Monthly Archives: July 2020

July 13 Johannesburg, South Africa: Zindziswa Mandela, the daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, died at the age of 59 in a hospital in Johannesburg. While the cause of her death was not originally disclosed, the Mandela family later informed the public she was diagnosed with COVID-19 on the day of her death. President Cyril Ramaphosa stated he hoped the familys announcement will encourage acceptance of people sickened by COVID-19 in South Africa, where there have been over 320,000 confirmed cases. Mandela was home from her appointment as ambassador to Denmark and was awaiting her next appointment to Liberia. She was an activist and diplomat and often expressed her opinions through poetry, according to The New York Times.

July 14 Beledweyne, Somalia: A United Nations cargo plane carrying food from Djibouti to people in Beledweyne, who were displaced due to heavy rains, crash-landed at Beledweyne Airport before bursting into flames. All three of the crew members on board survived, but the humanitarian aid was burned in the fire and not salvageable. Due to a lack of firefighting equipment, people on the ground were unable to put the fire out and had to wait for it to extinguish on its own. The cause of the crash is currently unknown, but is being investigated by authorities.

July 15 Bushehr, Iran: A fire at a shipyard in the port city of Bushehr burned for over seven hours before firefighters managed to extinguish the flames. Seven ships in the area were severely damaged by the fire, but there were no human casualties. The cause of the blaze remains unknown, but the incident is the most recent in a series of fires and explosions that have occurred throughout Iran during the last several weeks. According to The Guardian, multiple sensitive sites have caught fire or exploded, causing analysts to speculate the incidents are part of a state-sponsored sabotage campaign. These speculations remain unconfirmed, and the causes of the incidents are under investigation by authorities throughout the country.

July 15 Van, Turkey: A police-owned and operated plane crashed into Mount Artos, an inactive volcano in eastern Turkey, at an altitude of approximately 7,200 feet on July 15. The plane was returning from a surveillance and reconnaissance mission over Van and Hakkari at the time of the crash, which left all seven security personnel onboard dead. A search party ensued after the plane disappeared from radar at approximately 10:30 p.m., but the wreckage was not found until 3 a.m. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but is under investigation.

July 18 Totumito Carboneras, Colombia: At least eight members of Colombias Peasant Association of Catatumbo (ASCAMCAT) were killed by Los Rastrojos, a paramilitary group active in the region, on July 18, according to TeleSUR. The attack forced 120 people to leave their communities in Ccuta, the municipality where the village of Totumito Carboneras is located, out of fear of possible attack by armed groups. We urge the Regional Ombudsmans Office of Cucuta and the municipal authorities of Tibu to initiate an investigation into this violent act, ASCAMCAT said in a statement, according to TeleSUR.

July 18 Alberta, Canada: A bus carrying 27 people on a glacier tour through the Columbia Icefields slid down an embankment, killing three and injuring 24. Of the injured, 14 were taken to the hospital in critical life-threatening condition, according to Alberta health services. The bus was on its way to Athabasca Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in North America, located within Jasper National Park. The vehicle was designed specifically to be able to navigate the rocky and frozen terrain of the icefields. The cause of the crash remains unknown, although authorities have ruled out criminal involvement.

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This Week Around the World - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com

A group, the Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA), has called on the House of Representatives to pass the bill seeking to establish a National Innovation Agency (NiNNOVA) into law.

Doing so, the AYA said, would lead to the development of Nigeria outside the oil sector.

Speaker of the AYA, Mohammed Salihu Danlami said in a statement that if established, the Agency will coordinate innovation activities as well as administer funding to grow and support the innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

The Bill is of national interest and importance, it will drive the process for diversification of the economy, as many countries which have followed such line have witnessed tremendous benefits and are among the most developed countries in the world, they said.

AYA explained that China, Japan, and India which are global economic giants do not have a drop of oil, but India rakes in a whopping 140 billion US Dollars annually from ICT-based solutions and services.

