On Tuesday, the Federal Government defended the National Water Resources Bill 2020, saying it was being opposed by people who had access to the media and that it would go ahead and ensure the passage of bill because it would be for the good of the country.

Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, said critics of the bill were ill-informed because they had not read it, saying these at a press conference he addressed with the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, in Abuja.

Meanwhile, prominent Nigerians and groups including Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Afenifere had kicked against the reintroduction of the bill, saying it was a plot by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to seize people's water resources for Fulani herdsmen.

But on Tuesday, Lai Mohammed said those condemning the bill had either not read it and did not understand its provisions or they were doing so out of mischief.

Also, Adamu said the bill was never rejected by the eighth Senate as being said in some quarters.

Mohammed while answering questions from the journalists said, "You asked if the government will go ahead with the bill despite the criticism by people and we have just told you that the bill is for the good of the nation"

He continued "Who are the people that you said are against the bill? They are people who have access to the media. There is nothing that concerns the people of my village or people of your village with this bill" adding that the bill was for the good of the nation, adding that it had no hidden agenda whatsoever.

The minister said, "We cannot rule out deliberate mischief by some of those who have been portraying the bill as a new source of conflict"

"We are, therefore, using this opportunity to appeal to Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the bill to avoid being misled by those who have chosen to politicise it."

He added "When passed into law, the National Water Resources Bill 2020 will provide for the enhancement of the Nigeria's water sector in line with global best practices"

The minister said there was nothing new about the bill which he described as an amalgamation of water resources laws that had been in existence for a long time.

Faulting the claims by critics, he listed the existing laws that made up the bill as the Water Resources Act, Cap W2 LFN 2004; the River Basin Development Authority Act, Cap R9 LFN 2004; the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (Establishment) Act, Cap N1100A, LFN 2004; and the National Water Resources Institute Act, Cap N83 LFN 2004.

"The bill provides for professional and efficient management of all surface and ground water for the use of the people (i.e. for domestic and non-domestic use, irrigation, agricultural purposes, generation of hydro-electric energy, navigation, fisheries and recreation).

"The bill will ensure that the nation's water resources are protected, used, developed, conserved, managed and controlled in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all persons.

The information minister said "Among other benefits, the bill provides for the creation of an enabling environment for public and private sector investment; provides for capacity building processes to foster good governance; establishes water use and licensing framework to ensure sustainable financing for water sector development from tariffs."

"The first thing to say is that many of those criticising the bill have not even bothered to read its provisions, thus depending on second-hand information to reach their conclusions. Those who have read it have perhaps done so perfunctorily." He said

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1601277695/water-resources-bill-says-critics-ill-informed

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, have said his second term ambition is not worth spilling the blood of anyone.

Obaseki who is also a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the coming Edo governorship election, specifically asked God to let him lose his re-election bid “if it will cost the blood of anybody.”

He reassured that the Saturday’s governorship election in the state would be peaceful and violence-free.

Obaseki who said this in a statement titled, ‘My reelection not worth spilling of blood – Obaseki’, and sent by Obaseki’s Special Assistant on Media, Crusoe Osagie quoted him speaking after a one-day prayer and fasting session for a peaceful election, organised by the Edo Christian Community for all the governorship candidates ahead of the election.

The governor noted that there was no need for any form of violence during the electioneering process and urged eligible voters to come out en masse without fear of intimidation or harassment.

Obaseki said, “Ordinarily, an election is supposed to be a contest where people go to sell their ideal, and citizens in their own free will go and vote for those ideals they believe in; it shouldn’t be one where people will do anything to get power.

“Election should not be one in which we shed blood because the election will always come. If you die in an election, you will not be there in the next one to vote. So, there is no need for violence.

“It’s unfortunate that where we are today we are all afraid that there will be trouble, that there will be crisis and violence but by the grace of God, we will all come out and vote and there won’t be any bloodshed.

“There is no need for any violence and if anybody decides to act in a violent manner just walk away because our lives are very precious. I have a covenant with God; if it will cost the blood of anybody for me to get into power, he should not let me have power.” The statement concluded.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600442906/edo-poll-reelection-not-worth-spilling-blood

The Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo has expressed surprise that Nigerians living in Ghana are still facing problems and complications despite the assurances the Federal Government received from the Ghanaian authorities.

Osinbajo said he was sure that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), would also be disturbed by the development.

In a statement on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, titled, ‘FG will ensure Nigerian traders in Ghana get justice, Osinbajo assures quoted the vice president as speaking during a meeting with representatives of the Nigerian community in Ghana at the official residence of the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana in Accra on Tuesday evening.

Akande while responding to the issues raised by leaders of the Nigerian community at the meeting, especially the maltreatment of Nigerians by Ghanaian authorities, the Vice President reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to deal with the issues.

He quoted Osinbajo saying, “I will certainly convey the depth of your grievances to the President.

“I am sure that he will be deeply disturbed to hear that despite the assurances that he had received, (from the Ghanaian government) there are still problems and complications, many of which have been discussed at the highest levels with assurances of resolutions given.”

Osinbajo recalled some of the efforts made by the governments of the two countries to resolve the issues.

Akande noted that Buhari met with President Nana Akufo-Addo, with a view to resolving the issues.

He said, “What the Ghanaian government pledged to do, on three occasions, was that the shops will be reopened. In fact, I am a bit surprised that it has not taken place because my understanding was that that was going to be done.

“So, I think what we need to do aggressively is to follow-up with the Ghanaian government and to see that these things are done.”

However, Osinbajo said the delay in resolving the issues despite the various interventions might be due to bureaucratic bottlenecks urging all the affected traders through their associations and leaders to submit a more detailed letter containing the number of affected shops and other relevant information that would enable the Nigerian government to follow-up with Ghanaian authorities.

Osinbajo also urged Nigerians living in Ghana to remain law abiding and embrace peaceful coexistence.

Recently, many shops belonging to Nigerian traders were shut in Ghana following a $1m levy imposed on them by the government of the West African country.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600359854/nigerian-traders-surprised-ghana-hasn-fulfilled-promises

The President of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has promised to support West African countries where elections will hold soon saying the supports would be aimed at ensuring that the elections are conducted smoothly.

