₦airaland Forum

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu, will contest the 2023 Presidential elections.

He is already working out appropriate date to declare his entry into the race, according to the Director General, Ahmed Bola Tinubu Support Group Management Council, Abdulmumuni Jibrin Kofa. Speaking during an International Press Conference, to start the New Year, Jibrin Kofa, who was the former House of Representatives member, said: “Tinubu’s Presidential contest is a done deal”.

He said with his position as the Director General of the highest management of the Campaign Council of Tinubu, which is overseeing over 2000 other APC National Leader’s Campaign Councils, “I have the full authority and mandate to today say that, Tinubu will go for the Presidency in 2023”.

Jibrin Kofa, who is also the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, described the speculated ambitions of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi as a huge joke, which is going nowhere, added: “Bola Ahmed Tinubu will certainly be in the Presidency comes 2023″.

He said:”Bola Ahmed Tinubu has the pedigree to go for the Presidency, has an edge over any other persons, be it in APC or PDP contesting the Presidency and I bet you by the year 2023, you will see Tinubu in the Villa”. “Let me tell you. Any other persons seeking for the Nigeria exalted seat, more specifically in the APC is a joker and a player. Forget the insinuations. Tinubu is biggest and highest contender that would make it to the Presidency come 2023.”

He added: “Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a full blown Nigeria, somebody with large heart, that will take everybody on board, and has the determination, zeal, courage and above all, he has the competence, going by what he has done in Lagos as governor for eight years”.

While commenting on a possible Dark Horse emerging from either PDP or APC in 2023, Kofa, hinted that that is not happening because contenders in both parties are coming out and soon, the space will be fully occupied.

Similarly, on Tinubu’s health to contest the Presidency, Kofa insisted that the man in question is highly fit and alright to stand for the job. “I can assure you that Tinubu is more than fit to contest the next general elections and even win.

When you talk of his health, that is something that should not be a topic, because it is not an issue for now” Kofa advised the PDP and the APC, to allow for full internal democracy among their members, warning that failure to do so would create serious implosion in the parties.

Kofa had yesterday organised a special prayer session for the success of Tinubu’s Presidential ambition ahead of 2023 general elections in the country.

The prayer session which was conducted in his hometown at Kofa village around 11:30am, was conducted by over 2,500 clerics assembled by the former Reps members who represented Bebeji/Kiru Federal constituency.

The prayer session, which was attended by politicians from across the state, was led by the Chief Imam of Kafin-Maiyaki, who recited verses from the Holy Qur’an. After the prayer session, the former Federal lawmaker gave scholarship grants to 2,500 girls and empowered another 2,500 youths, who underwent training in various skills under his empowerment Programme.

Speaking at the empowerment programme, Kofa said the special prayer was conducted for peace and stability in the country. “This special prayer was organised for the success of the Presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the forthcoming general elections as well as for peace and stability in the country,” he said.

According to him, the prayer was conducted by over 2,500 Ulamas drawn from all over Kano State. He explained that over 2,500 youths who have been trained in various skills were empowered.

“Today a total of 2,500 youths received startup capital and scholarship grants to over 2,500 girls selected from the 44 LGAs of Kano State. “Each of the beneficiaries received financial support ranging from N100,000 downwards,” Kofa said.

https://i1.wp.com/dailynigerian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PRESIDENT-BUHARI-DECORATES-PAF-COMDER-AVM-ABDULLAHI-3.jpg?w=640
PRESIDENT BUHARI DECORATES PAF COM'DER AVM ABDULLAHI 3A&B. L-R President Muhammadu Buhari decorates Commander, Presidential Air Fleet, AVM Abubakar Yaro Abdullahi with his new rank, his wife Aisha Abdullahi during the decoration of the PAF Commander at the State House, Abuja.


President Muhammadu Buhari has decorated the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Abubakar Abdullahi with his new rank of AVM in the Nigerian Air Force.

The President was supported by Abdullahi’s spouse, A’isha Abdullahi and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshall Isiaka Amao in decorating the officer with his new insignia and rank, in the State House, Abuja, on Friday.

Speaking at the event, President Buhari noted that the improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation’s Armed Forces remained a key priority to his administration.

He congratulated Abdullahi and his spouse on the attainment of the new rank and urged him not to relent on his performance, on account of which he got the promotion.

Also present to witness the decoration were the National Security Adviser, retired Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno, as well as his parents, Abdullahi Yaro, Hafsat Abdullahi and Aisha Beita.

NAN

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, says the Buhari administration can still fix the nation’s security challenges in 17 months.

The Nigeria’s general election will be held on February 18, 2023.

Speaking in an interview on Arise News on Saturday, Fayemi said tackling insecurity will change the popular opinion about the Buhari administration within the time left of the tenure.

“If we can destroy that monster of insecurity, the opinion in the country will change dramatically. If we decide to go after these people without to much attachment to human rights and issues that may come up from the international communities. these people are not ghosts,” he said.

“We know where the bandits are, so we can neutralise them and then begin to have the opportunity. It may not be completely finished under this government, but you can do that part of it under this administration.

“Neutralise all these elements that are responsible for the chaos that they have thrown our nation into. Unless there are people within the security institutions who are benefiting from the war economy itself, there is no question that they know what to do and we can fix it in 17 months.”

When asked about his presidential interest, the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) said his concern is on finishing well as the governor of Ekiti state.

He said the country is at a critical juncture, and political stakeholders must rise above partisan interest to salvage the nation.

“There are range of factors to put in place, the first is finishing well here. This will put me on the pedestal for the presidential interest,” he said.

“But there is no doubt that it is not about running or not running for president that Nigeria requires at this point.

“I think we need a collective position to save and rescue our country from agitations, all these resentment in and around the country. We need to come together and help president Buhari finish well, that is the task of the moment; not who get to be president. In due course that would happen.”

Police in Nairobi are investigating an incident where a 42-year-old man reportedly collapsed and died during a merrymaking session with his lover. Erastus Madzomba was having a good time with his lover, Elgar Namusia, at Broadway Lodgings.

In the Wednesday, December 29, incident, the deceased Erastus Madzomba, was having a good time with his lover, Elgar Namusia, at Broadway Lodgings along Thiongo Road.

In a dramatic turn of events, according to a police report seen by TUKO.co.ke, Namusia claimed her boyfriend passed out after the session and died.

The duo had been in a relationship for only two weeks.

She, in turn, alerted the police who rushed to the scene and found Madzomba's body lying on the bed in the lodging.

The police said his remains had no visible injuries and were moved to City Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of his death.

From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo

Yet to be identified men numbering about six were said to have beaten a single mother, Nnenna Onu Nwookorie, to death on the Christmas day, at Anike village, Onicha Igboeze Community in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

They also set her body ablaze before neighbours could get to the scene.

Local sources said that on the sorrowful day, four of the assailants had allegedly stormed the victim’s father’s compound and without hesitation began to hit the lady with clubs for an undisclosed reason.

It was gathered that the woman due to her huge size and strength engaged them in a serious fight.

When two more persons who were waiting with their various motorcycles had seen that the deceased was gaining upper hands in the melee, they rushed and joined forces with their colleagues and in the long run subdued the woman before clubbing her to death.

A resident of the area, Mrs. Nweke Ogo, told Daily Sun that she was still in the mood of Christmas celebration on the particular day when she got wind of the incident, adding that before many villagers could become aware of the happening, the killers had eliminated the lady and cut off one of her leg with matchet before setting the entire lifeless body on fire.

We further gathered that help could not come the way of the victim as she and her aged mother were the only persons in their compound that is a bit detached from the cluster of houses in the settlement, when the attackers perpetrated their dastardly act.

“Since this incident occurred, till now, I cannot say exactly what transpired between Nnenna and her killers, but according to her mother’s story, the people suddenly invaded the premises and began to beat the young lady.

“When the deceased could not condone the assault, she decided to fight them and in the process, she removed one of the assailants teeth before they eventually over powered her,” she narrated.

She added that it was after the bereaved woman had noticed the meanness in the killers’ action that she ran for dear life leaving her daughter to her fate.

Spokesperson of Ebonyi State Police Command, DSP Loveth Odah, said they were yet to get the report.

She, however, advised that people should always adopt alternative dispute resolution rather than self help.

Officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps are protesting at the corp’s headquarters in Abuja and its formations across the country over a N5,000 deduction in their December salaries amidst rising economic hardship.

The said amount was deducted as costs for name-tag as evident in the description from the transaction alert seen by Peoples Gazette. The ‘name-tag’ cost was deducted alongside other statutory deductions.

The Gazette learned that civil defense chief, Abubakar Audi, has promised to resolve the matter but the officers are revolting that the name tag is useless because it is part of the standard uniform design and should not have been deducted in the first place, especially amidst harsh economic conditions.

When The Gazette reached out to the corps spokesperson, Sola Odumosu, he said there is no disquiet in the corps and there is no deduction whatsoever in the officers’ salaries by the corps. He however claimed that the deduction is being made by a voluntary cooperative society that the officers voluntarily joined.

“Let us distinguish cooperative society from the corps. There is no deduction of salaries by the corps.

“The issue of salary deduction should be differentiated from the deduction for name tags. To be clear, when you talk about name tags, there is a cooperative society to which some members voluntarily belong.