The leadership of Arewa youth Assembly sends its profound gratitude to the Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members of the 9th Assembly for the successful 1st reading of the Bill to Establish a National Innovation Agency (Establishment Bill 2020) on the 2nd of July 2020 as sponsored by Rep. Chris Emeka Azubogu.

We, therefore, want to urge the House to please call for the second reading and quick passage in view of the sensitivity of the bill and its importance to national development.

The National Innovation Agency being proposed will play a leading role in the development of Nigerias innovation ecosystem by coordinating, networking, fostering, and partnering different organizations from various fields such as academia, technology, industry, finance, and investment.

Its main focus will be on utilizing knowledge management to achieve innovation, which could be employed as the principal tool in improving the quality of life and as a driving tool for an increasingly competitive economy. NiNNOVA will rely on academic and financial support mechanisms to drive and support innovation development.

NiNNOVA will undertake a broad-based and systematic approach in facilitating innovation development in Nigeria, both in terms of making improvements and pioneering new initiatives. More precisely, it will focus on fostering strategic innovation and industry innovation, which will enhance national productivity, encourage economic restructuring and social development as well as promote national competitiveness.

NiNNOVA will also focus on coordinating industrial clusters both at the policy and operational levels, promoting innovation culture and building up innovation systems, with a broader aim to transform Nigeria into an innovation-driven economy.

It shall exist to promote the development of efficient and innovative Nigerian systems within thematic areas such as technology, ICT, nanomedicine, nanotechnology, agriculture, agribusiness, biotechnology, health, education, etc.

This is what NIGERIA lacks but so desperately needs at the moment so that we can have a knowledge-based economy. A commodity-based economy such as the one we currently operate does not get any country anywhere in terms of national development. It is noteworthy that South Korea which developed an innovation-based economy and is not up to the size of a state in the Soviet Union has about the economic size of the Soviet Union.

The Swedish Innovation Agency champions and coordinates innovation-based activities in Sweden for national development. The Thailand Innovation Agency plays a similar role in Thailand. The list is endless; virtually every country in the world has an Agency whose mandate is the coordination of innovation for national development.

In view of the crucial and critical role the National Innovation Agency will play in re-tooling our national economy for national development, we, therefore, urge the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila to please call for the second reading of this Bill and to expedite action for its eventual passage as such an agency will add huge value to Nigeria in terms of wealth creation and overall national competitiveness and development, they said.

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Reps urged to pass bill on National Innovation Agency - Vanguard

PERHAPS the most ambitious mass-employment programme in the history of this country has just kicked off. The tweet by the Federal Government on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 that the programme had started effectively overrode the earlier purported suspension of the Special Public Works, SPW, which the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Labour had ordered after a meeting with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, ended in chaos.

The SPW programme, which seeks to employ 1,000 youths from each of the 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation is an intervention programme aimed at stimulating the economy at the grassroots to help address the mass unemployment that the coronavirus pandemic has worsened.

It will focus mainly on agriculture and its value chains.

We commend President Buhari and the Ministry of Labour and Employment for their commitment to this programme which is evident in the auspicious manner with which it has been followed so far. The nation would have lost an opportunity to react effectively to the fallouts of the pandemic if the project had been mired in the disagreement between the Executive and the National Assembly.

The National Assembly had acted overbearingly on this issue. The fine line must be drawn between the oversight function of the Legislature and actually seeking to supervise the activities of the Executive. The principle of separation of powers and checks and balances require that while both chambers stay within their constitutional limits, they must work together to maximise the output and impact of governance.

We believe that the Inter-ministerial Committee which Keyamo set up to select the state implementation panels should be able to ensure that the prevalent miasma of nepotism will not be allowed to creep into the selection of the beneficiaries. The National Assembly should still continue to monitor this aspect to ensure equitable distribution of beneficiaries.

Since the Minister of State, Labour, Mr. Festus Keyamo cited the need to keep the public properly informed of the way the programme is implemented as his reason for refusing to be part of a process that kept out the media and public from the contentious public hearing at the National Assembly, the onus is now on him to frequently inform the public on progress made, perhaps on a weekly basis. The media must be carried along.

