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An opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, has called for a reduction in fuel price to help Nigerians cope with the impact of the coronavirus on the economy.

Mr Abubakar also called for the suspension of stamp duty charges collected on electronic money transfers.

The former presidential candidate stated this in a statement his office sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

“As the landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, has reduced significantly, it is strongly recommended that the government should not absorb the savings, but should pass it on to the Nigerian people by way of reducing the pump price of PMS to reflect the current prevailing market costs,” he said as part of his advice to the government on economic actions to take amidst the coronavirus.

Petrol currently sells across Nigeria at an official price of about N145 per litre. Nigeria, despite being an oil-producing country, imports almost all of its refined petroleum products.

The significant reduction in international crude oil price, from about $60 a barrel two months ago to about $30 a barrel means the landing cost of petrol to Nigeria has also reduced.

Read Mr Abubakar’s full statement below.

Nigeria Must Take Decisive Economic Action to Protect Our People from the Ravages of the Corona Virus

The coronavirus is raging in the world and not just ravaging human beings, it is also affecting economies. Nigeria is not an island onto itself, and we must take measures to protect the economic well being of our nation and people.

Every action that can be taken to ease the cost of doing business in Nigeria and reduce the cost of living, while promoting consumer confidence must be implemented.

All hands must be on deck in a multi partisan manner to ensure that Nigeria does not return to economic recession. This is possible with decisive leadership and disciplined management.

As such, I recommend that policies like the Stamp Duty on all types of accounts be temporarily suspended, until such a time as the nation’s economy has turned the tide in the fight against this virulent scourge.

Furthermore, as the landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, has reduced significantly, it is strongly recommended that the government should not absorb the savings, but should pass it on to the Nigerian people by way of reducing the pump price of PMS to reflect the current prevailing market costs.

In addition to these measures, the government is urged to request large scale industrialists and employers of labour not to disengage workers. Definitely, this scourge will affect their production and profitability. However, if they know that the government is behind them and will do all to support them, they are less likely to disengage workers.

These are extraordinary times, and we as a nation must take extraordinary measures to protect the entire nation. Nigeria is our collective home, as such, we must suppress every partisan disagreement and think and work patriotically to ensure our national survival in the midst of global uncertainty.

The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to direct Multichoice Nigeria – owners of DStv and GOtv – and other Direct-to-Home Broadcast Satellite Service providers to implement Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) tariff plans.

This followed a motion moved by Hon. Unyime Udem and adopted by the House at the plenary on Tuesday. The House also mandated its Committee on Information and Technology, and Telecommunications to investigate the non-implementation of PAYG tariff plans by the Service Providers with a view to ensuring strict compliance with the tariff plan.

Debating the motion, Udem alleged that the service providers had deliberately refused to implement the Pay-As-You-Go tariff plan but rather charge users on a fixed monthly tariff plan, unlike what is obtainable outside Nigeria.

He said that, DSTV, as one of the Direct-To-Home Service Providers in Nigeria was launched in 1993 and has about 11.9 million subscribers, which is the largest market for its operation.

He said that DSTV operate a Pay-As-You-Go tariff plan in other countries but has chosen to exploit Nigerians through a fixed monthly tariff plan. “Nigeria constitutes 40 percent of DSTV’s global market share; yet over 40 percent of the citizens do not use a greater part of their paid monthly tariff due to engagements that take them from one location to the other on a daily basis.

Hence, they cannot access the services upon expiration whether or not they used their previous subscriptions until they renew it for another month.

He also added that the continuous exploitation by Multichoice constitutes economic sabotage against Nigerians as most of them pay for services they do not consume.

He noted that the company, judging from their average monthly tarrifs, makes billions of Naira monthly at the expense of the subscribers.

At the end of the debate, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, constituted a committee to investigate the Broadcast Satellite Service Providers, and asked it to report back in four weeks for further investigation.

Barely 24 hours after Governor Kayode Fayemi signed the bill for establishment of Amotekun Corps into law in Ekiti, a coalition of Yoruba groups, under the aegis of the Yoruba Appraisal Forum, on Tuesday protested in Ado Ekiti, the state capital against formation of the security outfit.

The protesting youths, drawn from the six states in the southwest region, stormed the streets of Ado-Ekiti as early as 8:15am to express displeasure against the inherent dangers in operation Amotekun.

They bore placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Amotekun Will turn our youths to militia group”, ‘Amotekun motive, shine your eyes’, ‘Amotekun can bring oroliferation of arms’, among others.

The group called for scrapping of Amotekun across the six states of Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Ondo and Ogun States to avoid future calamity, alleging the hijack of the security outfit by some politicians.

The protestors said it had uncovered alleged plot by politicians hell bent on deploying Amotekun for political engagement and destabilize the southwest and ultimately the entire country, in 2023 general elections.

They noted the entire Yoruba race would be endangered in 2023 with the existence of Amotekun, saying the dreadful Boko Haram tormenting the northwest started as a militia before transmorgifing into insurgents.

Addressing journalists at Ajilosun area where the protest held, the group’s coordinator, Mr. Adeshina Animasaun, said the project of Amotekun was a laudable one, but insisted that it has been hijacked by those nursing ambition in 2023.

Animasaun appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig the country’s security architecture to prevent resurgence of what he called ‘militia groups’ with tendencies to pose dangers to the lives of the people.

“We call on President Buhari to use his good office to call the southwest governors to order by prevailing on them not to sign the Amotekun bills into laws yet, until proper checks about such security are done,” he said.

They faulted the hurried manners at which the governors conducted the public hearings leading to formation of Amotekun, saying : “it ought to have been done in a manner the populace will participate, rather than bringing few people to the state capitals to contribute in a programme that lasted for 30 minutes”.

He added: “The southwest governors should be dissuaded from innocently equipping and funding a security outfit that some unscrupulous and wicked individuals have planned to use against the same people the governors have sworn to protect.

“The governors should be made to realise that they should not allow themselves to be railroaded into taking an action they will regret later.

“The nation’s security agencies like police National Intelligence Agency , Defence Intelligence Agency , Department of State Services (DSS) need to profile the current promoters of Amotekun security outfit with a view to ascertaining its real membership and their original intention”, he said.

The group urged the intiators to take note of the warnings issued by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, former Kaduna State Government, Balarabe Musa and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and others about the hazards inherent in Amotekun.

President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) resolved to postpone the emergency National Executive Council (NEC) slated for today to save the party from implosion.

The postponement of the NEC meeting convened by forces who want the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole out was announced at the end of the president’s meeting with the governors at the State House, Abuja yesterday.

But other credible sources said beyond the implosion issue, some anti-Oshiomhole forces are still perfecting their homework to ensure that whenever the NEC meeting was called, they would have enough support to remove the embattled chairman.

The NEC meeting until the president’s intervention yesterday was seen as an avenue to perfect plots to oust Oshiomhole. The plot is allegedly being spearheaded by the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and seven of his colleagues.

On Monday, the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had warned that Oshiomhole should not be removed as national chairman of the party. It is believed in some quarters that removing Oshiomhole would indirectly mean drastically reducing the influence of Tinubu not only in the affairs of the party but other strategic national issues.

Those in support of Oshiomhole told the Daily Trust that before a new date would be fixed for the NEC meeting, the chairman of the reconciliation committee of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, would have addressed all the contending issues bedevilling the party.

But some sources against Oshiomhole, and by extension Tinubu, said considering that Akande is the right-hand man of Tinubu, whatever would be done by his committee would not resonate well because it would be tailored towards supporting the former Lagos State governor.

Akande had at the weekend urged all the feuding camps to withdraw court cases filed on the matter. There are five cases pending at different courts filed by both pro and anti-Oshiomhole.

What govs discussed with Buhari at the villa

Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, announced the postponement of the NEC after their meeting with President Buhari. Bagudu said President Buhari was pleased to endorse the suggestion to postpone the NEC meeting until they (the governors) gave him feedback on the fence-mending effort made to solve the crisis rocking the ruling party.

“Yes, we discussed party issues and showed appreciation to Mr. President on how he has given access to each of us individually and collectively. “Among the issues we discussed was the resolution the governors have taken to work together and resolve all the issues in our party and also we sought Mr. President’s support to postpone the NEC meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow (today), until such a time that governors will be able to report back,” he said.

The meeting was attended by 16 out of the 20 governors of the ruling party. These included Babagana Zulum, Borno; Babajide Sanwo Olu, Lagos; Dapo Abiodun, Ogun; Godwin Obaseki, Edo; Bagudu, Kebbi, Abubakar Badaru, Jigawa; Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Kwara; Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa; Mohammed Sani Bello, Niger; Simon Lalong, Plateau; Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo; Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano; Adegboyega Oyetola, Osun; Aminu Bello Masari, Katsina; Hope Uzodinma, Imo, and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State. Governors Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna; Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti; Mai Mala Buni, Yobe; and Yahaya Bello of Kogi State were conspicuously absent at the meeting.

Governors that are said to be solidly behind Oshiomhole are; Zulum (Borno), Ganduje (Kano), Masari (Kano), Bello (Kogi), Abdulrazak (Kwara), Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Sule (Nasarawa), Abiodun (Ogun), Oyetola (Osun), Buni (Yobe), and Uzodimma (Imo).

Those said to be on the other side are; Obaseki (Edo), Fayemi (Ekiti), Muhammad (Jigawa), El-Rufai (Kaduna), Bagudu (Kebbi), Bello (Niger), Akeredolu (Ondo) and Lalong (Plateau). “The NEC meeting would have taken place tomorrow if those against Oshiomhole were satisfied that they had what it takes to remove him,” a source said.

“They simply tarried awhile…Of course, you have seen many of them, both pro and anti-Oshiomhole speaking with one voice when they met with the president but they still have their differences,” he said.

“Those against Oshiomhole wanted Buhari to look the other way; they don’t even want him to attend the NEC meeting so that he will not be blamed if at the end of the day they remove the chairman. However, everything was abruptly postponed indefinitely because of some factors that came to play but the fight is not yet over,” another source said.


Who are APC NEC members?

According to Article 12.3 of the APC Constitution, the NEC members include the president, vice president, Senate president, deputy Senate president, speaker of the House of Representatives, his deputy, governors, principal officers of the National Assembly, two serving senators from each geo-political zone, three members of the House of Representatives from each of the geo-political zone and party leaders among others.

The NEC exercises control and takes disciplinary actions on all organs, officers and members of the party. “The anti-Oshiomhole forces had done a lot in reaching out to some of the NEC members but it seems they are yet to get the required number they need to have their way,” another source said.

Oshiomhole meets Kyari in Villa

Earlier yesterday, Oshiomhole met with the Chief of Staff to the president, Abba Kyari. The meeting was held before the suspension of today’s NEC meeting which would have been used to decide his fate.

Daily Trust reports that the move to remove Oshiomhole had divided the critical stakeholders in the party, including governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), National Assembly and state party chairmen, among others.

NWC meeting holds today

Having come out from the Appeal Court from position of strength, at least for now, Oshiomhole will attend the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the APC scheduled for today at the party’s national secretariat.

Oshiomhole had stayed away from the secretariat since the Abuja High Court ordered his suspension on March 4. A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said all members of the NWC were expected to attend as important matters concerning the party would be considered and deliberated at the meeting.

There are 21 members of the NWC. They include; the national chairman, deputy national chairman (North), deputy national chairman (South), national secretary, deputy national secretary, six national vice chairmen, national legal adviser, national treasurer, national financial secretary, national organising secretary, national publicity secretary, national welfare secretary, national auditor, national women leader, national youth leader, and special (physically challenged) leader.

How Oshiomhole got Appeal Court reprieve

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal has asked Oshiomhole to continue as national chairman of the party pending the determination of the appeal challenging his position.

A three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Abubakar Dati Yahaya, yesterday, held that the ex parte application moved by counsel to Oshiomhole and the APC, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has merit.

“We are of the view that an emergency picture has been painted so that intervention by this court at this time and in this process (is) granted. “There is the information that a national executive meeting of the 2nd applicant is to be held tomorrow and following the ruling of the FCT High Court under the situation, the first applicant would not be able to attend if this happens, then there is no chance that any status quo would be maintained.

“The status quo can only be maintained in the circumstance if there is a stay of execution of the FCT High Court judgment. “In this vein, therefore, we find merit in this application. “We hereby order stay of execution on the ruling of the FCT high court in suit number: FCT/HC/CV/837/2020 delivered in the 4th of March 2020 pending the determination of the motion on notice which is now slated for hearing on Thursday the 19th of March 2020.

