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Justice Nyesom-Wike Suzzette, wife of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyseom Wike, has been recommended for promotion to the Court of Appeal.

Suzzette, a former First Lady in Rivers State, features among 21 others recommended for going up the judicial ladder to the Court of Appeal.

She is a Justice at the Rivers State High Court.

Also, Ariwoola Oluwakemi Victoria, the daughter-in-law to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, was among the list of 12 judges recommended for elevation to the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Suzzette and Victoria are among the 86 judges listed for recommendation by the Interview Committee on Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria, under the National Judicial Council, during its 105th plenary meeting held between May 15 and 16, 2024; a statement from the council noted.

However, “all recommended candidates are expected to be sworn in after the approval of the NJC recommendations to the President and their respective State Governors,” said, the council’s Director of Information, Soji Oye, in a statement dated May 16, 2024, and sighted by PUNCH Online on Friday, May 17, 2024.

The NJC had resolved to issue warning letters to Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court; Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of the Delta State High Court and Justice Amina Shehu of the Yobe State High Court, after the trio was found guilty of different degrees of misconduct.

Ekwo and Brikins-Okolosi were barred from elevation to a higher Bench for two years and three years, respectively.

As part of the measures to tackle incessant power outages in the country, President Bola Tinubu has approved the gradual payments of power sector debts estimated at over N3.3tn.

Consequently, about N1.3tn owed power generating companies by the Federal Government will be paid via cash injections and promissory notes, while about $1.3bn (N1.994tn using the current official closing rate) owed to gas companies will be paid via cash and future royalties.

Already, the Federal Government has commenced payment of the cash part of the N1.3tn debt owed Gencos and concluded plans to settle the second part via promissory notes within a timeframe ranging from two to five years.

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this at the 8th Africa Energy Marketplace held on Thursday in Abuja.

The event was themed, “Towards Nigeria ‘s Sustainable Energy Future: Policy, Regulation and Investment – A Policy Dialogue for the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan.”

The government is subsidising electricity by shouldering the gas payment component for power generation.

But over the years this payment has not been steady, leading to humongous gas debts as well as indebtedness to power generation companies.

Disclosing the solution to the issue, Adelabu stated that Tinubu had directed the Minister of Finance to make immediate payment of N130bn from the Gas Stabilisation Fund, being part of the N1.3tn owed Gencos. The rest will be spread over some time.

The power minister further explained that the payment of $1.3bn legacy debts owed gas producers would be sourced from future royalties and income streams in the gas sub-sector, a solution deemed satisfactory by the gas-supplying companies.

He said, “It is true that I mentioned that Mr President has approved the submission of the Hon. Minister of State Petroleum (Gas) to defray the outstanding debts owed to the gas supplying companies to the power sector operators.

“The payments will be in parts. We have the legacy debt and we have the current debt. For the current debt, approval has been given for a cash payment of about N130bn from the Gas Stabilisation Fund, which the Federal Ministry of Finance will pay, if not already paid.

“The payment for the legacy debts is going to be made from future royalties and streams of income in the gas sub-sector which is quite satisfactory to the gas supply companies. The last amount that was being quoted was $1.3bn, which we believe will go a long way to encourage these gas companies to enter into firm supplying contracts with the power generating companies.”

He further explained, “The situation we are in now is on a best endeavour model, which means there is no firm contract between the gas companies and the majority of the power generating companies. The day they can supply gas, they will, the day they cannot supply gas, there is no penalty. But once there is a firm contract they will be under contractual obligations to supply gas to these power-generating companies so that we can have a consistent power generation.

“So, that is the situation and the model we want to adopt for the gas segment of the power sector value chain.”

Continuing, the minister voiced concerns about the lack of policy coordination in the power sector, assuring the sector however that the current administration was committed to eliminating all bottlenecks in the industry.

Adelabu also justified the Band A tariff hike, saying that only 15 per cent of Nigerians were affected.