We also call on the Ministry to ensure that the beneficiaries are the real youth who are ready to apply their brains and brawns productively, and not just political jobbers targeting the N20,000 monthly stipend. The beneficiaries must be based in the local communities within each local government area. They must be verifiably involved in agriculture and related business activities within their local communities.

Productivity monitoring is key in this programme.

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As the 774,000 jobs kick off - Vanguard

By Yuanqi Ivy Zhou

Portland, OR Across the nation officials are demanding that federal authorities, who claim they are acting to bring order to Portland, leavewith local leaders believing that the federal presence is inflaming rather than calming the situation.

On Friday, members of the US Congress drafted a letter to Attorney General Barr and Department of Homeland Securitys Acting Secretary Chad Wolf demanding that all federal agents be immediately removed from Portland and the rest of the state of Oregon, condemning the presence of federal law enforcement as an absolute abuse of power for President Trumps campaign.

The act comes as federal agents dressed in military gear took to the streets of Portland, using tear gas and force, causing protesters to be injured, while pulling some people into unmarked vans in what Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon has called a blatant abuse of power.

Senators Jeffrey A. Merkley and Ron Wyden, with the help of Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, sent a letter to Barr and Acting Secretary Wolf demanding that they remove any Special Operating Group (SOG), US Custom and Border Protection Tactical Unit (BORTAC), and Homeland Security Investigations Special Response Team (HSI SRT) agents and other federal agents from Oregon immediately.

The four Congress members accuse the federal government of 1) deploying federal agents without identifying insignia, 2) snatching people off the streets with no apparent reason for apprehension, and 3) using potentially deadly munitions to harm peaceful protesters.

In the letter, they refer to several cases of unlawful violence of federal agents against innocent civilians which occurred quite recently. One of the most viral cases was that of innocent civilians being arrested and put into unmarked military cars by camouflaged military soldiers.

Some footage was released featuring federal paramilitary forces from the BORTAC dressed in camouflage and body armor without identification and abducting civilians off the streets into unmarked cars, such as in the case of Mark Pettibone and Conner OShea after the protest outside of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland.

After these police officers abducted innocent civilians who seemed like they would be associated with the protests, they would search them, and release or charge them depending on their findings. These arrests were made with only the suspicion on the basis of their proximity and dressin other words with no evidence that that would constitute probable cause.

Another case was the violent instance when a peaceful demonstrator was shot in the face on July 11, 2020, by the SOG in their violent attempt to quell the protesting crowd.

Though it is acknowledged that the federal government holds the responsibility of protecting the nation, the Congress members claim that these violent tactics are way too out of hand. In response to these actions unlawfully committed by the federal government and the deployed agencies, they demand that not only must these egregious tactics end immediately, we demand that you remove these federal paramilitary forces from our state.

The Congress members are convinced that the developments in military tactics to control protests are to provoke further conflict in an attempt to advance President Trumps political developments and interests in Portland. Though there are a few dangerous acts actually being committed, these Congress members refer to the Presidents campaign claiming that protestors as a whole are lawless and radical left-wing mobs in an attempt to portray himself as a figure of law and order.

Federal government should be more transparent about who exactly is responsible for the loss of innocent civilian lives as a result of the deployment of federal agents, because the use of the presidents power over the military for his own political interests and gains is unconstitutional, the members of Congress write.

The letter concludes that all federal agents need to be removed from the state of Oregon and that we will not tolerate the use of Oregonians as props in President Trumps campaign-motivated abuse of power.

Meanwhile, Oregons AG, Ellen Rosenblum, announced Friday that her office had opened a criminal investigation into how one protester was injured near a federal courthouse. Her office filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court accusing the federal agents of engaging in unlawful tactics and seeking a restraining order.

The strife in Portland, which has seen 50 straight days of protests, reflects the growing fault lines in law enforcement as President Trump threatens an assertive federal role in how cities manage a wave of national unrest after George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis police.

