A Thursday statement signed by the Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Asiru Idris, said no form of payment should be made to anyone from the government account henceforth.

According to the statement, all “standing orders and investment instructions are hereby cancelled forthwith”.

However, our correspondent gathered that the decision may be connected with the governor’s concerns regarding the performances of some members of his cabinet.

The PUNCH reports that Governor Yahaya Bello last Saturday gave some members of his cabinet, including the local government chairman, a dress down and questioned their loyalty.

According to him, despite being mobilised to provide transportation and other logistics for the electorates during the election, “you have all failed to deliver while the mobilisation funds ended in private pockets.”

The governor went ahead to issue a questionnaire to all 21 loc

The Police Command in Kaduna State said its operatives have arrested a suspected thief who specialised in stealing goats in Pasali Konu village of Kagarko Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mansur Hassan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaduna that the suspect was arrested on Saturday.

Hassan said that on Nov. 11, at about 0430hrs, a surveillance team and vigilante members, while on visibility patrol at the village, arrested the 20-year-old suspect.

According to him, the suspect hails from Igwa village of Kagarko LGA.

He explained that the suspect armed himself with dangerous weapons and a facemask.

The suspect, who specialised in stealing goats, confessed that they were two that came to the village to steal goats,” Hassan said.

He said when they sighted the patrol team, the other suspect ran away, adding that the Police however arrested the second suspect.

"The other suspect who is at large ran to an unknown destination, but we will trail him and arrest him,” Hassan said.

The police spokesperson said that the suspect would be charged in Court after the preliminary investigations.

Hassan reiterated the command’s commitment to rid the state of all forms of criminality, while he appealed for timely and useful information for proactive measures to nip crimes in the bud. (NAN)

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he does not miss his time as president.

Buhari made the disclosure in an interview with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

Daily Trust reports that this is his first interview since leaving office on May 29, 2023.


The former president, when asked about what he misses from his time in office, responded saying: “Miss. I don’t think I miss much.”

The teaser of the interview was released by NTA on its X handle. The full version of the interview will be aired on Monday by 10:30 pm.

Buhari had previously said he would not miss his time in office because he was being “harassed”.

In December 2022, the former president said he was doing his best for Nigerians, but it was not good enough.

“I believe I’m trying my best, but still my best is not good enough. I wonder if I am going to miss much. I think I’m being harassed,” Buhari had said.

Between 2015 and 2021, Buhari spent 171 days on medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

2017 alone accounted for 152 days away.

“I think only my doctor can honestly answer this question,” he had said while speaking on the nature of his illness when he was president.

A former Kaduna Central Senator and human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has suggested that merging the People’s Democratic Party, PDP with the Labour Party, LP supporters is like fixing a Ferrari engine into a peugeot vehicle.

Sani stated this in a tweet via his X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.

The former lawmaker stated, “Merging PDP with the young, agile, and restless Labor supporters will be like fixing a Ferrari engine into a peogeot.”

Recall that there were reports earlier speculating a potential merger of the PDP with the Labour Party.

But the Labour Party was quick to dispel the rumour, as it urged Nigerians to disregard the news that the party is working out a merger arrangement with any political party.

Mr Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

The presidential candidate of the PPD, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier called on opposition parties to form a merger and save Nigeria from slipping into a one-party state.

According to Ifoh, it is purely a news item twisted and sensationalized by a section of the media to embarrass the party.

His words: “In my reaction, I said that it was only a proposal that every Nigerian should be interested in making democracy work and that what we have presently is an autocracy.

"There was nowhere in the response that the purported merger between LP and PDP was mentioned,” he said.

Ifoh said that LP had just concluded the 2023 general election episode and a post-mortem was yet to be held.

He said that the way forward for the party had not been discussed.

“When we do, Nigerians will be properly informed,” he said.

The Labour Party has described the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar’s merger proposal as a good proposal that should be considered.