We also hereby give an order of injunction restricting the respondents in the suit, their agents, their privies and all officers jointly or severally from proceeding to take any other steps to give effect to the said ruling pending the determination of the motion on notice,” the court ruled.

Another court approves Giadom as APC acting national chair

Before the Appeal Court ruling, an FCT High Court in Maitama yesterday granted an interim order allowing Chief Victor Giadom, APC’s acting national secretary to act as the party’s national chairman. Justice Samira Umar Bature made the order following a motion ex-parte filed by the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-East, Comrade Mustapha Salihu and argued on his behalf by O.C. Ugwu, Esq seeking for an interim order allowing Giadom to act as APC’s acting chairman and to preside at all meetings of the party’s national executive committee pending the decision of the party’s NEC fixed for March 17.

The motion also asked for an interim order restraining the APC and its officers “or anyone purporting to act as an officer of the 4th defendant (APC) from preventing or in any way disturbing Chief Victor Giadom from functioning as the acting chairman unless otherwise decided by the national executive committee of the 4th defendant pending the hearing of the motion on notice.” Those listed as defendants in the motion are Babatunde Ogala, Issa-Onilu, Waziri Bulama and APC.

Lagos – The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) has said that the government of Ghana has strongly cautioned travellers against coming into the country following the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the country
Announcing this in its new microsite, NCDC said; ” Ghana issues travel restrictions in response to #COVID19. Will NOT allow persons in places with over 200 cases for over 14 days into Ghana. Discourages travel to Ghana,” it added.

An official statement from Ghana stated that the country has recorded four more cases bringing the total number of confirmed cases to six.

This was made known by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister for Information, when he addressed the media on Sunday, March 15, 2019, the statement said.

It further read: “The government of Ghana is issuing a travelling advisory this afternoon and these are as follows; first, all travel to Ghana is at this stage strongly discouraged until further notice, secondly, any traveller except with Ghanaian citizen and persons with a resident permit who within the last 14 days has been to a country that has recorded at least 200 cases of the coronavirus will not be permitted into the Ghanaian jurisdiction. Airlines are instructed not to allow such persons to embark and border posts are instructed not to allow such persons into the country.

“The Director of Public Health at Ghana Health Service, Dr Badu Sarkodie said on Friday, March 13, 2020, two more cases were confirmed as COVID-19.

“They reported in two regions. One each from Ashanti Region and the other in the Greater Accra Region.

“The first is a 56-year old man, a Ghanaian who returned from a trip to the UK on the 4th of March. He stayed in the UK for 10 days and came back. He developed symptoms on the 12th of March and reported to a hospital in Obuasi.

The case definition met the case of that of suspected COVID-19. Samples were taken and sent to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) and within a short time, the lab reported that this is another confirmed case of COVID-19 within the country.”

“The second is a woman, a Ghanaian student. She travelled out to the USA. Stayed there for about 10 days. She came back on March 9 and March 13, started having symptoms. Samples were taken to Noguchi on March 13 and the same day we had a report from Noguchi that confirmed this as another case of COVID-19,” Dr, Badu Sarkodie.

Both patients have been isolated and are being treated, he added.

A total number of 151 contacts have been traced to four individuals who have been confirmed with the novel coronavirus in Ghana.

Dr. Badu Sarkodie said this at the press briefing held on Sunday.

“First four cases, contact tracing has started. We just confirmed the last two cases over the night and we have started mechanisms to identify the contacts. With case 1, we have identified two contacts and all the contacts are being traced. With case 2, the Norwegian, we have identified 107 contacts and we have started processes to follow up on 68 of them. We will be in touch with the rest by the close of today,” Dr. Sarkodie added.

Italy's coronavirus death toll leaps by 368 to 1,809 in a day as terrifying video shows how a Lombardy newspaper obituary page has expanded from one to ten pages and secret memo reveals over-80s could be 'left to die'

*Italian officials say death toll has hit 1,809 as total infections reaches 24,747
*Overnight jump of 300 fatalities follows chilling video of hard-hit Lombardy
*The obituary of Bergamo newspaper has expanded from one to 10 in pandemic
*Mortuary of the local hospital is full with bodies now being kept in churches
*One councillor added that coronavirus patients are being buried every half hour
*Meanwhile, a report claims over-80s could be 'left to die' in fight against virus
*Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

Bamidele Ogunwusi
Lagos – FBN Holdings has, on Friday, confirmed the Thursday 12 March 2020 story titled, “First Bank Set to merge with Heritage Bank, Polaris Bank”.

In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday, March 13, 2020 signed by Seye Kosoko, Company Secretary, FBN Holdings Plc, did not deny or confirm the newspaper report on the proposed acquisition.

In the note, titled, Re: Request For Clarification- “First Bank Set To Merge With Heritage Bank, Polaris Bank”, FBNH said the bank, like any other serious financial institution of its stature, will always be a reference point because of its size, liquidity and systemic importance.

FBNH said, “With respect to the online publication on the largest subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Limited by Independent Newspapers Limited dated 12 March 2020 captioned “First Bank Set to merge with Heritage Bank, Polaris Bank”, we wish to state as follows in line with Rule 17.10 of the Rulebook of the Exchange 2015 that:
“Recent events in the industry have thrown up mergers and acquisition opportunities for banks.

“There would always be speculation on First Bank’s involvement on account of its size, liquidity, systemic importance and historic support in backstopping the industry. Inorganic growth remains a strategic consideration for all financial institutions, but from First Bank’s perspective, will only be considered when it is value accretive to shareholders and other key stakeholders.

“Similar to other Nigerian banks, First Bank continues to scan sub-Saharan Africa in general for potential acquisitions.

“FBN Holdings Plc is mindful of its responsibilities as a Premium Board listed company and will make appropriate disclosures should it find such value.”

Daily Independent had reported on Thursday that Nigeria will soon witness an­other round of merger and acquisition in the banking sector as financial advisers are putting finishing touches to a merger arrangement be­tween First Bank of Nigeria, Heritage Bank and Polaris Bank.

A source privy to the merger informed Daily Independent that both Polaris and Heritage have been looking for a worthy bank to do busi­ness with as they have been told by the apex bank, the Cen­tral Bank of Nigeria (CBN), after a round of stress test in banks last year to shape up or lose their licence.

The source also informed that these three entities are vigorously pursuing the merger and acquisition talks across all available means.

Daily Independent gathered that Polaris Bank, formerly Skye Bank, for instance, which is currently under the Asset Management Corpora­tion of Nigeria (AMCON), is up for sale since it became a bridge bank in 2018.
The CBN had stated in October last year that seven com­mercial banks in the country failed stress test in adequate funding at the end of 2018.

In a financial stability report published by the bank, it was revealed that in less than 30-day period analysis, seven Nigerian banks were not ad­equately funded, while in the 31-90 days bucket, nine banks had funding gaps.

Overall, the cumulative position for the industry showed an excess of N4.8 trillion as­sets over liabilities.

The banking regulator, however, did not mention the names of the seven of the banks but it privately in­formed the affected banks to look into the possibility of merger and acquisition to prevent a total collapse.

The leadership tussle within the APC National Working Committee (NWC) took a turn for the worse Friday when Mohammed Sani Ibrahim, the Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the party declared himself the Acting National Organizing Secretary, in place of Emmanuel Ibediro, the substantive holder of the office.

Ibrahim told journalists in Abuja that Ibediro’s election was nullified by a federal high court in 2018 but that the suspended National Chairman of APC Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in his alleged autocratic manner, failed to give effect to that the ruling of the court.

According to him ” Mr. Emmanuel Ibediro no doubt contested the election of the National Organising Secretary. By virtue of respect to constituted authorities and rule of law, the Federal High Court under Justice Dimgba annulled the election of the National Organising Secretary. It was a clear judgement and can’t be appealed. So by the virtue of judgement passed on the 14th of September, 2018, there is judgement nullifying all that happened till fresh elections are held”.

In the said judgement, Justice Dimgba indeed granted the plea made by Senator Osita Izunaso nullifying the election of Ibediro and ordered a fresh election by the party. Ibediro, however, appealed the ruling.

Reacting to the development, Ibediro, a lawyer, described his Deputy as a rabble-rouser given to causing disaffection.

“The man is a rabble-rouser. He took me to court in Abuja recently and the court threw away his case, telling him that he has no locus.
“That he is not a party in the main suit and in the appeal, and that he did not even contest the position. The court threw away his case two weeks ago. The man is just a rabble-rouser. And he forgot that the case is still in the appeal. He cannot fish in troubled water.”.

The investigation, however, shows that Ibrahim is cashing in on Ibediro’s glaring lack of support for the proposed March 17 National Executive Council of the party. The APC NWC under the Acting National chairman is not comfortable with Ibediro, believed to a staunch supporter of embattled Oshiomhole.

The foreign and local oil firms, yesterday, perfected plans for mass disengagement of workers and slash in investments as parts of measures to mitigate the effects of price rout rocking the global market.

The rout, buoyed by spread of Coronavirus and the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, crashed the price of oil to as low as $30 per barrel on Monday and it had, according to checks by this newspaper, became a major threat to the oil multinationals’ multi-billion dollars businesses in Nigeria and across the World.

The firms, a source at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources told New Telegraph, have already opened talks with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) – their major shareholder – on measures they have in place to reduce the effect of the oil price rout, which is expected to be far-reaching if not addressed.

“Everyone knows that there is a looming danger to oil investments across the world and Nigeria is not an exception. And, everyone who wants to remain in business will downsize in terms of staff strength and investments cut to stay afloat.

“They (oil firms) have, as a matter of fact, opened discussions with the government through the NNPC on their plan, which included the two I mentioned earlier – slash of staff strength and of investments with marginal profit margin or low return on investment (RoI),” he said.

These plans, which he said would affect non-core staff particularly those at the supporting service units and the contract workers, will definitely happen. “It is just a matter of time after approval of the proposal is granted,” one of the sources said.

The NNPC, in the same vein, is billed to implement a major shake-up today at its management level.

The Corporation had, on Wednesday, expressed its readiness to strategically put in place measures that will alleviate the cost of crude oil production in Nigeria to create market for Nigeria’s crude and make Nigeria a choice destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, made this known at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Roundtable discussion in Abuja yesterday.

Kyari stated that at the moment, the cost of crude oil production in the country was within the range of $15 to $17 per barrel, adding that some leaders in the Industry, such as Saudi Arabia’s cost of production is between $4 and $5 per barrel.

He noted that due to the uncertainties of the global crude oil market, countries that produce at the cheapest price would remain in the market, while jurisdiction with high cost of crude oil production would not be able to cope with the competing prices.

He noted that due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Nigeria has about 50 cargoes of crude oil that have not found landing, adding that this implies that there are no off-takers for them for now due to the drop in demand.

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Tuesday, rejected the call by human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), for stolen funds, especially the ones linked to the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, to be returned to the Federal Account.

Malami, through his spokesperson, Dr Umar Gwandu, was reacting to the suggestion recently made by Falana in Akure, Ondo State that the recovered loot ought to be paid the Federation Account and shared between the Federal Government and the federating units.

The minister’s statement was titled, ‘Looted funds: Don’t confuse public with myopic views – Malami replies Falana’.

He said Falana made “erroneous assertion” on the process of disbursement and use of recovered stolen funds based on the provisions of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act and Section 153 (1) (n) of the Nigerian Constitution.

This, he said, “depicts a rash analysis devoid of clear legal foundations.”

The minister said the RMAFC Act “has nothing specific on funds recovered from indicted public officers or assets recovered internationally.”

He added, “The recovery of stolen assets and the subsequent uses to which these funds may be employed are subject to international agreements between Nigeria and the affected countries, thereby bringing conflict of laws into contemplation.

“Importantly also, these repatriated funds are based on cooperation and mutual assistance agreements, especially the United Nations Convention against Corruption and Implementation of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) Principles on the Repatriation of Stolen Assets.”

But Falana insisted on Tuesday that the recovered loot ought to be paid into the Federation Account.

He said, “It is on record that the report of the investigation set up by the Federal Government under the Abdulsalami Abubakar junta confirmed that the estimated $5bn Abacha loot was part of the revenue of the federation stolen from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“Therefore, the recovered loot has to be returned to the Federation Account.

“Any agreement between the Federal Government and foreign countries on the recovered loot has to be read subject to sections 12 and 162 of the Constitution.”

The nation is still in shock over the dethronement of the former Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II.

The emir who ruled for 5 years, 9 months and 2 days was sacked by the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje on Monday over alleged disrespect to constituted authority in the state.

The dethroned Emir in a video called on Nigerians to support the new emir, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, adding that he has accepted his dethronement in good fate. Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II is known for controversial statement on issues affecting the nation.

