₦airaland Forum

Contrary to the reasons given by the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, for the proposed $1.96 billion Kano-Dutse (Jigawa)-Katsina-Jibia–Maradi (Niger Republic) rail line project, experts have said that it would add no economic impact to the nation.

Just recently, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1.96 billion for the development of the rail line from Kano to the Niger Republic. But industry stakeholders and experts who spoke with The Daily Times believed that the rail line has no economic value, but, rather a project motivated through religious and cultural affinities shared in the northern hemisphere.

For instance, a Developmental Economist and Chairman of the Board, Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF), Dr Chiwuike Uba, who spoke in an exclusive telephone chat with our correspondent, noted that the conception of the project is, indeed, a clear sign of lack of planning and insensitivity on the part of the federal government to embark on the Trans Africa railroad project when there is a huge deficit gap on internal rail infrastructure projects.

According to him, it is clear from the public outcry following the announcement of the project that the proposed project is not commendable. It is a misplaced priority. In fact, the proposed project has little or no real economic, foreign relations, and political value to Nigeria and Nigerians.

“One may be forced to conclude that the referenced project is predicated on religious and cultural affinities than it is for economic purposes.

“The religious and cultural affinities among Katsina, Kano, Kaura Namoda Nguru in Nigeria, then Diffa, Magaria, Maradi, and Zinder in the Niger Republic are not hidden and is one they cannot toy with. It surpasses national allegiance because according to them, it existed even before Nigeria and Niger were created.


“This is also reflected in the wordings of the 49-year-old NigeriaNiger Joint Commission for Corporation (NNJC) Treaty. After all, in line with the term called ‘exode’ in Niger, hundreds of thousands of Nigeriens migrate to Nigeria seasonally with no identifications and records.”

Speaking further, he added, “We saw what happened during the 2015 and 2019 Presidential elections where top government officials of the Nigerien government attended campaign rallies in Nigeria. The conception of the project is, indeed, a clear sign of lack of planning and insensitivity on the part of the Nigerian government to embark on the Trans Africa railroad project when there is a huge deficit gap on internal rail infrastructure projects.

“All the villages, towns, communities, and states in Nigeria need to be connected with the railroad first, before linking up with external countries. Niger has been a big encumbrance to Nigeria and as long as Nigeria continues to treat it as an appendage of Nigeria, Nigeria will never escape from Niger’s drag effect. The building of rail lines between towns and cities within Nigeria is not a bad idea. However, such decisions should be taken after carrying out a thorough cost-benefit analysis.

“Is the Kano-Jigawa-KatsinaJibia to Maradi rail line the most commercial axis and heaviest use traffic in the country that needs rail service? The answer is a capital ‘NO’. The most commercial axis is the Lagos-Benin-Onitsha-Enugu-Port Harcourt-Calabar corridor. And that is the busiest commercial track in the country currently. “Even if the government decides to continue with the project without considering the cost-benefit implications, we could save the cost of extending the rail to Maradi which is 179 kilometres from Daura. And if it stops at Katsina, it saves the country another cost of extending it to Maradi which is 94 kilometres from Katsina.

“This is in addition to opportunity costs – including social, fiscal, and economic costs. Instead of wasting such a huge amount of money to extend a rail line from Daura to Maradi, constructing a shoot out on the Lagos-Calabar coastal rail line from Benin City to Enugu which is 185 kilometres (just about the 179 kilometres from Daura to Maradi) would be the best option.

“Benin to Enugu line will link up Agbor, Asaba, Onitsha, Awka, and Enugu. That would be a more responsible and viable investment than Daura to Maradi. Just thinking aloud! Why is the cost of rail construction highest in Nigeria compared to other African countries? Honestly, I consider it a self-deceit when the government argues that the essence for the rail project to Niger for crude oil export and other traderelated benefits that would accrue to Nigeria when Niger is connected to Nigeria’s port in Lagos State.

“That the argument is very laughable and unsustainable because it lacks empirical and evidencebased support. How can that happen when the Cotonou port is far better managed with quicker turnaround time than any port in Nigeria? And in recognition of this fact, Niger signed a bilateral treaty with the Republic of Benin for the construction of a railroad from Cotonou to Niamey (the main city in Niger).

“Niger’s best option is via Cotonou and that is why they opted for the Cotonou-Niamey project. More so, Maradi is of little or no economic significance to Nigeria.” “Finally, it is more painful when the country is funding the project through a loan that would be repaid by all. Nigeria is already confronted by a debt crisis and should stop borrowing. We need to try other funding alternatives such as Public-Private Partnership (PPP), among others.

One of the leading voices of the #EndSARS protests rocking different parts of the country, Aisha Yesufu, has alleged that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ordered the men of the Nigeria Police Force to attack protesters expressing their dissatisfaction over the brutality and extrajudicial killings by the operatives of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the police.

Yesufu, who spoke in a Facebook Live Chat with The PUNCH on Monday afternoon, said had the President not given the instruction, he would have sanctioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for the several assaults on #EndSARS protesters by his men.

The PUNCH had reported that the attendant street protests which led to the disbandment of SARS turned violent in some parts of the country, with a protester identified as Jimoh Isiaka, shot dead in Ogbomoso, Oyo State on Saturday.

Buhari in a video on Monday subsequently said he had ordered a probe into the killing of the young man while noting that officials of the disbanded team found to be responsible for wrongful acts would be brought to justice.

Yesufu during the chat hailed Nigerian youths for “breaking the yoke of oppression” by trooping out to protest all over the country.

She said, “There is an order from Major General Muhammadu Buhari that they should shoot and clamp on protesters. He is the Commander-in-Chief and he is the one who gives the final orders.

“The President has been on the streets several times protesting. He is the one who was teargassed in Kano when he went to protest that he lost the election with his running mate, Chief Chuba Okadigbo, who later died from the gas inhalation.

“He went to court. Femi Falana was his pro bono lawyer and it was said that the police have no right disturbing anybody, all they have to do is to protect people and it is so sad that it is the same President today who is clamping down on protesters.”

“The reason I feel so convinced is the fact that Major General Muhammadu Buhari is the Commander-in-Chief and all the buck stops at his table. Anybody acting contrary to his instructions will definitely get a query and you see they aren’t getting any query. That means they are doing exactly what he wants them to do.

“If for example, it was not his order for them to clamp on protesters, by now the IG of Police should be facing a query, he is either suspended or sacked. That is what a leader does when a subordinate does something contrary to what he wants,” she insisted.

The activist also said the #EndSARS movement is an opportunity for national reformation.

“This is the time of reformation, this is the time of overhauling and that is exactly what is happening now. The youths have always been waiting for crumbs and these people would never give them the power,” she added.

Vandefan Tersugh, a former commander of the dissolved special anti-robbery squad (SARS), says it is suspicious for Nigerian youth to have a car worth N7 million.

Tersugh, who is a retired chief superintendent of police, said this during an African Independent Television (AIT) programme on Monday.

He said police officers, including former operatives of SARS cannot detect crime by “mere seeing you” on the road but they have to interrogate such persons to find out the source of their income.

He was speaking in the light of the recent nationwide protests against the anti-robbery squad accused of excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and, in some cases, extrajudicial killings.

Many Nigerians have accused SARS operatives of undue profiling and stereotyping leading to alleged harassment and extortion of young people.

When he featured on the programme monitored by TheCable, Tersugh said while working as a police officer, he would suspect a Nigerian aged between 20 and 30 who was driving an expensive car and would have to enquire about such a person’s background.

“The mandate of the policeman is to detect crime and you can detect crime also through most of these technologies coming on board,” he said.

“We were not trained during our manuals to talk about cybersecurity and cybercrime, but today cybercrime has become something very endemic in our society. And this can be done by asking questions and examining some of these things physically.”

Arguing that police officers do not need a search warrant in such occasions, he said the manner the person replies the security operatives will determine their next line of action.

“If I stop you on the road and I want to have a look at your phone, I want to see your Facebook, I don’t think I have committed any crime because I am only asking you a simple question,” he said.

“It is your answer that will lead me to go beyond where I have started. I can’t detect crime by mere seeing you but by asking you questions. I have seen you with a car, and now I have assessed your age, and I know in Nigeria how difficult it is for someone who is 20, 30 to start having a car worth N7 million.

“I cannot, as a policeman, see you there and assume something is not wrong with the way you are with the car, except I am able to ask you a question and I know your background, your family background, where you are working and where you got money to buy this car.”

The Senate on Wednesday at plenary directed its Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions to investigate complaints of Nigerians on illicit and excessive bank charges by commercial banks on customers’ accounts.

It also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to look into the complaints of Nigerians and review the charges on their bank accounts.

The resolutions of Senate, were sequel to a motion by Sen. Abba Moro (PDP-Benue South) on urgent need to investigate and review illicit and excessive charges by Nigerian banks on customers’ accounts.

Moro, while presenting the motion, said there have been several complaints from Nigerians over illicit and excessive charges by commercial banks on their accounts.

He said that such charges and deductions ranged from bank Short Message Service (SMS) charges, intra-bank transfers charges in the sum of N52.50, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), card renewal charges, account maintenance charges in the sum of N93.13, among other charges.

He said that the charges had caused uproar within the public, as Nigerians felt the charges were fraudulent and targeted at further impoverishing them.

Moro said that Nigerians were worried as to what the money being deducted for the charges was for, as countries in overseas do not charge their customers in like manner.

He said that Nigerian banks in a bid to extort customers had set most of their ATM machines to dispense cash below the maximum of N40,000 that ATMs were programme to dispense per transaction.

