₦airaland Forum

Central Bank of Nigeria has directed all commercial banks to open for operation on Saturdays and Sundays, as part of a coordinated effort to ease circulation of banknotes of various denominations.

The apex bank also confirmed the evacuation of banknotes from its vaults to commercial banks across the country.

This latest development was disclosed in a statement signed by CBN Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isa AbdulMumin, in Abuja, on Friday afternoon.

The statement noted that, a substantial amount of money, in various denominations, had been received by commercial banks, for onward circulation to their respective customers, even as it prevailed on banks, to conduct physical operations in banking halls through the weekends.

Excerpts of the statement read: “The CBN has directed all banks to load their Automated Teller Machines, as well as conduct physical operations in the banking halls through the weekends.

“Branches of commercial banks will operate on Saturdays and Sundays to attend to customers’ cash needs.

“The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, would personally lead teams to monitor the level of compliance by the banks in various locations across the country,” it stressed.


The bank, therefore, urged Nigerians to be patient, as the current situation would ease soon, with the injection of more banknotes into circulation.

The PUNCH reports that authorities have stepped up efforts to end the biting currency scarcity that has inflicted pain on millions of bank customers nationwide, after a Supreme Court ruling, and a proposed protest by Nigeria Labour Congress, scheduled for next week.

onthehill:
https://igberetvnews.com/1441491/apc-suspends-boss-mustapha/

Seun Lalasticlala Mynd44 nlfpmod

Terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits, blocked the Bwari-Jere road near Bwari town in the Federal Capital Territory, killing two passengers while kidnapping numerous others.

Some of the witnesses at the scene said the terrorists blocked the road on Friday night, around the Ganmi junction, while they carried out their heinous act.

One of the villagers, Isah John, told Daily Trust that several cars coming from the Kaduna and Bwari areas ran into the obstruction.

He added that the bandits shot dead two passengers and abducted a number of others.

The terrorists were shooting sporadically and in the process, their bullets hit the two passengers, who died immediately, it was learnt.

They operated for about an hour before leaving with the passengers they kidnapped.

It was learnt that throughout the operation, gunshots were heard in villages like Ganmi, Garam, Idah and other neighbouring communities, which threw the people into panic.

A resident of Ganmi, who craved anonymity, said the bandits had earlier blocked the road at the same junction two weeks ago and kidnapped five people.

He said the victims paid huge ransom before they were freed, adding that, “After they were freed, the bandits came out again on Friday night to abduct many more people.”

A leader in one of the communities, pleaded with the military to intervene by combing the areas along the road from Bwari to Jere, adding that many villagers along the road no longer slept with their two eyes closed.

“We now live in fear; these guys are close to somewhere between Bwari and Idah or Jere. The military should please come and help us. The military has been doing well in dislodging them in the forest close to Gidan Dogo, maybe they are the ones coming here and getting closer to Bwari in the FCT,” he said.

N3TRAL:
Borno own too much.

Na every election day Dem go dey burn market?

searchng4love:
Nigeria needs competence, not national unity govt – Tinubu

President-elect backs S’Court on naira, says Atiku, Obi’s legal actions good for democracy

President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, dampened the hope of advocates of a government of national unity, favouring competence over such a political arrangement.

He stated that his aim was higher than a government of national unity and would rather seek a government of national competence in selecting his cabinet members and not choosing appointees based on religion.

Tinubu spoke in a signed statement on Thursday titled, “Nigeria: At the Cusp of Renewed Hope, ’’ marking his first official statement after his declaration as president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission on March 1.


The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress polled 8, 794, 726 votes to beat the Peoples democratic party candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi and the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Both Abubakar and Obi who came second and third respectively in the election are challenging the poll results in court, rejecting Tinubu’s holding out an olive branch to them. Some Nigerians however mulled a government of national unity to douse the agitations over the poll outcome.

Addressing Nigerians on the issue, the president-elect in the statement said, “As your incoming president, I accept the task before me. There have been talks of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone. I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria. There shall be young people. Women shall be prominent. Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will.’’

Commenting on the presidential election whose conduct was also faulted by some individuals and asserting the rights of aggrieved contestants to go to court, the ex-Lagos State governor noted that a fair and credible poll was held and won.

He said, “A fair, credible election has been held and has been won. The honour of that victory and the steep responsibility it entails has fallen on me. I say this not to gloat or boast because there is no room for such behaviour. I merely state the facts as they are.

I realise many good and well-meaning Nigerians voted for other candidates. They are naturally disappointed that their favoured candidate did not win.

Other candidates have voiced their dissatisfaction, stating they will go to court to contest the election. This is inherent to the democratic process. We defend their right to seek legal recourse.

