₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has blamed heavy rainfall and gridlock for the delay in completing the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by end of April.

The Director, Federal High Ways, South-West at the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ademola Kuti, disclosed this on Channels Television’s New At 10 on Sunday.

After failing the meet up with the December 2022 deadline for the completion of the road project, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola had set a new completion date of April 30.

Kuti said that the April deadline was not met because of rain and traffic.

“The earlier completion date of 30th of April which is today (Sunday), we were unable to meet that target because of some factors, majorly the heavy rain which we experienced since March and April and of course the unexpected heavy traffic,” he said.

He, however, assured motorists plying the route that the Federal Government is determined to complete the project but said he can’t give an exact date of completion as he can’t predict the weather.

“So, as we move into the next month (May), we expect that the rain will still be heavy and it will be a bit difficult but what we want to assure motorists is that we are determined is determined to complete this project, we are fully on ground.

“As a matter of fact, we opened access in the OPIC axis, that is from the Kara Bridge to the Long Bridge and what is left is just about a kilometre as you enter Lagos and then maybe another two kilometres as you are leaving Lagos and we are fully determined with enough men on ground to achieve this,” Kuti stated.

John Onaiyekan, former Catholic archbishop of Abuja, says[b] “it doesn’t make much sense”[/b] for President-elect Bola Tinubu to be sworn in before the conclusion of the election tribunal.

Tinubu is expected to be sworn in as president on May 29. His victory is being challenged in court by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).

On Wednesday, the presidential election tribunal fixed May 8 for the hearing of the petitions.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, Onaiyekan said the system of electioneering in the nation should be reviewed, noting that it would produce winners who don’t have the shadow of the court lurking behind their victory.

“There are cases in court that have not been disposed of. That is why we are in an anomalous situation. We have a president-elect whose election is being challenged and the court is handling it,” he said.

“I’m still waiting for the court to tell me who won the election. It doesn’t make much sense to be swearing in people when they are still in court.

“I know it has happened with governors but the outcome has really not been the best of all cases. I think we need to review our election process, so we do have a winner who will be sworn in and whom everybody would rally around.

“It is a pity that it is taking longer for the court to come to its decision. My problem is that the whole system of our election must be properly reviewed so that it would be easier for winners to emerge according to the wishes of the people.

“It is not right to have a system that is constantly contested. We should find out why is every election being contested.”

The national assembly has directed Amos Ojo, its clerk, to transmit a bill which approves a uniform retirement age for judicial officers to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

The constitutional bill is seeking to extend the retirement age of high court judges from 65 to 70 years.

The bill was passed on Tuesday after Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president, sponsored a motion on the matter.

The motion was entitled ‘Passage of constitution (fifth) alteration bill No. 20 (Uniform Retirement Age for Judicial Officers), 2023″.

While moving the motion, Omo-Agege, chair of the senate ad hoc committee on the amendment of the constitution, said the Sokoto state assembly had only just forwarded its resolution on the bill.

“Recall that the Sokoto state house of assembly was among the state houses of assembly that were yet to forward their resolution,” he said.

“The Sokoto state house of assembly has forwarded its resolution; and convinced that with the approval of Sokoto state house of assembly, the constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bill No. 20 (Uniform Retirement Age for Judicial Officers), has met the provisions of section 9(2) of the constitution, for passage.”

The motion was approved after it was put to a vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

Lawan said the bill, if approved and signed into law by the president, would “be part of our legacy as the ninth national assembly”.

The retirement age of justices in the court of appeal and supreme court is already pegged at 70.

Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and now senator-elect for the Ikot-Ekpene Senatorial District, Godswill Akpabio, on Sunday in Abuja, informed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), of his intent to be President of the 10th Senate.

Akpabio who disclosed this after meeting with the President at his official residence at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, also promised to work closely with the incoming administration in the interest of the youth.

The meeting was held only a few hours after another Senate presidential aspirant, Abdulaziz Yari, visited Buhari and urged the governing All Progressives Congress to allow the North to produce the next Senate helmsman having contributed substantial votes to President-elect Bola Tinubu’s victory.

When asked about his plans if elected to man the third highest office in the land, Akpabio said, “A lot of reforms! Akpabio is known as an uncommon transformer. Akpabio is known as a man who is result-oriented.

“You will recall that when I was a governor, I brought a lot of innovations to bear, infrastructurally, educationally, socially and otherwise and also in terms of human empowerment.

“I intend to bring a lot of reforms into the Senate, in the way and manner we do business, to assist the next administration to succeed. We will be very thorough in doing everything; we’ll bring about loyalty to the Constitution, we’ll bring about loyalty to Nigerians.”

The former Akwa Ibom State Governor said his presidency would tackle issues through legislation to empower Nigerians, particularly the youth.

He noted that, “With the restiveness that we are seeing across the nation, we’ll do our best to make good laws and to assist the administration to bring about policies that will empower the youths of the country.

“I made that promise even on the convention day that being a man who used to turn boys into men and who still does, I will like to work with the incoming President, who has also shown that example in Lagos State as a governor and thereafter as a leader of the APC in Nigeria.

“He has continued to turn boys into men and as the President of the country, after his swearing-in, I expect that he continues to do so.”

Pressed for specifics, Akpabio said he would ensure the kind of empowerment that restricts the instrumentalisation of youths for criminality and political gains.

“So, we’ll get them working and I believe that with the help of the Almighty, that both the National Assembly and the Executive will do a lot for the youths of this country,” he added.

On his consultations with other lawmakers and the leadership of the APC, he said, “Yes, we have been doing that, we’ve done a lot of consultations and they’ve been very positive and well received.

“It’s almost like a woman who is already eight months pregnant, just a month to deliver.”

https://www.channelstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Electric-Bus.jpg


Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a statement on Sunday, said the acquisition of the buses is in partnership with Oando PLC, adding that Lagosians can expect cleaner public transportation system.

He said, “With the ability to travel 280km at full charge, taking into account our unique travel times in Lagos, our electric buses are a game-changer. With an average daily usage of 200km by existing BRTs, there is no need to fear that the buses can stop while in transit.

“Our new electric buses will not only reduce carbon emissions but will also increase efficiency. This means that Lagosians can say goodbye to high fuel costs and hello to cost-efficient transportation.

“We shall be running a pilot scheme over the next few months to gather sufficient data required to analyse the operational efficiencies relative to the current BRT buses to further improve our public transport service.

“This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to creating a sustainable future for Lagos.

“We understand the need for charging stations to power our electric buses, which is why we are partnering with Oando Clean Energy Limited to strategically place Universal Chargers at public places like malls and gas stations. We also plan to establish an Assembly Plant for Electric Buses in the near future.

“This is just the beginning of our efforts to transform Lagos into an even smarter city as we continue to increase our fleet of electric vehicles, further modernizing the Lagos transportation system.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the international community to impose a visa ban on President Muhammadu Buhari and his family over what they claimed is the Nigerian leader’s role in the rigging of the 2023 presidential elections.

PDP’s comment came a day after a statement by Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari as saying that the opposition failed to win the exercise due to its non-tactical abilities.

But in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Friday, the PDP described Buhari’s comments as “unfortunate, reckless, unpresidential conduct and subjudice”.

“Having clearly undermined democracy in Nigeria, the PDP calls on the International Community to accordingly impose sanctions including visa ban and travel restrictions on President Buhari and his family immediately after he vacates office on May 29, 2023,” the statement read.


“This demand for sanction is in line with President Buhari’s request on February 17, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium, wherein he called on the European Union (EU) to impose ‘weighty sanctions’ on those engaged in ‘unconstitutional change of governments’ as well as those influencing the ‘process and outcomes of elections’.”