He disclosed that without proper billing, the power reform agenda of the present administration might not be achieved.

The minister also revealed that with the generation of 700MW from the Zungeru hydroelectric power plant, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry has recorded a new feat of 5,000MW.

Regarding the power-generating companies, he noted that the president had approved cash injections and promissory notes, providing significant encouragement to the companies and incentivising them to further invest in generation capacity.

The minister explained, “For the power generating companies, the debt is put at N1.3tn. I can also tell you that we have the consent of Mr. President to pay on the condition of settling the reconciliation of these debts between the government and the power-generating companies.

“And this, we have successfully done, and it is being signed off by both parties now. The majority have signed off, and we are engaging others to ensure we have a 100 per cent sign-off from the power-generating companies. And the modalities for paying this will be in two ways. Of course, there will be a cash injection, immediate cash injection.”

He added, “Government is not buoyant enough to pay down N1.3tn once and for all in terms of cash. But there is a fraction of it that will be paid in cash while the remaining fraction will be settled through a guaranteed debt instrument, preferably a promissory note. That is more like a comfort to these companies that in the next two, three to five years, the government is ready to defray this debt finally. This will go a long way to encourage the power generating companies to incentivise them to even invest more in generation so that you can know our generating output from the level it is now to a higher level because as I mentioned, there is an opportunity for demand locally and across the border. And that is a source of foreign exchange earnings for the country.”

Adelabu, who said the supply of electricity had increased due to the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023 and the Band A tariff, added that the Discos were requesting more load for onward distribution to their customers.

The power minister had stated in February that Nigeria must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as he revealed that the country was indebted to the tune of N1.3tn to electricity generating companies, while the debt to gas companies was $1.3bn at the time.

On March 1, 2024, The PUNCH reported that the Federal Government had paid $120m out of the $1.3bn indebtedness to gas companies for the supply of gas to run gas-fired power plants across the country.

Nigeria is currently suffering from low power supply because gas supply has been reduced after some operators stopped supplying the commodity to power-generating companies due to the indebtedness of the Gencos to gas-producing firms.

Adelabu recently revealed that the crash in power generation and attendant poor supply in January was because gas suppliers stopped supplying gas for the generation of electricity due to the indebtedness of the sector to gas producers.

Nigeria gets more than 70 per cent of its electricity from thermal power plants that run on gas. The remaining amount of electricity comes from hydropower-generating plants.

Speaking at the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja in March, the Director, Decade of Gas Secretariat, Ed Ubong, expressed excitement that the Federal Government had cleared $120m out of the $1.3bn gas debts.

The Decade of Gas Secretariat is under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas). The Federal Government is subsidising electricity by paying for the gas used in generating power, as Nigerian power users are currently not paying the exact amount for electricity.

“As of last year, that (gas debts) was about $1.3bn, depending on how you add up the numbers. But I am pleased that between October and the end of January, the government has paid over $120m to offset some of that money,” Ubong stated.

Meanwhile, the African Development Bank is set to seek board approval for a $1bn policy-based operation with a significant energy component to support the reforms initiated by the new Electricity Act, of 2023. This funding aims to actualise the outcomes expected from the NIEP-SIP and attract sustainable investments.

The Vice President, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth Complex at the AfDB, Dr. Kevin K. Kariuki, disclosed this at the African Energy Market Place held in Abuja on Thursday.

The AEMP special edition focuses on the “National Integrated Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan,” reflecting the Federal Government of Nigeria’s ongoing reforms to enhance the power sector’s effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.

Kariuki emphasised the alignment of the event with the bank’s “Light Up and Power Africa” initiative, which is part of its High 5 development strategy for the continent.

With Nigeria holding the highest electricity access deficit globally, the success of the reforms, including tariff adjustments and regulatory improvements, is crucial.

Kariuki highlighted the need to utilise over 13,000,000MW of installed capacity, improve transmission, reduce supply interruptions, and achieve financial viability across the power sector.