“This voluntary membership of the cooperative society requires that monies you contribute will be invested on your behalf and there are projects that the society undertakes on behalf of members who are cooperators. But the issue of name-tag that you’re talking about was discussed at the management level of the cooperative society.

“So let us distinguish the cooperative society from the corps. If there is a deduction on a name tag, it is a deduction by the cooperative society on a consensus agreement of the members of the society, it is not about everybody and does not affect the generality of the corps,” Mr Odumosu said.

When asked about why the cooperative society would deduct monies for uniform accessories, Mr Odumosu said he will not comment on behalf of the cooperative society.

Other security agencies such as the police and even soldiers have complained about arbitrary deductions from their wages in the past.

By Adeyemi Adepetun


About 134.4 million Nigerians are currently without the National Identification Number (NIN) as the NIN-SIM linkage deadline ends tomorrow, The Guardian can report.

As at October, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) revealed that 140 million Nigerians were yet to get NINs, with only 64.4 million unique identity numbers issued as at then.

However, the figure increased to 70 million this month, meaning only 5.6 million unique NINs were issued between October and December. Consequently, removing the 5.6 million from 140 million showed that 134.4 million Nigerians are still without NIN.

This further means that only about 70 million Nigerians might have linked their SIMs to their NINs, having in mind the multi-SIM nature of Nigerians, where an individual operates three to four networks.

Efforts to get the Head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, to comment on the development, was not successful, as he neither picked his call nor responded to messages sent to his mobile phone.


HOWEVER, the President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, who commended the efforts thus far, appealed that until a target of 85 per cent has been met on the NIN-SIM exercise before the Federal Government can put a stop to the registration and take accurate stock of the exercise.

Ogunbanjo told The Guardian that already, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy are working with the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) to assess the efforts so far and proffer next step.

“I want to appeal that if we have met 80 per cent to 85 per cent of the target, the exercise can be stopped, stocks taken and reviewed. If there is need for expansion, the FG can give a final three months for the linkage. But for now, lets take stocks of how we have performed,” he said, stressing that no Nigerian should be disenfranchised.

He, however, questioned the rationale behind the implementation of digital tokens feature on the NIN. Ogunbanjo, who stressed the need for enlightenment on the plan, disclosed that already there are several means of identification, including the SIM, NIN, Bank Verification Number (BVN), NIN-SIM linkage, Drivers Licence and Voter Cards, among others.

The Federal Government had last week announced plans to introduce digital token comprising 16 alphabets and numbers to replace the current 11-digit NIN effective January 2022.

According to NIMC, companies and agencies are allowed to only store and verify virtual NIN or digitoken, which is a set of 16 alpha-numeric characters issued exclusively by an ID holder with NIN.

It was disclosed that the vNIN is non-transferable and expires after 72 hours to be accepted for third-party verification, instead of NIN.

According to Ogunbanjo, there is no justification for imposing the digital token on the people. “At least, there should be about six weeks enlightenment and consultations with stakeholders. Let it not be like the NIN-SIM linkage, which started last December with two weeks deadline given in a period of COVID-19. The two weeks have stretched into months and gradually becoming a year and could become years.”


Speaking with The Guardian, the Chairman, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said operators have passed necessary information and data to the regulator, the NCC for onward transmission to the Minister. “We hope that the Minister will be advised adequately well on the next move,” he stated.

From his perspective, the Nigeria Coordinator, Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), Olusola Teniola, said the NIN-SIM deadline may be reviewed again by the FG considering the success of the exercise to date versus the pre-2019 figures.

“With the ongoing NIMC system challenges, it is probable that FG may extend the deadline to allow for further improvements in the number of Nigerians and legible persons to obtain a NIN to access various government rendered services including essential access to the Internet and emergent digital services,” he added.

MEANWHILE, backend challenges have continued to slow the efficiency of NIMC in ensuring a smooth handshake between its facilities and that of telecoms operators.

An official of one of the telecoms operators, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian: “There are still challenges with the backend integration with the NIMC database because of the ancient backend support at the Commission.

“Some subscribers have sent their NINs to their network providers, and you will be told that it has been acknowledged, but it will not go through finally until we are able to check at the backend of NIMC to confirm the authenticity of the subscriber’s identity because we don’t have any way of knowing, except NIMC confirms.


“It is NIMC that is supposed to confirm that and get back to us. So many subscribers have sent their NINs, but the Commission is yet to confirm their authenticity. It is a serious challenge, which they are managing. It is also one of the reasons we cannot give the number of subscribers that we have verified to date.”

Earlier in the month, in Abuja, the Director, Special Duties, NIMC, Ibrahim Daniel, had disclosed that the commission was battling high maintenance costs, obsolete computers, and poor connectivity. He said all these challenges hamper the enrolment process in the country.

He said: “There are a lot of things needed at the Commission. The first is to train and build the capacity of our staff, most especially those who work in the department of identity database.

“This bothers most on the issue of maintenance, particularly some of the servers and equipment. Most of the time, we outsource to maintain them. It attracts huge amount of money. But if we have in-house trained staff on that, it would reduce the cost.” He further stated that the current database was based on the design of the Pakistanis.

“Most of the things installed there at the inception were not by Nigerians. Most of them were by the Pakistani national database. So, we need training for participants particularly for maintenance,” he said.

By Ismail Mudashir


Fresh facts emerged on Wednesday on why the promotion and the extension of years of service of President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, Abdulkarim Dauda, a police commissioner, were reversed.

Multiple sources told Daily Trust that the latest ordeal of Dauda, who was President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Personal Security Officer (CPSO) until June 20, 2020, started when the news of his promotion to an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) got to the power brokers in the villa.

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A source close to Dauda said, “In July this year, the Police Service Commission (PSC) sat and promoted Dauda to AIG but along the line, his name was removed.

“The cancellation was what prompted him to write the commission. He argued that he got an extension of service and not contract employment as such he should be allowed to enjoy the promotion to the position of an AIG.

“The reversal of the promotion and retirement was the continuation of the ‘onslaught’ against Dauda by those who are angry with him for siding with the president’s wife at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Dauda, who is a younger brother to the influential Mamman Daura, landed in trouble in June 2020 when the Personal Assistant to Buhari, Sabiu Yusuf, popularly known as Tunde, clashed with the president’s wife, Aisha Buhari over issues around observing COVID-19 protocols.

Tunde had reportedly travelled to Lagos and he was asked to self-isolate after his return but did not, a development that pitched him against the first lady.

The source said Dauda took side with the president’s wife; a stance that did not go down with the forces in the Villa, hence his removal as the CPSO to Buhari and subsequent posting to Kaduna as commandant of the Police College.


Recent travail

The Police Service Commission (PSC) had last week announced the cancellation of the extension of three years granted Dauda to remain in the police, saying due process was not followed.

The PSC Commissioner (media), Austin Braimoh, said Dauda had written to the commission seeking promotion to the position of an AIG when the alleged illegality in his records was discovered.

He said the president’s nephew has been asked to retire and refund all the salaries he received from January 2020 to date.

Dauda, who joined the NPF in January 1985, was due for retirement on January 1, 2020, but got his service extended to May 13, 2023, months before his retirement.

Documents sighted by our correspondent showed that the extension was approved by President Buhari following the recommendation of the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed A. Adamu.

In recommending the extension, Adamu said in one of the documents seen that “In cognisance of the exceptional professional experience and competence of CP Abdulkarim Dauda, I write to recommend that Your Excellency draws on his presidential powers as well as his discretion as the chairman of the Nigeria Police Council to approve the extension of service of CP Dauda Abdulkarim to May 13, 2023, when he will be attaining 60 years of age,” the letter, dated September 18, 2019 reads.

Buhari’s approval of Dauda’s service year extension was conveyed to the PSC via a letter dated February 21, 2020, signed by the then Force Secretary, AIG Alkali Baba Usman who is now the Inspector General of Police.

The letter reads; “I am directed to write and confirm that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, has approved an extension of service for CP Abdulkarim Dauda from January 1, 2020, to May 13, 2023.

“The approval for the service extension of the officer was sequel to recommendation of the Inspector General Police and in the exercise of the powers of the President under section 171 (1 &2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and in cognisance of Sections 11 (1-a, c & i) of the Interpretation Act, CAP 123 Laws of the federation, 1990.

“It was also granted within the context of the statutory powers of Mr President in his capacity as the chairman of the Nigeria Police Council as stipulated in Section 28 (a) of the 3rd schedule, part 2 (L) of the 1999 Constitution.”

Daily Trust reports that in its latest position, the PSC did not provide other section (s) that contradicted those cited ahead of the promotion of Dauda.

A policeman identified as Supol Ayeni has been crushed to death by a patrol van belonging to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) unit of the Ekiti State Police Command.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening along Federal Polytechnic, Ado/Ijan Road.

SaharaReporters gathered that RRS operatives who drove recklessly were chasing suspected fraudsters, otherwise known as Yahoo boys when they hit their colleague who was on a motorcycle.

It was learnt that Supol Ayeni who was attached to Odo Ado police state died on the spot.

“He actually came home to eat, his wife has a shop around Aba Ebira in the polytechnic community. There is this bad spot along the road, beside the silo, so the deceased came to his wife’s shop up eat, he came with one of his friends motorcycle. He was working at Odo Ado which is not that far from here.


