The House of Representatives has passed, for second reading, a bill to bar people without university degrees from contesting the presidential position.

To contest for federal and state legislature and governorship seats, a candidate will need a minimum of a university degree.

The bill, sponsored by Oriyomi Onanuga, seeks to amend sections 66, 106, 131 and 171 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The proposed bill, if passed, means that lawmakers, governors and presidents must have a minimum qualification of a Bachelor degree, a Higher National Diploma, Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) and other degree equivalent certificates.

Several politicians in Nigeria use secondary school or primary school certificates to run for office.

Former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party at the last general election, Atiku Abubakar, presented a Diploma as his highest qualification. Mr Abubakar is believed to be interested in running for president in 2023.

It is not only Mr Atiku that presented less than a university degree or equivalent. Omoyele Sowore, the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) also presented a Senior Secondary School Certificate, WAEC, as his highest qualification.

On Tuesday, the House debated the general principle of the bill and passed it for second reading. The bill was subsequently transmitted to the Committee on Constitution Amendment.

If passed, politicians without qualifications up to degree level will be ruled out.

The get-rich-quick syndrome among youths, through the new trend of money rituals in Nigeria, has become a major concern in the society today.

DAILY POST observation shows that the new trend is rampant among the male gender, especially young boys aged 15 and above.

Recently three teenagers confessed to the killing and burning of a young girl’s head for money ritual.

The lady identified as Rofiat was strangled by her boyfriend with the aid of three friends at Oke Aregba area of Abeokuta in Ogun State last weekend.

Not long ago, a mother also confessed to the killing of her child for a money ritual.

DAILY POST interacted with some Nigerians who first blamed the dwindling value system in the country for the increasing rate of blood rituals.

Some others also believe that the lack of job opportunities for the teaming youths, the display of wealth and lavish lifestyle on social media by celebrities, have chased the young ones into these heinous activities.

Some Nigerians also blamed parents for failing in their responsibilities to bring up their children and wards uprightly. According to them, some parents receive money from children who have no source of income and fail to question them.

Churches, mosques, and religious leaders also share the blame for receiving monies, tithes, and donations from individuals they do not know their source of wealth, thereby encouraging such acts.

However, many blamed the ‘corrupt’ government for failing to provide good leadership and governance. This is why youths resort to internet fraud ‘Yahoo’ and ritual killings to get rich quickly.

Pastor Joseph Ebule of the Holy Ghost Power Ministries, who spoke to one of our reporters on this matter said, “With the way things are happening in this country, I will advise Nigerians to be prayerful.

“These are signs of end time. I honestly blame the parents of those kids for not giving them adequate teachings from the Holy Book. Even the Bible says, ‘train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it’, that same Bible also advised against bad counsels.

“If the parents had done their jobs correctly, those children would not have thought of such regardless of the hardship in this country. Do you know some parents support their children’s illegal means of making money?”

DAILY POST also spoke with some Nigerians on the streets of Abuja.

A trader, who simply identified herself as Mama Boma, wondered why the government is not fishing out ‘herbalists’ directing the youths to bring body parts to make money.

“Why is it that when people doing rituals are arrested, there is no follow up to also arrest the ‘herbalists’ or ‘babalawo’ who prepared the potions and charms for them or do they take portions to forget who the ‘herbalists’ are once they’re caught?”

For Lizzy Oku, “There are a lot of factors to be blamed for this development in our society. First, let us look at the entertainment industry and the songs they release for youths to listen to. These songs glorify making money illegally and mock ‘humble earnings.’

“Back in the days, we listened and danced to Yahooze by Olu Maintain when he was singing about fraud. Songs like ‘Cash app’, and many others clearly alluded to fraud.

“Let’s not forget Nollywood, instead of releasing movies that do not support money rituals, some producers outline fictional details of how to make money quickly through rituals and you expect the youth not to take note?

“My only advice to Nigerian youths is to be prayerful and be careful of the kind of friends they keep. Treat everyone like a suspect and don’t feel bad about it. If the government will not do something about this, every Nigerian should promote humble earning.”

Also speaking with our reporter, an Abuja-based lawyer, Barr Abiola Kolawole pointed out that the trend of ritual killing in Nigeria was as a result of negligence from the family, the society and the government.