The VP noted that the success of the Electricity Act would hinge on its ability to rapidly provide quality electricity access to all Nigerians, thereby addressing the country’s status as having the world’s highest electricity access deficit.

“With 90m Nigerians lacking electricity, the reforms are poised to utilize over 13 Gigawatt of installed capacity, improve transmission, reduce supply interruptions, and enhance the financial viability of the power sector.

“No economy can grow in the dark,” the VP stated, emphasising the critical role of reliable power in economic growth, industrialisation, and competitiveness.

The AfDB’s investments include the $256.2m Nigeria Transmission Expansion Project and the $200m Nigeria Electrification Project, which will construct transmission lines, substations, and mini-grids.

Furthermore, the AfDB is financing a study to explore the deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems to stabilise the grid and promote renewable energy.

Nigeria’s participation in the $20bn Desert to Power initiative to generate 10,000MW of solar power in the Sahel region, was also mentioned as a key step toward increasing renewable energy in the country.

The AfDB boss expressed confidence that the AfDB’s multi-faceted approach, including policy support, infrastructure financing, and capacity building, would ensure a viable and sustainable power sector in Nigeria.

He called for a collaborative spirit among governments, the private sector, and partners to craft policy recommendations that would lead Nigeria to universal access by 2030 and zero carbon emissions by 2060.

Obi, Nnaji speak

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, have advised the Federal Government to declare an emergency in the power sector.

The duo spoke at the inaugural Dele Momodu Leadership Lecture held Thursday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.

Nnaji also called a super grid to end the incessant collapse of the national power grid.

Nnaji, who was the Guest Speaker at the event, said the current national grid kept collapsing because it was not well structured.

The PUNCH recalls that the national grid collapsed more than two times in the first quarter of 2024, plunging Nigerians into darkness.

Touching on the theme, ‘Politics of Energy: The Way Forward’, Nnaji stated that the power ministry under his watch had years ago sought the approval of the Federal Executive Council to build what he called a super grid, a 765KV network that would rise above the existing 330 KV.

According to him, the 765KV is large enough to take power from high-capacity plants like the Manbilla Power Plant.

He revealed that the country has yet to have a transmission network that could wheel power from Manbilla when completed.

Nnaji explained, “Another critical area in Nigeria’s power sector is the transmission network. I believe that having the national grid the way we have it still going to be a problem. First, it is not robust, and it is not well structured. My advocacy is for multiple grids, autonomous but connected to the national grid. So that the national grid still operates, and will be more robust. It will begin to cure the regular incident of the failure of the national grid.

“When I was in government, we asked the Federal Executive Council to approve what we called a super grid, a 765KV network that will kind of rise above the existing 330KV network. Right now, Nigeria has 330KV and 132KV, but none of them is robust. But the 765KV network will be very important to take power from power plants such as the Manbilla that has been on for a while. Over 10,000 megawatts of power will come from Manbilla. So, the question is, which transmission infrastructure will take that power suppose that we finish it now? We need a super grid to take that power so that Nigeria can take power from various plants and transmit it to wherever we want it.”

The Chairman of Geometric Power commended Adelabu for reviving the super grid project.

“I am happy that the current Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu is reviving this super grid, and I think we have to spot him on that because it is a very important project. Our conception was that it would be done in sections by various companies so that it would not be one of these white elephant projects,” he said.

Nnaji expressed concern that still suffers gas shortages in the power sector despite its abundant natural gas reserves.

He wondered why the nation keeps exporting gas that is not yet enough for domestic use, calling for a state of emergency in the gas sector.

“A state of emergency needs to be declared in the gas sector. The declaration will save the power sector and allow the government and other stakeholders to address fundamental issues in the gas sector in a robust manner. The issue will include how to strike a healthy balance between producing gas for export and gas for domestic consumption,” he noted.

The former minister regretted that the Federal Government has not executed a power project since almost nine years ago, adding that some ongoing ones were abandoned by successive administrations.