This was disclosed in a statement titled “Nigeria will support consolidation of democracy in ECOWAS countries, President Buhari assures” by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Thursday, while receiving President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The statement quoted the President as saying that Nigeria will, within the limits of resources, do her best to support the consolidation of democracy in West African countries.

The president said, “We are keeping tabs on situations in countries that have elections ahead.

“We know the countries that are calm and the ones where there have been unfortunate casualties.

“We will always support those who have elections ahead, so that things can go smoothly.” He assures.

According to the statement, Burkina Faso will hold its legislative elections in November.

Burkina Faso president, Roch Kabore, who chairs the Economic, Trade and Liberalisation Scheme of ECOWAS, said he was in Nigeria to discuss crucial sub-regional issues with President Buhari.

These include the convening of a joint commission meeting between Nigeria and Burkina Faso, reported trade difficulties among Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, and Niger Republic, and the way forward.

Kabore was said to have commended Buhari for what he called “strong leadership and support” displayed by the Nigerian leader in his capacity as Chairman of COVID-19 response in West Africa.

He said “I must also applaud your strong leadership against terrorism in the sub-region,”

The Burkina Faso leader while commenting on the situation in Mali, he was said to have expressed hope that the summit held in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday, would yield positive results, stressing that “We need cohesion all over West Africa.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600355565/nigeria-will-support-west-african-countries-during

The Prof. Itse Sagay-led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, has accused the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), of having well-known proclivity for aborting high-profile criminal cases in favour of major political and governmental figures.

The committee said this on Wednesday, in a statement signed by Sagay, and released by the Communications Unit of the committee, while reacting to the proposed bill for the amendment of the establishment Act of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The panel urged Nigerians and the National Assembly to reject the proposed amendment while arguing that the Act was part of “an ongoing very sinister and dangerous attempt to demolish the anti-corruption infrastructure of Nigeria and return it to the situation it was in during the dark days before 2015,”

Sagay added that those behind it “are the representatives of the corrupt establishment that brought this country to its knees and subjected us to humiliation as a result of an extremely negative reputation internationally.”

Sagay, although did not mention Malami as the sponsor of the controversial bill but tackled the minister for what he described as his proclivity for aborting criminal cases in favour of major political and governmental figures.

Sagay noted that the draft bill, which intended to repeal the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, was being sponsored by those who were “too ashamed to put their names to the draft bill being circulated.”

Malami, whose memo to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), triggered the ongoing probe of the suspended acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu, by the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel over various allegations of corruption, abuse of office, and insubordination, has been linked to the controversial bill in the media.

Sagay citing various provisions of the bill, said it would eliminate the anti-graft agency’s “freedom and autonomy” and replace it with “an entity under the complete control of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General.”

The statement added that the proposed bill would effectively turn the commission into a department in the Federal Ministry of Justice.

“With all the above established facts, the gravity of the proposed change becomes overwhelming.

“When in addition to all this, we recall the well-known proclivity of the attorney-general for entering nolle procequi in favour of major political and governmental figures, this move to effectively scrap the EFCC becomes more alarming.

“We therefore call on the National Assembly and all Nigerians to vigorously reject this attempt to perpetrate fraud on the nation by effectively scuttling the EFCC and shutting down Nigeria’s anti-corruption war.”

According to Sagay, the offensive highlights of the proposed bill, include, “the repeal of the current EFCC Establishment Act, which has been a spectacular success and has brought Nigeria into limelight as a major force against corruption adding that the bill proposed the scrapping of the commission and replacing it with a weak agency, which would be effectively a department in a Federal Ministry of Justice under the AGF.

Sagay listing the weaknesses in the proposed bill, “The replacement of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC with a director-general, who is effectively to be appointed by the attorney-general eliminates the EFCC’s freedom and autonomy, and replaces it with an entity under the complete control of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General.”

The controversial bill seeks to weaken the EFCC and its officials, and confer an enormous power of control of the anti-graft agency on the office of the AGF.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600331438/malami-accused-aborting-high-profile-criminal-cases

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi, has told National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, that his ‘bullion vans’ cannot buy the governorship election of Edo State coming up on Saturday.

The former minister said at the mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benin, the Edo State capital, on Tuesday while reacting to a video in which Tinubu accused Obaseki of not being a democrat and asked the people of the state to reject him at the polls.

Responding to the video, Ikimi, who was once a chieftain of the APC, said Tinubu did not have a lot of money in 1999 when Tinubu first became governor of Lagos State therefore, asked Tinubu to reveal his source of income to Nigerians.

The former minister, while making reference to the bullion vans on Tinubu’s premises during the run-up to the 2019 general elections, said the Edo State election would not be bought and warned Tinubu to steer clear of the state.

Ikimi further reveal that the video put out by Tinubu was evidence that the election was not between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu but between Obaseki on the one hand and Tinubu and ex-Governor, Adams Oshiomhole on the other hand.

He said, “Bola Tinubu, tell me how much money you had in 1998/1999. Today, they say you are a billionaire. You carry money in trucks all over the place to disfigure democracy and you are preaching democracy.

“You carry money in bullion vans. Where are the bullion vans for Edo State? Have they arrived? Money cannot buy Edo State. Edo no be Lagos (sic).” He added.

Ikimi said during the APC primary in Lagos State in 2018, then Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, was loved by many but Tinubu denied him the party ticket.

Furthermore, “Let me tell you, what happened in 2019, Ambode was to contest. Everybody begged Bola Tinubu; President Buhari begged Bola Tinubu but he pushed the man away. Was that democracy?” he asked.

He also called on the people of Edo State to vote for Obaseki on Saturday so that the people of Esan would produce the next governor after Obaseki may have completed his four years in 2024.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600272205/your-bullion-vans-cannot-buy-edo-ikimi

On Sunday, The Senate Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution has said it was not under pressure from external forces.

Ovie Omo-Agege, the chairman of the panel, who is also the Deputy Senate President, represented by his media aide, Yomi Odunuga, said this in a statement.

According to the statement, Omo-Agege assured Nigerians that the panel would not kill any of the constitution alteration bills before it.

The statement also promised that the Senate would recommend all the bills before it for consideration.

The committee had last week shifted the deadline for submission of memoranda from September 11 to September 25.

Odunuga voicing Omo-Agege out said, “Any Nigerian who feels strongly about any issue that ought to be addressed in this exercise has a right within the time stipulated to put their thoughts in writing by way of a memo and submit same to us.

