₦airaland Forum

izombie:
Make una just rest abeg. Obi is not the president.

Goodvibes007:
Yeah right. Only one region did exactly that and it's not the SW, SS, and North (NC, NW, NE).

Goodvibes007:
Goodvibes007: 6:16am

Yeah right. Only one region did exactly that and it's not the SW and North.

Following the approval of a 300 per cent electricity tariff hike by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday, DAILY POST outlines what Nigerians should know about the hike.

Recall that NERC approved 225 per Kilowatt for ‘Band A’ electricity customers in Nigeria.

The development represents a significant shift from electricity subsidy in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry amid persistent epileptic power supply nationwide.

Customers Affected by Hike

NERC said that only Band A customers received at least 20 hours of power supplies from the eleven electricity distribution companies.

According to the Vice Chairman of NERC, Musiliu Oseni, only 15 per of the 12.12 million electricity customers in Nigeria are affected.

He explained that the tariff hike would not affect customers on B, C, D, and E, having less than 20 hours of power supply.

Implication of New Electricity Tariff

The hike implies that electricity consumers under Band A will pay 300 per cent more to get a power supply.

This means a complete electricity subsidy removal for customers under Band A.

However, the hike will not lead to an improvement in the electricity supply to the affected customers.

Date of hike commencement

According to the new tariff order, Discos commenced the implementation of the new electricity tariff on Wednesday, 3rd April 2024.

This means customers under Band A have begun paying 300 per cent more for electricity.

Meanwhile, since January 2024, customers across all bands have suffered epileptic power supply in Nigeria.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, blamed gas constraints for the erratic power supply in Nigeria.

ASABA — Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, and retired judges, yesterday said the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, ought to handle investigations into the recent murder of 17 soldiers, and an unconfirmed number of villagers at Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.


The legal luminaries, who faulted the handing over of the traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom, Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo, one of the eight persons declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Abuja, over the incident, by the Police to the Army, said it is not the constitutional duty of the Army to investigate the murder.


They advised the Army to return the monarch to the Police for proper inquiries into, and prosecution of the the murder cases.

Among those who spoke to Vanguard were former chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono Obla, SAN, Cosmos Enwelizor, SAN, Chief Magistrate E. O. Eferakoro, retd, former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN, a retired President of the Delta State Area Customary Court, Miakpor Emiaso, and Hon. Justice Jonathan.E. Shakarho, retired Judge of the Federal High Court.

Police should handle investigations – Enwelizor, SAN
Cosmos Enwelizor, SAN, who spoke on the phone in Rivers State, said: “My take is that the Army should allow the Police do the investigation and punish whoever is found culpable in the crime committed.

“Every criminal matter should be handled by the police as enshrined in the constitution. Our constitution does not give power to the Army to declare any Nigerian wanted. The constitution does not also empower the Army to arrest and prosecute anybody. It is not their responsibility. It is only in Nigeria that you see the Army doing everything and this is not good for our constitution.

“The Army should refrain from committing a constitutional breach by declaring citizens wanted for criminal offences. It is only the Police that has the constitutional right to arrest, prosecute, and or declare anybody wanted and not the Army. If there is any crisis anywhere, the Police have the power to wade in and arrest the situation, not the Army.

“If you go to other countries, even in Africa, you can never see a soldier on the streets. The role of the Army is to protect the country’s territorial integrity, not to declare citizens wanted. How can the Army invade a community, Okuama, destroy everything, and then declare a king wanted?

“While I sympathize with the families of those 17 soldiers killed by hoodlums, I want to say that the killers of those soldiers might not necessarily be indigenes of the community.”


Army not empowered to probe murder – Obla, SAN
Also reacting yesterday, constitutional lawyer and former aide to ex-President Muhammdu Buhari, Obono Obla, SAN, told Vanguard in Cross River State: “The Army has no scintilla modicum of constitutional or statutory duty to investigate a case of murder.

‘’The constitutional or statutory responsibility of the Army is to defend the country against external aggression or anything that would compromise the country’s territorial integrity.

“The allegation against the suspects is that they murdered 17 soldiers. The army can arrest them. However, after that, they have to hand them over to the Nigeria Police Force which has the constitutional and statutory responsibility to detect and prosecute those who have committed crimes.

