I’m flattered by Allardyce’s comments about me –

Austin Jay Jay Okocha

Pius Ayinor
Former Nigeria captain Austin Jay Jay Okocha has said he is overwhelmed by the eulogy poured on him by England coach Sam Allardyce despite retiring from football many years ago.
On Tuesday, Allardyce retained Wayne Rooney as England captain and encouraged him to follow Jay Jay Okocha’s example. Rooney was told to continue in his role as England captain – by following the leadership blueprint of Okocha who also played as Allardyce captain while at Bolton Wanderers.
The Independent quoted Allardyce, “On and off the field, Jay Jay was the captain you looked for.
 “In a multi-national side from all over the world, he could speak four different languages and communicate very well with some of the players who couldn’t speak quite as good English.
“He sorted the odd scuffle out in the dressing room, talked to the players about how we had to go out and win. He’d take the manager’s instructions and apply them in the right way.
“Then there was outstanding ability on the field, leading by example and showing everybody he wasn’t a mercenary which was suggested in the beginning, that he’d only come for the money.”
Okocha, who was unaware of the Allardyce comment until The PUNCH called him, said he was overwhelmed to be so remembered by his former manager.
He said, “His comments make me feel so good and fulfilled. Sometimes we do things the way we know best without knowing how well and far it goes with other persons. I was just working the way I felt the work should be done; I never knew it made his (Allardyce) work easier too.
“I am proud of what I achieved at Bolton and in football.”
The former Super Eagles captain also had kind words for his manager at Bolton many years ago in the English Premier League.
Okocha told The PUNCH, “He was a good manager. He knows how to get the best out of his players. You could see what happened to Newcastle after he left there. He’s really a good coach and deserves the England job. His appointment didn’t come as a surprise to me.”
Okocha with the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen, Hernan Crespo and Youri Djorkaeff made the EPL low-budget team quite formidable even against the top-four teams. They were one of the teams to always look out for in cup competitions.
For the England team, Rooney’s retention in the role, widely anticipated, ensures continuity for a player who broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time England goal-scoring record during the qualification campaign for Euro 2016.
With 115 caps, Rooney is likely to surpass Peter Shilton’s all-time appearance record in the run-up to Russia 2018 and Allardyce insists that sticking with the player as captain was an “easy” choice.
“Wayne has been an excellent captain for England and the manner in which he has fulfilled the role made it an easy decision for me to ask him to continue,” he said.

Don’t bomb Niger Delta, Umar warns Buhari

Col. Abubakar Umar (retd)

Godwin Isenyo, Kaduna
Former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar(retd), on Tuesday warned President Muhammadu Buhari against deploying troops and military hardware in the Niger Delta to halt the activities of militants in the region.
Umar said the Federal Government’s planned use of force to rout out militants, especially the Niger Delta Avengers in the Niger Delta, was not the best option; adding that the militants were still amenable to dialogue.
President Muhammad Buhari was, in a statement credited to him by his Senior Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Mr. Garba Shehu, in Nairobi, Kenya, quoted to have said that he would treat Niger Delta agitators the same way he dealt with Boko Haram if they failed to negotiate.
But the former governor in a statement entitled, ‘War in the Niger Delta: A most dangerous option,’ argued that the militants could not be treated like Boko Haram insurgents that had killed over 20,000 Nigerians in the North-Eastern part of the country.
Umar argued that the Niger Delta militants could not be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word, warning that collateral damages to any military option in that region would be colossal.
Umar said, “I am really frightened by the sudden escalation in the Niger Delta Region from where there are some reports of skirmishes between our security forces and the Niger Delta militants. This is happening after the President was quoted as vowing to deal with the militants as he did to Boko Haram.
“All factors considered, the use of military force in an attempt to resolve the lingering crisis is not a good option and must therefore be discarded.
“As a retired general, Mr. President is well aware of the serious and daunting challenges any military will face in its operations in the most difficult and densely populated Niger Delta region.
“The creeks are so heavily polluted with oil, rendering them highly inflammable. It will take the firing of a few high explosive shells to set the whole area on fire, resulting in the inestimable collateral damage among innocent civilians.
“It is also difficult to see how an armed conflict can secure our oil and gas assets in the region. Instead, it will aid the destructive activities of the militants and lead to the total shutdown of all oil and gas operations in the area.”
The former governor added, “Besides, the Niger Delta militants cannot be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word. I believe they are amenable to meaningful dialogue.
“I need not to remind the President that a war in the Niger Delta will be opposed by most objective Nigerians and the international community as unjust and merely aimed at the control and exploitation of the region’s oil and gas resources.
“I therefore beseech you, Mr. President, in the name of all that is good, to continue to explore peaceful means of resolving the Niger Delta crisis as painful as you may find this. May God direct and guide you on the path of justice.”