Below are popular quotes of the dethroned emir:                

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A Professor of Islamic Political Thoughts at Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, Professor Umar Muhammad Labdo, said the dethroned Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II invited “the calamity to himself by openly involving himself in politics.”

Labdo, in an interview, told Daily Trust that Sanusi involved himself in politics during the last general elections. This, he said, was against the custom of the emirate.

“It is unfortunate that the emirate is being played with by politicians, but Sanusi invited this to himself. He is too vocal against the custom. Traditional rulers have ways of contributing to governance not publicly,” he added.

He also accused the dethroned emir of trying to introduce “western things” into the emirate. “He is pro-women against men. He told women to retaliate if their husbands slapped them. This is against our culture in Africa.

He is too blunt; he talks without considering the feelings of his people,” he said. Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday approved the appointment of Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as the new Emir of Kano hours after dethroning Sanusi II.

The dethroned emir was sent to Nasarawa State on exile. Hours after his removal, Sanusi II was flown to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja from where he was driven to Loko in Nasarawa State. A credible source who spoke to him said the former emir was not visibly ruffled despite the situation he found himself.

“He was very, very calm,” the source said, adding “I spoke with him…He appeared normal, he told me all is well; he said he has submitted his fate to his Creator.” Sanusi’s lawyer A.B. Mahmud, SAN described the removal of Emir Sanusi as “an illegality.”

Frank, controversial and vocal, the dethroned Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi’s last ambition in life was yesterday thwarted by the action of the state government led by Abdullahi.

Sixty months ago, the dethroned emir had in an interview to mark his coronation in 2015, told newsmen at the Emir’s Palace in Kano that his last ambition in life was to die as an emir.

On February 4, 2015, Sanusi who emerged as Kano emir on June 8, 2014, said “no position is bigger than the emir’s throne.” Sanusi said about his new found glory: “Well, in terms of a position or anything material, I don’t have any.

My prayer is that I move from this palace to my grave. I don’t have any desire or aspiration that I’m targeting. It is natural, I grew up in the palace and for me, and there was never anybody that is more important than the Emir of Kano, both my grandfather and the late Emir of Kano.

“Positions are nothing; it is really what you do with them. So, ultimately, one will like to leave behind a good record of service. I want to leave a reputation where people of Kano would continue to pray for me in remembrance of the good service and leadership I provided to them.

“There is no house that a man will like to live in rather than this palace; there is nothing that a man wants in this life that Allah has not given to me,” the dethroned emir said. On how he felt when Kano kingmakers picked him as the emir, Sanusi II, who was born on July 31, 1961, said it was difficult to express the enormity of his feelings.

His words, “It is difficult for one to express exactly the enormity of feelings of becoming an emir but you know the Quran leaves nothing out and I think the best words any prince can have to express this gratitude were the words used by Prophet Yusuf (AS) after he was given the position Allah gave him.

  He said: ‘Oh father, this is the interpretation of my dream; Allah has made it a true…’ If there is one thing that every Muslim believes in, it is that power comes only from God and only Him knows why He chooses a particular individual and at a particular time and gives him power.

“Therefore, whenever one is chosen to this position, one is overcome by a sense of humility because you know that it is not that you are better than other princes; it is not because you are closer to God than others; it is not because you are clever or strategic, God decided to put you there and our responsibility now is to thank Him.

And try to understand why He put us there and what He would like us to do,” he said.

There was pandemonium at the Kano State House of Assembly on Monday over the lingering crisis between the state government and the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll. Trouble started few minutes when the Chairman, House Standing Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions, Alhaji Hamza Ibrahim Ci-Dari, raised an observation regarding the the two petitions against the emir.

The House received two petitions against the Emir last week. Immediately the chairman raised the issue, he was shut down by some members of the House, particularly members of the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who insisted that it is against the rule of the House to raise an observation during plenary on a petition that is before a committee, which has not submitted its report.

Members of the APC and PDP engaged in a free-for-all fight with the aim of taking over the control of the Mace, the symbol of authority of the parliament. It took the intervention of the Sergeant at Arms and security operatives to rescue the mace from the lawmakers. The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Abdulaziz Garba Gafasa announced the postponement of the session for 30 minutes.

Daily Trust observed presence of heavily armed security operatives at the assembly complex, government house and Emir’s palace. The governor of the state has been at loggerhead with Emir Sanusi and many see the fresh probe as a continuation of the initial crisis that led to the creation of additional four new emirates in the state. This is not the first time the emir and the Kano Emirate are coming under probe since Malam Muhammadu Sanusi ll, ascended the throne in 2014.

The Kano anti-graft agency investigated the emir over what it called “questionable” expenditure to the tune of N 4 billion but the probe was later suspended. It could be recalled that a Federal High Court sitting in Kano had last month quashed the report of the commission that indicted the Emir over an allegation of N3.4 billion fraud from the Emirate Council fund. Last Friday, another Federal High Court in Kano restrained Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission from investigating the emir over alleged land racketeering to the tune of N2. 2bn.

The presiding judge, Justice Lewis Allagoa ordered the commission and its Chairman, Barrister Rimingado to maintain the status quo in the interim pending the determination of the case filed before it by the emir. The order, dated March 6, 202 and signed by Justice Allagoa, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Trust reads in parts: “The status quo be maintained in the interim pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion”.

Justice Allagoa then adjourned the case till March 18, 2020 for hearing. The emir in his prayers, requested for an interim injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd respondents (Commission and its Chairman) from investigating the affairs of the applicant pending the hearing of the originating motion. An order of interim injunction for the maintenance of the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion. Contacted, Barrister Rimingado said the commission would honour the court by appearing before it on March 18, 2020. “The commission will ask the court of law to compel the emir to appear before it. Because as far as the commission is concerned, the court did not stop it from continuing with its investigation. The status quo is subject to interpretation,” he said

While the leadership crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the continued stay of its national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is currently at its apogee, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),which is Nigeria’s major opposition party is also having its fair share as there are subtle moves by some aggrieved ember to effect leadership changes in the party. 

However, the PDP last week denied reports of an alleged crack in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) over plot to remove Prince Uche Secondus, the national chairman of the party. 

Our correspondent gathered that the NWC is sharply divided over the continued stay of Secondus in office. According to him, the division started since last year following the party’s defeat in the 2019 presidential election. 

It is also gathered that top leaders of the PDP in the Southwest have begun consultations and campaigns to convince other stakeholders in the party to remove Secondus over alleged crises in the state chapters, gale of defections, House of Representatives crisis, constitutional breaches and failure of the party to win the 2019 presidential election. 

A credible source in the party said “not all members of the NWC are comfortable with Secondus still piloting the affairs of the party following the strings of losses recorded by the party before, during and after the 2019 general elections”. 

“Yes, there is division in the NWC but it is being managed and it is not as pronounced as what we have in the other political party. In that party, like three NWC at one time or the other have publicly said that their national chairman should resign. It is being managed and that is why it has not gone out of hand” he said. 

However, when contacted, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said the report of any crisis or division in the party is untrue. 

“There is no quarrel, division or strife in the NWC. The report of any division to remove the national chairman is balderdash” he said. 

In a related development, Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party said the present leadership of the party cannot make headway if it continues to sideline the elders of the party and treating them with contempt as if their opinions don’t matter in the running of the affairs of the party. 

George who has accused Secondus-led NWC of impunity especially as regards the power tussle in Lagos PDP said he decided to speak out because he cannot afford to fold his hands and allow the party die. 

“Leadership is not something you elect, it emerges. I haven’t attended any of their meetings since 2018 when former President Goodluck Jonathan launched his book titled, “My Transition Hours” in Abuja”. 

“You can see the total confusion and mess. We are suggesting that they should go back and call the elders to prepare us for the next set of elections”. 

“If they feel they want to sideline the party elders and run the party on their own, let them do it. Anybody who says an elder is not a fit and proper person; he himself will become an elder soon. It is just a matter of time”. 

“Those who were saying we don’t want elders to become this and that, where are they today? A child sees herbs and calls it vegetable. No matter what happens, I have said any day I quit the PDP, I am going home because the other party, APC is not a political party but a congregation of strange bedfellows”. 

“As for the PDP leadership, I don’t want to fire back at them because they are junior to me in age, experience and exposure. As an elder, I can’t just watch and allow a party we labored to build just waste away like that”. 

“That is why we keep shouting that they should not destroy the party. They have their period now and cannot be there in perpetuity. Secondus cannot be there in perpetuity. As an elder, there are so many information that I have and I know certain things are not right but it is not for public consumption. That is the way an elder behaves” he said. 

It will be recalled that following the victory of APC in the Bayelsa governprship election, Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC has called on Secondus, and the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party to apologise or resign over the loss of Bayelsa State which has been under PDP’s control since 1999. 

He argued that PDP had chosen to relinquish the governance of Bayelsa to the opposition APC when it decided to field a weak candidate against a popular aspirant who could have steered the party to victory. 

He called on Secondus and the National Working Committee (NWC) led by him, to “immediately apologise to all leaders and members of the party in Bayelsa State in particular and the country in general, or resign their positions for deliberately trading the party’s political capital and dominance in the state for a pot of porridge.” 

“Secondus and the NWC knew what to do but they neglected to do it. This defeat is directly attributable to their poor choices, myopic political calculations and selfishness. 

“It is our hope that the outcome of the Bayelsa State governorship election will serve as a lesson to the party to field popular candidates in future elections. The era of imposition is over. Take note,” he said. 

However, with Bayelsa now in the firm grip of PDP after the Supreme Court verdict, it seems those holding Secondus responsible for the party’s loss will loosen their grip on him.

Iran’ s health ministry on Sunday reported 49 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest toll within 24 hours since the start of the outbreak in the country .

“ At least 194 of our compatriots who fell sick with the COVID -19 illness have passed away , ” health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference.

The outbreak of the virus in Iran is one of the deadliest outside of China , where the disease originated .

Jahanpour added that 743 new infections were also confirmed within the past 24 hours , bringing the number of cases to 6 , 566 spread across all of Iran’ s 31 provinces.

With 1 ,805 infections, the capital Tehran remains the province with the most cases , the spokesman added.

But the situation in other provinces continued to deteriorate , with Jahanpour saying 685 cases were detected in and around Qom , the holy Shiite city south of Tehran where the country ’ s first cases were reported.

He said the number of cases was also “ rising quickly ” in Isfahan, a popular tourist destination, where there were now 564 people sick with the virus.

No official widescale quarantine measures have been enforced but several provinces have announced they would not provide lodging for tourists in an effort to dissuade travel .

Iran has been scrambling to contain the spread of the virus , closing schools and universities until the end of the Iranian new year celebrations and holidays in early April , a period when people typically travel and visit family.
AFP

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to be taking the first step towards the resolution of the crisis rocking it.

The crisis is threatening the position of the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who was restrained by a court order on Wednesday to stop parading himself as APC chairman.

This followed an ex parte motion filed in court by a group opposed to him.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the leader of the party, has raised a three-man team to liaise with those who have an axe to grind with Oshiomhole.

There were indications also last night that the President might ask the National Caucus of the party to wade into the crisis.

But it was learnt that APC governors may shun the emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee slated for Tuesday, March 17, because it was ‘illegally convened’ by the Deputy National Secretary, Mr. Victor Giadom.

Although Giadom summoned the meeting as Acting Secretary, his authority is no longer tenable following the appointment of Arc. Waziri Bulama as substantive National Secretary.

Besides, the APC constitution stipulates that a 14-day notice must be issued ahead of a NEC meeting and a seven-day notice for an emergency NEC meeting.


It was gathered that none of the conditions for holding a NEC meeting was fulfilled at press time.

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said the President and his kitchen cabinet are unhappy that his administration is being distracted by the crisis over the fate of the national chairman.

The source said: “The President has raised a three-man compact team to reach out to the governors to allow peace to reign by sheathing their swords. He also asked the team to give assurance that he will try to reconcile all.

“The team has been engaging some of the aggrieved governors and party leaders on the way forward.

“It pains the President that his administration is being distracted at a time he had rolled out plans to make a difference in his second term. He could not understand why APC has to be embroiled in an unnecessary crisis.”

Responding to a question, the source added:

“The President is contemplating convening a National Caucus meeting to resolve all grey areas and issues.

“We are hopeful that our leaders can resolve the issue at hand because the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is about to capitalize on our differences.”

Sources also hinted on Saturday that most APC governors may not attend the emergency NEC meeting of the party because it was ‘illegally convened’.

A governor said: “It is laughable that the Deputy National Secretary will summon an emergency in the capacity of an Acting National Secretary which he does not hold again.