“Section 4 of the Nigeria Police Force Act 2020 lists the duties of the Police force to include prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders, and preservation of law and order.

“The Army is part of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Section 3 of the Armed Forces Act 2004. By section 3 (3), the Armed Forces shall be charged with the defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by land, sea, and air and with such other duties as the National Assembly may, from time to time, prescribe or direct by an Act.


Army has no right to declare anybody wanted – Eferakoro, retired judge
Speaking in Delta State, a retired Chief Magistrate E. O. Eferakoro, said it is an aberration for the Army to have declared the king wanted, advising his lawyers to file for fundamental human rights applications.

His words: “The Army does not have the right to declare anybody wanted. It is a function of the Police. Then, the Police in Delta State should not have handed the king over. The best they could have done is to hand him over to the Inspector-General of Police, and not the Army.

“At this stage, the king’s lawyers should go to court and file fundamental human rights applications. Ordinarily, as a citizen, since he heard that they declared him wanted, he did the right thing by submitting himself to the Police in charge of civil authority, not the army.

“I believe the lawyers should go to court. If they can be rehabilitating riff-raff in the north, why will they be declaring our own dead or alive and then putting a bounty on their head?

“Then, what was the Army’s mission to that place? There are conflicting stories. They should investigate these things; the Police should do the investigation. There are allegations by the youths that the Army came for an illegal operation and that some persons were using the Army. I believe they should investigate these issues.”

Army shouldn’t be involved – Emiaso, retired Customary court president
Similarly, a retired President of Delta State Area Customary Court, Miakpor Emiaso, said: “I do not think it is much of a constitutional issue, it is simply what the law is. It is not everything go to the constitution; there are things we do in our common world that are regulated, not necessarily on direct provisions in the constitution.

“We have different sources of law, the constitution is one of them. Of course, we have judicial precedence and then we have statutes.

“We run a country governed by law and the law spells out the limit where each person belongs, where your authority lies, and where it stops. We need to straighten out these things in the country.

“The military getting involved in the Okuama thing is in itself against the cannons of natural justice because here, they are the accusers and the prosecutors and apparently, they are going to be the judges.

“They are aggrieved, they are the ones that have been hurt. It is bad, it is terrible that people should kill our soldiers, persons who are in military uniform, raised hands against them, not just hit them, but kill them, snuff life out of them; it is highly condemnable.

“But we are saying that having happened that way, the military who are aggrieved are the accusers, they are now investigating what has happened, they have taken over the whole scene of the crime in Okuama, not allowing any other person to come into the place, not even the Police. You can, of course, predict the outcome of whatever investigation they are carrying out.

“Their decision eventually would match their preconceived notion of who did what in Okuama. In this situation, an independent neutral body stands some chance of being objective in what they do, and the outcome of what they would do, l align myself with that position. You cannot be a judge in your case.”

What the military is doing is illegal- Justice Shakarho, retd
On his part, Hon. Justice Jonathan. E. Shakarho, a retired Justice of the Federal High Court, said: “It is the Police that have powers to investigate and prosecute, all the Army is doing is illegality from beginning to end. If people come to my house to attack me, then I will bring my family people to fight them.

“You do not do that, you report to the Police, they will investigate, and those found culpable will be arrested and prosecuted. The Army is taking laws into its hands. They have killed civilians in so many states.

“The king did the right by saying, look I am innocent, let me hand myself over to the police, and he did that. Police were wrong to have handed him over to the Army. The Police hierarchy was wrong to allow it; the Inspector-General of Police should stop it. That is anarchy.

“You kill a naval officer, you give him a warrant to go and attack, you kill Air Force personnel, Air Force will go and attack, you kill an Army officer, and Army will go and attack? It is not done like that. Police should retrieve the king and carry out their investigation; they should be the ones to charge the matter to court.

“If they feel it is a murder case, then they will file information through the Ministry of Justice in the necessary High Court, not the Army. The Army has no right to prosecute any matter. Holding the king is illegal, even from the start of destroying Okuama and everything, it is illegal.

“Two wrongs do not make a right. Holding the traditional ruler in Abuja in military custody is an illegality, there is no justification in law.’’

Hand Delta monarch back to police after interrogation –Nwoko, SAN
Also reacting, former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN, advised the Nigerian Army to hand the traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom back to Delta State Police Command for proper investigation and prosecution.