While alleging that the APC rigged the election, the PDP claimed that the presidential election was marred by brazen violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, INEC Regulations and Guidelines; manipulation of processes, alteration of genuine results from Polling Units and announcement of fabricated figures.

The opposition party also claimed that the election was won by its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, which is why the party is already at the tribunal with the prospects of reclaiming the mandate.

“Nigerians and the International Community are therefore appalled, horrified, and scandalized by the careless, unguarded and subjudice comment by President Buhari in which he attempted to justify the rigging of the February 25, 2023, Presidential election by the APC under his watch.


“This statement reveals the utter disregard that General Buhari has for our Constitutional democracy, judiciary, and the will of the Nigerian people as expressed at the February 25, 2023, Presidential election,” the PDP said.

The statement further read, “It is, to say the least, reprehensible for Mr. President to posture and gloat over the trampling of the Will of Nigerian, blame the opposition for being overconfident and, according to him, for not being ‘tactical,’ perhaps enough to outwit the violence, brutality, threats, suppression of voters, rigging and election manipulations by the APC and the government which he heads.

“It is unpardonable that President Buhari, who swore to uphold the laws of our country and made several commitments to the world to ensure free, fair, credible and transparent election, is rather in approval of election rigging through manifest compromise of INEC system and wide-spread alteration, falsification and switching of election results in favour of his rejected party, the APC.

“President Buhari is practically gloating over the undermining of democracy by INEC which refused to transmit directly results from the Polling Units to its Server/Website and announce same, in total violation of the express provisions of Section 64 Sub-section 4 (a) (b) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

“More distressing is that after superintending over the rigging of the election, President Buhari, by his subjudice comments apparently seeks to bully, blackmail and influence the judiciary and the outcome of the petition pending before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, so as to allow his Party, the APC, and its candidate to ‘grab, snatch and run’ with the people’s mandate.

“The PDP in clear terms tells President Buhari and his APC that our Party and candidate, Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the February 25, 2023 presidential election as shown by the authentic results from the majority of polling units across the country

“The PDP did not lose the presidential election as claimed by President Buhari and we are not willing to surrender the mandate freely given to our Party by the people irrespective of the threats, bullying, and manipulation by the APC-led administration.

“Nigerians believed and expected President Buhari to leave a legacy of a free, fair, and credible election based on his numerous undertakings and promises but he is leaving an ignoble, dishonorable, and disgraceful legacy of enabling and superintending over the worst election conducted in the history of democracy in Nigeria. President Buhari, history will never be kind to you!

“It is instructive to state that part of the electoral process is the adjudication by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which is considering petitions arising from the election. President Buhari, by his subjudice statement, is clearly interfering in the electoral process ostensibly to influence the outcome and undermine the constitutionally laid down procedures for change of government.”

It also demanded “an open investigation into the roles played by President Buhari in the undermining of democracy in Nigeria in the 2019 and 2023 Presidential elections.

“President Buhari needs to advised to be circumspect and allow the judicial process to proceed without further undue interference and bullying by him.

“The PDP appreciates Nigerians for standing firm in defending our democracy at this critical time. As a Party, we will never relent in our determination to retrieve our Presidential mandate through the Tribunal no matter the machination of the APC.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development have confirmed that the first batch of 13 buses conveying 637 stranded Nigerian students had arrived safely at Aswan borders in Egypt.

They also explained how $1.2m was negotiated to hire buses to convey the evacuees.

The necessary documentation and clearance before admission into the Egyptian territory for their eventual evacuation to Nigeria, according to them, was ongoing.

A joint statement by the Permanent Secretaries of the ministries indicated that the movement of the second batch of 29 buses would commence yesterday.

The statement advised evacuees to be at the designated locations with only one piece of luggage.

It explained that contrary to insinuations on social media, embassy staff were very much on the ground in Khartoum to coordinate the evacuation exercise to the very end.

The statement stressed that the outcry over the negotiated sum of $1.2 million for the buses hired for the exercise was uncalled for.

According to the statement, the amount was negotiated in a condition of war and there were competing demands for the same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens.

The Federal Government said yesterday that hundreds of Nigerians who were evacuated from war-torn Sudan and were to be airlifted from Egypt back to Nigeria yesterday were stranded as they were not allowed to cross the border into Egypt since their arrival on Thursday evening.

Nigerians in Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement issued yesterday by Mr Gabriel Odu, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NiDCOM in Abuja said Nigerians were among the over 7,000 nationals denied entry by the Egyptian authorities who were insisting on visas by Africans to transit to their countries.

The Commission Chairman, therefore, called on “those concerned with passages and movement of persons and services along the borders of Sudan to create a humane condition for them to have access to their various destinations”. She also said the Nigerian mission in Egypt had been working on the issue and appealed to the Egyptian authorities to kindly allow the travellers to transit to their final destinations in various countries in Africa.

It will be recalled that the Nigerian students who were being conveyed to the Egyptian border in buses contracted by the Federal Government had raised an alarm on Wednesday that there were stranded in the middle of the desert as the drivers complained they had not been paid for their services

The crisis in Sudan reportedly started on April 15 between the Sudanese army and paramilitary RSF, both headed by army generals.

NiDCOM and NEMA at different times announced that about 1,600 Nigerian evacuees from Sudan were expected in Abuja on Friday. Officially, there are about 5,500 Nigerian students who are expected to arrive from Sudan in the evacuation that commenced on Wednesday.

According to NEMA, 13 buses conveyed the first batch of the evacuees from Khartoum in Sudan to Egypt from where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.

Sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told an online publication, PREMIUM TIMES that, “As of 0700hrs on 28th April 2023, nine buses have arrived at the Sudanese side of the Arkin border, and four buses have also arrived at the Wadi Halfa border. They are waiting for clearance from the Sudanese end to cross to the Egyptian side.

“Wadi Halfa border is the one approved for our people, and this was communicated to our Mission in Khartoum. However, the fact that some of the drivers chose to go to another border post (about 200 km) away from the approved entry point, we have raised another team to go there and assist.”

The source added that there are thousands of people at the borders and as such there will be delays in getting Nigerians into Egypt. In a similar tone, the source at NiDCOM noted that there are “not so serious” diplomatic hitches at the border and the Nigerian embassy in Egypt is trying to get diplomatic cover for the students.

President Muhammadu Buhari has received the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, at the State House.

The outgoing and incoming presidents prayed together at the Presidential Mosque on Friday, after which the President-elect departed without speaking to the media.

Earlier, Buhari also received Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

Tinubu’s visit to Buhari comes less than 24 hours after the President argued the opposition’s defeat in the February 25 presidential election was as a result of “overconfidence”.

He added that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on the other hand, blended confidence with caution, saying, “We worked hard and won.”


While receiving the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) led by the Chairman, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, Buhari said, “They were already telling their foreign backers that they would defeat the APC.

“Now, their overconfidence is creating more problems for the opposition than anyone else. They are finding it hard to convince those who supported them from outside why they are unable to beat us.

“A combination of over confidence, complacency and bad tactical moves made them lose, plain and clear. This has created more problems in their camp. Why did they fail to remove us?”

The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Wednesday, blessed and prayed for God’s continuous support for the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

This was made known in a statement signed and released by the spokesperson for the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, which was shared on his Facebook page.

Pastor Adeboye who was accompanied by his wife and senior pastors of the RCCG while attending the inauguration of the Jennifer Etuh Medical Centre held at Ifewara, urged Adeleke to continue to govern with the fear of God noting that as long as the governor continued to uphold the path of God, he would continue to earn the favour of God.

Adeleke had earlier described how his governorship ambition began with the anointing and prayers of Pastor Adeboye.

He said, “I remember Baba Adeboye anointed and prayed for me. His prayer for me is answered and I am here today as the Governor of Osun State.

