The Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has identified policy somersaults as a clog in the wheel of Nigeria’s economic and agricultural development.

Sanusi spoke during a joint session of the United Nations World Food Programme, WFP, and the African Development Bank, AfDB, organised on the sidelines of the Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja.

The session focused on ‘Investing in Innovative Food Systems Solutions in Challenging Contexts’.

“The biggest problem I have seen with our country is the lack of policy continuity. Every time you have an election, it is as if everybody starts on a clean slate

“A civil service that should preserve institutional memory has either by design or default failed to do so. So, every few years, we come back discussing the same issues,” he said.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, recalled that during his tenure as CBN governor, he initiated a study of six agricultural value chains to improve lending and promote investments in local production.

“We discovered 13 tomato varieties suitable for paste production, but outdated laws blocked their commercialisation. We had to fight for policy amendments. Yet, before the reforms could mature, the project was abandoned.

“There is not enough money in the government to fix every farmer’s challenge. What the government can do is create confidence for private investment to thrive,” he added.

The National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, on Wednesday, reiterated before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that the union was not using the police and court to settle union matters.

Akporeha made the assertion while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Christopher Oshomegie SAN, in the ongoing trial of 21 former leaders of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, branch of NUPENG before Justice Yusuf Halilu, sitting at Maitama, Abuja.

The police dragged a one-time PTD National Chairman, Lucky Osesua, and 21 others before the court on a five-count charge bordering on attempted murder, breach of peace and assault in the charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/042/2023.

The defendants are alleged to have, on November 1, 2023, attacked Akporeha, the union’s secretary-general, Olawale Afolabi, and the new PTD national chairman, Augustine Egbon, thus acting in a manner likely to cause their death, among other offences.

Other defendants included Dayyabu Garga, Humble Obinna, Akinolu Olabisi, Godwin Nwaka, Tiamiu Sikiru, Abdulmimin Shaibu, John Amajuoyi, Zaira Aregbo, Patrick Erhivwor, Stephen Ogheneruemu, Gift Ukponku, Sunday Ezeocha and seven others.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At the resumed hearing in the case yesterday, while answering questions from Oshomegie, Akporeha told the court that NUPENG had about 150 branches, of which PTD was one, adding that there was no issue of one group against another in the union.

According to him, “It is not correct that one group is using the police and court against another to settle a union matter. I am the national president of the union (NUPENG); I oversee everybody.

“NUPENG is one body, and there are no groups. NUPENG has about 150 branches, of which PTD is one. The issue of one group against another does not arise.”

Akporeha, who is the second prosecution witness (PW2) in the case, informed the court that the union conducted PTD executive elections in June 2022 in Ibadan in which the first defendant, Lucky Osesua, Dayyabu Garga, and others emerged as winners, but the National Industrial Court, sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, nullified the elections.

He said the court ordered NUPENG to conduct another election for PTD, but some of the defendants still went to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, and the court also nullified the election.

“After the first election was nullified, the court directed that another election be conducted. This was conducted, but some of them (defendants) went to court, and the court also nullified the second election.

“After this, NUPENG conducted another election in Ibadan, while some people also conducted another illegal election in Abuja. It is NUPENG that is supposed to conduct the election. The one the court directed to be supervised by NUPENG was conducted in Ibadan,” he told the court.

He further told the court that most of those who conducted the illegal Abuja election did not show up in Ibadan for the election the court ordered NUPENG to supervise.

He admitted that the Lucky Osesua-led executives that emerged from the illegal election held in Abuja later filed a suit against the executives elected in Ibadan, adding that he was joined as a defendant in the suit.

Akporeha denied the suggestion by Oshomegie that he (the NUPENG President) came to install the person that won the Ibadan election on the day he and others were attacked at the PTD national secretariat at No. 50 Majekodunmi Street at Utako, Abuja, which also served as the NUPENG liaison office.

According to the witness, the winners of the election in Ibadan had been inaugurated thereafter, emerging victorious, adding that Osesua and other defendants were not supposed to occupy the PTD national secretariat as they were not the authentic PTD executives.

He informed the court that on the day of the attack on him and others, they met Osesua and other defendants at the premises’ gate and were stopped from driving into the premises, adding that he and others had to use the small gate to enter the premises where they were later attacked by the defendants.

The witness told the court that the defendants led a mob of youths armed with gallons of petrol and other weapons to attack the hotel he and others lodged in and destroyed doors, windows and others.

He added that he was talking with the new PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, when he heard the door of his room being broken into and beaten to a pulp.

“I was not with Egbon, but I was on the phone with him when I heard the door to his room broken and he screamed. I also saw when he was being beaten and dragged from the fourth floor. He was beaten to a pulp,” Akporeha said.

He added that it took the intervention of the then acting Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Utako division to rescue him from his hotel room, and later arrested the defendants and took them to the police command.

Following the completion of his cross-examination by the defence counsel, Justice Halilu subsequently adjourned the case to November 10 for continuation of hearing.

Nigerian Army headquarters has deployed a full brigade and heavy equipment in different parts of Kwara South Senatorial District, as troops are already milling through communities inward Oke Ode and Babanla, both in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.

The operation is also extending to Edu and Patigi to comb through thick forests from which kidnappers have launched cowardly attacks on different communities and abducted people in return for ransom.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who met with President Bola Tinubu on the issue at the weekend on the sideline of the visit to Jos, commended the President for the support, and the military high command and allied security forces for the renewed intervention to eliminate all threats to public safety in the state.

“We will not spare any resources in support of the military, DSS, police, and other security agencies as they work to strengthen security of lives and properties,” the Governor said in a statement by his spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, welcoming the army deployment on Wednesday.

“We are upbeat that this operation, as part of the ‘Operation Fasan Yanma,’ will eliminate all forms of threats in affected areas in Kwara South and Kwara North.

“I thank the President and the security agencies for the efforts so far. As I said a few days ago, we just need to double our efforts to save the people.

“We are confident that the Brigadier General A.A. Babatunde-led Army Brigade will succeed in this important task and clear the entire areas,” the statement added.

The Governor also commended the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division, and every other officer for their support.