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Members of Congress Demand Removal of Federal Agents from Oregon - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Sam Oyadongha, Jimitota Onoyume, Festus Ahon, Egufe Yafugborhi, Chioma Onuegbu, Davies Iheamnachor, Emem Idio, Ozioruva Aliu, Tordue Salem, Olayinka Ajayi & Francis Efe

THE on going investigative hearing of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee into the activities of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, was yesterday full of drama.

Acting Managing Director of the agency, Kemebradikumo Pondei, did not only collapse while being grilled by the lawmakers, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, also got into a hot exchange with some of the lawmakers after alleging they were beneficiaries of most of the commissions contract.

Another drama of the day resulted from the stepping down of chairman of the investigating committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who recused himself from yesterdays sitting, following protests from the NDDC team that he is an interested party and would, therefore, not be fair to them.

The NDDC team, led by the acting MD, Pondei, had last Friday walked out on the committee, insisting the committee chairman should recuse himself.

Emotions ran high yesterday after the committee members subjected Pondei to series of probing questions on the alleged financial recklessness at the commission.

We spent N1.32bn, not N1.5bn on COVID-19 palliatives

Pondei said the commission spent N1.32 billion as COVID-19 relief funds for staff, not N1.5 billion as alleged by the lawmakers.

At a Senate hearing about a fortnight ago, Pondei had said the commission spent only N1.5 billion to take care of staff, despite being paid their salaries.

The youth were given palliatives to help cushion the effect of the pandemic on the people. The youth were idle and to avoid violence, they were paid.

Five million for youths and five million for women and five million for people living with disabilities in each senatorial district, he had said.

However, yesterday, when asked again about the relief funds, he said he must have said 1.5 billion while he was not attentive.

The amount the IMC used to take care of NDDC staff as COVID-19 palliative was N1.32 billion, not N1.5 billion, he said to the question posed to him by coordinator of the panel and Vice Chairman of the committee, Thomas Ereyitomi, who took over after the chairman stepped aside at the start of the hearing over allegations of bias.

Pondei also disagreed with the committee that the commission had extra-budgetary spending by approving that sum for themselves.

He also said N81.5 billion was spent from October 2019 to May 31, this year by the NDDC.

Of this, he explained that the incumbent interim management committee he heads, which came in February spent N59.1 billion.

He said: Of this, N38.6 billion was spent on capital projects. N35.3 billion was paid to contractors hired by previous administrations.

He added that N20.5 billion was spent on recurrent expenditure between February 20, 2019, and May 21, this year.

They are a backlog of debt for about three years. Duty tour allowances havent been paid for three years; we cleared it. Scholarship fees havent been paid since 2016, he said, adding that the NDDC paid N500,000 to each beneficiary.

He also told the committee that the commission paid a contractor N641 million for the completion of what he called turning point road in Asaba and over N500 million to a consultant to identify NDDC projects in different parts of the nine Niger Delta states.

Not satisfied with his explanations, the lawmakers fired questions which the acting NDDC chair could not provide convincing answers.

Pondei slumps, taken to NASS clinic

Pondei had been grilled for over an hour and he slowly slumped over his desk. Once he was spotted, several people present at the hearing rushed to his aid, propping him up and attempting to stabilize him, with the proceedings halted.

He then appeared to be in a seizure, with a man holding open his mouth as others held him upright. After he appeared to regain consciousness and lose composure intermittently, he was moved out of the session.

Vanguard gathered that Pondei was eventually taken to the National Assembly clinic, from where he was transferred to another hospital.

Consequently, hearing was suspended for 30 minutes by the lawmakers. Giving his brief remarks at the opening session earlier, chairman of the House Commission on NDDC, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had announced that he was recusing himself from the probe to allow for fair hearing.

The forensic audit must go on. We have not condemned anybody; we have not concluded the assignment and have not found anybody guilty. This is only an investigation, nothing is personal.

The investigation is to have a better and more productive Niger Delta. Im not on any revenge mission, Tunji-Ojo said, and handed over the proceedings to his deputy, Thomas Ereyitomi.

Gbajabiamila intervenes

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, entered the investigation room moments after the acting NDDC MD was rushed out to the clinic.