“Thus, customers using ATMs do not have a choice than to withdraw much lagger amounts per transaction, thereby incurring additional cost of N65 per transaction after using ATM beyond three times.”

He also said that rather than banks giving out ATM cards stuck in their machines back to card holder, such cards were shredded into pieces and the card holder had to apply for another ATM card which attracted N1,000.

“We can imagine the number of Nigerians who have experienced their cards being stuck in the machine and having to pay N1,000 over again for re-issuance,” Abba said.

NAN

Senate Committee on Public Accounts has uncovered how the Ministry of Science and Technology “gave out two vehicles worth N17m to pay N2m debt it owed contractors.

The Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine, had, in a report submitted to the Senate, queried the ministry over the disappearance of two official vehicles with registration M50-10FG and MGO-12FG.

According to the report, during the verification of non-recurrent assets of the ministry, it was discovered that the two vehicles were not seen and their whereabouts was not explained.

Responding, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Edet Akpan, explained that the vehicles were seized by a court as result of debt the ministry owed contractors.

But the chairman of the committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, rejected Akpan’s explanation, saying there was no evidence that the vehicles were given to the contractors through court order.

Friday Olokor and Grace Edema

The Federal Government on Wednesday lambasted the Academic Staff Union Universities for refusing to call off its six-month strike.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, in an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja, said the bulk of education budget was being spent on 10,500 professors in Nigeria’s public universities.

Faulting ASUU’s request for more funds, the minister said the union should realise that no sector in the country was getting enough money.

He also said the union’s penchant for strike was driving public school students abroad and to private universities.

Following their disagreement with the Federal Government over non-implementation of 2009 agreements and opposition to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, which government insisted all workers must adopt, the lecturers on March 23 began an indefinite strike.

On Friday, the Federal Government directed all educational institutions to resume on Monday next week as the spread of COVID-19, which necessitated the shutting down of the schools had reduced.

But on Monday, the President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, told The PUNCH that no member of the union would resume because they could not work on an empty stomach.

In the interview with The PUNCH, the minister of state for education said ASUU could not blame government for not running universities well, saying the institutions were run by the union members.

According to him, the bulk of the money that is being budgeted for education is paid to the 10,500 professors, out of the 71,000 lecturers in Nigeria.

He said, “Actually, there have been a lot of people asking me as minister what I think is the real intention of ASUU. If you look at it critically, what ASUU is achieving by this (strike) is driving students to private universities and out of the country.

“There is nothing that is now an issue. Even if you say universities are not well run, it is ASUU members that run them. If you say there is no enough money given to education, there is no enough money given to anything in Nigeria.

“The bulk of the money that is in education is paid to these professors. There are 71,000 lecturers in Nigeria alone, with 10,500 of them as professors. There are some countries that don’t have up to 2000 (professors).”

“So, it is not enough to simply say we should bring more money; from where? The 2020 budget, underperformed as low as 62 per cent. We didn’t even collect revenue, there were no companies functioning to pay taxes.”

Although the minister said the bulk of education budget was being spent on university professors, he did not specify the amount being spent on the payment of the academics.

However, in 2018, the Federal Government budgeted N605.8bn for education, while in 2019, N620.5bn was allocated for the sector. In 2020, N671.1bn was earmarked for education.

Berating the union further, Nwajiuba said ASUU should cooperate with government and other Nigerians to fix the economy.

According to him, Nigeria is not inventing anything. He added that everybody depended on revenue from 1.5 million barrels of crude oil produced by the country.

He stated, “Not that Nigeria is inventing anything. Everybody is waiting for these 1.5 million barrels of crude oil. They sell them and they become the source of revenue for everybody; the source of dollars and the source of buying new cars.

“A country like Saudi Arabia with less than 25 million people will sell 12 million barrels of oil. Nigeria will sell 10 per cent of that with three times the population. So, it’s a management issue. People should agree to cut their coat according to their cloth. What we are trying to do in the education sector is to manage it.

“I’m not saying things can’t be better, but all of us have to work towards improving that and the way to improve is not by being on strike for six months and chopping (sic) the rest of the money for other people.”

The President of ASUU, in his response to the minister, wondered if government did not want lecturers to be paid.

Ogunyemi was reacting to the minister’s statement that the bulk of education budget was being used to pay professors.

He asked, “ Is he saying that lecturers should not be paid. If he thinks education is expensive, he should try ignorance.

“I don’t know what that means. You think because you are paying lecturers, that’s where your bulk of money is going. How much are they paying those in the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) and the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation)? I don’t think it is something we should argue about.

“The truth is that everywhere you have seen innovation, invention and development, they invested in education and still investing in education. If any government official thinks that because they are investing in education, they should make life difficult for university lecturers, then they are preparing the ground for the collapse of the country.”

He stated, “You see what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We didn’t have molecular laboratories. We didn’t have facilities that could empower Nigerian scientists to make meaningful intervention.

“In some cases, we had to use the contributions of our members to start producing hand sanitisers. Some of our branches actually used their own resources to develop sanitisers and dispensers.

“I wouldn’t understand the context which he said they were paying lecturers too much, when Nigerian lectures are actually the least paid in the whole world.”

“All over the world, the in-thing now is knowledge economy. How do you achieve knowledge economy when you don’t make facilities available to empower those that are making sacrifices to ensure that Nigeria could be counted among the leading nations in the world.”

He also berated the minister for condemning the union’s strike. He asked, “What of government’s penchant for not honouring agreements? These other places they are talking about, people will talk of Ghana and Benin Republic as abroad, are those places abroad? Members of the ruling class have made it impossible for us to achieve steady development in the education sector because they don’t have commitment.”

Ogunyemi also denied allegations that the lecturers were spending money meant for others.

A Media group in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Communication and Strategy Frontier (CSF), has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of being desperate to emerge a regional champion through the Ondo State governorship election.

Makinde is the chairman, Campaign Committee for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN). He was appointed by the national leadership of the party.

The group in a statement in Ibadan on Tuesday said Makinde has abandoned governance in his state, as he has relocated to Ondo State.

The statement was signed by its Director-General Mr. Wale Olanrewaju and Director of Organisation Alhaji Olawale Sadare.

Oyo APC-CSF faulted the PDP and Governor Makinde over their alleged desperate moves to truncate the desire of the people of Ondo State to have a peaceful and hitch-free election on Saturday, saying he (Makinde) lacks all it takes to lead the PDP to any electoral victory.

The statement said: “Both as the controversial governorship candidate of the Oyo PDP in 2019 and the governor of Oyo State since May 29, 2019, Makinde has never convinced political pundits and stakeholders that he has any outstanding credential to win elections for himself or any other person, as he is lacking in capacity to either sell party manifesto or convince voters to his side. Also, Governor Makinde lacks evidence of good governance which he can tell Ondo people that his party candidate will replicate if elected.”

Residents of Ondo State will on Saturday, October 10, visit their various polling units to elect who will oversee the affairs of the state for the next four years.

Even though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that 17 political parties will take part in the election, the race to the Alagbaka Government House is without a doubt between three major contenders.

The contenders are candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Rotimi Akeredolu; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede; and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Agboola Ajayi.

The three are the major candidates with the requisite structure in place across the 18 local government areas of the state.

While the race would be a tight contest, political pundits have explained to PREMIUM TIMES why the elites in the state may go for Mr Akeredolu and why the governor may be rejected by the commoners.

Yes or No?

For elites in the state, Mr Akeredolu’s performance in his first term in office is good enough to return him to office following infrastructural projects carried out in various communities.

Some of the elites and political analysts who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said that many have benefited immensely from his infrastructure and industrialisation projects, such as roads, school buildings, industrial projects, among others across the three senatorial districts of the state.

“Basically when it comes to infrastructure in Ondo State, Akeredolu popularly referred to as Aketi has tried. The governor also came up with a few ideas like the Ore Industrial Hub where Ondo now has the opportunity to be producing thread.”

“Aside from this, there are various roads that he completed in various senatorial districts of the state. So, for elites – he will have their pass mark,” Steven Ajayi – a lecturer and political analyst told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview.

Many white-collar workers in the state, such as bankers and top officials of ministry parastatals, also spoke with PREMIUM TIMES’ correspondent in the state last week.

Bimbo Fashoyin, a resident, described Mr Akeredolu’s first term in office as “development” for the state.

“Arguably, Akeredolu will largely have the nod of the elites but not of the commoners. While he has tried in the aspect of infrastructure, such as roads linking many districts, he has only done little directly for the masses, which may really hurt him severely.”

“The only reason that will make commoners go for a candidate is when they understand that they can benefit directly from his governance. For instance, Ondo residents are seriously wailing as far as healthcare system is concerned.”

PREMIUM TIMES in an earlier analysis explained how opposition parties have continued to draw the attention of the people to the failure of Mr Akeredolu to allow residents enjoy free healthcare, which was one of the major achievements of his predecessor, Olusegun Mimiko.

Speaking on how this may shape the election, Mr Fashoyin, a community leader in Akungba-Akoko, told our correspondent that the grassroots see Mr Akeredolu as an anti-people governor.

Former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko
“Mimiko gave Ondo people the Mother and Child Maternity Initiative, where delivery was free and the aged paid nothing when need be for them to visit hospitals for treatment.

“There used to be a time when pregnant women had free access to hospitals without any payment and that’s no longer in place. Except you have your delivery materials, you won’t be attended to. This is indeed anti-masses.”

“An elite will not consider the payment as anything because he or she’s rich enough to pay. Rather, elites will focus on the structures and facilities of the healthcare centre. That’s not the case with the poor at the grassroots.”