Woman escapes from Delta kidnappers

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Alkali Usman

Godwin Udoh, Asaba
A mother of two has escaped from some suspected kidnappers, who had taken her captive in an uncompleted building in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was learnt that the woman, simply known as Odafe, had boarded a commercial motorcycle, which was operated by a suspected kidnapper, who whisked her to an unknown destination.
The housewife, while narrating her ordeal to our correspondent on Tuesday, said as the motorcyclist approached the uncompleted building, a young man forcibly mounted the motorcycle, saying she lost consciousness after.
She stated that after she regained consciousness in a forest, she did not see any of the abductors.
“I discovered that the boys were not around and I managed to find my way back as I fled to safer ground until I arrived at a police checkpoint where I narrated what had happened,” she said.
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, said the culprits would be apprehended and prosecuted.
Kalu explained that the command hand mounted surveillance in the area to check suspicious movements.

PDP BoT leadership illegal, Makarfi must go – Sheriff

Ali Modu Sheriff

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party assumed another dimension on Tuesday as the factional National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, rejected the leadership of its Board of Trustees.
Sheriff also said that the solutions proferred by the BoT for the resolution of the crisis in the party fell short of the agreement he said his faction had with the peace panel set up by the BoT.
The former governor of Borno State stated this in a statement in which he said that the outcome of the meeting held by the Board in Abuja on Monday, was not in tandem with the decision he claimed was reached with the Dickson/Mantu reconciliation committee.
Sheriff, who stated this in a statement signed by his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, however, agreed with the BoT that the next national convention must hold in Abuja.
The factional national chairman of the main opposition party was reacting to the decisions reached by the BoT at its meeting in Abuja on Monday, where it said that a new national convention committee be put in place to organise the proposed national convention.
He specifically accused the Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, of perpetuating himself in office.
The statement said, “That the BoT Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin chairmanship has brought crisis to the party.
“In any case his tenure has expired as he has spent more than 10 years as the Secretary and Chairman BoT which runs contrary to the constitution (of the party).”
He said there were other qualified members of the party in the board, who he said, were ready to lead it.
He said that the agreement his faction had with the peace panel was that the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party should resign from office.
Apart from this, he also said that it was agreed that Sheriff would preside over the party’s National Executive Committee meeting where he said, a new national convention committee would be named.
Ojuogboh said that it was wrong for the BoT to pass a vote of confidence on the Makarfi-led caretaker committee, which he said had failed twice to organise an acceptable national convention.
He, therefore, called on Makarfi to resign his appointment.
He said, “Consequently, we can now confidently inform the general public that well-meaning Nigerians have been urging Senator Makarfi to resign to save democracy.”
When contacted, Jibrin said he was not going to react now, saying he would do so “after reading the report.”
The spokesperson for the national caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, was also said not to be in the country.
When our correspondent visited the temporary national secretariat of the party at Wuse Zone 2, no member of the caretaker committee was around to speak on the issue.

No going back on clean-up of Lagos – Ambode

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos

Sesan Olufowobi
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday said he would sanitise every nook and cranny of the state.
Ambode spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, during the inauguration of a special committee saddled with the responsibility of restoring the original master plan of the Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki areas of the state.
The governor said his administration was determined to rescue the state from impediments, adding that his resolve was non-negotiable.
He said, “We have observed gross abuse of urban planning and environmental laws which necessitated the decision to embark on a major clean-up of the environment. Cases of abandoned property have become rampant with miscreants taking over the property as their bases to cause havoc.
“Our roadsides now parade pockets of illegal kiosks, unapproved mechanic workshops and roadside beer parlours. In addition, originally residential areas now have commercial concerns located there, distorting the balance of the environment.
“These bad environmental practices can no longer be tolerated and will be brought to an end immediately. A safe, clean and prosperous Lagos is non-negotiable; that is the commitment of our administration. We will not allow these environmental infractions to continue.”
The governor added that the Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki clean-up was the beginning of a rescue operation that had come to stay until Lagos was clean.
The committee is chaired by the Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, while other members are Commissioner for the Environment, Babatunde Adejare; Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Folorunso Coker; Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Ade Akinsanya; Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Yetunde Onabule; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Matters, Adekunle Olayinka; General Manager, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Segun Adeniji; and General Manager, Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority, Lateef Sholebo.
Others include Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sulaimon Dogo; Chairman, Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, Olayinka Egbeyemi; sole administrators of Iru/Victoria Island and Ikoyi/Obalende local council development areas, Aderemi Adebowale and Goke Olawale, respectively.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Bello said the members were ready to carry out the task.