“The RRS operatives were in two hilux vehicles chasing a Benz. I don’t know where they were chasing the guys from, as they were about to overtake the Benz, the deceased who is popularly known as Baba Ada was coming from the other side and one of the vehicles hit him. He died immediately,” a source told SaharaReporters.

A colleague of the deceased who spoke to SaharaReporters confirmed the incident.

He added that the RRS operatives involved have been identified and detained at the state headquarters.

“Yes, Supol Ayeni is dead, He was hit by RRS van. I'm still confused my brother, this was someone I saw earlier today.”

Calls put across to Ekiti Police Command spokesperson, Sunday Abutu by SaharaReporters were not answered nor returned.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has claimed that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was able to tackle the terrorism and insecurity bedevilling the country.

Speaking during a radio programme in Kano State, Malami claimed that it had been long since he heard about attacks in markets and places of worship in the country.

The AGF’s claim comes amidst recent attacks and killings of 48 and at least 30 others in Sokoto and Kaduna states respectively as well as bandits’ killings in markets in Taraba and Adamawa states.

Borno and Zamfara have also not been spared in the array of attacks on places of worship as the bandits recently threatened churches in Zamfara not to open otherwise they would be attacked.

Meanwhile, Malami noted that the Buhari-led administration introduced programmes such as N-power and COVID-19 interventions that provided employment opportunities to many Nigerians.

“The President did this in less than one year; he rescued our economy from collapse. This is very rare as not all leaders can do this. Even the developed countries suffered much before they rescued situations like this,” the minister said.

“Before Buhari came, there were so many challenges in the security sector, but now, we have succeeded in preventing the attacks. It’s been long that I heard about attack in markets, worship places and so on.”

Malami also claimed that the committed effort put together by the security operatives forced the bandits in the North-West to initiate reconciliatory move with the Federal Government.

Contrary to Malami’s claims on the economy, Nigeria’s dwindling finances have come under intense pressure as the Buhari-led government is broke and has been amassing foreign loans.

For example, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Chris Ngige, while doctors were on strike over poor allowance, had in September 2021 confirmed that the Nigerian government under President Muhammadu Buhari borrowed funds from international sources to pay salaries of workers because of a shortfall in the country’s revenue.

Ngige had said the government took borrowed funds from foreign institutions like the World Bank to offset some recurrent expenditure.

Also, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had in April 2021 admitted that Nigeria’s economy was facing a difficult time, saying borrowing was inevitable.

By Adewale Sanyaolu

The Nigerian economy which relies on over 70 per cent of its revenue from oil may be in tougher times in 2022 as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has slashed its official selling prices (OSPs) for Bonny Light and Qua Iboe crude oil for January loadings.

This was even as uncertainty has returned to oil markets at the end of the year as a new variant of COVID-19 combines with inflation fears to threaten demand.

According to Reuters, Bonny Light and Qua Iboe crude oil dated Brent is plus 24 cents and plus 34 cents per barrel, respectively in January.

The December differential for Bonny Light was plus 33 cents and for Qua Iboe plus 40 cents per barrel.

Loading programmes had earlier showed that exports of four of Nigeria’s main crude oil grades rises in December to 564,000 barrels per day (bpd) versus 507,000 bpd planned for November.

Meanwhile, a report by oilprice.com has said that predicting the price of oil is always difficult, but with an energy crisis in Europe, OPEC+ controlling production, the energy transition underway, and COVID-19 continuing, next year is particularly difficult to read

The global energy transition is facing plenty of problems, not least of which is rising costs, and will be a key factor to watch in 2022

Following the rebound in oil and gas demand in 2021, the market is headed to 2022 with renewed uncertainties about prices, demand, and the industry’s longer-term prospects as Omicron COVID cases spike and investors continue to press companies toward decarbonization.

Will oil and gas demand continue to recover and clean energy installations continue to surge next year? Or will risks lurking for some time materialise to hamper green energy rollouts and upend the rebound in global oil and gas demand?

The closer we get to the end of 2021, the more uncertain the 2022 outlook becomes, with Omicron spooking governments in Europe that have already started to tighten restrictions or re-impose strict lockdowns in the case of the Netherlands. The UK is not ruling out stricter measures, and many other European countries are tightening travel restrictions.

The Omicron impact on economies and fuel demand and the effect on oil demand recovery and prices will be a major theme throughout 2022, especially during the first few months of the year.

As difficult as it is to predict oil prices in “normal” circumstances, the uncertainties with the pandemic have made the task of forecasting even more difficult. Currently, outlooks range from oil averaging around $70 next year to hitting as high as above $100 per barrel at some point in 2022 or 2023.

OPEC sees a “mild and short-lived” Omicron impact on oil demand, while the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a temporary slowdown in demand recovery due to the new variant, but not an entirely upended demand trend.

In the early days of the Omicron variant spreading, JP Morgan said that oil could soar to $125 per barrel next year and $150 in 2023 due to OPEC’s limited capacity to boost production.

OPEC left the door open to potential immediate adjustments in its oil production policy with the Omicron uncertainty, so the cartel’s actions would be an important driver of oil prices next year, along with the COVID developments.

Oil prices rising to $100 a barrel is unlikely, at least for any sustained period next year, Simon Flowers, Chairman, and Chief Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, wrote in a recent post discussing the key themes in oil and gas in 2022.

Some analysts expect a harsh colder-than-usual winter in the northern hemisphere to exacerbate the energy crisis in Europe and deplete its stockpiles of natural gas in storage which are already at a decade low for this time of the year. This could prop up demand for heating with fuels other than natural gas, including oil products, potentially driving up oil demand even if lockdowns limit gasoline consumption.

By Sola Isola, Ibadan

Leader of the Umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, Professor Banji Akintoye, on Monday, unveiled a Mobile Application designed to track Kidnapped Victims and Expose Danger anywhere in Yoruba Land.

In a statement by his Communications Manager, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, the Mobile Application and Alert System, named PAJAWIRI is said to be able expose criminal elements wherever they are with their victims once the victims have the application installed in their phones either on or off.

The Security System also has another system called AFINIHAN that can be used by those without android phones to link up with those with the full application.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Akintoye, who joined the event virtually, said the emergence of PAJAWIRI is an evidence that the Yoruba people are too intellectually sophisticated to be subdued.

He said “We have now proven to the world that we cannot be captured nor be subdued. We are too intellectually sophisticated to be subdued.

“It is these Innovations and intellectual powers that we will deploy to get ourselves out of the quagmires of Nigeria”.

“Every person in possession of the Pajawiri app on their telephone, will be able to activate the APP instantly, whenever they find themselves in danger. By activating the app, they will be able to alert their families, their friends and their neighbors that they are in danger and that they need help.

“In that way, no Yoruba person needs to be alone anywhere on their farms, schools, market places, shops and anywhere else. Any person who finds himself threatened by danger and who is in possession of Pajawiri will be able to alert other persons for help.

“In short, Yoruba people today, are able now to enjoy security individually and collectively through the use of the APP known as Pajawiri.

“The Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide owes our engineers who have “put this together an enormous debt of gratitude. The Yoruba people also owe a lot of gratitude to the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-determination groups, “Ilana Omo Oduduwa” for all the encouragement and support that they have given to these engineers.

“The creators of this APP Pajawiri have magnanimously offered to put this app Pajawiri freely at the disposal of every Yoruba person for the next thirty days. That is, from now till the 21st of January, 2022. This means that all Yoruba people can have the protection of Pajawiri without paying any fees for the next thirty days.

“After that, those who choose to continue to enjoy the protection of Pajawiri will be able to do so with an affordable monthly subscription. That is for those of us who have Smart phones(android, iOS or IPhone). For those of us who do not have smart phones (android, iOS or iPhone), there has been designed a hand-held alert device named AFINIHAN to work equally as effectively as the Pajawiri on the IPhone.

“AFINIHAN a tiny hand-held device that is able to perform wonders. This tiny device has been efficiently tested and will be available for purchase at a small affordable price.

“The purpose of all these technological provisions, is that the Yoruba nation must carry all its people along in this provision of security.”.

Speaking on the ideal features and benefits of the APP, the Coordinator of the PAJAWIRI PROJECT, Engr. Ayobami Abolaji, explained that the Pàjáwìrì App is a warning system for warning and protection through an alarm and alert system that will generate protective action for the community and each individual user.

The United States based IT expert said “The Pàjáwìrì app is designed to provide a technological solution or a system that

allows people to warn others of impending dangers and arouse established Response

Teams in the communities to stop and prevent various vices such as: Kidnapping,

Raping, Armed Robbery, Arson, Theft, Accidents, Murders and Banditry against app users and their community members.

“The Pàjáwìrì App is a technologically savvy information and communication application that Alerts and locates the source and flash points of dangerous security breaches where unchallenged massacre of valuable Human Lives and Properties are perpetrated. The Pàjáwìrì App Proffers a modern day means of Curbing or permanently alleviating the fears that has gripped the inhabitants

of any geographical location and settlements once and for all.

