₦airaland Forum

A 25-year-old woman, Rahama Sulaiman, has been arrested by the police in Kano for allegedly kidnapping her 6-year-old daughter, Hafsat Kabiru, and demanding N3 million ransom from her husband.

The woman allegedly took the daughter to a nearby relative in Madobi to keep for her and that she would travel for four days.

Speaking while parading the suspect and other criminals at the Kano Police Command’s headquarters, the Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Usaini Gumel, said they received a report from the husband, Kabiru Shehu, that his daughter had been kidnapped.

“In a follow-up investigation, the victim was rescued in Madobi LGA and the wife, who was earlier divorced by the husband, confessed to having planned the kidnapping of her daughter.”

Speaking to newsmen after she was paraded, the suspect said her ex-husband did not give her money to feed the children for over 10 months so she decided to do that to get money to take care of his children.

“I called him and told him that our daughter was missing and we went to the police together and reported the matter. Inside the police station, I gave him the number of the guy that will receive the ransom,” she said.

She said she regretted her actions and announced that she had reconciled with her husband.

The husband who confirmed that they had reconciled, added that his wife had never done such before.

The command also paraded other criminals including kidnappers and drug dealers, and also recovered over 600 parcels of Indian hemp.

The CP however said all the suspects would be charged after investigation.

The Dangote Refinery’s operations will not only reduce costs for Nigeria, but it will also ensure petroleum products are readily available and affordable to a considerable extent, writes OKECHUKWU NNODIM

Excitement is building among a variety of parties for the upcoming unveiling of the Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals on May 22, 2023. From oil industry experts and government entities to everyday consumers of petroleum products, this event is set to make an impact both domestically and abroad. Even the global oil market and economists are taking note. May 22, 2023, will mark a significant moment for the oil industry and beyond.

On Monday, The PUNCH reported that the Dangote Refinery, established by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is scheduled to be inaugurated on May 22.

A presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, had tweeted that the inauguration would be done by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

“Efforts by the Federal Government to make Nigeria self-sufficient in local refining of crude oil to save the scarce foreign exchange used in the importation of petroleum products have received a boost as the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery, is set for inauguration on May 22, 2023, by President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ahmad announced.

The 650,000bpd facility, estimated to worth over $19bn, is an integrated refinery project under construction in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos. It is expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility.

The company, on its website, said the refinery would meet 100 per cent of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products and also have a surplus of each of these products for export.

“Dangote Petroleum Refinery is a multi-billion dollar project that will create a market for $21bn per annum of Nigerian crude. It is designed to process Nigerian crude with the ability to also process other crude,” the firm stated.

Meanwhile, the announcement of the planned inauguration of the facility on May 22 has elicited excitement and expectations among Nigerians, industry operators, government officials and other stakeholders.

“We are optimistic and excited to know that the refinery is set for inauguration, considering the humongous benefits that it is going to have on not just the oil sector, but on the Nigerian economy,” the National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, stated.

He told our correspondent that operators were hopeful that the facility would eradicate cases of poor petroleum product supply, that often led to incessant scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, across the country.

“With the coming onboard of the Dangote Refinery, we believe that Nigeria will say goodbye to PMS scarcity, as well as the poor supply of other petroleum products.

“So, it is a welcome development and we are optimistic that this will also impact positively on the cost of petroleum products, although I cannot tell you by how much it will bring down the prices of these products,” he stated.


Cost saving

Other operators also confirmed that the refinery would save Nigeria billions of naira, based on the fact that PMS imports into the country would cease, going by the refining capacity of the plant.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, for instance, recently explained how the Dangote Refinery and the in-country refining of crude would save Nigeria some costs on logistics.

Kyari had explained in February that the refining of crude oil into PMS in Nigeria would compress the logistics cost around petrol supply by about N17/litre, describing this as significant.

NNPC supplies over 60 million litres of petrol daily to keep Nigeria wet with the product. A N17/litre reduction in logistics cost would translate to N1.02bn savings daily.

Based on this, the country would be saving over N367bn annually when Dangote Refinery becomes operational.

Kyari, while speaking during a programme on Nigeria Television Authority, also stated that efforts were ongoing to get the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries ready in the first half of this year.

He, however, pointed out that the local refining of crude would not warrant a massive crash in the cost of petrol, though there would be some gains in price with respect to logistics.

“This understanding that once you start local refining prices will crash, this is not so. It is very unlikely to play out that way because firstly, crude oil will continue to be the major feedstock for every refinery. 70 per cent of your operation cost always comes from crude, as your feedstock, and this is priced at the international market.

“However, two things will change when we start local refining. It gives you the security of supply. Now, when you place an order, it takes you 14 days to get these (petroleum) products from Europe into our country and that can be a matter of concern.

“Any glitch with weather, war situation, or something happens, you will run into trouble, but once you are producing locally, the products become very close to you and the issue of energy security becomes much more assured.”

More so, he said the in-country refining of crude “reduces the logistics cost, because for you to move products from Europe to Nigeria, probably it is going to cost you about N21/litre today.”

Kyari added, “But when you bring it closer home, you are probably going to need N7 or N8/litre to move it from one location, all things being equal.

“So, it is going to compress your price in today’s context, maybe by N17 or so, and that N17 is quite significant. But more than anything, it gives you the security of supply because these products will be closer.”


Reduces freight cost

Also speaking on the subject, a former CEO of Access Bank Plc, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, explained that though the commencement of operations of the Dangote Refinery might not alter the global price of crude, there might be a drop in the transportation component of petroleum products once the refinery begins operations.

Aig-Imuokhuede, who is currently the Chairman of Coronation Capital, while speaking in Abuja recently, explained that the Dangote Refinery would operate as an international entity and that concerns around fuel subsidy had nothing to do with the facility.

“Let me explain something, because I kind of understand how the way the politics and economics of subsidy in Nigeria work. The decision to have fuel subsidy in Nigeria is not grounded in any economic thinking. It is a purely political one.

“So, from an economic standpoint, you now have the ability to refine 650,000 barrels of crude per day in Nigeria once that refinery is commissioned. As to whether or not it is going to mean that you can remove fuel subsidy, the first question should be, will Nigeria give Dangote subsidised crude oil? At what price will Nigeria give Dangote crude oil?

“So, if you want to continue with fuel subsidy, the only way that the Dangote Refinery is going to be able to generate fuel at sub-international market price is if you gave Dangote subsidised crude oil. Now, Dangote is not asking for subsidised crude oil, neither are Nigerians asking for subsidised crude oil,” Aig-Imoukhuede stated.

Also speaking, the Secretary, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, stated that it was obvious that the Federal Government was waiting for the Dangote Refinery to come on stream.

This, he said, was one of the reasons the government had not put the desired effort to revamp Nigeria’s refineries.

He, however, admitted that the Dangote Refinery, due to its capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude daily, had the potential of meeting the domestic demand of Nigeria considerably.

“The government is waiting for Dangote Refinery, and that shows you how important that facility is to Nigeria’s petroleum products’ demands,” he stated.

Shuaibu, however, stated that the refinery might become a monopoly, since the country’s refineries in Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri had remained dormant for decades, despite repeated promises by the government of revamping them.

“The Dangote Refinery is a welcome project and there is no doubt that it is going to improve products’ supply once it starts operations, both in Nigeria, Africa and globally.

“But the truth is that once that refinery comes on stream, it is going to operate as a monopoly. Of course, when there is no competition, what do you expect? Another thing is that while he sells to Nigeria, he will also focus on the international market,” the IPMAN official stated.

For the Executive Secretary of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, the Dangote Refinery was an investment that came into Nigeria at a time when many investors were shying away from the country.

He applauded the courage of Dangote for investing billions of dollars in the project, and expressed hope that the facility would put an end to cases of incessant petrol scarcity in Nigeria, as well as shore up foreign exchange for the country.

He, however, explained that the investment in Dangote Refinery started after the government assured investors that they would recoup their investments when they invest in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Isong further urged the Federal Government to support the Dangote Refinery by ensuring that it enforced and implemented the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

“It takes a person with a heart like Dangote to borrow money to invest and build a big refinery like he has built, hoping to recover his investments and as well contribute to the economy.

“But to be clear, that investment started only after the policy of the government was written in 2017, where it quite clearly said we were moving to deregulation of the pump price,” the MOMAN executive added,

According to him, the PIA came into effect in August 2021, which confirmed what the government policy had said would happen.

“That is the most concrete assurance you can have from a government, when you write into law that if you bring your money, you will not lose it as a result of policies that did not make sense,” he added.


NNPCL’s 20% stake

In June 2021, The PUNCH reported that Kyari stated that NNPCL was borrowing to buy 20 per cent stake in the Dangote Refinery.

NNPC had announced in May 2021 that it was in advanced talks with Dangote Industries to acquire a 20 per cent stake in the 650,000 bpd refinery.

“We are borrowing on the back of the cash flow of this business. We know that this business is viable. It will work and it will return dividends. It has a cash flow that is sustainable because the refinery business, in the short term, will continue to be sustainable.

“That is why banks have come forward to lend to us, so we can take equity in this. There is no resource-dependent country that will watch a business of this scale, which is bordering on energy security and has implications for fiscal security of the country, and you don’t have a say. And for us, as a strategy, we started this process long before Dangote started his refinery project,” Kyari stated.

Finland‘s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, has announced that she is divorcing her husband, Markus Raikkonen, after 19 years together.

The couple, both 37, have a five-year-old daughter, Emma Amalia Marin, together and were married nearly three years ago at an intimate ceremony in August 2020, according to a report by Daily Mail report.

But the couple today announced they had filed for divorce, having been together since they were 18 years old.

“Together we’ve filed for divorce. We’re grateful for the 19 years together and for our beloved daughter,” Marin wrote on Instagram.

“We’re still best friends, close to each other and loving parents. Going forward we will still spend time together as a family and with each other. We wish you will respect our privacy. We won’t comment further on this.”

Marin will be stepping down as Prime Minister after her election defeat last month. She has been embroiled in a series of scandals over her partying during her time in office.

Daily Mail reports that Marin was secretly filmed dancing intimately with Finnish singer Olavi Uusivirta, 39, in August last year, leading to him issuing a denial that they were having an affair. There is no suggestion Uusivirta is to blame for the couple’s split.

Uusivirta, who claimed that he and Marin were simply “friends” and “nothing inappropriate” had happened between them at the Helsinki nightclub, was seen in a video footage where Marin was draping her arms around the him, while he was seen pressing his face against her neck at one point in a gesture suggestive of a kiss, according to some Finnish media reports.

In an apparent bid to stave off the mounting opposition against the zoning arrangement adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for principal offices of the 10th Assembly, president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday met with lawmakers-elect on the platform of opposition political parties.