“The development of the power sector has also been stalled for years because of the suspension of what we developed that time called partial risk guarantee to support power purchase agreement. A government that is buying power has to issue a power purchase agreement to the producer of power, and the agreement must be guaranteed.

“We were able to do this but only one project was completed, that is the Azura-Edo project, a 461MW power plant; and then it was stopped nine years ago. The outcome is that for this period, Nigeria has not commissioned a government-sponsored power project. And the former President of Ghana said you need to be adding over 12 per cent of energy to your country yearly. If you want to grow the economy, that’s what you need. If in nine years, we have not added anything, you can imagine. I want to tell you that because of that partial risk guarantee, four or five major projects had been fully developed but stopped. I encourage the government to reawaken those projects. They are very critical,” Nnaji added.

Earlier in his speech, former Ghanaian President, John Mahama, disclosed that Ghana had been able to power generation capacity to 5454MW, saying the country had been exporting electricity to other neighbouring countries in the West of Africa like Togo, Benin Republic and others.

Mahama remarked that Nigeria could achieve energy security for itself and other African countries, adding that a nation must plan because the energy demand will keep rising by 10 per cent yearly.

On energy transition, Mahama urged African leaders to decide their modalities with Nigeria showing leadership.

Speaking, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, posited, “When the former president of Ghana said they are generating and distributing 5,000MW, I was wondering; Ghana with one-seventh of our population generates and distributes more than us. We must declare an emergency in power. The way to go is very simple, we need embedded power, with gas supply. We have gas all over the place. Yes, we need the dollars, but I think making Nigeria more productive and pulling our people out of poverty, especially in the north, will give us far more value and dollars than focusing on exports. I think it is time to declare an emergency. We should encourage an embedded power”.

The organiser of the lecture and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, maintained that Nigerians pay for electricity without getting the same being delivered to their homes.

In his welcome address, the veteran journalist wondered why the electricity challenges in Nigeria have defied all solutions.

“Why can’t we stop this endless energy crisis in Nigeria? We pay for electricity, but it can’t be delivered. The more we pay, the less we get,” he said.

Momodu lamented that the humongous money invested in the power sector over the years has not yielded any result.

This, he stated, informed his decision to organise the public lecture in commemoration of his 64th birthday.

Others at the lecture were Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State; former Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano State; former Governor Donald Duke of Cross River; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and others.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that unbeknownst to young cryptocurrency traders in Nigeria, terrorists are using their trade to fund terrorism in the country.

The EFCC boss said some of the people who receive money to trade in cryptocurrencies do not know that their financiers are sponsors of terrorism.

He added that some of the 1,146 bank accounts recently frozen by the anti-graft agency were conduits for terrorism funding.

Olukoyede revealed the development during an event organized by some Civil Society Organizations in Abuja.

The programme, titled, “Multi-stakeholders’ national dialogue on preventing terrorism financing and violent extremism,” was held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Abuja on Wednesday.

Olukoyede revealed, “Some of you are aware of our activities in the area of investigating virtual currency trading and the likes of cryptocurrencies.

“They are potential platforms to fund terrorism. A lot of us don’t understand that. Some of our discoveries during the investigation of some of these platforms were mind-boggling.

“We thought Binance was a major one. Yes, it was. We are prosecuting them. But there are other platforms we have discovered.

“They used some of these young men. Some of them don’t know that the people who gave them money to trade are people who fund terrorism.”

The EFCC boss further said there is a need to adopt technology in tracking money used to fund terrorism in the country.

Olukoyede narrated how he was informed by a friend in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, that dollar bills across the world can be tracked with technology.

“It is important for us to adopt the use of technology,” he said.

“I was comparing notes with an assistant director in the FBI — a friend of mine. He said: ‘My brother, from our systems in the US, we can track every printed dollar anywhere in the world’,” he added.

The EFCC boss added that Nigeria must get to that stage where technology can be deployed to track naira notes used for terrorism funding.