Nwoko, who admitted that the constitution empowered only the Police to investigate murder cases, noted that the Okuama incident is a little bit complicated because it directly affected the Army, as the Police were not on the ground.


His words: “It is not as simplistic as people would like it to sound. First, they killed soldiers when they went for an operation. Whatever the name of the operation; whatever took them there is another issue, they were soldiers who were murdered.

“Since the soldiers are the direct victims of the attack, and being that they were the security team on the ground, there is nothing wrong with soldiers stepping in to take preliminary steps to apprehend the culprits or persons suspected to be involved.

“After apprehending suspects, they should immediately, after preliminary findings, hand them over to the civil authorities, the police, to now investigate because it is multiple murder cases that are being alleged. It is not within the powers of the Army to investigate murder or punish or prosecute.

“It is within the powers of only the Police to do that. Since the soldiers saw what happened, if they can arrest one or two persons, they should hand them to the police which represents civil authorities for proper investigation and prosecution.
“As of the time that Ewu traditional ruler surrendered himself to the police, do not forget that the army had cordoned off the scene of the crime, they had barricaded the entire community. The police do not know anything that happened there.

“The man that goes out to hand over himself to the police did the right thing. The Police, on the other hand, do not have access to the scene of crime, it is for them to say, soldiers, you were the people on the ground, what happened?


“For soldiers to give a packaged report to the civil authorities that would help in a proper investigation, they should also have the privilege of asking the suspects: who are you? Where do you live?”

Asked if a constitutional aberration is in the making, Nwoko responded: “The only problem we have is that the Army are the direct victims, so, they are the only people that can say this is what transpired.”

“If by tomorrow, that man or any other person arrested in respect of that matter is charged to court, any evidence given by any other person outside the soldiers that were on ground will be hearsay, and not admissible. The police that would prosecute him were not on the ground.

“Formally, since the man has reported himself, the Army should find out who he is and where he was on the day the incident happened, and then, package the report and hand him over to the police.’’

It’s in the army’s interest to hand over to the police- Afolabi, SAN
In Edo State, Olayiwola Afolabi, SAN, said: “The Nigerian Army is the complainant in this matter, so, the Nigerian Army, being the complainant, cannot investigate its case, they are working against themselves, it is wrong and in that way, the case will fail because the constitutional responsibility of investigating a crime is the police’s.

“The case in question is not a coup; it is not a coup plot. If it is a coup, the Nigerian Army has the right to investigate the coup plotters, but in this case, it is a criminal allegation of murder.

“They do not have the right to investigate it because by doing that, they are destroying the case against themselves. The police should investigate, and charge them to the court if found culpable.

“Now, you are the one that is alleging a crime, and you are the one that is investigating the same crime, it is wrong. It will be in their interest to hand over the investigation to the police and any statement they have obtained from those suspects. Constitutionally, it is wrong.

“Police will have to start afresh, there have been similar cases that the courts decided, and once this action by the army is continued, the case will fail from the onset.”

Govt ought to demand monarch’s release – Okpoko, SAN
Also speaking to Vanguard, Chief Thompson J. Onomigbo Okpoko, SAN, said: “The constitutionality of what happened when the police handed over the monarch to the army is neither here nor there. The duty to investigate criminal activities is that of the police, not the army.

“But because the army appears to be the complainant in the matter, the police ought to have been circumspect in handing him over to those who are complaining against the killing.

“The whole nation is complaining about the killing of our soldiers. The killing of the soldiers particularly touches me, if people cannot respect themselves, and do what is right, we should be able to say it.

“The monarch did what was right and surrendered himself to the police. The police ought to keep him and inform the army that the man has surrendered to them.

“Therefore, the police will have custody of the man, but you know the soldiers, they think force can resolve all disputes. If they go to the police and say this man who surrendered to you, we want him; if the police refuse to give him up, it may result in a crisis.

“To save the situation, the police handed him over to the army. The fact that they handed him over to the army is not a license for the army to humiliate the monarch, torture, or detain him beyond the period the constitution prescribes.
“It is a matter of compromise. As I said, the government should demand the release of the monarch and insist on an independent commission of inquiry to find out the truth.’’