“Upon receipt of that, we will meet as a committee, set up some sub-committees within the main committee that will go to each of the geopolitical zones.

“There they will reach out and ask people to step forward and speak to the memo that they have already submitted to us.

“Thereafter, we will come back, hold a retreat where we will aggregate the views of the content of the memoranda.

“Members of this committee and indeed all of the senators of this 9th Senate will do the right thing. We are not going to succumb to any pressure.” He added.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600074139/constitution-review-not-under-external-force-pressure

Prof. Attahiru Jega, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and a former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, have disclosed to the Nigerian President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that Nigerians are facing “double suffering” due to insecurity and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and calling on the President to do everything possible to address the security challenge even if it means sacking service chiefs.

In a statement titled, ‘Mr. President, Governors: The Time for Dialogue is NOW’, signed by Jega, Onaiyekan, Gen. Martin Agwai, Amb. Fatima Balla, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim, Mrs. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, Dr. Nguyan Feese, Dr. Usman Bugaje and Dr. Chris Kwaja who are all members of the Nigeria Working Group on Peace-building and Governance on Sunday, reads “Nigeria, like the rest of the world is battling the coronavirus pandemic. However, citizens in Nigeria are facing double the suffering because they also have to contend with rising insecurity and violence across the country.

“The Nigerian government must immediately address the rising insecurity, if it is to succeed in the fight against the pandemic. A recent USIP-commissioned survey in Nigeria found new linkages between COVID-19, instability, and conflict.

“In particular, the survey found that victims of recent violence are less likely to trust the government’s coronavirus response measures compared to those who have not experienced violence.

They further charged the Nigerian government to manage the pandemic by addressing the rising insecurity across the country.

The group said, “Kidnapping for ransom is an acute concern across Nigeria. The North-East is witnessing resurgence in Boko Haram activity, and thousands of people are internally displaced by banditry across rural communities in the North-West.

“Criminality in rural areas further complicates the situation by undermining food security, as many farmers have been unable to go to their farms for months for fear of losing their lives,”

The group also called on the President to initiate a process of dialogue to address the multiple acts of violence from inter-communal and ethno-religious conflicts.

“There is a growing public consensus that the current leadership of our security agencies have failed woefully, and that our Commander-in-Chief has so far refused to act. This cannot continue. Mr. President, you must show more concern and do what is necessary to improve the effectiveness of our security agencies, even if it means replacing the current leadership of our security agencies,” They said.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600091666/nigerians-are-double-suffering-jega-tells-buhari

On Sunday, the Presidency berated former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his comment on the state of the nation, describing him as the country’s ‘divider-in-chief.’

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said this in a statement titled “Obasanjo is Nigeria’s divider-in-chief.”

This statement did not go well on socio-political groups in the country has they differed on the Presidency’s attack on the former President.

While the Ohanaeze Ndigbo praised the former President saying his administration was more credible than the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the pan-northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum shaded Obasanjo, advising him to stop presenting himself as a saint,.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, also reacted saying, Obasanjo was more pan-Nigerian than Buhari, whom it accused of dividing Nigeria along religious and ethnic lines.

Earlier on Thursday, Obasanjo said Nigeria was slowly becoming a failed state and a basket case that urgently needed to be pulled from the brink of collapse.

He said this while delivering a speech in Abuja titled, “Moving Nigeria away from tipping over” at a consultative dialogue, Obasanjo said he had never seen Nigeria so divided, adding that many of the problems plaguing the country were due to the recent mismanagement of Nigeria’s diversity.

But Garba Shehu said with his comment, Obasanjo had descended to the lowly level of divider-in-chief.

The presidential aide said, “In his most recent statement, former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempts to divide the nation while President Muhammadu Buhari continues to promote nation building and the unity of Nigeria.

“The difference is clear. From the lofty heights of Commander-in-Chief, General Obasanjo has descended to the lowly level of divider-in-chief (to adapt the coinage of Time).”

Shehu said as some commentators were already suggesting Obasanjo should get involved with problem-solving instead of helping the “mushrooming of a poisonous atmosphere of ethnic and religious nationalism.”

He said the former President must have disappointed many of his local and foreign admirers by showering commendations on a few extremist groups which had vowed to shun the invitation to the National Assembly to participate in the process of constitutional amendment.

He added, “The fact that the process he ushered in under his administration with the dubious intention of amendments that sought tenure elongation failed–as did two other attempts by the successor administrations of the same political party– does not in any way justify his dismissal of the exercise by the 9th Assembly as another waste of time and resources.

“To the credit of the All Progressives Congress-led 8th Assembly, the process of constitution amendment was carried through, paving the way for, among other benefits, the financial independence of local government councils, state Houses of Assembly and the country’s judiciary. These changes have already been signed into law by the President as mandated by the constitution.

“The recent decisions by the administration as they relate to subsidy withdrawal, helping to plug some of the most horrendous notorious holes and release of scarce resources for the more pressing needs of the people have also not escaped the ire of the former President.

Shehu stated that “It’s a known fact that the withdrawal of subsidies had been on the wish list of the Obasanjo-led Peoples Democratic Party. They failed in achieving these measures because; one there was a shared greed. They plundered the treasury as much as anyone could in the name of either subsidy or waiver with reckless impunity.

“Two, is to say it takes courage and rare statesmanship on the part of a leader to do as President Buhari to shun populism and seek the best interest of the people and the state, providing the kind of reform and development that Nigeria urgently needs.”

Shehu further recommended Buhari that he had run a regime focused on infrastructural development.

He said with Buhari’s achievements and the more to come, it was not surprising that he would be an object of envy from politicians who he said failed to deliver.

He said, “It is a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock bilateral trade and investments.

“He leads a government that has liberalised the investment climate and market access by achieving reforms that have placed the country in the list of the world’s top reforming economies.

“Nigeria, which other nations had mocked and ridiculed for so many things that were wrong is today progressing at a pace reflecting its size and potential.

Furthermore “With so much to show and many more coming, it is little surprise that President Buhari would be the object of envy and harsh unfair challenges by politicians who failed to deliver, but continue to nurse ambitions of delighting the audience long after their curtain has been drawn.”

Shehu also responded to the views of some analysts on Buhari’s recent advice to West African leaders to avoid tenure elongation.