“It is good that there are good roads and industrialisation is fast-growing but only the elites know the essence of all these.”

In addition to Mr Fashoyin’s position on what the outcome of the election may look like, another political analyst, Raphael Williams, said the hike in school fees will also affect the governor’s chances.

“The major strategy the opposition will use against him is the hike in school fees, especially that of the Adekunle Ajasin University. Parents and students paying over N250,000 will see no reason why they should vote for him for the second time. What about the cases of shuttle buses for school children – all of these will may make Akeredolu’s chances slim on the part of the masses”.

Although Mr Akeredolu in a television programme recently said the hike was due paucity of funds accruable to the state government and something similar was happening in other state-owned tertiary institutions, he recently announced that the hike will be reduced. However, that announcement was seen as a campaign strategy by many.

‘Commoners will overpower elites’

A public affairs analyst and political commentator, Jide Ojo, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said the masses have the power to re-elect or reject Mr Akeredolu.

“The masses will have the day. From latest developments, the election may be inconclusive because the masses are the voters, not the elites and the state may not want to accept defeat. The commoners will determine the outcome of the vote because elites often keep themselves and families at home during election period.”

“If we go by history, it is only Mimiko from Central that has won re-election in the political history of Ondo State. From Ajasin to Adefarati to Agagu and all.”

Mr Ojo also said political zones will have roles to play. He decried the failure of Mr Akeredolu to look into the total blackout in Ondo South.

“The governor should not expect anything from places like Ondo South when he never considered them during his term. They have been in blackout. The masses, also known as commoners, are very key to anybody’s victory.”

Inconclusive poll?

Speaking on why the election may be inconclusive, Mr Ojo stressed that, “unlike Edo, Ondo State is a three-horse race. While Eyitayo Jegede may have difficulties when zoning comes to place because he is from the same place with Mimiko, the North, South and the Central have equal numbers of local governments areas.”

“It is also about 25 per cent in two-thirds. If the South-South pitch their tent to Agboola Ajayi, he will also have the support of Mimiko in Central and the former governor remains influential in Ondo town where there are two local governments – Ondo East and Ondo West. Other places like Ifedore/Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo, also in the Central have the impact of Mimiko. So Akeredolu is likely out of the race except for power of incumbency.”

“The APC should be comfortable if they are certain that all will be well and not be involved in attacks of other opposition parties. Ajayi and Jegede have good pedigree. We should not be surprised to see a repeat of the magic Mimiko was able to perform under the Labour Party. He could do the same with ZLP. It is more of a straight fight between Jegede and Ajayi.”

“Unless federal might is used, we may have an inconclusive election and Ondo people have a history of resistance. Let’s not also forget that APC lost the general election in the state. PDP is also controlling two out of the three senatorial districts and it then means the influence of the ruling party in the state is weak,” he said.

With the election coming up in less than a week, a lot can change overnight. Especially where the majority of the masses decide to go is likely where the pendulum will swing.

“It is better to be in the good books of the commoners than the elites,” Mr Ojo concluded.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday described the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, assertion that striking lecturers should consider farming as an alternative profession as a reflection of his shallow understanding of the academic profession and a reflection of the low premium that the government he is serving placed on education.

Nwajiuba while participating on a television program had suggested farming to the lecturers saying they cannot dictate how they should be paid to their employers.

Reacting to his comment, ASUU Chairman University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Akinwole, said the Minister of State has “displayed his naivety on educational matters”.


According to Prof Akinwole, the scarcity of farmers is a reflection of the failure of the government he is part of to make farming secured for legitimate farmers.

Akinwole asked Nwajiuba to resign his appointment and take to farming as a worthy national service.

The ASUU boss informed that the Union is unlike the Minister of State who pursue selfish agenda.

He said the Union remained resolute not to pursued only welfare of her members while downplaying the infrastructure collapse and underfunding of public universities but decided to continue to fight parasites like Nwajiuba who preside over a Ministry where no Nigerian University is in the top one hundred in the world.

Akinwole stated that if the Muhammadu Buhari government is not paying lip service to education , he would not have consistently reduced budgetary allocation and funding to education since assumption of office.

Professor Akinwole stated that public varsity lecturers are owed earned academic allowances from 2013 to date challenging the Minister of State for Education to declare if he has been owed allowances and how much since he assumed office.

He maintained that available statistics show that salaries of University lecturers’ is below what is paid to academics in Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

“As Scientists, experts in Agriculture faculties continue to conduct research mainly with external funding or personal monies. But Nigerian government who failed to protect farmers and exposed Nigerians to excrutiating poverty is not making use of research findings.

“If the Minister of State for Education is interested in farming, he should resign his appointment and stop displaying his cluelessness of the problems in the education sector. We are on a just fight to ensure that those in public offices become responsive and responsible to the masses they swore to serve.


“They must fund public education. We have been on the same salary since 2009. That is no longer sustainable. The universities are being run with personal sweats of lecturers while politicians siphon monies for personal aggrandisement.

“We cannot accept IPPIS that is against the laws of the land and which fails to recognise the uniqueness of the academic profession and culture. We have brought an alternative using our members’ money.

“People like this Minister of State mirrors the disdain of ruling class for the workers and people of the country.”

The 11 power Distribution Companies (DisCos) could not deliver 33,958.16 megawatts hour (MWh) of energy made available for evacuation by the Generation Companies (GenCos) within one month; from September 1, 2020, when the DisCos hiked electricity tariff by over 80 per cent for certain classes of customers.

The cost is estimated at N1.552bn and it would have benefited over 10 million registered power consumers within 31 days.

Kano, Kaduna DisCos reverts to old power tariff
Nigerians kick as DisCos hike electricity tariff
The analysis of the electricity rejected covered September 3 to October 3, 2020.

According to data from Eskom, South Africa’s largest power producer, an MWh can energise 650 homes in an hour.

The 33,958.16MWh of energy rejected by the DisCos within the 31 days could have provided electricity to 22.073 million homes in one hour, or put differently, powered 29,668 households for 31 days.

On September 1, 2020, the DisCos rolled out the Service-Based Tariff (SBT) that averagely increased the tariff by over 60 per cent for consumers and claimed power supply of over 12 hours daily.

Further checks show that the tariff hike was approved and duly approved by the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Prof. James Momoh.

NERC explained that the tariff implementation was meant to commit the DisCos to improving services, noting that they would not upgrade the consumers under Bands D and E who were assumed to have below 12-hour power supply daily until the services were improved.


Tariff hike yielded no result

Daily Trust recalls that before the tariff hike early September, most of the DisCos had been complaining of high operations’ costs occasioned by poor income from consumers, hence the need for tariff increase to enable them perform optimally.

The DisCos normally buy electricity from GenCos, but if what transpired in September is anything to go buy, the additional income for the DisCos did not significantly impact on their delivery.

The tariff hike was suspended for two weeks from September 28, after several kicks by the organised labour.

On September 29, NERC directed the DisCos to suspend the tariff hike and revert to the previous template of August 31 till October 11, 2020, when it is expected that the organised labour and the Federal Government would have reached a truce to allow them continue with the re-implementation of the tariff hike.


How DisCos failed to supply N1.5bn worth energy to consumers

Analysis of the unutilised energy records obtained from the Independent System Operator (ISO), a section of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), indicates that from September 3 – a day before the suspension – to September 27, the power firms had already rejected 26,537MWh of energy estimated at N1.213bn; a deprivation to energy consumers.

The GenCos produced 1,575,369MWh (1.575m MWh) energy from which 1,548,832MWh (1.549m MWh) was sent out for delivery.

However, from September 28, 2020, when the 12-day tariff hike suspension came into force, the DisCos rejected another 7,421.6MWh of energy by October 3, 2020 (Saturday). While GenCos generated 494,114.29MWh energy, the 11 DisCos supplied 486,693.13MWh; leaving the 7,421MWh energy undelivered.

That was a loss of N339.1m worth energy that the consumers could have paid for. At least between 79,000MWh to 101,000MWh of energy was generated daily during the period of this analysis.

The total rejected energy worth estimated at N1.552bn within the one month was reached using a computation of residential consumer tariff as produced by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

An MWh is equivalent to 1,000 kilowatts hour (KWh). For residential consumers on the Band A who AEDC said they got over 20 hours daily power supply paid N49.75/KWh. While they pay N49,750/MWh, the 33,958MWh rejected by the 11 DisCos translates to N1.689bn.

Residential consumers on the Band B who AEDC said got 16 to 20 hours daily power supply, paid N47.72/KWh. While they pay N47,720/MWh, the 33,958.16MWh rejected by DisCos translates to N1.620bn.

Residential consumers on the Band C who are said to get 12 to 16 hours daily power supply paid N45.69/KWh. For every 1MWh of energy they would get, they pay AEDC about N45,690 per MWh, hence, the 33,958.16MWh that was rejected is worth N1.552bn.

An official at NERC said the fault of load rejection might not be wholly that of the DisCos as transmission losses might account for about eight per cent of the hiccups most times.

The official said, “However, over 90 per cent of this loss resides at the DisCos poor networks and deliberate power rationing techniques.”

Daily Trust reported in August shortly before it approved the tariff increase that NERC had scolded the DisCos for deliberate power outages. According to weekly reports from NERC, the 11 DisCos were cautioned for the deliberate isolation of some 33 kilovolts (kV) feeders to limit energy loads, denying customers of electricity services.

The July monitoring reports also cautioned the DisCos from deliberate refusal to clear faults on their feeders within a stipulated eight hours.

NERC cautioned the DisCos to “stop the deliberate refusal to clear faults on some 33kV feeders within the eight-hour timeline stipulated in the Reporting Compliance Regulation.”