“Baba has again prayed for me and re-anointed me. I will continue to toe the path of God. I govern by the fear of God. I will not derail as my governorship is anointed by God”, Adeleke declared.

Adeleke also said the reason he continued to sing and worship God on every occasion was a result of his agreement with God.

He said, “When Baba Adeboye was anointing me, he asked me to continue to sing and praise God. So when you see me dancing and praising God, that is my promise to my God as instructed by God. That is my secret.”

Adeboye while inaugurating the centre described the ultra-modern multi-billion naira medical and vocational centre at Ifewara as a divine intervention in favour of the community while also praying to God to bless smaller towns without the possibility of government medical and educational interventions.

Pastor Adeboye while praying for the Etuh family and the repose of the soul of the late Jennifer, commended many human intervention programmes intended to impact people’s lives promoted and supported by the Etuh family. He urgef well-meaning Nigerians to extend hands of fellowship to their kith and kin.

Adeleke who was accompanied by his brother, Dr Deji Adeleke, the Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, Sunday Bisi, Adewale Egbedun, Niyi Owolade, Rev Bunmi Jenyo and others later inaugurated the medical and vocational centre.

The Jennifer Etuh Foundation which is responsible for building the medical centre is inspired by the late Mrs Etuh who before her death instructed that such medical centres should be built in six zones of the federation. The Ifewara Medical Centre is the third of the planned medical centres.

https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/25211338/Prof-Yemi-Osinbajo-.jpg
The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, will on Friday depart Abuja for Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, to speak at the 2023 Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend themed “Global Africa.”

Osinbajo’s visit to Nairobi is the second in seven months since he attended the inauguration of the Kenyan President, William Ruto, last September.

The Forum, tagged The Ibrahim Governance Weekend, will bring together leading voices from across Africa and beyond to discuss germane issues around the progress of the African Continent.

“Specifically, Prof. Osinbajo will attend the IGW Africa Leadership opening ceremony later today and speak at the first session tomorrow,” a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, read.



In the statement titled ‘Osinbajo to speak in Nairobi at 2023 Mo Ibrahim Governance Forum, themed Global Africa,’ Akande said the VP will join other leaders to discuss “Africa’s Weight in the World, Highlighting the Continent’s Assets and Potentials.”

Osinbajo presides over FEC meeting
The guest speakers include Kenyan President, William Ruto; former President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka; Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; among others.

At the IGW, Osinbajo is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with President Ruto and the British Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell.

At the opening ceremony, the 2021 Ibrahim Laureate President, Mahamadou Issoufou would be celebrated in person at an event to be attended by leaders from Africa and across the world.

The organiser of the annual forum, The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, was established in 2006 with a critical focus on the importance of good governance and leadership for Africa.

“The Vice President is expected back in Abuja soon,” Akande noted.

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has insisted that it would continue to support what it called “the victory of Peter Obi” of the Labour Party in the February 25 presidential election and all his endeavours in its realisation.

Afenifere reiterated that the emergence of a president from the South East would guarantee equity, fairness and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

At the April edition of its general meeting held in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, the group called on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to ensure speedy resolution of all the petitions before it.

Obi and the Labour Party are in court to challenge the outcome of the presidential election, which Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won.

But, in a communique signed after the meeting by the leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and the group Secretary General Sola Ebiseni (retd), Afenifere strongly called on the judiciary to ensure all petitions in respect of the presidential election are “timeously and justly resolved before the end of the tenure of the Buhari administration.”

Afenifere described this as the only way through which the confidence Nigerians have in its intervention may be earned.

The group recalled that similar precedents in this regard have been laid, even by less endowed countries in Africa.

In the communique, Afenifere also asked the Federal Government not to be wasteful by committing about N100 billion to the coming population census.

Afenifere maintained that there is no compelling reason why the census must be held by “the expiring” President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The group, therefore, called for “all steps and preparations in that regard [to] be stopped forthwith.”

https://www.channelstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Bola-Tinubu-Atiku-Abubakar.jpg

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, says he has been able to run for the office of the President of Nigeria since 1993 without any controversy because he is free from drugs and identity scandals, unlike the President -Elect, Bola Tinubu.

Reacting to Tinubu’s response in which he described Atiku as a serial election loser, the former Vice President said that Tinubu is a giant in forfeiture, drug-related offences and failure to disclose dual nationality to INEC.

This were contained in Atiku’s response to Tinubu’s and All Progressives Congress (APC) reply to his petition challenging the process and the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Besides, Atiku said that his identity, comprising age, State of Origin and educational qualifications have never been in dispute like those of Tinubu.

In his response to Tinubu’s reply to his petition, Atiku insisted that Tinubu is constitutionally disabled from contesting for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Atiku alleged that Tinubu is unfit to lead Nigeria having been indicted for drug related offences in the United States of America (USA) and made to forfeit a sum of $460,000 as a compromise agreement.

In the response filed by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), the PDP presidential candidate justified why the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect cannot stand, adding that against the law, Tinubu holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea.

He also accused Tinubu of not disclosing facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contrary to the provisions of the law.

Justifying his request for the annulment of the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect, Atiku said that Tinubu and APC never won majority of the lawful votes cast in the February 25 presidential election.

Amongst others, the PDP presidential candidate maintained that Tinubu failed part of the constitutional requirements having failed to secure 25% of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as constitutionally required.

He insisted that the return of Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election is undue, unlawful and invalid because Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirements as to qualification.

Rather than addressing the issues raised against him and the disputed election, Atiku said that Tinubu deliberately chose not to answer points of substance in the petition and opted for contradictory and vague facts.

In reaction to another issue raised against Atiku’s petition, the former Vice President claimed that his petition did not in any way constitute a gross abuse of any court process, adding that the originating summons of February 28, 2023, filed at the Supreme Court by Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta , Edo, and Sokoto states have since been discontinued.

He adds that parties in the suit of the six PDP controlled states are not the same in his own petition and therefore prayed the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to discountenance the objections and the averments raised against the petition by Tinubu and grant him all the reliefs sought in the petition.

The Lagos State Police Command, on arraigned a businessman Eddy Ebube better known as Bebex.

The popular spare parts dealer in Ladipo market in Mushin was arraigned at the Samuel Ilori Court House in Ogba.

Bebex was arrested and detained following the “sexual assault and harassment” of a nursing mother in the Papa Ajao area.

He was taken to court alongside an accomplice; both were granted bail and the case adjourned to May 15, 2023.

A Twitter user Aare-Ayodeji (@omolisabi1) made several posts on the harassment after the victim made a video of her ordeal.

The lady said on the day of the incident, she left her baby with someone and stepped out to get food to break the Muslim fast.

She recalled how Bebex, alongside others, rudely called her. When she refused to give her attention, she was harassed and threatened.

After the matter was reported at the Olosan Police Station, the defendant and officers bullied the victims, forcing her to make a video where she recanted.

But Aare-Ayodeji and other citizens’ insistence that the authorities probe the matter drew the attention of the Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa.

At a meeting with the lady’s family members, activists and others on Tuesday, the CP vowed to get justice for the nursing mother.

Owohunwa ordered the removal of DPO Olosan, Bebex’s arraignment and asked the police Gender Department to take over the case.

The CP also directed the probe of officers who collected money before arresting the culprits as well as those who forced the lady to make a denial video.

https://www.channelstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-1-80.png
The WHO said Wednesday that Covid-19 deaths had dropped by 95 percent since the start of the year — but warned the virus was still on the move.

The World Health Organisation said Covid-19 was here to stay and countries would have to learn how to manage its ongoing non-emergency effects, including post-Covid-19 condition, or Long Covid.