Proclaiming monarch, 7 Urhobo natives wanted obnoxious – UPU
Meanwhile, the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, the apex group of the Urhobo ethnic nationality in Delta State, has expressed displeasure with the action of the Nigerian Army in declaring the traditional ruler of Ewu kingdom, HRM Clement Ikolo, and Urhobo natives wanted over the killing of 17 soldiers, recently, in Okuama community, Ughelli South Local Government Area.

President General of the group in a statement, Chief Ese Gam, said: “The Urhobo nation condemn in its entirety this unprovoked declaration of eight prominent Urhobo sons and daughter wanted by the Nigeria army .

“First, what is the condition for this unwarranted declaration? Did the police or the army invite them? Did they refuse to come? We should not do things to attract media attention…

“This is a country of laws, if a person is to be declared wanted, it should be seen that there was an invitation and if the invitation is turned down, there should be a repeat invitation, but from nowhere, you say a professor, a lecturer in Delta State University, and the president general of Ewu Kingdom is declared wanted

“The police is the only body in this country that is empowered statutorily to arrest, investigate, and prosecute an alleged crime, here is a king (Ovie of Ewu Urhobo Kingdom) because he knows that his hands are clean, surrendered himself to the police, now, the police on their own handed over our royal majesty to the army.”

The former presidential candidate for the Labour Party, Peter Obi has described the Nigerian government borrowings as unproductive.

Obi stated this in a statement via his verified social media handle on Tuesday.

According to him, Nigeria’s public debt keeps increasing with little or no impact on the country’s economy.

The former Anambra governor said the last administration incurred huge debt especially with the N30 trillion ways and means from the central bank.

He said the last administration could have ended the nation’s borrowings, adding that the debt failed to yield value addition to the country.

Obi said, “I remain concerned about our borrowings, considering their galloping situation over the years, and its concomitant effects on the economy.

“More worrisome is the fact that there has been no corresponding visible usage or investments as required by the law, to show their impact on the nation.”

Obi’s reaction comes against the backdrop of the country’s debt profile released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) last week.

According to the DMO, Nigeria’s public debt increased by 10 percent hitting N97.3 trillion by the end of 2023.

The Office noted that the N97.3 trillion public debt comprises domestic debt of N59.12 trillion and external debt of N38.22 trillion.

Meanwhile, Obi noted that in 2023, Nigeria spent huge amounts totaling N10 trillion in servicing both domestic and external debt which he described as “unproductive debts”.

“The implication is that what we borrowed in a quarter about N10 trillion and what we spend on debt servicing, which is also about N10 trillion, are each more than the combined budgetary allocation for the four highest priority areas, which are; defence (N3.25trn), Education (N2.18trn), Health (1.33trn), and Infrastructure (N1.32trn),” he said.

Obi said the government should “de-accelerate” its borrowings while an assessment of what the previous loans have been used for should be looked into to stem the tide of increasing debt profile.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has assured that the anti-graft war that he is leading will continue to be broad-based, holistic and unsparing of anyone linked with any form of economic and financial crimes.

He gave the assurance in Abuja on Sunday, March 31, 2024 at an Anti-Corruption Concert organized to create greater awareness and public involvement in the fight against internet crimes.

Olukoyede pointed to the strides being made since he assumed office a couple of months ago and reaffirmed his commitment to an all-embracing, fully-integrated war against corrupt practices.


‘’We will not spare anyone. We will not spare the mega thieves. As we are doing the mega, we will also do those at the lower end. In the last two months, we have arranged two former governors. So, it is not true that we are only focused on internet fraudsters. Of course, internet fraud is bad enough but our focus is on every form of economic and financial crimes”, he said.

He cautioned youths against indulgence in internet-related offences, pointing out that the consequences of being convicted for such crimes are grave.

“Youths need to know that being ex-convicts has career limitations. Ex-convicts can’t run for public offices, the stigma alone is even terrible. So, I urge you to avoid internet crimes by all means. Your future is more important than any immediate gains from such crimes”, he said.

Olukoyede added that the EFCC under his watch is deeply interested in giving youths a glorious and sustainable future and to this effect, a Cyber Crime Research Centre is being planned in the New Academy of the EFCC.


