₦airaland Forum

Godwin Isenyo and Tunde Ajaja



Amid speculations that the ruling All Progressives Congress may collapse after the exit of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in 2023, the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, has said the much speculated presidential ambitions of Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State and that of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, cannot break the party.

Speaking in an interview on the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, which was monitored by one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Saturday, the governor, who also rejected rotational presidency, said their ambitions would rather strengthen the party given the solid foundation, which he said the President had laid through his performance in office.

There had been mounting tension over which zone would produce the next President in the 2023 elections.

A leader of the party in the South-East region and a two-time governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, had first raised the alarm in September 2019 when he said the APC might crumble after Buhari’s exit from office. He, therefore, called for the overhauling of the party leadership to avert it.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja after the elections petitions tribunal affirmed his victory as the winner of the senatorial election in Imo West Senatorial District, Okorocha said, “I have never thought of leaving the party; I feel that time will take care of most things but my only worry is that the party may disappear with the exit of President Buhari.”

Also, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, had in January said the ruling party might cease to exist at the end of Buhari’s tenure.

Fayemi, who is also a founding member and a leader of the ruling party, told Daily Trust, “If we are not careful; if we do not institutionalise processes and procedures in the party and make it more inclusive than it is, we will not have a party when President Muhammadu Buhari leaves government. This is because he is the unifying force of our party.”

But in his response, Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State, who is also of the APC, disagreed with Fayemi on his position, stating that the President had promised to support the party and make sure it gets stronger even after leaving office.

He had said, “On the survival of the APC after President Buhari, President Buhari made a commitment to the governors that he would support us in anyway to make sure that the party survives and waxes stronger even after him.”

But speaking with BBC on Saturday, the Yobe governor, who is a former National Secretary of the party, noted that with the solid foundation being laid by the President, the ambitions of the two party members ahead of the 2023 Presidency, won’t tear the party apart.

Buni said, “The ambitions of el-Rufai and Tinubu will further strengthen the party. This is because Buhari has laid a solid foundation in the party through his good governance.

“I don’t think their ambition will affect the party. You should know that for now, there is no party in Nigeria that is as formidable as the APC. The APC also controls more states than the other political parties.”

Neither Tinubu nor el-Rufai had expressed their intention to contest the presidency in 2023.

But, earlier in the year, Tinubu had while speaking to State House Correspondents after visiting Buhari for a brief meeting on January 7, 2020, stated that it was too early to talk about which section of the country would get the presidential slot for 2023. “It will be mere restlessness to talk about it now; this is not the time,” he said.


…rejects rotational presidency

Buni also kicked against the idea of rotational presidency, which implied that power should move to another geo-political zone when Buhari, a northerner, leaves office in 2023 after serving for the two terms allowed by the constitution.

Buni explained that ‘rotation’ limits the chance of people to make choices of who should occupy the coveted seat.

He said, “People should be allowed to choose their President from any part of Nigeria. It’s not written anywhere that the President must come from a particular region. It was not even in any established order.”

The governor also dismissed insinuations that his government was dominated by associates of his predecessor who would not allow him to concentrate and work for the people of the state.

On the N30,000 new minimum wage, the governor said the state had since commenced the payment even with its meagre resources. He also expressed concern over the large number of out-of-school children in the state as a result of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East region. Insurgency had been witnessed largely in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states.

“Boko Haram conflict started when these children were about three years old; now it’s about 10 years (that the problem started) and they (the kids) have not been in school,” he added.

On the issue of rotational presidency, el-Rufai had in a prologue titled, ‘Defeating a Determined Incumbent – The Nigerian Experience’, which he contributed to a book – Power of Possibilities and Politics of Change in Nigeria – written by the Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, also made a case for the abandonment of zoning arrangement for political offices in the country.

He said the arrangement needed to be de-emphasised and ultimately abandoned in favour of competence, while describing the zoning of political offices as a barrier to political equality.

Notably, though an informal arrangement, the position of the President currently rotates between the North and the South, since the country returned to democracy in 1999.

He said, “Even with our success in the 2015 elections, there is room for improvement. Barriers to political equality, such as our seemingly entrenched though informal rule for zoning candidacies according to regions of origin, need to be de-emphasised and ultimately abandoned in favour of an emphasis on qualification, competence and character.

A federal lawmaker in the second republic had said no law says power must return to the south.

But in their response, prominent leaders of the South-West, South-South and South-East said it would only be right for power to return to the South, especially the South-East.

As a result of this insecurity, the six governors in the South-West came together to set up a regional outfit code named Operation Amotekun, was it a right step?

There is nothing wrong with the establishment of Operation Amotekun by the South-West governors. The reason why I am in support of the intervention is that the number of policemen for the population of this country is inadequate. How many policemen do we have at the moment that is policing over 200 million people? I learnt we have about 300,000 policemen right now, how can they be effective? So, if the state governments now adopt a concept like the Amotekun issue to have people doing community policing, there is nothing wrong with that. These people will come from the localities that they are operating and they will checkmate the activities of strangers. Community policing is such that the operatives will know members of their communities and that will be a deterrent to criminals. 

You will know for instance that Fatai, who leaves next door, is a mechanic. This was what we had in place during the pre-colonial and colonial era.  We copied the American system of governance and we should know that the local government areas (counties) in the US have their Police. There is also the state Police and the Federal Police. So, the immediate surrounding is secured by those who are there.  They will not, for instance, get someone from New York to carry out the task of community policing in Florida. We can make it work in Nigeria. This central control of the Police was introduced by the military because of their style of government where the order is from the top to bottom, and it was appropriate for them.  But in a democratic dispensation, the power comes from the bottom, so it is bottoms up. We cannot have people sitting in Abuja and ruling over my local government area in Lagos, or other LGAs in Sokoto, Borno, Rivers or Niger, it cannot be effective. So, there is a need for us to devolve power and give to Peter what is Peter and to John what is John, otherwise, we are going to continue to swim in the dark. It is already affecting our image outside. Where is that giant of Africa today? We started the vision 20:2020 a couple of years ago, we are now in 2020. Are we among the 20 economically viable nations in the world today? So, for me, it has become imperative for us to discuss it.


With regards to insecurity, there was a recent call for the service chiefs to be removed, would you subscribe to that?

Let me do an analysis here.  Yes, it is the prerogative of the President to hire and fire them. Nigerians are now getting involved, is it the problems of service chiefs that is responsible for all these? The beheading of the local chairman of CAN in Adamawa State will you tie to the service chiefs? Their defined jobs are to defeat enemies of the country. What we have right now is the insurgency largely as a result of mistrust between people of different faiths and tribes. The service chief is just one man and a tree does not make a forest. It does not mean that if you change one man all is well. Those who are currently service chiefs have GOCs, Flag Officers and so on, it is teamwork and the joint team goes back to the number one citizen to report. If the number one feels their performance is below his expectation, he can fire them. Yes, there is also a need for morale-boosting by elevating those looking forward to being service chiefs too, but basically, it is either you clock 60 years of age or 35 years in service, whichever one comes first they retire you. If the President says you should stay on, you can stay on, but any day you leave, the system will collect back every kobo that you received after you had clocked your retirement age. I do not know the ages of the current service chiefs, but the issue is a collective responsibility. Their loyalty to the country must outshine everything they think of.


In the recently conducted governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states, there were complaints of heavy involvements of security operatives and people are getting worried that such development should be curtailed ahead of the 2023 general elections, what do you make of that?

If the electoral system continues that way, this nation will never get out of the doldrums. There are a lot of young people who are so versatile in this age of Information and Communications Technology; we should engage them to make us go fully electronic during elections. We still run elections in a semi-automatic manner. Why can’t we go the whole hub? Look at the United Kingdom, they recently had a general election and just a few hours after voting had ended, the result was already in the public domain. Why can’t we do that here or are they saying we do not have people with brains? Our electoral system is very faulty and people are still saying the process is good. God loves this country and I believe that we are stretching our luck beyond sensibilities. If we do the right thing the security operatives cannot assist people to snatch ballot boxes. The current electoral system is faulty and useless and we must do something about it. We still have enough time to build it up. I believe that voters could immediately vote with the Card Reader technology immediately after accreditation and this will be recorded instantly in the database instead of this thumb printing on ballot papers. All those results that they take from the polling units to the ward collation and state collations centres, the results will keep changing. The unfortunate situation is that we have these vice-chancellors who are being used as state collation officers to carry out these damages to the system. I remember the Osun State case where a Chief Returning Officer, a vice-chancellor who said they can go to court when vote-counting was still ongoing.


What is your position on the ban of okada and tricycles in some parts of Lagos State?

How can they (state government) do that? Let us forget about politics, the governor is my younger brother and his uncle is my friend. I talk to him like an elder. He should sit down and revisit that law. It is inimical to anything that makes any sense at all.  Most workers in Lagos work in the Island, how do they get to their offices early now? Must everybody buy a car? Which alternative employment do they have for the people that they have stopped from riding a commercial motorcycle? So, how do they survive? They are only expanding the kingdom of armed robbers. The number of people out of job is unbelievable and you are adding to it. Get the Amotekun to be in every area and they will monitor the movement of these people (okada riders).

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George, speaks with MUDIAGA AFFE on the state of insecurity in the nation, his plans to contest the 2023 presidential election, and the problems in his party, among others

You have shown interest to contest the 2023 presidential election. What are the motivating factors?

First, our party will have to agree if it is coming to the South-West or not. We have a highly cerebral group made up of seasoned Nigerians where we discuss issues on Nigeria and the South-West. The thought came out when people started talking about the South-West and in my part of the world, if some people are wishing you to do something, you do not deflect it. Although the time is still far ahead and nobody knows who will be alive or not, when this discussion came up, I got calls that this is what they were thinking. I did not tell them to stop, neither did I tell them to go ahead because these are things you will have to put into prayers and if it is the wish of the Almighty, it will get open to me. Like I told them, there is a myriad of problems in this country today and usually, in four-year term governance, you start political discussions at least during the third year. If you have a problem, you will start to address it from the top to the bottom. We just concluded an election process and it is not up to one year but the state of the nation gives me a lot of concern. I am talking as a Nigerian. The level of our civility, development and the level in which this country has achieved, the whole thing is crumbling.

What is responsible for that?

First, it is our nation and it has nothing to do with a political party. If you do not talk when issues are like this, then you have no right in the future. You may advise which may not take, but to be quiet is immoral and dishonest. Look at the recent rating by Transparency International on our corruption index, we have further plunged.  As a nation, how well are we respected internationally? I can tell you that it is almost zero.

So, what is responsible for the rising debates about the 2023 election?

They probably think that if they start early, there would be calmness in the minds of the people. Or are they afraid that the present administration should wind up and get out of the office? There are so many meanings you can read into it. Our major issue now is not about politics but the management of the country. All is not well. There is hunger in the land and hunger does not have a tribe. We are expanding the grudges between tribes and promoting divisive things. You cannot make suggestions without attacks from other quarters. What is responsible for this? However, let us resolve the issue of mistrust before we talk of any election. Why are we looking at ourselves as enemies? A divided house is a defeated house. Our nation must survive. I concluded that we would need to go and dedicate one week to pray to God Almighty because we have offended His dictates. Whether Muslim or Christian, we need to fast and pray.

You had also recently expressed desire to challenge the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in the next election. Why did you make a direct challenge?

It is a challenge. It would be the most illogical and most disruptive issue to have him (Tinubu) elected as President. If this happens, I will disown Nigeria to take the citizenship of Togo or any other country. Look, what this fellow did in my state, all the lies and the most painful thing was that on the day of the election (2019 election) two bullion vans drove in the daylight to his house and what did Prof Itse Sagay say, that he (Tinubu) had been a very wealthy man before. Where was he wealthy? If his (Sagay’s) conclusion was that, then something is wrong. Let us call a spade a spade and stop deceiving ourselves. So, if that is the way they want to do it, then I am ready to face him (Tinubu). Let us get out there because it would be the greatest disservice for our nation to have him contest as a presidential candidate.

But Tinubu is one of the pillars of the APC and people believe he can lead the country…

The APC to me is a congregation of strange bird fellows and you can see the effect. Nobody is talking for the party or the government, all you hear are a cacophony of voices and that is why the party is not working. So, if Tinubu is one of the leaders of the party, it means it is not working. I am convinced that Nigerians who voted the APC into government would be regretting it now. I am not saying this because I belong to another party, but the management of that party (APC) is archaic and it is rural in its concept. They can modernise themselves though. You heard what the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, once said that all those that have sinned before should come to the APC and their sins would be forgiven. Is that the kind of statement that should come from the national chairman of a ruling party? So, it (APC) is a congregation of sinful people. What is required in Nigeria is the provision of food, shelter, and good infrastructure, but the APC is now very far from providing that. Whether you are a rich or a poor man, we all fall into the same category and it is scary.