“We’re very encouraged by the sustained decline in reported deaths from Covid-19, which have dropped 95 percent since the beginning of this year,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

“However, some countries are seeing increases, and over the past four weeks, 14,000 people lost their lives to this disease.

“And, as the emergence of the new XBB.1.16 variant illustrates, the virus is still changing, and is still capable of causing new waves of disease and death.”

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, said XBB sub-lineages were now dominant worldwide.

They have an increase in growth advantage and are also showing immune escape, meaning people can be reinfected despite having been vaccinated or previously infected.

She called for increased surveillance through testing “so that we can monitor the virus itself and understand what each of these mutations means”.

That knowledge could feed into vaccine composition and inform decisions on handling the virus, she said.

Tedros reiterated that the WHO remained hopeful of declaring an end to Covid-19 as a public health emergency of international concern, with the committee that advises him on the status due to convene next month for its regular quarterly meeting.

“But this virus is here to stay, and all countries will need to learn to manage it alongside other infectious diseases,” he added.

Tedros meanwhile said that an estimated one in 10 infections resulted in Long Covid, suggesting that hundreds of millions of people would need longer-term care.

The WHO chief also noted how the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted vaccination programmes, with an estimated 67 million children missing out on at least one essential jab between 2019 and 2021.

Following a decade of stalled progress, vaccination rates are back to where they were in 2008, he said, leading to rising outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever.

All countries must address “the barriers to immunisation, whether it’s access, availability, cost or disinformation”, he said.

A popular pro-Biafra agitator and separatist, Simon Ekpa, said the Southeast might be shut down for two weeks if governors from the region refuse to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

According to Ekpa, the warning comes on the heels of President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to obey court orders requesting the release of Kanu.

Ekpa, a Finnish lawyer, disclosed this on Tuesday in a statement on his Twitter handle.

He said that Kanu’s whereabouts have remained unclear, raising serious concern.

“Biafran territory may go on two weeks lockdown if the Nigerian Government’s eastern region governors refuse to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or give an update on his whereabouts.

“This has become imperative as nobody knows the whereabouts of MNK after he was discharged. After two weeks of lockdown and nothing, we will activate the next strategy that has never been observed”, he wrote.

In June 2021, Kanu was re-arrested by Interpol and handed over to Nigeria; since then, he has been detained despite calls for his release.

A week ago, a lawyer to Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, said the separatist’s health condition is deteriorating.

Days after the 2023 general elections, insecurity in Rivers State appears to be on the rise.

Within one week, several persons have been reported missing in the State.

DAILY POST reports that the worst hit locations are Igwuruta, Eneka, Nkpor in Rumuolumeni and Mile 3, Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.


About 7 days ago, one Chukwuebuka Julius was reported missing in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state. His whereabouts remain unknown.

Similarly, one 25-year-old Chukwuebuka, who is into interior decoration and furniture, was reported to have left his home at Rumuolumeni community in Obio-Akpor area last Tuesday to Wimpy in Port Harcourt for a job.

The elder brother to the missing young man, Ejike Julius in an interview with DAILY POST disclosed that his brother’s colleague told him that Chukwuebuka received a phone call to come for a job estimation in Choba but never returned.


“My mum and my sisters were calling me saying that they’ve not seen Ebuka since Tuesday and his line was not connecting.

“On Friday, I had to invite the apprentice that worked with him to my mum’s place to question him about my brother’s whereabouts.

“He said he was at home when Ebuka called him to meet him where they are working at Wimpy.


“He said Ebuka told him he was going to Choba to take measurements, but he was uncertain if he used public transportation or used a bolt.

“We have reported his disappearance to the police.

“It’s been about seven days now since he went missing,” he said.

On his part, Prestige Ikechi, who is the boss to the missing Chukwuebuka Julius, also spoke on his inability to reach out to his apprentice.

“I travelled and came back on the same Tuesday. I communicated with him earlier on Monday.

“I got back Wednesday morning; I saw his mother at my gate, she was crying that she cannot find Ebuka.


“So, I told her that maybe he went for a job and was unable to come back.

“That Wednesday, we were calling his phone but he wasn’t picking, until in the evening, the phone stopped ringing.

“On Wednesday, we reported to the local police around here,” he disclosed.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Rivers State Police command, Grace Iringe-Koko when contacted, assured that once the incidents were properly reported to the police, adequate action would be taken.

DAILY POST reports that no ransom demand has been placed on any of the missing persons as of the time of filing this report.

A crash involving three vehicles consisting of a Mazda commercial bus, a tricycle, and a white Camry car, has claimed the life of a man around Mosalasi Roundabout, inward the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the driver of the Camry car with number plate, KJA 351 HG, while driving at top speed, rammed into the tricycle, causing the tricycle operator to lose control and in the process, obstructed an incoming Mazda commercial bus loaded with passengers.

It was learnt that no fewer than three persons sustained varying degrees of injury in the crash as people alongside relatives of the injured victims, in an attempt to rescue the injured victims, rushed them to nearby hospitals for treatments.

The Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, Taofiq Adebayo, in a statement on Monday, said one of the injured victims died before getting to the hospital, adding that General Manager, LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, said the accident would have been averted if the driver was not driving at top speed.



The statement said, “Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority today rescued three severely injured accident victims comprising two males and one female at Mosalasi Roundabout, inward the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos.

“LASTMA Akanji Wasiu (Bravo 16), who led the rescue operations confirmed that the accident involved three vehicles, a Mazda commercial bus, FKJ 88 XH, a tricycle with number plate KJA 369 QM, and a white Camry car, KJA 351 HG, on the main carriageway at the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos.


“Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of a white Camry car lost control due to excessive speeding and hit a commercial tricycle from the rear while the tricycle went off balance and obstructed another incoming fully loaded Mazda commercial bus going to Iyana-Ipaja.”

Explaining that the three rescued victims were immediately rushed to different hospitals by their relatives but, unfortunately, one of the rescued victims, a male, reportedly died on the way to the hospital.

Adebayo also noted that the vehicles involved in the accident were immediately removed from the road to avoid impeding the free flow of traffic and were handed over to policemen from the Gowon Estate Divisional Police Headquarters for further investigations.

"One of the passengers inside the commercial tricycle involved in the accident was caught with more than 100 pieces of used small children ‘diapers pampers’ with a huge sum of money of different denominations and was immediately handed over to policemen at the scene of the accident,” he added.

Adebayo said Oreagba maintained that the government had been embarking on regular public education on the dangers inherent in excessive speeding by private, commercial and truck drivers in the state.

He said, “Oreagba, however, warned every motoring public to always ensure that their vehicles are in good condition, particularly the break before driving them on Lagos roads.”

Peter Obi of the Labour Party said no serious leader would go on a rest (vacation) in Nigeria.

Obi, the presidential candidate of LP during the February 25 election, disclosed this on Monday when he paid the Muslim community in Akwa Central Mosque an Eid-el-fitr visit.

He urged that Nigerians should not be divided based on religion or politics.

He said: “People who want to rest can go and relax. I am not resting because I have to visit schools and hospitals and interact with people.

“No serious leader will go and rest in Nigeria. We will continue to visit as many people as possible and support them as best we can”.

Recall that the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned to Nigeria on Monday after his over one Month vacation in Europe.

Meanwhile, Tinubu, in his speech after his return, said he was ready to kick the ground running.

The Code of Conduct Bureau has explained that the Act that established it does not permit it to make public the assets declared by public officials. It however noted that officials could on their own make their forms public.

The explanation came as the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); his deputy, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; and other public officials prepare to declare their assets preparatory to leaving office in compliance with the requirements of the law.

A senior official of the CCB, Veronica Kato, said in an interview with Saturday PUNCH that the bureau could only make such documents available by a court order in a case where a public official was under investigation or trial for alleged corruption relating to the acquired assets.