This is just as crisis rocking the governing party over its zoning arrangement has become confrontational, with frontline speakership aspirants drawing the battle line against the party.

The House of Representatives members now known as the G7 group who stormed the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, in protest blatantly asked the party’s leadership to be prepared for a repeat of what happened in 2015 when those endorsed by the party could not emerge as presiding officers of the National Assembly.

They are deputy Speaker of the House, Ahmed Idris Wase; chairman, committee on Appropriation, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara; chairman, committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; House leader, Hassan Doguwa; chairman, committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli; former chairman, committee on Internal Security and Intelligence in the 8th Assembly, Aminu Sani Jaji, and Hon Mariam Onuoha.

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP gathered reliably that the president-elect conferred with the members-elect of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), in Lagos.

It was learnt that the incoming federal lawmakers were led to Tinubu Lagos residence by the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the “anointed” aspirant of APC for the speakership slot, Tajudeen Abass.

Findings revealed that no fewer than 30 members-elect were randomly picked on the platform of the three major opposition parties by Gbajabiamila and Abass for the trip.

The trip was said to be partly designed to establish the level of acceptability of Abass across party divides and convince Tinubu about the popularity of his choice among his colleagues.

LEADERSHIP learnt that one of the lawmakers seeking to become the Speaker of the House, Mukhtar Betara, also met with Tinubu in Lagos yesterday before the president-elect embarked on his trip to Europe.

It was gathered that Betara, who is leading the opposition against the zoning of the leadership of the House by APC, met Tinubu moment after the session with the opposition lawmakers.

LEADERSHIP recalls APC had on Monday officially announced the endorsement of former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio as president of the Senate, and Senator Barau Jubrin, Kano North Senatorial District (North West) as deputy Senate president.

The party also named Tajudeen Abbass, from Kaduna State (North West) as Speaker of the House and Benjamin Kalu from Abia State (South East) as deputy Speaker.

One of the lawmakers who was at the Lagos meeting with Tinubu told LEADERSHIP that the initiative was meant to serve dual purposes.

According to him, it was planned by Gbajabiamila to demonstrate and convince the president-elect about the extent and strength of mobilisation by the team rooting for Abbas and for Tinubu to openly canvass and throw his weight behind him.

Tinubu was reported to have explained the circumstances leading to the decision on zoning of the leadership of the House by APC and solicited for their support in ensuring that the anointed aspirants of the ruling party scale the hurdles in the House.

He told them that the zoning was purely the decision of the party, adding that he merely supported the initiative as a faithful party leader.

Meanwhile, findings by LEADERSHIP further showed that dissenting lawmakers, especially those from the North Central, have sought the support of the governors of the zone, to reverse the controversial zoning formulae.

It was gathered that Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, was coordinating the action of the governors of the six states in the geopolitical zone.

The lawmakers were said to have told the governors that their silence on the exclusion of the zone in the power sharing was undignifying.

Be Ready For Repeat Of 2015, Gagdi, Wase, Betara, Others Warn

Meanwhile, frontline aspirants for the speakership position, stormed the APC national secretariat in protest.

Blatantly, they asked the party’s leadership to be prepared for a repeat of what happened in 2015 when those endorsed by the party could not emerge as presiding officers of the National Assembly.

Hon Yusuf Gagdi, one of the frontline aspirants, told the APC leadership not to expect them to be loyal to the party if the current zoning arrangement is allowed to stand.

Gagdi, who spoke on behalf of the aspirants, said the APC should expect a repeat of 2015 scenario at the 10th National assembly.

Addressing the national chairman of the party, Gagdi insisted that the proposed arrangement by the NWC was wrong because the National Assembly is an independent body that cannot be turned to the presidency’s dederal executive council (FEC) where people are picked at will.

He said, “When we elect our leaders, all of you will not be there, it is we and our conscience and the covenant of the people of Nigeria that will be in the hallowed chamber. So it is better, it is not late, let the wrongs be righted.

“Unless this is done, sir, our party should not hope that our loyalty will be guaranteed at the detriment of justice, peace and fairness. We will respect justice, unity and equity in the chamber, but only if your instruction is in line with the principle of this party. Sir, do not hope that we have come here to succumb to any instruction and directive given to us,” he said.

The party had in 2015 endorsed Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for the position of the Senate president and Speaker of House of Representatives respectively but the preferred candidates lost to Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara who clinged the positions.

The speakership aspirants known as G7 expressed their grievances and also presented a protest letter to the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu.

At a meeting with the APC NWC members, they told the party leaders to prepare for a repeat of the 2015 scenario should the party allow the endorsed candidates list to stand.

The G7 vowed to oppose any attempt by outside forces to impose a leadership on the 10th House of Representatives, even as they described the zoning arrangement as unjust, unfair and inequitable, adding that it was unacceptable.

Specifically, Wase noted that for such a decision to be arrived at, there was need for serious consultations with all members.

He reminded the party that it does not have the majority in the House, hence, the need to have everyone to agree with such a zoning template.

“We are here to protest and to appeal to you to go again to look into this matter. That what had been ushered out will not stand. And we are disciplined party people.

“I want to say too in 2019, Your Excellency, I was going in for speakership. I was pretty sure I was going to win. Leaders of the party called me including the president and appealed to me to step down for Hon. Femi. I did that and that was how I came in to take the position of the deputy speaker. I want to say that what has happened I think that they are taking us for granted.

“We do not want a repeat of what has happened in the past. We should not forget about the “Tambuwalisation” of what happened in the House of Representatives. We should not forget about the emergence of how Saraki became the senate president. The party as of today we do not have the majority to be that arrogant, and we should take people for granted.”

‘’Our party’s motto is Justice, Peace and Unity. Under your able leadership, you folded your arms and sat to allow aspirants contest elections under the supremacy of Nigerians through the delegates to choose whosoever they wanted to be the flagbearer of the party. The Vice President contested, he is the closest person to Mr. President and yet, because of democracy and because of justice in APC, delegates were allowed to choose whosoever they wanted to be the flagbearer of the party.

On his part, Betara said there was no time two presiding positions were zoned to the same zone and warned the party against the consequences of such decision.

Responding, the APC national chairman, Adamu, pleaded with the aggrieved aspirants, assuring the lawmakers that the party would embark on further consultations and would get back to them.

The chairman clarified that the statement issued by the party clearly stated that the party leadership would endeavour to do more consultations so that everyone would be carried along.

He said, “There is nothing we do that may not be challenged here and there. But let us be able to attend the best possible consultation with people giving them their right of fair hearing before we can say yes we are changing positions or we are not changing positions.

“I plead with you in good conscience to give us a little time to take a good and better look at your presentation and open our ears and our eyes the more to hear more and see more before we can come with finality of your submission and the outcome of it. I thank you for your approach.”

Akeredolu, Other Govs Back Aggrieved Lawmakers

Meanwhile, Governor of Ondo State and chairman of South West Governors’ Forum, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has faulted the zoning arrangement of the APC, describing it as a “skewed arrangement that reinforces injustice and enhances inequity”.

Akeredolu, in a statement personally issued in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Wednesday, noted that the “intentions and motives of the zoning formula represent early signs of steps aimed at attempts to cabin the hard-earned Presidency for our Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by a few individuals with eyes on Aso Rock Power Buttons.”

The governor said, “It is trite to aver, that, it stands logic on the head that one geo-political zone, Northwest in this regard, will be favoured with two presiding officers positions out of four while North Central suffers the consequences for its innocence and shrewd loyalty by having none.

I Won’t Quit Race For Senate President, Izunaso Vows

Meanwhile, an aspirant for the position of Senate president, Senator Osita Izunaso, yesterday vowed not to quit the race, saying his aspiration to lead the Senate of the 10th National Assembly is in the best interest of the nation.

He urged the APC leaders to douse the tension generated by the controversial zoning formula by producing a zoning arrangement that would ensure unity and national cohesion.

According to Izunaso, the president-elect, Tinubu; the outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari, and APC under the leadership of Senator Adamu, should as a matter of importance come up with a new zoning arrangement.

Izunaso, who spoke during a parley with media executives in his campaign office in Abuja said the expectations of Nigeria and the entire world were high on the incoming administration and that no efforts should be spared by the present political leaders of the country in meeting the yearnings of the people.

The journalist cum lawyer and ranking senator-elect from Imo West Senatorial District, Imo State said he agreed with the position of the NWC on the need for “further and better consultations” by all the necessary stakeholders of the party in reaching a workable zoning formula for the principal offices of the National Assembly.

Allow Transparent Process, Joel-Onowakpo Cautions

Also, the Senator-elect for Delta South senatorial sistrict, Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, yesterday has said that the candidate that he will support for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly will emerge through a credible process that is backed by the majority of members.

Joel-Onowakpo who spoke with journalists in Warri on issues ranging from his humble beginning, his sojourn into politics, his election as Senator, expectations from NASS and how he intends to represent his district, assured Nigerians the 10th National Assembly will not be a rubber stamp.

Reacting to the on-going leadership tussle for the 10th Assembly, Joel-Onowakpo said he was not aware that any individual has been endorsed.

He said, “I am not aware, I have heard it just the way you said it. To me, like my name, ‘Thomas’, I consider this as mere speculation. And I want to beg the press not to give the President-Elect unnecessary baggage. The issue about the leadership of NASS is a sensitive one.

“I will expect that whoever emerges should be so from a process. It is the duty of the candidates to earn the respect and trust of their colleagues. These colleagues should be able to take ownership of the leadership. Doing anything to the contrary will amount to the president-elect taking side. So, if asked, I will say that the president-elect, Senator Ahmed Tinubu, has not endorsed anybody to my knowledge. The field is free for all who are qualified to aspire.

“The last thing that this NASS won’t want to be associated with is that “they are rubber stamp”. Even if we want to be a rubber stamp, I am pretty sure that we will do it with some level of dignity. Therefore, let the best man win.”

Executive Chairman, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, has said the monthly salary of the Nigerian President currently stands at N1.2 million, while that of Governors is pegged at N1.1 million.

He said President-elect, Bola Tinubu, would earn the same package unless the the proposed review of the Remuneration Act for elected and designated public officials designed by RMAFC is passed into law before President Muhamamdu Buhari administration winds down on May 29.

Shehu said some heads of Federal Government agencies earn higher monthly salaries than the president and governors. He noted that no public servant ought to earn higher than the president or state governors.

He made these disclosures in Abuja at the Economic Confidential public lecture and book presentation themed “Economic diversification in an evolving cashless society” organized by Economic Confidential, Publishers of PR Nigeria and Economy Digest. Two books were unveiled at the occasion- Pantami: Trials & Triumphs Digital Economy Maestro and The eNarial Revolution.