“Go and read Section 25/(B) of the APC Constitution, it is only the national chairman of the party that can direct the National Secretary to issue notice for the NEC meeting.”

The section reads: “The National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-third of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen (14) days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.

“Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution the National Working Committee may summon an emergency National Executive Committee meeting at any time, provided that at least seven (7) days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend.

“Decisions at the meeting of the National Executive Committee shall be by simple majority of members present and voting.

“The quorum for the meetings of the National Executive Committee shall be one third of its membership. The provision regulating meetings of the National Executive Committee shall apply mutatis mutandis to Zonal Committee, State Executive Committee, Senatorial District Executive Committee, Local Government Area/Area Council Executive Committee and Ward Executive Committee.”


Meanwhile, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State yesterday openly declared support for Oshiomhole.

Bello made his position known in a statement through his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo.

The governor said he would never do anything capable of disrupting the peace of the party.

The statement said: “Governor Yahaya Bello will never do anything that will disrupt the peace of APC.

“His interest has always been the peace and stability of the party.

“He is a true party man whose interest is the continued political relevance even beyond 2023.”

Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu on Friday met with the two feuding sides in the APC crisis and warned them to keep off the party’s national secretariat in Abuja for now.

Soon after the group opposed to Oshiomhole obtained an interim court order restraining him from parading himself as chairman, a Federal High Court in Kano issued an interim order that the status quo in the party be maintained.

The development did not sit well with the anti-Oshiomhole group which vowed to resist his planned return to the secretariat yesterday on Friday.

Each side armed with a court order went to the Force Headquarters, Abuja seeking police protection but the IG could only ask them to give peace a chance and keep off the party’s national secretariat for now.

Oshiomhole led a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) to the meeting with the IG while the National Vice Chairman, North East, Comrade Salihu Mustapha led the other group.

With neither of them willing to shift its ground at the meeting, the IG directed that the two groups should stay away from the party Secretariat.

Consequently, a team from the DSS was sent to reinforce the police detachment already at the secretariat.

The building is currently under lock and key.

Governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have urged the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to review disciplinary actions taken by the embattled National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee against some party members.

The governors, under the auspices of Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) stated this in a memo written through their Director-General, Salihu Lukman, entitled: “Disciplinary Actions by Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC: Why APC must be Rule-Based” and made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja.

Daily Trust reports that the party has scheduled emergency NEC meeting for Tuesday March 17, 2020 and the President, Muhammadu Buhari, who is regarded as a father of the party, is expected to be present. While Oshiomhole-led NWC had suspended Sen. Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy National Chairman (North), Alh. Inuwa Abdulkadir, National Vice Chairman (North West), was alleged to have been suspended by his Magajin Gari, “A” Ward, Sokoto North Local Government of Sokoto State over alleged anti-party activities.

Former governors of Ogun, Imo States and governor of Ondo State, Ibikunle Amosun, Rochas Okorocha and Rotimi Akeredolu respectively and two others were also suspended over alleged anti-party activities before they were reinstated. But Lukman urged NEC of the party to make APC rule-based with a view to laying solid foundation for the resolution of all the major leadership problems facing the party.

He said: “With the emergency National Executive Council (NEC) of APC scheduled to hold Tuesday, March 17, 2019, apart from the issue of appointing Acting National Chairman, the resolution of cases of so-called suspension of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) would have to be addressed. “This is very important given that part of what the emergency NEC meeting would be required to achieve is to lay solid foundation for the resolution of all the major leadership problems facing the party.

That will mean that the NEC will have to review all cases affecting all leaders of the party, especially members of the NWC and as much as possible ensure they are settled. “This is also necessary because after the meeting, it will be the NWC that will be saddled with the responsibility of providing leadership to resolve all other leadership problems.

Therefore, charity must begin at home, or as they say in law, he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.” Our correspondents recall that Shuaibu, in May 2019, wrote a letter to Oshiomhole, asking him to resign due to alleged incompetence. The NWC was then reported to have set up a five-man Disciplinary Committee led by Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the then Deputy National Chairman (South), to investigate allegations against Sen. Shuaibu. The NWC was said to have suspended Sen. Shuaibu on the purported recommendation of the disciplinary committee.

Lukman wondered whether NWC of the party has power to suspend its party members according to APC’s constitution. “Does the NWC has the power under the APC constitution to suspend any of its serving officers such as Sen. Shuaibu who is the Deputy National Chairman (North)? Without going into the details of the allegations against either Sen. Shuaibu or Alh. Abdulkadir, what is the procedure for discipline as provided in the APC constitution?”, he queried.

He added: “It is very difficult not to conclude that by its actions, the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC arbitrarily handled issues of discipline such that even where there could be valid cases of activating disciplinary proceedings against Sen. Shuaibu and the three Governors, it was compromised therefore rendered the so-called suspension, acts of nullity.

“The case of Alh. Abdulkadir is different largely because it was the decision of the ward executive, which the NWC, instead of transmitting it to NEC, decided to appropriate the powers of NEC. This may require that NEC recall the decision of the ward and proceed to appoint the fact-finding committee as provided in Article 21(B)(ii) of the APC constitution. “Somehow, all these so-called cases of suspension and the speed with which the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC acted on them further demonstrate the intolerant disposition of the APC NWC under Comrade Oshiomhole.

“Unfortunately, it also exhibited a disturbing reality about the inability of members of the NWC to cross-check provisions of the APC constitution before arriving at their decision. Such conducts are only the credentials of tyrants and despots and not political party leaders under a constitutional democracy. “The reality is that to discipline a party leader of the status of a Deputy National Chairman, National Vice Chairman, Governors, etc. is not an easy task.

It requires good planning and the necessary courage to be combative. But more importantly, it is a question of skillful application of capacity of our leaders to mobilise our members to enforce provisions of the APC constitution on matters affecting the conduct of party leaders. “It is not as simple as just sitting in Abuja to make pronouncement.

I fear that combativeness was applied at the expense of membership mobilisation. All this period, at no time did the NWC convene any meeting to attempt to explain or seek for support of any of its disciplinary decision to any member or organ. Everything was reduced to media outburst, which is unfortunate.

“This bring us to the suspension of Comrade Oshiomhole by his ward. In every respect, Comrade Oshiomhole’s case is similar to that of Alh. Abdulkadir. Since November 2, 2019, the ward executive of Ward 10, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State announced the suspension of Comrade Oshiomhole, interestingly for alleged anti-party activities similar to the charges against Alh. Abdulkadir.

“The decision was transmitted to the NWC and instead of applying the provision of Article 21(B)(ii) of the APC constitution to set up a fact-finding committee, or even endorsed the suspension given the precedence they have set in the case of Alh. Abdulkadir, the NWC rejected the decision of the ward executive to suspend Comrade Oshiomhole.”

The proposed wedding between 26-year-old Kano varsity student, Isa Sulaiman and his 46-year-old American girlfriend, Jeanine Sanchez has been postponed till further notice over United States’ visa ban on Nigerians.

The wedding was earlier scheduled for March, but had to be shifted indefinitely over the visa ban to allow the bride-to-be explore other lawful alternatives for the relocation of Suleiman to the United States of America after their wedding in Kano.


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Speaking in a telephone chat with Daily Trust, the groom’s father, Malam Suleiman Isa, a retired superintendent of police said a new date would be announced as soon as Sanchez obtains necessary papers for his son’s relocation to the US.

The 26-year-old Isa Suleiman and Sanchez, a mother of two, started dating on instagram about a year ago. She visited the Panshekara home of her lover in January and proposed to marry him and take him to United States.

Isa, a 200 level student of Geography Education at Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano had since declared interest to move to the US to conclude his studies and also build a family with his American lover.

According to groom’s father, “The wedding will not hold in March as earlier planned because of the new policy of United States government on visa ban for Nigerians.

However, the American woman is doing her best to explore other available opportunities to secure him papers as an American citizen. Once that is done we shall fix a new date for the wedding.”

It could be recalled that the groom’s father had contacted the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS) to liaise with its American counterparts-the CIA and FBI to conduct in-depth investigation on his daughter-in-law to-be.

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Asked how far the inquiry has gone, Retired SP Isa said the investigation is still in process. He said the family is anxiously waiting with hope for the D-day when his son would eventually come close to realizing his dream of tying the nuptial knots with the white woman.

Isa said his decision to settle for the white woman was because Hausa women are not romantic. He said he has had bitter experiences with some Hausa ladies who he alleged are more interested in material benefits instead of true love.

He said Hausa women don’t go into relationship for the sake of love but because of what they think they would gain in the end.

An unidentified woman and her lover are now feared dead after a ”hard sex” at a house in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The lady was found lifeless while her male partner was found unconscious with his manhood erect in a Storeyed building at Elechi-Wobo street Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt.

Eyewitnesses said neighbours broke into the Self-contained apartment and found the two victims naked.

“The deceased man was settled by his oga last month (February) after serving him at Ikoku and has started marriage plans with the girl.

“There were also sex-enhancing drugs by the table near the mattress,” the eyewitness said.

The yet to be identified man later died Thursday in the hospital, 3 days after the incident.

Youth President of Rumuelechi, Godstime Ihunwo confirmed the incident and said it has been reported to the police.

The Rivers State Police Command has been contacted and are yet to react to the incident.

The federal government has agreed to pay $200 million to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL) as final settlement of the dispute over the Mambilla power project in Taraba state, TheCable can report.

The government also agreed to pay a penalty of 10 per cent in case of a default in fulfilling the settlement agreement — in addition to restoring Sunrise as the local content partner for the  $5.8 billion hydro electric project.

The new settlement deal was put together by Sale Mamman, minster of power, and Abubakar Malami, the attorney-general of the federation.

Sources told TheCable that Sunrise Power had previously asked for an $80 million settlement in order to withdraw its arbitration claim against Nigeria in France over an alleged breach of contract.

But Babatunde Fashola, who was minister of power, had contended that there was no breach of contract as Sunrise had not done any work to warrant any demand or arbitration.

Fashola also questioned the integrity of the contract.

However, with his exit from the ministry, TheCable learnt, a deal was put together by Mamman and Malami and facilitated by a female figure in the presidency.

The project, the biggest plant in the country, was conceived in the 1970s but has suffered severe delays.

The 3,050-megawatt facility will be the second largest hydropower plant in Africa when completed.

In 2017, Sunrise Power, who claimed to have been awarded the build, operate and transfer (BOT) contract in 2003, had dragged the federal government and its Chinese partners before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France, over alleged breach of contract.

DETAILS OF THE $200M SETTLEMENT

In documents seen by TheCable, Malami and Mamman, the minister of power, signed on behalf of the federal government while Leno Adesanya signed as chairman and CEO of Sunrise.

“Under the above request for arbitration, Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited claimed damages amounting to not less than US$960,000,000 as a consequence of a respondents breach of the GPEA,” the document read.

“Desirous of removing all legal impediments to the execution of the Mambilla Hydro-Electric power project, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited have mutually agreed to settle the dispute in this arbitration amicably.

“The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall, within a period of 14-days from the date of this Terms of Settlement, pay Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited the net (net of any deductions, charges or taxes howsoever called) sum of US$200,000,000.00 (two hundred million US dollars)in full and final settlement of the claims in this arbitration.

“Should the Federal Republic of Nigeria fail to make such payment within the said 14-days period, the sum will immediately bear compounded interests at the yearly rates of 10% (ten percent), and in addition, the FRN shall automatically reinstate Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited as the executive local content partner to the Mambilla Hydropower project.

“Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited shall take immediate steps to provide a Deed of Acceptance of the above sum and a Deed of Undertaking stating that upon, and only upon, the receipt by Sunrise Power and Transmission Limited of the net sum of US$200,000,000.00 (two hundred million United States dollars) in full and in immediately-available funds on its designated bank account, Sunrise Power and Transmission Limited shall withdraw all of its claims against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Sinohydro and more generally all and any claims of each Party to the arbitration against each other Party thereto shall stand irrevocably released, discharged and terminated. Each Party shall thereupon formally withdraw and drop any and all of its claims against every other Party to the arbitration.”

SUNRISE WITHDRAWS SUIT FROM ICC? 

Speaking at a sensitisation meeting on the project in February, Farouk Yabo, chairman of the project delivery committee, said the local company had withdrawn the suit from ICC.

“The person that took the federal government to the International Court of Arbitration has already withdrawn the case last week,” he said.

TheCable had reported how SPTCL accused some “vested interests” in government who, in 2017, signed another contract with three Chinese companies, Sinohhydro Corporation of China, China Ghezouba Group Corporation of China and China Geo-Engineering Group Corporation, to form a joint venture for the execution of the project.