We have capacity to deliver more power – GenCos

While power supply on the national grid has not gone beyond 5,500MW, the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) said it had more capacity to deliver to Nigerians if the capacity of the DisCos and that of TCN improved.

The maximum capacity attained by the national grid ever is 5,420MW in August, 2020, but the Executive Secretary of APGC, Dr. Joy Ogaji, explained that the GenCos had current overall average available capacity of 8,589MW and installed capacity of 13,42MW.

Dr. Ogaji said, “If we had a grid capacity that matches our average available capacity, 3,214MW can be made available immediately to Nigerians with the current state of operations of the GenCos and at no additional cost.”

The association said in the first five months of 2020, GenCos had 20,775MW stranded power that was not called for utilisation because the grid could not support the excess power. An official of one of the GenCos said they had never been found wanting in generating electricity which was their core mandate.

He explained that, “What do you do if the electricity is not taken? I am not blaming anyone, but for Nigerians to get value for their money, and for them to agree to tariff hike, all of us in the value chain must make serious investments.”

We’re committed to improving services – DisCos
When approached to explain why they were unable to lift the electricity made available by GenCos, officials of some DisCos were reluctant to speak on the matter.

However, responding to enquiries about worsening power supply situation for certain places in Bands D and E, which are said to have below 12 hours daily power supply, the Abuja DisCo said its ultimate goal was to improve power supply in those areas and move them to higher tariff customers.

The spokesman of AEDC, Oyebode Fadipe, said, “We are always doing our best to improve power supply in these places, but I can tell you as a matter of fact that it will be impossible to stop load shedding given the present situation. It is what we get from the national grid through TCN that we can distribute.”

On his part, the spokesman of Kaduna Electric (KEDCO), Abdulazeez Abdullahi, faulted similar reports about declining situation in power supply across places like Birnin Gwari and parts of Zaria in Kaduna State where the tariffs were frozen.

Abdullahi said, “The new tariff regime is not a blanket increase, but tied to improved hours of power supply and a more efficient service delivery.”

He assured customers that, “Barring circumstances beyond its control, the KEDCO will do its utmost to ensure compliance with the service levels.”

Although the DisCos confirmed they had suspended the tariff hike, the energy rejection has continued. Spokesman of Kano DisCo, Ibrahim Sani Shawai, said the company had suspended the tariff hike until October 11, 2020, and that customers would see the value of the old tariff reflected on their next bills.

Consumer groups fault tariff hike
Commenting on consumers’ dissatisfaction with the tariff increment even though it has been temporarily suspended, the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Consumers Advocacy Network (NECAN), Chief Tomi Akingbogun, said, “In seven years of privatisation, we have seen Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) summersault with minor adjustments resulting in 120 per cent tariff increase at a go.

“We have seen several unending metering attempts that are always failing, we have seen untested, unscientific, discriminatory billing systems called cost-reflective tariff. We have seen the government approve tariff charges in September, 2020, and not NERC’s 2021. What else can we expect for the people? All thanks to the NERC.”

According to Adetayo Adegbemle, the Executive Director of Power Up, a power consumer advocacy group in Nigeria, the trend has been that NERC continues to increase electricity tariff since 2014 without commensurate improvement in power supply services.

The President of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network (NCPN), Kunle Olubiyo, told our reporter that the ad hoc committee on tariff review only recommended the increase to the government; believing that relevant authorities would fulfil their promise of holding the DisCos to account by massively providing meters for consumers and rapidly improving their services. NCPN also lamented the failure of the 11 DisCos to provide meters for customers despite various incentives for them.

Daily Trust reports that among the DisCos willing to provide meters on credit to consumers is AEDC. The DisCo said there were provisions for customers to apply for meters and pay in instalments.

One month after international flights resumed in Nigeria, allegations of fraud and test certificate racketeering trail foreign air travels.

Flights in and out of the country had been suspended for months as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Shortly before the ban was lifted, the Federal Government declared COVID-19 PCR test certificate and negative results were mandatory requirements for exit or entry into the country.

But it is alleged that some government and laboratory officials make illegal earnings off the procedure by manipulating test results.

By Clever Advertising
Arriving passengers have complained that the dedicated online travel portal for pre-arrival payment for PCR test in Nigeria has not been working. They are therefore at the mercy of extortionists, multiple payments for tests, and officials negotiating negative status for a fee.

Apparently aware of the complaints, the Federal Government has pledged to fix the online platform to ease inconveniences travellers face. The Coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, assured travellers of ongoing work to improve entry processes with the use of the international travel portal.

SIMILARLY, global airlines have called for development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure. The measure, as an alternative to quarantine and multiple tests, is to re-establish global air connectivity and erase current traveller apathy.

A traveller that just returned from Germany, Sunday Ajisafe, claimed there was subtle fraud in the mandatory testing scheme.

He said, “I arrived in Abuja about two weeks ago. We have been made to understand that we would have to pay N48, 000 for another COVID-19 test on arrival, after which we can retrieve our passports. I paid at the airport and was referred to a laboratory in Abuja. Three days later, I went to the given address and realised that it was a wrong address. I searched to no avail. That is how I lost N48, 000.


“Because my return trip was approaching, I went into a government approved laboratory to do the test. There, I paid N50, 000. The result came out positive. I was shocked because I had no symptoms and I have been protecting myself as much as possible. As I was stepping out, one of the laboratory officials approached me and said he could ‘help’ with the status, if I could part with N25, 000. It was then I realised that it has become a business of some sort,” Ajisafe said.

A Dubai-bound traveller from Lagos was also confirmed positive for COVID-19, just days to departure.

“I have a valid entry visa to the UAE that was about to expire. That is where I work and have my family too. It was a desperate situation. I had reasons not to believe the latest result. More so, I have done a COVID-19 test earlier that came out negative. I later got a call from someone who offered to help edit the date of the old COVID-19 test. I paid some money and was able to fly,” the traveller said.

A travel consultant, Hakeem Olumegbon, said there were diverse stories of racketing in town and urged handling government officials to be committed.

Olumegbon said he had observed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) unit issue two conflicting results to one person.

“She is one of our clients that was about to travel. She got a call that she tested positive. She was shattered. Before the end of the day, she got a mail, saying she was negative. So, which one should we believe of the two results from the same laboratory? From the government’s end, it is all messy.

“There are those that are all out to make money off the ineffectual system. Those ones are now selling fake test certificates to travellers that are desperate. I heard of a lab that did the COVID-19 test for just N15, 000. When it came out positive, the applicant didn’t believe the result and blamed it on the low fee that was charged. Things are that bad. The government has to do something about this urgently,” Olumegbon said.


In his reaction, the coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said the PTF was working to make the process more streamlined and easier to navigate.

Aliyu described the travel portal as Nigeria’s innovation for controlling the spread of COVID-19 and making travel possible and seamless for passengers. He appealed to passengers to bear with the task force and report any issues, using the portal and to support them in flattening the curve.

“With an operation of this scope and skill, there are bound to be issues that will arise. This is an IT system, it is not perfect; we are human, talk less of computers and especially with the travel portal that is relatively new. It was immediately implemented because of the pressure for opening of the international airports. Without the travel portal, we probably would still have been struggling to open up the international airports safely.”

SINCE the reopening of the nation’s airspace to international flights and launch of the international travel portal, statistics have shown that over 27,000 passengers arrived in the country through the Lagos and Abuja airports.

According to the PTF, over 18,000 came in through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while it was a little over 9,000 in Abuja. Of this number of passengers, 99.8 per cent had negative COVID-19 PCR test results.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Finchglow Travels, Bankole Bernard, said the development was not unexpected of a system where public officers were the most corrupt, coupled with the challenges of being a developing country.

Bernard said the COVID-19 travel protocols were work-in-progress; hence, travellers should complain less but keep exposing fraudulent practices to change the situation.

On the chaotic situation at airports, Secretary General of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), a think-tank group of the aviation sector, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), queried the essence of inbound passengers negative test certification on arrival going for another test.


Ojikutu said: “The PTF must begin to give considerations to providing test laboratories at the international airports to entrust confidence to Nigerians and foreigners. The present international passenger traffic is just about 25 per cent from the figures recently released and I don’t think we need more than Lagos and Abuja to be operating for now, so that we can optimise the available skilled manpower and equipment.”

He added that it should also not cost the government so much to provide forms for all foreign airlines on international flights to Nigeria, to distribute to their passengers before boarding or while onboard.

He said that had been the practice for the declaration of foreign exchange carried by both Nigerians and foreigners, adding that the objective is to ease passengers’ experience and comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines.

World airlines, under the aegis of International Air Transport Association (IATA), have also pledged to work through ICAO and with health authorities to implement uniform testing procedures as quick solution to the problems faced by travellers.

Lack of uniform testing procedure is already causing global air travellers a lot of discomforts, despite the add-on cost of multiple checks. COVID-19 tests cost an average Nigerian traveller about N150, 000 for three sessions on a return trip.

IATA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alexandre de Juniac, said the key to restoring the freedom of mobility across borders is systematic COVID-19 testing of all travellers before departure.

The decision by labour leaders to shelve its planned strike was a function of a superior negotiating power of the federal government side, writes Onyebuchi Ezigbo

It is no longer news that the federal government and organised labour has reached an agreement to suspend their planned national protest/strike over increase in fuel price and electricity tariff. But what seems to be trending now is the reaction of Nigerians, especially civil society allies, some of whom felt disappointed and betrayed by the sudden change of gear by the labour leadership. While some Nigerians have welcomed the government-labour deal as good for the country’s precarious economic situation, others criticised labour leaders for chickening out from the scheduled national protest without achieving their target.