But the New Nigeria People’s Party said it could only accept the proposal if Atiku would support a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.

The major opposition parties were reacting to the call by Atiku, on Tuesday, that opposition parties should enter a merger to dislodge the APC from power.

The PUNCH reports that Atiku made the merger proposition while hosting the National Executive Committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria.

The former Vice President warned against the likelihood of Nigeria slipping into a one-party state.

He said, “We have all seen how the APC is increasingly turning Nigeria into a dictatorship of one party. If we don’t come together to challenge what the ruling party is trying to create, our democracy will suffer for it, and the consequences of it will affect the generations yet unborn.”

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, the acting National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, described Atiku’s call as a good preposition that should be considered by every Nigerian.

Ifoh said, “Atiku’s call is a proposition, and every Nigeria will consider a good proposition that is meant to remove the Octopus in power because they are not democrats.

“Every Nigerian is interested in having a true democracy. What we have now is far away from democracy. So, if there is a preposition by opposition elements to ensure that democracy is installed, why not? That preposition must be given a good thought. Anything that will make Nigerians witness democracy is accepted."

But the NNPP described Atiku’s call as emotional and medicine after death.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Yakubu Shendam, said any merger being considered must be to support Kwankwaso to become President, otherwise, the NNPP was not interested.

Shendam said, “This is like medicine after death. If there is any future collaboration, it should not be as a result of emotions. We are going all along because we have a gladiator who has the capacity to take over Nigeria.

"We believe that there is a need to canvass for support from people to win the election, from all sides. However, we believe that single-handedly Kwankwaso can deliver Nigeria in 2027.

“But that doesn’t mean that we are not looking for players like Atiku to join our party. If there is going to be a merger, it should be with the NNPP, because Atiku is now retiring, so, he should support Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.

"We don’t want to join forces with people who are under emotions but we are comfortable as a party having a person like Rabiu Kwankwaso, as our national leader. We are calling on Atiku as an elder brother to close ranks with Kwankwaso if he wants to be relevant in 2027.”

Meanwhile, the ruling APC said it was not moved or threatened by Atiku’s call for opposition parties to close ranks against the ruling party.

The APC Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, said, “How and why should we (be threatened)? Atiku has been trashed in the court and trashed in the public opinion. In what way does Atiku and his party have the wherewithal to instill threat in the mind of the party in power?

“The PDP, as far as Nigeria is concerned, is inconsequential. Atiku and the PDP do not have the power to instill fear in the ruling party, especially a party that is progressive.”

Dino Melaye, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of electoral malpractice in the ongoing election in the state.

Speaking with journalists at his residence on Saturday, Melaye alleged the ruling party of sharing money and gifts to voters.

The PDP candidate noted that there were problems in Ogori Magongo LGA and five LGAs in Kogi central where INEC officials were seen carrying already “filled result sheets in their bags even before accreditation”.

“That was a huge disappointment because I thought INEC would use this opportunity to redeem its image,” he said.

"It’s a shame that we saw filled result sheets carried not by hoodlums or party agents, but INEC officials.

“I called my agents and told them that anywhere they are not shown a blank sheet before accreditation, they should not participate in the election. And that is what they did in Ogori Magongo.”

But he commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the timely deployment of voting materials to the polling units.

On how electoral malpractice can be eradicated in Nigeria, the former senator said “the way to end electoral malpractice is for APC to become born again”.

“They were sharing wrappers and huge sums of money today to monetise the conscience of voters,” he said.

“Nigerians must also have an attitudinal change if we want to change this country.”

Melaye commended the security agencies for a job well done, adding that they must ensure the collation centres are secured the same way they protected the polling units.

"The collation centres must be protected at all levels. We have called on relevant quarters to ensure collation centres are protected in every LGA and the final collation centre in Lokoja should be adequately protected,” he said.