The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to kick-start advocacy for full autonomy of local governments in the country to curb insecurity, rural-urban migration, decaying infrastructure, and widespread unemployment.

The upper chamber also asked the President to convene a national dialogue involving governors, state legislators, local government officials, civil society organizations, and community leaders to discuss the road map towards achieving full local government autonomy.

Other lawmakers, who have described the local government as the most abused system, have equally called for an amendment of the 1999 constitution to catalyze such independence.

The senate minority leader, Senator Abba Moro, recalled that over 17 states are currently operating a caretaker committee in the local government, creating an impasse in the administration of the LG.

He insisted that no effort should be spared in investigating the abuse of the system.

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who represents Anambra South, revealed that Anambra State has not conducted local government elections in the last 18 years.

He asserted that the non-implementation of the 1999 framework has become a major impediment to the independence of the local government system.

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate has increased to 33.69 per cent in April 2024 up from 33.20 per cent recorded in March 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics has said.

This represents a month-over-month increase of 0.49 per cent points in the headline inflation rate, according to the Consumer Price Index report, the NBS stated in a report on Wednesday.

Comparing year-on-year data, the inflation rate in April 2024 was 11.47 percentage points higher than in April 2023, where it stood at 22.22 per cent. This indicates that the headline inflation rate has risen significantly over the past year.

Additionally, on a month-to-month basis, the inflation rate for April 2024 was 2.29 per cent, which is 0.73 per cent lower than the 3.02 per cent recorded in March 2024. This suggests that the rate at which prices increased in April 2024 was slower than the rate in March 2024.

So This Happened (247) reviews Wofai Fada's engagement, a fake medical doctor, others0.00 / 0.00

The report read, ” In April 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 33.69% relative to the March 2024 headline inflation rate which was 33.20 per cent. Looking at the movement, the April 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.49% points when compared to the March 2024 headline inflation rate.

“On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.47 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in April 2023, which was 22.22 per cent. This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in April 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., April 2023).

“Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in April 2024 was 2.29 per cent, which was 0.73 per cent lower than the rate recorded in March 2024 (3.02 per cent). This means that in April 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is less than the rate of increase in the average price level in March 2024.”

Food inflation however reduced by 1.11 per cent caused by a fall in the rate of increase in the average prices of basic food commodities.

“On a month-on-month basis, the Food inflation rate in April 2024 was 2.50% which shows a 1.11 per cent decrease compared to the rate recorded in March 2024 (3.62 per cent). The fall in Food inflation on a Month-on-Month basis was caused by a fall in the rate of increase in the average prices.”

This year’s edition of the annual traditional ‘Oro’ festival, usually held in Ikorodu, Lagos State, has been scheduled for May 16, 2024, daytime and nighttime.

This was disclosed in a letter issued by the Ayangburen Palace and signed by the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi; a copy of which was sighted by PUNCH Online on Sunday.

The letter, dated April 16, 2024, was addressed to the Medical Director of the Ikorodu General Hospital.

The letter, titled ‘Notification of Magbo (Oro) Festival 2024,’ read, “This is to notify you of the above festival, which is slated for Thursday, May 16, 2024.

“According to tradition, all females are advised to remain in their respective homes and avoid moving around the town during the Oro festival.

“Please note that your organisation is affected by falling within the Oro traditional jurisdictions. You are hereby advised to adhere to the traditions of the town.”

The Oro festival, among others, is a prominent festival in the Yoruba tradition.

It’s celebrated by male descendants and usually characterised by a daytime procession and high-pitched sounds in some areas or across the community as the case may be.

It’s believed that females mustn’t be present during the ritual rites of the festival.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho; and the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, did not take their calls when our correspondent called to get their reaction on Sunday.

They have also not responded to the text messages sent to them.

Efforts made to get more clarification on the matter from the Ikorodu Palace also did not yield positive results as the calls made were unanswered.