“The Pàjáwìrì App was designed to be activated through a referral process only, in order to be able to know the identities of the app users and detect suspicious and

criminal elements disguising as real users. It will be free to download by any users

and will be operational after the referral activated the New user to have the referral

identification.

“AFINIHAN is an Android and I-Phone (iOS) compatible application device that sends

alert signals to the connected phone systems. It is a mobile alarm system that allows those without hand held phones to connect to and alert those with the smart phones and computer devices set up at data command and control centers established at various perimeters in the geographical entities that the app is operating from,”, Abolaji, stated.

Present at the unveiling of the app were Pioneer Commissioner for Education in Osun-State and Immediate Past Chairman of Ilana Omo Oodua, Professor Wale Adeniran, immediate past General Secretary of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, Arc. George Akinola, University Dons, Kayode Akinwande, Akinsola Adejuwon, amongst others.

By Victor Ahiuma-Young


Industrial unrest is looming in the Food and Beverages sector of the nation’s economy over alleged expatriate quota abuse by multi-nationals and other major companies in the industry.

Already, organised labour has petitioned the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, accusing a major multi-national in the sector of flagrant abuse of expatriate quota.

Vanguard’s investigations revealed that there are no fewer than 456 foreigners in 41 companies in the sector doing jobs Nigerians can conveniently do, with four of such companies accounting for 186 expatriates.

Two of such companies, according to the labour leaders, are a fruit juice processing company based in Lagos and a flour milling giant. The fruit juice firm is said to be holding expatriates in excess of 65 while the flour miller holds 43.

Another beverage (fruit juice) company in a neighbouring state is said to be holding 45 excess expatriates.

According to labour sources, two major bottling companies have 24 excess expatriates, while another based in Ogun State has 11 foreigners in the company without compliance with Nigeria’s expatriate quota rules.

In the beverages sub-sector, four Lagos-based companies have 65, 16, five and four foreigners outside their expatriate quota, while six companies based in Ogun State, have 45, 13, six, six, five, three and three excess expatriates respectively.

Also, two companies in the list (manufacturing biscuits) in Lagos, have 15 and nine foreigners working for them outside their expatriate quota while a company based in Ibadan, Oyo State has no fewer than 30 of such workers.

Similarly, in the confectionery industry, the labour report indicated that two Ibadan, Oyo State-based companies have 14 and five excess expatriates in their establishments.

The labour source also said a noodles manufacturing company in Ogun State, has no fewer than 21 excess expatriates working in the firm.

Four other companies in the sector have two foreigners each, three in Ibadan, Oyo State, have two expatriates each, while three others also in Ibadan, have one each above their quotas.


‘We need expatriates, but…’

Lamenting the situation, a labour leader who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, said, “With the level of our development, we cannot say we do not need expatriates. We need them in areas where we do not have local expertise. But our grouse is the abuse.

“We have situations where just one expatriate is required but the company comes along with 20 or more who, in every sense of it, are not experts, but mere tools to fight unemployment in their countries, siphon money out of our country and so on.

“In other words, they are coming to take up the few available jobs thousands of Nigerians are struggling for. They have no expertise to impact on or give to Nigerians. In fact, in most cases, it is Nigerians that end up training them.

“Yet they are paid in dollars with each of them receiving Naira equivalent that can employ 10 or more Nigerians.

“The rule guiding expatriate is clear; that is, people with the technical competence not available in Nigeria so that they can come in and train Nigerians for about two or three years.

‘‘After this period, such expatriate will return to his or her country. But what we have today is a situation where they come, spend three years, and at the expiration of their permits, the permits are renewed through whatever means.

“Before you realise it, they become permanent expatriates. In some cases, instead of the expatriate going back, with the connivance of dubious officials and agencies, the expatriate will move from one organisation to another and eventually, before you know it, he or she is given permanent residence permit.

“This is unacceptable to us. We need expatriates, but they must follow due process and comply with rules of engagement.

‘‘Anywhere the Indians, the Lebanese, and generally, the Asians operate, they cause trouble. They are the people causing problem in the industry. They are the ones giving us the most problems in this area.

“We go to our National Joint Industrial Negotiating Council, we do not have large percentage of representation because of these Asians.

“We have told the employers body to call their members to order, especially the Indians. If you go into these companies controlled by Indians you will see what they are using Nigerians to do. It is nothing short of modern slavery.”


Unions’ angst

Organised Labour in the sector, under the aegis of the National Union of Foods, Beverages and Tobacco Employees, NUFBTE, and its Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, FOBTOB, counterpart, are not taking the perceived abuse lightly.

President of FOBTOB, Jimoh Oyibo, while decrying the level of expatriate quota abuse in the sector, said:

“We are seriously disturbed by the increase in the number that has flooded the companies in our industry. This is disheartening and unacceptable to us. This attitude alone has led to continuous taking over of jobs that are exclusive rights of indigenous workers.

“Although, we have tackled the menace headlong in the past and I am using this medium to state that we will continue the struggle to save our jobs.”

Speaking to Vanguard, the Acting General Secretary of NUFBTE, Mike Olarewaju, said, “Our union views this practice of abusing expatriate quota as a deliberate sabotage to Nigerian economy as well as a subtle channel for capital flight.

“In the same vein, it is a threat to job dignity and employment opportunities of Nigerians. ‘‘Consequently, our union outrightly condemns this practice.

“The so-called expatriates are being engaged in various departments including, Production, Supply Chain, Sales, Engineering, Quality Assurance and Stores among others,

‘‘Our Union has made several reports and protests to relevant ministries and other statutory bodies.”

The union, Vanguard gathered, has decided to tackle the abuse on company-to-company basis, and is presently battling a soft drink company, over alleged “persistent influx of expatriate and flagrant disregard to Presidential Executive Order 5”.

In a petition addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, NUFBTE through its Acting General Secretary, Mike Olarewaju, among others, stated: “Further to our letters on the above subject particularly reference to our letters dated 10th September,2017, 3rd October, 2017 and 17th January, 2020 respectively.

“It is extremely sad and depressing to observe that the management of this company (name witheld) has continuously flouted with impunity the tenets of our previous mutual understanding by pervading deliberate acts of disobedience to the intents and contents of the letters under reference which undoubtedly amounts to unconscionable violation of the presidential executive order “5” with impunity.

“Despite the unambiguous positions of our union as duly enunciated in our previous letters and meetings where your management promised to checkmate the trend, however, it is evidently clear that your management has continued unabatedly to engage in glaring acts of degradation and subjugation of Nigerians working in the company.

“Consequently, our union has resolved to frontally checkmate this undesirable practice of unfair labour practice of perpetuating and relegating Nigerians to second class citizens in Nigeria by depriving them from occupying some management positions while at the same time your management provocatively reserves the positions exclusively for non- Nigerians.

“Without mincing words, this oppressive practice is despicable, condemnable, provocative and outrightly unacceptable.”

NUFBTE added that it expects the management of the soft drinks company to act wisely to save the emerging situation from altering the existing industrial harmony.”


Ministry steps in

Vanguard found that but for the intervention by the appropriate ministry, which has already summoned the management of the soft drinks company and asked it to respond to the petition among others, NUFBTE would have started an industrial action.

According to a labour source, the Ministry has directed the company to provide detailed list of foreigners or expatriates working in the company and their educational qualifications.

Efforts to speak with the management of the company on the development were unsuccessful.

A senior management personnel who volunteered information on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the issue is before the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the company will only respond to the ministry’s query for now.

In the same vein, all attempts to speak with the leaders of the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers, AFBTE, the umbrella body for employers in the sector, hit a brick wall.

An official of the association, however, told Vanguard that the “issue of expatriates are handled by the individual companies. The employers’ body has no role to play.”

Equally, efforts to speak with the officials of the Ministry of Interior were rebuffed.

Neither questions sent to one of the aides of the Minister after an initial telephone contact on October 28, has been responded to nor several calls since then till the press time.

By Mojeed Alabi


The rampaging wave of the dangerous coronavirus pandemic has hit Nigeria’s State House, otherwise called Presidential Villa, as many aides of President Muhammadu Buhari and top officials of government are said to have contracted the virus.

But the Nigerian government is keeping a sealed lip on the matter, even as newspapers correspondents are advised against reporting the surge in infections at the villa.

Investigations by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that apart from the permanent secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, whose results were confirmed positive during the week, the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, is also down with the virus.

Some of the infected officials including Mr Garba, sources disclosed, were taken out of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday when the result of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests came back positive.

Mr Shehu, who confirmed that he was “afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19,” in a text message shared with our reporter on Saturday, said he has “no confirmation” of other cases mentioned to him.

He added that he was already fit, claiming he just completed his physical exercises when our reporter called, but that it would require scientific evidence to claim that he no longer had the virus.

His message reads in part; “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.

“But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay. Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”

Efforts to get the reaction of Mr Garba’s colleague and special adviser on media and publicity to the president, Femi Adesina, on the matter, were unsuccessful as his phone always indicated “busy” when called many times, and he also did not reply to a short message sent to him, many hours after.

On his part, the special assistant to the President on digital and new media, Tolu Ogunlesi, said he could not comment on the matter, as he referred our reporter to those he described as the government’s spokespersons.

Efforts to reach the information minister, Mr Mohammed, also yielded no positive result as his phone line was not available for more than 24 hours while his aide, Segun Adeyemi, neither picked his calls nor replied to a short message sent to him.