The RMAFC Chairman said: “The salary of Mr. President is N1.2 million a month. I’m sure some MDAs heads earn N5million and some N2 million a month. No public servant in Nigeria should earn more than Mr. President and the governor of a state. Elected National Assembly members earn N12 million and N8million respectively. All those monies some people alluded to are not their salary. They have operational costs and other expenses added to it. These monies were put into it by the National Assembly as logistics and they are paid from the system. We don’t have the power to checkmate that. Only the Nigerian public can challenge that.”

He recalled that the salaries of political office holders and other designated public and judicial office holders were last reviewed in 2008, emphasising that the exercise was overdue for review.

He said revenue from solid minerals is now being shared while 13 percent derivation is paid to solid minerals producing states as is the case with oil producing states.

The People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum has listed Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, his Oyo and Benue State counterparts, Seyi Makinde and Samuel Ortom for honours as it prepares to send forth outgoing members as well as welcome governors-elect.

Director General of PDP Governors Forum, C.I Maduabum, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, said other former and outgoing governors were also to be honoured for their contributions to the party in particular and the nation in general.

He said: “The PDP Governors’ Forum under the leadership of Aminu Tambuwal, is organising Welcome/Reception of PDP governors-elect and send forth of past PDP-GF Chairmen scheduled for May 11, 2023, in Abuja.

“The governors-elect being received into the Forum are: Umo Bassey Eno- Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah -Enugu State, Agbu Kefas – Taraba State, Siminalayi Fubara -Rivers State, Sheriff Oborevwori -Delta State, Dauda Lawa-Zamfara State and Caleb Mutfwang-Plateau State.

“We are also welcoming three re-elected governors, namely, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.

“The Forum wishes to use the opportunity to formally send forth past Chairmen of the Forum, namely: Segun Mimiko, Ayodele Fayose, Ibrahim Dankwambo and Seriake Dickson.

“All outgoing PDP Governors: Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State (Chairman); Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State (Vice Chairman); Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; and Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State, will also be honoured during the ceremony for all their services to the Forum.

“This event will feature a discussion on “Good Governance at the Sub-National level: Issues, Perspectives, Expectations and Outcomes,” which will lay out the challenges facing governance at the sub-national level and possible solutions and is to be presented by Dr. Muda Yusuf, a renowned economist, as Guest Speaker.

“It is expected to be a star-studded event as invitations have been extended to the Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum and members of the PDP National Working Committee, 2003 PDP Presidential Candidate and Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Namadi Sambo, Former Vice President.”

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has ordered airline operators to relocate their aircraft from the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja, to alternate airports.

FAAN, in a circular dated May 8 and issued on Tuesday to operators, stated that the May 29 presidential inauguration is a high security event, which safety and security must be enhanced.

“This is to inform you of a need to temporarily relocate your aircraft to alternate airports due to upcoming Presidential inauguration slated for May 29th 2023.”

The circular with reference number: FAAN/ABJ/NAIA /RGM/NC/AM/1000/VOl-1 signed by the Regional General Manager (North Central), Airport, Kabir Mohammed, stated that “the Presidential inauguration is a high security event, and in order to ensure the safety and security of parties involved, it has become necessary to temporarily relocate all aircraft parked at the GAT to alternate airports.

“To this end, you are kindly requested to relocate your aircraft on or before 22 May, 2023.”

The New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, will arrive in Nigeria on Sunday for a two-day visit as part of his Africa tour.

Nigeria’s Consul-General in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in New York.

Egopija disclosed the Mayor would be attending the meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum during the visit.

He said, “He will be visiting the Minister of FCT to commence sister-city relationship between the city of Abuja and New York.”

A sister-city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities aimed at promoting cultural and commercial ties.

According to the Consul-General, Eric Adams would also pay courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as meet with the business community in the FCT.

NAN reports that Egopija had in January briefed Adams, at a meeting of African Consuls-General, on areas of interest on the sister-city relationship with New York.

“We have started an engagement on the need to have the sister-city relationship between the City of New York and the FCT.

“We want a situation whereby the city of Abuja and New York are able to partner in area of education, fire service, medical support and other social services.

“Also, cultural engagement, the Mayor has taken due note of my suggestion and said, the city would be willing to collaborate with the mission, especially as it relates to our desire to promote the ‘Seki Dance’.

“The Seki Dance troupe and America Tap dance have a similarity; the origin of America Tap dance has been attributed to come from Niger Delta region of Nigeria,’’ Egopija told NAN.

By Bakare Majeed


A coalition of members-elect of the minority parties have set up a committee to produce consensus candidates for the positions of the speaker and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives from their ranks

The members-elect, drawn from the seven minority parties, in a statement on Monday, said they would use their numerical strength to produce the presiding officers of the lower House.

The parties are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Young Progressive Party (YPP).

The 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated in June.

The members-elect, in the statement, signed by the trio of Dachung Bagos (PDP, Plateau) Afam Ogene (LP, Anambra) and Gaza Gbefwi (SDP, Nasarawa), said they will use their numerical strength of188 in the 360-member House to create upset against the All Progressives Congress (APC) which has 177 members-elect.

“Our position is further buoyed by our dominant numerical strength, which by Parliamentary ethos, precedent and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, As Amended, allows us to contest the Presiding Officers position.

“Since emerging as the “Greater Majority,” with a combined Members-Elect tally of 183, as against the APC’s total of 177, history beckons on us to constructively, and creatively, chart the path towards the deepening of our nation’s democracy,” they said.

To find suitable candidates for the two positions, the bloc of minority parties set up a 13-man committee drawn from different parties. The committee is chaired by the most senior lawmaker in the House, Nicholas Mutu (PDP, Delta), who has been in the lower chamber since 1999.

According to the statement, the committee has the mandate to shortlist, screen and eventually recommend aspirants for the speakership and deputy speaker positions.

Mr Mutu is to be deputised by Abdulmumini Jibrin, a member-elect on the platform of the NNPP from Kano, while Mr Ogene will serve as the secretary.

Other members of the committee are Oluwole Oke (PDP) Gaza Gbefwi (SDP), Beni Lar (PDP), Ali Isa (PDP), Kabiru Rurum (NNPP ), Donatus Kuzalio (LP), Yusuf Majigiri (PDP) and Nnabuife Clara (YPP).

Gwacham Chinwe PGA and Idris Salman (ADC) are also members of the committee

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that the ruling party adopted Tajudeen Abbas, a lawmaker from Kaduna State as the consensus candidate for the speaker, and Ben Kalu, a lawmaker from Abia State, as deputy speaker.

Aside from Messrs Abbas and Kalu, there are still nine other lawmakers that have declared interest in the race in the ruling party.

They are the Incumbent Deputy Speaker Idris Wase (Plateau) Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau) Sada Soli (Katsina), Muktar Betara (Borno) Tunji Olawuyi (Kwara), Abubakar Makki (Jigawa), Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara), Ben Kalu (Abia), Ado Doguwa (Kano), and Miriam Onuoha (Imo).

Dan Karami, a notorious banditry kingpin operating in Zamfara and Katsina States, has stopped communities from using the Dauran weekly market a week after two Fulanis were reportedly killed extra-judicially.

Dauran, a commercial town, in Zurmi Local Government of Zamfara State has one of the biggest markets in northern Zamfara. It is open for business every Sunday.

Three local traders who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES over the phone and on condition of anonymity said the market was near empty on Sunday.

Though all three sources said soldiers and policemen have taken over strategic places to forestall the anticipated attack, they said several traders stayed away for safety reasons.

“I went to the market but I was told that Dan Karami has stopped residents of some communities loyal to him not to go to the market. So, I quickly returned because it only means the bandits’ leader might be planning to attack the market,” one of the sources said.

He said he had just returned to his house in Zurmi town.

A youth leader in Zurmi, Muhammad Abubakar, told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that Mr Karami on Saturday evening informed some residents around his camp that they shouldn’t go to the Dauran weekly market.

“I spoke with the village head of one of the areas Dan Karami spoke to and the monarch confirmed that the terrorist told them to instruct their people not to go to the market,” Mr Abubakar said over the phone.

“Some of these communities are not hostile to him and he in return has not been attacking them. So, he considers them part of his people.”

He said some of the communities are under Rukudawa, Birnin Tsaba, Yan Buki, Mayasa, Kuturu, Kwashabawa, Gidan Jaja and Gurbin Bore.

“It’s disheartening because I’ve seen several of them (traders) returning home with their goods. But we thank God because we’ve alerted the soldiers and they’ve gone there so, I’m sure Dan Karami will not come out to attack the community,” he said.


Extra-judicial killing

Mr Abubakar said the terrorists’ leader is still in a rage over the killing of two Fulani men by vigilante members in the Dauran market last week.

Mr Karami, who is not Fulani himself, has taken it a duty to protect Fulani. His fighters are all Fulanis.

“Last Sunday, the vigilante group members saw two Fulani young men that they said were bandits and killed them instantly. You know the existing tension between the Hausas and Fulanis here. Ever since that happened last week, we knew one of the bandits’ leaders would retaliate,” he said.

The police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Shehu, didn’t respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the development.

The Adamawa State Police Command on Saturday apprehended a 56-year-old man for beating his 38-year-old wife to death.

The suspect Aminu Abubakar, a resident of Lelewaji, Shagari phase 2, in the Yola South Local Government Area, reportedly beat up the deceased Nana Fadimatu following a disagreement between them.

Abubakar had reportedly heard that the deceased was going to marry a new husband the next day, a statement by the spokesperson for the state police command, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, said on Sunday.

Angered by that information, the suspect reportedly hit Fadinatu with a hard object around 10 pm on Friday.

According to the police, she fell down unconscious and was later pronounced dead.

The suspect was apprehended by the police in Shagari Divisional Police Headquarters following a report received from the awaiting husband Mahmud Rufai of Shagari Annex, Yola South Local Government Area.

Investigation so far revealed that the suspect, a manager at Anasam Table Water at Jambutu 50 Housing, had one (1) child with the deceased after nine years of their marriage.

The police commissioner, CP Afolabi Babatola while expressing shock, commended DPO of Shagari for arresting the suspect and ‘making it impossible for him to escape justice’.

Meanwhile, as part of the effort to tackle criminal activities and other related offences in the state, the police commissioner has deployed officers from the Anti-Homicide unit, attached to the State CID to take over the investigation and ensure that the law takes its course.

He equally called on members of the public to report people of suspicious character around their neighbourhoods to the police.

By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja


Before he won the 2015 presidential election, President Muhammadu Buhari led the opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) in grand opposition to the removal of petrol subsidies.

President Buhari’s contention then was that there was no subsidy on petrol and that the government then under President Goodluck Jonathan was corrupt and was looking for ways to fraudulently enrich themselves at the expense of the Nigerian masses.