Kato said, “It is not possible to make the assets declared to the CCB by these public officials public. There is a law guiding the CCB and that law does not allow us to do so. This is due to the conditions upon which the assets declaration is constituted according to the guidelines.



“The assets declaration form is to be given to the public officials on terms and conditions as prescribed by the National Assembly, and those terms and conditions, up till now, do not permit us to make it available to the public. Besides, it is a private document and it’s confidential.”

Kato noted that while journalists might want to have access to such information, it was beyond the CCB to make such information public due to the breach of the owner’s confidential details.

She added, “It’s a different case where there’s a petition or something of that sort demanding that a particular official’s declared assets should be made available for investigation purposes. If a public official decides on their own volition to make it public, such a person will do that. We have been established for over 25 years and we don’t make declared assets’ details public because we don’t have the power to do that.”

“For example, when the incumbent President and his deputy came into office, they decided to declare their assets publicly. That was their decision. They are also the only ones that can decide to make the assets public as they are leaving.

“Our duty is to ensure that public officials declare their assets to the CCB; we take custody of the asset declaration forms and we verify those assets, and when we see red flags, we investigate and prosecute them if we find contravention against the code of conduct rule. Those are our primary functions.”

When asked how the citizens could assist the CCB when they do not know the assets listed in the forms, Kato said if any citizen felt a public official had acquired more than they had before getting into office “and the citizen can provide evidence to proof that such assets were acquired with illicit funds and through the abuse of their office, the citizen can write a petition to the CCB and we will investigate and compare what they declared with what they now have.”

Kato added, “If we can establish beyond reasonable doubt that these things were acquired illicitly, then we go to court.”

Prior to the 2015 general election, Buhari promised he would publicly declare his assets and liabilities if voted into power.

In a document titled, ‘I pledge to Nigeria’, Buhari highlighted what he would do in his first 100 days if he assumed power on May 29, 2015. He said he would encourage political appointees in his administration to also declare their assets publicly.

He had said, “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities and encourage all my appointees to publicly declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment. All political appointees will only earn the salaries and allowances determined by the RMFAC.”

After much criticism of his refusal to keep to his promise after he was sworn in, in September 2015, the Presidency eventually published Buhari and Osinbajo’s assets.

Details of Buhari’s declared assets were made public in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, showing that the assets were valued at less than N30m at the time of his inauguration on May 29.

Shehu added that the President’s money was held in a single local bank account. Buhari was said to have homes in Daura in addition to an orchard with a number of economic trees and a ranch with 270 heads of cattle, 25 sheep and five horses, as well as shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank).

Osinbajo, on his part, declared N94m and $900,000 held in his bank accounts. He also declared a four-bedroom residence in Lagos, a three-bedroom flat in Ikoyi and another two-bedroom apartment at the Redemption Camp along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The Vice-President also listed a mortgaged property with two bedrooms in Bedford, England.

Shehu added, “Apart from his law firm, known as SimmonsCooper Partners, the Vice-President also declared shareholding in six private companies based in Lagos, including Octogenerium Limited, Windsor Grant Limited, Tarapolsa, Vistorion Limited, Aviva Limited and MTN Nigeria.

In May 2019, before his inauguration for a second term, Buhari submitted a second set of assets declaration forms to the CCB. It was stated that the declaration showed no significant changes in assets as declared by him in 2015.

“There are no new houses, no new bank accounts at home and abroad, and there are no new shares acquired,” he said.

Buhari insincere – Ozekhome

Human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said the President’s failure to declare his assets publicly, ab initio, had a negative impact on his anti-corruption agenda.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH recently, Ozekhome recalled that Buhari had led an anti-corruption campaign in 2015 before he came into power, where he promised Nigerians that he would publicly declare his assets when sworn in, but that he did not do so immediately as promised.

He stated, “Nigerians should have known from that first singular act that Buhari’s government will not be truthful and sincere to Nigerians. This was a man who said if he was declared the president of Nigeria, he would declare his assets openly and publicly. But when he got into office, he declared his assets, but refused to make them public until Nigerians pressurised him, went on television and wrote that he should make them public so as to show good example, leadership by example not by precept.”

He said the public declaration of his assets would symbolise transparency on the President’s part, serving as a yardstick to weigh the quantum by which the assets had appreciated or depreciated in the past eight years.

Another human rights lawyer, Mr Jiti Ogunye, noted that despite the fact that it was not a statutory requirement for the CCB to publish such information, if the Freedom of Information Act was active, it would have empowered Nigerians to have access to such forms and scrutinise the assets.

He noted that such information was important for the mass media and whistleblowers to keep an eye on the acquisitions of the public officials.

He added, “My view remains that if assets are declared and the forms are kept in a file, far away from public scrutiny, how will members of the public be able to volunteer information that someone in a public office has had more assets than we know? How will whistleblowers be able to function?

“Law enforcement agencies demand information from the citizens. They say they act on the information acquired and cooperation of the citizens, even the military in the war against insurgents solicits information from the people.”

TMG seeks transparency
The Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group, Auwal Rafsanjani, harped on the importance of making assets declaration forms public if the administration was keen on its anti-corruption campaign.

Rafsanjani said, “Any government that says it wants to fight corruption must look for a way to ensure a standard approach to assets declaration. Assets declaration is very important to minimise the level of corruption in the society because if public officials don’t declare their assets, there is a likelihood that they can accumulate as much as they can while in office at the expense of the public. So, it is important that public officials, including the President, Vice-President, Senate President and others must declare their assets and it should be done publicly.

“It is worrisome that this government promised to fight corruption, but it has not been effective in the fight against corruption and asset declaration was not prioritised.”

In his contribution, the Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, said the existing law did not compel them to make the declaration public but that if such forms were made public, it would help in the fight against corruption.

He added, “The Code of Conduct Bureau Act makes it mandatory for people to declare their assets before they assume office and when they are leaving. The law doesn’t make it compulsory that they should make it public, but ideally it should be made public for people to be able to check their assets, confirm under or over-declaration and if they do not agree with the declaration, they can go to the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

“What we are advocating is that all assets declarations must be made public and should be verified by the Code of Conduct Bureau. The law permits the Code of Conduct Bureau to ascertain their claims, but are they really doing it?

“It is not good for our anti-corruption drive that the CCB always makes excuses that they do not have enough hands or adequate funding to do the verification of the declared assets. That is antithetical to the spirit of assets declaration, because if people claim ownership of some assets and there is no way to verify those declarations, it is as good as useless and it means they can also do anticipatory declaration, knowing that when they get into office, they will acquire more properties. It is unfortunate.”

Also, the Deputy Director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Kolawole Oluwadare, in an interview with one of our correspondents stressed that public declaration of assets should be made compulsory for every public office holder.

He said SERAP would expect the CCB to make Buhari, Osinbajo and other public office holders to publicly declare their assets at the end of their tenure to give room for transparency and accountability as such documents would be made available for public scrutiny.

The Federal Government has commenced the payment of withheld salaries of teachers who benefited from the elongation of service tenure extended by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to teachers under the employment of the Federal Government, The PUNCH has reliably gathered.

The PUNCH had earlier in 2020 reported how Buhari during World Teachers’ Day announced some incentives for teachers, including a new salary scale and raising their retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

However, some of the teachers who benefited had their salaries withheld from 2021 to March 2023.

Top officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, Finance, Budget and National Planning on Sunday confirmed that the payment of the withheld salaries has commenced.

“I can confirm to you that they have started receiving their salaries. They also received the arrears of the peculiar allowances. All arrears of salaries will be paid in full”.

Confirming the development, one of the benefiting teachers in Ilorin the Kwara State capital said, “It is true.