According to Adesanya, several letters were written to inform the presidency of the breach, yet Sunrise “was sidelined” in the project by the ministry of power.

Adesanya said between 2003 and 2009, SPTCL had spent millions of dollars with financial and legal consultants to raise about $6 billion for the execution of the project, yet the company has suffered a lot over the years “through improper administrative interruptions and interventions”.

GOING BACK AND FORTH

Adesanya, in a letter dated March 31, 2017 to Fashola, then minister of power, had accused the minister of reneging on his promise to support the project.

Fashola had maintained that available evidence did not support Adesanya’s claims, adding that he was making a desperate attempt to destabilise the project from coming to fruition.

In another letter dated June 20, 2017 to the then Acting President Yemi Osinbajo requesting his intervention in the matter, Adesanya accused Abba Kyari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, of taking the unilateral decision of directing the ministry of power to sideline the company from the contract “against the advice of Malami”.

In the letter dated July 24, 2017 to Osinbajo, with a copy to the chief of staff, Malami had said SPTCL should be engaged as a local content partner to the project “as a means of accommodating its prior contractual interests on the project”.

However, Malami backtracked a few weeks later.

In another letter dated August 17, 2017 to the company, the AGF said he issued the previous opinion on the project based on the limited materials provided at the time.

He added that there was no requisite federal executive council (FEC) approval for the project.

“The logical conclusion in the circumstances should be that there was no valid contract between Federal Government of Nigeria and SPTC in respect of the project or at all,” Malami wrote.


CHINA INSISTED ON RESOLUTION

The China Exim Bank, which is expected to provide 85 percent of the joint funding with the federal government for the Mambilla project, had insisted on compliance with due process and terms of the November 2017 engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract signed with the partners before releasing funds.

The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria said his country will not support white elephant projects.

“On 5th September, 2019, Yang Jiechi, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping informed the Nigerian President and Commander in Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari that unless the legal dispute is resolved, conforming out of court settlement funding for the loan will not be accessed,”  He Yongjun, project manager for the Chinese partners, said,

“A meeting shall be organized by the Ministry of Power for negotiation between the relevant authorities of the Nigeria government, SUNRISE, and the members of the EPC Contractor JV to resolve the legal disputes through amicable negotiations so as to let the plaintiff withdraw the lawsuit.”

During a sensitisation meeting in February, the minister of power said that the power project is a reality.

“With this meeting and the joint sensitization trip involving the Fed Min of Power, the Taraba State Government, Mambilla Surveying team and other key stakeholders set to visit the site next week, I can assure Nigerians that the Project is a reality,” Mamman said.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has disclosed that the outbreak of Coronavirus may delay the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project.

The minister said the delay may not be unconnected to the fact that the bulk of the workforce handling the project is stuck in China.

According to him, the Chinese government prevented some of the workers from returning to Nigeria because of the virus.

Ameachi disclosed this during a morning show monitored on television by our correspondent on Thursday.

He said: “If not for coronavirus, I would have said that we are nearly finished with the Lagos-Ibadan rail.

“The bulk of the workforce is still in China. The government of China did not allow them to return and that has delayed the work on Lagos Ibadan.”
The minister also explained that the government was still test-running the rail tracks.

He also noted that the government would deploy 10 coaches each to the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna rail lines to ease passenger movement.

“We are still test-running the tracks. Commercial activities are yet to commence fully.

“To test-run the tracks, we brought in two coaches, each coach takes about 25 passengers. So the two coaches take about 50 passengers.

“We have got signals from the passengers and the engineers that the tracks are ready to run, but we need to complete communication, signaling and station buildings. Once that is done, we are good to go.

“We are bringing in 20 new coaches and four new locomotives, 10 coaches will be deployed to Abuja-Kaduna and the other 10 to Lagos-Ibadan.”

Eniola Akinkuotu



A trader, Anthony Okolie , has told a Federal High Court in Asaba that upon his arrest , he was informed by the Assistant Director of Operational Services at the Department of State Services , Herbert Ogboli, that the President ’s daughter , Hanan Buhari, ordered his detention .

Okolie , who was arrested for using a telephone line that once belonged to Hanan, further stated that he was released from the custody of the DSS immediately after she asked the DSS to release him .

He , therefore , stated that it was not the Presidency that ordered his arrest but Hanan.
The trader said this in reaction to a counter- affidavit to his originating motion .

The applicant , who was detained by the DSS for 10 weeks , is suing the President ’s daughter , the DSS and MTN for N 500 m over his ordeal .

Okolie denied claims by the DSS that he confessed to using Hanan’s old line , 09035666662, to impersonate her and solicit funds from unsuspecting members of the public.

He said, “ I was detained by officers of the first respondent ( DSS ) at Asaba , Delta State , and later transferred for further detention at the first respondent’ s headquarters in Abuja for 10 weeks between July 22 and September 23 , 2019.

“ That on my day of release on September 23 , 2019 , Herbert Ogboli , officer of the first respondent, also known as Adof and who is the Assistant Director of Operational Services of the first respondent told me in his office early in the morning before my release that the second respondent ( Hanan) ordered my arrest .

“ Herbert Ogboli told me in his office around 8 am on September 23 , 2019 before I was released that the first respondent ( DSS ) contacted the second respondent ( Hanan) three times to substantiate her allegations against me but she told him the first time that she was busy with her studies . When she was contacted the second time , she said she would send her lawyers . After the third call , she instructed my release .”

The applicant also asked the court to hold MTN liable for giving the DSS information about his location and call logs which assisted the DSS in locating him and subsequently detaining him for over two months.

A father of six, identified as Felix Edore, has reportedly committed suicide over alleged infidelity by his wife of 16 years.

The Nation gathered the incident occurred late Friday in Sapele, Delta State.

According to sources, Edore, a cab driver, who shuttles neighbouring Abraka and Eku communities only recently bought a fairly-used car for his business.

He was said to have drunk Sniper, a poisonous pesticide, in his car after discovering that his wife was having extramarital affairs.

He was reportedly rushed to a private clinic in the Amukpe area of Sapele where the doctors tried to save his life until he died early hours of Saturday.

A resident of the area said Edore had showed no sign of being suicidal.

A neighbor, who preferred to be anonymous, said: “He came home that evening and was as usual very lively. He brought his car and was complaining about the radiator or so. It was when he left and came back that we learnt he had drank Sniper. I think he must have taken the insecticide inside the car”.

The Delta State Police Command however, could not confirm the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onowakpoyeya said, “the DPO said they did not report the incident to the station.”

Relatives were said to have since buried the deceased in his village, Kpokpogiri, also within the state.

Fred Itua, Fred Ezeh, Abuja, Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan, Judex Okoro, Calabar, Sunday Ani

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said arrangement were on to spray every passenger coming into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from high-risk countries. 

Director, FCT Public Health Department, Dr. Josephine Okechukwu, who disclosed this in Abuja, said there was also screening of passengers on arrival.

She revealed that it has opened two isolation centres at the National Hospital and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, to cater for suspected cases.

She stated that though there has not been any identified case of the virus in the nation’s capital, the administration was taking all necessary precautions.

Okechukwu disclosed that  there was also an ongoing training by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Keffi, Nasarawa State, for health care workers that would manage the virus, in the event that there is an outbreak. She added that the Department trained more than 200 health workers in Abuja Municipal Area Council and Abaji area council on Lassa fever and Coronavirus, while sensitisation of residents was ongoing in all the six area councils of the FCT.

No new confirmed case, says FG 

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has confirmed that, aside from the index case of an Italian businessman there was no new case as at Sunday, March 1, 2020.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who addressed journalists in Abuja, said significant successes have been made in contact tracing from the index victim.

“Since the confirmed case last week, we have focused our efforts to containment, contact tracing, risk communication and management of the index case. As at March 1, 2020, no new confirmed case was recorded anywhere in Nigeria.

“About 13 or 14 tests have been done and no one was tested positive of coronavirus, except the Italian that was diagnosed last week. There were 156 passengers on board the flight that brought the index cases. Port Health officials have been of great support to Lagos and Ogun states government, particularly in contact tracing and other response cases.

“Currently, 19 contacts from the index cases have been identified in Lagos State, while 39 contacts have been identified in Ogun State. We are in touch with these contacts and they are under self-supervised isolation, and states have supported them with necessary needs.

“Plateau State government reported four (suspected) cases among Chinese nationals and none of the cases tested positive of Coronavirus. However, the state government has placed them under self-supervised isolation.”

The minister said multi-sectoral Emergency Operational Centres (EOCs)had been activated and were coordinated by the NCDC. Additionally, he said states had also activated EOCs.

Iwu, US sign agreement on research

United States health agency, Division of Microbiology and infectious Diseases (DMID), an arm of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAIDS), has signed a non-clinical evaluation agreement with Prof. Maurice Iwu’s Bioresources Institute of Nigeria for the development of medical response to the fast-spreading COVID-19.

Iwu disclosed the development to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, during a presentation in Abuja. He said there was need for concrete action to prepare Nigeria and other countries of the world for future outbreaks of viral infections.

Dr. Barbara Mulach, a biologist and deputy director of the institute, signed the 12-page agreement on behalf of NAIDS, while Iwu, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), signed for Bioresources Institute of Nigeria.

According to the agreement, the Bioresources Institute of Nigeria and the US agency would conduct further study on drugs already discovered and patented by Iwu for the treatment of the novel Coronavirus.

In an address titled “Coronavirus: The time to prepare for the next infection is now,” Iwu noted that during the antiviral bioassays in 2014/2015, it was discovered that the compounds exhibited significant antiviral activity against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-Coronavirus).

“I want to formally brief you about our drug discovery project, which has led to the identification of potential treatment agent for Coronavirus infections. The lead compound is one of the most studied natural products in history with a citation score of 1,729 citations in PubMed; 1,725 citations in Scopus as accessed few days ago. Its pharmacokinetics profile and putative mechanism of action are established.

“We are considering possible dosage forms, including a combination product formulation of the three agents (Rhygyfyn) described in our patents as broad spectrum antiviral drug, identified and developed here in Nigeria. We are set to introduce the products but our only limitation is finance.”

He thus solicited funding to enable further research and development of cure for viral infections that might cause havoc in the future.

Iwu also disclosed that one of the compounds in the discovery proved very effective against SARS coronavirus, stating further that “we have concluded arrangements with the Antiviral Program of the US National Institute of Health to subject the compound to bioassay against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Dr. Onu, commended Prof. Iwu for his discovery and described it as a welcome development. He added that no single Nigerian life should be lost to Covid 19, and praised the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health since the outbreak of the first case of the Covid 19 in Nigeria.

He added that Nigerians were more assured and encouraged with the fast recovery of the index patient.

Onu, however, told Prof. Iwu that his Ministry has set up a committee under the aegis of the Nigerian Academy of Science, to look into cases of vaccine or cure for the dreaded Covid 19 and Lassa fever.

He appealed Prof. Iwu to make his research findings available to the Committee for verification.

Minister of state for Health, Sen. Adeleke Mamora thanked Prof. Iwu for coming up with his discovery, insisting that Nigeria can only develop through the effort of its citizens and the best time for such is now and Nigeria must be well prepared.

He emphasized the need for Nigeria to prepare for endemic diseases in times of normalcy and urged Nigerians to guard against indiscriminate use of drugs to fight prevalent diseases.

Iwu had in the course of execution of a Federal Government mandate to his Bioresources Institute of Nigeria in 2014, for solutions to Ebola virus disease, discovered and developed drugs for the management and treatment of a broad range of viruses, including SARs, MERS and Coronavirus.

The discovery also led to the issuance of a certificate of patent to Iwu from the registrar of patents and designs of the Federal Republic, which in 2015 approved three patents for Iwu for the discovery of a drug that could be used in treating Ebola and Coronavirus.

Lagos Assembly tasks Sanwo-Olu on sensitisation 

The Lagos House of Assembly has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ensure adequate sensitisation of residents on the dreaded Coronavirus.

The matter was raised under “Matters of Urgent Public Importance” by Mr. Akeem Shokunle (Oshodi/Isolo I) during plenary and it was seconded by Mr. Lukman Olumo (Ajeromi/Ifelodun I).

Shokunle, who chairs the House Committee on Health, said it was important that the governor ensured adequate sensitisation of the people on the virus.

He said the state government should also implement the law passed by the 8th Assembly on the Cancer and Diseases Control Institute.

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said the state government should reach out to many organisations, including local government authorities.

The Speaker also commended the governor for his swift efforts on the incident.


UCH trains 200 staff to curtail spread

Chief medical director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, has said the management of the teaching hospital has begun training for at least 200 staff on best methods to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019.

