Shaibu masterminded attack at my residence, Oshiomhole insists

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has accused the Edo state government of
masterminding the attack on him and his guests in his country home,
Iyamho on Saturday.

Oshiomhole, who spoke to journalists on Sunday evening in his
Abuja residence, also called on the Edo State governor, Mr Godwin
Obaseki, to rein in his deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu.

He wondered how he suddenly become an object of the attack of
his successor and his men, noting that he could not contest against
the governor, having served two terms in the same office.

Narrating the development in his hometown over the weekend,
Oshiomhole alleged that the attack on him and his guests, including
the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; the Chairman of Honeywell
Group, Mr Oba Otudeko and the Vice Chancellor of Edo University,
Iyamho, Professor Emmanuel Aluyor, was organised by the deputy
governor and that the intent was basically to embarrass him in his
hometown.

According to the APC National Chairman, he had intelligence,
which he reportedly shared with the Inspector General of Police
(IGP), that the deputy governor had asked that 1,000 persons be
mobilised to the event at the university to cause mayhem and boo
him when he is sighted there.

“I decided that I should use this medium to speak to the
unfortunate incident that happened in my community yesterday
(Saturday) after the convocation ceremony at the Edo
University.

“Like I already directed my press secretary to do yesterday,
obviously it was my decision to invite the Chancellor and his
entourage including His Royal Majesties, Oba Akiolu, Oba Otudeko
and other dignitaries.

“I personally invited them to join me for lunch which they
graciously accepted and so it is unthinkable that I will invite
people for lunch and I will make arrangements to disrupt or prevent
my guests from coming to my house. So, any suggestion that I had an
idea of what happened, nothing can be farther from the truth.

“When I discovered that something had gone wrong, I went to the
gate and by then they had gone. I tried to speak with the governor.
I called him, the phone rang out but at least I was able to speak
with the Chancellor and his wife and I am happy that they fully
understood. However, this whole thing was unfortunate because it
was organized by the state government.

“By Thursday evening, and you can crosscheck with the IGP, I had
information that the Deputy Governor asked some people to organize
1, 000 people to the university community. The whole idea was for
them to boo me and celebrate it in the media that the
comrade-chairman was booed in his own community. The CBN Governor
who delivered the convocation lecture was also a witness.

“The CBN governor was not invited to address a rally, he was
invited to deliver a convocation lecture and he wasn’t going to
talk to those thugs who were wearing all kinds of inscriptions.
They didn’t come for a political rally.

“I conveyed the message to the IGP to prevent thugs being
imported to the place by the deputy governor. Some few minutes
later the governor himself arrived and Mr. Emefiele went to him and
said to him, ‘what are these people doing here?’

“He said Mr. Governor, if those people were there, he wasn’t
going to deliver the convocation lecture because he didn’t come to
do politics, he just came to perform a normal intellectual activity
which was the convocation lecture. The governor promised to get the
people out of the university.

“You can imagine, it is easier to mobilise thugs into a place
but it is far more difficult to demobilise them. So, we had to
meander into the auditorium where the lecture was to be delivered
and of course, you could hear all sorts of slogans and counter
slogans.

“This was exactly what they had planned and the whole idea was
they would have their cameras waiting. As I step out, people will
be booing me and the media will report that Oshiomhole booed when
he attended the convocation ceremony. That was the whole idea.”

Open Defecation: Sanitation Personnel Inspect Ketare
District of Katsina State

The Director Water Supply and Sanitation Department Alhaji Sani
Mua’azu has called on communities of Ketare District in Kankara
local government area to imbibe the culture of personal and
environmental hygiene.

Alhaji Sani Mu’azu made the call when he paid an advocacy visit
to the Kanwa of Katsina District Head of Ketare Alhaji Usman Bello
Kankara in his palace.

The Director said Federal Government and UNICEF officials will
soon visit the local government to assess the level of compliance
with the open defecation policy.

He noted that communities of Hurya, London, Dandashire in Ketare
ward, Masaurari, Dantulu and Gangule in Gundawa ward, are among the
first batch of communities to be inspected by the visiting
team.

Other communities to be inspected in the next batch include
Gurbi, Kuka Sheka, Tsamiya Jino, Pawwa, and Katoge Alhaji Sani
Mu’azu stresses the need for these communities to step up their
personal and environmental hygiene to meet the certified
requirement.

According to him there are various benefits accompanying the
Open defication Free certification which will including sinking
borehole to improve access to clean and portable water and
construction of more toilets latrines in the communities.

He therefore solicits for the support and cooperation of the
Kanwa of Katsina to achieve the desired goal.

Responding, the Kanwa of Katsina Alhaji Usman Bello Kankara
while thanking the director for the advocacy visit assured support
to the cause.

Alhaji Usman Bello Kankara said at district and ward level
already a committees has been set up to ensure the success of the
open defecation free program.

The KAnwa also directed all villages and ward heads to ensure
every household has the recommended toilet facility to enjoy the
benefit accompanied with the compliance with the policy.

Similarly the monarch directed all the Imams in the district to
continue to enlighten their followers during the five daily prayers
and Jumu’at prayers on the need to desist from open defecation
noting that cleanness is next to holiness.

Alhaji Usman Bello Kankara called on people of the area to
ensure they have toilets in their houses and also to desist from
open deification in markets places, motor parks, and schools among
others.

During the visit, the District Head accompanied the director and
his entourage to inspect some of the communities in his domain.

By PRNigeria^[1]