“We have started receiving. Though we only got the one for April 2023, we have been reassured that the arrears will be cleared.”

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Friday said he would go back to the farm after losing his senatorial bid.

Ortom, who disclosed this on Arise TV, insisted that ‘market was not good’ during his outing to claim a seat at the Red Chambers of the National Assembly.

Recall that the Benue governor’s senatorial aspiration was dashed after his defeat on Feb. 25 when he lost to his former aide, Titus Zam.

When asked ‘how was the market’ after he lost the senatorial election, Ortom responded, “The market [senatorial bid] for me is not good.

“This time around, the market isn’t good, but I will be here [as Benue governor] till May 29, when I will hand over by the grace of God.

“I will find something else to do. I may go back to my farm as far as I’m concerned.”

President Muhammadu Buhari says he cannot wait to head to his hometown in Daura, Katsina state, after he hands over on May 29.

Buhari spoke on Friday at his ninth and final Sallah celebration at the presidential villa, Abuja.
https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRESIDENT-BUHARI-PRAYS-AT-THE-MAMBILLA-BARRACKS-4-scaled-e1682078913960.jpg
https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRESIDENT-BUHARI-PRAYS-AT-THE-MAMBILLA-BARRACKS-00A-1.jpg
https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRESIDENT-BUHARI-PRAYS-AT-THE-MAMBILLA-BARRACKS-9-scaled-e1682078256422.jpg
https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRESIDENT-BUHARI-PRAYS-AT-THE-MAMBILLA-BARRACKS-10-scaled-e1682078214190.jpg
The president described himself as being lucky to have led Nigeria in various capacities.

He also thanked the residents of Abuja for “tolerating him” in the last seven and a half years.

“I can’t wait to go home. I deliberately arranged to be as far away as possible from you people,” he said.

“I have got what I have asked and will quietly retire to my home town in Daura.”
https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRESIDENT-BUHARI-PRAYS-AT-THE-MAMBILLA-BARRACKS-0A-e1682078298850.jpg
On Wednesday, the Nigerian president returned to Abuja after an eight-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.

The president performed Umrah (lesser hajj), a religious pilgrimage for Muslims, while in the country.

Former governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has implored Nigerians to practise the lessons from the month-long fasting of Ramadan and show compassion to the less-privileged.

His message came as Muslims across the world celebrate this year’s eid-el-fitr.

Mimiko, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Digital Communications, John Paul Akinduro, said the joyous occasion of eid provides another opportunity to rejuvenate bonds of kinship and peace, demonstrate tolerance and sympathy towards each other.

While wishing Muslims a happy eid-el-fitr, the former governor also prayed for God’s endless blessings for Nigeria and her citizens.

“As we exchange gifts and feast on special meals with our loved ones, let us remember that
eid-el-fitr is also a time for forgiveness, kindness, and compassion; a time to make peace with all neighbours, relatives and friends, and resolve differences. By so doing, we will be building a stronger, virile and enduring nation,” he said.

https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WhatsApp-Image-2023-04-21-at-11.10.18.jpeg

If you’ve been living under a rock and just emerged to the raucous debates between supporters of leading politicians, you’d be forgiven for thinking the presidential election was just last weekend.

Nearly two months after the February 25 poll, the ripple effects continue to rip through the country. Claims of stolen mandates have remained a strong mantra among political parties that lost the election while spokespersons and stakeholders are still pitched in a battle of allegations and jibes as ferocious as before the polls.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the presidential poll, but other political parties have disputed the victory and filed petitions. Although Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) finished third in the race, he has largely remained at the heart of the conversation, outshining Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was second in the election.

Obi’s young, social media-savvy supporters, dubbed ‘Obidients’, have remained vocal and relentless. Despite the criticism of the movement for being mob-like in its approach, it has waxed stronger. The movement’s significant opponents have been none other than the APC faithful and Tinubu loyalists, otherwise known as ‘Batists’.

Both groups have continued to wrestle with each other in a contest of narratives.

Obi had recently enjoined his supporters to bear the attacks they received as a “sacrifice for a new Nigeria”. He urged them not to yield to an alleged plot to demarket the Obidient movement. The Batists, on the other hand, appear determined to match the Obidients’ social media agility. This has led to fiercer political spats and a battle to dominate social media trends.

Here is a timeline of key events that have seen both sides square up against each other in the struggle for the soul of a “new Nigeria

ALLEGED CJN-TINUBU MEETING IN LONDON

Barely a month after the presidential election, both groups of supporters kicked off a campaign of allegations and the pendulum of blames swung back and forth.

On March 23, a report began circulating online that Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), had disguised himself in a wheelchair and travelled to London where he was to meet with Tinubu.

The report surfaced shortly after the president-elect had travelled to France.

On social media, allegations of foul play were tabled against the CJN ahead of the presidential election tribunal hearing.

The APC presidential campaign council was the first to refute the report of the purported meeting.

“We refute emphatically that there has been no clandestine meeting between the president-elect and the respected chief justice of our country, anywhere. It’s pure fabricated news, groundless in fact and authenticity,” the campaign council said.
The following day, a video of Ariwoola attending Jumat service in Abuja was released. The short footage showed the CJN using a walking stick as he ambled to the praying ground.

Later that same day, the supreme court denied claims of the secret meeting, adding that the CJN travelled out of Nigeria for medical care and was accompanied by Gambo Saleh, NJC’s secretary.

Many within the APC accused the opposition of coming up with the allegations to disrupt the electoral process.

In response, Jibrin Okutepa, a member of Obi’s legal team, said his client was not behind the news of the alleged meeting between Tinubu and CJN.

He added that “those who are attributing the news which was intended to denigrate the CJN to Mr Obi camp are evil and enemies of Nigeria.”

‘YES, DADDY’

A few days after the CJN controversy, Obi’s camp found itself on the defensive.

On April 2, an audio clip began circulating on social media. In the recording, a voice similar to that of Obi was heard asking Bishop David Oyedepo to speak to the Christians in the south-west and Kwara to vote for him in the presidential poll, describing the election as a “religious war”.

APC supporters latched on to the leaked tape and claimed it was authentic — but Obidients described it as fake.

However, the conversation took a curious turn when Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesperson of the LP campaign, insinuated that the clip was authentic.

He added that “political criminals are trying to spin the conversation as if the LP candidate was making a religious comment”.

Okonkwo claimed that “Obi was simply urging the Bishop to help him push this message of equal stake of all Nigerians” to Christians because “politicians of the other party are carrying on this campaign as if it is a religious war”.

But in a statement released later that day, Diran Onifade, head of the LP campaign, and Yunusa Tanko, the council’s chief spokesperson, dismissed the audio as a deep fake and accused the APC of trying to demarket Obi.

In his response, Oyedepo said he has never and will not campaign for any political candidate.

However, the cleric neither confirmed nor denied that the conversation took place.

A few days later, Obi later disowned the tape as fake, adding that it was a move by APC “to divert our attention from our blatantly stolen mandate”.

LAI MOHAMMED: OBI, DATTI INVITING INSURRECTION

Amid the “Yes, Daddy” brouhaha and its fallout, the Batists took another swing at Obi and his supporters.

A few weeks prior, Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of LP, had said the country has no president-elect.

The LP vice-presidential candidate said Tinubu would lead an unconstitutional government if sworn into office because the APC candidate “has not met requirements of the law”.

His comments elicited widespread criticism from political stakeholders and led to a ripple of reactions.

Reacting to the outburst, Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour, accused LP of “setting up a scene for rebellion” against the judiciary.

The minister added that Datti was attempting to “blackmail” the judiciary with his interpretation of section 134 (2) 1999 constitution (as amended).

On his part, Femi Fani-Kayode, new media director of the APC presidential campaign council, accused Datti of trying to “pull down democracy” because his party lost the election.