“We have called on the INEC chairman and REC of the state that observers should not be allowed inside the collation centre because most of the APC members got the observer tag and we don’t know they got it. Once they get in with the observer’s tag, they dominate the place and cause havoc.

"Observation is only for the voting process and only agents should be present during collation.

“A situation where commissioners and special assistants to the governor will wear observers tag and stroll into the collation centre will not be allowed by the PDP.”

The Labour Party candidate in the governorship election in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, has lamented over what he described as massive vote-buying that took place at the polling units across the state.

Udengs, who lost his polling unit at Agudama-Ekpetiama to Governor Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed deep disappointment “not on the electoral process alone but on the people themselves because I thought that the people understand now.”

He added that the problem was not only with the political actors and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but with the electorates who did not believe in getting things right but getting them immediately.

Udengs alleged that the election was a matter of highest bidder as votes were sold and bought between N12,000 and N40,000. He added that he did not have the financial muscle to match the dominant parties in the game of vote buying.

Udengs said, "We have a long way to go with this country and money politics, I thought I had found a solution but I was wrong, I did not come into this race to buy votes.

"I'm disappointed not on the electoral process alone but on the people themselves because I thought that the people understand now. The people have seen the unclothedness of poverty and neglect on them in terms of leadership so I thought they will play along but I feel very sad because probably I thought that would have defined the voting pattern but I was fooled.

"People don't care about the educational situation, people don't care about the economic situation. All people care about is money in their hand and that is why I misjudged the people. Before I decided to embark on this journey.

“I thought that people going through this process would have been able to express it in the ballot. Unfortunately vote buying was the order of the day and the people were encouraging it.

"First I didn't even have the money to buy votes. Secondly I didn't come and contest for people to be induced so that I will become governor. I came to the contest because I feel that things are not right and I know that I can do it differently.

"I'm believing that if I'm able to engage the people and they understand the issues things will get better and that was why I rigorously campaigned from community to community talking about the issues in town hall meeting to raise the consciousness of the people.

"People are not interested in what happens in the society, people are just interested in what enters their hand, their pocket and their stomach. So the optics of it is that when you go there you see voting is peaceful but behind the scene, you see the buying and selling going on with tallies as you are voting you are collecting your tallies people are showing their votes to confirm.

"People don't care about what you do, what they are after is money and it is a sad one for my state because for me I wanted to prove that somebody can do this in spite of all the inducements, somebody can say no to it and stand firm because he believes that things need to be better.

"I didn't contest this election to start going to court. I particularly satisfied my conscience but I know where the problem is not in the political class but in the electorate. The electorate are not prepared; they are encouraging corruption in the society. They are encouraging the kind of electoral process we have in the society.”

Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the planned visit of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, to the state less than 24 hours to Saturday’s governorship poll.

The PDP said the visit will exacerbate the already tense security situation in the state.

In a statement on Friday.

the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ebiye Ogoli, said the Party is at a loss and shocked that Mr. Ganduje plans to visit the state when the INEC-stipulated period for campaigns by political parties elapsed midnight of Thursday, November 9, 2023.

PDP also noted that the APC National Chairman is not an international or local observer accredited for Saturday’s election neither is he coming to cast his ballot in Bayelsa being a registered voter in faraway Kano State.

The statement added that Ganduje’s presence in Bayelsa would only confirm the allegation that the APC has concluded plans to dollarise the election, compromise the electorate and the electoral umpire.

“Our Party restates our belief that Nigeria deserves better and is in dire need of responsible leaders and statesmen that will move the country on the path of true democracy, peace, progress and accerelated development.

"Our country needs leaders whose actions would stimulate good governance and bequeath moral decency to advance the course of democracy and not those whose stock-in-trade is to steal, kill and destroy during election,” Ogoli said.

“In the light of the above, we urge the APC Chairman to shelve his unwholesome visit.

"We remind Mr. Ganduje that there are already security breaches and his visit should not cause more problems that will worsen the already volatile situation.

