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PDP Knocks Lauretta Onochie For Allegedly Lying At The Senate

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Senate Begins Screening Of Lauretta Onochie, Others For INEC Role-Crystal News

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Lauretta Onochie, for allegedly lying at the Senate.

Crystal News earlier reported that Onochie on Thursday told a Senate committee that she does not belong to any political party.

She stated this on Thursday while campaigning her way for appointment as the National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Amid controversies on her nomination, Onochie denied been a supporter of any party including the All Progressive Congress, the party of her principal, Buhari.

But reacting in a statement the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan slammed Onochie for denying her life in a clear desperation to be appointed as a national commissioner in INEC.

“Nigerians were amused to watch Lauretta Onochie, a nationally known APC front runner, as she spewed falsehood before the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led Senate Committee on INEC in denial of her membership of the APC.

“With her lies, Lauretta Onochie, a die in the wool APC member, whose name appears as number 2 on the ward 4 registers of the APC in Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State, has further demonstrated her lack of integrity to be trusted with the position of a national commissioner in INEC.” The statement said

“Lauretta Onochie in her escapade in the Senate may have forgotten that the lawmakers and Nigerians, in general, are aware of her subsisting oath filed in a pending suit in court affirming her membership of the APC, which she further reinforced and adopted under cross-examination in the same matter very recently.

“With such proclivity to desperate denials in the face of the truth, allowing Lauretta Onochie, anywhere near INEC, would pollute the commission as well as the conduct of elections by the commission.”

“Now that the facts of Onochie’s partisanship have been further laid bare before the Senate, the PDP urges the Senator Gaya Committee on INEC to stand on the side of the constitution and the sanctity of our electoral process by outrightly rejecting the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner,” the statement further added.

 

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“Tunji Ojo Has No Case To Answer” -Shehu Sanni

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Olubunmi Ojo

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, says Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has no case to answer regarding the contract awarded to a company linked to him by suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.Sani, in a chat with The Whistler, said Tunji-Ojo did not violate any public service law since he resigned from the company years ago.
” It could have been a conflict of interest if he hadn’t resigned.The senator further said it is “not his ministry (that awarded contracts), and companies have the right to pursue businesses anywhere.“Edu’s case is very clear and can’t be equated with that of a company associated with Hon Ojo.“Legally, he can’t be held to account on this matter.“Let’s not be distracted,” Sani said.“The extant provision of the law under the 1999 Constitution is that anybody who is a public servant cannot engage in any business other than farming,” said Nelson Kebordih, a senior lawyer whose interest is in public policy.He said the implication of the law is “that a person must be in active control and directorship of the company in the management of any enterprise.“You are permitted to own shares because owning a share does not put you in the day-to-day management of the company or any enterprise.“If he (Tunji-Ojo) has resigned from being a director, the law does not stop him from owning shares in the company,” he stated.The former lawmaker’s position aligns with the 2008 Federal Service Rules on Chapter 4 which states that “Public officers are not prohibited from holding shares in both public and private companies operating in Nigeria or abroad except that they must not be Directors in private companies, and may only be Directors in public companies if nominated by Government.”
Following the suspension and quizzing of Edu, concerning alleged financial sleaze, the Minister of Interior has come under pressure to resign or equally be suspended by the president after it emerged that his company, New Planet Project Ltd, also received a contract from Edu.Edu had awarded some companies contracts, some of which were unregistered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) raising concern of fraud and illegality.Tunji-Ojo is also being pressured to step down with many commentators saying he has flouted the Public Service Rules which barred public servants from being awarded contracts or contracting any business except farming.But the Minister while speaking on television explained that he had resigned since 2009 from the company.“Almost five years ago, I resigned as director of the company, so I’m not a director. I resigned on 1st of February, 2009, you can take that to the bank,” the minister had said.