However, reliable sources confirmed that Mr Mohammed and other affected officials are currently in isolation and are receiving medical attention.

Reason for Mrs Buhari’s early closure of office
This newspaper understands that due to the high number of officials affected by the pandemic, governance may have been affected at the centre.

Sources, who do not want to be quoted for fear of sanctions, said that the decision to shut down the office of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, earlier in the week, was not unconnected to the huge number of officials at the State House that were already confirmed positive for the virus.

The special adviser on media to Mrs Buhari, Aliyu Abdullahi, said though the situation was not part of the reason advanced for the early closure in the statement issued, it could also not “be unconnected to it.” He, however, declined to either confirm or decline, saying the president’s wife may have taken the decision to avoid the spread of the virus.

Asked if the virus scare was part of the reasons for the early closure of the president’s wife’s office, Mr Abdullahi, after much hesitation, said; “Well, I think that is part of the reasons, though it wasn’t stated in the release announcing the closure. But that would be part of the reasons. But this is also a holiday time and so the first lady might have felt that the office should close early to avoid a widespread.”

However, Mr Abdullahi said his statement never meant that he confirmed that anyone had contracted the virus, saying he didn’t have such information. “But you know it could be just a caution,” he said.

Nigeria’s rising COVID-19 cases
The Nigerian government on Thursday threatened it might be forced to impose fresh restriction measures to curb the spread of the virus as the nation on Wednesday recorded 4,035 new cases.

Wednesday’s figure has remained the highest daily number of cases recorded in Nigeria since the outbreak in the country in February 2020.

While appearing as a guest on “Kaakaki,” a morning programme on the Africa Independent Television (AIT) on Thursday, the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ifedayo Adetifa, said in spite of the efforts by the government to sensitise Nigerians on the virus, many still doubt its existence.

He said the disbelief is quite a phenomenon that is making the war against the spread of the pandemic a difficult fight for the government.

He said; “It is quite a difficult phenomenon, because for some people, there is no evidence you can provide to convince them. We report infection records daily as part of the efforts of being transparent.

“Even the cases that we report are just underestimated because we simply are unable to test as many people as can be done in a well-resourced location. It is everywhere, we all know, there are many people who have tested positive and isolated at home and the evidence we have is our surveillance system which now shows exponential rise in the number of cases.”

He said the disease that has claimed about 3,000 lives in Nigeria cannot be said to be phantom, saying only the affected families can tell of the consequences of the vacuum created by the departed.

Speaking on the curfew threat, Mr Adetifa said; “I am sad to report that already, it looks like in addition to the wave of confirmed cases, we may now be seeing an increase in the number of patients that have been admitted to isolation centres because people are not adhering to safety measures as advised and are not taking vaccination.

“By that, we are allowing transmission to continue in an unmitigated fashion which means that there is a risk that our health system might get overwhelmed, and if it continues, then the government may be forced to put in place, more stringent measures, that includes restrictions of gathering and and even curfews.”

The NCDC boss has also consistently advised Nigerians against losing guards while also urging everyone to take the vaccines as the only antidote available globally at the moment.

At a media briefing on Friday, Mr Adetifa said a total of 45 Omicron variants of the virus have been recorded in Nigeria, making Nigeria the third country with a high figure of Omicron cases in Africa.

Kayode Oyero



Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria have faulted the order of Aisha, the wife of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that all members of staff in her office should proceed on an indefinite leave.

They said the President’s wife acted illegally as she had no right to give such an order, adding that only the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, was empowered by law to make such a pronouncement.

The three senior lawyers, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Lekan Ojo and Ifedayo Adedipe, spoke in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH.

According to them, those working with the President and his wife work for the people of Nigeria and are being paid with taxpayers’ resources.

Amid pregnancy rumours, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Health and Development Partners in the First Lady’s office, Mohammed Kamal, had on December 21, 2021, announced that Aisha ordered all members of staff in her office to proceed on an indefinite leave.

Buhari, 79, was in Turkey with Aisha, 50, between December 16 and 19, 2021 where they attended the 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit. Photos of the President’s wife released by the Presidency after the trip had sparked pregnancy rumours as she was shown with what looked like a bump.

Our correspondent’s efforts to get the comments of Aisha’s spokesman, Aliyu Abdullahi, and another aide working with the President’s wife, Suleiman Haruna, proved abortive. While Abdullahi’s phone was unreachable and a text message sent to him was not responded to as of press time, Haruna declined comments on the matter when he was contacted.

But Kamal in the statement posted on the verified Instagram handle of the President’s wife on December 21, 2021, said, “This serves to inform all members of staff that the office of the First Lady will be closed for the upcoming festive period of Christmas and New Year.

“To this end, all staff members are requested to proceed on leave until further notice.”

Reacting to the directive, Adegboruwa said the Presidency and the Head of Civil Service must do the needful quickly to prevent a bad precedent from being set for governors’ wives and spouses of other government officials.

He said, “Under the relevant civil service rules, the people engaged by the Federal Government are working for the people of Nigeria; they do not work at the pleasure of either the President or the wife of the President.

“So, in law, they have employment that is covered by statutes – their employment enjoys statutory flavour and if there is any infraction or allegation against them, it has to go through the normal system that is recognised and approved in line with civil service procedures.

“The directive from the First Lady asking those working for the Federal Government to proceed on indefinite leave compulsorily is illegal; it is beyond her powers. Even though they may be her domestic workers, as long as they are in the employment of the Federal Government of Nigeria, she has no power over their employment in the manner in which she has done.

“The issue of whether the wife of the President is pregnant or has any ailment has nothing to do with the employment of her domestic staff under the law. I believe that the Presidency, at the appropriate time, will look into this so that the wife of the President is not allowed to take the laws into her own hands, because what she has done is ultra vires and beyond her powers.

“I believe that the Head of Service should immediately recall those workers as that may serve as a bad example for even the wives of governors or wives and other officials, who may be treating their staff members as if they are their personal workers, whereas they are the staff of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

Ojo, on his part, said the office of the President’s wife was not recognised by the Constitution in the first instance, noting that the mother of four acted illegally.

Ojo stated, “The office of the wife of the President is certainly not known to civil service rules, not even known to the Constitution. It would have been a different thing if those are aides she appointed herself; those are political appointees and they owe their tenure to her pleasure, but not the federal civil servants. She has no such powers.

“Federal Civil Service rules govern their employment. So, it is the Head of Service of the Federation that can do such a thing; even in doing that, the law must be followed.”

Adedipe agreed with his colleagues that only the HoS could make such a declaration as ordering workers to go on indefinite leave.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said that the newly discovered oil in Bauchi and Gombe will help balance the “politics of oil” across the country. Mr Buhari was referring to the Niger Delta’s perceived political power arising from its rich petroleum deposit.

“Now oil has almost become irrelevant, but we thank God that oil is now discovered in Bauchi and Gombe and that will help to balance the politics of oil in the country,” Mr Buhari said.

The president of the federal republic made the statement in Maiduguri, Borno State, while commissioning projects completed by Governor Babagana Zulum in the northeastern state.

Mr Buhari has been widely accused of cheerleading sectionalism in favour of his northern base. Nonetheless, the region has suffered the most in terms of insecurity and mass poverty under his watch.

In August, Mr Buhari ignored outcry by southern governors, lawmakers and oil-bearing communities to sign the Petroleum Industry Bill into law.

Southern governors, legislators and oil-bearing host communities had kicked against the National Assembly’s decision to allocate a paltry three per cent of oil revenues to the host communities.

Opposition party Peoples Democratic Party also described the bill as a “shame to democracy, disregard for the will of the people, and insensitivity to the sufferings of the Niger Delta peoples.”

But Mr Buhari promptly assented to the bill after the National Assembly passed it amid much acrimony.

On Friday, Mr Buhari assured that the federal government, amidst economic hardship, rising poverty, and public outcry for equity, will make developing the new oil sites its priority.

“We will quickly develop that and we are putting pipelines across the country to cut the use of vehicles destroying roads. Within the next 17 months, Nigerians should be able to judge what this administration has done under my leadership when we came in terms of security, the economy, and the most difficult one which is fighting corruption,” Mr Buhari said.

Nigerian Military Airstrikes Kill ISWAP Commander, Abou Maryam, Other Fighters

The Nigerian military has killed an ISWAP Commander, Modu Kime, also known as Abou Maryam, and his fighters in an airstrikes coordinated along the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno State.

PRNigeria gathered that the top ISWAP Commanding Officer met his waterloo in an airstrikes executed at the river banks of Bisko and Tumbum Tawaye in Abadam Local Government Area.

The operation was conducted after Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, revealed the location of the terror Kingpin while coordinating attacks

The ground assessment from the spots of the air interdiction indicated that scores of the terrorists and the commander were killed in the process.

An intelligence officer told PRNigeria that Abou Maryam, with a mobile phone number +22788036182 had been on the radar of Intelligence services

“For some times we had been intercepting his communication and his coordination of attacks by his terror group, mostly in Borno State.

“He had operated around the axis of Tumbum Tawaye, Bisko, Garere, Arkumma and Dumbawa, Zari and Gundumbali LGA.