“The Centre will involve youths in in-depth research about the issue of cyber crime. Their energies will be deployed towards profitable engagements”

He further charged the youths to embrace hard work and diligence, stressing that the path of success is the path of hard work and dignity.

“There is dignity in labour. Let’s come together. All of us must come together and agree that corruption is evil. Don’t leave the fight to EFCC alone”


In his charge to the youths at the concert, Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande enjoined youths across the country to support the EFCC in its crusade against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.

“Nigeria is supposed to have progressed more than this. We will not allow corrupt people to destroy our future, that is why we need to come together and fight this evil in our society, that is why we need to continuously run this campaign because I am convinced that everyone of us have a part to play, without you, there is little or nothing EFCC can do. Let’s show the world that Nigeria young people are determined to change the narrative”, he said

Every financial audit report of units of the federal government unfolds an overwhelming corpus of the reckless abuse of the public treasury that evokes benumbing feelings and the question of whether anyone is in charge of the country’s affairs. The latest revulsion is encapsulated in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s report that indicted 28 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for spending N13.95 trillion illegally, or without authorisation, in gross violation of extant financial regulations.

The fiscal anomaly of the MDAs, which has just been released, covered 2020, and it came on the heels of a similar bizarre report, which revealed the “unsubstantiated decline” of a staggering $8 billion from the Foreign Reserves under the custody of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and failure of the apex bank to account for recovered funds from looters since 2015, up to the same period.

These sordid accounts are proof of a weak regulatory framework, inadequate oversight and vacuity of accountability in governance that led to the massive growth of corruption. Though the audit period predates the Bola Tinubu presidency, it is now its remit to clean the Augean Stables.

For context, the N13.95 trillion illegal expenditure by the MDAs arose from over-drawn accounts, meaning that they had negative balance sheets in stark violation of due process, as espoused in the Financial Regulation Act 2009. This states that “No government bank account shall be overdrawn, or any temporary advance obtained from a bank. In the event of an account being overdrawn, the officer responsible shall be made to refund any bank charges incurred thereon.” Instructively, N10.59 trillion was the approved federal budget for 2020 by the National Assembly. This was later slashed by N320 billion, guided by economic realities imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The implication of this spending binge was that the country operated two budgets in 2020 – the official and the illegal one, bringing the total federal expenditure to N24.54 trillion. This was a period of a global downward spiral in economic activities attendant upon the lockdowns. The bank charges and interests to be paid on these over-drafts are elephantine, let alone the principal that equally needs to be repaid. This explains how Nigeria is being crippled by avoidable debts, which did not give any value for money.

With the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) Shaakaa Chirac’s audit report, it is therefore not difficult to fathom why a staggering N2.67 billion was purportedly spent on school feeding when pupils were in their parents’ homes during the total national lockdown. Interestingly, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), under Bolaji Owasanoye, said the N2.67 billion was diverted and had been traced to a private account.

It is obvious that the resort to overdrafts is one clever device by the MDAs to negate the extant Treasury Single Account (TSA) system, fashioned out to track public revenues. This is brigandage, and a well-orchestrated sabotage, driven by corruption in high places. The framers of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, made provisions for extra-funding of the MDAs in the event of any shortfall in their expenditure in any given year through a Supplementary Appropriation Bill. To subvert this legal channel means there is more to it than meets the eye. The perpetrators of this mind-boggling abuse must be brought to book as it is the only way to strengthen public institutions.

The systemic fiscal mess, which the Tinubu administration inherited, cannot be addressed by blowing hot and cold on issues of corruption, as seems to be the case. As he rightly observed recently, during a Fraud Risk Assessment Project workshop for MDAs, organised by the EFCC, “We cannot be focused on growth and development and at the same time offer any breathing space to corrupt practices. No nation grows without breaking the fangs of corruption.” PREMIUM TIMES couldn’t agree more with this!

However, a government impervious to graft cannot be pussy-footing on the monumental acts of corruption that have become emblematic of the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry, where the EFCC proclaimed to have recovered N30 billion diverted to private accounts through a lien it imposed on those vessels of graft. A total of N37 billion was reportedly fleeced by some former public officers in that ministry. Why the EFCC is hesitant in initiating prosecution of culprits, despite its recoveries that could be evidential in the cases, beggars’ belief.