The presidential aide said contrary to the assertions by the few analysts, Buhari’s recent speech in which he advised West African Presidents against tenure elongation beyond constitutional limits had been consistent with his long-held views on the need to adhere to the rule of law.

Furthermore, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, represented by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Adeyemi, faulted Obasanjo, in a statement on Sunday.

He said the country would have been overrun by Boko Haram insurgents and bandits if the President had not rallied for regional and international support.

Lai in the statement said Buhari came into office at a time that “a swathe of the country’s territory” was under occupation by terrorists and “many Nigerian towns and cities, including the capital city of Abuja, were playgrounds for insurgents.”

He said it was a moment that “the nation’s wealth had been looted dry, with little or nothing to show for the nation’s huge earnings, especially in the area of infrastructure.”

The minister described the country as “a cruel irony that those who frittered away a great opportunity to put Nigeria on a sound socio-economic footing, at a time of financial buoyancy, and those who planted the seed of the insecurity in some parts of the country today, are the same ones pointing an accusing finger at a reformist government.

He said “Nigeria today faces a lot of challenges. But whatever situation the country has found itself in, things would have been much worse but for the deft management of resources, unprecedented fight against corruption, determined battle against insurgency and banditry as well as the abiding courage of Mr. President in piloting the ship of state.

“Nigeria today is not a failed state, but a nation that is courageously tackling its challenges and building a solid infrastructure that will serve as the basis for socio-economic development.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600069927/obasanjo-nigeria-divider-chief-garba-shehu

The state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu on Sunday described Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as “a honeymoon governor.”

Shaibu said “We are in an era where nations all over the world are seeking for people with brains to enhance good governance and not those who are seeking public office for vain glory like Ize-Iyamu.

“Edo is in a safe hand with Obaseki and we can’t handover the State to political merchants who are capable of auctioning the state to buy private properties.

He added “Our Administration has removed Edo State from the base instinct to satisfy individual and group interest at the expense of corporate progress of the State, and this is because Governor Obaseki is not materialistic.”

The All Progressive Congress in reaction to the doubts of the quality of contestants described Governor Godwin Obaseki as a “divorce governor,” it also referred to Shaibu as an “unrepentant militant,” adding that Edo state does not need them and is poised to do away with their “regressive regime.”

In a statement by the chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, said “I respect the office of the Deputy Governor, but I have zero tolerance for falsehood.

He said “I read the deputy’s inharmonious narratives of falsehood and I can authoritatively tell you that the vindictive person who flies abroad is Governor Obaseki. He flew abroad so much that on one such occasion, his Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism had to go to jail in his place. The facts are there. So, who is honeymooning?”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1600070330/edo-poll-ize-iyamu-honeymoon-governor-shaibu

A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Obadiah Mailafia, cried out that his life is in danger.

Mailafia was reacting to the third invitation extended to him by the Department of State Services.

The former CBN deputy governor, in a statement in Jos on Friday, described the latest DSS invitation as political persecution and urged well-meaning people to pray for his safety.

He said, “Dear Comrades, Beloved Brethren, I have once again (for the 3rd time) been ordered to appear before the DSS at their Jos HQ this coming Monday 14th September, at 11.00 am.

“This is in addition to our battle in court, as my lawyer appears before a Jos High Court today Friday the 11th, seeking a restraining order against the DIG Criminal Investigations Department (CID) who are also pursuing me.

“I spent over 20 years of my working life abroad as a university teacher, banker and international civil servant with unblemished record.

“I have no criminal record — not even a parking ticket. Sadly, it is in my own fatherland that I’m being subjected to criminal investigation and such extreme political persecution.

“Please, pray for me. I have reasons to believe that my life is in danger and that some powerful political forces want to silence me forever. For speaking the truth.

“For speaking on behalf of the holy martyrs — of thousands of innocent children, women, elderly and youths that have been killed in our beloved country. It is only in our benighted country that a man who speaks from his conscience can be hounded like a common criminal.

“Please, those of you in the Jos area or who can easily travel to Jos, please kindly mobilise and be there en masse to support me on Monday at 11.00 am as I go once again into the Lions’ Den. I’m a believer in nonviolence. Please, no-one should throw even a little stone on my behalf. Let us become candles of light and peace in this Age of Darkness. Thank you so immensely and may God bless you alI.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599830644/life-danger-mailafia-cries-out

After President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) gives a directive to ministers to “go on the offensive,” against Nigerians in projecting its achievements, the Peoples Democratic Party said it was alarmed by the directive.

In a statement titled ‘Ministerial Retreat: PDP Raises Alarm Over Buhari’s ‘Go On The Offensive’ Directive …Berates Ministers for Celebrating Failure,’ signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja.

Ologbondiyan said on Thursday “The PDP is alarmed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to officials of his administration to ‘go on the offensive’ against Nigerians, who are patriotically crying out under the burden of economic hardship foisted on them by his insensitive, clueless, deceptive and extremely corrupt administration.

“The PDP asserts that such a directive in a ministerial retreat which ought to be a problem-solving forum is symptomatic of an administration that has become overwhelmed by the reality of its own failures and now seeking desperate measures to suppress the voice of the people.

He added “Our Party declares that such anti-people stance amounts to a huge betrayal by Mr. President, who, before his elections, promised Nigerians an Eldorado, only to now turn around to label their cries and demands for good governance, security and basic necessities of life, particularly at the time they are agitating for reduction in the cost of fuel and electricity, as “irresponsible and politically motivated.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599824406/pdp-berates-buhari-the-offensive-order

The leader of the Peoples Democratic Party faction in the Ekiti State Chapter, Senator Biodun Olujimi, dismissed warnings by a former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose to the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, described it as an “empty threat.”

Olujimi, on Thursday said the Oyo State governor was welcome to visit Ekiti State to assist in the party’s reconciliation efforts at any time.

The faction leader spoke in response to the former governor’s admonition to Makinde urging him to navigate off the party’s affairs in Ekiti State.

Olujimi spoke at Omuo Ekiti while donating empowerment materials to her constituents in the Ekiti South Senatorial District.

She said, “Governor Seyi Makinde is welcome in Ekiti anytime. He should even come now so that we can celebrate him. Fayose’s comment was just an empty threat.