"We state unequivocally that PDP in Bayelsa will not hold its arms and allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to manipulate the process in the election governorship.

“As a matter of fact, our Party states in clear terms that anyone who attempts to rig or manipulate the election might have to deal with the legitimate wrath of the people.

"The PDP reaffirms that all indices from several Entrance Polls indicate that our candidate, His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri is leading and will sweep the governorship election in all the eight local government areas of the State.”

Under dark skies and steady rain, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied at the Port of Tacoma, in Washington state, to block a military supply vessel they believe will carry weapons from the United States to Israel.

There, they fear any weaponry on board will be used in Israel’s ongoing campaign against the Gaza Strip, where more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed.

"We want a ceasefire now. We want people to stop getting murdered now. We want a real examination and action on US foreign policy and US funding to Israel,” said Wassim Hage, one of the protesters at the Tacoma rally.

Hage works as a case manager and community outreach coordinator with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), the advocacy group that organised the protests.

He said a confidential source tipped AROC off that the vessel would be loaded with weapons and military equipment and sent to Israel, as it continues its military offensive in Gaza.

Al Jazeera could not immediately confirm that allegation. In an email to the publication, Jeff Jurgensen, a Pentagon spokesperson, said that the ship was indeed used to support the “movement of US military cargo”.

But he declined to offer further information. “Due to operational security, the [US Department of Defense] does not provide further transportation, movement details or information regarding the cargo embarked on these vessels,” he wrote

Second protest for vessel
In Tacoma, the ship, called the Cape Orlando, faced protesters of all ages in raincoats, puffer jackets and umbrellas marching outside its dock.

They waved the Palestinian flag, held signs saying “Defend Gaza” and chanted slogans like “Free Palestine” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”

Demonstrators used bicycles and cars, with their hazard lights blinking, to block traffic around the port. Seven Indigenous warriors in a ceremonial canoe also circled the waters nearby to block the ship.

DaTruths:


There is no such thing as Christian Terrorists

DaTruths:

Yooruba islamic Terrorists una no dey tire?

waveman2:
When did I tell you that the jews believe jesus is the messiah.Learn how to read and understand before you comment.The jews never believed that jesus was the messiah they call him the carpenters son.They don't believe in christianity.But as I said before God has a convenant with their fathers and that convenant exist till today.

waveman2:
This in context mean the jews have been surrounded by enemy but with God on their side they have been able to defeat them all.Its a convenant that you can't change.

Emergingnation:
You are a Muslim, a typical one for that matter...
No Christian will side Hama's terrorist against Israel in any way...

Agwotulumbe1:
shatap

As you step out of the streets of Maiduguri and Jalingo, capitals of Borno and Taraba states, different aromas of fast food attract potential buyers. Daily Trust on Sunday reports that because of the economic situation in the country, many Nigerians now resort to boiled sweet potatoes and cassava because of their affordability.

Taimakon gaggawa, also known as “emergency aid,” is increasingly becoming popular and the most sort after by the poor and even the middle class because of its affordability.

Majority of commuters and passersby in Maiduguri and Jalingo are now smartly bypassing suya and roasted chicken spots that used to be everyone’s favourite to buying sweet potatoes and cassava cuisines due to hard economic realities.

Daily Trust on Sunday toured the streets and other public places in Maiduguri and Jalingo, where a very large number of vendors sell cassava to regular customers for breakfast and lunch.

Also, buyers of boiled and cassava tubers interviewed by our correspondents said that as the prices of cereals soar, sweet potatoes and cassava became the choice of the poor, and probably the future of Nigerian fast food.

A housewife, Aisha Abubakar, said sweet potatoes and cassava had become saviour to millions of households in Nigeria.

“If you go to the market today you would see a mad rush for cassava, sweet potato and their products: garri, tapioca, cassava flour, cassava cake, ‘dan wake’, potato flakes and other delicacies in the streets because they are among the cheapest so far.”