Gbajabiamila apologised to the NDDC team and other people in the room over its stuffy nature.

He urged the committee to allow, after the Minister, Godswill Akpabios testimony, other NDDC staff appearing before it to send in their presentations because the room is very hot.

Another ensued after the Minister, Akpabio, was asked to make his presentation before the committee and take questions.

Akpabios declaration that most of the contracts awarded by the NDDC were given to National Assembly members stirred the hornets nest.

Akpabio: NASS members got most NDDC contracts

Making his presentations, the minister said: Who are even the greatest beneficiary of the contracts?Its you people at the National Assembly,

A female lawmaker interrupted him, saying: Can I ask you a question? What is the National Assembly benefiting from NDDC?

The minister responded: I just told you that we have records to show that most of the contracts in NDDC are given out to members of the National Assembly but you dont know about it, the two chairmen can explain to you. I was a member of the NDDC committee so I know about it.

We cannot close down the Niger Delta Development Commission because of the fact that we are doing (a) forensic audit.

The NDDC plays a vital role in ensuring peace and security of the region and 90 per cent or more of the resources of the country come from there.

If you close it down in totality all you will have is chaos. You will have a lot of, not just militancy, you will have a lot of insurrection.

So it is important that people who have gone to court, people who genuinely did jobs should be paid for their jobs.

Speaking further, Akpabio said: Whatever we do here is subject to judicial review as he contends the legality of the proceedings.

The minister did not hijack the committee. No NDDC staff was sacked to my knowledge. I never asked anybody to swear to an oath. There was never an issue of oath taken.

I have no Presidential ambition. The 2019 budget of the NDDC was not available. So there is no way the minister would ask NDDC to bring N10billion to share.

How I wish this probe had been done before now, we would not have been in this mess we are in now. I want to state emphatically that no N40 billion was missing. Nothing was paid to the minister and no contract was given to the minister.

You would have asked me to speak first before the acting MD who fainted, may be he would have had enough time to take fresh air.

In 2019, the Federal Government appropriated N100 billion to NDDC. I believe the NDDC now has the budget of 2019 in May 2020.

On procurements

Ernst & Young was approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement for the forensic audit of NDDC and forensic audit is on-going and we are following due process. Since I came on board, its only three contracts I have embarked on. Among them is COVID-19 emergency contract which is under the law. You cannot leave the entire Niger-Delta to only two people.

Asked if he has influenced or acted in the capacity of the MD of NDDC, he said: If I find out the action is in the interest of Niger-Delta, I have to intervene but it does not include tax files.

On contracts

The NDDC management withdrew N4.2bn cash in one day. I am not even aware that such contracts have been given. I dont have to be aware of payment. No money is missing. I have only awarded three contracts which include the COVID-19 and procurement. They are all in the 2020 budget.

Why the NDDC is where it is today is because of lack of proper monitoring. It is important for the Minister to be appointed as chairman of the Presidential monitoring team. If we want to change the Niger-Delta, we must consider the forensic.

On IMC

The constitution gives power to the President to appoint, to supervise.

It is the NDDC that procured the forensic auditors. All the procurement came through them.

On rift between Akpabio and ex-MD

Most of the payments NDDC made do not have to go through the minister. She does not have NYSC certificate. She was removed because of insubordination. She even swore to a fake affidavit.

Pondei ignored doctors advice NDDC

Reacting to Pondeis collapse yesterday, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, said he ignored doctors advice to observe some rest.

In a press statement, entitled: Prof Pondei has been ill, and signed by Mr. Charles Obi Odili, Director of Corporate Affairs, NDDC, the commission said the MD had been ill for two weeks, prior to the sad incident.

The statement read: The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, collapsed today at the public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC.

The Commission wishes to disclose that Prof Pondei, has been ill for the past two weeks. This morning, his condition deteriorated, and his doctors advised against attending the hearing. However, he ignored his doctors advice because of the realization that his traducers will use his absence at the hearing to soil his name and reputation.

He thought he could make it through the hearing and take care of his health later. As it turned out, his doctors were right. Prof Pondei is in a stable condition at a clinic in Abuja.