All eyes are, therefore, on Tinubu to see if he will overlook the evils of the immediate past political actors, or even those more remote, for political exigency. Suspension of public officials from office for alleged financial malfeasance, and hoping the misdeeds will peter out in the public consciousness is deceptive and deprecatory. An anti-graft machine that revs for altruistic goals must bring all errant officials in that ministry, both current and former, to book, to serve as a deterrent to others. As Dr Kingsley Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the CBN advocated in a recent public lecture, “We must knock the heads of criminals in this country,” regardless of how important they are, to fix our national mess.

Paradoxically, the National Assembly, which the constitution vests powers in to protect the treasury, indeed, is the most culpable in abusing it with its negligence of oversight. The AuGF’s annual reports, sent to it for consideration and government’s remedial actions, continuously rot away. It is an abuse of office that AuGF Samuel Nkura repeatedly cried out in respect of the 2007 to 2011 reports to the legislature, which were ignored for five years. And his successor, Anthony Ayine, expressed the same disappointment in 2019. As treasury predators observe this legislative inertia, and the absence of a national resolve to see the theft of public funds as cancer that must be excised, they operate with glee and impunity.

Consequently, Tinubu’s much-vaunted anti-graft programme, as an integral element of his Renewed Hope Agenda, is under scrutiny. It doesn’t resonate just yet; not with his aloofness in fighting the oil thieves, underscored by his silence over the recovery of the $17 billion worth of stolen crude by some oil majors between 2011 and 2014, under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. The immediate past Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, admitted it before the parliament and vowed to recover it. As he failed, it is over to Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), his successor, to do the needful. If that hefty amount of forex is recovered, it could put the country’s foreign reserves on the cusp of an even keel.

The EFCC has flaunted the recovery of N70.5 billion in three months, between October 2023 and January 2024, to prove its vigour, alongside 747 convictions to boot, mostly of cybercrime perpetrators. But the big masquerades are missing: the fuel subsidy thieves and the politically exposed suspects. The commission’s leadership must crack the N772 billion fraud cases of 13 former governors, which have been on hiatus since 2007. Some of these actors are now serving in the Presidency and Senate.

This is improper in jurisdictions where integrity and public morality matter. Enough public outrage is imperative for a paradigm shift here. For being mentioned in the famous Panama Papers, of global figures with offshore secret accounts, the Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, resigned from office in 2016. Public indignation worked in that instance.

Treasury looters are the nouveau rich, who serve as perverse role models to our youths, who now despise the dignity of labour and hard work, and are more inclined to criminalities, including cybercrime and kidnapping, to measure up in the society.

Mr President, a clear-headed anti-corruption drive would not have condoned the mess in Nigerian Customs that led the EFCC to detain seven of its officials after N12 billion suspected bribe was traced to them late last year. One official alone had N9 billion in his account. They are back to their duty posts; an augury of a messier trajectory. This is antithetical to good governance and national redemption.

The era where people take in young relatives, raising them along with their children is gradually coming to an end.
The limited purchasing power of every Nigerian at the moment fuels that.

It has reduced living standards and Nigerians are becoming conscious of how they spend their money.
As a result, Nigerians have been sourcing ways to cut the cost of feeding.

Economy and lifestyle discovered that one of such new ways is turning down the adoption or accommodation of close relatives or returning those who had been under their care.

Before now, Nigerians take turns assisting various family members, particularly those with low economic power.

But today, an average family of five can hardly fend for themselves, let alone, adding a relative. Therefore, an additional member to them is like committing suicide.

Mrs. Amanda Odudu, a fashion designer, complained bitterly about how her niece had returned her daughter, who had stayed with them for six years.

“Last month, my niece called, saying that my daughter, who had stayed with them for six years, would be returning home.
“I thought she was joking, not until I saw her at my doorstep the next day.

“My niece’s action was based on her husband’s request who complained bitterly about the state of the economy.

“She noted that she had no job to support her husband which could have made her keep my daughter.
“She had to succumb.”

On her part, Mr Onokoya Samson, a businessman, said his son was returned to him after spending three years with his brother.

“It is still like a dream. I have a family of six.

“My brother was the one who requested I allow my son to live with him so that he can reduce my responsibility.
“My brother just brought my son to the house without informing me.