Organised labour had demanded a reversal of the rise in the pump price of fuel from N148 per litre to N161 and an almost 120 percent hike in electricity tariff granted to the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) by federal government or they would shut down economic activities in the country beginning from September 28.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting in Abuja, NLC had said it rejected the increase in fuel price and electricity tariff as approved by the federal government.

While addressing journalists on the outcome of the NEC meeting, NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said: “NEC decision was premised on the fact that the government’s two decisions along with others, including the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) by 7.5 percent, including numerous charges charged by banks will further impoverish Nigerian citizens.”

He said the increase in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic was not only ill-timed, it is also counter-productive.

“NEC also observed that the privatisation of the electricity sub-sector, five years down the line has not yielded any positive result.

“Whereas the entire privatised electricity assets were sold for N400 billion, the congress is surprised that federal government within the last three years has injected N1.5 trillion over and above the amount that was used to sell this very important assets. Thus NEC came to a conclusion that the entire privatisation process has failed and the hike tariff was only a process of continuous exploitation of Nigerians”.

On the issue of privatisation of refineries and increase in the pump price of fuel, Wabba said NLC believed that government’s argument had not changed from what it used to be.

According to him, NLC believed that whether it is about partial deregulation or full deregulation or subsidy removal, the matter has always been about increase in the price of petroleum products.

Wabba said that NLC demanded that deregulation should not be import-driven and that the nation’s three refineries be made to work optimally.

Persons With Disabilities Seek End to Gas Flaring
He said the congress believed the federal government had business in doing business in the downstream sector, just like other oil-producing countries which has government-owned refineries.

In the communiqué, NLC said the NEC meeting endorsed the two-week ultimatum given to federal government “to reverse those obnoxious decisions and also endorse the action proposed by the Central Working Committee that September 28 will be the date that those actions will be challenged by Nigerian workers, civil society allies and other labour unions.”

On its part, TUC said after an exhaustive meeting held to review its mobilisation strategies on the forthcoming strike to protest fuel hike and electricity tariff, resolved that the Congress is going to work in collaboration with its sister Labour Centre, NLC and the Civil Society allies to execute the strike. In a statement signed by TUC president, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, and Secretary General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi, the union said its ultimatum which expired by midnight of the Tuesday, September 22, 2020 has been shifted to Monday, September 28, 2020 for effective and maximum effect. TUC statement said: “Consequent upon this, the ultimatum which should expire by midnight of today 22nd September, 2020 has been shifted to 28th September, 2020 for effective and maximum effect. We want to use this opportunity to call on Nigerians, especially those in the informal sector to bear with us while the industrial action last.”

The union said there is no need for the current pains and hardship that the federal government is subjecting Nigerians to by the hike in prices of fuel and electricity tariff.

“It is a needless one. They ask us to tighten our belts while they loosen theirs. Services are not rendered yet we are compelled to pay estimated bills. You will recall that this government during its electioneering campaigns in 2014 told the world there is nothing like subsidy. We were told that they will build refineries, all that is history now. We run a mono-economy and any hike in fuel automatically will have adverse effect on us yet successive government tow that path because they are not creative.

“As at today, about eight states are yet to commence the payment of new minimum wage and its consequential adjustment even though the president signed it into law on April 18, 2019. We have written letters to the governors and also engaged them in dialogue but all to no avail. Sometimes we wonder if these people have conscience at all.”

The congress urged all Nigerians to get ready for the unprecedented mass action against “corruption, obnoxious policies, rape and other violent offences, breach of Collective Agreement, unemployment, etc. We also call on the USA, UK, Germany, Spain, etc. to support our struggle by placing indefinite visa ban on our political leaders whose stock in trade is to loot and impoverish the masses and the country.”

Before issuing the strike threat, organised labour had come under pressure from groups who felt that the labour centres are slacking on their role to lead a protest against the price increases that are likely worsen the sufferings of Nigerians.

Some persons who reacted to the suspension of the strike by labour following its agreement with federal government, blame the labour leaders for falling cheap and betraying the confidence Nigerians had in them. While some accused the present crop of labour leaders of lack of genuine determination to execute the national protest, others said they lacked the strength and capacity thereby succumbing to the superior pressure by the federal government’s side during the negotiations.

However, the labour movement on their part, felt that they did their best under the circumstance to extract some kind of commitment from to address public concerns over the contentious issues at hand.

In reality, labour leaders were being conscious of the implications of going ahead with a national strike and protest that may not be fully supported and patronised by the masses and other civil society allies. The experience of their last two outings where they failed to muster enough public support for their action and was literally at the mercy of government to secure a resolution. One of the labour leaders had told THISDAY of the predicament they often find themselves confronting government with strike. He said that many Nigerians have become docile and are only armchair critics, who will prefer to sit in the comfort of their homes and expect Wothers to risk their lives on the streets and in the sun protesting.

Also unlike the pre-2015 national protest against deregulation and increase in fuel price, the opposition elements were aggressively supporting organised labour to carry out the protest. In the pre-2015 protests, some inside labour sources confessed that they got strong support morally and even materially opposition forces carry out their protest against fuel price increase.

What people did not realise was that whereas in those days, the opposition were a bit more organised and desperate in their push for power than what obtains now. Labour leaders at the time probably got well researched information and operational statistics in critical sectors of the economy from their friends in the opposition with which they challenged the government of the day and was able to hold sway. The weak position was evident during the negotiations with the federal government side, when the team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, capitalised on it to inundate the discussion with presentations various agencies in petroleum and power sectors. Mustapha continuously brought up the issue of impact of COVID-19 disruptions on the economy during the debate, urging labour to show understanding of the situation.

The government side further tried to arm-twist and possibly blackmail the labour leaders by saying that labour representatives on the board of the Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) were part of the decision on the new pump price of fuel. But the NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, stoutly rejected the insinuation, stating the PPPRA board never discussed nor approved hike in fuel price.

Again, another factor that apparently contributed to the weakening of labour movement’s resolve to proceed with the September 28 strike, was the strategy employed by the federal government to work with some groups against organised labour in counter protests. This apparent tactics of government infuriated labour leaders, and it resulted in altercation between Ngige and Olaleye during the negotiations. TUC president, Comrade Quadri Olaleye accused federal government of sponsoring groups to institute legal action and anti labour protest against the organised labour.

He said: “We are already negotiating with the government, it was totally wrong for government to head to court to get an injunction. As at now, we have not been served with that injunction so I am not aware.

“And also it was wrong for government to have sponsored people to protest at the Unity Fountain that the labour movement should not go on strike. It was very wrong for government, if another person had sponsored that it would have been right than the government because we actually got the information that it was sponsored by government.” Ngige replied him by demanding for a proof of alleged government’s involvement in the anti-labour demonstration and the court injunction obtained against NLC, TUC planned industrial action.

The first meeting aimed at averting threats of a crippling nationwide strike by NLC and TUC to protest the removal of the subsidy on petrol and the consequential hike in the price of the commodity ended in a deadlock, as both sides remained unyielding. However the second meeting summoned on the eve of the proposed strike saw a more determined federal government side, who was out to ensure that the labour protest did not hold. The government side first met among themselves behind closed doors to map out strategies before joining labour leaders for meeting. One thing that evident after the first meeting was that both government and labour were almost finding a common ground on some of the issues. For instance, both sides.

ByAdejumo kabir


On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari sent a letter to the National Assembly seeking the approval of the refund of N148 billion to Ondo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Osun and Rivers states for federal road projects executed by the five states.

Mr Buhari requested this in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Ondo State, where a governorship election will come up on October 10, is expected to get N7 billion.

Similar payments went to Osun and Kogi States just before their governorship elections. Off-season elections happen in Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Edo Anambra, Bayelsa and Kogi.

Political analysts have questioned the timing of the payments, seeing them as suspicious funds from an APC-led federal government to APC-led states that could be used to influence the outcome of the polls.

In this report, PREMIUM TIMES looks at the trend of how funds were disbursed to these states during the electioneering period.


Osun

In 2018, President Buhari released N16.67 billion, the government said was the last tranche of Paris Club refund payment, to the Osun State government some weeks before the governorship election.

The refund was a partial settlement of longstanding claims by state governments relating to over-deductions from their Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) payments for external debt service between 1995 and 2002.

The fund was used to settle three months’ salary arrears to workers in the run-up to the governorship election won by Gboyega Oyetola, the candidate of the ruling APC, after a controversial supplementary poll.

The approval was criticised by the opposition parties and many commentators that such funds were not be judiciously dispensed.


Kogi

There was controversy preceding the Kogi State election in 2019 following President Buhari’s letter to the Senate, seeking approval of N10.069 billion ‘promissory note’ to the Kogi State government. This was supposedly for projects done on behalf of the federal government.

Three days to the governorship election in Kogi State, the Senate approved the immediate release of the money.

Despite calls by opposition lawmakers that the money be delayed till after the election, the majority of the senators outvoted them and the fund was released.

This was also criticised by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) saying that there was “no level playing field for all the contestants because of the heavy financial largesse packaged dubiously as Federal Government’s refund to Kogi State.”


Ondo

While no fund was released to the Ondo State government in 2016 when the state was being governed by the opposition, Mr Buhari has now approved the same type of questionable payment ahead of the 2020 polls.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the president on Tuesday wrote the National Assembly to approve the refund of N148 billion to Ondo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Osun and Rivers States for federal road projects the five states executed.

His letter was addressed to the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Ondo is expected to receive N7 billion.