The commission rubbished the conduct of the investigative hearing, claiming that proceedings of the panel were wrong-headed.

It exonerated the Acting MD, saying he was not involved in any alleged malfeasance at the commission.

Prof Prondei became Ag Managing Director of NDDC on February 20, 2020. By May 5, the two arms of the National Assembly ordered a probe of his tenure of exactly 74 days at the time, two-thirds of which was spent under Covid-19 lockdown conditions.

Prof Pondei, as the Managing Director of the Commission, has an official duty to answer for the activities of the Commission like what happened between 2008 2012 which is the subject of another hearing based on the auditor-generals report for the period.

It would, however, be unfair to hold him personally liable for acts which took place when he was not the head of the Commission.

When the two arms of the National Assembly called for a probe, it was over a missing N40 billion. The Commission took the rare step of publishing all payments made by it under Prof Pondei. No organization in Nigeria, public or private has ever got to that level of transparency in our national history.

As this publication undermined the claims of his accusers, the subject of the public hearing changed to financial recklessness. While this might appear insignificant, it amounted to changing the goal posts to smear a clean man.

While misappropriation of N40 billion is a matter demanding objective proof, the question of financial recklessness is one open to subjective judgement, the commission stated.

The commission, however expressed satisfaction with the decision of chairman of the committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to step down.

The commission is delighted that Hon Olubunmi Ojo, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC has recused himself from the hearing. At the end of the day, everyone has to answer for his role in the misappropriation of the resources of the commission.

It is this search for answers that led President Muhammadu Buhari, on the request of the nine governors of the region, to institute a forensic audit to probe what happened to the resources of the Commission from 2001 to date.

The Prof Pondei-led IMC has committed to the success of that exercise. While we thought there will be a fight back by those who dipped their hands in the cookies jar, we never expected this level of boldness and malevolent aggression as witnessed by accusers at the hearing and their paid agents through all the media platforms.

The commission is participating at the hearing, even though it thinks that seeing to the conclusion of the forensic audit will serve the future of the Commission and the Niger Delta region more than the probe of 74 days of activities, the NDDC stated further.

Get well, clear your name, N-Delta stakeholders tell Pondei

Reacting to the development yesterday, leaders and stakeholders in Niger Delta empathized with the Acting Managing Director, Interim Management Committee, NDDC, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei but urged him to get well quickly and return to clear his reputation.

Former National Chairman, Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria, TROMPCON, and Pere of Siembiri Kingdom, Delta State, HM Charles Ayemi-Botu, and others, however, blamed the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who cleared the air on the various allegations against him shortly after Pondei was rushed out for medical attention, for the embarrassing state of affairs.

National Secretary, South-South Peoples Assembly, SSPA, Dr. Ayakeme Whisky and renowned environmental activist, Alaoga Morris, described him as an academic and administrator unschooled in the act of double-dealing like politicians, which greatly troubled his heart as he testified, making him to succumb to the enormous pressure from his subconscious mind.

National Convener, South- South Reawakening Group, Joseph Ambakederimo, differed, saying I call it a well -scripted soap opera to hoodwink Nigerians as they have always trivialized very serious allegations of corruption levelled against the minister and the IMC team.

All of them, however, lamented that NDDC, which was set up as an interventionist agency to develop the Niger Delta region has turned out to be a corruption contraption for some few privileged politicians, their sponsors from other parts of the country and cronies.

Former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rev Peter Obadan, who believed that Prof Pondei faked his collapse, said the people of the region should wait patiently for the report of the probe he commended.

Its unfortunate Poindei fainted

HM Ayemi-Botu told Vanguard: It is unfortunate that the Acting Managing Director of NDDC slumped during hearing at the House of Representatives yesterday (Monday), but I pray for his quick recovery to enable him come back to clear himself in the ongoing investigation.

In my considered opinion, the appointment of the Minister of Niger Delta to have oversight responsibility on the NDDC by President Muhammadu Buhari is the bane of the litany of crises in NDDC. I presume Mr. President was misled by Senator Godswill Akpabio to transfer NDDC, a federal parastatal under the Presidency established to develop the marginalized people of the region to the supervision of the Ministry of Niger Delta.