Eight years down the line and with just days before the end of his two terms in government, President Buhari is leaving the country with the highest amount spent on subsidizing petrol in Nigeria’s history.

According to oil and gas industry reports conducted by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the cost of petrol subsidy from 2015 to 2020 was N1.99 trillion.

Also reports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), showed that petrol subsidy cost N1.57 trillion in 2021 alone and another N1.27 trillion from January to May 2022. The government has a budget of N3 trillion to cover petrol subsidy costs from June 2022 to June 2023.

An aggregation of the entire costs showed that under President Buhari the government would have spent N7.83 trillion on petrol subsidies.

Refineries remain moribund despite promises

In 2015, while Nigeria’s four refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna operated below full capacity, they produced about six million litres of petrol daily for local consumption with President Buhari through the then Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu assuring Nigerians that the refineries would return to full capacity by the end of that year. It never happened.

In 2017, the refineries were partially shut down for maintenance but two years later in 2019 with no headway, the refineries were completely grounded.

The President leaves in about three week’s time with the refineries still under rehabilitation and badly mismanaged. In 2021, helped by loans from the African Development Bank, NNPC announced that it would completely overhaul the Port Harcourt refinery at the cost of $1.5 billion. The refineries in Warri and Kaduna are also under-going similar process.


Expert speaks

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard, oil and gas governance expert, Mr. Henry Adigun said by his failure to resolve the petrol subsidy issues in eight years, President Buhari is leaving the situation worse than he met it.

Mr. Adigun said the politics and emotion around the issue have pushed the country into huge debt burden, adding President Buhari lacked an understanding of how big the issue was and how it could be tackled.

According to him, “The first thing is you cannot manage properly what you do not understand. Most times our politicians talk from emotion and lack of fact. At times they do not take professional advice and would let you know how long they have been in government.

“The man didn’t believe there was a subsidy and they all assumed it was corruption but when they came in and it stared them in the face then they learned and when they learned they now had to make harsh decisions. Buhari made one in 2016 when he raised (pump price) from N87 to N145 but he didn’t sustain. That point in time was the time to allow it to go once and for all but he capped it.

“By capping it and not providing enough foreign exchange for other importers, but allowed only NNPC to become the sole importer of the product in the country, they made the situation worse. That led to the problem they are having now.

“What they have done in the last eight years is to make it worse for the country, make it worse for the incoming administration. They have ballooned the cost and the volume. They failed because they never understood the problem and they made it political”.

He explained that NNPC became the sole importer of petrol due to economic reason, stressing that the difference the exchange rate approved for the NNPC compared to the other importers made impracticable for the others to import and remain profitable.

Adigun therefore urged the incoming administration to settle first settle down and understand the problem before taking a decision on the petrol subsidy challenge.

He noted that the government should eventually hands off any role in the downstream sector and allow the private sector run for the growth and economic development of the country.

The cash the private sector has can bail Nigeria out but the private sector will not invest in area where they cannot get good returns. Look around you in Abuja and Lagos, you will see everybody investing real estate or fintech; that is because it is where they can get good returns. It is not the business of the government to build or rehabilitate refineries”, he added.

He advocated phased removal of subsidy rather than having it in one swoop, stressing that in the past two years government has increased electricity tariff several times thereby eliminating the subsidy on power.

“Let’s have something like a three months phased removal, because it will become a political issue with labour unions opposed to it”, he stated, warning that the new government would struggle to fund its operations except it resorts to huge borrowing policy like Buhari has done.


TABLE – Petrol
Subsidy under Buhari
2015 ——————— N316.70 bn
2016———————- N99.00bn
2017 ——————— N141.63 bn
2018 ——————— N722.30 bn
2019 ——————— N578.07 bn
2020 ——————— N133.73bn
2021 —————— N1.573trn

There are indications that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has settled for Tajudeen Abbas and Ben Kalu as speaker and deputy speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, a move that leaves the North-central zone out of the top six positions.

Mr Abbas, a lawmaker from Kaduna State North-west, was picked as the preferred candidate during a meeting held on Friday afternoon at the Defence House, the official residence of the president-elect it was learnt.

Mr Kalu, a lawmaker from Abia State, South-east, was picked to balance what has now become a joint ticket.

Indications emerged on Friday that Mr Tinubu has also settled for Godswill Akpabio from Akwa-Ibom, South-south, and Barau Jibrin from Kano State, North-west, as senate president and deputy senate president respectively.

With Mr Tinubu from the South-west and his running mate, Kashim Shettima from North-east—the presiding offices were expected to be zoned to the remaining four geopolitical zones.

However, Mr Tinubu and his party have now zoned the Speaker and deputy senate president to the North-west, while the South-south and South-east now have senate president and deputy speaker respectively.

As things stand, there are still several aspirants in the race for the speakership but it’s unclear if they will agree to step down.

One of the aspirants from North-central, told PREMIUM TIMES on the condition of anonymity that he will not step down for anyone.

He said his consultation with leaders of the Labour Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Governor Bala Mohammed and others gives him confidence that he will win the election scheduled for 13 June.

Other aspirants like Deputy Speaker Idris Wase (Plateau), Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau), Sada Soli (Katsina), Muktar Betara (Borno) Tunji Olawuyi (Kwara), Abubakar Makki (Jigawa), Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara), Ado Doguwa (Kano) and Miriam Onuoha ( Imo) are yet to react to the development.

Also, several other lawmakers have indicated interest in the deputy speaker position. They include Chinedu Ogah (Ebonyi), Adewumi Onanuga (Ogun), Tolulope Akande-Sadipe (Oyo) and Francis Waive (Delta).

On the occasion of the new British monarch coronation ceremony slated for tomorrow (Saturday), King Charles III may pardon embattled former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, a legal practitioner Kayode Ajulo, has said.

Ajulo stated this in an interview on Channels Television on Friday.

He said, “There must be a way out’ King Charles’ coronation is an opportunity for a pardon request.

There is a thin line between organ harvesting and donation. The UK Modern Slavery Act rarely weighs the intent of the action,” he added.

Recall that a UK court, on Friday, sentenced Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months in jail for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney for his sick daughter.

Ekweremadu’s wife Beatrice was handed four years, six months sentence while Obinna Obeta, a medical doctor got a 10 years’ sentence for the same offence.

The trio of Ekweremadu, Beatrice and Obeta were convicted of conspiracy to arrange the travel of a young Nigerian man who was identified as David Nwamini to Britain in order to exploit him for his kidney.

The organ was needed for Ekweremadu’s sick daughter, Sonia.

Their trial lasted for six weeks and conviction at the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court, is expected today.

The Prosecutor, Hugh Davies told the jury that the behaviour of Ekweremadu showed “entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy.”

The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday, unveiled Hon. Habeebat Deen as the deputy governorship candidate of the party for the November 11, 2023 election in the State.

Mrs Deen was unveiled to PDP elders and members after she was presented to the party leadership by the governorship candidate of the party, Senator Dino Melaye, at a brief unveiling ceremony, which held at the private residence of a former governor of the State, Alh. Ibrahim Idris, popularly known as Ibro, in Abuja.

LEADERSHIP reports that Hon. Habeebat Deen was a member of the Kogi State House of Assembly. She hails from Ankpa local government area of Kogi East senatorial zone of the State.

Speaking before the unveiling, the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Melaye, said the choice was unprecedented by any major political party in the State, adding that, “we will continue to do things that are innovative and different.”

Present at the unveiling event were the State PDP chairman, Engr. Sam Ohuotu; Brigadier General Tunde Ogbeha (rtd); former Governor Ibrahim Idris; Prince Olusola Akanmode; Dr. Tom Adaba, and Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, among other party stalwarts and members.

Gen. Ogbeha congratulated Melaye for quickly and seamlessly nominating a deputy governorship candidate on the PDP ticket, saying that by the action, “he (Melaye) has shown his gender sensitivity.”

He added: “It’s a divine choice. He has made a statement beyond Kogi State because it will generate a lot of interests, excitement and goodwill.”

Gen. Ogbeha appealed to all those who contested the governorship ticket with Melaye to support his candidacy for the success of the party.

For her part, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was the PDP candidate for the 2023 Kogi Central senatorial election, said it was natural for Kogi West to produce the next Governor of Kogi State while also praising the gender balance of the PDP ticket.

She noted that carrying women along in governance will make a lot of difference even as she promised to mobilise Kogi Central women for the PDP success in the November 11 governorship election.

Also speaking, former Governor Ibrahim Idris called for a unity of purpose among PDP members in the State in order to achieve victory at the governorship poll.

“We need to work together as members of the same family. If that is done, I believe success is ours,” Idris said.

The former governor reiterated that only God gives power to whomever He wants, hence the emergence of Dino Melaye as the PDP governorship candidate, whom he also described as “ready” for the task ahead.

“Dino has shown that he is ready to do the work. He has been saying things that show that he means business,” Idris added.

The House of Representatives has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete from the voters’ register data of voters that fail to vote in two election cycles.

The House made the call on Thursday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi).

The lawmakers resolved that whoever did not vote in the two election cycles held on 25 February and 18 March back to back be deleted from INEC register as non-existing human beings.

They resolved that INEC should develop a mechanism or software application where families who lost their loved ones can report the demise of a particular PVC number so that it can be duly deleted from INEC register, Polling unit, and Ward.

Moving the motion, Mr Abejide said several dead and fictitious persons were discovered in the voters’ register.

“In the last general election, it was glaring and crystal clear that people that were long dead had their names still displayed in the voters’ register. Even my own deceased Father who passed on long ago still has his name displayed on the board.

“Apart from dead voters there are millions of fictitious voters who do not exist anywhere on this planet earth but have their names on the INEC voters register,” he said.

Speaking against the motion, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta), said the proposal is against the principle of the 1999 constitution. He said the right to vote is a fundamental right that is not subject to voting.

“When you are registered, it is a fundamental right. Those of them that have availed themselves to be registered the Constitution gives them that right whether they go to the polls to vote or not. Using that as a criterion to delist such persons is not in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic,” Mr Ossai said.

He added that the mover of the motion failed to provide facts to back the claims he is making. “Our members are speculating without facts. This motion should have been accompanied by facts,” he said.

Mr Ossai declared that the motion is “unconstitutional,” adding “It will fringe the rights of Nigerians”.

Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) said the motion is only asking INEC to clean its register ahead of the off-season elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States.

Following the debate, the motion was taken with an amendment that INEC should embark on verification of the data in the register.

When the motion was put to vote by the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, members voted in support of it.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has prayed a Federal High Court, Abuja to dismiss a suit by Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, seeking the probe and prosecution of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) also urged Justice James Omotosho to discountenance Keyamo’s case.