He disclosed this during activities marking his one year in office as CMD at UCH, assuring members of the public that the teaching hospital had been put on red alert against the Coronavirus.

“We have two standing committees on the virus, we have the UCH Emergency Response Committee and an Infection Control Committee. These committees have been on beat since we heard about this outbreak. In fact, they have been very busy because we had a suspected case (of Coronavirus) on admission. We have an isolation ward as you enter through the main gate of UCH to the right.

“Also, we have generated so much awareness. As you enter the hospital, you will see some posters as well as within the hospital. The committees have been going round to enlighten people.”

C’River begins awareness campaign

Cross River State government has commenced Coronavirus awareness  at the Ranch Resort in Obudu, as part of measures to educte residents and forestall panic. Commencing the campaign at the resort in Obanliku LGA yesterday, Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Ranch, Bobby Ekpenyong, said the state was a tourism destination and the ranch was a hot spot for tourists, thus the need to set up an emergency unit at the gate.

Ekpenyong said the campaign commenced by first testing the staff, who were the first point of contact for tourists, and then taking it up to the historic community.

“We have opened a testing unit at the gate of the resort where everybody coming in must be first examined. We have deployed medical personnel  and have provided nose masks,  hand sanitisers and thermometer to gauge body temperature at all locations within the ranch.”

TheChief Nursing Officer of Ranch Medicall Centre, Mr Christopher Alinia,  expressed delight that the state has put in place precautionary measures in place to enable them quickly detect any outbreak.

Ogun launches mobile app for health workers

The Ogun Government has launched a mobile application to enhance information dissemination among health workers in the state in order to contain the coronavirus.

Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, disclosed this at a meeting with the Emergency Operation Committee (EOC) on Monday in Abeokuta.

According to her, the Android application christened, “CommCare,” will serve as a base for information about case definition.

Coker added that the mobile device would help health workers in primary health centres to easily carry out risk assessment before it escalates to the local government level.

She said that the application had been rolled out at Ewekoro Local Government Area to enhance the activities of health workers.

The commissioner added that the application would  be deployed for use in Ado-Odo-Ota and Ifo Local Government Areas given the volume of industrial activities in the areas.

“Since the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed, we have launched the mobile application to help disseminate information to local government and primary health centres. It is a decision tree mobile application for health workers.”

ostechno:
Fake news everywhere, this news is a 2018 news

The new leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, Lawan Abubakar, otherwise called Ba Lawan, is moving rapidly to consolidate his position, by executing five Shura council members (the supreme leadership council of the terrorist group) including the erstwhile leader of the group Abu Abdullahi Umar Al Barnawi, also called Ba Idrisa, authoritative sources familiar with developments around the group said Sunday in Diffa and Maiduguri.

“It is by far the most bloody and extensive move in the history of the group to behead its leadership crop in one fell swoop” researchers and reporters on the Media and Terrorism collaborative project of Premium Times and HumAngle Media Foundation learnt at the weekend, an indication that the regime of Ba Lawan may be paved with blood and pain.

After an early February coup that led to the overthrow of Ba Idrisa, the new leadership detained him together with four members of the Shura who constituted his kitchen cabinet, sources said.

The precise date of the execution is still in contention, but multiple sources familiar with the development said the killing of Ba Idrisa, along with Mohammad Bashir, Mustapha Jere, Ali Abdullahi, and the notorious Baba Mayinta, believed to be the power valve and key behind the throne under the Idrisa dispensation, “definitely triggered the mutiny of Wednesday 26th February into Thursday, 27th February by Ba Idrisa loyalists.

“It is unclear whether the scheme was to create a smokescreen in a process of working to an answer by swiftly ordering their summary execution but a rank of fighting troops loyal to the executed leaders instigated a rebellion against the new leaders, invading the secluded island that serves as one of their main sanctuaries, hoping to free the five men and plot their escape,” our usually multiple sources embedded in the conflicts state, said, claiming there was originally no intention to execute the leaders.

However, in the gun exchange that ensued before dawn on Thursday, February 27, some high-profile leaders became collateral casualties, with Mustapha Krimima, the notable power-behind-the-throne and kingmaker in ISWAP escaping fatality by the whiskers and Abu Musab, a former leader, dethroned in March 2019 and son of late Mohammed Yusuf, founder of Boko Haram, believed to have been shot. As at this reporting time, our sources had no confirmation whether he survived or was killed.

Evidence that the Ba Idrisa faction continue to have significant influence in the group was the forced admission by the Ba Lawan new leadership to address restive loyalists of the five slain leaders that they had been executed because they attempted to escape “to the land of Kufr,” to lead a faction, that planned to undermine the group.

Besmirching Ba Idrisa to advantage, at any rate, is not a particularly difficult task, attentive watchers of ISWAP who point to his relatively liberal disposition tend to agree. The justification for his overthrow, therefore, was merely sold as his gradual drift toward apostasy, his lax admittance for ideological dilution in group rank, as when in cases

where in the past he took no action against communities shielding anti-ISWAP elements or people thought to be spying on ISWAP for government forces.

Traditionally, such power consolidation schema in the rank of the insurgency often heralds a short to medium period of unprecedented violence when the new leadership tries to define its identity, but inside sources and watchers of the recent ISWAP evolution are saying, in the current situation, a far-reaching purge, with its potential for substantial damage to the internal cohesion within the group as well as possible prolonged leadership instability should be expected.

“No question about it, the fighting ranks within ISWAP has become divided, and with

division within the larger group deepening, a major unrest will likely manifest in the coming weeks,” sources knowledgeable about the conflict strongly believe.

The job of the Ba Lawan leadership then is inevitably well cut out for it. Will it produce the skills and resources to reconcile the violent agitation within the group, with the alternative being an untidy splinter into multiple armed gangs fiercely fighting for control of the space within the economically juicy Lake Chad region?

With the current setback for the discreetly clerical tones in the insurgency, to the more brutal, hard-lined combatants, the current programme at consolidating power and wielding the disparate micro terror groups together, inside ISWAP sources believe the region will likely transit to a new season of more ruthless and vicious armed campaign across communities and highways. Moreover, windows of possible negotiations for abducted individuals will likely be more rigid and uncompromising henceforth.

The federal government is trying to trace most of the 155 passengers in the aircraft that brought to Nigeria the Italian confirmed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made the disclosure yesterday while briefing newsmen in Abuja. He said 156 passengers were on the manifest of the flight that brought the Italian.

Daily Trust reports that unlike what obtains in other countries, the name and other details of the Italian patient have not been made public yet.

The minister said some of the passengers on board the aircraft that brought the Italian were yet to be traced because of the ambiguity of the contact information they provided. He said: “We cannot give a fixed figure on the contact tracing because it is a continuing process.”

“But the only one we know for sure is the 156 passengers who were on the aircraft with him (the Italian) and those ones are being tracked and we have been talking to them and we are getting cooperation.

“There have been a few challenges. Some people gave telephone numbers that didn’t work or (when called) said switched off. There are some who probably don’t have telephones or some who are new arrivals in Nigeria.

“They are not yet registered with any telephone company, but there are ways in which they can be found out. Some have probably left the country if they were to be here for a day or two,” he said.

Ehanire said that since the confirmation of the first case of the disease, the government had been focusing on containment including contact tracing to check further spread. He said that as of yesterday, there was no new confirmed case recorded in Nigeria.

“About 14 tests have been done and except that confirmed case, no other person has been confirmed with the disease,” he said. The minister said currently, the contacts of the index case traced were 19 in Lagos and 39 in Ogun State.

He said that workers in the hotel where the index case stayed had been interviewed and isolated and that the taxi driver who drove the suspect had been identified and was under supervision.

The minister added that the airline that brought the victim had been advised to also put their crew under observation.

“The room he (the Italian) stayed in has been decontaminated, fumigated (and) even the taxi he used has also been treated,” he said. Lagos quarantines over 100 suspects Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said yesterday that over 100 people who had one sort of contact or the other with the Italian had been identified and quarantined.

Prof. Abayomi, who addressed newsmen shortly after a stakeholder’s meeting on coronavirus, which held at Lagos House, Ikeja, said that the state was exercising extreme caution by finding where all his contacts were. “We are still trying to find the remaining passengers in the aircraft. Our contact list is over 100 and it is increasing every day. We are quarantining them to check them for 14 days,” he said.

We’ve found cure – Iwu

However, as countries around the world battle to unravel the mystery behind the novel coronavirus, a former National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu, said yesterday that he and other experts have found a drug, which could be a potential treatment agent for the dreaded disease.

Iwu, who is the President of Bio-Resources Institute of Nigeria (BION), revealed this in Abuja when he led a team of scientists to present the discovery to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of State (Science and Technology), Mohammed Abdullahi and Minister of State for Health, Dr. Adeleke Mamora.

Iwu told the ministers that the compounds that made up the drug had exhibited significant antiviral activity against deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which is deadlier than COVID-19.

“Your Excellency will recall that when the Ebola virus infection broke out in 2014, many people were surprised that our research group had an experimental lead compound that was identified 15 years earlier in 1999.

“And now with the emergence of a novel coronavirus in 2019, we had identified and patented a possible treatment back in 2015. It is very important that we must remain ahead of these emergent infections through research,” he said.

Iwu said the drug discovery project was started at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he was a Professor of Pharmacology and continued in the United States of America when he was a visiting scholar at the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Washington DC.

Responding, Onu said a committee would be set up to verify Iwu’s discovery, saying the federal government was confident that Nigerian scientists could cure the dreaded coronavirus and Lassa fever.


Disease spreads across more countries

Daily Trust reports that two African countries have confirmed cases of Covid-19. This brings the total number of African countries affected to five.

Before yesterday, Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria had all confirmed the cases. Senegal’s health minister told newsmen yesterday that a French national who arrived in the country last week had tested positive to the virus, and was under observation at an institute in Dakar.

A Tunisian citizen who arrived in the country by boat from Italy also tested positive to the virus. As at yesterday, a total of 87,137 confirmed cases of the disease have been recorded globally. Ninety-five per cent of the number was inside China; while 2, 977 deaths had been recorded across 59 countries that were affected.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) daily situation report said five countries including Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Ireland, Monaco and Qatar reported cases of COVID-19 between Sunday and Monday.

Meanwhile, an adviser of the Iranian Supreme leader died of COVID-19 while Italian regional minister had tested positive to the virus. Manufacturers count losses Stakeholders in the Nigerian economy have described the fast-spreading coronavirus scourge as “an ill-wind with far-reaching negative impacts” on the nation’s socio-economic space.

Daily Trust investigations reveal that manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and automobiles, companies requiring spare parts and Information and Communication Technology ICT) dealers in Nigeria are now hurriedly exploring new destinations to meet their production and supply timelines.

China had been Nigeria’s biggest bilateral trade partner in recent years, with the total trade between the two countries rising to $8.6 billion in the first half of 2019. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigerians spent N1.99 trillion on imports from China in the first half of the year, representing an increase of 88 per cent when compared with N1.06 trillion recorded in the same period in 2018.

The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Engr. Mansur Ahmed, said: “We are beginning to see some impact on trading activities especially among members in pharmaceutical and automobile businesses.

“They are being forced to look for alternative sources and that would impact their bottom lines as we are used to sourcing these things cheaper from China,” he said. The cancellation of flights is cutting jet fuel demand in China and around the world, while Chinese refiners are experiencing a sharp fall in demand for diesel and gasoline from industry and transport sectors as travel bans continue amid slow economic activity.

Analysts say all these have sent oil prices tumbling, despite heightened tensions in the Middle East, a tightly adhered-to OPEC-plus deal and the shut-in of about 1mn b/d of Libyan output due to civil unrest. In the area of ICT, Ugo C. Ugo, a dealer in computer accessories at Computer Village in Lagos, said his colleagues had stopped travelling to China since the outbreak, saying “What we have been selling is old stock; once you run out of stock, you ask around the market for who has something in stock and you take it from him.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyeama, said the possibility of an impact on the market could only happen if oil prices took a deep hit. An investment coach and financial literacy specialist, Dr. Timi Olubiyi, noted that “if the spread is not curtailed immediately, it might have a negative impact on bilateral relations, FDI inflows, imports and export trades, and it might also disrupt or crash the economic forecasts and revenue estimates of the nation.”

Cargo handlers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, said over 50 per cent decrease in cargo volume had been witnessed, the bulk of which came from China. They said since the coronavirus epidemic broke out, most traders who usually go to China to purchase goods could not travel.

Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO), Plc, Mr. Basil Agboarumi, confirmed the decline in cargo volume to Daily Trust. Also, handlers of railway projects say the spread of coronavirus may affect some of the on-going rail network expansion as critical items for use may not be delivered as earlier planned.