Ekiti

Unlike Osun, Ayodele Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti State, accused Mr Buhari of denying the state the release of the Paris Club refund to his state with the intention of upsetting the state ahead of the July 14, 2018 governorship election.

The poll was later won by Kayode Fayemi – the current chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). Despite Mr Fayose’s outcry, the fund was not released until after the poll.

Edo

While there was no record of fund disbursement to the Edo government in 2016, the federal government, in the recently concluded election, disbursed funds to 2,000 women and youth across the state, under the Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme.

It happened barely four days before the election. This was also criticised by the opposition, who accused the president of inducing voters, considering the timing of the initiative.

Bayelsa, Anambra

Bayelsa and Anambra, governed by the opposition, did not receive federal funds in 2019 and Anambra in 2017 during their election periods.


Timing of the release of funds, Suspicious – Analysts

Following Tuesday’s letter seeking approval for the release of funds to Ondo State, political analysts told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Buhari uses the release of funds days to election to shape the outcome of the poll.

An analyst, Kunle Ajayi, said the “disbursement of funds days to the election is simply an act of federal power to throw weight behind their supporters. No money is needed for running of the states’ activities during the electioneering period because the governors, who are seeking re-election, concentrate more on their ambition than any project.

“For me, I see no reason why such funds cannot be delayed until after the election in order to be put into good use. The pattern in which President Muhammadu Buhari-led government released these funds is suspicious and should not be tolerated, if truly democracy is to play.”

Another political commentator, Lekan Olayiwola, told our correspondent that “it will make more sense if the federal government, in particular the president, speaks on why funds are usually released days to election.

“It is more suspicious because other states where off-season elections were held do not benefit from this. Bayelsa was never given at a period when Kogi was funded, and Edo was not funded too in the recent election. Isn’t that suspicious? If not for the purpose of election, the release of funds can always wait so that the money could be used adequately for the benefit of the masses.”


President Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him by our correspondent on Tuesday for this report.

An 11-year-girl was on Thursday raped to death in Lagos.

Five suspects have been arrested by police in connection with the incident.

It was gathered that the victim, Favour Okechukwu, was gang-raped until she died in a shack in the Power Line area of Ejigbo community.

Sources said the assault on the 11-year-old may have started on Wednesday afternoon and ended about 6am on Thursday when she reportedly passed away.

The incident was reported at Ejigbo Police Station where sources said five men have been arrested, including the owner of the shack where the body was discovered.

President, International Charitable Initiative for Girl Child and Women Development Foundation (ICI-WODEF), Mrs Helen Ibeji told The Nation that the girl came back from school on Wednesday and was asked by her mother to buy a carton of sausages, the last time the girl was seen alive. Ibeji said when the girl did not return from from the errand, her parents started looking for her.

Her body was found in the shack stark naked.

It was gathered that police invited officials of the Lagos State DNA & Forensic Centre (LSD&FC) who took the body away for forensic analysis.

Chairman of Ejigbo council Mudashiru Obe expressed shock and sadness over the incident when he visited the scene.

Obe and Ibeji have appealed to security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the crime and bring them to book.

A lady identified as @rutie_xx has revealed how hunger will claim the lives of many female students If married men stay faithful.

The Nigerian lady took to her twitter page to share her thoughts.

She tweeted, “If married men choose to become faithful to their wives. To be very honest, 95% of female student will die of hunger!!”.

In aviation, as Nigeria celebrates its 60 independence, about 60 airlines had already gone into extinction with only about nine operating scheduled flights.

Though the industry has grown the traffic significantly with over 14 million passengers transported annually across the Nigerian Airports, the bulk of those passengers is conveyed by foreign airlines.

At independence when Nigeria had fewer passengers, it had more airlines than in 2020 when passengers had grown astronomically.

Analysts say the ongoing efforts to establish a new carrier after the death of the Nigeria Airways in 2005 should be sustained.

Also, the move to establish a Maintenance Report and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria, if vigorously pursued, according to experts, would transform the aviation landscape.

An Aviation expert, Capt. Ibrahim Yunusa Kazaure said Aviation being a capital intensive business must have the input of the government to survive.

He said the government shouldn’t back down on the proposed national carrier.

Segment of the Nigerian oil industry through the removal of fuel subsidy.

Although the organised labour had rejected the manner deregulation has been foisted on the nation by the federal government and expressed its desire to embark on a nationwide strike, the government quickly intervened and pleaded with labour to shelve the strike and return to the negotiation table to amicably resolve the matter.

The strike would have definitely taken the shine off the nation’s 60 year independence anniversary celebration.

But instead of appearing before the panel, Malami wrote a letter of disobedience to the subpoena, stating that he would not appear as a witness.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), has failed to appear before the Presidential Panel investigating the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, despite a subpoena issued to him by the panel Chairman, Justice Ayo Salami (retd.)

Magu is being investigated by the panel over allegations of corruption, which Malami levelled against him.

The AGF had accused him of not acting in the overall best interest of the country and the policies of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration due to its mismanagement and lack of transparency in the handling of recovered assets among other allegations.

But Magu in a letter dated September 4, 2020 asked the panel to summon Malami to prove the allegations he accused him of.

The former Acting EFCC boss also sought the recall of “several witnesses who appeared and testified before this judicial commission of inquiry at the time” he “was not allowed to participate in the proceedings and cross-examine such witnesses”.

He said the requests were made in line with the spirit of fair hearing guaranteed under Section 36 of the Nigerian constitution.

In line with Magu’s request, Justice Salami signed and issued a subpoena to the AGF to appear before the panel to substantiate the allegations he made against him.

“You are hereby commanded in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry to give evidence in respect of your allegations against Mr Ibrahim Magu,” part of the subpoena seen by SaharaReporters read.

But instead of appearing before the panel, Malami wrote a letter of disobedience to the subpoena, stating that he would not appear as a witness.

He hinged his refusal on the fact that he only made charges against Magu based on the petitions he received against him in his office.

The AGF said he would appear before the panel if summoned in line with the Buhari administration’s respect for the rule of law.

SaharaReporters recall that Malami had during an interview recently said he would appear before the panel if summoned in line with the Buhari administration’s respect for the rule of law.

He said as chief law officer of the country, he had a responsibility to assist whatever investigation taking place locally or internationally.

He said, “So, the idea of testimony, the idea of appearance of the Office of the Attorney-General and indeed with the particular reference to Abubakar Malami before any panel, before any tribunal local and international for the purpose of supporting an investigation that will see to the establishment and unraveling the truth associated with an issue under consideration is not new. I will in no way exercise any restraints as per as honoring an invitation for the purpose of supporting any inquiry.

“So, if Ayo Salami panel invites Abubakar Malami (SAN) as a person or the Attorney-General of the Federation for any testimony or any clarification, for any examination or cross-examination for that matter, Abubakar Malami will definitely and gladly within the spirit and context of rule of law be there to testify and will submit myself to be cross-examined.”

The Nigerian high commission in Canada has announced it will resume operations on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the high commission suspended its activities indefinitely in August amid the COVID-19 pandemic and overwhelming passport renewal requests from Nigerians in the country.

The embassy claimed the decision was reached “because people show up at the chancery uninvited.” It also accused some citizens of assaulting one of the embassy’s staff a few days before the closure.

This newspaper learnt that many Nigerians residing in different parts of Canada had applied for the renewal of their passports for the purpose of extending their work permits, study visas or seeking medical care abroad.

These people, after paying for the new passports, met a gridlock at the embassy’s only office in Canada located in Ottawa.


The commission had also been accused of poor communication and bad service delivery.


Reopening

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on its website on Wednesday, the mission said it would resume immigration and consular services on September 24.

According to the release, the passport renewal arrangement would now be treated after applicants had filled out the forms and met the online requirements for the passport process.

They were instructed to send an email to passportscheduling@nigeriahcottawa.ca to be given an interview date.

“Please do not send more than one email to request for an appointment,” it cautioned.

“Also, each request sent in for an appointment must state the full name of the passport applicant as it appears on the Nigerian passport,” the commission advised.

“In a situation where you are requesting for an interview date on behalf of an applicant, kindly state the full name of the applicant. For family scheduling please indicate all family members that require renewal as you will not be recognised as one unit. Each member of the family will need to be given an appointment.

“Upon arrival, all applicants must come with printed copies of their passport interview invitations, these must be presented to the security officials before entry into the chancery.”

It said hours for passport renewals are 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., warning that anyone who shows up at a later time would not be allowed into the chancery, “even if such a person has an appointment.”

The commission noted that anyone coming into the chancery must wear their face masks, sanitise their hands and practice social distancing as public health measures put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.

“Please note that anyone who shows up at the chancery without a printed invitation for an interview would not be attended to,” it warned.

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress in last Saturday Governorship election, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, has called on Governor Godwin Obaseki to return to APC.

In a television broadcast on Wednesday night, Ize-Iyamu said, “We are going to talk to everybody. We are going to bring everybody back. I want to salute my brother, the governor. I will like to appeal to him to return to the party. In every family, we have a disagreement.

“Let it not be said that it was this disagreement that pushed him out. I made that mistake before and I have come to realise that it was a grievous error and I will not want him as a senior brother to make the same mistake.

“I will like to appeal to him to set aside his anger and come back. In APC, he is recognised as a leader and it would be difficult for him to be recognised as a leader in the new party he is going to.

“Certainly, we are ready to work with him and all well-meaning Edo people. We believe it is time to bring peace back to Edo State.”

Obaseki polled 307,955 votes to defeat Ize-Iyamu, who secured 223,619 votes in Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The governor was disqualified from contesting the APC primary election after he fell out with Adams Oshiomhole over the running of Edo State.

