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Acting DSS Boss under Fire as FG Orders Reinstatement of Redeployed Offivers

Published

6 years ago

September 4, 2018

Eric

The acting Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr Mathew Seiyefa, has recalled officers he transferred out of the headquarters of the agency when he resumed office on August 1.

The decision to recall the officers followed the open directive given Seiyefa by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari, who was said to have scolded the new DSS boss for carrying out re-organisation in the agency without clearance from the Villa.

Seiyefa became the acting DG of the Service following the shocking sacking of its erstwhile DG, Mr Lawal Daura.

The then acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who sacked Daura, ordered him to hand over to the most senior officer in the agency.

Daura, who hails from Katsina State, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, was also handed over to the police for debriefing.

President Buhari was not in Nigeria when Daura was sacked.

Daura was relieved of his position because of the role he played in the deployment of operatives in the National Assembly, an action that portrayed the Federal Government as anti-democratic.

It was speculated then that Daura took the action in conjunction with some people in the Villa, without the knowledge of Osinbajo.

Seiyefa, who was then serving at the Institute of Security Studies, Bwari, Abuja, immediately carried out some reorganisations immediately he assumed office.

Among those he transferred were the Director of Operations, Mr Bassey Eteng, and another Director, Grace Kentebe.

Both of them were among those that Kyari asked Seiyefa to return to their duty posts.

A source close to the agency told our correspondent in Abuja on Monday night that, “There is tension everywhere because the directive has been complied with by personnel, most especially by those who instigated it.

“Both Eteng and Kentebe have reported. Personnel morale is at its lowest ebb.

“Even quite a significant number of the personnel of northern extraction are not happy with the Chief of Staff because they said himself and the ousted DG had not been good to the service.

“Meanwhile, there is every possibility that the service may witness an unprecedented protest against the undue interference in the affairs of the service by the Chief of Staff to the President.”

Our correspondent gathered that the Presidency had yet to decide on whether to confirm Seiyefa or appoint another officer as a replacement for Daura.

Some members of the Presidency cabal were said to have been making moves aimed at frustrating the confirmation of the acting DG because of political interests.

The aides of the President, who were said not to be happy about the unceremonious sacking of Daura, were also said to be lobbying to have a say in who would replace him.

Daura, it was gathered, had nominated Eteng as a “worthy successor” and could be useful to the cabal ahead of the 2019 elections.

The cabal is believed to be considering other options, including the possibility of appointing a substantive DG outside the service.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide has faulted the alleged moves by the Presidency to remove Mr Matthew Seiyefa as the DG of the DSS and reinstate the sacked Lawal Daura.

The President, IYC, Mr Eric Omare, said, “While the IYC recognises the fact that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the power to hire and fire head of security agencies in the country, we wish to state that the President also has a corresponding mandatory constitutional duty to ensure that such appointments are in line with the Federal Character principle.

“As of today, Seiyefa is one of the few heads of security agencies in Nigeria from the southern part of the country, hence it would amount to grave violation of the Federal Character principle of the constitution to replace Seiyefa, who was appointed less than a month ago, with a northerner as alleged.

“Consequently, the IYC strongly calls on President Buhari to put a stop to the Satanic plan by the Presidency cabal to replace Seiyefa as Director General of the DSS because there is no basis for it. Seiyefa is doing a great job in repositioning the SSS and what he deserves is encouragement from the Presidency and not a replacement.”

The Punch

Featured

Stay Away from CBT Centres, JAMB Warns Parents, Threatens Arrest

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

As this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) begins on Friday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has vowed to arrest parents found near any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre during the 2024 UTME exercise.

The directive was issued at the final briefing of the CBT centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024.

The spokesman for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said this directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises.

Benjamin, who quoted JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said any parent, who disobeys the order would not only be arrested but his ward would also be disqualified from sitting for the examination.

Oloyede explained that this measure became necessary as it has been discovered over time that many of these intruding parents are facilitators of examination infractions while others have, by their actions, disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.

He added that some miscreants also disguise as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions.

“The Board’s helmsman noted that going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.

“Therefore, it is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence the desperation to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.

“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” the Board note through a statement.

Furthermore, the Registrar said all arrangements have been concluded for the conduct of the 2024 UTME, which will be held in over 700 CBT centres across the nation.

He disclosed that the Board expects a seamless exercise but it has nevertheless made adequate provision to tackle any technical glitch that might occur in the course of the examination.

He, however, warned that if a session experienced any technical challenge, candidates in subsequent sessions would be allowed to sit their examination as scheduled while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the last session for the day or the following day or even further depending on the centre schedules.

Featured

Oyo Govt Demolishes Operational Base of Yoruba Nation Agitators

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Oyo State government, on Wednesday, demolished a building serving as the operational base of the Yoruba Nation agitators led by Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, in Ibadan.

Onitiri-Abiola, one of the widows of late Bashorun M.KO Abiola, had declared the creation of the so-called Yoruba Nation in a video posted online, which has been widely condemned.

Last Saturday, some armed men in military uniforms invaded the Oyo State Secretariat, with the motive to forcefully take over the State House of Assembly, before they were dislodged by the combined efforts of police and troops for the Nigeria Army 2 Division..

Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde, confirmed the demolition of the house located at Toye Oyesola Street in Ibadan South West Local Government Area.

Already, no fewer than 29 suspects – including a lecturer – arrested in connection with the foiled armed invasion were on Wednesday arraigned by the police before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan.

In a case with charge number Mi/520c/2024 between the Commissioner of Police and the 29 suspects, they were accused of a seven-count charge of treasonable felony, unlawful society, illegal possession of firearms, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Inspector Bakare Rasaq, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said the offence contravenes, and is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

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PDP BoT Queries Damagum, Anyanwu’s Continued Stay in Office

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has queried the continued stay in office of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

Recently, many party members have raised concerns about the ongoing tenure of Damagum and Anywanwu in their respective positions.

Previously serving as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), Damagum assumed the role of acting National Chairman following the court’s suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in March of the preceding year.

With the National Secretary being selected as the PDP candidate for the Imo State 2023 governorship election, the South zone has been grappling with nominating a replacement. Despite this, he, along with other party leaders, contested and retained the position of party secretary after losing to Governor Hope Uzodinnma.

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