It is a misnomer because the Minister has not got any budget to complete the East-West Road, but to concentrate on NDDC to milk it dry by throwing a spanner in the wheel of progress with the appointment of IMC, which is an aberration. Ask the minister what and what projects his ministry has executed since his appointment.

Be it IMC or forensic audit, all are canon fodders and camouflage to siphon NDDC dry, he added.

Reverend Obadan told Vanguard: I think it is their flames that is catching up with them and a man that collapses cannot raise up his hand, I saw that clearly, I think he was just faking it but what the House is doing should be highly commended, the armed robbers we crucify, they do not do one tenth of what these fellows have done. They have robbed the nation, they have robbed the future generation. One is so ashamed of them, one is ashamed of what has happened.

But let the truth be made known, be made public because most of the things we read on internet and social media, some of them may not be true because there are a lot of fake messages, let the truth be unveiled through the investigation, I think Nigerians should just be patient for the results to be out. Let Nigerians wait for the outcome of the committee. It is the wealth of the people, it is the wealth of the nation and the Niger Delta people are anxiously waiting to know what actually transpired, he said.

It was shocking

Well-known environmentalist and Head, Environmental Rights Action, ERA, in Bayelsa state, Alagoa Morris, said: First of all, it (Pondeis slouching) came as a shock to me, but on a second thought, even though l care about his safety; I recall that such things are not entirely strange as some facing corruption charges have appeared in court even on a stretcher and other features showing signs of illness.

However, l felt the Prof may not have been properly briefed about certain details by the older NDDC management officials and he did not prepare well before appearing. Again, I thought he should not have bothered to answer questions on anything he has no knowledge of since he is also relatively new in the office.

Answering for the actions of others would be a mistake on his part and I hope he did not, a clear conscience and not taking to defend what you know nothing about would not result into such fainting scenario.

There is nothing wrong in investigating the interventionist agency, but it should be in the common interest and not witch-hunting. Only the best intentions would be good enough, he told one of our reporters.

Investigate thoroughly

Former All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Alhaji Mumakai Unagha, who spoke in Warri, Delta state, stated: On the issue of Pondei slumping, it is only the doctor that can ascertain if it is pretense. My take in the whole saga is that there should be thorough investigation to bring all corrupt members of the commission to book.

His words: Similarly, the commission should be decentralized to reduce the prohibitive corruption in the commission,

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NDDC: Startling revelations, drama at Reps hearing - Vanguard

The challenges and few mistakes notwithstanding, UPDF still remains a solid institution, accountable to the people and the vanguard of peace and stability

In the words of General James C. McConville, the 40th Chief of Staff of the US Army, "Winning matters and people are my number one priority. People are our soldiers, their families, civilians, retirees and veterans. We win through our people, and people will drive success in our readiness, modernisation and reform priorities."

No truer words have ever been said in regard to the relationship between the military and the people.

Looking back at the organisational foundation of the NRA struggle; with reference to Major Ondoga Ori Amaza's book, "Museveni's Long March from Guerilla to Statesman", there was a solid demand that all in the National Resistance Army (NRA) subordinate their individual and/or group interests to the demands of the political objectives and intentions of the struggle, which were arrived at by examining the demands and interests of the Ugandan people, thus establishing an organic link between the young army and the people. This foundation was described as follows;

"The population is the one which gives us food, shelter and intelligence information about the movement of enemy troops. We are both educating our soldiers in practical and everyday examples that it is the people who matter in this exercise. The NRA has learnt that without the support of the people, it cannot carry out the struggle alone and successfully. At the same time, the population knows that without the effective defence from NRA, the enemy would harass their womenfolk, destroy their property with impunity, kill them and eventually make the struggle a failure.

Indeed, the organisational structures and methods of work, upon whose basis the NRA struggle was waged, had revolutionary potential and content. The interests and demands of the people were crystallised into a political programme thus constituting a rallying point for all.