The minister, who was als the spokesperson, Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), in the suit filed on Jan. 20, had sought an order compelling the EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to probe and prosecute Abubakar following claims by one of his ex-aides, Michael Achimugu, that between 1999 and 2007 when he was vice president, he conspired with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to rip off the country using what he termed “Special Purpose Vehicles.”

At the resumed on Wednesday, lawyers to the EFCC and ICPC, Samuel Okeleke and Mrs. O B. Odogu, in two separate preliminary objections, faulted the competence of the suit and prayed the court to dismiss it.

Okeleke argued that Keyamo did not comply with the requirement of the law in filing the suit, arguing that he ought to have first obtained the leave of the court in seeking to compel an agency of the government to act.

The lawyer contended that having failed to comply with the rules, the suit should not be accorded any attention.

Mrs. Odogu argued that Keyamo did not approach her agency properly, adding that the ICPC works discreetly.

“We do discrete investigation. He (Keyamo) gave us 72 hours ultimatum within which to investigate and prosecute the 1st defendant.

“That is not how we operate. We take our time to do discreet investigation,” she said.

Lawyer to Atiku, Benson Igbanoi, also faulted the competence of the suit while arguing the preliminary objection he filed for his client.

Igbanoi, who accused Keyamo of engaging in abuse of office, urged the court to decline jurisdiction among other grounds, that no cause of action was disclosed by the plaintiff.

He urged the court to disregard the response filed against his preliminary objection by the plaintiff, arguing that it was filed outside the seven days allowed under the court’s rules.

Keyamo’s lawyer, O. C. Uju, urged the court to dismiss the objections raised by the defendants and proceeded to hear the case on the merit.

Uju queried the competence of Atiku’s objection, arguing that it was filed when the court had not assumed jurisdiction over the case and before he could be served with the originating processes.

Justice Omotosho, after entertaining the arguments by lawyers to the parties, adjourned until June 5 for ruling in the preliminary objections.

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has alerted consumers within its franchise area of an imminent blackout from next month over backlogs of unpaid bills.

The IBEDC, a power distribution company, said it was planning to disconnect its feeders from the national grid due to poor remittances.

Consumers to be affected by the development are those in Kwara, Ogun, Osun, Ibadan, Oyo and parts of Kogi, Ekiti and Niger states.

A statement signed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company, Engr. Kingsley Achife and made available to newsmen in Ilorin said the move might result in power outages to customers within the IBEDC franchise areas.

“As a revenue collection arm of the electricity value chain, IBEDC sells and distributes electricity generated by the generation companies.

“However, the company is unable to meet its financial obligations to the electricity value chain due to poor payment and huge outstanding bills by customers.

“We urge our customers to note that failure to pay current and outstanding electricity bills may result in disruption of power to homes, communities, and businesses connected to our network”, the MD said.

The coming inauguration of a new government in Nigeria has brought about a significant surge in rents and property values across the country, particularly in the highbrow areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos.

Ahead of the setting up of a new administration, there will be movement of new legislators, friends of legislators, and families of political office holders into the FCT. The influx of the new officials has raised the demand for high-end housing, leading to a sharp increase in property values.

As of today, in the Central Business District in Abuja, the price of a two-bedroom apartment that previously cost N4 million has risen to N5.5million.

According to reports, the rent in some locations in the FCT has increased by over 35 per cent, despite the economic challenges facing the citizens of the country.

This increase is more pronounced in choice locations, where new members-elect of the 10th House of Representatives are relocating with their family members to commence their legislative duties.

The areas most affected by the rent surge are Wuse II, Maitama district, Asokoro district, Aso Drive, Wuye, Katampe Extension, Wuse 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which are likely to accommodate new National Assembly lawmakers when plenary resumes.

Rent for a four-bedroom duplex now goes for N10 million to N12 million in Asokoro and Maitama; the same goes for Wuse ll. Meanwhile, the rent for a four-bedroom duplex in the Wuse axis ranges from N7 million to N10 million, depending on the location. These were areas where a four-bedroom duplex previously cost between N4 million and N6 million.

Some property experts have, however, argued that rents in Abuja and its environs have increased by more than 35 percent, primarily due to the high cost of building materials and the process of acquiring land.

They also admitted that the transition period, which sees members-elect, political appointees and aides move to Abuja, may have contributed to the increased demand for accommodation and properties.

The former chairman of the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV), Adamu Kazim, explained that rent is a product of income from real estate investment.

The rewards for capital are interest, and the rewards for land are rent, just as the rewards for entrepreneurship are profit. Therefore, in the context of real estate and housing, rent is determined by the supply of available properties,” he added.

The increase in rent is not unexpected given the usual demand for high-end housing in these areas. However, the transition to a new government has further amplified the situation, leading to a surge in rents and property values.

Estate developers, landlords, and agents are experiencing a significant increase in business as new lawmakers and political appointees scramble for accommodation.

The surge in property values is proving to be a boon for estate developers, landlords, and property agents, who are cashing in on the high demand for housing. They are reporting a significant increase in business, with many properties being snapped up as soon as they are listed.

However, the situation is becoming increasingly challenging for those who cannot afford the high prices, and they are being forced to settle for less expensive areas, which are becoming increasingly crowded, or to share accommodation with others.

Some tenants have expressed their struggles to pay their annual rent due to the recent increase, claiming that landlords are increasing rent at their own discretion without considering the tenants’ circumstances.

A businessman, Yusuf Abdullahi, has expressed frustration over the situation, saying he had to relocate his family to an FCT suburb in Nasarawa State due to the increase in rent.

Abdullahi, who is now a landlord in Nasarawa State, explained that the escalating cost of living, including the high cost of energy and transportation, in addition to the growing unemployment rate, had made it challenging for residents to cope with the steep rise in rent prices.

Idris Abdullahi, an estate agent interviewed by LEADERSHIP, said the rent for a duplex in highbrow areas such as Asokoro district now ranges between N10 million and N14 million, depending on the region within Asokoro, as opposed to the previous range of N8 million to N12 million.

A manager at Flourish Estate Limited, Adewale Isaac, cited costs of land and building materials as major factors responsible for the recent rent hike.

He noted that building a house had become more challenging, and by the time construction was finished, the costs would have increased significantly.

According to Isaac, the agents involved in property deals have also raised prices.

“I was recently billed N1.9 million for a two-bedroom flat around Durumi, behind Adisa Estate. I was displeased with the price, because I felt it was too high for the location.

“In Abuja, today, the cost of renting a self-contained room has also significantly increased – from N150,000 to N180,000 last year to around N350,000 in town, Isaac said, explaining that the cost of building materials is consistently rising, making it more difficult for people to construct new houses.

“From a professional perspective, I can say that the landlords and their agents are not increasing rent arbitrarily or out of the desire to exploit tenants. The increase in rent is triggered by a lot of factors that are all there for all to grasp.

“Firstly, the insecurity being experienced across the nation has caused an increase in demand for houses in and around Abuja because people fleeing the violence in states in the North East, North West, some parts of North Central and South East are moving to Abuja where they think it is safe.

The situation is not very different in Lagos, where landlords in areas like Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and Lekki have increased rents by at least 30 percent.

Most affected by the rental surge and hike in rent value are mid to low-income areas where vacancy rates had been at a record low within the past five years.

The neighbourhoods in mainland Lagos with high demand pressure and low vacancy rates include Yaba, Surulere and Magodo.

Other locations, especially the high-density residential segments within the hinterlands in Lagos, have also witnessed almost double in the last three years.

Property consultant and managing director, JJ&J, Mr. Ezekiel Oke, explained that the Nigerian economy is potentially thriving on an import-based economy, and this has further weakened the value of the Naira to rebound the economy.

Ezekiel noted that, like several other sectors of the Nigerian economy, the real estate space has had its fair share of economic challenges erupting from the continued devaluation of the Naira.

“Real estate developers, in most cases, rely on the dollar to perform several integral functions, and the volatile foreign exchange rates could only mean one thing for them.

“Inflation and the free fall of the naira against the Dollar is another factor that has impacted negatively on the cost of rent in Abuja and the country generally. Most of the building materials are imported and this has greatly impacted rent, especially in the high-end niche of the property market,” he said.

The immediate past president, International Real Estate Federation, (FIABCI) Nigeria, Chief Kola Akomolede, corroborated that rents had increased across board in the major cities, particularly in Lagos, due to inflation derived from devaluation of the naira.

Former Redan auditor and managing director of Roccio Carrillo Property Management, Emmanuel Oyelowo said naira depreciation is also accompanied by skyrocketing prices of construction materials, which means that the prices of commercial and residential real estate will have to be rescaled upwards regularly to reflect the changing realities.

“A developer could potentially be at a loss if a property is sold off at the wrong time,” he said.

Meanwhile, the managing director and chief executive officer of Crystal Properties, Olatunde Oloyede, has urged the government to tackle the hike in the cost of building materials as a panacea to providing low cost housing in the built industry across Nigeria.

On the flip side, experts said, another factor pushing up Inflation in the housing sector is the fact that price hikes are strongly determined by rising construction cost, adding that high cost of funds, as reflected in the exchange rate crisis and high-energy cost, were equally a disincentive.

There are growing fears among developers and property managers that there may even be harsher times ahead for the real estate market, while subscribers may need to brace up for future shocks.

The yearly core inflation rate accelerated for the 10th straight month to a 16-year high of 19.2 per cent in January, up from 18.5 per cent in the prior month. On a monthly basis, consumer prices surged by 1.87 per cent, the most in almost 16 years, after a 1.71 per cent increase in the previous month.

A past chairman, Faculty of Estate Agency and Marketing, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Sam Eboigbe, said since the global economic meltdown imparted prices of goods and services, the property market will not enjoy immunity from the effects.


New Senators Won’t Have Accommodation Problem

The new senators that will be inaugurated in the 10th Assembly won’t have to struggle with rent in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it was gathered.

This is because most of the people that won Senate seats are either people who already had houses in Abuja or they are financially established people that can buy houses at places of choice.

The senators who don’t already have houses in Abuja might stay in hotels pending the release of their housing allowances to buy houses.

For those who will work as aides for lawmakers, it is reported that the National Assembly bureaucracy assigns official secretaries who work with the civil servants employed by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).

Legislators have the right to legislative aides, but the number of legislative aides or senior legislative aides they appoint varies.

“Some lawmakers only use aides from the National Assembly Bureaucracy, while others submit names of aides who only work in their constituency offices or a few in Abuja. There is no fixed number.

“When there is a change of administration, some people who have made money will be buying properties, while others will be selling. This will not affect the incoming lawmakers because they are men and women who have already achieved success in life,” a source said.

The source also mentioned that incoming lawmakers, especially senators who may not have convenient accommodation, will be staying in hotels until they can secure a suitable living arrangement.