“Abou Maryam coordinated attacks on military troops and soft-targets mostly around Damasak, Nganzai and Gajiram and sometimes on outskirts of Maiduguri.”

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved 16 projects presented by Abubakar Aliyu, minister of power.

The FEC meeting was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the state house on Thursday.

Speaking with reporters at the end of the meeting, Aliyu said the cost of the new power projects is $65,606,420, €15,152,651 and N31,360,272,397.

The minister blamed the erratic power supply in the country on the lack of attention paid to the development of the sector in the past.

He said the present administration has done more than its predecessors to ensure that Nigerians enjoy improved supply of electricity.

“Today, I presented to the council 16 memos, which I seek for council’s approval and the council graciously approved all of them. At this point, let me say what these approvals will do to the nation’s electricity supply,” Aliyu said.

“As we’re all aware, the major problem we’re having in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is to be able to evacuate sufficient electricity and distribute them. That is to say, we have a very weak transmission grid and distribution segment of the value chain.

“We may not be having much problem with generation. So, unless we’re able to strengthen the electricity grid, which is nationwide, and to expand, and to be able to evacuate, what the grid can take to consumers, we will have a lot of problems ahead of us.

“So, what we’re doing currently through various and several interventions is to be able to repair the grid by constructing new transmission lines, bringing in new equipments to replace the old ones at our substations.

“So, the operational capacity, as you all know now is hovering around 5,000 megawatts and the transmission and distribution. So, these projects that we brought to council today and got approvals are all geared towards strengthening the willing capacity of the transmission and towards distribution.

“Even though as you all know, the distribution segment of the NESI is been privatised, but we cannot fold our arms and allow them to continue not to do much in order to evacuate what the transmission can bring. So, these memos, although 16 of them but they’re all geared towards achieving what I’ve just explained.”

The minister added that the federal government has placed an order for power equipment while assuring that Nigerians will soon see the outcome of the ongoing investments.

The Osun State government has suspended a secondary school teacher, Akiyemi Philip, for allegedly insulting Governor Gboyega Oyetola on social media.

Mr Philip allegedly abused the governor on issues concerning the political wrangling currently rocking the All Progressive Congress in the state.

The APC had been factionalised in the state; while a group is loyal to the governor, the other is loyal to his predecessor and current minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola.

Until his suspension, Mr Philip taught Physics at Masifa Community Grammar School in the Ejigbo area of the state.


Critical

Checks on his social media page showed that he has been critical of the state government, tilting his tent toward the former speaker and the splinter group of the party, The Osun Progressives.

On his Facebook page, he wrote, “Elegbeleye and His Team That Conducted Osun APC Congresses Has Been Appointed to Conduct Osun APC Primary As Usual,” “Iwaloye 2022: Good Morning Progressive Family.”

“Don’t Give A Betrayed Second Term,” “The Battle of 2006-2010 Should Be A Lesson For The Present. Ex/Former As Case May Be Await You Soon! No Retreat; No Surrender,” to mention a few posts.


Wielding the stick

Earlier, on December 8, the government through the ministry of education had issued a query to the accused teacher to explain why disciplinary actions should not be taken against him over his posts.

In his response, a copy of which we saw, Mr Philip said that he didn’t abuse the governor as he has been a staunch loyalist of the government.

He explained that his posts on social media never disrespected the state government or the governor.

He said, “I was employed as a physics teacher presently at Masifa Community Grammar School, Masifa, where I always discharged my statutory obligations as expected, ranging from teaching of students as schedules on the timetable and all statutory records are updated from time to time and well kept.

“I have never, and will never insult the personality of Mr Governor and his government. In fact, in January, 2019 during the court case between Mr. Governor and Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke after the election at the election petition tribunal, Abuja.

“I was one of 14 witnesses that were randomly selected across the state then. The duo of Hon. Oladejo Kazeem and my humble self were the last two witnesses who gave evidence in favour of Mr. Governor before the tribunal at Federal High Court, Apo-Abuja.

“Despite my fundamental human right and entitlement to my opinion on social media, none of my postings and comments are neither abusive nor provocative against state Government and Mr. Governor.

“I am highly committed to what I am employed for as a physics teacher and I vow to discharge my best to promote sound education in the state.”


Not satisfied

But not satisfied with his explanations, the government through the Ministry of Education/Osun West Education District Office suspended him indefinitely.

In his letter of suspension, the government accused the teacher of being “more focused on partisan politics than his teaching duties as a civil servant”.

“Your unpatriotic behaviour, abusive and provocative postings and comments on social media are against the Civil Service rule.

“Unless contacted beforehand, you are not permitted to enter the school premises.”


‘Reported by colleagues’

Contacted, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Jamiu Olawumi, said the teacher was reported by his colleagues over his attitude and “unchecked involvement in politics”.

Mr Olawumi also noted that the embattled teacher was not sacked “but suspended”.

“His case emanated from his colleagues who in their petition expressed worries over his involvement in party activism which they said was affecting his primary assignment—teaching.

“He was queried by the school principal. But the query aggravated his misdemeanour daring nobody could punish him even according to General Order. However, before he would become a bad influence the case was reported to Tutor General who further investigated him and found him culpable.

“He employs uncouth language on the person of Mr Governor without caution with a lot of false claims. We really allowed due process before sending him on suspension. He was not sacked.”

A fresh crisis has hit Arik Air over a strike action embarked upon by pilots of the airline.

The development has forced the airline to take a drastic action by dismissing no fewer than eight local pilots.

The management of the airline (In Receivership) confirmed that it dismissed several pilots for “gross acts of indiscipline.”

Their dismissal which was announced today took effect on Tuesday.

According to a statement by the management, the affected Pilots were dismissed for embarking on a strike action without recourse to lay down procedures.

The statement said, “The Pilots did not serve a strike notice in accordance with labour laws. They neither submitted any issue of dispute to the National Association of Airline Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), their umbrella union nor did they submit any statement of demands to the management of the company.

“There were also no ongoing discussions between the management and the Pilots on any unresolved labour issues. Their actions were spontaneous and callous.

“Arik Air finds it rather treacherous of the Pilots to contemplate a strike action at this Yuletide season which is the peak period for airlines all over the world. They peddle for naught the reputation and financial health of the company.

“It is instructive to note that the management of the airline has of late had very fruitful discussions with relevant aviation unions including the National Association of Airline Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), on conditions of service for all employees. This has led to the signing of a robust condition of service and redundancy benefits for staff.

“While great efforts have been made to minimize the impact of the illegal strike action, some fully booked flights have had to be canceled. Arik Air regrets the inconvenience caused by this action and is doing everything in its powers to minimize the impact and discomfort to its esteemed customers.”

Daily Trust learnt that the local Pilots had requested to meet with the Receiver Manager of the airline, Mr. Kamilu Omokide, to discuss issues that have to do with “safety concerns”.

After the failed attempt to meet him, the Pilots issued a notice to embark on strike.

According to them, prior notice was given “in order to avoid any flight disruption.”

The concerns raised by the unions, include morale, remuneration and the current safety issues in existence.

Major General HD Tafida, the Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria has allegedly ordered an assault on some workers of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

SaharaReporters gathered that the workers, numbering four had on December 15 gone to Tafida’s residence to deliver a demand letter Ref: AEDC/DMU/12-21/118 to him.

A demand letter is a letter of indebtedness demanding for immediate payment of electricity bills.

One of the workers told SaharaReporters that their colleagues at Gwarinpa called them few hours after that soldiers were looking for them.

On getting to the office, he said they were taken to the Major General’s house and were beaten mercilessly by the military men.

The victim, whose back bore effects of the flogging, said he ended up in a hospital because of the beating.

He said, “At about 2:30pm, last Wednesday, we went to Mr. Ogbonna Okori residence as it is written on the demand letter to deliver a demand letter Ref AEDC/DMU/12-21/118 on getting there, we met with the security man who asked us to wait that he would inform the madam of the house.

“She came and we handed over the demand letter to her but she rejected and told us to wait for her husband for five minutes which we did. After waiting for over ten minutes we told her we could not wait any longer because we had so many customers to attend to so we tag the letter rejected and left the house to continue with our work.

“We were later informed that soldiers were looking for us everywhere in Gwarinpa; so we had to rush back to Gwarinpa Area office and we were bundled to the Major General’s house. We were beaten mercilessly by this military men on the order of Major General HD Tafida, the Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria.

“From there, we were taken to Mambilla barracks. Military police asked us to sit on the floor for over two hours. And we were later moved to Gwarinpa police station but the police asked us to go home and rest that we committed no crime. We wish to bring to your notice also that our staff identity cards were captured by the military men for reason we do not know.

“We were humiliated and treated as criminals while we were carrying out our official duty. We are in serious pains.”

Turkish authorities arrested an American diplomat working at the U.S. consulate in Beirut for helping a Syrian national fly to Germany on a fake diplomatic passport.

The state media reports, citing the police on Wednesday, said the diplomat, identified by the initials DJK was accused of “forgery of official documents’’ and trying to help the Syrian national leave Turkey but was arrested in Istanbul.

Anadolu said police detained the two suspects on Nov. 11 and found 10,000 dollars in an envelope and a forged diplomatic passport on the U.S. diplomat.

The diplomat is now in jail while the Syrian national was released.