“He said that he and his family are travelling abroad for greener pastures and have sold all they have to acquire their Visa and flight tickets.

“He has two children and a wife.

“I didn’t blame him but was grateful that he even helped me for three years.

“Now I am faced with an extra responsibility.

“Business is not profiting anymore. But my hope is in God. I believe he will save Nigerians from this horrible situation we have found ourselves in.”

Mrs. Sarah Okwudili, a baker and a widow, lamented how she will now be faced with catering for three children.

According to her, “After the demise of my husband, his sisters volunteered to take care of two of my kids.

“I agreed. They were taken good care of and attended good schools. If they were with me I won’t be able to afford the fees.
“But as we all know, the country is not smiling at anyone.

“Recently, they returned my children with the complaint of a bad economy.

“Reasons like increased school fees, rent and low income were given as reasons for returning them.

“I was very sad but had to thank them because it is not easy to take care of children in this economy.

“ People can only allow relatives that are working to stay with them because they won’t have any burden to bear.
“Now I am saddled with the responsibility of taking care of three children.
“I just believe God will surprise me.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter, the festival of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to strengthen their hope in God and seek a national renewal by rekindling their love and commitment towards one another especially at this trying time.

The party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, also urged Nigerians not to allow the hardship, insecurity and uncertainty pervading the nation to weaken their faith and optimism for a better nation.

“Indeed, the coming of Easter, the celebration of the triumph of life over death serves as divine reassurance of the saving grace of God in the gift of Salvation to mankind and His willingness to bring succor in any adverse situation.

“Our Party urges Nigerians to reinforce the bond of unity and love by sharing with and supporting one another as this is the only way the nation can survive this perilous time.

“We also call on leaders at all levels and spheres to renew the virtue of selfless service by directing their energies principally towards the wellbeing and happiness of the people.”


Against this backdrop, the PDP urged the Federal Government to take immediate actions to address the high cost of food, petroleum products and other essential commodities and services so as to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

blacknp:
Make you & killerofpigs dey wail say no electricity, whilst I enjoy the sweet 16 Arizona v Clemson March madness matchup.

A presidential spokesperson said Wednesday that President Bola Tinubu will attend the national burial for the Nigerian military officers and soldiers killed on 14 March by armed persons in Okuama Community in Delta State.

Bayo Onanuga, Mr Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communication, did not, however, limit his post on X to announcing the president’s intention, he also took a dig at Mr Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, for not attending the funerals of soldiers slain on duty.

“It is the first time in the last ten years that a Nigerian President will attend such a solemn event, in honour of our men of gallantry and valour,” Mr Onanuga wrote.



Two other burials in 2018 and 2021 were not graced by the incumbent president, Mr Onanuga wrote.


Mr Buhari was the Nigerian president between 2015 and 2023.

In November 2018, Boko Haram terrorists killed several Nigerian soldiers in different attacks on the Nigerian Army 157 Task Force Battalion in Borno state. Then the former chief of army staff Ibrahim Attahiru, a lieutenant general, and 10 other officers were also killed in an ill-fated military plane crash. Former President Buhari did not attend the burials on both occasions.

Mr Onanuga added in his post, “We told you then that President Tinubu cares. He is demonstrating it yet again.”

The post has since stirred controversy on X (formerly Twitter) with many Nigerians criticising Mr Onanuga for playing politics and having zero respect for the families of the slain soldiers.

“It’s disgraceful to exploit the deaths and funerals of military personnel for petty political attacks against other parties,” an X user Ben Samuel said in reply to Mr Onanuga’s tweet.

“Why not simply state that the president is attending the final farewell of the fallen heroes and end with a period,” he said.

Another user, Lannister Aspiration, said: “The last paragraph was not entirely necessary. It is acceptable for the president to express sympathy for the fallen soldiers, but attempting to politicise every action of the President, including attending a burial site of the fallen soldiers, is not in line with Bola Tinubu’s style.”

“Everything you said after the first full stop, is not necessary at all, are we celebrating the president’s presence at a funeral venue now, whether the President attend is not what is needed, talks should be about arresting the assailants and how living military officers won’t face the same issue,” said Wilex Williams, another user.

After the public outrage, Mr Onanuga edited the first version of the tweet, removing the section where he referred to the incidents in 2018 and 2021.