But Obaseki defected to PDP where he ran for the election and won.

Eziomume Solomon, Nnewi

Commercial sex workers in Onitsha, Anambra State, under the aegis of Self-Made Women of Substance, have vowed to embark on indefinite strike over recent hike in the pump price of petrol and increase in electricity tariff.

One of their leaders, identified as Uto Nwanyi, who claimed to be the patron, lamented that the effect of Coronavirus was still biting hard when the recent petrol and electricity tariff hikes was introduced thereby adding salt to injury.

“The issue of Coronavirus started in March this year, and lasted for four months. Throughout the period, our members went out of business; no patronage of any kind; none of our members was able to meet up with personal needs.

“When we were yet to recover from the Coronavirus, the Federal Government came up with their pump price increment. Electricity companies also came up with tariff hike. This led to increase in house rent, transportation and general cost of living. The situation bites us more than it affects any other group in Nigeria. Therefore, we are of the opinion that the situation be reversed within seven days,” she said.

Uto Nwanyi, flanked by another colleague, identified simply as Phina, said if concerned authorities did not act fast in bringing the prices down, they would be left with no other option than to mobilise for strike.

“If that is not done, we shall mobilise our members for indefinite strike from October 1. If our strike fails to achieve its purpose, we shall go back to work, and increase service charge to as much as 200 per cent. After COVID-19, we reduced our service charge to N1,500 for short-time and N5,000 for day break, but with this development, we shall also review our service charge.”

POLICE OPERATIVES BURST ANOTHER CHILD STEALING SYNDICATE IN ANAMBRA STATE

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*Arrested two suspects and rescued the twins suspected to have been stolen*

On the 21/9/2020 at about 6:pm, following credible intelligence, police operatives attached to the Command Special Anti-cult unit (SPACS) arrested one Chijioke Chukwulota 'm' aged 31years of Imo State but resides at Uruagu village, Nnewi.

The Suspect lured his ex-girl friend whom he allegedly impregnated and stole the children(twins baby girls) aged about two months on the 4/8/2020 after she gave birth to them through a cesarean section and sold same children to one Tina Ibeato 'f' aged 31years of Imo State at the rate of one hundred and fifty thousand(#150,000)Naira only.

Meanwhile,both the two suspects have been arrested and the children recovered in good condition.Investigation is ongoing after which the suspects would be brought to book.

*SP Haruna Mohammed,PPRO* Anambra State Police Command,
For-Commissioner of Police Anambra State Command

A soldier in Northeast Nigeria committed suicide, on Thursday, after he was publicly punished by his superior for alleged phone theft, his colleagues told PREMIUM TIMES.

The soldier, identified as Lance Corporal Victor Ojeamiran, was attached to the Nigerian Army 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

The 27 Task Force is one of those fighting the Boko Haram extremists in Northeast Nigeria.

Mr Ojeamiran shot himself after he personally submitted a note to his platoon sergeant for delivery to his superior officer in the Task Force, our sources said, asking not to named for fear of victimisation by the army.

The note was a protest note where the soldier tried to defend himself and prove his innocence, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Buni Gari is said to be about 7 km from the headquarters of the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Yadi, the town that also accommodates the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Gujba local government.

What really happened

The deceased went to Damaturu, the Yobe State capital and bought a used phone, our sources said. Unknown to him, the phone was a stolen phone and belonged to a senior army officer in Damaturu.

The officer tracked the phone and found it with the soldier while he was about to return to his formation in Buni Gari, after he bought the phone.

The officer allegedly punished the soldier in public, while residents of the area shot videos of the punishment and later posted it on some social media platforms.

Mr Ojeamiran could not bear the disgrace of the video of him being publicly punished for a ‘false accusation’ and he did not have a chance to defend himself before the punishment, our sources said.

He told his colleagues, including one of our sources, that he does not know what to tell his wife and children about the video, and how he was disgraced in the eyes of the world for a crime he did not commit.

Hence, he decided to take his life after he returned to base by shooting himself on the head.

When contacted, the army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, said he is yet to be briefed on the development and he is not in Yobe at present.

When PREMIUM TIMES, on Saturday, contacted the spokesperson of the 27 Task Force, Chinonso Oteh, a lieutenant, he promised to get back to this reporter with an official position. He has ignored subsequent calls and messages to his phone since then.

However, PREMIUM TIMES has seen an internal memo by the army confirming the suicide but claiming it occurred on Sunday, September 20. In the memo, the army said an “investigation has commenced on the circumstances that led to the incident.”

Following his statement on Edo governorship election, a pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yoruba Youth Forum (YYF) has condemned the national leader of All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed for selling his integrity on the altar of politics.

The Group in a press statement by its President- General, Comrade Abiodun Bolarinwa said that Tinubu’s statement on Edo’s governorship election was unfortunate and one that has shown Tinubu for who he truly is. “How can somebody who claimed to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy be so careless with his utterances.

It would be recalled that Tinubu accused Obaseki of being a dictator in Edo, noting that the governor also lacked the rule of law and respect for the people of the state.

He said: “I want to appeal to you to reject Godwin Obaseki in this coming election. I have suffered with many others to bring about this democratic regime that today we are enjoying in the country.

Godwin Obaseki didn’t participate in any aspect of the struggle to enshrine democracy in the country.” The Group therefore challenged Tinubu to show proof that he actually fought for Nigeria’s democracy. “It is so sad that Tinubu could claim that he fought for Nigeria’s democracy.

We know those who genuinely fought for democracy and Tinubu is not in any way among these patriotic people. Tinubu should tell us where he was between 1996 to 1997.

Ahead of Nigeria’s next gener­al election coming up in 2023, an American trained security expert and social critic, Sam Nwanti, has indicated his in­tention to vie for the presiden­tial ticket of the All Progressive congress (APC), boasting that as an accomplished security management expert, he has all it takes to tackle the lingering insurgency in the land.

Nwanti, who is the propri­etor of the Human Rights Net­work Initiative, from Mbieri in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area Imo State, told our corre­spondent that the inability of the Federal Government to engage the services of some foreign security experts was responsible for the nagging se­curity challenges the country, which he said is porous.

As an American trained detective with formidable con­nection, Nwanti said he stood shoulder high among other interested aspirants to fight corruption and stabilize the nation’s wobbling economy of elected.

Insisting that it is the turn of the Southeast to produce the nation’s next president, Nwanti urged the Federal Government to dismantle the current secu­rity structure and to replace the serving service chiefs with much more competent hands to move the nation forward.

SaharaReporters gathered on Sunday that upon realising the APC had lost the election, Chairman of the party's National Campaign Council for the Edo election, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, has fled Benin, capital of Edo, in a private jet.

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Godwin Obaseki, winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State.

INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, announced the total result of the election.

Obaseki polled 307,955 votes across the 18 local government areas of the state to defeat the All Progressives Congress candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu,.who scored 223,619 votes.

Total votes cast was 550,242 out of which 12,835 was rejected.

Obaseki was elected on the APC platform in 2016 but defected to the PDP after being denied the ticket to run for a second term owing to intra-party squabbles.

Meanwhile, the APC agent for the election refused to sign the final result sheet when called upon by Prof Rim-Rukeh.

He alleged that the election was marred with irregularities and INEC displayed double standard in the exercise.

Sources told SaharaReporters that the agent's refusal not to sign might be connected to an order from the national leadership of the party for him to reject the outcome of the election.

Recall that in the run up to Saturday's election, National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had in a video message accused Obaseki of not being a democrat and asked the people of the state to reject him at the polls.

But despite the attack on him, Obaseki floored the APC candidate to emerge governor of Edo State for the second time.

SaharaReporters gathered on Sunday that upon realising the APC had lost the election, Chairman of the party's National Campaign Council for the Edo election, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, has fled Benin, capital of Edo, in a private jet.

Ganduje was in the state to manipulate the election in favour of Ize-Iyamu but failed, it was gathered.

Kano State governor was sighted around 2:40pm with his entourage entering a private jet at the Benin Airport.

Godwin Isenyo, Kaduna

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, said the Federal Government removed subsidy on petrol because of fraud.

Kyari said some cabals which he failed to identify perpetrated the fraud in the oil industry.

The NNPC boss also said over N10tn was spent on fuel subsidy between 2006 and 2020 without significant impact on the Nigerian masses.

He said the beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy regime were the marketers who smuggled the subsidised product to neighbouring countries.

These marketers, he explained, made more profits with fake documents to collect subsidy for fuel they never imported.

The NNPC GMD spoke in an Hausa programme on Liberty FM, Kaduna, monitored on Saturday.

He said fuel subsidy was the root of all the atrocities and frauds in the oil sector.

According to him, the government removed the subsidy with a plan to reinvest on projects that will have direct impact on the masses.

He said, “The crude oil is a global commodity and its price is not hidden. Everyone can calculate and know how much the cost of every final product from the crude at international market is.

“Since the inception of the country, the government has been paying subsidy on petrol to make it cheaper for Nigerians to buy below the cost price.

“This subsidy is designed to assist the masses of Nigeria; that is the intention, but in reality, the masses are not the beneficiaries. First, the masses are not the owners of the exotic cars buying fuel, owning the filling stations and doing the oil business.

“This subsidy that the government has been paying over the years is the root of all the atrocities and fraud committed in this country.

“If you look at it from 2006 till 2020, we have spent over N10tn on fuel subsidy. Apart from that, there is also subsidy on foreign currencies. Everybody knows how much is dollar in the market, but government is also subsidising it. So, this and the fuel subsidy within this period is around N14tn to N15tn.