Your party is trying to realign ahead of the 2023 election. What are the best ways to achieve this?

Our party itself needs a remodelling. All is not well with the PDP unless we are deceiving ourselves. When they should have been out in the field before the Supreme Court judgment on Emeka Ihedioha (former governor of Imo State), they were asleep and suddenly they popped out- that is not the way to manage a party. If you have a case of that nature, we should have been all out to give him all the necessary support from the onset, not now trying to act when it is medicine after death. If we go on like this, we would be beaten stupid at elections. The PDP itself has a monumental problem and that is why I accepted this interview because I do not want to talk on the platform of being partisan. I want to talk as a Nigerian.

Specifically, as one of the leaders of the party in the South-West, what are you doing to bring the PDP together?

Fortunately, we have a governor (Seye Makinde of Oyo State) and we have resolved that there will be a meeting of elders by next Thursday (February 20) in Ibadan. This meeting will take care of all the things going on, positively and negatively, in the party.  The guy who is managing the party in the South-West has created some ripples in some states and when it comes to issues like these, we would concern ourselves with ‘righting’ the ‘wrong’ by doing what is just and fair. This meeting of elders in the South-West is to stabilise the zone ahead of the party’s national convention that will be coming up in April.

What is the problem of the PDP in Lagos that has made it difficult for the party to win elections in the state since 1999?

It is mainly attitudinal and the lack of cohesive and comprehensive electoral process. What normally happens is that when the people go for election, from the polling unit the results are hand-written to ward collation centre and from there to local government area collation centre before it gets to the state collation centre. So, cheating is unimaginable and undependable. That is why you find out that when a government makes policy, should it not be in the interest of the people? If they do not respect the people then it shows that they know that they would go back to the election to manipulate the result because of the archaic methodology that is adopted. That is all that is happening. It is not that our people do not win elections in Lagos State. Look at the last general elections, especially the presidential election; it is so mundane and illogical. We cannot continue this way and say the election is credible. Results are constantly being altered as they go from one collation centre to the other.


You had wished to contest the presidential election with Tinubu, are you not worried that the APC in which Tinubu belongs had been winning in your local government area all these while?

This is why I am telling you that the system of operation is very abysmal, terrible, and illogical and it does not make any sense. How many elections have we had that does not end up in the court? The technology is available with the use of the Permanent Voter Card. This would enable us to reduce the paper voting. I believe we have a long time between now and the next election for the electoral body to get things sorted.


So, are you saying with credible conduct of elections, you can win the APC in your Lagos Island LGA?

People will make up their minds. Who is happy in Nigeria today? Everybody is crying under the heavy storm. We are all at the precipice and my major concern is the electoral process. This is the 21st century and we are still carrying results from location A to B and C by hand, why would there not be complaints. Let us respect the will of the people and the only way this can be done is to make sure that elections are transparent, just and fair.  Look at what happened in Osun and Imo states where the court took over the role of INEC, adding and subtracting figures.


[b]There is a general clamour that if the Presidency rotates to the South, it should be the turn of the South-East?

I had said it before that ideally, from our party, once it comes back to the South, it must go to the South-East. But, when we, in the South-West, were looking for some support, I was shocked about what some of their leaders in the South-East did. I was one of the first to express my belief in the zoning system based on the rotational level, but when it was our turn to produce the national chairman of the party, the South-East people abandoned us. However, as I Christian I have risen above that level, but it is just a reminder that you should be careful in life to be just, fair and rational because someday it would be your turn. So, ideally, when it comes to the South it should go to the South-East because they have never had it, but if the name Tinubu pops up in the APC, I would go all out to contest with him.

But some members of the PDP believe that the 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, could still clinch the ticket in the 2023 election. If this happens, what would you do?

That was why I said baring all last-minute discussions, I believe in good thinking. I cannot stay off that because of personal things. Whatever they discuss or plan, I will go along with it, but there is a caveat.


What is the caveat?

Our party requires introspection because the management style currently being exhibited calls for a question. We would get worse than the APC if we are not careful. However, whatever the party decides, I will swing on it.


There was a change of leadership in the structure of the Lagos State PDP. Are you in support of the new state executive members?

I am not in support of that change. Those are the kind of things that I am talking about. The mismanagement and arrogance in the leadership style will take us nowhere. I was one of the party managers for 12 years, if we had mismanaged the PDP the way they are doing now there would have been no party. We are derailing like a ship without a rudder in a sea-state that is very bad. I believe that the elders and founders of the party must come together for us to have a closed-door discussion. The party is sinking. Although the case of Lagos PDP is in the court, that management style is bad. You cannot have a total power control. You must discuss with the elders of the party. Politics is all about discussion. You cannot just wake up from the wrong side of your bed and just take a decision. It is affecting everything. If you start taking illegal steps, of course, people would challenge you.  Did you consult? You did something illogical and illegal because you are managers of the party now, it cannot work. These are things that we must revisit to put our party and reinforce our platform, otherwise, it would keep wobbling. If you stand on a wobbling platform you cannot fly.

The state of insecurity in Nigeria had topped the front burner in recent months, as a former military officer, do you think our security agencies are doing well in the fight against kidnapping, banditry, and insurgency?    I have thought very deeply about this. Ideally, all those areas mentioned are all for the Police, but when the Police cannot cope with the operation, they reverse to the President to tell him that they cannot cope with it, then the military will come in. The way the military is set up, we are to fend off enemies of this country. If it is a matter between Nigerians, which side is the enemy? Unless they are doing things that are inimical to the stability and quietness of our country and it will be in a short-term operation with the military. A quick bang, finish the operation and move back to the barracks. Our training is different from that of the Police but right now, this issue of insurgency has made it also perpetual and I do not know where we are. People are still being murdered and people are not safe. So, I believe it is not a job for the government alone anymore if we are serious. The government must now open their doors and open up a national discussion. This is mistrust and it is getting out of hand. The lack of love that we once exhibited is no longer there. We are 100 years old as a country and people are going to the precipice to say we should go our separate ways. To me, separating is not the issue.

CALABAR – FOLLOWING misunderstanding among youths in Ovonum Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State, one person has reportedly been hacked to death while many sustained severe machete cuts.

One boy, whose name was given as Ose Egor was hacked to death on the Valentine’s Day night and his body deposited in the mortuary.

The misunderstanding, according to Okpa Okpa, our source in the area, started when youths gathered in the local beach, popularly called Ovonum beach for Valentine’Day fanfare but misunderstanding erupted when one of the girls left her boyfriend with whom she went with to the beach to hitch up with another boy.

“One girl whose name was given as Anne left Tony the boy that brought her to the beach to join another boy and Tony did not take this kindly and so had to ask the girl to return and in the ensuing faceoff a fight broke out among the boys,” Okpa said.

He stated that from the beach the fight became a gang war and moved to village and gangs were moving from house to house with machetes destroying homes of boys who belong to opposing cult groups.

“The Peace Group leader, Mr Monday Abeng who tried to make peace among the warring gangs was lured out of his house and attacked with machetes which left him beyond recognition.”.

He said many homes were destroyed in the night and that the police arrived early this morning to make some arrests which has restored some normalcy.

” The boy who was butchered to death is in the Obubra General Hospital mortuary but his gang is threatening to take him out of there so the police are guarding the place now”.

Ms Irene Ugbo, the Cross River Police Command spokesman said more policemen have been moved to the area to maintain peace.

Bolaji Ogundele,

The Presidency, on Saturday, alleged of a plot by the opposition represented by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to hire about 2000 persons to participate in an ‘orchestrated’ protest march against the nation’s security service chiefs.

Revealing this is a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidency also revealed that a recent clip showing a few persons booing during President Muhammadu Buhari’s sympathy visit to Maiduguri last week was part of a scheme to sell a lie about the administration to the undescerning.

The statement, however, described those behind the planned protest, which it said followed in the pattern of those recently mounted against justices of the Supreme Court, as beneficiaries of the Boko Haram terrorrism.

It, however, advised the general public, including the media to be wary of the alleged antics of those it accused of plotting to embarrass the administration of President Buhari and plotting against Nigeria.

“The Presidency wishes to caution a section of the political class against misleading the public and inciting protests against the heads of military institutions.

“This has become necessary in view of received reports that about two thousand men and women have been hired to demonstrate against Nigeria’s service chiefs on Monday.

“This imminent gathering is the latest in a series of demonstrations orchestrated by the opposition to embarrass the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“As part of this overall scheme, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with its belligerent politics, has been marching from one embassy to the other in protest against the Buhari administration and the nation’s highest court of justice, the Supreme Court. They are keen to give the impression that Nigerians are in support of them as they take to the streets, and they will go to any length to promote this false narrative.

“The recent incident in Maiduguri, Borno State, where an overwhelmingly cheering crowd gathered to welcome President Buhari, while a handful were recorded booing him, is a part this elaborate scheme. It is misleading, as some analysts have tried to do, to read this as verdict against President Buhari, who emerged winner with 94 per cent of the votes cast in the Presidential election in the state in February last year.

“This was clearly a hired few, but the news was promoted by the opposition who had of course positioned themselves to record the booing – all just to embarrass the President.

“We urge the media to remain unbiased and discerning in their reporting, instead of becoming unwitting tools in the hands of the opposition.

“A group of politicians and beneficiaries of the Boko Haram insurgency is right now paying for people to join their planned protest against our country’s service chiefs, and they will no doubt seek the media’s collaboration on this as usual.

“But there is news and there is promoted content – two very different things, one of which should never make the headlines as these recent fake protests have done”, the statement said.

A 50-year-old man in India who mistakenly thought he had contracted the coronavirus hung himself to protect his family, a news report said.
K. Bala Krishna was treated by doctors in Tirupati for a viral fever but was assured he did not have the deadly disease that has killed more than 1,350 worldwide, according to the Times of India.

Despite the doctors’ assurances, Krishna began watching videos on the virus on his mobile phone and became convinced that he had been infected, the newspaper said.

He feared he would put his family in harm’s way.
“My father watched coronavirus-related videos the whole day on Monday and kept saying he had similar symptoms,” his son, Bala Murali, told the Times.

“He attacked us when we tried to tell him that he did not suffer from the deadly disease.”

Murali said he even called a government-sponsored helpline but was told him there was nothing to worry about because his father had not recently visited China, the epicenter of the plague.

On Tuesday, Krishna locked his family in their home and went to his mother’s gravesite.
By the time his family was able to notify neighbors to come to free them, Krishna had hung himself from a tree near his mother’s grave, the newspaper said.

The House of Representatives has again said it is broke. Its spokesman, Benjamin Kalu, said this in Abuja yesterday while addressing reporters on the readiness of the house to lunch its “Green Chamber Magazine” for publication of facts and realities of the activities in the house.

He said the speaker of the house struggled to raise money to finance the magazine which will be launched on February 19. “We have no cars, Nigerians don’t know how we come to office. I want Nigerians to hear that the house is broke,” he said.

The Federal Government has promised to give N36 million to any Nigerian scientist that could come up with vaccine to prevent the Coronavirus disease.

The Minister of Science and Technology , Dr Ogbonnaya Onu made the promise in Abuja on Thursday at a Sent-off Ceremony for one of the ministry’s Directors, Engr A Oyefeso who was retiring from civil service.

Onu said Nigeria needed to think ahead of others in order to keep the disease at bay.

He said the government would be giving more financial support to Nigerian scientists to help them come up with cure and solutions to some of the diseases and problems ravaging the country.

“We are promising any Nigerian scientist who can discover vaccine to prevent Coronavirus N36million.

“We have a lot of herbs in the country, and who knows the cure for the disease could be in our forests.

“We are challenging our scientists to come up with cure for the disease and the country will honour them appropriately.”

Police and other security operatives, allegedly acting on the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy’s order on Tuesday forcefully threw out the staff of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission from their office in Abuja.

But the minister, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, yesterday said he was not aware of the incident.

Daily Trust learnt that there had been a cold war between Pantami and the Director-General of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa over who has the right to the office located at Mbora District, on the Airport Road, Jabi, Abuja.

Though the office belongs to the Nigerian Communications Commission, it was given to NiDCOM by the NCC as temporary office accommodation on the Federal Government’s directive, a senior official said.