The Code of Conduct developed during the bush war also intended to provide a clear definition of the relationship between the masses of the Uganda people and the NRA.

The NRA leadership established Resistance Committees (RC's) representing their intention to bring about a revolutionary re-ordering of the Ugandan society. It was through these committees, that people could openly criticise anything they disapproved of, for instance NRA soldiers misbehaving. This was the real representation of people's power.'

The effect of the organisational foundations meant to steer the NRA away from the path of becoming a neo-colonial' army whose loyalty, training, ethos, ideological orientation and political preferences are anti-people and unambiguously' undemocratic by essence."

The support the people offered the NRA was deep, in that they risked their lives, since the government troops at the time never hesitated to kill any of them. For instance, the June 9, 1981 incident in Kikandwa, where Luttamaguzi and eight of his kinsmen, who bravely refused to reveal anything about the whereabouts of the NRA, were tortured to death. In recognition of this brave act, the NRA named one of its combat units "LUTTA" and set June 9, as a public holiday (Heroes Day) in memory of the heroism Luttamaguzi and his eight fellow villagers exhibited.

Lieutenant General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in his book "Battles of the Ugandan Resistance; A Tradition of Maneuver clearly described this relationship as follows;

"The resolute support of the people of Luwero, Ngoma and Bulemezi in general has to be understood in the context of their inextricable ties to the NRA. Their support was for the fighters whom they lived with and daily saw meting out punishments on the dictatorship for the unspeakable atrocities committed against them. It was an empirical relationship based on the numerous struggles they had jointly endured."

Today, the Uganda People's Defence Forces(UPDF) previously the National Resistance Army (NRA) continues to maintain this organisational foundation and background in the execution of its mandate, derived from the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, which is; "to defend and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uganda, ensuring non-violability of people's and individual rights, the rule of law, governance and most importantly to foster harmony and understanding between Defence forces and civilians.

The UPDF has religiously consolidated the gains of the revolution, putting into consideration the very people, "wananchi" that supported the war up to its very end. The enabling element has been its pro-people character and ideology that seeks to bridge the gap between the men in uniform and the civilian population, creating an environment of Civil-Military Co-operation at home and across the borders.

The challenges and few mistakes notwithstanding, UPDF still remains a solid institution, accountable to the people and the vanguard of peace and stability. Even for the individual crimes committed by some elements within the military, these would never go unpunished; for example, one crime the UPDF would never tolerate is "kuua mtu/wananchi" (killing a civilian). The UPDF Code of Conduct is clear on this. To reaffirm this commitment, the UPDF set up courts, which include, the Court Martial Appeal Court, General Court Martial, Division Court Martial, and Unit Disciplinary Courts, to try and punish, members of the defence forces that commit crimes or violate the code of conduct. These systems are in their entirety accountable to the people of Uganda.

Even for the Local Defence Units (LDU), who are ideally members of the UPDF Reserve/Auxiliary forces, the army leadership still maintains a firm grip on them, through Command and Control and for any violation of people's rights.

However, aside from some mishaps of the institution during the execution of their mandate, the UPDF has done a commendable job that surely deserves credit. The few mistakes made by some elements should not demonise the institution as a whole. So much has been done, that will in most cases not be talked about.

The UPDF has not only grown in number, but as an institution of excellence and professionalism, a character that it has managed to preserve and consolidate back at home and in foreign missions; a trait that was not common with previous armies.

As the citizenry, this is something we should be proud of, and in all that you do, I urge you all to give the officers and men of the UPDF all the support and respect they need and deserve to execute their mandate.

Historically, to date, without the support of the population, we would not have an army capable of protecting the country and its people. Credit goes to HE the President General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his steadfast stewardship, the heroic combatants of the National Resistance Army who established the organizational foundation, and the officers and men of the Uganda People's Defence Forces who continue to steer the very tenets and gains of the revolution.

Aluta Continua!

The writer is a Staff Officer-Civil-Military Cooperation in the Office of the Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations.

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Updf Foundation Anchored On Support Of The People - New Vision