APC also petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction Channels Television for airing the interview, adding that it was not only “divisive, subversive, but also inciting and inflammatory”. The TV station would later be fined N5 million by NBC for the interview.

All these played out amid an announcement by the Department of State Services (DSS) that “some key players” were plotting to install an interim government and stop Tinubu from being inaugurated as president.

The security service said the plot includes embarking on violent protests nationwide to engineer the declaration of a state of emergency and securing frivolous court injunctions to stall the inauguration.

The situation made for a fertile ground for the federal government to point fingers — and soon it did.

On April 4, Lai Mohammed, minister for information, accused Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate, of inciting people to violence over the outcome of the presidential election.

Lai wielded the stick of “treason” to describe the conduct of the LP presidential and vice-presidential candidates. He painted them as “desperate” politicians seeking to incite insurrection.

“This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing,” the minister said.

“Obi’s statement is that of a desperate person, he is not the democrat that he claimed to be.

“A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins the election.”

However, Edwin Clark, an Ijaw national leader and convener of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said Mohammed should be prosecuted for spreading fake news against Obi.

Clark who endorsed Obi before the presidential election added that it is “unpatriotic and wicked” for anyone to accuse the former Anambra governor of inciting insurrection.

CHIMAMANDA AND SOYINKA ON OPPOSITE SIDES

The post-election acrimony spilt from the muddy waters of politics into the often tranquil ivory tower of literature. Wole Soyinka and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, two of Nigeria’s literary greats, found themselves on both sides of the divide.

Reacting to the aforementioned interview by Datti, Soyinka said it contained “fascistic language” and also described the remark as a “kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation” that goes contrary to democratic disposition.

Soyinka’s admonition struck the nerves of the Obidients, and social media soon became awash with heated criticism and slurs directed at the Nobel laureate.

In a riposte, Soyinka said Obidients have worn their refusal to accept constructive criticism as a badge of honour.

He maintained that the LP was sowing seeds of fascism and generating a climate of fear.

The Nobel laureate also challenged Datti-Ahmed to a TV debate.

In response, LP accused Soyinka of “criminalising dissent and in fact weighing in on the side of fraud and injustice”.

The party added that Datti-Ahmed would not be debating the Nobel laureate but his “preferred candidate”.



On the flip side of the conversation, Adichie addressed a letter to Joe Biden, the US president, saying the process of the Nigeria presidential election was deliberately manipulated.

She said the election was full of discrepancies and irregularities, which were all shunned by INEC.

Adichie asked Biden to uphold his stance on the need for a true democracy, adding that congratulating Tinubu tarnishes America’s self-proclaimed commitment to democratic processes.

The article by the ‘Americanah’ author was broadly shared on social media by Obi’s supporters.

As expected, the letter met resentment in Tinubu’s camp and before long, missives were flying across social media platforms.

Kenyamo described the article as “worthless”, saying that it “reflects a pathetic colonial mentality”.

Bayo Onanuga accused Adichie of tribalism, adding that the allegations in the piece are a figment of her imagination.



OBI’S DETENTION AT HEATHROW AIRPORT

The circle of controversy soon returned to the UK. But this time Obi and his supporters were the victims.

On April 12, LP announced that Obi was harassed and detained by London immigration officials over alleged impersonation.

The statement claimed that the presidential candidate was detained at Heathrow Airport after being accosted by an immigration officer.

The party said Obi was questioned for a long time and that it took the intervention of Nigerians for him to be promptly released.

A day later, Adamu Garba, a member of APC, posted a doctored image on Twitter and claimed that the Nigerian government was involved in the release of Obi.

The image was posted with the caption: “Here is how the government of APC helped to recover Peter Obi from his detention cell in the UK over allegations of travelling to the UK with fake documents. All thanks to Abike Dabiri. His campaign is fake, his manifesto fake, his motives fake, even his travel documents are fake. WHY?”

However, UK immigration has remained silent about the incident, and Obi, although yet to make an official statement addressing the matter, recently said he will never “knowingly” break the law.

TINUBU ON TIME 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE FOR 2023

On April 13, Tinubu was named in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for 2023.

Time Magazine’s annual list accords recognition to people “for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions”.

Tinubu is one of the Nigerians on the list alongside Dimie Ogoina, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa.

The inclusion of Tinubu was heavily criticised on social media – especially by Obidients.

Astha Rajvanshi, the reporter who wrote Tinubu’s citation in the publication, came under fire from critics of Tinubu. The journalist was forced to lock all her social media accounts after a barrage of criticism.

TINUBU’S ‘GUINEAN PASSPORT’

Last weekend, a fresh report surfaced on social media that Tinubu allegedly obtained citizenship of Guinea, a West African country.

The claim added that the dual-citizenship disqualifies the president-elect from being sworn into office on May 29.

The report cited Section 137 (1)(a) of the 1999 constitution which states that: “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if — subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, he has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country.”

Speaking on the allegation, Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, said he was not aware whether Tinubu has dual citizenship.

“I know he carries a Nigerian passport. I don’t know about dual citizenship. I know he resided abroad when he went into exile,” he said.

“I don’t know if they gave him American citizenship. What does that have to do with the results of the election? The last time I checked, I think the Nigerian constitution allows you to have dual citizenship. Doesn’t it?”

Subsequently, the minister came under fire on Twitter, with critics comparing his stint as Lagos governor to Obi’s tenure as Anambra governor.

https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/dss.jpg
The Department of State Services (DSS) says it has arrested two gunmen in Kano state.

Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson, said in a statement that the gunmen were arrested on Thursday.

Afunanya said the operatives seized two AK-47 assault rifles; two empty AK-47 magazines; a red boxer motorcycle; and a sack of yams in which the guns were concealed.

He said the suspects were in transit to deliver the arms for a planned attack in one of the states in northern Nigeria

He said the development underscores the need for citizens to be extra vigilant and report any unusual or suspicious movements, persons, or acts to security agencies nearest to them.

“Operators and patrons of fun, hospitality, and tourism centres are enjoined to be cautious during the festive periods,” Afunanya said.

“They should scale up measures to ensure the safety of their facilities.

“However, the service wishes the Muslim faithful, peaceful and joyous Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.

“It pledges to work with sister agencies and other stakeholders to emplace adequate security during and after the events.”

https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Peter-Obi-in-Borno-e1678188637500.jpg
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has asked his supporters to remain calm and show restraint in the face of provocation.

In a statement on Wednesday, Obi said recent events in Nigeria, including political developments in Adamawa state, underline the importance of adhering to the rule of law.

He said as a patriotic Nigerian, he remains committed to serving the people and achieving a greater Nigeria.

He called on Nigerians to pray for a better and greater country.

“Nigeria is a truly blessed and potentially great nation. With the Almighty God on our side, Nigeria’s greatness will soon manifest fully, thus ensuring that she is well-respected globally,” Obi said.

“In view of this, l ask all well-meaning Nigerians to commit their heart to prayers for a better and greater Nigeria.

“It bears reiterating as I did yesterday at the National Executive Council Meeting of the Labour Party held in Asaba, that the millions of Nigerians who voted for Datti and I did not just cast their votes, but they invested their hope in us for a new Nigeria,

“So we must stay the course. H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari asked Nigerian youths to have faith in Nigeria and prepare for leadership roles when he signed the ‘Not Too Young to Run Act’ into law.

“I agree with him that we have enough vibrant and intelligent Nigerian youths ready to propel Nigeria to greatness, and it is my desire and commitment to empower Nigerian youths to leadership.

“Yet, we must do our utmost to be calm even under provocation; we must also not allow those bent on using any pretext to plunge our country into chaos and leave our youths without a future to succeed.”