“We say unequivocally that governor Makinde is the PDP leader of the zone. Why should the party allow Fayose to conduct the congresses without following due process? We will resist a man who contributed to the failure of our party in Ekiti and the zone. We are resolute to rescue the party.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599816534/fayose-warning-empty-threat-can-stop-makinde

More than N218.380bn will be needed to complete projects awarded during the administration of former governors Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun between 2009 and 2019, the projects review panel set up by the Ogun State Government said this on Tuesday.

The Contract/Project Review Committee headed by Adekunle Mokuolu which was set up July 29, 2019 to review contracts and projects awarded between 2009 and 2019 submitted its report to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday .

Mokuolu submitted the report to the Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, on behalf of Abiodun, who attended the ceremony virtually.

According to Mokuolu, who is the former president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers said, “The amount already paid for the contracts or projects was N130,735,758,922.75k, while the total amount unpaid for Certificates of Valuation(CV) for work done stood at N20,741,675,388.76.

“More than N218.380bn was needed to complete the projects.

“Contracts awarded in terms of percentage were 88 for Works and Infrastructure, one for Agriculture, two for health, three for Education, one for housing, two for commerce and industry.”

He (Mokuolu) noted that observation made have been appropriately highlighted in their report and recommendations to ensure sustainable development of the state.

The Governor of the State, Dapo Abiodun applauded the committee and said the era of awarding contract on the impulse of the governor alone was gone for good.

Abiodun said “Let me say that the era of awarding contract on the impulse of the Chief Executive Officer alone is gone. It is important that we have a clear strategic allocation of resources before embarking on any projects,”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599650301/review-panel-says-ogun-needs-n218bn-complete

The candidate of the Ondo State governorship election for the Peoples Democratic Party scheduled for October 10, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, during his campaign, assured residents of border communities in the Akoko area of the state of adequate security if elected governor.

The PDP’s candidate also vowed to tackle insecurity, especially the menace of kidnapping, which has become endemic in the area.

Jegede made the promise during a visit to Ikakumo in the Akoko North-East Local Government Area.

Jegede said, “We are highly concerned for your welfare and are worried over the onslaught of kidnappers and other criminals in Akoko border communities.

“I want to assure you of an effective security arrangement that will stamp out the incidence of kidnapping, disruptive invasions and other criminal activities in these areas.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599662068/campaign-jegede-promises-tackle-insecurity

Nigerian President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) warned leaders of the Economic Community of West African States against elongating their tenure in office beyond constitutional limits.

According to a statement on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari made the call while presenting Nigeria’s General Statement at the 57th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Niamey, Niger Republic.

The statement titled, ‘President Buhari urges ECOWAS leaders to resist temptation of tenure elongation.’

Buhari, who became Nigerian President in 2015 and whose second and final term of four years ends in May 2023, urged his colleagues to respect constitutional provisions and ensure free and fair elections.

Buhari said, “It is important that as leaders of our individual member states of ECOWAS, we need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits. This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our sub-region.

“As it is, the challenges facing the sub-region are enormous; from socio-economic matters to security issues, the ECOWAS sub-region cannot therefore afford another political crisis, in the guise of tenure elongation.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599576748/buhari-warns-ecowas-leaders-against-tenure-elongation

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, called on Nigerians to protest against the recent hike in the pump price of petroleum. Also, recommended the adoption of the reports of the 2014 national conference and the restructuring of the country’s political structure as the basis for “a meaningful new constitutional order” for Nigeria.

Afenifere also condemned the Water Resources Bill, describing it as a dangerous bill seeking to “convert waterways to RUGA facilities for the Federal Government.”

These were contained in a communiqué issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, immediately after an online meeting of its national caucus presided over by its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti.

According to Afenifere, the recommendations of the 2014 confab, “has become a ritual every four years without tangible progress.”

In the communiqué, “The meeting also discussed the Water Resources Bill rejected by the 8th National Assembly which has been revived surreptitiously by the House of Representatives and concluded that a dangerous agenda is being pursued by the executive in wanting to subvert the Land Use Act in the constitution that vests lands in the state governors.

“The bill is dangerous as it seeks to convert waterways to RUGA facilities for the Federal Government. The bill seeks to give 18km after river banks to the Federal Government when in a state like Lagos you hardly can go beyond a kilometre of any river before meeting residential buildings. We ask that the bill be dropped immediately except there is an agenda to divide the country being pursued frenetically.

“The meeting considered the recent increases in the prices of petroleum products and electricity as the most insensitive policies against a people being ravaged by a pandemic without adequate support from their government. To ask Nigerians to pay more for these facilities is wicked and inhumane. We call on the people to use all constitutional and peaceful means to resist and reject the hikes.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599574244/water-bill-agenda-divide-nigeria-afenifere

Nigerian President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), says it will be “grossly irresponsible” to borrow to subsidise electricity tariff amid the economic crunch caused by the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buhari said no provision was made for fuel subsidy in the Revised 2020 Budget, noting that about N1.7trn has been spent on tariff shortfalls to support the electricity sector since its privatisation.

Buhari, who spoke during his second-term First Year Ministerial Performance Review Retreat in Abuja, noted that only customers who get electricity for 12 hours and above per day would have their tariff increased.

Buhari, who is attending the 57th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States Authority of Heads of State and Government in Niger, was represented at the retreat by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The President said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government revenue had shrunk by 60 per cent but the government was not considering borrowing to fund subsidy for electricity and petrol.

Buhari said, “The COVID-19 has led to a severe downturn in the funds available to finance our budget and has severely hampered our capacity. One of the steps we took at the beginning of the crisis in March when oil prices collapsed at the height of the global lockdown was the deregulation of the price of premium motor spirit such that the benefit of the lower prices at the time was passed on to consumers.

“The effect of the deregulation is that pump prices of petrol will change with the changes in global oil prices. This means quite regrettably that as oil prices go higher, we could see some increases in pump price. This is what has happened now when global prices rose it meant that the prices of petrol locally will also go up”.

“There are several negative consequences if the government should go back to the business of fixing or subsidising petroleum or PMS prices”.

“First of all, it will mean a return to the costly subsidy regime. Today, as we’ve heard, we have 60 per cent less revenue. We simply cannot afford the cost.

“The second danger is the potential return of fuel queues which has thankfully become a thing of the past. Nigerians no longer have to endure long queues just to buy petrol often at highly inflated prices.