The official, who pleaded anonymity, said NiDCOM applied for the office accommodation and the government directed the NCC to give out a floor of its complex to the Diaspora Commission.

But the minister whose ministry occupies the fourth floor of the complex, allegedly ordered the Disapora Commission staff to vacate the fifth floor because “the commission is not under the ministry.’’

When contacted, the minister’s spokespersons neither denied nor confirmed the allegation against their principal.

Uwa Suleiman, one of the media aides, asked: ‘’Is Minister Pantami in charge of Disapora Commission? Does the said building belong to the Disapora Commission?’’

Another media aide of the minister, Yusuf Abubakar, said he was not aware of the incident.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Idah Peterside has recounted how the unquenchable hunger for money and fame led him into the horrible world of occultism.

The former Super Eagles’ player turned pastor, Idah Peterside, made the confessions on Ifeanyi Udeze’s diary via Brila FM, on Tuesday morning.

Peterside told Udeze that he had an unquenchable hunger for money and fame, which led him into the horrible world of occultism.

“It was so bad for me that I even went into demonic worship; I was involved in occultism and people didn’t know,” he said.

“I did all that because I wanted money and fame which were not coming. My case was so bad that I used to have meetings with snakes. Mine was top class; it was crazy.”

The pastor also revealed that his major activity was to ‘initiate’ women by sleeping with them, especially virgins.

“What actually took me to the next level in occultism was dependent on the number of women I slept with because my covenant was to initiate women.

“I didn’t sleep with them for love or any relationship; my mission was just to initiate them and move on,” he explained.

Terrorists now use social media to recruit new members and coordinate attacks, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has said.

Pantami stated this yesterday in Abuja while delivering a lecture on leadership in counter-terrorism and counter violent extremism in Abuja.

He said the rapidly evolving phenomenon requires the use of innovative approaches to both “counter” and “prevent” it.

“It’s evident that terrorists are exploiting social media, encrypted communications, and the dark web to spread propaganda, recruit new followers and coordinate attacks’’, the minister said.
He urged the security agencies to tap into the resources availed by technology and use them as potent tools for ousting the insurgents from the country.

He said the development of new and emerging technologies such as, “Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Robotics, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence,” would help counter and prevent the terrorists’ latest ploys. He said the military and intelligence agencies could use big data to fight the war against terrorism. “Data can be analysed to understand background, motives, modus operandi and methods of communication of persons or groups of interest”.

Pantami cited an example of a project by the Qatar Computing Research Institute, in which big data was used to scrutinise and analyse social media such as Facebook and Twitter in order to locate the origins of supporters of the terrorist organization, ISIS.

Meanwhile, security experts told Daily Trust that capacity building and advanced surveillance technology were needed to monitor the recruitment activities of terrorists on social media and the internet.

One of them, Kabir Adamu, said Nigeria should avoid knee-jerk approaches in dealing with security threats from social media like the proposed anti-social media legislation.

He argued that “the bigger picture is to have a comprehensive data and identity management system to tackle gaps in security.”

He said through SIM-card registration, anyone on social media or the internet would be known to the government.

Another security expert, Dr Ameachi Nwaokolo, said most times, terror groups use the internet to recruit, mobilise young people and radicalise them.

He said Nigeria lacked the capability to properly monitor the activities of terrorists on the internet, noting that in other countries, “hundreds are being recruited and equipped to monitor specific websites.”

Crisis is brewing at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, following the directive by the Governing Council of the institution to the outgoing vice-chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, to proceed on terminal leave.

Prof. Garba’s tenure expires on April 30, 2020, and the directive by the council for him to leave ahead of his time is generating tension in the university.

However, the embattled V-C told Daily Trust yesterday that if the directive for him to leave was advisory, he was not willing to go until the end of his stipulated five years in office.

The ABU Alumni Association has meanwhile waded into the matter, saying there was no law that prescribed terminal leave for vice-chancellors and asked the university council to rescind the decision.

Daily Trust recalled that a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the university, Prof. Kabir Bala, was in January appointed as the new vice-chancellor of the institution. He is to resume office on May 1.


How Prof Garba was asked to leave office as ABU VC

In a letter to the outgoing vice-chancellor dated February 7, signed by the Registrar of the university, A. A. Kundila, the council headed by its Chairman, Malam Adamu Fika (Wazirin Fika), directed Prof. Garba to proceed on terminal leave with effect from March 1, 2020.

The letter, which was copied the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Inspector General of Police, Director, Department of State Service, among others, asked the vice-chancellor to handover leadership of the university to the deputy vice-chancellor, Academic.

The two-paragraph letter seen by this newspaper reads: “At the 190th (emergency) meeting of the Governing Council of the university held on Thursday, 6 February 2020, council resolved and directed that you should proceed on terminal leave from 1 March 2020.

“You are to handover the instruments of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor to Prof. D. A. Ameh, the deputy vice-chancellor (Academic) who will manage the affairs of the university until the new vice-chancellor assumes duty on 1 May 2020.”

Aside the foregoing, Daily Trust gathered, the council also resolved to review all appointments and employments made by the outgoing V-C from October 2019 to date.


Alumni association wants decision on V-C reversed

The ABU Alumni Association led by Prof. Ahmed Tijjani Mora has kicked against the move saying in the interest of fairness, Prof. Garba should be allowed to exhaust his five-year tenure which ends in May.

In a letter to Malam Adamu Fika, copied the minister of education and others dated February 7, Prof. Mora said: “I wish to most respectfully refer the chairman to the deliberations of the 190th (emergency) meeting of the Governing Council of ABU, Zaria which I was invited to attend.

“It would be recalled that there was no agenda indicated in the notice of the meeting and which myself, the vice-chancellor, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the university and other members, only got to know of four days earlier.

“Be that as it was, members turned up for the meeting except two (2), one of whom was the vice-chancellor, Professor Ibrahim Garba, whom the council was reliably informed by the registrar and secretary of the council was indeed in Abuja, the nation’s capital on a national assignment.

“Why the secretary failed to advise the chairman of the unlikelihood of the vice-chancellor to attend the emergency meeting and to propose for another date when the vice-chancellor would be available, only he, the registrar can explain…

“The chairman is a seasoned and experienced public officer as well as a highly respected national figure, and who, in his wisdom, revealed to the council some infractions allegedly committed by the vice-chancellor, which appeared to have gone contrary to established norms or Standard Operations Procedure of the university.

“Unfortunately, members were not obliged documents indicating such infractions allegedly committed by the vice-chancellor, nor any letter by the chairman of the council or the council drawing the attention of the vice-chancellor to such.

“In the particular issue of debating whether the vice-chancellor should be made to proceed on terminal leave, I drew the attention of the chairman and council of the federal government’s approved document, the Reform Implementation Committee (R.I.C) of 2006 applicable to the Federal Civil and Public Services of which ABU, Zaria falls under.

“A staff member cannot be forced to undertake his/her annual leave. If deferred, such staff member can only enjoy such leave at the time of his/her choice. To force the vice-chancellor to proceed on terminal leave with only 84 days to go at the end of his five-year tenure, I argued would give the negative impression that the vice-chancellor was being punished,” Prof. Mora said.

He also called on Malam Fika to allow V-C to conclude his tenure and also dismiss the allegations of infractions levelled against him.
Why we asked Prof Garba to go – Pro-chancellor
When contacted on phone yesterday to comment on why the council wants the vice-chancellor, who has less than 80 days to the end of his tenure to leave, the Wazirin Fika said it was based on some reasons.

He, however, said he was not ready to make them public.

“The council took the decision and it has been implemented,” he said.

On whether he received a complaint from the ABU alumni on the need to shelve the decision, Malam Adamu Fika answered in the negative.

Meanwhile, a former vice-chancellor who would not want to be mentioned, said the appointment of vice-chancellor was political and for a period of five years “which is stated clearly in a letter of appointment.”

He said the letter of appointment does not indicate any terminal leave. “I did not take terminal because there is nothing like that either in the letter of appointment or terms of service.”

A senior administrative officer in the university and two professors also agreed that the V-C should not go on terminal leave because none of his predecessors took such leave at the end of their terms.


It’s an illegal directive – VC

Speaking to Daily Trust, Prof. Garba said he received a letter asking him to proceed on terminal leave.

He, however, said the directive was given without any background, “since I was not in the 190th council meeting to have knowledge of what transpired and led to this unprecedented directive to a sitting vice-chancellor from the governing council.”

Prof. Garba said by all standards, the directive was unfair and not in line with any law or due process governing activities of a federal university.

“I will request for further clarification on whether the directive was advisory and subject to my acceptance or is a disciplinary action against me and of which I am not aware of any charges that warrant such a heavy sanction if that was what it was meant to be,” he told Daily Trust.

He said he was fully aware that his tenure would end on 30 April 2020.

“I need all the remaining time to tidy up and ensure a smooth and comprehensive handing-over to a new vice-chancellor who should assume office on 1 May 2020,” he said.

He also said there was an abnormality in the directive for him to hand over to the deputy vice-chancellor, Academic, instead of to the deputy vice-chancellor, Administration, who is the senior.
ABU divided over embattled VC

Interview conducted yesterday with different stakeholders in the university indicated that unless something is done urgently, the university may likely be engulfed in crisis.

When contacted, a Professor of Medicine in the university, Rabiu Magaji, said the decision of the council was nothing more than vendetta.
He said: “They have grudges with the V-C and they are therefore out to humiliate him out of office. Otherwise, there was never a time that a V-C was asked to proceed on terminal leave in this manner to the best of my knowledge.

“The council chairman who is supposed to be a unifying factor as an elder is leading the cabal fighting the VC, largely because of selfish interest.

“For example, he unilaterally set the criteria used in electing the in-coming V-C contrary to the established traditions of the university. The minister of education is not helping matters in this crisis in ABU, because he has taken sides with those that are trying to destroy the system.

The minister refused to act when his attention was drawn to the infractions on the known criteria of electing a new V-C,” he said.

Professor Magaji also faulted the directive given to the V-C to hand over to DVC Academics, saying that it is a known fact that the next in hierarchy after the VC is the DVC Administration.

Effort to get the reaction of the Federal Ministry of Education was not successful as a senior official close to the minister said he would have to find out whether the letter had reached the ministry.

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has explained why it has set a dress code for customers on its premises.

The dress code, which is to take effect from Monday, February 10, stipulates that all customers at the commission’s premises to transact business must be corporately and decently dressed from Monday to Thursday of every week.

The spokesperson of the commission, Laraba Sharibu, said the directive was to caution lawyers on how to dress while coming to the commission for business.

“What we discovered is that when lawyers come to transact business in the commission, some of them dress shabbily, in the sense that they wear torn jeans, mini, bumshorts, they don’t dress properly.

“When you dress properly, it is either you are in full traditional wear or you are wearing maybe a trouser and a shirt tucked, that is what we expect of them,” she said.

Mrs Sharibu said the law which has been in existence before now, is not targeted at women alone, she said men also dress indecently to the commission.

“No lawyer will go to the court premises, irrespective of if they are appearing before a judge or not, in three-quarter pants or ripped jeans.

“As a corporate lawyer, you never can tell where you meet your clients, some of them meet their clients here in our premises,” he said..

Mr Abubakar is a lawyer and a former special adviser to Bello Mahmud, the then Registrar General of CAC between August 2010 to October 2017.

The sudden enforcement of the law after years of being in existence is said to be a directive from the new management.

In 2017, the commission introduced online registration for businesses. This is said to be more convenient, simplified and fast as it takes 48hours.

Mrs Sharibu said the registration process has helped a lot in curbing corruption as money is not received in cash, and there has been less complaint about fraud between staff and clients.

“With the registration, we have tackled the pre, we are looking at the post, which will be online and now there is a new administration in place and we are waiting to see what his agenda will be.”

Commenting on the new directive, a legal practitioner, Kenms Akwarandu, said the law may be to differentiate the accredited agents at the commission from the touts that lurk around the premises.

Mr Akwarandu, who was seen dressed corporately in a suit after he came out of the premises, said, “It may be a way to differentiate those who are called to practice and those who are touting, that’s why there is an accreditation card for lawyers, chartered secretaries, and qualified accountants.”

“Whoever gave that instruction, gave it to be able to separate the wheat from the tares. If you must practice, be professional enough to dress decently.”

He said the freedom of expression has nothing to do with dressing, and the dress code is professional etiquette.