While they exercise the legal rights afforded them in our democracy, I have set my course and mind on the leadership of this nation. We have important work to do and I am committed to getting that work done for the benefit of all the people, whether or not they voted for me or even voted at all.’’

Saying that it was not the time for continued acrimony and partisan recrimination, Tinubu added that negative things could incite strong passions; but they were not the pathway to a better nation.

The president-elect noted, “Only unity and national commitment can serve that purpose. Critics of Nigeria have been too quick to conclude that our political system is fragmented because of the impressive showing of new parties and their candidates. “These critics are wrong. The emergence of the new parties and their candidates underscores the dynamic strength of our democracy. People want democracy to work and they want to have their voices heard and interests met within it. This is a good thing to be promoted, not something to be feared,’’

According to him, what must concern Nigerians is not the growth of parties but the regrowth of old prejudices and bigotries such as ethnicity, creed and place of origin.

He observed that as a nation and individuals imbued with the love of God and of fellow man, Nigerians were better than this, adding that at some point the citizens must decide whether they shall be enticed by the ills of the past or more bravely and nobly be encouraged by the eminent prospect of a brighter future.

AdaojoTheUrchin:
Pantami wan use that one carry billions. Who him dey deceive?

Cybersecurity experts have stated that the Federal Government’s claim that 12.99 million cyberattacks were recorded during the elections is impossible.

According to them, the government needs to explain its claim and allow experts to investigate its systems. On Tuesday, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, disclosed that 12.99 million cyberattacks were recorded during election week.

He stated that on the presidential election day (25th February), there were 6.99 million attacks. He explained that the attacks recorded included a series of hacking attempts including Distributed Denial of Service, email and IPS attacks, SSH login attempts, brute force injection attempts, path traversal, detection evasion, and forceful browsing.

Pantami noted that the Presidential cybersecurity committee for the election was up to the task and blocked all the attacks.

A statement signed by Pantami’s spokesperson, Uwa Sulaiman, read in part, “It is worth noting that in the run-up to the 2023 General Elections, threat intelligence revealed an astronomical increase in cyber threats to Nigerian cyberspace.

“Generally, threats to public websites and portals averaged around 1,550,000 daily. However, this skyrocketed to 6,997,277 on Presidential Election Day.”

However, cybersecurity experts have countered the claims of the government explaining that propaganda could be informing the claim.

The President of Nigeria Computer Society, Professor Adesina Sodiya, told The PUNCH, “Based on my personal experience, I am wondering how they would experience that amount of large cyberattack in a day during the election.

“Based on my experience, I do not think we could have up to that. But we need further information as to why they said that.”

He stated that when the NCS tried to find out if INEC had recorded any attack recently, the chairman of the commission stated that there was no attack. “Now that they are saying there were cyberattacks, it is not correlating.”

Explaining further, Sodiya, said, “In my experience as a professor of cybersecurity, they cannot experience that amount of cyberattacks.

“Cyberattacks are sometimes coordinated. When they try once and they don’t get access, they try again.”

youngsahito:
Govt need to put a big bump at that toll gate bus stop and those useless aboki driver always driving recklessly on the road.
Almighty God should continue to keep us save.

The independent National Electoral Commission has been heavily criticised by two United States diplomats, Ambassador Mark Green and Johnnie Carson over the conduct of last month's election.

The diplomats said even Nigerian citizens who supported the winners of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections disappointed with the electoral process.

In a joint treatise, both envoys, who monitored the elections, insisted that critical lessons must be learnt very fast from the shortcomings of the last polls by Nigerians and Africans, with a view to forestalling such flaws in the future.

Writing for the Washington-based President Woodrow Wilson Centre, a United States non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research, Green and Carson noted that, among other issues, many polling stations opened late while poll workers reported material shortages.

While Green was administrator of the US Agency for International Development, Executive Director of the McCain Institute, US ambassador to Tanzania and four-term House of Representatives member, Carson was ambassador to Nigeria and several other African countries.

The ambassadors recalled that on February 25, Nigeria held its presidential election with millions of Nigerians going to the polls for the opportunity to elect their new leader, but noted that the process was fraught with irregularities.

The diplomats wrote, “At a time when the world is experiencing a democratic decline, Nigerians stood in line – sometimes for hours – for the chance to have their voices heard.

“Unfortunately, the National Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute Election Observation Mission – for which we were both observers – declared that this election ‘fell short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations.’

“Citizens were disappointed with the electoral process, including those who supported the candidates who were declared winners. Among other issues, many polling stations opened late, and poll workers reported material shortages.

“Overall, as the IRI/NDI joint mission found, Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to live up to the high expectations it had created for itself.”