He asked his supporters to show restraint as they did during the elections and keep hope alive for a better Nigeria.

“We were provoked during the elections, but we showed restraint, patriotism and wisdom because we were voting for a greater Nigeria and not for the destruction of Nigeria,” he said.

“I plead to every Nigerian to keep the faith and hope in Nigeria alive. We are on this journey together, and better and happier years await all of us. God bless the good people of Nigeria and the Federal Republic of Nigeria”

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved the sum of N1.535 trillion for the construction and rehabilitation of eleven roads across the country.

The construction would be enabled under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) tax credit scheme.

Speaking on Wednesday after the council meeting, Babatunde Fashola, the minister of works and housing, said over N1.5 trillion would be spent on some major roads in Nigeria, totalling over 700 kilometres linking 11 states.

The states include Edo, Delta, Kano, Kaduna, Borno and Adamawa among others.

“The council gave approval for the construction and rehabilitation of 11 roads totalling 737.242 kilometres in the sum of N1, 535, 154, 247, 234.48 under phase II of the NNPC tax credit scheme,” Fashola said.

“Recall that in January this year, the council approved a memo for the NNPC to invest N1.9 trillion on our roads. That amount was then about 44 roads that had been awarded and the balance of those roads that had to go through procurement between then and now are the 11 that have now been approved by the council.”

In a report by TheCable, Fashola said in November 2022 that NNPC Limited has released N196 billion for roads under the tax credit scheme out of the N662 billion approved by the FEC.

He added that the ministry needed N1.2 trillion for the execution of highway projects, but only N198.9 billion has been allocated under the budget envelope in 2023 for the roads.

https://f5p3e9e4.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Waziri-Adio-Agora.jpeg1q
Agora Policy, an Abuja-based think tank, has recommended ways the government can tackle the country’s unemployment problem.

In its policy memo titled ‘Nigeria Needs Comprehensive and Coordinated Interventions to Tame Unemployment’, Agora Policy said jobs are one of the foundations for a stable society and key to improvements in quality of life.

Recently, KPMG, the global audit and tax advisory firm, said Nigeria’s unemployment rate is expected to rise to 40.6 percent in 2023.

Agora Policy said unemployment is gravely implicated in Nigeria’s other pressing challenges, especially low productivity, poverty and insecurity.

“Although the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) claims to be working on an improved methodology for measuring unemployment, all we can say at this point is that unemployment is likely still high and at an undesirable level,” the policy memo reads.

”The situation has been particularly worse for young people who, as at 2020, faced an unemployment rate of over 40%.

“There is little doubt that this rising unemployment is linked to increasing restfulness and disenchantment among the youth.”

The think tank founded by Waziri Adio, former executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), said to keep unemployment from rising, enough net new jobs need to be created to at least employ the majority of new entrants to the labour market.

Agora Policy said the current approaches by the government in tackling unemployment, while sometimes having merit, have failed to resolve the problem.

This, the organisation explained, is because the majority of the approaches cannot reach the scale of what is required.

To deal with the unemployment challenge, Agora Policy recommended that the government engineer growth in labour-intensive portions of value chains for export to large markets.

The organisation advised the government to resolve the dysfunction of multiple rates in the foreign exchange market, and re-focusing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on its mandate of keeping inflation at optimal levels.

Agora Policy said the government should target infrastructure spending in particular areas that increase the competitiveness of Nigeria’s exports.

To improve the decency and capacity of agriculture jobs to provide a minimum income and quality of life, the think-tank advocated for the development and implementation of a productivity growth strategy for agriculture that will target improvement in yields for subsistence farming.

“The size of the Nigerian population and the scale of the unemployment challenge implies that piecemeal and uncoordinated approaches are unlikely to make a significant impact,” Agora Policy said.

“If Nigeria desires to get unemployment down to 5% by 2033, it needs to create 3.6 million jobs a year. To achieve this, it needs a scalable strategy.

“Given that jobs are simply part of the process of generating economic activity, then Nigeria needs to engineer growth in labour-intensive sectors in general, and labour-intensive parts of value chains in particular.”

https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/02141121/Xi_Jinping_2019_49060546152_2.jpg

The Chinese Government has denied funding militants to access Nigerian mining sites, adding that it will never be involved in any form of terrorism financing.

China had reacted to a report by a British news platform, The Times, about financing terrorists to access Nigeria’s mineral resources through a statement denying its involvement.

The report dated April 15, 2023, and titled, ‘Chinese ‘bribed Nigerian militants for access to vast mineral reserves’ claimed that “Beijing could be indirectly funding terror” in Nigeria.

However, the Chinese Embassy said the report is “based on unverified, unclear and unproven information, to which we have to express our strong dissatisfaction and objection.”



“The Chinese government, as well as the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, have always encouraged and urged the Chinese companies and nationals in Nigeria to abide by the laws and regulations of Nigeria, and to implement the local rules and guidance on labour, environment, health and safety, etc, and would continue their efforts in this regard,” the statement added.

“The Chinese government was and would never be involved in any form of funding terrorism.

“The allegations contained in the report were totally irresponsible and unethical, and the intention of the report is seriously questioned.

“For the past decades, the bilateral cooperation between China and Nigeria has brought tangible benefits to our bilateral ties and  the well-being of the two peoples. We will continue to work with the Nigerian government to promote development and address security issues.

“We welcome international partners to join our efforts in good faith, but would reject any intention or action that would smear our cooperation.”

There was an uneasy calm at Zone Eight, Otokiti Housing Estate and Shettima, all in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, as residents on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against the hike in electricity bills and inadequate supply of power.


The protesters in their hundreds bearing placards with various inscriptions, chanted “No Light, No Work.”
They thronged the office of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) at Makaji Shopping Complex, Otokiti, to register their dismay over the two anomalies in the services of the company.

One of the protesters, Abdulaziz Shuaibu, who resides in Otokiti Estate, described the monthly electricity bills from the company as outrageous, especially when compared to the meagre power supplied to consumers.
He urged AEDC to supply electricity meters to the people in the area to avoid unnecessary hikes or unreasonable estimated billing, adding that many people could not afford the high bill.



Another protester, Mrs Magdalene Obaje, complained that her children were affected by heat rashes due to inadequate power supply and also avowed that the charges by AEDC did not equate to the electricity supplied to the area.
She called on government to come to the aid of the people, stressing that life had become difficult, especially for small-scale businesses some of which she noted had collapsed due to the lack of power supply.


Responding, Kogi State AEDC Regional Manager, Commercial, Mr Segun Ebuka, appealed to the protesters to remain calm, assuring them that the company would put measures in place towards proffering lasting solutions to the two problems.
He promised to make special requests to authorities towards satisfying the customers at all costs.

DAILY POST learnt the development had prompted a peace meeting between representatives of the affected communities and AEDC Staff to find a lasting solution to the issues raised.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday refused to grant the request of the All Progressives Congress to remove Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, from the governorship seat following his defection from the party to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo held that a similar request on the subject matter had been voided by the Court of Appeal in several judgments.

The Justice stated that since the Supreme Court has not set aside the judgement of the appellate court holding that governors cannot forfeit their seats on grounds of defection, the judgement of the appellate court remains binding on the lower courts.

Listed as 1st to 3rd defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/449/2022 are Independent National Electoral Commission, Peoples Democratic Party, and Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal respectively.

The Judge held that counsels ought to have advised their clients appropriately adding that it would amount to an exercise in futility for the High Court to decide on the matter.

Thus, he dismissed the suit for lack of merit.

APC had asked the court to declare the governorship seat of Sokoto State vacant on the account of defection by Tambuwal to another party.

The party claimed that Tambuwal who won the Sokoto governorship election in 2019 under the APC must vacate his seat if he decided to go to another party.