Also, a female lawyer who pleaded to speak on anonymity supported the introduction of the code.

“I believe that CAC as an organisation has the ultimate right to make policies to regulate the conduct of its business, including the dress code of customers coming to transact business within its premises.

“So if you are a customer coming to do business at the CAC, you are bound by the rules and regulations of CAC,” she said.


Shrinking of civil space

However, a legal practitioner and rights activist, Mbasekei Obono, had a different view of the directive. He said it is a move by government to shrink the civic space.

“Freedom of expression doesn’t stop at what you say, it looks at how you are dressed, how to express yourself in various ways, people express themselves in different ways.

“This is the problem with this administration, they are constantly doing everything humanly possible to clamp down on expression and expression is key to a democratic government.

“You cannot stop people from expressing themselves. This government needs to stop shrinking the civic space,” he said.

He said in as much as the commission is a corporate entity and no one is expected to dress shabbily to its premises, the commission is not visited by legal practitioners alone.

He said an artist that is trying to project his work through his dressing may decide to go to the commission and will be seen as not corporately dressed.

“The law already lifted the part where the commission is visited by lawyers alone, every other person can register a business as far as you are registered with the CAC. So it is not an issue of how lawyers should dress, it’s just about everyone.

“The fact that you are a lawyer doesn’t mean you can not express yourself. Just like every other person, lawyers can express themselves in any way they are comfortable with.”

He said the directive contravenes section 4 which is right of the dignity of the human person.

“I have a right to my dignity, so you can’t judge me based on how I am dressed as in section 35 of the constitution, which is right to personal liberty.”

You slept with my wife and you want to sleep with my daughter says a father to a Pastor of a church. This is despicable and if the allegations are true, these kinda "Men of God" should be purge from the Church of God .

You slept with my wife and you want to sleep with my daughter says a father to a Pastor of a church. This is despicable and if the allegations are true, these kinda "Men of God" should be purge from the Church of God . (Video = Part A) pic.twitter.com/MjQ3XVDuUb

— Man on Assignment (@ApostleNiyii) February 9, 2020

Indications emerged at the weekend how some Indian companies in Nigeria evade payment of Customs Duty and abuse the Nigerian Customs Services’ Fast Track policy.

Sunday Telegraph learnt that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in line with the Ease of Doing Business policy of the Federal Government put in place the fast track system to enable large volume goods importers and manufacturing companies to take their consignments to their warehouses while the clearing process is going on, but the policy it was learnt, is being abused by some of the companies benefitting from the policy.

This came as Sunday Telegraph learnt that for years, most of fraudulent importers have abused this policy by not following the laid down procedures covering the policy. This is even as our investigation reveals that many Indian multinational companies in the country are involved in the fraud which results in loss of revenue to the government.

It further learnt that these companies not only disregard the rules covering the trade policy, but also use it to import un-customs goods.

Fast Track

NCS in its effort to facilitate trade introduced the fast track policy to assist manufacturers and large consignment importers exit their goods from the port easily and unhindered.

The policy provides that importers’ goods could be moved to their warehouses from the ports while customs 100 per cent examination would be carried out at the warehouse. It also provides that Customs will provide escorts for the containers to the owners’ warehouses with full documentations.

Abuses

A case in point is a chain of Indian companies belonging to one Indian, all these companies (names withheld) are all on fast track due to their large consignment status and as manufacturing and repackaging firm in Nigeria.

But our investigations have revealed that these companies have long neglected the fast track procedure and in the process have been defrauding the Nigerian government of several billions of Naira on imports duty, VAT and other taxes.

In some of the documents sighted by our correspondent, abuses of Customs process and evasion of duty was discovered to have been going on in these companies over the years.

One of such abuses was their shipment on a vessel called Autumne with Bill of Lading number MAEUA 10383508 in 2016. They brought in 4x40ft containers. The containers were declared as powdered milk in jumbo bags.

According to our findings, the containers were moved from Apapa Port to their Ibeju Lekki office of the company without Customs escorts and no 100 per cent examination of the containers were carried out by the Customs in their premises as specified by the fast track guidelines.

It was also discovered that accurate duty was not paid by the company a trend that has been going for years till now.

An inside source in the company also hinted our correspondent that sometimes un-customs goods are brought in by the company which is not within their jurisdiction.

The source also said that the companies hide under the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) status to further evade Customs taxes they are supposed to pay to Federal Government.

David Adenuga




An elder statesman of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, in Bauchi state, Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed, has expressed doubt over the successful operation of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) operation Amotekun.

He said the Nigerian constitution already made provision for a regular security with the establishment of the Police saying a regional security outfit like ‘Amotekun’ has no constitutional backing.

The Elder statesman who spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview on Saturday also called for the restructuring of the security architecture in the country.

In his words ” Amotekun will not last because it is indigenous, regionalized and lacks constitutional backing, whereas Nigeria is a country governed by the constitution. The constitution had already made provision for regular security with the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force, a regional security outfit like Amotekun is just a breach of the constitution” that is why it will not last . It will only bring problem and conflict”

He alleged that there is a secret motive behind the establishment of Amotekun which is to cleanse the Fulani tribe in the southwest.

”There is a motive behind the establishment which is to cleanse our tribe from the south, that’s is the agenda for its establishment. It is the objective of the government to provide security, any parallel security outfit is unacceptable. Am very sure Amotekun will not be recognized by law and it will never be legalized”

Addressing the challenge of insecurity, Ahmed said the solution to insecurity is for the government to be serious.

He noted that there is need for restructuring of the security architecture of the country especially the police force.

” Am calling for the removal of the service chiefs because they have done nothing. reform the police, the Nigerian Army and all other security forces in the country. If Amotekun is legalized, it will become a black evil. The hizbab security outfit in the north is an umbrella of an Islamic body only meant for Islamic affairs , it should not be compared with Amotekun.

Adeyinka Aderibigbe



BADAGRY – Lagos State Energy and Mineral Resources Commissioner, Olalere Odusote, said on Friday, that the state had not received any derivation fund since it became an oil producing state in 2018.

Odusote made the disclosure during a question and answer segment of the 2020 Badagry Youth Oil and Gas Conference, organized by the ministry.

The theme of the conference is: “Youths Engagement in Oil and Gas Producing Area As a Panacea to Community Development”.

According to him, Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Co. started oil exploration in Badagry communities two years ago (2018) before the present administration.

“Up till now, nobody in Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has calculated the amount due as derivation fund to Lagos State,” he said.

“From 2018 till date, I can tell you categorically that Lagos State has not received a single dime from the fund.”

The commissioner promised report the issue of multiple check points along the Agbara-Seme expressway to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for necessary action.

He also assured Badagry youths that the state government would complete the Mile 2-Okokomaiko section of the expressway in the next two years.

He said: “We are going to do everything that we have promised so that Badagry will benefit from being a host community.

“Beyond that, we are going to see that Badagry gets what is due to it from the state. We expect the people to take advantage of the state’s skill acquisition programme to improve themselves and contribute to the economy.”

Odusote appealed to the youths to allow Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Co. execute its Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) programme, the Aje Micro Credit Scheme, which was established to grant soft loans for the people of Badagry.

“The company has set up the micro credit scheme to give out soft loans to the people of nine communities with zero interest. I don’t see any problem with the oil company. I think it has been a good citizen and I am sure it will fulfill these promises,” he said.


Meanwhile, the state government has announced its plans to close the Jonathan Coker axis of Ifako-Ijaiye, on Saturday, for installation of Level Crossing Rubber Panels by the contractor handling the Lagos-Ibadan rail project.

It added that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) would also commence demolition of parts of the existing Costain bridge and hoist the beams of the new bridge.

Making the announcement, on Thursday, the state Ministry of Transportation said in a statement, that the road closure and bridge demolition would facilitate the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line.

“In line with the Nigerian Railway Modernisation Project (Lagos-Ibadan section) with extension to Lagos port at Apapa, the Lagos State Government will be closing down Jonathan Coker axis on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next day.

“This is to give room for the installation of Level Crossing Rubber Panels by the contractor handling the project.

“Alternative routes have been provided for road users to utilise during the course of the construction.

“Motorists plying Jonathan Coker axis will be diverted to Ashade Underpass, Adejobi axis of Agege Motor Road and Toyin Crossing, to ensure motorists reach their various destinations with ease,” the statement said.

On the old Costain bridge demolition, it said motorists inbound Costain would be diverted temporarily to the new bridge on the left-hand side, to free the old bridge of traffic.

“Road users are advised to comply with traffic directions to minimise inconvenience in movement.

“The closure has been slated at this time to ensure there is a smooth and uninterrupted flow of work on the rail tracks.

“Lagos State Government is hereby appealing to residents of the state, especially motorists that ply these corridors to bear the pains,” it said
According to the statement, the project is aimed at achieving seamless multi-modal transport system that will meet the transportation needs of a larger population

The family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha lost, on Friday, its bid to regain access to the many accounts held by its members in banks in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Jersey, Liechenstein and Luxembourg blocked upon a directive by the Nigerian government in 1999.

A five-man panel of the Supreme Court held, in a judgment on Friday, that it was too late for the Abacha family to query the decision taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1999, via a letter authored by the then Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Kanu Agabi (SAN).

Justice Chima Nweze, who authored the panel’s lead judgment. in the appeal marked: SC/68/2010, held among others, that in view of the evidence presented by parties, he was left with no other options than to uphold the earlier concurrent decisions of the two lower courts (the Federal High Court, Kano and the Court of Appeal, Kaduna division), to the effect that the action was statute barred.

Justice Nweze was absent at the court’s proceedings on Friday but had his lead judgment read by Justice Amina Augie, who quoted him as saying: “In all forms, with the eloquent submission of the respondents’ counsel, and submissions anchored on the admitted evidence, I have no hesitation in affirming the concurrent decisions of the lower courts.

“Accordingly, I hereby enter an order dismissing this appeal. I further affirm the concurrent findings and decisions of the lower courts. Appeal dismissed.”

According to court documents, the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo, in December 1999, authorized the then AGF, Agabi to request the Swiss authorities to freeze all bank accounts held in its jurisdiction by the late Head of State, General Abacha, his children, servants, agents and any other individuals or companies liked to them between 1993 and 1998.

The Nigeria government was also said to have requested the Swiss authorities to seize and detain all banking and other documents relating to the affected accounts, charge and prosecute all holders of such accounts, in order to recover and pay over to the Federal Government of Nigeria all monies falsely and fraudulently taken from the government and people of Nigeria.

Also, the FG was said to have engaged a foreign financial investigator, Enrico Monfrini of Hauchomann & Bottage in Geneva, Switzerland, to assist in recovering “all looted monies by Gen Abacha and his family members and other public servants and third parties who have used their position or participated as accomplices to misappropriate public funds.”

Following these steps by the Federal Government, the accounts of the Abachas found in Switzerland, United Kingdom, Jersey, Liechenstein and Luxembourg were frozen, an action members of the late Head of State challenged by filing a suit, marked: FHC/KN/CS/6/2004, on January 28, 2004 before the Federal High Court, Kano.

The suit filed on behalf of the Abachas by Alhaji Abba Mohammed Sani, had the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents.

After hearing parties, the court rendered its judgment in 2006, in which it upheld the argument by the respondents to the effect that the case was not only statute barred, the plaintiff could not relitigate the same case that had been decided by the court’s Abuja division in suit: FHC/ABJ/CS/347/2001brought by Sulgrave Holdings Inc & 19 others against the FRN & three others.

Alhaji Sani appealed the decision of the Federal High Court, Kano at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna. But in its judgment on December 15, 2009, the appellate court upheld the decision of the trail court and dismissed the appeal, a decision Alhaji Sani again appealed to the Supreme Court, which the apex court dismissed on Friday.

Other members of the Supreme Court’s five-man panel that heard the appeal, Justices Olukayode Ariwoola, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Augie and Paul Galumje, all agreed with the lead judgment as written by Justice Nweze.

Bolaji Ogundele
The Kano State Government has dissociated itself from the newly floated Northern security network version codenamed ‘Operation Shege Ka Fasa’.

Governor Abdulahi Ganduje disclosed this on Friday while addressing State House Correspondents after leading a large number of Kano State eminent personalities on a courtesy visit on President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ganduje disclosed that the Kano State Government had invested so much in security at various levels and it would be unnecessary to consider any other external arrangement.
He boasted the state’s security architecture had turned Kano into a trap for criminals.

He said that the state provides conducive environment for the security agencies, adding that Command and Control Centre was established where security agencies communicate with one another.