“Let’s take the aforementioned institutions one after the other,” he said, explaining that “The family is the foundation of every human being, which automatically makes it the first institution the child is exposed to; the fact is a child is the product of his parent, consequently a child will learn from the parents.

“If You don’t program your mind, society will program your mind for you.

“The society plays a vital role in the lives of people, the society unconsciously controls its members, that is why big brands pay a lot of money to influencers in certain areas to influence the members of that society.

“In this instance, the society has gone beyond the immediate community, social media is now part of the society. The society is the biggest culprit in relation to this man-made disaster of ritual killings.

“The pressure from the society has caused this. I give you a case we all know, Kim Kardashian influenced women of this generation into appreciating or exaggerating the idea of having big buttocks.

“Nollywood first introduced the idea of money rituals to Nigerians with movies such as: ‘Blood Money, Living In Bondage, Billionaires Club’ and others. But the same Nollywood also made everyone understand the consequences of making money through those heinous ways.

“The lackadaisical prosecution of these ritualists and fraudsters has encouraged the new generation to join in.

“To make matters worse, some of these ritualists work hand-in-hand with some persons in the government, helping them launder money which makes it impossible for some of the fraudsters to be prosecuted,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association has kicked against the use of human lives for riches.

Calling on the Federal Government to clamp down on the people that claim to have the power to enrich others to become wealthy through the use of human parts for rituals, the group explained that no Yoruba deity was recorded to have used human beings or parts of their bodies for wealth.

In a statement via its Oyo State chapter, the body stressed that the progenitors of Ifa oracle never claimed to have used human parts to seek prosperity.

The body further explained that Ifa adherents would rather call on ‘Eledumare’ to bless whoever that sought wealth through them and whenever appeasements were to be done, simple items like sugarcane, salt, banana among others were used.

The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike has said that when the leaders of Southern part of the country will declare its decision on the 2023 presidency that the country would shake.

Wike also said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would not give its presidential ticket to any candidate who would serve only the interest of the wealthy few in Nigeria, adding that desperate politicians who will not serve the interest of many, rather the interest of few are already scheming to be candidate.

The governor made the assertion at a grand reception organised in his honour by the people of Kalabari ethnic nationality at the Abalama School field in Asari Toru Local Government Area on Saturday, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media Kelvin Ebiri.

The governor was conferred a traditional title of Se- Ibidokubo of Kalabari land (He who does good things for Kalabari people) and was performed by the Amayanabo of Abonnema, King Gboko Desreal Bob-manuel.

He reiterated that the stakeholders in Southern will soon make a declarative statement concerning 2023 presidential election.

Wike said: “The day the South will speak, Nigeria will shake. We believe in the unity of this country, but nobody can threaten us. Nobody should threaten us. We believe in the unity of Nigeria and unity of Nigeria must continue.”

The governor said no amount of gang up will make the PDP to compromise its stand on integrity.

He said: “His word: “No amount of gang up can make PDP to give somebody who will want to run election for the interest of some big men, and not for all Nigerians.

“Anybody who wants to be candidate of PDP must be candidate for the interest of Nigerians.”

He expressed concerns over the fact that some companies in the country continue to post annual financial profits regularly in a downing national economy to the detriment of the poor.

The governor lampooned Rivers politicians serving in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for their gross inability to attract federal government projects to the State.

Concerning the next governorship of Rivers State, Governor Wike said everybody is entitled to aspire to be the next governor ,but such person must show capacity for that office and be well disposed to protect the interest of the State.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Rivers State Elders Forum, Chief Ferdinand Anabraba, said the grand reception is significant for two reasons; of its critical importance to them as a people and also because of the unity of purpose engendered among them under the Wike’s administration.

He said it is that kind of reception organised for prominent sons and friends who have impacted the Kalabari people.

Chief Anabraba noted that Governor Wike has systematically fulfilled all promises made to them including those of development projects and appointment of Kalabari people into his administration.

There may be a beam of hope for popular politicians from the northern part of Nigeria who have shown interest to run for president in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party as the party says it may drop its zoning culture and throw the presidential primary open to all eligible members from all over the country.

PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Ibrahim, on Friday, unequivocally said the leadership of the party was considering scrapping the idea of zoning for the 2023 Presidency.

Ibrahim, who spoke in an interview with Arise News monitored by The PUNCH, also said the PDP won’t wait for the All Progressives Congress before taking a decision on zoning or otherwise for the 2023 Presidency.

Northern PDP chieftains who have shown interest in getting the party’s 2023 presidential ticket include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; and ex-governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso. While some of them had yet to officially declare their presidential bid, there are strong indications they are eyeing the exalted seat in Aso Villa.

With just about one year to the 2023 presidential election and a few months to the party primaries, there has been intense pressure from the southern region of the country for power shift to the region from the north.

The 17 southern governors and socio-political groups including Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum and the Middle Belt Forum had constantly insisted that power moved to the south in 2023 after the eight-year regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who is from Katsina State.

The groups had declared that political parties that field northern presidential candidates won’t enjoy their support in the 2023 general elections.

Also, foremost Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, recently urged northern presidential aspirants to reconsider their ambition to avoid “chaos” in the country.

Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 after the dark years of military despotism, power had swung between the North and the South.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (Southerner from Ogun State) was in office from May 1999 to May 2007 on the platform of the PDP while the late Umaru Yar’Adua from Katsina State in Northern Nigeria, also on the platform of the PDP, had a short stint in Aso Rock from May 2007 until his death in May 2010 after battling with an ailment.

Upon his passing, he was succeeded by his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, according to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The PDP chieftain and former governor of Bayelsa State from Southern Nigeria contested the 2011 presidential election and returned to office.

Jonathan was, however, kicked out in May 2015 when he lost his reelection bid to Katsina-born Buhari of the All Progressives Congress who has since been in power and would complete an eight-year term by May 2023.

In its history, the PDP has zoned four of its six presidential tickets to southerners since 1999 – two to Obasanjo in 1999 and 2003, and two to Jonathan in 2011 and 2015; while the two others have gone to northerners – Yar’Adua in 2007 and Atiku in 2019.

So far, southerners have been in office for a total number of 13 years while northerners would have spent 11 years in Aso Rock when Buhari completes his second term in May 2023.

Many politicians of northern extraction had argued for the need to balance the number of years that both the north and south stayed in power while southern political godfathers and strongmen have vigorously continued to displace the argument, insisting that the presidency should move to the south in 2023 after Buhari’s double term. The arguments had at various times led to strong verbal altercations and exchange of expletives between southern politicians and northern bigwigs.

Speaking on the television programme on Friday, the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary (Ibrahim) said the PDP is treading softly to ensure all interests are accommodated before the party comes up with a decision on its zoning culture.

Ibrahim said, “The haste with which people are just expecting us to declare zoning now, there are processes of consultations and engagements which is ongoing. We just have in place a National Working Committee which is barely two months in office. What it is doing now is to aggregate all the contending forces and interests and all the divergent views of Nigerians and come up with an informed decision as to where the Presidency will be zoned accordingly.”

According to the PDP chieftain, zoning is to strengthen unity and mutual cohesion because Nigeria is heterogenous in nature hence the need to allocate responsibilities accordingly.

He said, “It is only PDP that has realised the need to zone these offices and rotate them accordingly so that every interest, every region and every contending force within the country will feel among.”

Asked whether the PDP is thinking of jettisoning the idea of zoning, Ibrahim said, “It is on the table and it is a factor that is taken very seriously. We’re beginning to look at all of these interests and all of these clamour to see how we will make an informed decision at the fullness of time. It is not something we will want to do unilaterally, we will take national interest and divergent views of Nigerians in coming up with decisions. That is why we are not rushing things.”

On why the National Executive Council of the PDP has not taken a decision on the Governor Bala Mohammed report that the presidential ticket be left open to all interested aspirants, the PDP deputy national publicity secretary said consultation is ongoing.

Aside from northern politicians, some southern stalwarts of the PDP including former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; ex-governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; media personality, Dele Momodu, amongst others have also expressed interest in clinching the party’s 2023 presidential ticket in the primary which is expected to hold later this year.