"Everyone is looking for a way to deal with the difficult economic situation and these tubers are now their options,” she said.

One of the sweet potato vendors, Mustapha Ali, who claimed to have spent 15 years in the business, said it had become the only staple food people buy without break because of its affordability, and it requires less ingredients to prepare.

"Last year, we were very few in this business because not many people bought it as it was just considered a snack. They took very little of it, but because of the economic hardship now, the demand has increased and many have resorted to it. I now cook and sell at least two bags of sweet potatoes every day,” he said.

Another seller, Modu Mustafa, said that despite the high demand, the price of sweet potatoes still reduced from N23,000 to N18,500 per bag.

“Few days back, we used to buy a bag of sweet potatoes between N23,000 and N25,000, but as God would have it, it is now N18,500, making life easier for the poor,” he said.

Taimakon gaggawa, also known as “emergency aid,” is increasingly becoming popular and the most sort after by the poor and even the middle class because of its affordability.

Majority of commuters and passersby in Maiduguri and Jalingo are now smartly bypassing suya and roasted chicken spots that used to be everyone’s favourite to buying sweet potatoes and cassava cuisines due to hard economic realities.

Daily Trust on Sunday toured the streets and other public places in Maiduguri and Jalingo, where a very large number of vendors sell cassava to regular customers for breakfast and lunch.

Also, buyers of boiled and cassava tubers interviewed by our correspondents said that as the prices of cereals soar, sweet potatoes and cassava became the choice of the poor, and probably the future of Nigerian fast food.

A housewife, Aisha Abubakar, said sweet potatoes and cassava had become saviour to millions of households in Nigeria.

“If you go to the market today you would see a mad rush for cassava, sweet potato and their products: garri, tapioca, cassava flour, cassava cake, ‘dan wake’, potato flakes and other delicacies in the streets because they are among the cheapest so far.”

“Everyone is looking for a way to deal with the difficult economic situation and these tubers are now their options,” she said.

One of the sweet potato vendors, Mustapha Ali, who claimed to have spent 15 years in the business, said it had become the only staple food people buy without break because of its affordability, and it requires less ingredients to prepare.

“Last year, we were very few in this business because not many people bought it as it was just considered a snack. They took very little of it, but because of the economic hardship now, the demand has increased and many have resorted to it. I now cook and sell at least two bags of sweet potatoes every day,” he said.

Another seller, Modu Mustafa, said that despite the high demand, the price of sweet potatoes still reduced from N23,000 to N18,500 per bag.

“Few days back, we used to buy a bag of sweet potatoes between N23,000 and N25,000, but as God would have it, it is now N18,500, making life easier for the poor,” he said.

Yusuf Aminu, a sweet potato consumer said the increased demand for the food in Maiduguri was overwhelming.

“If you go to the markets and roadsides, it will look as if it’s only sweet potatoes that everyone is selling, both cooked and raw. Both the poor and the middle class patronise it,” he said.

Taraba

In Taraba, findings revealed that cooked cassava is now a major staple in most homes in the capital city as majority of the residents have resorted to it.

A Jalingo-based journalist, Ya’ u Ibrahim, said that in the face of the high cost of foodstuff, cassava products became the solution.

“You don’t need ingredients to cook cassava, all you need is groundnut cake and spices and you will have a delicious meal for the day,” he said.

Ibrahim said he opted for cassava when rice, yam and maize became costly, adding that he only spends N1,500 on cassava to feed his family.

"Also, cassava is still cheaper even though prices of food items have dropped in the state,” he added.

A civil servant, Mallam Umaru Abubakar said he opted for cassava when he could not afford to buy rice or maize because of its cost.

According to him, in the past he did not like eating cassava but the situation has forced him to eat it regularly.

"Two months ago, my salary was not enough to buy a bag of maize because it was sold at the rate of N57,000, but with N1,000 l can buy cassava to feed my family,” he said