“Also, there is no provision for fuel subsidy in the Revised 2020 Budget simply because we are not able to afford such a cost.

“If reasonable provision must be made for health, education, and other social services, we simply cannot sustain petroleum subsidies.”

The President further said, “The recent service-based tariff adjustment by the discos has also been a source of concern to many of us. Let me say frankly like many Nigerians, I have been very unhappy with the service by many of the discos. But there are many constraints including poor transmission and distribution capacities. I’ve already signed off the first phase of the Siemens Project to address many of these issues.

“Because of the problems of the privatisation exercise, the government has had to keep supporting the largely privatised electricity industry. So far, to keep the industry going, we have spent close to N1.7trn especially by way of supplementing tariff shortfalls. We simply do not have the resources at this time to continue in this way. And it will be grossly irresponsible to borrow to subsidise generation and distribution which are both privatised.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599493892/borrowing-subsidise-electricity-grossly-irresponsible-buhari

The Federal Government will spend N2.3tn to reposition the nation’s economy as part of the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan to cushion the effects of COVID-19, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said

According to a statement on Sunday, Adesina said this in a presentation at the 2nd Annual Conference and General Meeting of the International Islamic University Malaysia Alumni Association, Nigeria chapter.

He said the NESP comprised N500bn COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund meant to upgrade health facilities nationwide and finance a national Special Public Works Programme; N1.1tn structured lending from the Central Bank of Nigeria; N334bn to be derived from external bilateral and multilateral sources; and N302.9bn from other undisclosed sources.

Quoted, “The 12-month ‘transit’ scheme under the NESP was developed as a successor plan to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. When compared to other world economies, the Nigerian economy was not as badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, contrary to doomsday projections that had earlier come from the West,”

Femi Adesina urged states and local governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on the people.

The keynote speaker at the event and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Derby, United Kingdom, Prof. Kamil Omoteso, who spoke on ‘Repositioning the Nigerian economy in the COVID-19 era and beyond: The role of Diasporans’, said the country needed to properly harness the potential of its Diaspora population.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599494957/spend-3tn-reposition-economy-adesina

The Centre for Leadership and Justice has marked 11 years of Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s death, saying the renowned lawyer and activist stood out for fighting military rule, tyranny and official corruption.

The centre noted that Fawehinmi, who died on September 5, 2009, wished to see Nigeria “gradually develop into a utopian society, where the masses would not beg to get the basic things of life.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria was 71 years old when he died and widely celebrated as a Nigerian social critic, human and civil rights activist, politician, author and philanthropist.

He was arrested and detained by the government at various times during his crusades for the rule of law, his international passport was seized and his law chambers were also invaded by persons suspected to be agents of the government.

Fawehinmi was the lawyer of popular journalist, Dele Giwa, who was killed in a bomb blast under suspicious circumstances in October 1986.

The centre, in a tribute signed by Emmanuel Umohinyang, said Fawehinmi’s struggles landed him in prison.

Umohinyang said, “Though it has been 11 years since you left and dropped the baton of your quintessential performance as a lawyer, the memories of your struggles for an improved society remain unforgettable.

“You were a lawyer who succeeded at a time when it was difficult to practise and stood out among your peers in the fight against official corruption and barefaced tyranny. We cannot forget how your struggle for good governance and the freedom of the longsuffering masses landed you in prison.

“Your wish for Nigeria was for it to gradually develop into a utopian society where the masses will not beg to get the basic things of life. The current administration is determined to lay a solid foundation for your wish to be steadily achieved.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599307548/fawehinmi-remembered-for-fighting-tyranny-corruption

Biodun Olujimi, Senator representing Ekiti North in the National Assembly, has said the Peoples Democratic Party stood the risk of losing Ekiti State in the 2022 the governorship election if its leaders fail to unify the party.

He said only justice and fairness could engender the kind of unity required to resolve outstanding issues and position the party for victory. Olujimi said this during a meeting of PDP leaders in Ekiti North, at her Omuo Ekiti home town on Saturday.

Olujimi said, “We are where we are today as a result of the dictatorial nature and selfish interest of one man who sees himself as the alpha and omega of the party. But the vast majority of party members across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti are ready to change the order and give everyone a sense of belonging in the management of the party.

“And for us to be able to dislodge APC in the 2022 governorship election, the party must purge itself of impunity and ensure justice, equity and fairness is done. Where there is no justice, equity and fairness, the party can’t win an election.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599467574/without-justice-unity-pdp-will-lose-ekiti

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State has said it will defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the October 10 governorship election in the state.

It also said the results of the election would surprise Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the APC, who had described the PDP as “dead” in the state.

In a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Bola Tinubu is a day dreamer’, signed by the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei, in Akure in response to an earlier statement credited to Tinubu.

Tinubu declared that the PDP was dead and would be buried in Ondo during the October 10 governorship election.

The PDP said, “Only last year, the PDP defeated the Buhari-led APC roundly at the presidential elections. The PDP also won two out of the three senatorial seats in Ondo State. How can such a party by any stretch of imagination be said to be dead?

“It is shameful that the only project Tinubu came to inaugurate in three and half years is the Revenue House, a building that stands as a sign post of multiple taxation of the Ondo State people.

“The PDP is offering affordable education and health care delivery as against Aketi engineered astronomical tuition fees that have thrown many of the students in tertiary institutions out of school. By October 10, Tinubu will know which party is dead in Ondo State.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599468095/ondo-pdp-vows-surprise-tinubu-october

Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), says only his principal has enough confidence to confront former President Olusegun Obasanjo, tell him his honest opinion on things “and survive it”.

Obasanjo and Buhari have a few things in common. Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military head of state between February 13, 1976, and September 30, 1979. He later became a civilian President from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007. Buhari also ruled as military head of state from December 31, 1983, to August 27, 1985, before returning as a democratically elected leader on May 29, 2015.

Adesina, in a piece titled, ‘Buhari Applause For Akinwumi Adesina’, compared Obasanjo to “America and some other world powers”, adding that “you have every right to shiver in the broiling sun” when they come after you.

But the President’s spokesperson, in the piece published on his website on Friday, said, “President Buhari stood against the wishes of America on AfDB Presidency” and supported the re-election bid of African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the African banking institution and its President were in the eye of the storm earlier this year over allegations of impropriety levelled against Akinwumi Adesina by some whistleblowers working in the bank.