Other presidential hopefuls so far outside of the PDP include APC leader, Bola Tinubu; Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi; ex-Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; former Governor of Abia State and Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu; former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, among others. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has also been rumoured to nurse an ambition to succeed his boss through the 2023 election but the professor of law has not officially made his intention known.

While politicians are engrossed in the zoning debate, the concerns of millions of Nigerians are about the emergence of a President who would stabilise the economy, force down inflation through sagacious fiscal policies, provide conducive operating environment for businesses to thrive, boost food production, secure lives and property, provide good infrastructure, quality education and affordable healthcare services.

A Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has urged former governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, to learn from Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who defeated ‘godfatherism’ with his reelection in September 2020.

According to Olajengbesi, godfathers can be unseated as power only belongs to God and not any mortal.

The PDP House of Representatives aspirant from Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency in Osun State in 2019 was reacting to the comment of Ambode on Tuesday that youths should get their Permanent Voters’ Cards ready for the 2023 general elections.

Ambode’s Facebook post on Tuesday has since sparked fresh public discourse as to whether he wants to run for office in 2023 but he has not declared any intention.

“By breaking his political silence since he was kicked out by the godfathers of Lagos politics in the build-up to the 2019 governorship election, Ambode maybe aspiring something in 2023. Whilst he has not declared that he wants to return to office, time will tell if he wants to vie for any political office in the country.

“However, one consensus in the court of public discourse is that Ambode’s political turbulence in the 2019 governorship election showed how godfathers had monopolised the political space in Nigeria,” the lawyer said on Wednesday in a statement titled, ‘Ambode should learn from Obaseki, godfathers can be unseated’.

Ambode, who came into office in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, was kicked in 2019 after he fell out with APC leader and strong man of Lagos politics, Bola Tinubu, who had anointed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the next governor of Lagos.

Though Ambode had gone ahead to contest the party primary, he lost to Sanwo-Olu who was staunchly backed by Tinubu.

“But Ambode chickened out unlike Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who, in 2020, fought his former godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, and won,” Olajengbesi noted.

Though Ambode had gone ahead to contest the party primary, he lost to Sanwo-Olu who was staunchly backed by Tinubu.

“But Ambode chickened out unlike Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who, in 2020, fought his former godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, and won,” Olajengbesi noted.

“Obaseki swiftly moved to the Peoples Democratic Party, clinched the ticket of the party and his returned to office, thanks to the objectivity and non-partisanship of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“If Obaseki, with the overwhelming support of the electorate, was able to dislodge and shame the godfathers of Edo politics, Ambode, with the acceptance of Lagosians, can wrestle the soul of Lagos from godfathers who have literally turned the state to their private property.

“Overall, Ambode’s political fate in 2023 will be anchored on so many things but one indispensable leadership attribute Ambode cannot afford not to have a full dose of going into 2023 is courage; courage to dare the godfathers, courage for freedom from the shadows of the self-imposed kingmakers. Godfathers can be unseated, the only power that be is of God, not any mortal.”

The PUNCH had earlier reported that a former spokesman for the PDP in Lagos, Ganiu Taofik, said Ambode has some chances to return as Lagos governor in 2023 if he joins the PDP.

After seven years of battling and failing to deliver promises on fuel subsidy, the Muhmmadu Buhari-led administration has resolved to transfer the burden to the next government.

After weeks of apprehension over the fate of fuel subsidy, the Federal Executive Council announced the extension of the fuel subsidy regime for 18 months, in essence, the current regime would have elapsed by then, leaving the successor to inherit the burden.

Within the next 18 months, the administration will spend N3trillion on PMS subsidy. The decision to extend the subsidy period followed pressure from labour groups, civil societies and a cross-section of Nigerians.

Despite the Petroleum Industry Act and the reform of NNPC as a limited liability company, the government will continue the subsidy regime.

In this analysis, DAILY POST reviews the measures taken by the government to address subsidy and impact of those measures on Nigeria and Nigerians.

Buhari as Petroleum Minister

Buhari, a former Minister of Petroleum announced himself as substantive Minister of Petroleum in 2015 amid high expectations.