Labour Minister, Chris Ngige, has disagreed with Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, over the latter’s warning that states and the Federal Governments may not be able to pay salaries beyond next month.

Obaseki, who spoke yesterday during the Workers’ Day at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, said the two tiers of government will no longer be able to pay salaries without the removal of petrol subsidy.

The other option, according to him, would be for the Federal Government to print money.

The Federal Government has set a June 30 day to end the subsidy payment regime on petrol for which it voted N3 trillion in the 2023 Appropriation Act.

Obaseki urged workers to champion the cause for the removal of fuel subsidy.

But Ngige dismissed the governor’s warning as an ‘alarm’.

He also assured the workers that the Federal Government has the capacity to meet the proposed pay rise.


The minister, who spoke on national television, said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had made adequate provision for the workers.

Besides, he said the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has what it takes to follow through on the agreement.

He said: “Obaseki’s statement is not correct because payment of salaries and the increases we are talking about have been budgeted for.

“The doctors have completed their negotiation under the auspices of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and they have come to us and we have transmitted it to the authority concerned. We have done the same thing for the nurses and others in the health sector.

“We have done the same thing for lecturers who went on strike for eight months last year and other workers in the university system and the polytechnic. Already, N350 billion has been captured in the appropriation budget of 2023.”

On whether the government has enough money to pay salaries from June this year, the minister said: “I am neither the Central Bank governor nor am I the Minister of Finance. These two manage Nigeria’s economy.

“I don’t know where Governor Obaseki has his information from. I would advise him as a governor to face his state and not talk about the Federal Government.

“Let him face his state and ensure that the weight of the salary increase is not borne by the workers alone. I don’t know what he is talking about and I don’t live in Edo state.

“For me as Labour manager of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has made adequate provision for payment of salaries.

“And I am sure that the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will tow the same line. He is a finance man, who managed Lagos finances very well.

“When he was the governor of Lagos State, he even had extra for his workers in the judiciary. So, I have no fear that the incoming government will deliver.”

On why the government has not been able to crash the unemployment rate from 32 per cent, Ngige said: “The point here is that job creation is a cross-cutting thing. It is not only for the public sector to do.


“Many people have a wrong notion that it is for the government to create jobs. That is not right. The private sector is huge in job creation.

“If the economy is suffering several challenges, you will not have enough money in the system to ginger the system and create jobs.

“It is a fact that foreign investment into the country has gone down.”

Ngige, who noted that Nigerian workers were right in asking for more, however, said it was wrong for analysts to be equating minimum wage with dollars, adding that most of the consumables workers purchase were not gotten in dollarised markets.

“The inflation challenge is all over the world and that has affected the cost of living in all areas of life. The cost of production world over is rising and Nigeria is not excluded from the global challenge.

“Notwithstanding, that is not to say that Nigerian workers are right to ask for more.

“The Nigerian government is also right under the consideration of the basic capacity to pay. That is the norm under the Labour Law.

“That is why we do what is called collective bargaining, social dialogue during which you break the issues down and eventually arrive at an agreement known as Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that binds everybody.

“But, if in the course of the journey, it is found that the agreement is not implementable, everybody reconvenes again to renegotiate the CBA.

“So, the Nigerian workers are right to ask for wage increases. They are right to be asking for more wages that will improve their standard of living.

“However, I don’t like the idea of looking at the naira vis a vis the dollar every time without situating the issue. That is not right.

“Some things are purchasable with naira and not purchasable with dollars. If you talk about food items, water and some other things, these items are not sold in dollarised markets in Nigeria.”

Speaking during the May Day anniversary christened: “Workers’ Rights and Socio-Economic Justice,” Obaseki promised that his administration would always ensure that the workers were fairly treated so that their take-home pay could take them home.

He said: “It will be a miracle for the state and federal governments to pay salaries beyond June this year, without resorting to massively printing money or removing fuel subsidy. Either of these decisions will bring more hardship and pain to Nigerians, particularly the workers.

“We must all make sure that the burden and pain of these measures, which must be taken, are not carried by workers alone. Workers must now rise and ensure that they champion any discussion on subsidy removal.

“You must shift from the tradition of reacting when these policies have been made, but insist that you take charge and ensure full transparency and disclosure. If we are all undertaking a reform, then the benefits and pains that will come out of the reforms must be mutually shared by all Nigerians, not just the downtrodden.”

Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the welfare of workers in the state, the governor said: “I am proud to say that Edo workers are currently the best paid in Nigeria. When we announced the increment of the minimum wage to N40,000 at this venue last year, I expected that the Federal Government and other state governments would follow suit immediately, but I am surprised that it has taken them one year already.

“My promise to Edo workers here today (yesterday) is that the day the Federal Government is able to pay its new minimum wage and hand over a cheque to any federal worker, that day, we will match the Federal Government and do the same for Edo State’s workers.

“As your governor, I will ensure that workers are fairly treated. So that your take-home pay can really take you home. Our government has kept faith with prompt and regular payment of staff salaries and retirees’ benefits in the state in the last six years.”

Lecturers, doctors and other categories of civil servants under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, Consolidated Medical Salary Scale, popularly known as CONMESS, CONHESS, CONTISS salary scales, will benefit from an undisclosed percentage of pay rise, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Chris Ngige, disclosed on Monday.

Speaking during the commemoration of the 2023 International Workers’ Day celebration at the Eagle Square, Abuja, Ngige noted that the workers will also be paid arrears of the increase from January 2023.

The PUNCH had earlier reported how only the 144,766 federal civil servants under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure benefited from the introduction of the 40 per cent pay rise (peculiar allowance) by the Federal Government.

Addressing the public during the event, Ngige noted that the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission was working towards the finalisation of the increase.

“It will also be recalled that since the emergence of the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure on the 1st of January, 2007, it has not been reviewed by any of the past administrations, but for the consequential minimum wage adjustment of 2019 for all wage structures under this government in 2019. However, in line with the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerian workers, the Federal Government recently worked out the introduction of a 40% Peculiar Allowance into the remuneration and emoluments of core Federal Civil Servants and other public servants on the CONPSS to help cushion the effects of inflation and other costs of doing their works as they are not on any special allowances.

“This demonstrates the government leadership’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare and conditions of service even without any Industrial action, but a fallout of social dialogue.

“However, other workers in the other different wage structures like CONHESS, CONMESS CONUAS, CONTISS that started their Collective Bargaining with their Employer even with Industrial action are wounding up their CBAs for the National Salaries Incomes and Wages to transmit same for final treatment as provisions were made in the 2023 Appropriations for them with effect from 1st January 2023”

A farmer, Friday Omosigho, has committed suicide after attacking his wife with a machete on the farm and leaving her in a pool of blood in Benin City, Edo State.

A source said the incident happened at Ehiozevbaru Village in the Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state.

The deceased was said to have accused his wife, Mercy Omosigho, of infidelity.

The source said, “The deceased took the matter to the village meeting where some elders intervened to resolve the issue.

“Apparently unsatisfied with the elders’ verdict, he attacked his wife with a machete on the farm and abandoned her in the pool of blood to die.

“He then called his younger brother that he had killed his wife and went home to commit suicide by drinking sniper.”

The Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the incident, said the man drank a substance suspected to be the insecticide, ‘sniper.’

He said the Divisional Police Officer of Egba Police Division received a call from one Monday Omosigho that he received a distress call that his junior brother, Friday Omosigho, committed suicide by drinking sniper, after attempting to murder his wife, Mercy Omosigho, over infidelity by giving her machete cut all over her body.

He said the police moved to the scene and recovered the corpse of Friday who attempted to kill his wife and deposited it at the mortuary.

“The wife, who was still alive, was taken to the hospital where she is receiving treatment.

“Investigation on the matter is ongoing and the case has been transferred to the homicide department of the state command,” the PPRO added.

Hopes of a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to emerge as the president of the Senate of the 10th Assembly in June might have been dashed.

LEADERSHIP learnt that a stumbling block to Akpabio’s aspiration stems from opposition to his aspiration by a group of senators led by the outgoing president of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan.

Already, according to a report, Lawan has persuaded the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to withdraw his initial support for the former minority leader of the Senate.

LEADERSHIP learnt that Tinubu’s widely reported support for the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs was aborted at the end of his meeting with Ahmad Lawan-led team of lawmakers.

Akpabio’s fate was sealed at a meeting of some senators-elect and ranking senators held with Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday. LEADERSHIP gathered that Lawan, who spoke on behalf of the group, pointedly told Tinubu that his endorsement would not translate into victory for Akpabio in the Senate.

It was gathered that the senators told Tinubu and members of his inner circle, who were present at the meeting, that Akpabio would be difficult to market for the coveted seat in the Senate.

An impeccable source at the meeting said that in what appeared like a subtle threat, Lawan told the President-elect that another senator, who would be nominated by the aggrieved senators, would trounce Akpabio in the election, should he insist on his choice of the former governor.

Lawan alleged that Akpabio was “bogged down by credibility baggage, which disqualified him from the contest.”

He explained to the president-elect the dangers inherent in projecting Akpabio to the Senate for election.

Findings by LEADERSHIP showed that the senators were angered by the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under the watch of Akpabio as supervising minister of the interventionist agency for the oil-rich belt.

It was further gathered that the senators were particularly piqued that Akpabio allegedly frustrated the inauguration of the board and management appointed and duly screened and confirmed by the Senate on November 5, 2019, thus paving the way for the appointment of a corrupt-ridden interim management to oversee the running of the commission for almost three years.

Akpabio is among the strong contenders for Senate Presidency of the 10th Assembly on the banner of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC). Others are former national chairman of APC and Senator-elect for Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole; Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu and the outgoing governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi.

It was learnt that Lawan, who had spearheaded a movement in the Senate to frustrate Akpabio’s aspiration, besieged the president-elect’s residence on Tuesday to demand the withdrawal of his support for the former minister.

“As soon as the president-elect returned from his foreign trip, the outgoing Senate president sought and secured an appointment with him. He (Lawan) was cleared to see Mr. President-elect on Tuesday, April 25th. We came with a number of Senators for the meeting. After the exchange of pleasantries, Senator Lawan explained their mission.

“Senator Lawan didn’t waste further time as he went to tell the president-elect that Senator Akpabio, whom he is supporting for the position of Senate Presidency of the 10th Assembly, cannot fly in the Senate. He told the president-elect that no senator will vote for Akpabio, that even Senators Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos West), Barau Jibrin (Kano North) and Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), who are following Akpabio up and down, would not vote for him in a secret ballot because Senator Akpabio has credibility baggage,” one of the sources hinted LEADERSHIP.

The source further stated, “The Lawan-led group strongly advised Tinubu to immediately put an end to his support for Akpabio, saying that it would amount to a waste of time. They said Akpabio is not in the good books of the Senate and no senator will vote for him.