Besides, the state has constructed army training Centre at Falgore, which he said is the biggest forest in the country, stressing that about N500 million had been committed to the project.

The Governor also said his administration’s free and compulsory education from basic to secondary levels was already addressing the dual menace of mass out of school children and early girl child marriage.

The governor, whose large entourage was without Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, said talks were still on to resolve the disagreement between the Emir and the Kano State Government.

MUHAMMAD KABIR reports on the lingering supremacy battle between Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over the creation of new emirate councils in the ancient city despite efforts by the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led reconciliation committee and other interventions by eminent Nigerians to resolve the crisis

The political battle between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi seems to have taken a more worrisome dimension as the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led Reconciliation Committee failed in its task.

Perhaps, the committee failed because the governor refused to yield pressure mounted on him to revert to the status quo on the Kano Emirates Council even as the Emir is said to be facing yet another alleged fraud charges involving his some of his aides, who allegedly sold plots of lands belonging to the Emirate without following due process.

Though Emir Sanusi could now heave a sigh of relief that he would no longer be dethroned from his exalted seat, his quest to ensure the repeal of the law on the creation of four additional emirate councils which is the bone of contention met a brick wall.

A source close to the committee told our correspondent that the Abdulsalami committee met with Governor Ganduje at the Aminu Kano House, Asokoro, Abuja, in a bid to persuade him to retrace his steps on the new emirate councils.

This was after Emir Sanusi reportedly stormed the Katsina State government lodge in Abuja to meet with Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, who is the chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) alongside Katsina State governor Aminu Masari and others to lobby them on the issue.

The source further disclosed that the meeting between the Abdulsalami committee and Ganduje, which was slated for last week Tuesday at the Aminu Kano House, Abuja, for 2.pm, couldn’t hold as scheduled as both parties had other engagement in Abuja until the governor accompanied by Senator Barau Jibrin; onetime kingmaker in the Kano Emirate, Aminu Babba Dan Agundi and the National Treasurer of All Progressives Congress (APC) Panda and others.

On the side of General Abubakar were General Mohammed Wushishi and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, among others, who eventually met with the committee at about 8.30 pm.

“We waited for over two hours before Ganduje returned, the Emir kept calling my boss pleading for his understanding of the need for them to wait for the governor,” the source revealed.

He added that during the meeting, members of the committee pleaded with the governor on the need for him and Sanusi to reconcile for the peace and progress of the state.

Part of the request put forward to the governor by the committee was to dissolve the four newly created emirate councils and not to dethrone Emir Sanusi, among others.

However, Ganduje told the committee that he will embark on a consultation on their request, promising to get back when the meeting reconvenes this week.

As scheduled, the meeting reconvened at 12.30 pm the next day, where Ganduje was said to have told the committee point blank that he will not rescind his decision on the creation of the four additional emirates.

Nevertheless, Ganduje assured Emir Sanusi that he bears no grudges against the Emir notwithstanding the fact that the new emirates have come to stay.

The parley ended at about 3:30 pm had in attendance, Emir Sanusi and all his district heads although the district heads were not part of the meeting.

Ganduje stood his ground and told them in clear terms that nothing will change on the new emirates. He assured them that he won’t victimize the Emir, cautioning that the Emir too should steer clear of indulgence in partisan politics.

It was further gathered that shortly after the meeting, Emir Sanusi requested for a one-on-one meeting with Ganduje that lasted for 15 minutes.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government-backed committee led by General Abubakar was formed to intervene in the Kano crisis, with a view to bringing about, full reconciliation and effective resolution of the matter.

A statement signed by Adamu Fika on December 22, 2019, had disclosed that “against  the background of the crisis in Kano, a matter that has since degenerated into serious tension within the state, with likely consequences on peace and security with the possibility of spilling into neighbouring states, a group of elders, under the chairmanship of General Abdulsalami Abubakar to intervene.”

Continuing, the statement added that “two state governors are also members of the committee. They are Governor Kayode Fayemi (who is also the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum) and Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State.”

The statement further revealed that other members of the committee include: Alhaji Adamu Fika, Wazirin Fika, General Muhammadu Inuwa Wushishi, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, Dr. Umaru Mutallab, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Saleh.

The committee had wanted to meet with Ganduje but the meeting couldn’t hold because the governor was traveling for lesser hajj then.

When contacted, the Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the governor, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, however denied knowledge of the meeting. “I’m not aware if any meeting like that took place to be honest with you,” he said.

Effort to reach Mallam Munir Sanusi Bayero, who is an aide to Emir Sanusi on phone on the issue failed to yield the desired result.

However, despite the seeming failure to reach a conclusive resolution of the dispute between Ganduje and Emir Sanusi, a former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, said he is making frantic moves to reconcile the duo.

Shekarau told our correspondent through his media aide, Sule Yau Sule, that he has gone far in trying to bring to an end to dispute. “As a member of the state’s traditional institution as Sardauna of Kano and governor of the state for eight years, I know how best to resolve the imbroglio between the two most important institutions.”

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, who also made intervention in the matter during a recent courtesy visit on Governor Ganduje, urged him to reconsider his government’s decision on the creation of additional emirates in Kano State.

“I am very worried and concerned over the issue, I urge you to please reconsider your decision your excellency. When I had a meeting with his Eminence over the issue, he said that reconciliatory moves were being made to settle the issue.

“Your Excellency, I appeal to you on behalf of myself and my brothers, please even if you are offended, please tamper justice with mercy. I advise you to please approach the issue with lots of caution and maturity,” Oba Ewuare, who was accompanied by the Emir Sanusi during the visit, said.

The Benin monarch advised that “whatever must have instigated the recent splitting of the Kano Emirate should be treated with utmost care, maturity and the wisdom that our forefathers applied in handling matters of such nature.”

He expressed satisfaction over the cordial relationship he saw between the governor and the Emir as against what is being circulated around.

His words: “When we sat there waiting for this hall to be arranged, the very close rapport that I saw between Your Excellency and His Royal Highness is evident that they don’t show any sign of conflict ever existed in Kano. I said to myself, so I have just been reading a lot of things as the media will put it for the benefit of selling their papers” he stated.

Ganduje, who did not respond to the plea, however expressed his intention to work hand-in-hand with the traditional institution in moving the state forward.

“I listened to your rich speech with keen interest and attention and I am happy that you among others commented on the role of traditional rulers in nation building. Inclusiveness of traditional rulers in governance is being given high priority in Kano, particularly when you are talking of those parameters that are indispensable for human development; that is education and health services” the governor stated.

Earlier in his address, Emir Sanusi, who was visiting the Kano government house in a very long time, used the opportunity to congratulate Governor Ganduje on his victory at the Supreme Court. He appreciated the call by the Kano governor for the need to build a united Kano and promised to contribute his quota.

His words: “Since this is the first visit I’m making to the government house since the Supreme Court victory of the governor, let me use this opportunity, on behalf myself and the Emirate Council to congratulate you and your government, congratulations.

“I have listened carefully to your acceptance speech and your call to the people of Kano to unify and I will add my voice to that call for unity.”

Barring any last-minute change, Gov Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State would ban Okada riders in the state.

This was disclosed on Thursday by Gov Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Media, Hon. Remmy Hazzan.

Hazzan, while addressing newsmen after the launch of his book, ‘Wisdom Nugget for Daily Living’ in Abeokuta, said okada riders would be phased out from Ogun State gradually.

He reechoed that Okada riders, who were banned from Lagos State, have no place in Ogun.

The Special Adviser said transportation by Okada has no place in the national policy, describing it as a menace.

He emphasised that the riders would be taken off the streets of Ogun, saying, however, that it will be a gradual process.

“Ogun State is open, but if it is about Okada, maybe you need to look somewhere else. It then doesn’t mean those who are already in the business in Ogun are cast away yet.

“We have a broad national policy that does not support that (Okada riding), which means we will do something that is a phased gradual removal of this menace from our streets. But it will be gradual, it won’t be radical,” Remmy Hazzan said.

Minister for Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola on Thursday narrated how attempt by terrorists to bomb Lagos State in 2013 was foiled.

Fashola who was governor of the state at the time said they intercepted 17 suitcases loaded with explosives which were smuggled in to wreak havoc.

He disclosed this while delivering a lecture titled “Insecurity: Taking actions against organised crime” at the fourth annual public lecture of the United Action for Change (UAC) held in Lagos.

Noting that security was not the job of law enforcement agencies alone, Fashola said the suitcases were discovered with the help of citizen information.

“It is when information is offered that law enforcement must act to check, recheck and verify. So, when 17 suitcases loaded with explosives were brought into Lagos in 2013, law enforcement missed it.

“It was citizen information, which we did not discard, that led to their seizure, apprehension of the suspects and their cargo of terror. They were tried in Lagos without public show. That was the period new courts were being built in Badagry and we prosecuted them there. They were given fair trial because they had lawyers representing them. They were over 20 and were convicted and this enabled government put them in a place where they could no longer harm residents of Lagos,” he said.

According to the Minister, the collection of information and the use of it to prevent crime or apprehend criminal activity was often discussed as if it was the prerogative of law enforcement agencies alone.

“Let me be clear that this is the duty of the citizen and it starts with all of us being interested in our own wellbeing and security. It involves not only careful choices about lifestyle which will prevent us from being attractive as victims to criminals. It requires us to show more interest in what/who is around us and to pay more attention to unusual things.

“It also requires courage, a lot of it, to be able to share information no matter how innocuous, with law enforcement, to enable them keep us safe. There is no magic to Intelligence gathering, it is rooted in civic responsibility.

“One institution of civic participation that we must revive, reform and reuse is the Residents/Landlord Association. We need them very quickly. Know your neighbour is a critical first line of defence against any criminal activity and in particular against organised crime.

“It helps to occupy the space of anonymity in which all criminals thrive and provides information or suspicion about irregular or abnormal behaviour that requires attention,” said Fashola.

To contain insecurity, the Minister said multilevel policing must be allowed to thrive, noting that those opposing the creation of state/community police were denying a reality they were currently living.

He endorsed the Southwest joint security operation Amotekun, adding that there should be a legal framework to outline creation of state police for those may wish to do so.

Fashola also advised states and local governments across the country must as a matter of urgency, take control of open spaces, empty buildings which usually provide free and unmonitored accommodation for criminals as well as storage for weapons, drugs and proceeds of crime.

He said laws should be put in place to compel people to identify themselves in public buildings, guest houses/ hotels and have surveillance systems in place, adding that unregistered vehicles or covered number plates should not be tolerated.

“We must recognise that organised crime is a business that we must put out of business because it thrived at our collective peril. The people behind organised crime earn their livelihood from it and also employ people, including the young and able bodied who play critical roles in the value chain of its operation.

“They have collaborators in critical institutions of the state and at sensitive placed like our borders. Seizures of containers of arms and tramadol at our ports are not accidental. They are product of vigilance and dedication by border security against organised crime.

“But the question to ask is how many actually got in undetected? Therefore, the case for immediate action by budgetary commitment and spending against an illegal business that is investing must be a compelling matter of national consensus.

“The United Kingdom recently made the case for investing £2billion to its existing budget, in order to fight organised crime. Because of the rewards that organised crime offers by way of illicit funds, and its appeal to the young, old, unemployed and vulnerable, we must move financial controls to another level.”

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has inaugurated a 56-member Constitution Review Committee to be chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege.

The committee, inaugurated during Thursday’s plenary consists of all the eight principal officers, one Senator each from the 36 States and two members from each of the six geo-political zones.

Members of the committee are:
Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi;
Deputy Senate Leader, Ajayi Borrofice;
Deputy Chief Whip, Sabi Abdullahi;
Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe;
Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha;
Minority Whip, Philip Aduda;
Deputy Minority Whip, Sahabi Ya’u.
Ike Ekweremadu;
Opeyemi Bamidele,
Smart Adeyemi,
Danjuma Goje,
James Manager,
Stella Oduah,
Oluremi Tinubu,
Biodun Olujimi,
Uche Ekwuenife,
Aisha Dahiru.

The United States has advised the Federal Government to do more in protecting Nigerians and humanitarian organisations that are assisting the country in the face of activities of Boko Haram insurgents and other religious and ethnic violence.

The US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, made the call in Washington DC on Tuesday during a joint media briefing he had with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, after the US-Nigeria Bi-national Commission meeting.

Pompeo made the call amidst increasing attacks by Boko Haram insurgents on aid workers and residents of the North-East as well as the rising killings by bandits in other parts of the country, particularly, Niger, Zamfara and Katsina states.