However, the 60-year-old former Nigerian minister of Agriculture, who became the first Nigerian to helm the AfDB in 2015, had insisted he was “innocent” of the charges.

The bank’s Ethics’ Committee, which first investigated the allegations, gave him a clean bill that was accepted by the Board of Governors but the United States outrightly rejected the report and demanded a fresh probe by an independent body.

The independent panel headed by former Irish President, Mary Robinson, also cleared all allegations levelled against the AfDB President.

Akinwumi Adesina was then sworn in on September 01, 2020, for another five-year term after getting a 100 percent vote of all regional and non-regional members of the Bank.

Commenting on the development, Buhari’s spokesperson wrote, “The strife is o’er, the battle done. But it was by no means easy. It took so much: tact, diplomacy, guts, deft footworks, prayers, yes, prayers, and so many other things.

“But today, we can noise it all around. Dr Akinwumi Adesina is now elected for another five-year term as President of the African Development Bank.

“If America and some other world powers come after you, you have every right to shiver in the broiling sun. It’s like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo telling you to dismount from the horse of leadership in Nigeria. Only a Muhammadu Buhari can look him straight in the eyes, and say; No sir. And survive it.”

Quoting Buhari’s reaction to Akinwumi Adesina’s victory, the President’s spokesperson said, “He (Adesina) deserves it (re-election as AfDB president).”

He, however, noted that Buhari would not have supported the AfDB President if “Adesina had peradventure been tainted with the slightest whiff of corruption or any other unethical act.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599219522/only-buhari-can-confront-obasanjo-adesina

A former Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, has said it is unkind for Governor Seyi Makinde to refer to him and other past governors in the state as “charlatans”.

Alao-Alaka, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, said this in Iseyin on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the empowerment programme organised by the Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Fatai Buhari.

Makinde had while reacting to the threat to vote him out of office in 2023 said his detractors lacked political relevance and the state would never again be governed by charlatans.

Makinde said, “Let me sound this: if I will not seek re-election, I am sure that Oyo State will never, again, be in the hands of charlatans.

“So, calm down. It is even too early to start talking about a second term. Some parties that do not have even one councilor are saying that they will send me out of the Government House in 2023.”

When asked by journalists for his reaction to what Makinde said in Ogbomoso on Wednesday, he said it was immature for the governor to have said what was credited to him.

Alao-Akala said, “I don’t believe he (Makinde) said that. But if he said that, he made a mistake. You don’t address your predecessors as charlatans.

“You don’t do that. It is unstatesmanly and uncharitable. You just have to talk like a statesman that he is going to be a statement after he must have left office.

“You would see the way we have been addressing him. None of us who has been in that office before has ever said that he is not doing very well.

“He is doing his best. The best may not be enough for the people. When it is time for the campaign, we will campaign. But don’t use that word ‘charlatan’ it was unstatesmanly for him to have said that.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599208743/unkind-for-makinde-call-governors-charlatans-alao

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State declared on Wednesday that the categorisation of the state as insolvent also suggest that the Federal Government was bankrupt.

Diri spoke when he hosted a delegation from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission at the Government House, Yenagoa.

Last week, the chairman of RMAFC, Mr Elias Mbam, had grouped Bayelsa with the four states of Borno, Kebbi, Katsina and Taraba as states that had become insolvent.

But Diri contended that Bayelsa, as an oil and gas-producing state, could not be declared insolvent in isolation of Nigeria which had also been rendered bankrupt by the existing abnormalities in the country.

According to him, the time had come to change the revenue formula to reflect the principles of “true federalism which promotes equity and justice.”

The governor, who renewed his call on multinationals to relocate their headquarters to Bayelsa, said, “We cannot be doing things the same way and expect a different result. A state where a good percentage of the revenue that Nigeria shares (is generated), is said to be bankrupt. How does that happen in any normal society? It tells us that there is an abnormality in this country. Should Bayelsa be bankrupt, then Nigeria should also be declared bankrupt.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599138114/nigeria-bankrupt-diri

The Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, has said those threatening to send him out of office in 2023 are not politically relevant.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, in a statement said Makinde spoke in Ogbomoso on Wednesday when he started the second phase of the Light-Up Oyo Project, in the town and also the construction of the three-kilometre-Under-G-LAUTECH road.

The governor said even if he decided not to seek re-election, the state would not be governed by charlatans again.

Makinde said, “Let me sound this: if I will not seek re-election, I am sure that Oyo State will never, again be in the hands of charlatans.

“So, calm down. It is even too early to start talking about a second term. Some parties that do not have even one councilor are saying that they will send me out of the Government House in 2023.”

Makinde said the second phase of the Light-Up Oyo Project was expected to be completed within nine months, noting that the first phase in Ibadan was already at 87.5 per cent completion.

He said the Light-Up Oyo Project was important to the economic expansion and security enhancement agenda of his administration.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599121393/detractors-lack-political-relevance-makinde

THE Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, on Tuesday said the choice of who emerged presidential candidate in 2023 would be based on political party and not by tribe.

Uzodinma said this in an interview with State House correspondents after a meeting he had with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

His position is coming at a time there is a raging debate between those arguing that the South, especially the South-East, should produce the next President and those who hold the belief that Buhari’s successor can emerge from any zone.

The governor said, “You know that the position is not vacant now; there is a sitting President and we are practising partisan democracy and not tribal democracy.

“So, the emergence of presidential candidate will come on party by party basis, not tribe by tribe basis.

“But if there are other internal factors that will form part of the considerations for parties taking decision, of course, that will be entirely the job of the leadership of those political parties and I think that is the right thing to do.”

The governor said he sought Buhari’s intervention on the problem of erosion ravaging his state, which he described as alarming.

Uzodinma said he had no personal grudges against a former governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, but that the senator should also realise that another person is in charge of the state now.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599033521/tribe-can-determine-who-becomes-president-uzodinma

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday, lamented the recent floods in Kebbi State which claimed lives and destroyed farmlands.

While regretting the lives lost, Buhari described the destruction of farmlands as a huge setback for his regime’s commitment to local production of food.

Buhari’s position was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

The statement was titled “President Buhari laments deaths and destruction of farms in Kebbi State by floods, says disaster couldn’t have come at a worse time for farmers.”