Again, militants bomb NPDC pipeline in Delta

Ovie Okpare, Warri
Niger Delta militants have again attacked another major oil delivery line belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, blowing up the facility at Ogor-Oteri in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
A local community source told our correspondent that the attack was heralded by heavy explosions during Tuesday’s downpour at about 3am.
A militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, which threatened to attack oil facilities in the upland parts of the region, claimed responsibility for the attack.
 The group, in a statement by its spokesman, Aldo Agbalaja, on Tuesday, stated, “At about 0300hrs of today, Tuesday, August 30, 2016, the uproot team B of the NDGJM brought down the Ogor-Oteri major delivery line Operated by NPDC/Shoreline.”
The statement asked oil companies, operating in the region, to evacuate their workers from the Warri and Port Harcourt Refineries so as to avoid heavy casualty in a series of attacks in the coming days.
It also announced that the Pigging Manifold in Agbarha, the country home of the Ibru family, had also been marked for attack.
It read, “To this end, we are alerting all those working in the UQCC/UPS Erhomukokwarien in Ughelli, Eriemu Pigging Manifold in Agbarha, Otorogun Gas Plant, Olomoro Flow Station, Warri Refinery, Port Harcourt Refinery, Eleme, Ob-Ob And Obite Gas Plants in Omoku to evacuate because what is coming to those facilities are beyond what anybody has seen before.
“We do not want innocent blood being spilled; therefore, we advise all indigenes living in the vicinities of the facilities to relocate for the time being.”
The group also condemned some leaders in the region, who it accused of pursuing selfish interest for pecuniary gains.
It added, “Those in the field, just for the money, will quickly rush to align with the Pa E. K. Clark’s arrangement because they were, as a matter of fact, created by some of the people co-travelling with Clark.
“We want to reiterate our lack of confidence in the Clark-led arrangement. Chief Clark is not the leader of the whole of Niger Delta; he can hold the front for the Ijaw nation but definitely not for all the ethnic nations in the region.”

Buhari has no candidate in Ondo APC, says Presidency

Friday Olokor, Abuja
With few days to the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, the Presidency has waded into the crisis over alleged plans by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to impose an aspirant (Segun Abraham) on them.
The Presidency which specifically said President Muhammad Buhari and the APC-led government had no preferred candidate in Ondo State, warned that “government will come hard on anyone that does anything that in anyway jeopardises the peace and security of Ondo State.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, made the clarification in Abuja, after a closed-door meeting with the 24 aspirants of the party in his office, which lasted about four hours.
The SGF also demanded that 10 of the aspirants who had yet to sign an undertaking with the Department of State Services to be of good conduct would do so.
He said, “We wish to reiterate that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has no preferred candidate among the 24 aspirants and the government will do all in its powers to provide a level-playing field for all the 24 APC governorship aspirants. We expect that every one of the aspirants will work hard to be in the favour of the delegates. We expect there should be no inducement of delegates and there will be no violence during the election.
“I will like to also assure the people that all the security agents will be properly briefed and properly deployed to guarantee the safety and security of lives and property of the people of Ondo State, delegates and aspirants alike. The President wishes each and every one of you the best of luck. For whoever emerges as the successful candidate on Saturday, be rest assured that you have the full support of the machinery of the party behind you.
“We like to reassure the people that as a government, there is no preferred candidate and as a government, we will work hard to ensure that everyone is given a level-playing field so that anyone that God has ordained as the preferred candidate will so emerge. All the other aspirants have agreed to line-up behind whoever emerges so that we move forward. I want to assure you that soon, Ondo State will become an APC state.”
The National Secretary of the APC, Mai Mala Buni, also restated the position of its leadership to provide a level-playing field for all aspirants.
“This party (APC) is committed to providing free and fair election because the members that we are sending to conduct this primary election are up to the task.
“As for the question of either camping or inducing delegates, I am sure our delegates are people that no one can control their minds. Nobody at any level will influence their decisions”, he stated.