Before his emergence as President, Buhari had claimed that anyone who says he is paying oil subsidies is a fraud.

During electioneering campaign trail in 2014, Buhari continued to deny the existence of subsidy, thereby constantly accusing the then government under the leadership of Goodluck Jonathan of deceiving Nigerians.

“Nigerians are being deceived on the issue of fuel subsidy. The federal government takes out fuel for refining, only to come back and talk about removing the subsidy. That is nonsense and an attempt by a clique with the PDP-led federal government to siphon the proceeds to be realised from the removal of oil subsidy,” he had said.

But as a president, Buhari has failed to address fuel subsidies and his government continues to pay what he had described as “fraud” and “deception”.

Under recovery by NNPC

Since the beginning of this administration, the NNPC became the sole importer of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) and has been making deductions from its revenue. This action has led to NNPC claiming it has no profit to remit to the federation.

Mele Kyari, the Group managing director of NNPC, last year, said the corporation was paying N100billion monthly to keep the price of PMS at the current level.

On May 11, 2016, petrol pump prices were hiked from N87/litre to N145/litre. Following this increment, the government claimed it had “removed subsidy for good.” Vice President Yemi Osibanjo then announced the end of subsidy.

The then Minister of Petroleum (State) Ibe Kachikwu, even claimed that prices of PMS will collapse six months after the 2016 “removal of subsidy.”

However, it later emerged that NNPC was paying subsidy but not from budgetary allocation, but through under-recovery.

The crash in oil prices globally due to COVID-19 pandemic led to reduction in the pump price of PMS, from N145 per litre to N125 per litre. Following the rebound in the prices of oil, the pump price jumped to N162 per litre.

In March 2021, the defunct PPPRA had announced the planned increment of petrol to N212 per litre, following outcry, the government made a U-turn and disowned PPPRA’s announcement.

Despite this, Kyari continued to express the inevitable hike in price of fuel.

Last month, an ad hoc committee constituted by the National Economic Council, chaired by Governor Nasir Elrufai of Kaduna State, had recommended N302 per litre as price of PMS.

Figures obtained from the oil firm on its subsidy deductions in 2021 indicated that the amount deducted monthly from FAAC by the NNPC was higher during the periods of higher crude oil prices.

This was also confirmed by economists, who explained that the higher the international price of crude oil, the higher the amount to be deducted by the NNPC from FAAC.

They also stated that the volume of petrol consumed in a particular month was contributory to the amount being spent as subsidy, but insisted that the major factor was the global crude oil price.

As the sole importer of PMS and supplier of last resort, the NNPC ensures adequate supply of refined petroleum products by importing the commodities.

PMS is not deregulated by the Federal Government, as the price is sold at between N162 and N165/litre at filling stations, far lower than the actual cost of the commodity.

In June 2021, the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari, had stated that petrol price should be more than N280/litre, while the commodity had been subsidised and sold at N162/litre since last year.

The subsidy spent on each litre of petrol consumed in Nigeria is therefore recovered by NNPC through its monthly deductions from its remittances to FAAC.

An analysis of the monthly FAAC deductions in 2021, captured by the NNPC as under-recovery of PMS/value shortfall, for instance, showed that the oil company deducted N25.37bn from FAAC in February 2021 when the average price of Brent crude was $62.28/barrel.

But in June of the same year when the price of Brent climbed to $73.16, the national oil firm reported that it spent N164.33bn on subsidy in that month.

Notably, between June and November 2021, a period of six months, the oil firm deducted N888.13bn from FAAC being subsidy spent on petrol imports. This comes to about N148bn monthly on the average.

The average cost of Brent crude during the six-month period, according to figures obtained from Statistica, a global statistical firm, was put at $76.4/barrel.

However, the price of Brent has been on the rise since this year, following efforts by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners to boost the cost of the commodity.

Shetemi12:
BAT 2023

Tinubuadvocate:
[s][/s]

You want to be president of zoo.

Baawaa:
PDP can never zone is presidency to the SE

Nanaborga:
This pastor should be arrested and dealt with , using the name of GOD in vain and lying . CAN must caution all this nuisance hiding behind the Christian body to lie and cause problems.