“What was happening with the subsidy is that, some marketers were smuggling fuel to other neighbouring countries because it was cheaper in Nigeria due to the subsidy.

“Another one is those who use fake documents and bring to government to collect subsidy for fuel they never imported and the previous government was paying them.

“So, it was not the masses of Nigeria that were enjoying this subsidy except some cabals, who are rich and powerful.”

He added that the cabal enriched themselves to the detriment of the masses who were the primary target of the subsidy.

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A Nigerian-born Briton, Ernest Ezeajughi from Anambra State was re-elected the Mayor of Brent, London after what was described as splendid first term performance.

With his re-election, he has joined many blacks and Nigerians making waves in different parts of the world. The London Borough of Brent is one of the most important boroughs in London.

The major areas that form part of it are: Wembley, Kilburn, Willesden, Harlesden and Neasden

He was sentenced to nine years in prison on two count charges, the sentences to run concurrently, and 10 years of supervised release, court documents seen by SaharaReporters read.

Nigerian Government has named an ex-convict, Franklin Uzo lgbonwa, as Chairman of 20-member committee that will oversee the recruitment of 21,000 youths in Anambra State.

In October 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari approved a Pilot Special Public Works Programme in the rural areas domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment for implementation.

The programme seeks to employ about 774, 000 youth for three months and they would be engaged in unskilled jobs such as street sweeping, clearing drainages, controlling traffic and road construction among others.


President Muhammadu Buhari discussing with Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige at the Presidential Villa in Abuja (6/11/18)
NAN.

Igbonwa, who is a cousin to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, was named as the committee chairman in Anambra State to select the 1000 persons per local government area that would be engaged by the government in the Special Public Works Programme.

Known to be a front and surrogate Ngige uses to siphon public funds and corner juicy contracts in the Ministry of Labour and Employment as well as other parastatals and ministries, Igbonwa was indicted by a United States federal grand jury and convicted in 1990 for drug violations.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison on two count charges, the sentences to run concurrently, and 10 years of supervised release, court documents seen by SaharaReporters read.

Igbonwa was also accused in 1989 by the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service of sham marriage, thereby denying him permanent resident status.

“Franklin Uzo Igbonwa is a Nigerian citizen who entered the United States in 1986 as a "non-immigrant visitor for pleasure." The Immigration and Naturalisation Service adjusted Igbonwa's status to that of conditional permanent resident in 1987 following his marriage to a United States citizen.

In 1989, Igbonwa petitioned to remove the conditional element of his immigration status.

INS denied his petition on November 29, 1989, when the agency determined that his marriage was a sham entered into solely for the purpose of securing permanent resident status.

INS began proceedings to terminate his conditional permanent resident status in 1990, but these proceedings were administratively halted on March 8, 1990 due to Igbonwa's incarceration on narcotics offenses.

“In 1990, a federal grand jury indicted Igbonwa in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on two counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (1). He negotiated a plea agreement with the United States Attorney's Office in Philadelphia. The agreement stated that Igbonwa would plead guilty to the two counts of the indictment and cooperate with the government in future criminal investigations, in exchange for which the government would file a motion recommending a downward departure under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e) and United States Sentencing Guideline § 5K1.1 if it deemed Igbonwa's cooperation satisfactory. The plea agreement further provided that "no additional promises, agreements or conditions have been entered into other than those set forth in this document and that none will be entered into unless in writing and signed by all parties." The plea agreement made no references relating to deportation.

“In accordance with the plea agreement, Igbonwa pled guilty on November 20, 1990. During his plea colloquy, Igbonwa averred that no additional representations or promises had been made and that he had not been induced to enter into the plea agreement by any promises beyond those in the written agreement. The court sentenced Igbonwa to nine years in prison on each count, the two sentences to run concurrently, and ten years of supervised release.1 In 1994, the government filed a Rule 35(b) motion recommending a reduction in Igbonwa's prison sentence for his cooperation and testimony in a criminal investigation conducted in the District of Maryland. The district court granted the motion and reduced Igbonwa's imprisonment by three years,” part of the document read.

A source told SaharaReporters that Ngige as governor used Igbonwa as front to build Olde English Hotels and Suites in Awka.

President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled the official “Nigeria at 60” logo for Independence Day this year.

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It was the first order of business before the start of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council at State House.

The meeting, being held at the Council Chamber, is attended physically by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.

Also in attendance physically are the Ministers of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, and, Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, among others.

The Federal Government said Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary celebration will be observed for a whole year, ending September 30th, 2021

President Buhari, who spoke at the unveiling, said the anniversary celebration would be held low-key this year.

The President, who cited the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic as reason, spoke after the SGF had given a background to how the logo was adopted and the modalities guiding the anniversary celebration

He said his administration would henceforth ensure more inclusiveness.

According to the President, the theme of this year’s anniversary celebration; “Together Shall We Be” had been chosen to forge a more united and cohesive Nigeria.

“Today we stand on the threshold of history as we formally begin a series of activities commemorating Nigeria’s Diamond Anniversary. The task history has saddled me with today is to proclaim a theme that will keep us united, help us forge ahead and unveil a logo that will form the critical pillars, which are eleven months modest commemoration activities will rest on .

“Celebrating 60 years of independence really calls for pomp and pageantry, but the global COVID-19 Pandemic, which has forced all nations in the world to think and act differently, has also forced on us the imperative of a low-keyed celebration. Operating within the limitations placed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we created an internet challenge for Nigerians to make a choice from a set of four pre-selected logos that will appropriately define theme.

“Of these four options, Nigerians from all walks of life participated in making a choice and I’m happy to let you know that the logo I will be unveiling is a product of choice from the Nigerian people.

“I’m informed that the selected option depicts our togetherness; a country of over 200 million people, whose natural talents, grits and passion glitter like the precious diamond we are. This to me is a sufficient appreciation to our most precious assets; our people. Everywhere you go, Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in academia, business, Innovation, music, movie, entertainment and culture.

“Furthermore, I’m also made aware that the neatly encrusted diamond on the Nigerian map symbolises our age of treasure, the worth of the Nigerian people, who are sparkle to the admiration of the world.

“In the same vein, the fair green and the dark green colours should respectively remind us of our warmth, welcoming spirit and love, as well as abundant wealth inherent in our human capital and the richness of our land.

“All these properties made us, unarguably, the most prosperous black nation in the world and Africa’s largest economy. It is therefore with a deep feeling of national pride and I hereby announce to you that “Together shall we be” shall the theme of our nation’s 60th anniversary celebration.

“Our founding fathers, in spite of differences in faith, tribe and tongue, came together to fight for Nigeria’s independence. This shall be a befitting tribute to the struggle of our heroes past.

“It is to the glory of God and in celebration of the attainment of the diamond age of 60 by our great nation that I hereby unveil the preferred anniversary logo for this momentous occasion in our national history.

“At this juncture, let me thank members of the inter-ministerial committee on Nigeria’s 60th anniversary celebration for the work they have done so far and remind them that this is just the beginning. As we celebrate this anniversary, this government will work towards greater inclusiveness and look forward to the participation of all Nigerians”, the President said.

The SGF, who is the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Nigeria’s 60th Anniversary celebration, revealed the process that led to the choice of logo and said the reason for a year-long celebration was to make the country heal.

“Your Excellency, Mr President, upon your approval of the inter-ministerial committee on Nigeria’s 60th anniversary and directive for a low-key celebration that will be highly inclusive, the inter-ministerial committee went to work and agreed on the theme to drive the celebrations.

“One major agreement also was the need to deviate from the norm of celebrating our landmark events with a conclusion of the day of such event. Thus it was agreed that to make the diamond anniversary very inclusive and create opportunities for internalisation and buying by all sectors of Nigerian people, a year-long celebration will be pursued, starting from the date of launching a web portal, to September 30th, 2021.

“Mr President, members of Council, I am happy to inform you today that the unveiling of the logo is the second milestone of the celebration, but it actually marks the official takeoff of Nigeria’s 60th anniversary celebration. Kindly permit me to provide a little background as to the theme, processes for selection of logo, eventual outcome and outstanding elements, as well as rationale for a year-long celebration.

“The inter-ministerial committee had a robust discussion and argument on the theme and finally settled on the one that recognises our sojourn in nationhood, identified challenges faced all through and what is required to move Nigeria to its enviable stage among the comity of nations,” he said.

By Adedayo Akinwale

The United Kingdom yesterday said it would deploy observers in Edo and Ondo States to monitor the governorship elections, and threatened sanction, including a travel ban to the United Kingdom, against sponsors of violence in the two elections.

The UK said the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, had met with the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The decisions of the UK Government were contained in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the High Commission to Nigeria.

The statement said: “As a friend and partner of Nigeria, we are closely following the lead up to the off-cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states scheduled for September 19 and October 10, respectively.

“These elections are important, both as an essential element of effective governance within both states and an indicator of the strength of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“Our High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, has held meetings with leaders of the two main political parties, the APC and PDP.

“The discussions focused on the need for the parties’ leaders to prevail on supporters to avoid violence before and after the elections and we welcome the Edo candidates’ signatures of the National Peace Committee and INEC convened a peace accord yesterday.

“We will be deploying observation missions to both the Edo and Ondo elections and supporting civil society led observation.

“The UK takes a strong stand against election-related violence and, just as we did in the general election in 2019, will continue to take action against individuals we identify as being responsible for violence during the elections.

“This could include restrictions on their eligibility to travel to the UK, restrictions on access to UK based assets or prosecution under international law.

“The UK will continue to provide support and engagement as we move towards these elections. We urge INEC, the Police and all other agencies involved to work together to deliver free, fair and credible elections.”