“It is confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will be attending the national burial for the Nigerian military officers and soldiers killed on 14 March by some gunmen in Okuama Community in Delta State. It is the first time in the last ten years that a Nigerian President will attend such a solemn event, in honour of our men of gallantry and valor. We told you then that @officialABAT cares. He is demonstrating it yet again,” the new version of the post reads.

Mr Onanuga has been a close ally of Mr Tinubu for decades and was a spokesperson for the president during his campaign. Mr Tinubu appointed him as his adviser on Information and Strategy last October.

Mr Onanuga’s slight dig at ex-President Buhari appears to reflect the relationship between the former president’s core supporters and those of the incumbent. The supporters have sometimes publicly criticised each other’s principal on social media despite belonging to the same party.

Although both men are members of the ruling party, APC, Messrs Buhari and Tinubu have had a topsy-turvy relationship amidst suspicions that Mr Buhari tried to stop Mr Tinubu from succeeding him.



Although Mr Tinubu has reversed some of Mr Buhari’s policies and accused some top officials of the Buhari administration of corruption, he has repeatedly praised Mr Buhari and refused to publicly criticise him since Mr Tinubu assumed office as president.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has directed the state chairmen to submit their reports on investigations into alleged anti-party activities by some of its members during the 2023 general election.


The party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, stated this during the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) meeting with the state chairmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Bature directed the state chairmen to put their reports in written form for appropriate actions to be taken by the party leadership.

“A lot of agitations are coming from party members, saying, suspend this, suspend that, but you are the ones that are in charge of those states.


“You are to tell us who engaged in anti-party activities and who did not. Based on that, the National Executive Committee (NEC) will take a decision. Write to us and tell us what transpired, no matter what happened.

“I also want the acting chairman to call on the chairman of the party in Cross River to tell us what is happening in the state. We really need to know what is happening,” he said.

Bature said after the 2023 general election, the NWC expected the state chapters to submit their post election results.

He said many states were yet to submit their reports. He recalled that most of the current executives in the states were elected four years ago, where congresses were conducted on a staggered basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have about four or five states, where tenures of the executive have expired from the ward to the state. They are Edo, Bayelsa, Gombe and Rivers stated; there are others, which are staggered.

“We called the meeting to discuss this in order not to create a vacuum. We also have vacancies due to deaths and resignations,” he said.


Speaking after the meeting, the PDP chairman in Kaduna State, Mr. Felix Hyet, said a resolution was taken for the state chapters to work together with all stakeholders for the victory of the party in 2027.

Hyet said state chairmen resolved to support the Edo and Ondo chapters for victory in the forthcoming governorship elections in the states.

The NWC later had a closed-door meeting with the party’s stakeholders from Ondo.

Prior to the 2023 general, the PDP was engulfed in crisis, following the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as presidential and vice presidential candidates of the party.

A group of five governors led by then governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and their supporters had publicly identified with the All Progressives Congress ( APC) presidential candidate in the 2023 polls, President Bola Tinubu, against the PDP’s presidential candidate.

Apart from Wike, the other five aggrieved governors were Samuel Ortom, Benue; Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu; and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.


Consequently, the PDP lost the presidential election in Rivers, Benue, Abia, Enugu and Oyo states. In the aftermath of the poll, there have been calls by some stakeholders for sanctions on anyone proven to have worked against the opposition party in last year’s general elections.

A militant group, Amagbein Force, suspected to have killed the 17 military personnel at Okuama, Delta State, on March 14, has demanded that the Federal Government hands over waterways security to the group.

A member of the group, in a trending video, today, said he was speaking for his leader , Amagbein, the River Lord.


The Army had since identified Amagbein as the mastermind of the March 12 slaughter of it’s men , and tracked him to Igbomotoru community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, last week, but did not find him.

Amagbein, who banished the royal father of Igbomotoru from his throne is currently on the run.

The bearded member, who wore a singlet, and tying a white band round his head , said Amagbein is from the same lineage with the Ijaw revolutionary leader, the late Isaac Adaka Boro.

“We, the followers will stand with Amagbein until death do us apart.

“We are begging the Federal Government to ensure that the waterways security is given to the person doing the right work.

“Bunkering will not stop if the Federal Government refuses to attend to us in a peaceful, easy way.”