Meanwhile, it is not clear when the U.S diplomat would appear in court.

The U.S. missions in Turkey and Lebanon were not immediately available for comment.

Security footage showed the two meeting at Istanbul Airport, changing outfits and exchanging documents, Anadolu said.

The two men were later stopped by airport police before the plane’s departure and detained, closed-circuit TV footage shared by private news agency Demiroren shows.

From Molly Kilete, Abuja


The Nigerian Armed Forces have announced the promotion of 235 officers to the ranks of one and two stars generals.

The promotions were released late Tuesday night after the sitting of the Army Council, Navy a council and the Air Council respectively held at the ship house ministry of Defence with the minister Bashir Magashi, presiding as chairman.

In the latest promotion, Daily Sun gathered that the Nigerian Army promoted 36 officers to the ranks of Major Generals from Brigadier Generals, while 76 Colonels were promoted to Brigadier Generals.

The Nigerian Navy promoted 21 Commodores to Rear Admirals and 36 Captains to Commodores, while the NAF promoted 30 new Air Vice Marshals from Air Commodores and 36 Group Captains to Air Commodores.

Among the newly promoted Major Generals in the Nigerian army is the Director of Defence Media Organization( DMO), Benard Onyeuko.

Victoria Edeme

Two years after welcoming a daughter named Fifehunmi, actress Ronke Odusanya, and the father of her child, Olanrewaju Saheed, popularly known as Jago, have been enmeshed in a messy paternity scandal.

In a recent development, a Magistrates Court in Lagos State has declared Jago wanted over his absence to appear in court over their daughter’s custody.

Earlier this year, the social media space was saturated with the sudden breakup of the actress and Jago. The case has been in court over the custody of their daughter.

On the 10th of February, 2021, Jago stood before the court and requested a DNA test of their daughter to determine paternity before carrying on with proceedings.

The court granted it and mandated for both parties to present themselves for sample collection, asking Jago to pay for the DNA test.

Following the court’s order, Jago refused to show up, thereby delaying the court process. At this point, the Court couldn’t wait any longer and first issued a bench warrant on October 13, 2021 which he ignored.

In a court document made available to The PUNCH, the court has declared Jago wanted.

See documents below:

Ronke, who used to be in a relationship with Fuji maestro, Pasuma, had once stated that the father of her child was Jago in an Instagram post in 2019.

Dogara Bitrus

In this report by DOGARA BITRUS, a 26-year-old woman, Hussaina Saleh, recounts how she was kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and taken to Sambisa forest; her escape from the insurgents and self-development efforts at an Internally Displaced persons camp in Borno.

Following the closure of internally displaced persons’ camps in Maiduguri by the Borno State Government, some IDPs who have found shelter in the camps have expressed displeasure at the decision especially because most of their communities have yet to be rebuilt and the insurgents still operate freely in the deserted villages and adjourning forests.

One of such displaced persons living in a camp is Hussaina Saleh, a 26-year- old mother, who escaped from Boko Haram camp in the Sambisa Forest to start life afresh, but her efforts have been hampered by the sudden decision of government . The IDPs said their communities were not safe enough to warrant such a decision.

Speaking exclusively to The PUNCH in Maiduguri, Hussaina narrated how she found herself in the Bakassi IDP camp in Maiduguri after escaping from the popular camp zero in the Sambisa Forest two years after she was abducted by the terrorists during the takeover of Gwoza in 2014.

“It was on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 shortly after sitting for my Senior Secondary School Certificate examinations at Unity Girls’ College Maiduguri which is known as Government Girls College. I was at home with my mother when, suddenly we began to hear sounds of bombs and gunshots. We weren’t bothered because as at that time, we were already used to hearing such sounds as such we thought it was a matter of time before the soldiers would come and disperse the insurgents. But the shootings and bombings continued, it started at 4:30pm and continued till at 6:30pm. Then the whole place became quite and we thought they had left, little did we know they had taken over the whole of Gwoza.

“We slept that night but very early in the morning, the shootings and bombings continued, for two weeks, we couldn’t step out of our houses . In the second week, we noticed men running to hide including the soldiers and information got to us that Boko Haram terrorists were going from house to house killing all the men including soldiers and marrying all the girls. After that, we got the chance to escape because the Nigerian Air force aircraft had come and shelled them. My mom gave me money and instructed me to go to Madagali, the next local government area which is in Adamawa State. She said from there I should board a bus to Abuja where my two older brothers were living. She refused to go with me because she wanted to know the whereabouts of her husband, my father. At the time she didn’t know where he was.

So I left Gwoza along with many other women trekking to Madagali and on getting to Limankara, a border town between Borno and Adamawa states, a motorcyclist asked me if I was heading to Madagali and I answered in the affirmative. He asked me to join him. I gladly climbed the bike thinking he was an okada man. Immediately I climbed the bike he diverted from the road to a bush path and I queried him but he responded that there was a Boko Haram roadblock at Limankara Mopol Camp; that they were abducting people there. With that explanation, I remained calm but he continued in the bush path till we got to a waiting vehicle painted in military colour with seven Boko Haram fighters in army camouflage. That was how I got kidnapped by the terrorists.

Explaining her ordeal in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists, Hussaina disclosed that she got deflowered by the insurgents who took turns to rape her and she became pregnant in the process.

“When we got to the forest, they took me to a room which had 16 other women inside. Each day they came and took some to marry them off to their fighters until we remained three in the room. At that point, they took away two of the girls and left me. Later in the evening, three of the terrorists came and took turns to rape me. Before then I had never had sex. I never knew what sex was all about but those insurgents broke my virginity and raped me till I lost consciousness. I regained consciousness after several hours but I couldn’t stand nor do anything until one old woman came and saw me. After listening to my story, she assisted me to her compound and bathed me with warm water. I began to live with that woman until she fell sick and died.

After her death, her son, a Boko Haram fighter who used to visit intermittently, came to take his children away and then he carried me along with the assurance that he would make a way for me to escape. It was while I was under his custody that I realised I was pregnant. I was already four months pregnant. I was delivered of a baby girl while in his house but I had the mindset of wanting to escape . When my daughter was six months, I decided to leave but I needed to have a cogent reason to leave so I waited for the rainy season to start because at that time, there was scarcity of foodstuffs. Only top commanders had food in their houses. Early in the morning on that day, I took my daughter and carried a bag on the pretext of going to get food. That was how I escaped from the camp after walking for hours till it got dark and I rested under a tree until early hours of the next day then I continued my journey till I got to a trench manned by Nigerian soldiers around Buratai town in the Biu Local Government Area.

She said she had been living in the camp since 2016 after initially spending four months two weeks at the Giwa barracks where she was screened and certified innocent of any involvement with Boko Haram.

In her words, she said several of girls like her who were victims of the Boko Haram insurgency had been living in the camps as most of them had nowhere to go to because of the stigmatization from members of their families and the society.

“There were seven of us that were released to Bakassi camp after the military verified that we are not Chibok girls. When we got to the barracks, they gave us a separate cells but what amazed me was that three different sets of soldiers came asking if we were part of the Chibok girls when we answered in the negative they just left us there. They were so particular about Chibok girls as if we are not human beings. This same treatment continued even in the IDP camp as they kept treating us with disdain. They never cared about our wellbeing at all. The only thing they did was to give us a space after sleeping three days on the veranda.

“Also, I noticed something when I got to Bakassi IDP camp; the foodstuffs that were being distributed to us in the camp were exactly the same with those in the sambisa Forest and I remember asking one of the wives of that old woman’s son, Sheik Abakar Adama where they get foodstuffs and drugs and she confirmed to me that Red Cross used to bring the items for them.

The foodstuffs they were giving us in the IDP camp hardly sustained us so I began petty trading in the camp to augment my feeding while my daughter was enrolled in a Quranic school.


Continuing, Hussaina told The PUNCH how she was admitted to the state’s college of education and how the sudden closure of the camp would alter her educational pursuit and that of many other girls like her in the camp.

“ Before I was abducted, I applied and got admission to Sir Kashim College of Education Maiduguri. When I got to the camp, I reapplied again and was given admission to study Physical and Health Education in the same institution. I paid the school fees from the proceeds of my petty business. At this point, my mother had come and taken my daughter with her to Gwoza after trying to convince me to return to Gwoza.

I refused to return to Gwoza because the place was not and is still not safe as the Boko Haram insurgents still operate freely in the villages and, the so -called repentant Boko Haram fighters who were released to the communities still have active relationship with their colleagues in the bush as such I don’t feel safe returning to Gwoza with those set of people.

“I need to point out something. You see this acclaimed repentant fighters? They are not repentant. The majority of them still communicate and give vital information to those in the bush. Some few weeks back, ten farmers were slaughtered on their farms in Gwoza and it was alleged that the repentant fighters orchestrated that killing. Two other farmers were abducted but one escaped and he confirmed that the insurgents were given the information by the repentant fighters.

“And, while in Bakassi camp, some of them told us to our face that they surrendered because there was no more work for them as the military was closing in on them. They don’t want to die just like that.

“Ironically, these same repentant insurgents are those being treated with kid gloves. Government pays them allowances, trains them in vocations and skills. Government bought them phones which they use to communicate with their people in the forest while we, the victims of their madness are treated as dogs without any courtesy or regards.

