Family of five, others die in Awka road accident tragedy

By Jude Atupulazi



Tragedy struck Monday evening around 8 o’clock in Awka, Anambra State, when a truck, coming down the UNIZIK slope, apparently lost its break and smashed into three vehicles at a police checkpoint, opposite the Parktonian Hotel. The accident led to the death of seven people, including a family of five.

According to an eyewitness, the green-coloured IVECO truck, was speeding down uncontrollably, having lost its break, and despite the shouts of the conductor that the truck had lost its break, the road could not be cleared on time by policemen whose checkpoint caused a long line-up of vehicles.

One of the vehicles it smashed into was occupied by a family of five, including a 3-month old baby, who had just been dedicated at the church the previous Sunday. The other victims were one of the policemen and the driver of the truck. The remains of the victims were deposited at the nearby Amaku General Hospital, Awka.

Other vehicles involved in the accident included a 504 Peugeot saloon car with registration number ANSG43, a Toyota Hilux van with registration number AN33A03, and a red Nissan car with registration number BB589PP. The Peugeot was badly damaged, with the driver said to be unconscious, while the driver of the Toyota escaped unhurt. The dead family was traveling in the Nissan car, which was damaged beyond recognition.

When NEXT arrived at the gory scene of the accident on Tuesday morning around 8am, the body of one of the victims, believed to be the driver, was still lying there. Those who gathered at the scene were weeping profusely and blaming the police for the accident.

The state police boss, Philemon Leha, described the accident as unfortunate. He, however, said it is regrettable that people had given in to sentiments and were blaming the police. According to Mr. Leha, the checkpoints had greatly helped in curbing the activities of kidnappers in the state.

No end to checkpoints

On the issue of the continued mounting of road blocks, the police commissioner said there were no plans to remove them, owing to their advantages in preventing crime.

“It is very difficult to remove them because if you do, the kidnappers will come and carry even me in this place,” Mr. Leha said.

Speaking to NEXT on the phone, the secretary to the state government, Paul Odenigbo, described the accident as unfortunate, but advised that it should not be politicised.

“What happened could have happened to anybody and anywhere. It is very sad,” he said.

Meanwhile, the injured persons were said to have been taken to the Regina Caeli Hospital, also in Awka.

The accident, which occurred on a federal road between Enugu and Onitsha, is another in a series of regular accidents on the busy UNIZIK axis, which led the state government to build a pedestrian bridge at the UNIZIK junction, but most pedestrians have refused to use this bridge.

Source: Punch

Ladan, NNPC boss out, may emerge Kaduna dep gov

From JULIANA TAIWO, Abuja and ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna


a surprise move, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday removed the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Shehu Ladan. Ladan, who was appointed into office on April 6, 2010 was immediately replaced with Mr Austen Olusegun Oniwon, Executive Director (GED) Refining and Petro-Chemicals and also the most senior GED.



While no reason was given for his sudden removal, President Jonathan, however, ordered a comprehensive audit of the NNPC. The finance minister, Olusegun Aganga is to engage the services of a world class auditing firm to carry out the audit.

The decision to appoint Ladan came on the heels of the reconstitution of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) and was aimed at giving the organisation a new lease of life and a room for its transformation.



NNPC had come under intense pressure from stakeholders especially the state governors who had been fighting to stop the leakages in the finances of the organization, which they contended had reduced the states’ share from the federation account allocations.



Only recently, the National Assembly had threatened to invoke its powers to summon the NNPC GMD for allegedly refusing to honour the lawmakers’ invitations to answer some questions on the expenditure profile of the organisation.

Ladan who hails from Kaduna State succeded Sanusi Barkindo from Adamawa State who had also come under intense pressure over the manner he had managed the affairs of the organisation.



Ladan retired from NNPC on April 6, 2009, as GED, Commercial and Investment. He was also former deputy managing director of Nigeria LNG, executive director of NETCO as well as NPDC, both subsidiaries of NNPC.

Daily Sun, however, gathered that Ladan's exit from the NNPC had nothing to do with the probe of the corporation as he only quit to take the job of Kaduna State deputy governor, which became vacant following the nomination of Governor Namadi Sambo as vice president.



Ladan, according to sources, would be named deputy governor anytime this week as power brokers were said to have positioned him for rulership of the state.

It was further gathered Mallam Ladan would run as the Kaduna State Governor in 2011 despite concerns from the people of the southern part of the state.

Ladan had also earlier nursed the ambition of running for the Kaduna Central Senatorial seat in 2011 before Governor Sambo reportedly prevailed on him to drop the ambition for the NNPC job.



Born on April 1, 1951, Oniwon who replaced Ladan as NNPC GMD hails from Okene in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. He started his working career with the NNPC in 1977 and rose to become Head, Planning of the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company in 1987. From 1988 to 1991 he was the Technical Assistant to the GED, Downstream and later Head, Engineering and Technical Services Department (ETSD) of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company from 1991-1992. That same year Oniwon was made Head, New Business Development, Corporate Planning and Development Division a post he held until his appointment as Head, ETSD at the Port Harcourt Refinery from 1993-1999.



From 1999-2000 Oniwon held forte as General Manager, Information System, Engineering and Technology Directorate before moving on to function as Senior Technical Assistant to the GMD and GM, Information Systems Department at the GMD’s office. Months later he was made the Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NNPC before moving on to the Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited as MD between 2003- 2009.



A fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, FNSChE, Oniwon holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He also holds a Diploma in Business Management from the prestigious Harvard University, USA and Diploma Petroleum Management from Oxford University, UK. He is married with children.



Source: SUN Nigeria Newspaper

VP: Sambo dragged before EFCC over N153.6bn

By John Alechenu and segun olatunji

The governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, who has been nominated to fill the vacant post of Vice President, has been dragged before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations of financial impropriety.
A Kaduna-based lawyer, Sadau Garba, petitioned the anti-graft body asking that the governor be investigated for allegedly misappropriating N153.6bn with the support of the state legislature.
A copy of the petition which was obtained by our correspondent on Saturday alleged among other things that the N1.2bn spent by the state government in hosting the U-17 World Cup championship was yet to be accounted for.
Nigeria hosted the championship in 2009 and Kaduna State was one of the states where the tournament was held.
The governor whose name has been forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration and confirmation as the Vice-President was nominated by President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night after he had a meeting with Peoples Democratic Party governors.
But Sambo who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Umar Sani, has dismissed the petition just as he queried the credibility of the petitioner.
He added that the petitioner needed to be examined to determine whether his claims had any substance.
But in the petition, Garba averred that the state obtained a $17.32m loan guaranteed by the Minister of Finance from the Islamic Development Bank, but that the loan was not captured in the 2009 budget as required by law.
He also accused security operatives of acting out the script of the state government by harassing him on account of the petition.
Meanwhile, tension has gripped the state capital following alleged opposition by some groups and persons to the nomination of Sambo.
Following this, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that riot policemen and Armoured Personnel Carriers have been deployed to patrol the flash points in the state.
Our correspondent gathered that unfavourable security reports about the situation led to the deployment of security men on Friday, shortly before the Muslim Jumat prayers.
The security beef up, it was learnt, was informed by the circulation of some text messages from unknown sources asking the Muslims not to accept the nomination of Sambo as well as the expected change in leadership that will follow in the state.
The state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Tambari Yabo Mohammed, had earlier on Saturday held a meeting with Divisional Police Officers in the state during which, he instructed them to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order in their areas.
Source: Sunday Punch