“Lawan reminded Tinubu how Senator Bukola Saraki emerged as Senate President of the 8th Assembly against the position of APC and its leadership. He warned that such disgraceful outing may be in the offing for APC and the president-elect in the Senate if their advice is ignored.

“The visiting senators even warned the president-elect that another senator would be sponsored to contest and defeat Akpabio in the event that he refused to take the advice.”

Although our source said Tinubu was non-committal in his response to the request, LEADERSHIP learnt that the president-elect and members of his inner circle reviewed their support for Akpabio after the meeting.

“A series of meetings were held by Tinubu and his inner circle members thereafter and a decision was reached that a former national chairman of APC and Senator-elect (Edo North), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, be supported to emerge as Senate President. The Tinubu camp was wary of a likely humiliating outing in the Senate if the President-elect insisted on his choice of Akpabio.

“Oshiomhole was considered as a close ally of the president-elect and that he lost his position as national chairman of APC because of his perceived closeness to Asiwaju, the fear of Oshiomhole then was that he was going to use his privileged position to deliver Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of APC . So, he was eased out. But despite that, Asiwaju still made it.

“So, Asiwaju’s cronies are of the opinion that Oshiomhole can be trusted and that he should be supported. But an issue was raised about Oshiomhole being a fresh senator. However, a position was taken that he cannot be stopped because he is not a ranking senator; that the Constitution reserves the right of every senator to run for any office in the Senate, that the Constitution supersedes the Senate rules. That, after all, Evan Enwerem, who emerged as Senate president in 1999, was not a ranking senator since there was no Senate in existence before 1999.

“There was also an argument that at the very worst, the Clerk of the Senate can be asked to initiate moves to amend the Senate rule, which provides that only a ranking senator is allowed to hold a principal position in the Senate,” the source added.

Akpabio, in a telephone chat and text messages to our correspondent yesterday, confirmed that Lawan was leading a group of senators in a campaign of calumny to frustrate his bid to lead the Senate of the 10th National Assembly.

Akpabio also confirmed that Lawan actually led a team to Tinubu to discredit him. He said despite the “antics of Lawan and his co-travelers, I remain the main person to beat and I am in the race to win.”

“No one can discredit me before the president-elect, who knows me very well and can vouch for my integrity. Senator Lawan and his cohorts are merely wasting their time.”

The former Senate minority leader disclosed that he visited Lawan in his residence shortly after the Senate president’s meeting with Tinubu for a possible truce. He said he was accompanied to the parley by Bamidele, Olamilekan, Barau and Aburi, but that Lawan rebuffed all entreaties for peace.

He traced his travails with Lawan to his refusal to support Lawan’s presidential bid, ahead of the 2023 elections.

“SP is reacting over the outcome of the APC presidential convention where I publicly withdrew and declared for the president-elect, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am proud to belong to the most prestigious club in the world – the Senate,” he said.

Rendering an account of what transpired in his peace overtures at Lawan’s residence, he said, “Myself, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, Sen. Barau Jibrin. Sen. Yayi (Solomon Olamilekan) and Sen. TOS (Tokunbo Abiru), all prostrated and pleaded with him (Lawan) to forgive whatever mistakes or misgivings he felt I had committed and to support the aspiration.

“Well, he bluntly refused and said instead, he would support a first term senator from south/south or sponsor anyone else for the SP job. One of us reminded him of the case of (name withheld), who denigrated the entire institution during proceedings in the 8th Senate.

“On aspiring to lead the 9th Senate, there was strong opposition but HE SP Ahmed Lawan appealed to all that since the incumbent president wanted him, he should be forgiven. He was forgiven and voted. He shouted, ‘I hate Akpabio’.

“At that point, Senator Akpabio asked him, (Senate President Ahmed Lawan) in the presence of four of our colleagues that NDDC issues were since settled and put behind us two years before the APC Convention that produced our presidential candidate and now president-elect.”

“On that day of the convention, why did he (SP) put a call to Akpabio offering him the same Senate presidency position and five ministerial slots, including petroleum ministry, if he would step down for him as a presidential aspirant?

“The call data records of the two phones can evidence the call. There were two important witnesses and reactions. Peace is essential – Nigeria first.”

He added that Lawan also threatened to impeach him within one year of his reign in the event that he eventually emerged as Senate president in June, despite his vehement opposition.

The aforementioned senators were said to have appealed to him that such a bellicose position was not in the interest of the incoming Asiwaju administration.

Lawan’s media aide, Mr. Ola Awoniyi, ignored calls to his phone to enable him to react to the report.

Awoniyi also ignored text messages sent to him on the subject matter.

Again, when our correspondent contacted the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, last night at about 7:29pm he kept his calls on busy mode.

Further calls were rejected as it showed the line busy after ringing.

The media aide, Ola Awoniyi, again, failed to respond to several calls made to his line.


Ohanaeze Chieftain Pushes For Umahi

Meanwhile, a faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has appealed to Tinubu to prevail on the Senate to amend their standing rules through invoking a doctrine of necessity that will allow first timers to contest for the presidency of the 10th National Assembly.

The secretary-general of the group, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro made the appeal in a statement personally signed by him.

Isiguzoro, who said that there are other qualified ranking senators from the south east geopolitical zone for the office of the 10th Senate President, noted that outgoing governor of Ebonyi State and senator-elect for Ebonyi South senatorial district, Dave Umahi, was the most suitable.

He said that Umahi’s Senate presidency will be strategic in Tinubu’s government to end insecurity and the sit-at-home trend in the south east.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is looking at what Igbos will benefit from the office of the Senate president if a Southeasterner emerges as no. 3 citizen. The question on our lips are, who will emerge as the Senate President from the east and the insecurity in the southeast will cease, the Biafra violent agitations will cease, the sit-at-home will cease, and the creation of an additional state which Ohanaeze has already projected to the federal government, the creation of Aba State will be actualized?

“These are the things we are looking at and Ndigbo had weighed the personalities and dispositions of those jostling for the position of the Senate President and had settled down for a person whose utterances, conduct, and actions will not be in contraction and conflict with the collective interests of Ndigbo and that of the Executive arm of Government, and Ndigbo want the Senate to use its powers to apply the doctrine of necessity and bend its rules and allow a first-timer to emerge as Senate President from the Southeast.

“If Senator Godswill Akpabio became a majority leader as a first-timer in 2015 under PDP, why can’t the rules bent to allow the chairman, southeast governor’s forum, who is the political leader of the southeast by his position as chairman of southeast governor’s forum to emerge as the Senate President in the person of Governor Dave Umahi?

“Without Igbo in the presidency, at the legislative arm of good, at the judiciary, without Igbo in the top 5 or top 6, the political leadership of Ndigbo revert to the forum and their chairman becomes the political leader of the Igbo nation.

“So, we are looking at Umahi. If the president-elect will consider the capacity and the interest of the southeast, he should give it to Governor Umahi. Let Umahi go there but because he is not a ranking senator, it becomes a problem. So, at this point, what we are saying is that the president-elect should do the needful and persuade the Senate to amend their standing rules. Let him choose somebody he can work with. No, somebody will rock the boat tomorrow.”

Ahead of the inauguration of a new President on May 29, 2023, Nigeria’s Boeing 737 Presidential jet has been flown out of the country for comprehensive maintenance, The PUNCH learned Sunday evening.

Villa sources told our correspondent that NAF 001, which has served the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the past eight years was taken out of the country over the weekend.

Although the location is not known, past maintenance on the aircraft had been carried out by its manufacturer, Boeing, in the United States of America.

Boeing’s military aircraft division builds modified 737 planes at its manufacturing facilities in Everett and Renton, Washington (outside of Seattle), and South Carolina.

The 20-year-old aircraft last flew the President to Accra, the Ghanaian Capital, where he attended a Summit of the Gulf of Guinea Commission.

In his next four weeks in office, Buhari will be flown on another aircraft on the Presidential Air Fleet, the source said.

On Tuesday, April 3, 2001, the Senate approved a sum of N5.5bn for the purchase of a new presidential aircraft for then-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In February of that year, Obasanjo sought the Senate’s approval for $19m as part of monies to purchase eight new aircraft for the Presidential air fleet.

“It is necessary to start the process of renewing the presidential fleet of aircraft, some of which are 20 years old and beyond,” he had told the upper legislative chamber.

The senate had refused an earlier request by Obasanjo in 2000, but he renewed his request after a technical fault left him stranded in Switzerland where he had been attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The Boeing aircraft will be returned in May and handed over to the new administration after major upgrades to its avionics and other mechanical systems.

Celebrities just like the rest of us are humans,every now and then we suffer some sort of tragedy and celebrities are not left out.Over the years and in recent tines various celebrities have lost a loved one.LEADERSHIP Weekend looks at 5 Nigerian celebrities who lost their first son.

Yul Edochie

In march 2023 Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie lost his first son, Kambilichukwu.According to Vanguard, Edochie was rushed to the hospital after falling unconscious. The 16-year-old boy later reportedly passed on.

A source told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that the actor had confirmed Kambilichukwu’s death.According to the report, Yul’s sister-in-law who was at the scene said the boy read throughout the night preparing for his examination.

He was said to have joined his mates to play football before he had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

Yul Edochie and his first wife, May, celebrated their first son and second child when he turned 16 two months ago.

Davido

On the 31st of October 2023, music superstar, Davido and his fiancée, Chioma lost their first son Ifeanyi. It was reported that he drowned in the swimming pool, when he was found and rushed to the hospital, he was declared dead.

D’Banj

In 2018, Nigerian Afrobeats star D’banj lost his only son.It was reported that the toddler drowned in the swimming pool in his father’s Ikoyi, Lagos home.D’banj had posted a black background on his Instagram page with the caption: “Trying times but my God is Always and Forever Faithful,” to mourn the death of his son.Today, D’Banj has gone ahead to have two lovely children.

Eucharia Annuobi

The Owerri-born actress-turned-evangelist lost her 15- year- old son to sickle cell anaemia on August 22, 2017. The death followed a messy divorce from her husband. The son was the only child of Eucharia.

Mr Ibu

On 25 January, 2012, Nollywood actor, John Okafor, famously known as Mr. Ibu, lost his son.He lost his two-year old son Emmanuel Mandela Okafor to the cold hands of death on a Monday night.The actor was left in a devastating mood for long following the demise of his son.Mr. Ibu had posted on his Facebook, “R.IP. Mandy, my son…Mummy and Daddy love you a lot but God loves you more.”

Strong indications emerged at the weekend that the strategists of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu are showing strong interest on who becomes the next President of the Senate due to the uncertainty of the outcome of the various petitions challenging Tinubu’s victory at the election tribunal, THISDAY has learnt.This is as a former Senate Minority Leader and ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio; former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole; Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and the outgoing Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. Dave Umahi have remained the strong contenders for the Senate Presidency.