Shehu said Buhari expressed deep concern over the floods that took a number of lives, submerged thousands of hectares of farmlands and houses, destroying farm produce and personal belongings in the affected communities.

He quoted the President as saying, “I am particularly sad over this incident because it’s a setback to our efforts to boost local rice production as part of measures to stop food importation.

“Kebbi State is the focal point of our policy to produce rice locally as part of this administration’s commitment to agricultural revival which suffered relative neglect in favour of food importation.

“With the loss of six lives and still counting; thousands of hectares of land flooded and estimated economic losses of more than one billion Naira by rice farmers in Kebbi State, we face a major setback in our efforts to boost local food production.

“This bad news couldn’t have come at a worse time for our farmers and other Nigerians who looked forward to a bumper harvest this year in order to reduce the current astronomical rise in the costs of food items in the markets.”

Buhari, while sympathising with the bereaved families and farmers affected by the floods, assured them that “we are going to work closely with the Kebbi State Government in order to bring relief to the victims”.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599051819/floods-kebbi-huge-setback-for-food-production

A former Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, has said one way of enforcing compliance in curtailing further spread of COVID-19 is for the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), all the 36 state governors, as well as traditional rulers, to lead the way by wearing face masks.

That way, Sani said, the nation would break the transmission chain and prevent subsequent return of COVID-19, while saving the health infrastructure, lives and the economy.

The ACF chieftain stated this in a statement in Kaduna on Tuesday.

Sani said, “With the current downward trends in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria, given the absence of vaccine and cure for the COVID-19 for now, and the fact that we have not been able to enforce social distancing measures, the only choice left for us in Nigeria is for everybody to wear face masks in crowded places like markets, motor parks, public gathering, worship places and public transport for at least 14 days.

“One way for forcing compliance is for President Buhari, all the governors and all traditional rulers to lead the way by wearing face masks. That way, the nation can break the transmission chain needed for curbing the coronavirus pandemic, and prevent subsequent come back of COVID-19 and save the health infrastructure, more lives and the economy.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1599037991/wear-face-mask-too-acf-secretary-tells

Governor Yahaya Bello says he runs the affairs of Kogi State like a private company with the aim of “profitability”.

The governor, who was sworn in for second term on January 27, 2020, said he still uses his personal vehicles and that he has forfeited “personal entitlements” and other perks of office.

Bello spoke on Monday night during a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today after the Supreme Court affirmed his re-election as Kogi State governor.

It was earlier reported that a seven-man panel of the court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, in two judgments, dismissed separate appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and the Socialist Democratic Party, challenging Bello’s victory at the November 16, 2019 poll.

Monday’s judgment laid to rest the disputes surrounding the validity or otherwise of Bello’s re-election.

Speaking on his victory on Monday night, Bello dedicated it to the youths and the people of the state, saying, “I will never betray the trust that the younger generation and the youths reposed in me in steering the affairs of Kogi State and moving forward. I know today that I am a role model to so many millions. I will try as much as possible to do my best and my best will be good enough for our people.”

The governor noted that many Kogi State government officials still use their personal vehicles.

He said, “We are running the government as if we are running a private business for profitability. What do I mean by that? Starting from myself as the executive governor, my deputy, and all other government officials, it will interest you to know that a lot of us are still using our private vehicles.

“A lot of us have forfeit(ed) and forgo(ne) our personal entitlements. Like me personally, a lot of vehicles that I used today are my personal vehicles. I didn’t come into office to meet or inherit some of these things.”

Continuing, Bello added, “Go to Kogi State Government House today otherwise referred to as Lugard House. See how it is run today and the look compared to when we came into office. There are several projects going on, I can’t mention all of them, and there are still more coming. In fact, that was what propelled the people of Kogi State to vote for me en masse in a way that has never been this way before.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1598969506/run-term-like-private-company-yahaya-bello

The Senate said on Tuesday that none of its members received N20m COVID-19 palliative from the Niger Delta Development Commission.

The Director of Projects, Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, had alleged in a recent newspaper interview that the agency gave N20m to each senator while each of the House of Representatives member collected N15m as palliative.

But the Spokesperson for the Senate, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, denied Ojougboh’s claims in a statement titled, “NDDC boss says senators got N20m, reps N15m each for COVID–19 – a disclaimer,” on Tuesday.

Basiru challenged Ojougboh to either release the full list of the lawmakers who benefitted from the palliative or tender a public apology immediately.

The statement read in part, “The Senate views with grave concern a statement credited to Dr Cairo Ojougboh, the Executive Director, Projects of the NDDC who alleged that National Assembly members received varying sums of money as COVID-19 palliative.

“The Senate hereby disclaims the allegation in its entirety.

“The Senate categorically denies that any Senator collected the sum of N20 million or any sum whatsoever from NDDC as COVID relief fund of for any purpose whatsoever.

“The Senate challenges Dr Ojougboh to publicly provide evidence of his claim and list the names of the Senators he allegedly gave the alleged sum.

“Failure to provide evidence of his claim, the Senate hereby demands an immediate retraction and a public apology from Dr Cairo Ojougboh.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1598968792/palliative-senator-collected-n20m-from-nddc-senate

The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Oyo State, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately neglecting the state in its allocation of special funds and other resources to combat COVID-19.

Olatubosun spoke while receiving an award of excellence on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde from the Abuja branch of the Music

He stated, “It is very disturbing when you realise that the Federal Government has disbursed a lot of money and resources to Lagos, Ogun, Abuja and some other states, while Oyo State is being neglected. Party solidarity should not have come into an important issue like intervention to states during a pandemic like this; it is wrong.

“The testing kits given to the state were too small that it had no significance in the fight against COVID-19. Thank God for the resourcefulness of the state governor.

“Only community testing gulped over 20,000 testing kits, but there is every reason to thank God for our governor and donor agencies, individuals and corporate organisations that have come to the aid of Oyo State.

“The post-COVID-19 health sector era will be blissful as the resources put into equipping all the state-owned health facilities will now make the sector responsive; the sector will never be same again.”

Earlier, the Chairman, Abuja branch of MAAN, Mr Tawab Fatola, said the body acknowledged the efforts of the state government in battling coronavirus.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1598955795/oyo-accuse-neglecting-covid-funds