biUion was used as at September 22, 2010 , and this information was given to us by Mr. Allku Kigo, who was tben
Director of Police Pensions Board, now promoted to Permanent Secretary and posted out of the Pensions Board. "According to him, 17 ,392 retired officers were paid, wilh 11,000 officers left. His calculations made us to understand that be will use N 1.3 billion to pay these people. If this bappens, at least N20 billion will still remain unutilize d. "When we asked him what would be the use of that money (N20 billion), we were told that the Police
retired officers must write to the Salary and Wages Commission for them to give approval on how the money should be paid. We bad only been paid six per cent and 15 percent on sliding scale. We had written to them since September 2010, up till this moment, nothing has bappened, "he said. Mr. Orok wbo bad problems with the Police and was retired as an ACP in 1996 but got a court order to be given four rapid promotions to tbe rank of a Deputy Inspector General
ARRI-THE Anti Kidnapping Task Force of th e Delta Waterw ay, Secur ity Committee, DWSC, Warri, Della Statp. SunddY n ight, gunned down a suspected kidnapp pr dnd aI re,ted six member'S of a nO lo rious
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Farmers lock out NNPC mgt over compensation demand BY SIMON EBEGBULEM E N I N PROTESTING farmers in Auchi, Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday, locked out the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation , NNPC, induding the Corporation Flow Station Manager, Mr Duke Ijirigho, over alleged failure of the company to pay
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compensation to farmers
for the alleged spillage which they bad suffered. The farmers, who com menced lbe protest as early as 7am, came out in their hundreds, chanting war songs . They locked all the entrance to the station and vowed to shut down the flow station if tbeir compensations were not paid immediately. Mr Audu Momodu, who led tbe protest, said the management of tbe NNP
Alleged kidnapper shot dead, 6 others 'nabbed in Delta BY EMMA AMAIZE
of Police, regretted that the pension of an Assistant Commissioner of Police was what a serving Constable is earning . He said when names of the beneficiaries of tbe pension were compiled by tbe Police Service Commission under Mr. Parry Osayande, there was jubilation, but disappointment soon took over when tbe Board instead paid tbem peanuts contrary to the promise by the leadership of Police Service Com-
nalive doctor,
Tbe task force, comprising m",n of th e DWSC , Anti-Terrorism Squad , ATS, Warri and regular policemen also res c ued two scbool chIldren, 13 - year -o ld Ninee and Akpos (nine years), botll cbildren of the Petro leum Tanker Drivers, PTD, Warn chairman, kid napped on Marcb 11 dt
about 6.00 pm at Effurun, Delta State from the hideaway. Delta State Police spokesman, Mr C barl es Muka, who confirmed the killing of one of the s us· pected kidnappers a nd ar· rest of six others. said that a hu man s kull locally mad e gu n and sum of N5 milli on were re cove red from them,
had failed to meet their earlier request for compensation, adding that many farmers in the area had packed up due to tbe de· struction caused on their farms as a result of the spill. While alleging that the management of NNPC was insensitive to the plight ?f ... tile farmers, he added that' several meetings with the corporation yielded no reo suit, whicb was why they decided to take their des· tiny in their hands. "They bad made several promises and refused to fulfill any, not even the reo lief materials tbey prom ised at the earlier stage. Nigenans should know that we have been patIent enough and we can no longer exercise more. It
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our means of livelihood that we are talkmg about here." he added. Also speaking, the chaI rman of the farmers, Alhap Jafarll Amedu, n'iterated th f'ir resolve to continue
v.ith thelf protes l until paymont the\, were paId bl thp N"IPC