Hussaina stated further that since the closure of the camps, some of the victims who escaped from the Boko Haram captivity were already contemplating returning to the bush where the insurgents treated them with some level of respect and decorum.

“As I speak with you, some of the girls that escaped from the forest and are living in the camps want to return to the forest. Seven of those girls confided in me that they wished they never escaped if they had known they would be treated in this manner. They said they wanted to return to the bush because, in the bush, there will be food and shelter for them. They said here they had been rejected and stigmatised by even their family and now the government. Their only fear now is, they don’t want to be used as suicide bombers because the terrorists could feel unsafe with them and decide to use them for jihad.

“This is because while we were in the bush, all the girls that refused marrying them were forced to do Jihad by strapping bombs on them and sending them to go and detonate them the town. They used so many innocent girls for this suicide mission,” Hussaina revealed.

She said as things were, her education was at risk because she did not have anywhere to go to because, according to her, even those who left the camp erected tents in Molai and Gwoza towns because their villages and communities had yet to be rebuilt by the government.

The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor Eyitayo Ogunbodede on Monday escaped being lynched by some hoodlums in Ife community who launched a violent attack on him and members of his entourage.

One of the security men of the institution was macheted by the irate hoodlums who shot sporadically into the air to scare the university community members.

Also, in the entourage were members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ),

the chief security officer of the institution, the university public relations officer, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, management of the institution amongst others.

Trouble started when the vice-chancellor led his team to the institution’s land which was said to have been taken over by some Ife community, but his intention to assess the occupation part of the land proved abortive as the visibly charged Ife youths went berserk and ordered every occupant of the vehicles in the vice-chancellor entourage to remain in their vehicles or be killed.

The fully armed hoodlums who blocked Old Ife-Ede Road where they waylaid the university officials on their way to the land located at Parakin area of the town, displayed their guns, magical powers, cutlasses, clubs, cudgels, broken bottles and other weapons to demonstrate their intention to harm the university community members.

Reacting to the development, the vice-chancellor of the institution, Professor Ogunbodede, condemned the development he described as inhuman.

He, however, maintained that the institution would not cede its land to the community.

But he said the institution would always ensure that peace reigns between the university and members of the community.

Gavel:
Thanks a lot.

The federal government has threatened to take tough action against the Republic of Togo over the ill-treatment of Nigerian travellers transiting through the Gnassimgbe Eyadema International airport in Lome, Togo, following the travellers’ protest over alleged denial of connecting flight.

The sad incident occurred when Nigerians, who were travelling on Ethiopian Airline from the United States of America (USA) to Lagos, got to Lome, Togo on Saturday and were, told that their connecting flight, Asky Airline, was full and that they could not continue the trip.

When some of them protested, they were manhandled, with some handcuffed and rough handled by Togolese security personnel and airline staff.

In the viral video, some people were seen with their hands tied to their backs while uniformed men believed to be Togolese airport security men were seen assaulting a lady who was on the floor. A man could be heard screaming that “this is bad, this is bad!”

The telephones of all the passengers were allegedly seized and it appeared as though the ill treatment of the Nigerian nationals would go unattended to before the timely intervention of the foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama and other top Nigerian government officials. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esther Sunsuwa, told LEADERSHIP yesterday that “We will take action against this ill treatment; it can’t just go like that. The Embassy there has already reported to appropriate authorities so let wait and see the outcome.”

Minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama had intervened to resolve the near diplomatic crisis between Nigeria and Togo over Saturday’s shabby treatment of the Nigerians Airport.

According to a report sent by the special assistant to the minister, Sarah Sanda, Onyeama, who is far away in Istanbul, Turkey as part of the delegation of President Muhammadu Buhari to the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit being hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, responded swiftly to the sad development concerning the plight of the stranded Nigerians.

Onyeama replied to an email almost instantaneously thus: “Looking into it, urgently. Have contacted our Ambassador.” According to the report, the minister contacted the Nigerian Ambassador to Togo, Mr Debo Adesina, and before long a chartered flight was arranged to airlift some of the stranded travellers to Lagos.

Onyeama, said in another mail that “The Ambassador Debo Adesina immediately rushed to the airport when I called him and oversaw the evacuation of everyone back to Nigeria. Thank you very much for alerting me. God bless.”

Our correspondent however, gathered that the flight that was hastily arranged had since landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos and the passengers had been united with their family members and loved ones.

It is however, not clear yet if the Togolese officials who manhandled the Nigerians will face sanctions for this flagrant ill treatment of Nigerian travellers.

The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay, has bemoaned how the former acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, was treated.

He said what Magu went through was tantamount to persecution, and that his dramatic removal from office and the way his tenure was probed left him devastated.

The don, in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, however, warned that such actions could discourage people from giving their best while in service.

Magu, whose confirmation was declined twice by the Bukola Saraki-led Senate over damning reports against him by the Department of State Services, was appointed on November 9, 2015 and suspended by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in July 2020.

The President then set up a presidential panel headed by a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, to probe the various allegations levelled against the former EFCC boss by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

The AGF had in a memo to the President in June 2020 recommended Magu’s sacking over acts of misconduct, including alleged diversion of recovered loot.

Magu’s tenure eventually ended when the President nominated Abdulrasheed Bawa for confirmation by the Senate in February 2021, even though the Salami panel submitted its report to the President since November 20, 2020.

Speaking on Magu’s removal and the continued silence from the Presidency over his fate in the police, Sagay, who had expressed reservations over how Magu was treated, said, “That event has made him withdraw into his shell. That’s the way I see it. I think he’s probably psychologically damaged as a result.

“He’s very down in spirit based on what happened to him, and like I said, if you treat people who are serving well in that manner, it will discourage people from coming out and putting in their best. We need to support people when they serve us.

“I wasn’t disposed to how he was treated because they didn’t follow any proper procedure for prosecuting such matters; it was like persecution the way the whole thing went on.

“Without mentioning names, I’m so disappointed about some really respected people who participated in that process. No statement has been made by the government as to the outcome and the next line of action. And in fact, the man is still in the police force, what conclusion do we draw from that? Your guess is as good as mine.”

Sagay also revealed that the eighth Senate, led by Saraki, refused to confirm his nomination because many highly placed individuals had replacements for Magu.

He said, “A lot of people wanted that slot for themselves. When I went to the National Assembly and I spoke to the senior people there and I said this man (Magu) has done the job very well and it was time his nomination was confirmed, there was a little coldness in their response.

“When I got back to the hotel, someone came to me and asked why I said that. I said I believed the man had been very good, the results he had produced since his appointment had been tremendous. The person then told me all the people I was talking to had their candidates for the position, so they were not happy with me.”

High-level plots to cause destabilisation in the Northern part of the country have been uncovered by military and security agencies. Investigation by Saturday Telegraph revealed that two serving North West and North East Governors are allegedly championing the said agenda to set the troubled region on fire, thereby making it ungovernable. Further findings revealed that an ex-governor of one of the North West states, a foremost monarch from the region, as well as opposition politicians are also involved in the deadly destabilisation agenda.

Highly-placed sources, who spoke in confidence with our Correspondent, because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said already, strategy meetings to actualise the plan, have been held in Abuja. While one of the discreet meetings was held at the said North East Governor’s Lodge located in high-brow Asokoro area of Abuja, the nation’s capital, on December 10, another one was held at the Maitama, Abuja, residence of the former Governor also fingered in the plan to make the North ungovernable. A prominent Northern youth leader was said to be present at the Maitama meeting, where the plot was further perfected. According to the dependable sources, violent protests have been planned to hold across the North, with consequential effect on governance, public order, and safety.

Specifically, the move is aimed as painting the government as weak and incapable of protecting lives and property of the people. There are also indications that the plotters may have concluded plans to enlist the support of separatist groups in the South, a development that may put national security in jeopardy.

“I can tell you authoritatively that plans have been concluded to destabilise the North of the country, by highly-placed and notable personalities. “The development is more disturbing, because it is being sponsored by a serving Governor from the North West, his counterpart from the North East, and a former Governor from the North West. “A foremost traditional ruler, who is aggrieved that he has not been patronized by this government – by way of flying the presidential jet, appointed as emissary by the president, and not getting unfettered access to the president – is also involved in the plan”, one of the sources said. Another source, who spoke in similar vein, said: “Now, what will happen is that, these prominent forces intend to use an influential Northern youth leader, who will organize violent protests across the region, using women, youth and other groups.

“Already, the affected “comrade” has held town hall meetings with religious, youth, women as well as coalition groups in a state in the North West. “To put it succinctly, nonstate and Northern coalition actors have been recruited, and are on standby, to carry through with the evil plot.” “It is all geared towards destabilising the North, paint a picture of the President and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as being weak, while projecting the masterminds as the ‘messiahs’ needed to turn things around”. The source added: “For the first-class monarch, he is aggrieved, because he feels he has lost patronage.

“He hardly is in his state (domain these days; he may be getting what he thinks is being denied him at the presidency level.” “But, I want to assure you that the military and security operatives will not fold our arms, and allow this plot to succeed. ‘Politicians should learn to follow due process in actualising their ambition, rather than create tension in the country, and portray the government as weak’.