Also on insecurity, the Presidency and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs on Wednesday hit back at the Christian Association of  Nigeria over its attack on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who on Tuesday said insurgents had killed more Muslims than Christians.

But CAN on Wednesday insisted that the NSCIA could not exonerate Boko Haram as an Islamic organisation.

Buhari, had in an op-ed published in a United States-based magazine, Christianity Today, said Christians were not the primary targets of the insurgents.

CAN’s Director of Legal and Public Affairs,  Kwamkur Samuel, in his response, told The PUNCH on Tuesday that  Buhari’s statement was provocative.

He said Boko Haram had wiped out all Christian communities in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, among others.

The rising insecurity in Nigeria featured at the US-Nigeria Bi-national Commission meeting in Washington DC.

The Department of State, which hosted the meeting, made the full transcript of the media briefing available to journalists.

Pompeo said although the US government was aware that the issues involved in the security challenges were hard and complicated, there was the need for the government to protect its civilians.

To achieve this, he said the US would provide $40m in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in addition to the nearly $350m that was provided in 2019.

He said, “The foreign minister and I also discussed the massive humanitarian crisis caused by  Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa and other religious and ethnic violence.”

Protect religious communities, America advises FG

Pompeo stated, “We know that these issues are hard. We know that they’re complicated. But I strongly encourage the Nigerian government to do more to protect its civilians, including religious communities and the humanitarian organisations,  seeking to assist them.

While noting that security cooperation between the two countries had been expanding, Pompeo cited Nigeria’s recent $500m purchase of 12 US-made A-29 aircraft.

This, he said, supported the recently stated goal of  Buhari of creating “a security force with the best training and modern weaponry.

 “The United States has already invested in the training of Nigeria’s military on human rights and the Law of Armed Conflict.

“Nigeria was one of the first African nations to join the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.  America is now supporting the Nigerian fight against ISIS’s largest global affiliate, ISIS-West Africa – a dangerous threat to both of our countries.

“In part due to this terrorism threat, on Friday, President Trump announced the suspension of immigrant visas for Nigerians because Nigeria has room to grow in sharing important national security information.

“I am optimistic that’s going to happen. In the proclamation, President Trump highlighted Nigeria’s importance as a strategic partner in the global fight against terrorism and recognised the government’s commitment to improving information sharing with us.”

On economic cooperation, he noted that Nigeria was already America’s second-largest trading partner in Africa.

He stated, “The US companies from Google to Chevron to KPMG invested over a billion dollars in Nigeria in 2018 alone, creating over 18,000 jobs and indirectly supporting three million others.”

He said he was pleased that Buhari had prioritised that fight against corruption. He stated, “In support of that fight, I am announcing today that the United States and Nigeria have signed an agreement to return to the Nigerian people more than $308m in assets stolen by a former dictator,” he added.

Onyeama, on his part, said security in Nigeria had become a major issue and an existential threat.

He said while the nation hoped to procure the fighter planes Pompeo mentioned, there were other areas like sharing of intelligence.

On Wednesday, the President’s op-ed in Christianity Today generated more reactions. The apex organisation for Muslims in the country, the NSCIA, called on the  Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity.

The group, which condemned CAN, supported the President’s statement that insurgents had killed more Muslims than Christians.

The NSCIA stated this at a press conference addressed by its Director of Administration, Alhaji Yusuf  Nwoha. The press conference was attended by its Deputy Secretary General, Prof. Salisu Shehu and Head (Media and Communications), Aselemi Ibrahim.

Nwoha said rather than playing to the gallery as ethnic irredentists and religious bigots would do, Nigerians should support government to eliminate insecurity.

NSCIA seeks state of emergency

Nwoha said, “The level of insecurity in the country has reached an unacceptable crescendo that declaring a state of emergency on it appears not only necessary but also pressing.

“Therefore, the NSCIA stridently calls on the Federal Government and all its agencies (including the military) to use whatever means possible to arrest this descent into anarchy. Nigeria cannot just continue like this with the blood of the innocent being shed unjustly and human security being at its lowest ebb.

“The situation of Nigeria today is desperate and desperate situations require desperate measures in the collective interest of well-meaning Nigerians. Let the monster of insecurity be tackled actively and proactively with the full weight of Nigeria’s security and defence capacity.”

Act decisively, NSCIA advises Buhari

The group said those who were assigned the role of guaranteeing external security should not wait until there would be no nation to secure.

It stated, “The time to arrest the insecurity in the land is now and we repeat our call to President Muhammad Buhari to combat the current spike in insecurity with candid decisiveness.

The NSCIA lamented that Nigerians were dying needlessly to “the satisfaction of the evil-minded political profiteers, ethnic irredentists and pseudo-religious agitators disguising as religious leaders.”

It also gave the names of Christians who had been arrested for terrorism. The NSCIA added, “Christians have been known to engage in terrorism in Nigeria with a view to blaming it on Muslims.”

The NSCIA said the aborted bombing of the Living Faith Church in Kaduna, would have been blamed on Muslims if the suspect was not arrested.

It also made a tactical reference to the nationwide protest against killings organised by CAN and attended in Lagos by the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

According to the group, rather than see insecurity as a national challenge some religious leaders have resorted to scoring cheap political goals and engage in self-indicting propaganda.

The NSCIA said, “One of them is the recently organised street show by some religious leaders who give political colouration to grinding insecurity fuelled by hypocrisy and hubris. But efforts must be doubled through the instrumentality of hard work and prayers so that the enemies of Nigeria will be unveiled and this is where government must double or triple its efforts at counter-insecurity measures.”

Criticising CAN, the NSCIA stated that Boko Haram did not represent Islam or Muslims. It stated, “The group and the enemies of Islam hiding behind its mask are pursuing a rogue, venal and doggy agenda far removed from Islam.

It’s  height of falsehood to say B’Haram is ploy to eliminate Christians – NSCIA

“It is, therefore, the height of insincerity, wickedness, falsehood and hypocrisy to suggest that Boko Haram is a ploy to eliminate Christians, a dummy being promoted by some dealers camouflaging as religious leaders to their followers and the outside world.”

It noted that more Muslims, including Imams, had been slaughtered, displaced and dismembered than Christians by Boko Haram.

The group added, “To suggest that Christians are killed because they refuse to embrace Islam stands logic on its head. Were Muslim scholars and individuals killed in mosques, market squares and villages killed because they refused to denounce Islam?

“In September 2018, a prominent Muslim General was murdered in cold blood and his body was dragged to an abandoned mining pit filled with water in Dura-Du District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.”

The NSCIA said it did not generalise the killings by accusing Christians in Nigeria of murdering Muslims.

The organisation said some terrorist acts attributed to Boko Haram were not more than false flag operations by the irredentist political and self-righteous anti-Islamic religious associations in Nigeria.


You can’t exonerate B’Haram as Islamic organisation, CAN replies NSCIA

In his response to NSCIA’s statement, CAN’s Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Samuel, said it was unfortunate that the Muslim group digressed from the reality to presenting names of Christians who were engaged in terrorism.

He said besides providing the names,  the NSCIA  ought to have named Christian organisations sponsoring them, their leaders, their headquarters, where they were being rehabilitated and their international partners.

Samuel stated, “Unless and until the organisation provides details of these questions, they are very far from making sense to Nigerians. For the Boko Haram and killers Fulani militias, the names of their organisations are known, their leaders are always on one medium or video justifying their actions. They have headquarters with international partners and have always claimed responsibility for their actions.

“The Christian Association of Nigeria has much respect for the leadership of the NSCIA but regretted that they are being misled into taking issue with CAN. That attempt to exonerate Boko Haram as an Islamic organisation has failed! ”

He said CAN was not surprised that Boko Haram used Christian agents “because facts abound that most of the kidnapped Christians are forced to change their faith and work for the insurgents.”

The CAN official said the insurgents told Nigerians that they had converted and married Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped from Chibok, to one of their commanders.

He added that a committed Christian National Youth Service Corps member was reported to have told his Church not to bother paying for his ransom because he preferred to work for the insurgents.

He said, “It is true that one of the killers of Rev. Lawan Andimi (Adamawa State CAN chairman) was a Christian who was forcefully converted to work for the terrorists. Is it not also true that Boko Haram with terrorism is gaining more favour in Nigeria and is likely to have more youth followers regardless of their religion?

“Is it not a likely outcome that with the rehabilitation packages and possible absorption of the so-called repentant terrorists into Nigerian Army, a high number of jobless youth will join the group for the sake of survival?

“I think at this point displaying names of Christians who have participated in terrorism will not help justify the case of the NSCIA because Nigerians already know that they are being killed by Boko Haram, Fulani militiamen, ISWAP, bandits, kidnappers and their likes. Nigerians know also their religion and the angle they come from. We cannot deny the fact that not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims.”

Presidency dismisses CAN’s claim on Chibok/Dapchi schoolgirls

On its part, the Presidency disputed CAN’s allegations that the Federal Government refused to pay ransom to secure the release of the Chibok schoolgirls because the majority of them were Christians.

Recall that 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram, but 57 of the girls escaped to safety almost immediately.

The insurgents eventually went away with 219 of them. Over a number of years, 107 of the Chibok girls regained freedom, but till date, 112 are missing.

CAN had alleged on Tuesday that the Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapped in Yobe State almost four years later in 2018, were speedily released because the government paid random, having realised that most of them were Muslims, except Leah Sharibu, whom the insurgents held back on account of her Christian faith.

But, in its reaction, the Presidency dismissed CAN’s claim on payment of ransom to Boko Haram, saying that the regime of  Buhari  did not pay any ransom for the release of the Dapchi schoolgirls.

“We are again constrained to react to unfounded allegations by the Christian Association of Nigeria about the payment or non-payment of ransom for the release of the Chibok and Dapchi schoolgirls”, it said in a statement by Buhari’s media aide, Mr Femi Adesina.

It recalled that in 2018, the Buhari regime, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had clarified that no ransom was paid on the girls.

It added, “We urge CAN to desist from disinformation which can further divide Nigerians. The letter and spirit of the Holy Bible do not support discord, which CAN’s allegations are liable to cause.

However, the Presidency said Buhari was committed to having the Chibok schoolgirls released and would pay ransom if his regime needed to do so.

“President Muhammadu Buhari made it very clear in 2015 that if ransom needed to be paid to free the Chibok schoolgirls, he would pay.

Don’t rationalise killings, Atiku tells Buhari

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in his twitter personal handle, @atiku, said killing by any misguided group was wrong and should be condemned.

He tweeted: “We must not rationalise killings. Whether Christian, Muslim, traditionalist, or atheist, the killing of any human being, by Boko Haram, or any other misguided group, is wrong and should be condemned unequivocally. There is no compulsion in religion. Only love. –AA”

There was a mild drama at the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State chapter, Osogbo, on Tuesday, when the meeting of the party’s caucus in the South West was disrupted by protest from members of the APC in Ekiti State.

The protesters, who stormed the APC secretariat located at Ogo Oluwa area of Osogbo, on the stretch of Gbongan-Ibadan expressway, were demanding that the slot of the National Deputy Chairman, South-West, to be zoned to Ekiti State.

The South West leadership of the party were holding a closed-door meeting in Osogbo to fill the vacant seats in the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party from the region.

The position of National Deputy Chairman (South-West) of the APC occupied by Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo became vacant as a result of his appointment as Minister of Trade and Investment by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “No more Ajele politics”, “Fair is fair don’t cheat us”, “Don’t take us as fools”, “Beware of those things that can tear us apart”, “Ekiti APC is not second class Ekiti”, “Party constitution is superior to personal sentiments”, “It is deputy chairman or nothing”, among others.

Leading the protesters, a member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, representing Ikole State Constituency, Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, forced his way into the secretariat and subsequently disrupted the meeting.

While addressing the South-West caucus leadership, Aribasoye said, “the reason for our protest is for equity and justice. The position of the national deputy chairman APC south became vacant upon the appointment of Niyi Adebayo who is now a minister.

“By the precedent convention and constitution of our party, the state which produces the seat that is vacant is to select another person to replace.”
According to him, “in Lagos State, Muiz Banire as the chairman of Assets Management Company of Nigeria and was replaced by Babatunde Ogala which is also from Lagos. Like in Kwara State, Lai Mohammed was appointed minister, Professor Bolaji Abdullahi replaced him. We have the same in River State, in the case of Oji Ngofa.