For instance, Daily Trust gathered that the impact of the coronavirus may affect the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, which is slated for this year.

The project is being handled by the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC). It was learnt that some of the construction workers handling the project went for the annual Chinese holiday and could not return because of the COVID- 19 outbreak.

However, a source in the company who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to journalist said the remaining workers in the country were doing a lot to reduce the impact of the coronavirus on the project completion.

Also, the Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised an alarm that the fear over coronavirus and accompanying restrictions put Nigeria at grave danger of drugs shortage. She said this is because 70 per cent of important drugs were being imported from other countries including China.

The sharp drop in crude oil prices on the back of the spread of coronavirus has wiped off subsidy on petrol , with the landing cost of the product hitting a record low , ’ FEMI ASU reports

The expected open market price of Premium Motor Spirit , popularly known as petrol , has dropped below the approved pump price of N 145 per litre as the landing cost of the product plunged to N 123 .88 per litre on Thursday .

Going by the latest pricing template obtained by our correspondent from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency , petrol was expected to be sold at N 143 .25 per litre last Thursday if the price of the product was adjusted to reflect the change in crude oil prices.

The international oil benchmark , Brent crude, has been on a downward trend since the coronavirus broke out in China . It tumbled below the $ 50 per barrel mark last Friday for the first time in two and a half years from as high as $ 70 per barrel in January.

The expected open market price of petrol was N 182 per litre at the end of last year as Brent, against which Nigeria ’s oil is priced , traded around $ 67 per barrel .

Nigeria , Africa ’s largest oil producer, relies largely on importation for petrol and other refined products as its refineries have remained in a state of disrepair for many years. While the diesel and kerosene prices had been deregulated , the government still pay subsidy to make petrol cheaper at the pump .

The PUNCH had reported in December that the Federal Government was expected to spend N 750 .81 bn on petrol subsidy this year , according to data from the PPPRA .

However, the Minister of Finance , Mrs Zainab Ahmed , had , during the public presentation of the 2020 budget details , said a provision of N 450 bn had been made for under -recovery for petrol , a euphemism for petrol subsidy .

“ A provision has been made in the budget for under -recovery for the PMS in the sum of N 450 bn provided in the fiscal framework . It is under -recovery because it is a cost operation for the NNPC ,” Ahmed had said .

The landing cost of petrol declined from N 162. 68 on December 31 , 2019 to N 123. 88 per litre on February 27 , 2020 , the PPPRA data showed .
The cost of the product plus freight stood at $ 668. 29 per metric tonne ( N 152 .99 per litre on December 31 but fell to $ 502. 29 per metric tonne ( N 114 .97 per litre ) on February 27 , 2020 .

Other cost elements that make up the landing cost include lightering expenses ( N 2 . 75 ) , Nigerian Ports Authority charge ( 0 . 84 ) , Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency charge ( N 0 .22 ) , jetty throughput charge ( 0 .60 ) , storage charge ( N 2 . 00 ) , financing ( N 2 .49 ) .

The EOMP is the sum of the landing cost and the total distribution margin , which the PPPRA put at N 19.37 .

On February 26 , the EOMP of petrol stood at N151.31 per litre while the landing cost was N131.94 per litre .

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has been the sole importer of petrol into the country for more than two years, after private oil marketers stopped importing the commodity due to crude price fluctuations among other issues.

“ The oil price slump offers a great opportunity for the government to exit from the oil subsidy conundrum. If there is any benefit from the collapse of oil price , it is in the reduction of the burden of subsidy payment, ” the Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry , Dr Muda Yusuf, said.

He described the subsidy regime as “ perhaps the biggest fiscal burden on the economy at this time ” , saying it also presented fertile opportunities for fiscal leakage .

Yusuf said , “ It is a politically difficult issue to tackle . There are powerful forces against the needed reforms, making it even more complicated . But it is in the long -term interest of the economy and the country to fix this problem . The opportunity cost of oil subsidy is horrendous .

“ Besides , it has been impossible to unlock value in the petroleum downstream sector because of the policy shortcomings . Putting an end to the subsidy regime will require a great deal of political will , sensitisation and stakeholder engagement . ”

Yusuf said the current socioeconomic conditions had put most citizens on edge , adding that the strategy of a major policy transition or reform at this time must be right .

“ But the question is how long will the oil price remain low ? And what happens if it rebounds ? Oil price is difficult to predict , ” he added.

The Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary , Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr Clement Isong, told our correspondent on Saturday that if crude oil prices continued to drop , private marketers might resume the importation of petrol .

He said the fall in the price of oil meant that government revenue from the commodity would decline, noting that the country could not increase production because of the cap imposed by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries .

Noting that the country recently increased the minimum wage and had accumulated a lot of debts which must be repaid in dollars , he said, “ So, it is not a very good time for the country ’s revenues to go down .”

Isong, however, described the drop in petrol price as a good development , saying it presented an opportunity to do away with subsidy and fully deregulate the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry .

He said petrol price had been kept at N 145 “ in spite of the fact that the PPPRA is expected to adjust the price in line with costs . But government ’s policy is against that. So, the PPPRA has not done that .”

He said, “ There has to be a clear policy shift; there has to be a clear structural change in the whole operating environment , which will give confidence to operators if we want to arrive at a point at which other players are now importing products . Without importation of products , there can ’ t be competition , which is good for the economy and the industry .

“ Currently , there is no competition , and I am not so sure that in the short time , people will have the courage to import . They will just continue to buy from the NNPC , except the drop in crude oil prices continue for a while. Then , there will be some incentive for people to go out to import . ”

The Federal Government had on May 11 , 2016 announced a new petrol price band of N 135 to N 145 per litre , a move that signalled the end to fuel subsidy payment to private marketers.

But the government later resorted to subsidy regime following the increase in the landing cost of petrol on the back of rising crude oil prices , with the NNPC incurring the subsidy, which it called under -recovery .

The corporation , through the ‘Direct -Sale- Direct -Purchase ’ arrangement introduced in 2016 , supply petroleum products into the country .

Under the DSDP scheme , selected overseas refiners, trading companies and indigenous companies are allocated crude supplies in exchange for the delivery of an equal value of petrol and other refined products to the NNPC .

The International Monetary Fund, in its Regional Economic Outlook published in October 2019 , said Nigeria needed to reduce fuel subsidy to bring about more productive government spending .

According to the IMF , fuel subsidies tend to be poorly targeted , foster over -consumption , curtail investment and maintenance in related sectors , and crowd out more productive government spending .

Fayemi, el-rufai’s card

Also being tipped to fly the APC presidential flag are the duo of Gov ernors Fayemi (Ekiti) and el-Rufai (Kaduna).

The Ekiti State governor has been on the cards before now, but the voice of those projecting him got drowned at a time by those of TInubu’s supporters. However, it was hope rekindled with Fayemi’s emergence as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in May last year.

The NGF is an influential power bloc and there are reports that its members, especially those of the APC extraction, are working towards having one of their own as Buhari’s successor.

The calculation in some camps within the ruling party is that the Ekiti State governor would be a more acceptable candidate if the party decides to zone its presidential ticket to the South.

The belief of those of pushing the Fayemi agenda is that being a Christian, the Ekiti State governor will not only enjoy the support of predominant Christian South, but that of the North, which will no doubt present a Muslim as his running mate. A hint to this proposition is the kite of a Fayemi/el-Rufai 2023 presidential ticket that is being flown at the moment.

Though the Kaduna State governor is said to have earlier positioned himself to run for the office of President the clamour that power should return to the South may have informed his recent declaration that the presidency should return to the South after Buhari’s tenure in conformity with the zonal arrangement embraced by the major political parties.

No doubt, Fayemi and el-Rufai are eminently qualified for the positions of president and vice president, respectively, but such bid is bound to evoke some moral questions for the ruling party given that it means that the South-West and North-West would just be swapping roles in 2023 if the APC wins the presidency.

The incumbent president, Buhari, is from the North-West as el-Rufai, while the current vice president, Yemi Osinbajo hails from the South-West as Fayemi. This, perhaps, informed the position of South-East APC Integrity Group, which not only backed el-Rufai’s position, but insisted that the party should zone its presidential ticket to the Igbo.

Convener of the group, Dr. Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu, who spoke with journalists in Enugu, said the Kaduna State governor, being a reasonable and morally upright man, knows that rotation of presidential power between South and North has become an established convention since 1999, and as such, after President Buhari has served out the North’s turn from 2015 to 2023, it must be the turn of the South to produce president from May 29, 2023. Jideofo-Ogbuagu, however, maintained that presidential power should not only shift to the South in 2023, but must be zoned to the South- East.

“That is because on the two previous occasions since 1999 that presidential power rotated to the South, South-West (President Olusegun Obasanjo) and South-South (President Goodluck Jonathan) took the South’s turns, both supported heavily by the South-East,” he said, noting that South-East must not only produce president in 2023 but on the platform of APC as according to him, PDP has exhausted its goodwill in the South-East in particular and the South in general.


Atiku again?

The former Vice President has never pretended about occupying the country’s number one position. He first took a shot at the presidency in 1993 and placed third after Chief Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential primary.

He was however elected governor of Adamawa State in 1998. While still Governor-elect, he was selected by the PDP presidential candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as his running mate and they went on to win the election in February 1999. After his first term as vice president, some governors elected on the platform of the then ruling party plotted to deny Obasanjo a second term.

The plan was to hand Atiku the party’s presidential ticket in that year’s general elections, but he opted for a joint a ticket with his principal and both won the election. However, the botched plot pitched him against Obasanjo and the cold war that ensued after their inauguration, degenerated to a bitter political battle by 2006, when Atiku declared his ambition to succeed Obasanjo.

Obasanjo’s insistence that Atiku will not succeed him forced the then vice president to leave the PDP for the defunct Action Congress (AC), which handed him its presidential ticket. Despite securing the party’s ticket, another round of power play led to his exclusion from the final list of 24 candidates for the 2007 presidential election released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The electoral umpire cited Atiku’s indictment for corruption as the reason for the omission. But he headed for the court to challenge his exclusion. The matter got to the Supreme Court, which in a unanimous decision ruled that INEC had no power to disqualify any candidate for an election.

The judgement paved the way for Atiku to contest the election, but he came a distant third. The election was won by Yar’Adua (PDP). Atiku rejected the result and called for its cancellation, describing it as Nigeria’s worst election.

After the 2007 elections, Atiku returned to the PDP in 2009. While his return was initially resisted by his state chapter of the PDP, he was granted a waiver by the party’s national leadership.

That paved the way for him to contest the 2011 PDP presidential primary. He was selected by the Northern Elders Political Leaders Forum (NPEF), as the region’s consensus candidate, but was floored by the then Acting President (Jonathan), who went ahead to win the election. The 2011 defeat did not deter Atiku as he surfaced again in 2014 for the 2015 presidency.

He had before then made good his threat of dumping the PDP should the party’s leadership fail to return it to the vision of its founding fathers with his defection to the then opposition APC.

Many had believed that Atiku would be the candidate to beat in the APC presidential primaries given his financial strength and political structure, but he lost the ticket to Buhari, who enjoyed the support of party leaders and governors.

The former vice president came a shocking third with 954 votes, trailing then Kano State governor, Kwankwaso (974 votes) and Buhari (4,430 votes). Atiku accepted the result and pledged to support the party’s choice in the election though he was accused of not showing much commitment during the campaigns. With the election won and lost, the former vice president returned to his chain of businesses, but a rumoured 2019 ambition emanated late 2015.

It was alleged then that Atiku hosted political meetings in Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates, apparently to revive his political machinery ahead of the 2019 presidential election, but the former vice president described the rumour as the handiwork of political mischief makers, who want to draw a wedge between him and President Buhari. His explanation then, notwithstanding, some analysts insisted that Atiku was mobilising to contest the 2019 presidential poll and that came to pass.

The former vice president left the APC for the PDP, picked its presidential, but was defeated at the polls by Buhari. Though Atiku unsuccessfully challenged the poll’s outcome up to the Supreme Court, recent developments have shown that he has not given up in his quest for power. Some of his supporters have already started subtle campaigns, mostly on the social media for him to take another shot at the presidency in 2023.

Atku’s campaigners are predicating their push on their belief that the former vice president has warmed himself into the hearts of many Nigerians with his stand on the restructuring debate. He is of the view that Nigeria as currently constituted is not working and advocates greater autonomy to states to resolve the country’s multi-faceted internal crisis.