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”Your mentorship, humility, and resilience was exemplary” Oando Boss, Wale Tinubu Mourns Barkindo

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The Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc, Jubril Adewale Tinubu, has mourned the death of H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, the Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
Tinubu said Barkindo’s death has robbed him of a good friend.
He wrote: “We had many conversations and speeches together  yesterday but this wasn’t one of them.
“The most profound reminder of the fragility of life is death.
“You were a good man who lived a great life. Y
“I still can’t believe the news, but Allah knows best. Till we meet again my good friend.”
Barkindo died at about 11pm on Tuesday, 5th July 2022.
His death confirms the old saying of a thin line separating life from death. But once that line is crossed, the gulf created becomes as large as an ocean, and so treacherous that it’s impossible to cross back.
The sad incident of the death of H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo has again brought to the fore what difference a few hours coiuld make between life and death.
Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo was among other top and eminent personalities that delivered speeches at the ongoing 21st Nigeria’s Oil and Gas conference in Abuja . His speech earned him a standing ovation.
Unfortunately, the technocrat died of heart attack hours after he was honoured by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.
A former managing director of the NNPC,  Barkindo was appointed OPEC Secretary-General in 2016. He was the fourth Nigerian to hold that position and the 28th person in the role overall.
He was GMD of the NNPC between 2009 and 2010.
He was 63 years old.


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Oando,  LAMATA sign MoU on electric mass transit buse

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 Oando

 

Oando Clean Energy Limited has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (referred to as LAMATA), the Lagos State Government agency tasked with planning, implementing, regulating and franchising sustainable integrated public transport in Lagos.

The MoU establishes a partnership between OCEL and Lagos State in her journey to becoming a sustainable city via the rollout of electric mass transit buses, supporting charging infrastructure and service centres (EV Infrastructure Ecosystem).

The statement obtained from the NGX noted that with over 25 million residents, Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and among the top ten of the world’s fastest-growing megacities.

 

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde said the MoU represented the State Government’s commitment to cutting greenhouse gases by replacing them with cleaner sources of energy.

Oladeinde said, “With an understanding that transportation is a key emitter of greenhouse gases in Nigeria, we developed a strategy to cut greenhouse gases by 50%. A key component of this strategy was identifying and developing a more robust mass transit system for Lagos that would include rail and waterways amongst others. Using electricity to power mass transit is a step in the right direction, and from there we would gradually transit to private cars.

“This is just the beginning, there is still a lot more to come on stream. I commend LAMATA and Oando on this MoU signing, and both parties can be rest assured that they have my full backing to ensure success,” he added.

Commenting on the MoU signing, the Managing Director, LAMATA, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo said: “We began this journey late last year, and for us, this has been a rapid development. It speaks to the energy and zeal of both organizations, and that is commendable. Oando Clean Energy came to us with a comprehensive solution that went beyond electric mass transit buses to include supporting infrastructure, and this was key for us, as the full remit of an EV support ecosystem is the only way to achieve success.

“This initiative will not only accelerate the Government’s transportation agenda, but also positively impact the health of Lagosians and the environment. The magnitude of its impact is far-reaching, and when you start to look at it as more than a transport initiative, you will see how laudable a project it is. The Oando brand comes with know-how and experience, and we are relying on this to successfully move from MoU signing to actual implementation that will in the medium to long term benefit over 22 million Lagos commuters. We look forward to a very robust and fruitful partnership.”

In his response, the Chairman, Oando Clean Energy, Adewale Tinubu, who was represented at the MoU signing by Dr. Ainojie ‘Alex’ Irune said: “Oando Clean Energy was born out of a need to curate the best energy mix to propel Nigeria and indeed Africa, to its full potential.

As a company, Oando has always championed Public-Private Partnerships as fundamental to Nigeria’s industrialization. Through the signing of this MoU, we are revolutionizing the landscape of mobility by pioneering e-mobility in Lagos. Furthermore, we remain dedicated to achieving our national commitment to net-zero by 2060, ending energy deficiencies and further propelling the country to an industrialized phase through decentralized and sustainable energy systems.

We are excited to be embarking on this journey with Lagos State and must commend their foresight and willingness to forge a template for others to follow. It’s easy to be perturbed by the perceived challenges that come with the mega-city status tag, but by taking this bold step, Lagos is showing the continent what is indeed possible and giving other cities the impetus to redefine today how to build a public transport system for the future.”

 

Over the last decade, the number of vehicles on Lagos roads has quadrupled, yet studies suggest that Lagos could become the world’s most populated city by 2100 with as many as 100 million residents; and as the city grows, so will the number of vehicles.

This upward trajectory in vehicle numbers poses a significant challenge as transportation has been identified as the key contributing sector at circa 23% to 30% in annual CO2 emissions.

Against this backdrop, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between LAMATA and OCEL will enable the successful fulfilment of the objectives of the Lagos State Government through the deployment of an EV Infrastructure Ecosystem towards the attainment of a sustainable road transport system in the State.

Furthermore, this initiative will bridge the existing gap in available mass transit buses for the increasing number of Lagos commuters.


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