“There is a zoning arrangement within our party, whereby the national chairman was zoned to Edo State in South-South then the deputy national chairman, the south was zoned to South West and Ekiti. Now that the position is vacant it beckons on the South-West caucus to ask for nomination from Ekiti state, not any other place. But what we heard they want to choose a replacement from Oyo State.”

“Ekiti State is not an appendage of any other state. We are against cheating. What belongs to us must not be taken away. The position of the National Deputy Chairman (South) of the APC should be zoned back to Ekiti. We believe in a course and we are resolute. We are resisting modern-day Ajele.”

Responding to the protesters, the national Vice-chairman (Southwest) of the APC), Pastor Bankole Oluwajana, implored them to be calm, saying “we have heard what you have said, and we will make it known the leadership of the party.”

Fire has razed down the country home of Rep Kabir Adamu Mai-Palace who represents Gusau/Tsafe in the House of Representatives, Zamfara Fire Service Department confirmed on Tuesday in Gusau.

Abdullahi Jibo, Deputy Director, Fire Prevention and Public Enlightenment of the Department, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Jibo said that the fire disaster, which gutted the house located at Anguwar-Yarima area, Gusau was suspected to be caused by a power surge.

According to him, the department received a distress call from the area around 10:30 a.m. and quickly mobilised its personnel to the scene where the inferno was brought under control.

“There was no loss of lives or injuries; we were able to bring out two vehicles from the house,” he said.

As the Federal Government officially commenced collection of the new Value Added Tax (VAT) rate of 7.5 per cent indication were that the government collectable VAT revenue is set to rise by 50 per cent to over N1.65trillion this year.
This came as the new VAT rate officially took off yesterday nationwide with some categories of companies exempted.

Sunday Telegraph investigation revealed that the new 7.5 per cent VAT rate is calculated to contribute to the government’s revenue target of N7.5 trillion 2020.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Federal Government generated N1.10 trillion as VAT in 2018, representing a growth of 13.96 per cent (year-on-year) when compared to the N972.34 billion collected in 2018. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) also collected the sum of N1.42 trillion in Companies Income Tax (CIT) and N2.4 trillion in Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT) that year.

Speaking on the new VAT rate, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed said the expected revenue will be distributed among the three tiers of government based on the statutory revenue sharing formula as defined in the constitution “and to this effect, it means the Federal Government will be receiving proposed aggregate of N4.26 trillion from the federal account and the VAT pool, while the states and the local governments are expected to receive N3.04 trillion and N2.27 trillion respectively.”

It will be recalled that earlier in June, Mrs. Ahmed had said that an upward review of VAT is a follow up on the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the labour union following the minimum wage increase. She said the increase in VAT would enable the government to handle the incremental cost of increasing wages.

“I want to state that one of the key provisions in the Finance Act 2019 that have elicited a lot of interest is the increase in the VAT from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent, and to remind us all, the finance bill has made copious provisions to improve the ease of doing business; so we have a category of companies that have turnover of 25 per cent and below that will be paying no taxes at all, and also we have reduced tax rates for companies that have turnover from 25 million to 100 million from 30 per cent to 30 per cent.

“The essence of this is to encourage formalization of businesses from the informal sector and also to encourage businesses to grow and become more productive, thereby increasing employment and also meeting the commitment of Mr. President to remove 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years.

Mrs. Ahmed also recently said that the VAT increase would impact more on consumption by urban communities and the wealthier sections of the population. She explained that the proposed tax increase would not affect the poor masses as perceived by some people.

“The proposed VAT increase is likely to impact more on consumption by the urban communities and the wealthier sections of the population than on the poor.’’

According to her, the Ministry of Finance will coordinate its fiscal policies with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s current tight monetary policy stance to ensure that the appropriate out turns are achieved in terms of growth, consumption and inflation.

She, however, said that Nigeria’s VAT contribution to the nation’s GDP had declined from one per cent between 2010 and 2013 to 0.8 per cent between 2015 and 2018. “This is significantly below the median of five per cent of GDP in other comparable African countries. “Nigeria’s low VAT-to-GDP is attributable to the low nominal VAT rate, which at five per cent is the lowest in the African region which averages at about 16 per cent.

Similarly, Mr. Ben Akabueze, the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation said that the proposed VAT would be implemented in the threshold, adding that it would affect only certain category of businesses as some small businesses would be exempted.

He explained that the new VAT would not affect the poor and vulnerable Nigerians contrary to perception in some quarters. “The proposed VAT review has minimal engagement with the poor or common man because they hardly engage in a platform where VAT is chargeable. “In doing this, the new VAT will consider two things such as the expansion of the exemption list and the threshold which considers the quantum of the capital of a particular business such with VAT registration to N25 million turnover per annum.

“The VAT has an exemption list as those selling basic commodities such as food, medical services and medicines as well as education and we have expanded it to cover as many basic things as possible” he explained.

Akubueze said VAT in Nigeria was still low considering the tax to Gross Domestic Product’s (GDP) ration which he said was about six per cent and the lowest in the world. He added that Nigerians should not expect the government to perform optimally without increasing the revenue base.

PREPARATORY to the 2023 presidential contest build-up, there appears to a loud rumbling in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) touching on scheming for the ticket of the party.

Gladiators in the party, particularly in the South-West zone, are flexing muscles over the control of the party machinery, particularly as it relates to the vacant position of the Deputy National Chairman (South) last occupied by the Chief Niyi Adebayo, a former governor of Ekiti State.

The position became vacant when President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Adebayo as Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment last year.

A fresh crisis is brewing in the South-West APC over an alleged plan by a powerful clique to hijack the structure of the party in the region.

Sunday Tribune learnt that the plan was hatched as part of the moves by the powerful group to gain a strong foothold in decision making of the party both in the South-West region and at the national level ahead of the battle for the 2023 presidential ticket.

According to one of the sources, the issue came to a head on Friday night during a stakeholders’ meeting called by leader of the party to surreptitiously activate the plan and foist it on the other stakeholders.

The grand plot, Sunday Tribune was told, centred around the post of Deputy National Chairman South-West which would eventually be used to hijack the structure of the party at the national level.

“The plan is to fill the position of Niyi Adebayo at the national level with their own person. That was the crux of the meeting, the main agenda that dominated the meeting in Lagos,” one of the sources in the know told Sunday Tribune.

Credible sources informed Sunday Tribune that some other interests in the South-West were said not to be favourably disposed to the plan, especially the forces behind it and had also moved to reject it outright.

Even when it became known that the plan to supplant Chief Adebayo’s position had the full endorsement of a national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, most of the chieftains at the meeting were said to have voiced out their objection immediately.

“In fact, a former governor in the South-West was even nominated by the national leader as Adebayo’s replacement. But most of the stakeholders kicked against him. They were simply not impressed by the reasons advanced by the hatchers of the plan, knowing that the game plan is all about 2023,” another source told Sunday Tribune.

“To worsen the matter, the proposed replacement is not even from Ekiti State. So why take away the slot given to Ekiti to another state?

“What some of those at the meeting demanded was fairness. Besides, they [stakeholders] all know the major reason they are pushing for Chief Adebayo’s replacement now. It is to firmly position themselves at the apex of the party in Abuja and eventually take it over.

“Per adventure [Adams] Oshiomhole, [National Chairman of APC] is booted out as being canvassed by some governors, then their replacement would take over in an acting capacity. Do you know what political mileage that would give in the battle for 2023 presidential ticket?” the source asked.

According to the sources, the meeting ended without reaching any consensus as the other members claimed they would resist any plan by any person or group to hijack the party in the region through the back door.

“We know their plan is to use the post to achieve their 2023 ambition. But we are also ready to resist any imposition,” a source said.

Sunday Tribune was also informed that the Lagos meeting was not the first. There was a meeting in Abuja, a little more than a week back, where two senators, a recently-appointed chairman of board of a major Federal Government agency and a couple of other party big shots, unequivocally stated their objection to the national leader of the party, a source at the meeting told Sunday Tribune.

At the Abuja meeting, Jide Awe, a former state chairman of the party in Ekiti State, was initially pencilled in, for the vacancy, before shifting permutations took him out of serious consideration.

A former senator, Gbenga Aluko, is also being projected into the race.

Despite being largely seen as Tinubu’s boy, a perception said to be primarily responsible for his ordeal in the state, he was reportedly ruled out for not being a big player with the needed network to facilitate what would be expected of him, when the chips are down.

The source further disclosed that though the meeting wasn’t planned, as some of the chieftains met at the party leader’s residence by coincidence, he noted that the unanimity in the rejection of the former governor should send a clear signal to those behind the move that it was being designed to fail.

To discuss the development and sundry matters, a crucial meeting of the South-West caucus of the APC has been scheduled for Tuesday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The party’s zonal spokesperson, Honourable Karounwi Oladapo, confirmed the planned parley when reached by Sunday Tribune, as controversy rages over the vacancy expected to be filled by the South-West.

Oladapo also refused to comment on the reported controversial meeting of the zonal caucus in Ibadan on Friday, where attempts were said to have been made to shift the vacancy from Ekiti to another state.

He said he wasn’t at the said meeting and would not want to embark on a speculative voyage, in reacting to what he didn’t know anything about.

Frank Ikpefan, Abuja and Toba Agboola


Organized labour has commenced mobilization of workers in 15 states of the federation for a strike to press home demand for the full implementation of the new minimum wage of N30,000.

The states, according to labour sources, are yet to demonstrate enough commitment in  keying into the new dispensation.

The bone of contention in most of the states is the consequential adjustment of the new salary structure.

Sources said labour leaders had been placed on standby for an industrial action.

The states were given up till on Friday to conclude negotiation on the matter.

But The Nation gathered last night that many of the affected states were making frantic efforts to avert a showdown with workers.

The states are: Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Cross River, Zamfara, Gombe, Taraba, Niger, Plateau, Kogi, Kwara, and Nasarawa.

Some of the governors started negotiations a few days before the original deadline of December 31, 2019 set by labour.

But when it dawned on labour that some of the states had not gone far in their negotiation with their members, a grace period of one month was given to the governors by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to wrap up negotiations.

Although, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State started paying the new minimum wage, especially for the low cadre of workers last October, negotiation with labour on consequential adjustment for other categories of workers is still on.

Secretary-General of TUC, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, in an interview, said on Friday that the union was expecting feedback from all the states on the implementation of the minimum wage.

Ozigi said state council chairmen of the TUC would turn in their reports tomorrow.

According to him, the National Administrative Council (NAC) led by its President, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, would meet any moment from now to assess compliance by state governors.

He said the NAC would then decide the next line of action after the review of reports from its state councils.

The secretary-general said the union was ready for “recalcitrant governors” who fail to implement the new wage for workers in their states.

Ozigi said: “We gave them (state governors) January 31 to implement and so far, we are compiling our results. Anytime from now, the NEC will meet to decide what to do with each of the states that has not complied.

“The January 31 was a grace period for them (state governors) to have done that (implement the minimum wage) and they have not done it. Those ones that have not done it, the NAC is meeting to decide what to do in each of those states.

“Already, all our state council members have been put on notice. Having done the assessment by the NAC meeting, of course any action can be taken in any of the states that is still faulting.

“The President of the TUC and the council (NAC) will meet to take that decision but we are still working on it.

“All we want to do is to get feedback from all the states. We are waiting for all the states to get the report by tomorrow then NAC will meet to take the next decision.

“All the state councils are on alert, waiting for direction from the NAC headed by the president.”

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba, could not be reached for comments yesterday.

However, an NLC source said that the union has fixed its own NAC meeting for Tuesday,February  4, 2020 in Abuja where a final decision on  the implementation of the minimum wage will be taken.

The highly placed source said state council chairmen of the NLC  had been placed on alert ahead of the final decision of the NAC.

The source said the NLC will use the meeting to “firm up a line of action on what to be done to recalcitrant governors who are yet to begin payment of the new wage.”

The source also said that affiliate unions in the states had been mobilized  to ensure that the proposed strike was total and effective.


Mixed feelings in Ebonyi State

Civil servants in Ebonyi State have mixed feelings over the payment of N30,000 new minimum wage by the state government.

Many of them already earning over N30,000 are disappointed that  the adjustments to their salaries are far below their expectations.

A civil servant in the state who pleaded for anonymity described the increase in his salary  as a drop in the ocean and not a living wage.

He said, “they said it is a minimum wage, but to us, it is not. It is just a little increment.”

Information and State Orientation Commissioner, Orji Uchenna Orji,  had told newsmen in Abakaliki that the payment was in accordance with the agreement reached with the NLC.