Though some say that age is also not on his side, he would be 77 by 2023, the former vice president has not officially declared interest for the 2023 race, but endorsements have started coming from various quarters. Should Atiku heed to the call to run, he would be banking on the political structure he has built over the years.

The former vice president is still in charge of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) – the group pioneered by a onetime Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

The group accounted for the Katsina State-born Army general’s impressive performance across the country in the 1992 presidential primary during the Third Republic on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), which was however aborted by the then military regime. It was also claimed that the PDM’s structure was instrumental   to the emergence of the late Chief Moshood Abiola as the flag bearer of the SDP, in 1993.

Abiola went on to contest that year’s June 12 presidential election and was coasting home to victory until the election was annulled. The PDM was later to play active roles in the transition programmes of the subsequent regimes of late Generals Sani Abacha and Abubakar Abdulsalami, particularly in 1999, when it was in the forefront in the emergence of former President Obasanjo as PDP’s presidential candidate.

But, how Atiku will bulldoze his way once again in the PDP remains unclear, as most governors of the party’s extraction, especially those in the South, who are in their second term, are equally eyeing the party’s presidential ticket.

The party has zoning in its constitution, but its quest to return to power and the reality on ground may force it to jettison the arrangement if the position of the party’s National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, is anything to by.


Tambuwal: Expected to take another shot

The idea of drafting the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Sokoto State governor into the presidential race was first muted in 2014, when some Northern political leaders reasoned that Buhari should not contest the 2015 presidential election to make way for the younger generation from the region.

While the proposal failed and Tambuwal ran for Sokoto governorship and won, his name is popped again in 2019. Tambuwal, who was on his first term as governor then, left the APC for the PDP and contested for its presidential primary, but lost to Atiku.

He was, however, handed the party’s governorship ticket and he got re-elected for a second term. Tambuwal is being considered again because of the belief that his candidacy will not only enjoy the support of the North, but other sections of the country.

The Sokoto State governor was able to build political bridges between the North and the South, while he was Speaker of the House of Representatives.

He is also in the good books of most powerful Northern emirs, and amenable, which is one quality Northern leaders are insisting on. No doubt, Tambuwal has what it takes to run for the presidency, as he has learned the political ropes, having started as Personal Assistant on Legislative Affairs to Senator Abdullahi Wali, the then Senate Leader (1999 to 2000), before he contested for a legislative seat as representative of the Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in 2003 and rising to the position of speaker in 2011 and presently a second term governor.

It is about three years to the next general election, but political maneuverings have started in several quarters across the various political parties, geopolitical zones and power blocs over the 2023 presidency even as President Muhammadu Buhari, who was re-elected for a second term during the February/March 2019 general election has not spent up to one year in office.

Ordinarily, the scheming would not have commenced at the moment if not for the fact that President Buhari will not be taking another shot at the number one position given that he is on his last tenure. The 1999 Constitution (as amended), in paragraph 137 (b), states that “a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections.”

Buhari was first elected as president in 2015, when he defeated an incumbent – Goodluck Jonathan – and was re-elected in the last presidential election. Having been sworn-in as president two times, he is expected to bow out on May 29, 2023 after serving out the constitutionally allowed two terms.

Already, the President has given a hint about his retirement plan. He said he will retire to Daura – his home town – after he completes his second term in 2023. “This is my second and final term, at the end of which I will, God willing, go to Daura and settle down,” he revealed during a meeting with some traditional rulers from across the country at the presidential villa in March, 2019.

But, three years ahead of the poll that will see the emergence of Buhari’s successor; it is a fierce debate over where power shift to as well as the likely heir to the coveted throne. Geopolitical zones and even names of some personalities are presently being touted, with some continuously resonating over time.
 

The zoning debate


Power is expected to shift to the South in 2023 given the zoning deal between the country’s two political divides – North and South, which took effect with the country’s return to civil rule in 1999. However, indications are that the battle for the 2023 presidency may go beyond that if emerging developments in the polity are anything to go by.

For instance, the euphoria in the North over Buhari’s re-election in February last year had hardly gone down, before some northern political leaders started canvassing the need for their region to hold on to power beyond 2023. Their clamour was stemmed on the need for the North to hold on to power for at least another four years in order to be at par with the South.


The present democratic dispensation is almost 21 years old and the power rotation arrangement, though not constitutional, has seen the South had the presidency for 13 years through Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (South-West, 1999-2007) and Jonathan (South-South, 2010-2015), while the North would have been in power for 11 years by the time Buhari completes his second term in 2023.

The plot by the North started like a pun, when the national president of Arewa Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, said in a media interview that there was no going back for the North’s bid for the 2023 presidency, but later gained ground among political elites from the region.

Among other northern leaders, who have so far expressed support for the bid include Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. They all made a case for the abandonment of zoning arrangement, not only for the Office of President, but for other political offices as currently obtainable in the country.

But the belief in the South is that it would be politically suicidal for the North to attempt retaining power after Buhari. Most southern political leaders, who have cautioned against calls for an end to rotational presidency, maintained that canvassing for the abolition of rotational presidency at this point is not in the interest of the country.

According to them, Nigeria’s unity is presently under threat over rising insecurity, so anybody that is saying that the zoning arrangement for the presidency should be abolished now is trying to cause civil and constitutional crisis which may aggravate issues on ground.

But given the dynamics of politics, discerning minds are of the view that only political neophytes would wish away the plot by the North as pundits viewed postulations by the northern political leaders as subtle moves aimed at discarding the zoning arrangement, which undoubtedly favours the South in 2023.


Twists and turns

The zoning debate was still raging, when what seemed a detour by the North emerged. Interestingly, it came from one of the arrowheads of the 2023 Northern agenda, el-Rufai.

According to the Kaduna State governor, the presidency should return to the South after Buhari’s tenure in conformity with the zonal arrangement embraced by the major political parties.

His words: “The general political consensus in Nigeria is that the presidency should rotate between the North and South. It is not written, but everyone understands it. In some of the parties, like the PDP, it is even written down in their constitution, but it was breached in 2015.

“I think that every politician of honour should understand and abide by that consensus except there is an extenuating circumstance compelling it to be set aside. What could this be? President Yar’Adua died in office and it was compulsory for Jonathan to continue, but when 2011 election came, there were many people who insisted that Jonathan should step aside for a northerner to complete the tenure of Yar’Adua, but I opposed it because I didn’t think it was proper for an incumbent that got there not by his own design to be stopped from contesting when the constitution has not barred him from running.

“In the APC, we deliberately omitted rotational presidency in our constitution and the emergence of a presidential candidate does not take into account zoning and that was why in 2015, Rochas Okorocha from the South-East contested, Sam Nda-Isaiah contested, Buhari, Kwankwaso and others contested. I can say that as distinct from the PDP, APC has no rotational presidency but candidates are selected strictly on the basis of political merit and the general acceptability of the candidate.

“I want to say that those of us from Northern Nigeria honour agreements. We do not violate unwritten political agreements and I will be the last person to lead in violating that agreement. I may have a personal view, but that should be the basis. I don’t care where you come from but I look for merit.

“But as a group, the northern APC will have to sit down and endorse someone, most likely someone from the South, because after eight years of Buhari, I don’t think the presidency should remain in the North unless there is some extenuating circumstances. But all things being equal, we will honour our agreement and we keep our words.”

While many are still suspicious of el-Rufai’s detour, insisting that the South should not take it for its face value given that it has so far been a mind game over the 2023 presidential race as none of those jostling to replace Buhari, whether in the ruling party or the opposition coming out in the open to declare interest. 

So far, several names have been mentioned on the side of the APC. They include a former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; el-Rufai; Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi; former governor of Borno State, Kashin Shettima and former Zamfara State governor, Senator Sani Yerima, among several others.

Similarly, names being dropped in the camp of the main opposition PDP include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal and a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George.

Besides Yerima and George who have made their intentions known, none of the other personalities have confirmed or disclaimed being linked to the 2023 presidential race, but if their respective body languages are anything to go by, it is only a matter of time before the picture becomes clearer.


Will Tinubu run?

The APC national leader is one politician many have come to love or hate. But to those, who understand the game of power, Tinubu is one man you ignore to later bite your fingers.

Blessed with uncanny ability to identify political as well as electoral assets, Tinubu is reported to have said immediately after the 2011 elections reasoned that if General Muhammadu Buhari, who contested the poll on a relatively unknown platform – Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), could poll 12 million votes without much resources and national appeal, then he is the man to be pushed forward for 2015.

Both men had made an attempt before the polls to forge an alliance that will oust the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but the deal crashed at the eleventh hour.

The product of Tinubu’s assumption after Buhari’s impressive showing in that poll was the coming together of major opposition political parties – CPC, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party was later boosted by aggrieved members of the PDP, who jumped ship, and for the first time since 1999, when the country returned to civil rule, the opposition was able to speak with one voice.

Tinubu’s support for Buhari in the 2015 presidential race stemmed from the party’s national convention in Lagos, where he mobilised APC governors and other party stakeholders to ensure that the former head of state was not muscled out by other presidential aspirants with huge financial war chests.

This explained why Buhari defeated four other aspirants – former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; then Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso; Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha and the publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah, in a keen contest to clinch the APC ticket. He polled 4,430 votes to beat Kwankwaso to the second position with 974 votes.

Shockingly, Atiku, who many had thought would give Buhari a good fight, was a distant third with 954 votes. Okorocha came fourth with 624 votes, while Nda-Isaiah had 10 votes.

To further push the Buhari candidacy, the former Lagos governor also jettisoned his purported vice presidential ambition after consultations with party chieftains on the effect of a Muslim/Muslim ticket on APC’s chances in the presidential poll.

This paved way for the choice of a former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running, although not without Tinubu’s endorsement. Osinbajo served in Tinubu’s government.

Tinubu walked his talk as he was in the forefront of Buhari’s campaign, traversing the length and breadth of the country, canvassing for votes for the former military ruler. Many also believe that he was the major financier of the APC presidential project in 2015.

To many political observers, Tinubu was the reason for the inroad Buhari made in the South-West in the 2015 presidential poll. The former’s influence is beyond Lagos, as his political dynasty has spread to states like Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti states.

It was against the backdrop of Tinubu’s unflinching support for the Buhari administration that many were shocked, when he reportedly declared in February 2017 that he would run for the presidency in 2019.

The APC national leader, who then spoke during the inauguration of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu as governor of Ondo State, said he will not rule out the possibility of running for the office of president, but emphasised that it will only happen if there is a vacancy in the presidency.

His words: “You see there is nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends on the timing and the environment and what political leadership dictates. I will not brush aside such an aspiration. It has been historical even that Buhari tried first, second, third, and fourth before he got it.”

Tinubu further that there was no way he will reject an opportunity to serve the country. “How can I rule such a thing out, the opportunity to serve my country? But you only do that when there is a vacancy,” he said.

Expectedly, meanings were read into Tinubu’s statement. While some insinuated that he had already set machinery in motion to vie for the country’s top job then, others said he is likely dump the ruling party for another platform to actualise his ambition.

But the former Lagos State governor came out to debunk the claim, saying he would rather support President Buhari. According to him, those who misconstrued his comment to mean that he would contest the 2019 presidential election were out to pitch him against President Buhari.

His words: “As long as that patriotic and committed man named Muhammadu Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as our president, then Asiwaju Tinubu stands behind him in unwavering support and confidence.

“Asiwaju Tinubu remains faithful to the mission of progressive reform and change that President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have started. Tinubu was instrumental in the formation and success of the APC. His toil and efforts helped establish this government.  He is not one to tear down something he laboured so dutifully to build.”

While some analysts reasoned then that Tinubu sold a dummy to test the political waters given his ability to read situations and know when to throw his hat to the ring, it seems that the coast is now clear for the man most of his admirers refer to as Jagaban to actualize his dream.

The APC national leader has not officially declared intention for the 2023 presidency, but there have been pockets of endorsements in that regard from different quarters. Equally, some groups have sprung, urging him to run.

The most recent of such endorsements was last week’s declaration by the Lagos State chapter of the ruling party that Tinubu has what it takes to rule Nigeria.

Lagos APC Secretary, Lanre Ogunyemi, who spoke on behalf of the party, said: “Tinubu has all it takes to lead this country and he has all the fundamental rights as a Nigerian to aspire. It’s now left for Nigerians to accept or not. It’s now left for the party to decide who flys its flag as the presidential candidate come 2023.

“Whether he has briefed us or not on his aspiration, whether he is experiencing any body language, whether people are against it or not, we are sure that he has everything to lead this nation. This is a man who has contributed tremendously to what we call modern Nigeria. This is a man that we see as the Moses of our time, that has a lot of resourcefulness and he has exhibited that over time and over the years.”