They recalled that three days after Election Day, the candidate of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, was declared president-elect. They stressed that the main opposition parties had now gone to court to challenge the results.

According to the envoys, there is a lot of evidence that Africans prefer democratic systems of government to other forms. They explained that in addition, Africans also wanted accountable governance.

The diplomats contended that even with improvements over the last decade, governance overall had struggled, “flat lining” across the continent since 2019, a worrying development since it can affect African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals.

According to the duo, success for democracy in Nigeria – the biggest economy and largest democracy on the continent – has the potential to inspire democracy in neighbouring countries and across the continent, as Nigeria is one of the most influential countries in Africa – and the world.

While much of the world’s attention is “understandably” taken up by headline-grabbing events, such as the Russia/Ukraine conflict and earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Green and Carson argued that the world could not afford to ignore happenings in Nigeria.

They stated, “However, the international community cannot afford to overlook elections – and importantly, democracy – across Africa this year. Case in point, Nigeria: Africa’s most populous country and one of the world’s largest democracies.

“With projections to become the world’s third most populous country by 2050, it is imperative that a solidified democratic system is established in order to effectively support the people’s needs and promote progress throughout the continent.

“US foreign policy toward Nigeria should focus on proactively strengthening democracy and governance. To help reach this goal, our direct engagement with African leaders and citizens is important – not because we have it perfectly figured out but because we know that democracies build better futures.”

The ambassadors noted that US policy toward Nigeria should consistently advocate strong civil society involvement, fortify political parties, implement checks and balances on government officials, and establish strong legislative systems.

The US and other international partners, the envoys stressed, must continue to support civil society and the institutions that support democratic principles, and in turn, strengthen democracy.

Although the logistical issues associated with the elections disappointed many Nigerians, the ambassadors argued that their continued hope for their country’s democratic system should inspire all.

While elections are an important benchmark in democratic development, they said the real work of building democratic institutions happens between elections.

According to the ambassadors, “What happens over the next weeks and months in Nigeria will be vital. It is important that the president-elect prioritises forming an inclusive government that considers the voices and concerns of all Nigerians.

“On March 18, Nigerians will go back to the polls to vote for their state governors and Houses of Assembly, and there will be several important elections on the continent this year.

“The world should continue to watch the process closely, and ensure that lessons from the Nigeria presidential election are not just recorded but used to strengthen every election that lies ahead.”

The envoys stated that there was no question about the enormous potential that existed in the country and Africa, stressing that the continent can only achieve its full potential if citizens have an opportunity to participate in a democratic process that allows their votes to be cast and their voices to be heard.

seunmsg:
We can’t have a Muslim Muslim president and vice president and still have a Muslim senate president.

Some of these politicians must learn to be considerate and accommodating. This is the time to make all necessary concession in the overall interest of peace, unity, stability and national cohesion. We should all support the SE for senate president. That’s the best way to start the healing process.

Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has advised officials of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to desist from maligning his character in the media or risk being sued for libel.


Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi who was reacting to calls by the PDP on Prof. Yakubu to step down for his handling of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, said the PDP should go to court and present the bagful of evidence it claims to have rather than subjecting the process to a media trial.

He said; “The latest call by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, just like it did previously for the resignation of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC is misplaced.
Interestingly, the PDP did not provide any convincing evidence to back up all the spurious allegations it listed as Prof. Yakubu’s ‘infractions’.

“To be sure, the PDP failed to provide any evidence to substantiate the allegations of Yakubu’s ‘brazen violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines, and criminal manipulation and alteration of election results’.


“The PDP also did not give the evidence to prove its claims that Prof. Yakubu ‘sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from polling units.’

“Besides, the ‘several evidences’ that the PDP claimed ‘abound in the six geo-political zones of the country where winning figures scored by the PDP were switched in favour of the APC’ were also not laid bare.

“To be sure, the Commission does not rig elections. Rather, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS has, since its introduction, among other innovations, ensured the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only properly registered voters are allowed to vote on Election Day.

“It is common knowledge that the PDP has rejected the outcome of the presidential election and has vowed to challenge it in court.

“The path of honour for the party, therefore, is to pursue its case in court, armed with all the evidences at its disposal and wait for the court’s decision.


“But going about canvassing the same issues the party intends to plead in court on the pages of newspapers and calling for the resignation of the INEC Chairman is like putting the cart before the horse.

“More importantly, the PDP is hereby reminded that making libelous allegations against the person of the INEC Chairman is actionable. The party should henceforth desist from the practice”.

iLoveYouToo:
Can we at least know what caused it? Did the train derail? Was the BRT bus on the rail?

Details please, you mustn’t post pictures