But efforts to contact the state NLC chairman, Comrade Leonard Nkah, for comment were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.


Anambra pledges to meet new deadline

Anambra State Information and Public Enlightenment Commissioner   Don Adinuba, said the state was still negotiating with organized labour.

According to him, adequate funds have been set aside to start immediate implementation once negotiation is concluded.

Adinuba said: “We have stated officially that we are ready to start paying from January. You know we are still negotiating with the workers’ union. We just came back from Christmas and New Year holidays. So, we are still negotiating, but we are ready to start paying from January. We have provided enough funds to start payment from January.”

Commenting on the matter, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Jerry Nnubia, confirmed that negotiation was still ongoing. He said that the committee was only waiting for Governor Willie Obiano, to return from his trip so that it could wrap up the negotiation.


Government, labour also still negotiating  in Osun

Osun State Finance Commissioner Bola Oyebamiji  said that a negotiation committee had been put in place to work out payment modalities.

He added that as soon as the committee concluded its assignment, government’s position on the new wage would be made public.

“Osun State government has not had any difficulty in paying the old minimum wage. Rather, it has been paying as and when due. Salaries are being paid promptly without any problem,” Oyebamiji said.

“The new minimum wage is a law that government must obey. However, we have a joint negotiation committee that would decide on the modalities for payment. Once the committee concludes its assignment, the government’s position on the new wage will be made public.”

A civil servant who spoke on the condition of anonymity, however, said that implementation of the new minimum wage in the state was akin to putting the  cart before the horse.

He said government should first promote   workers who ought to have been elevated over the years and complete payment of salary  arrears before talking about  the new minimum wage.

“If a worker has been on level 9 for years and has qualified for promotion, the new minimum wage will still reflect the level 9 and this will be cheating. So, it is better for the government to first of all approve promotions before we start talking about new minimum wage, which has to reflect the promotion,” he said.


Consequential salary adjustments causing ripples in Oyo

The main problem in Oyo State is the consequential adjustment of the salaries of those earning above N30,000 before the new national minimum wage came into being.

It was gathered that the minimum wage committee held its third meeting recently, but the parties failed  to reach a compromise on the consequential adjustments across board for workers.

Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Olusola Ogundiran, who also chairs the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC) in the state, said: “Negotiation is still ongoing. We are working out the percentages for the consequential adjustments and we are sure the committee will conclude its sittings as soon as possible.

“But I must state that there is nothing we are negotiating about the national minimum wage because it has already become a law. Any state that refuses to pay the N30,000 minimum wage will have to contend with the labour movement.”

Ogundiran stated that if the National Minimum Wage Act increased the minimum wage in Oyo State from N18,000 to N30,000, the workers on Grade Level Seven that are probably receiving N31,000, should also have their salaries adjusted consequentially, saying: “He should not still be on the N31,000 salary any longer.”

Efforts to get comments from Adeosun, chairman of the committee, and Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akinola Ojo, as well as the Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Bayo Titilola-Sodo, did not yield positive results as they could not be reached as at the time of filing this report.


Bayelsa government, labour union reach agreement

The Bayelsa State government and   labour have reached an agreement on the payment of the new minimum wage.

Consequently, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has ordered payment of the N30,000 minimum wage to workers in the state with effect from this last month.

Dickson directed the state’s financial team to follow through the template set by the National Wages and Income Commission in implementing the new salary level.

He said: “I gave  you people a commitment that we are not (in principle) opposed to the  payment of the N30,000 new national minimum wage. Today, I have made good that promise.

“Under normal circumstances, there is nothing we pay our hard working employees that should be considered too much. I cannot thank you enough for the support, cooperation, understanding and patriotism you displayed to my administration in the past eight years, particularly during the period of the economic recession. My expectation is that the organized labour will extend this understanding and cooperation to the incoming government.”

The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade John Ndiomu and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Mr Layi Julius, commended Dickson for the decision of the government to pay the new minimum wage.


Niger set to pay minimum wage, may defer action on consequential adjustments

Niger State Finance Commissioner Zakari Abubakar, said in  Minna recently that  government had made provision for the payment of N30,000 minimum wage to civil servants in the state in the 2020 budget.

He said the implementation of the minimum wage would commence once the fiscal estimate was passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by the governor.

He, however, declined to be categorical when the minimum wage payment would commence.

He merely said: “this is the 2020 budget; everything in the budget will be implemented in 2020.

“We are already paying N22,500, what we need now is N7,500.We have taken care of that in the budget”.

Governor  Abubakar Sani Bello separately told the 25 local government chairmen and other party stakeholders who paid him a solidarity visit in Minna that the state government would commence the payment of the new national minimum wage last month.

Governor Bello said that a committee had been set up on the matter and that considerable progress had been made in the ongoing negotiation to begin the implementation of the new minimum wage.

According to him, those that are not directly affected by the N30, 000 minimum wage would be taken care of in the next phase which is the consequential adjustment.

Organized labour in the state had threatened the state government with an industrial action over the delay in the implementation of the minimum wage.

Rising from it emergency State Executive Council (SEC) meeting in Minna on the 10th of January, the labour union handed a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to pay the 30,000 new minimum wage or face an indefinite strike.


Minimum wage implementation done deal in Gombe – Finance Commissioner

Gombe State Finance Commissioner Muhammad Gambo Magaji called the implementation of the new national minimum wage as a done deal in the state.

”It is a responsibility of the government to pay salaries and ensure workers’ welfare. We will not run away from that responsibility,” Magaji said in Gombe while briefing reporters on the state’s 2020 budget breakdown

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya was quoted in a statement issued by his senior media aide, Ismaila Uba Misilli that his administration would continue to deepen the existing industrial harmony and cordial relationship with workers in the state with a view  to improving  productivity and ensuring  good governance.

Nigeria Labour Congress President Ayuba Wabba, speaking at the opening session of the 2020 Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council Meeting (JNPSNC), in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, recently described governors foot dragging on the payment of the new minimum wage as recalcitrant and black sheep.

Wabba, who was represented by the NLC Chairman, Bayelsa State, Bipre Ndiomu,  commended the Federal Government for ensuring swift and seamless implementation.

He said: ”We cannot say the same for some state governments, which have refused to negotiate with workers at the state levels for consequential adjustments in salaries and payment of the new national minimum wage.

“In fact, a few states are yet to even set up negotiating committees for the consequential salary adjustments. This is completely unacceptable to workers. We can assure the handful of the recalcitrant state governors that the leadership of the organized labour is keenly monitoring the development in their states and we would soon prove that we mean business with our last ultimatum on this matter.

“We do not need to keep reminding the black sheep state governments that the payment of the new minimum wage is backed with the force of the law. There is no denying it. There is no escaping it. You must pay and when you pay you must pay in arrears.

“As for the consequential adjustments in salaries, we will resist any attempt by any state government to unilaterally award stipends to workers. Just as the example had been set by the Federal Government, the consequential adjustments in salaries must be a product of tripartism, social dialogue and negotiations.”

The new wage bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2019.

The Federal Government and organized labour agreed on consequential adjustments on October 18, 2019, after a lengthy negotiation.

The World Health Organisation has identified 13 high- risk African countries for coronavirus .

They are Algeria, Angola , Ivory Coast , DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana , Kenya , Mauritius , Nigeria , South Africa, Tanzania , Uganda , and Zambia .

A statement from WHO said the identified African nations have direct links or a high volume of travel to China .

" WHO has identified 13 top priority countries ( Algeria, Angola , Cote d’ Ivoire , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Ethiopia, Ghana , Kenya , Mauritius, Nigeria , South Africa , Tanzania , Uganda and Zambia ) which either have direct links or a high volume of travel to China .

" To ensure rapid detection of the novel coronavirus, it is important to have laboratories which can test samples and WHO is supporting countries to improve their testing capacity. Since this is a new virus , there are currently only two referral laboratories in the African region which have the reagents needed to conduct such tests.

" However , reagent kits are being shipped to more than 20 other countries in the region , so diagnostic capacity is expected to increase over the coming days . Active screening at airports has been established in a majority of these countries and while they will be WHO first areas of focus , the organization will support all countries in the region in their preparation efforts , ” the WHO said in a statement.

“It is critical that countries step up their readiness and in particular put in place effective screening mechanisms at airports and other major points of entry to ensure that the first cases are detected quickly, ” added WHO Regional Director for Africa , Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.

“The quicker countries can detect cases , the faster they will be able to contain an outbreak and ensure the novel coronavirus does not overwhelm health systems . ”

As yet , there are no confirmed cases of the potentially fatal virus on the African continent.
Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse said four possible cases there have tested negative for 2019- nCoV , as has been the case elsewhere.

Angolan health minister Sílvia Lutucuta reports a new suspected case there , while Sudanese authorities previously said they were investigating two possible coronavirus infections.

China’ s latest update on the coronavirus epidemic , issued at midnight Thursday , listed 213 fatalities with a new total of 9, 692 confirmed cases . There were 15, 238 suspected cases along with 113 , 579 close contacts under health monitoring , according to the National Health Commission.

WHO ’ s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Thursday .
The PHEIC is a designation for an “ extraordinary event” with the potential for international disease spread, one that requires immediate international action and coordinated response to reduce the global public health risk .

A study by a London-based research group has revealed that arms used in the farmers/herders conflict in North-west Nigeria come from the same source as those used by the terror group, Al Qaeda, in Mali and other Sahel countries.

The report, Nigeria’s Herder-Farmer Conflict, conducted by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), focuses its primary findings on Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna States in Nigeria.

Mike Lewis, author of the report and head of investigative arms research for CAR, told Radio France International (RFI) on Wednesday that researchers found the weapons amongst herders to be the same as those used in an attack by an Al Qaeda-aligned group in Mopti, central Mali.

The report also said sophisticated arms are also being smuggled from Turkey into Nigeria.

Mr Lewis said the study tracked weapons such as manufactured shotguns made in 2014 and smuggled by sea through the port of Lagos as well.

“Attackers in different countries are actually using weapons, not just of the same type, but almost certainly from the same batch and that is passed through the same people.

“And what that tells you is that there are very specific sources of illicit weapons that are providing the tools of violence for armed groups and also terrorist groups right across the Sahel,” Mr Lewis said.

“There were assault rifles, for example, that had had their markings scraped off in exactly the same way, and probably with the same tool, and yet we’re finding them literally hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart,” he added.

More Sources of Weapons

According to the report, CAR researchers traced the origins of the weapons across borders in the Sahel, including from military weapons stockpiles in Côte d’Ivoire and from Libya.

The report also revealed a large number of hand-made firearms in the region, where there was a 35:1 ratio between artisanal weapons and factory-made ones.

”State governments in northern and central Nigeria are trying to capture the illicit small weapons, but the issue of the region awash in small arms remains.

“We also need to get serious about securing the region’s borders, and targeting these kinds of trafficking networks that are moving weapons into the conflict,” Mr Lewis said.

Scores and Cause

“Dry seasons present a harsh spinoff: the scarcity of resources required for farming and cattle husbandry. The impacts of the scarcity are most severe in the country’s semi-arid North.

“A situation that pushes Fulani herdsmen towards the Middle Belt and further south, where farmers already confront the challenge of reduction in the land available for cultivation due to housing and industrial expansion.

“It has also resulted in intense competition between farmers and herdsmen, which is increasingly causing bloody clashes in rural communities.

“But the rising wave of banditry, amid high-profile farmers herdsmen communal clash, has steadily become a major issue of Nigeria’s worsening security crisis in the region. The death count is alarming,” the report said.

According to a 2018 report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), an estimated 300,000 people fled their homes in large-scale displacement and insecurity in parts of Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states, a development the group said may hinder farming as well as herding and drive up food prices.

The Inter-communal violence in the region killed more people in 2018 than Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa combined, according to the ICG report.

PREMIUM TIMES last year reported the United Nations saying over 40,000 refugees who were targeted by armed groups in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina states migrated to the neighbouring Niger Republic to seek safety.

While a 2019 report by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said an estimated 7,000 Nigerians died between 2015 and 2019 in the persistent violence between farmers and pastoralists in the middle belt states of Benue and Nasarawa.

To address the violence, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) launched operation “Tsaftan Daji” (Clean Forest), to flush out the armed bandits in the North-West. The army also has an ongoing operation in the region.

Various state governments in the North-west, including those of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina, are also negotiating with the armed bandits and have done prisoner swaps with them. The swaps have involved the release of arrested armed bandits in exchange for tens of persons kidnapped by the bandits.