It was gathered that as Oshiomhole and Umahi insist on running, there are moves to amend the Senate Rules to allow the first-term senators to run for the principal positions to pave the way for the former governor of Edo State, who is said to be Tinubu’s favourite.Oshiomhole and Umahi are going to the Senate for their first term.

THISDAY gathered that while the APC has settled for the South-south to produce the Senate President and the North-west to produce the deputy, the Senate Rules prohibit the emergence of a first-term senator.Under the current Senate Rules, they are not qualified to run as only a ranking senator is qualified to hold a principal position.A source privy to the ongoing permutations however told THISDAY last night that if Oshiomhole is finally cleared to contest, the APC governors would likely throw their weight behind Umahi.

It was gathered that the fear of the possible outcome of the petitions filed against Tinubu’s victory in the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) prompted the President-elect and his allies to search for a candidate they can trust.Multiple sources told THISDAY at the weekend that Tinubu’s camp is rooting for a trusted ally to become the Senate President so that in the event of a nullification of the February 25 presidential election, their ally will hold forth as the acting President for a period of 90 days.“There are fears that the tribunal might annul the election. If the tribunal annuls the election, they will need a strong Senate President, who will hold forth for 90 days,” one of the sources told THISDAY.


APC Govs’ Panel on Zoning Submits Report Tomorrow

Meanwhile, barring any unforeseen circumstances, a committee of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) on zoning the leadership positions in the National Assembly, which was set up at the instance of the President-elect,Tinubu, is expected to submit its report tomorrow for consideration by the leadership of the APC.

THISDAY gathered that Tinubu requested for the setting up of the panel when some governors kicked against a consensus arrangement aimed at micro-zoning the presiding officers’ positions at the National Assembly to certain individuals.The anti-consensus governors, according to a source who preferred anonymity, threatened to move against the party’s leaders if due process was not followed in electing the presiding officers of the federal parliament.

The source said: “The President-elect was almost buying into the consensus plans until the governors intervened and vowed to work against the party by supporting a second nomination on the floor of the chambers during the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.“The President-elect, who does not want to start his administration with a preventable crisis, asked the Progressive Governors Forum to set up a committee that would come up with an acceptable zoning arrangement to be deliberated upon by the chieftains of the party this week.”

A source close to one of the governors, told THISDAY yesterday that the report would be submitted on Monday.Tinubu had rejected plans by some ranking senators from the South-west geopolitical zone to make him support their agenda for the use of a consensus arrangement to produce the presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly.

Multiple sources confirmed to THISDAY in Abuja on Friday that the senators who considered themselves to be the right-hand men of Tinubu had been working round the clock to allegedly arm-twist him into micro-zoning the 10th Senate Presiding Officers to two senators-elect.The source, who is a returning senator from the South-west expressed the fears that the desperate moves by the senators might jeopardise the APC’s zoning arrangements on the floor of the Senate on the day of inauguration as there could be a possibility of a second nomination.

A Pastor with the Celestial Church of Christ, Omotayo Valentine Akingbesote, has been accused of killing a 19-year-old girl identified as Loveth, at Igunshin in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Daily Trust gathered that the 65-year-old cleric allegedly gave the deceased a drug known as “Largactil” to swallow in order to live a long and prosperous life.

Largactil is a drug used to treat various problems such as severe depression or behavioural disturbance. It can also be used to treat nausea, vomiting, severe pain and unstoppable hiccups.

A source who spoke to our reporter about the incident said the late Loveth reached out to the pastor to give her anything that could make her prosperous and also live long.

“She went to the pastor’s church for the first time to pray for long life and to have a good job, so that she could take care of her siblings because she didn’t want to die young like her mother. As she was praying in the church, the pastor’s wife came to meet her and said daddy was not at home and that she would inform him she visited the church for consultation.

“Fortunately, when the pastor came back, he sent for her. The house is just a pole away from the church and he prayed for her and asked me to come the following day. The next day, she went to the Church to see the pastor and he gave her the drug called ‘Largactil’ to use. He said he had already prayed on it and that it would make her prosper and make it in life,” the source said.

The source, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Loveth collected the drug and used it in the Church but later noticed that she did not have any strength to move again.
“Later, the pastor took her to a bed in the church, laid her on it, removed her underwear and slept with her using the advantage that she was weak. A few hours later, he took her to the road leading to her house where she managed to get home. Since then, she only woke up, ate and slept again for four days. By the time she came out of drowsiness on the fourth day, one white thing had covered her eyes and she could not see. She was on the sick bed till she gave up the ghost.”

Daily Trust further learnt that the cleric was arrested by the Police, who later transferred the case to the Enu-Owa Station in Ondo for interrogation.

One of the relatives of the deceased was said to have reported the murder case of the teenager to the police.

Police Public Relations Officer in Ondo State, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said the accused pastor is currently facing interrogation from detectives. She added that the murder case would be transferred to police headquarters in Akure where the investigation would commence fully.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s aides and ministers have been accused of sponsoring over 100 family members to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj during the month of Ramadan with public funds.

This was stated in a tweet made on Friday morning by a former lawmaker, Shehu Sani on his verified Twitter handle, adding that the revelation was made by a popular public speaker in Kano, Dan Bilki.

Mr Sani who condemned such conduct by Buhari’s aides and ministers, described it as squandering the country’s limited resources.

“The revelation made by a Kano based public commentator Dan Bilki that over a hundred family members of Presidential aides and ministers escorted the President to Saudi Arabia with public funds is a serious allegations of profligacy that must not be ignored,” the former Kaduna lawmaker tweeted.

On April 17, 2023, SaharaReporters reported how Buhari, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), two Northern governors, Katsina State governor-elect and some other top government officials moved critical meetings on national issues from Nigeria to Mecca in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The chairman of the anti-graft commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, Governors Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Katsina State governor-elect, Dr Dikko Radda, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa and a past Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (Rtd), met with President Buhari at the Makkah Guest Palace on the fifth day of his official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It was reported that during the meeting, the EFCC chairman, the governors and the other officials had extensive discussions with President Buhari on the ongoing situations in Nigeria, including the conclusion of outstanding elections in the country.

The EFCC Chairman also briefed President Buhari on efforts to conclude ongoing court cases and the plan to prosecute more offenders. Bawa further briefed President Buhari on the arrests of several suspects in connection with election fraud and the plan to prosecute them.

Speaking at the meeting, President Buhari said whatever the country had achieved was due to the power of its democracy and the power of the country’s institutions, which according to him, must continue to be strengthened.

However, despite a series of reports on the progressive terrorists’ activities in their states, the governors of Borno and Yobe states who spoke separately after the meetings, said they remained appreciative of the efforts of President Buhari in curbing the threats of Boko Haram terrorists in their states and that they were happy that peace had been restored.

Against the alleged report that South West senators are rooting for the candidature of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the President of the 10th senate, Senators elect of South West have dismissed the reports as false and baseless

A senator elect who chose to remain anonymous told Tribune Online on Wednesday that the ambition of Senator Godswill Akpabio is driven by three Senators from the South West

The source named Tokunbo Abiru, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola( Yayi) and Opeyemi Bamidele as the Senators mounting pressure on the president elect to consider Akpabio as the consensus candidate.

“They told the President elect Tuesday night that all of us from the South West are supporting Akpabio for Senate President but the President elect discovered it was untrue this morning. As South Westerners, we have good relationship with all Nigerians and these three senators can not speak for us. They are not our leaders and cannot take South West Senators for granted. Our leader is a former Governor who is also a senator.

“For us, we have resolved to do the right thing for the country since it’s the only way Asiwaju ( President-elect) can succeed as President. We have chosen to support fairness and Justice as this country is built on tripod- Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. What an Igbo man can do for the country and Asiwaju cannot be compared to what an Annan man not even Ibibio can do for Nigeria and Asiwaju. If you exclude Igbo in the three positions in the country, you may be pushing your luck too far.

We are happy that the President elect did not listen to them because he is not petty. He likes fairness and he wants to do the right thing. The twelve senators from the South West already have a preferred candidate. We have eleven senators and one ranking senator who have endorsed Senator Orji Uzor Kalu for President and Senator Sani Musa for Deputy Senate President. The Northern Senators and Southern Senators believe in the leadership of this two senators and there is no going back. The good news is that Asiwaju has strong character and will stand firm on his personal convictions.” said the source

Also speaking, another Senator elect dismissed the three adding that they were only prosecuting the job they were paid to do, “ Those three are just pursuing their personal interests. Akpabio promised Yayi Chairman of Appropriation committee and also promised the other two juicy committees. So it’s basically about their interests not for Tinubu’s success or unity of Nigeria. Is the opinion of three senators greater than the opinion of 12 senators? We have endorsed Senator Kalu and Senator Musa as our preferred presiding officers and we shall deliver them on June 13” -the source said

Meanwhile, others eyeing the 10th Senate presidency include, Senator Jibrin Barau (APC Kano North); and Senator Abdul- Aziz Yari (APC, Zamfara);

Also, there are insinuations that Governor David Umahi (APC, Ebonyi South) and Mr Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), who would be first-time legislators are interested in becoming senate president.

For Umahi and Oshiomhole to be eligible, the ranking rule must be jettisoned.

I retired a permanent secretary in the Ebonyi civil service prematurely because the official could not calculate civil servants’ gratuities,’’ Governor David Umahi said on Tuesday in Abakaliki.

Mr Umahi made the declaration while swearing in new permanent secretaries and members of the state’s Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.

“The deputy governor asked me to reverse the decision, but I declined, and that will be his first request that I am not granting in the eight years that he has been deputy governor. You can still give me the elements which make up the gratuity even if you don’t know how to calculate it,’’ said the Ebonyi governor.

Mr Umahi said, however, that he might reverse the decision and urged the newly sworn-in officials to read widely.

The governor noted that the civil servants’ gratuity issue in Ebonyi was worrisome. According to him, permanent secretaries in Ebonyi are among the best in the country.

He urged them to maintain the standard.

“We have raised a standard in Ebonyi that makes us compete with the best in the world. Anyone who fails to meet the standard will be asked whether or not he comes from Ebonyi,” added Mr Umahi. “Set examinations for yourselves on performance because Ebonyi should not be your limits in exposure and proficiency.”

He explained that the theory that “helped me, which should also help you, is to regard public duties or services as your personal business.”

The governor stressed that he diligently understudied the Israelis, and it helped him to attain engineering proficiency.

“I was tutored in an Israeli firm in 1987 on a monthly salary of N650. I listened to my mentors, and though I have just a first degree in engineering, I can debate favourably with a professor in the field,’’ he said.

(NAN)