Namitra Bwala, the student at the centre of a recently viral video depicting her being bullied by fellow students, on Monday, has initiated legal proceedings against Lead British International School, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

On April 22, an X user, #mooyeeeeeee, posted videos of a female student of Lead British International School, who was seen being bullied by her classmates.

In one of the videos, the victim was seen being slapped repeatedly by another female student while asking “Who broke my heart?”

In another video, the victim was seen sitting next to a male classmate who was heard saying “I spoilt her relationship”.

However, the lawsuit, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory under case number FCT/HC/CV/2341/24: MISS NAMTIRA BWALA v LEAD BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LTD, seeks damages from the educational institution for its alleged failure to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for the plaintiff.

According to a public statement on Monday issued by Marvin Omorogbe., the founding partner of the law firm representing Bwala, the legal action is aimed at holding the school accountable for its negligent conduct regarding the highly publicized incident.

The lawsuit further requested, “the Defendant to issue a public apology to the Clamant in two national daily newspapers.

“An order directing the Defendant to pay the Claimant the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as general damages for the Defendant’s breach of the duty of care it owes to the Claimant, and its negligent conduct in failing to prevent the assault, torment, emotional distress, pain, trauma and breach of privacy suffered by the Claimant while under the Defendant’s custody and supervision.”

The law firm emphasised its client’s hopes that the lawsuit would catalyse meaningful changes and prompt the implementation of adequate measures to prevent similar occurrences within the school premises.

“Our client hopes that this lawsuit will bring about drastic changes and adequate measures to prevent a reoccurrence of similar issues in the school,” the statement added.

The viral video, which sparked widespread outrage and condemnation, depicted Ms Bwala being subjected to bullying by her peers, raising concerns about the school’s ability to ensure the safety and well-being of its students.

The National Assembly and the 36 state assemblies of the federation as well as their agencies will spend about N724bn this year, an analysis of their 2024 budgets by The PUNCH has shown.

Further findings also showed that the salaries and allowances for federal and state lawmakers would cost the country about N50bn this year.

This means that the federal and state governments earmarked N673.94bn for the national and state assemblies as well as their related agencies in the 2024 budget.

The salaries and allowances are based on data collated from a document obtained from the website of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

However, the overall allowances exceed the reported figure due to undisclosed amounts for several of the lawmakers.


An analysis shows that 109 members of the senate will get N8.67bn in salaries and allowances while 360 members in the green chamber will get N24.43bn in salaries and allowances.

A breakdown shows that the annual basic salary of the President of the Senate is N2.48m each year (about N9.92m in four years) while that of the Deputy President is N2.31m yearly (about N9.24m in four years).

Out of 19 allowances assigned to the Senate President and his deputy, only five allowances were assigned a specific figure.

The disclosed allowances include constituency allowance (250 per cent of the basic annual salary), duty tour allowance (N50,000 per night), Estacode ($1,300 per night), Recess (10 per cent of the basic annual salary) and severance gratuity (300 per cent of the basic annual salary).

The allowances of the Senate President will gulp about N33.29m, which includes a N6.21m annual constituency allowance, N248,424.25 annual recess allowance, and N7.45m for severance gratuity, which is paid at the end of the tenure.

The allowances of the Deputy Senate President are expected to cost the nation about N30.94m, which includes N5.77m annual constituency allowance, N230,916.70 annual recess allowance, and N6.93m for severance gratuity.

Other senators get N2.03m as basic annual salary (a total of N8.12m in four years) and a total allowance of N72,137,440 for each of them.

The salaries of the 107 senators will cost N868.3m, while their allowances will cost N7.72bn.

In the section for the salaries and allowances of other senators, out of the 20 allowances mentioned, only 15 were disclosed.

Similarly, the Speaker of the House gets an annual salary of N2.48m (about N9.92m in four years), while the deputy gets N2.29m (about N9.16m in four years).

The allowances of the Speaker are about N18.33m which includes N2.48m annually for constituency allowance, N247,711 annual recess allowance, and N7.43m severance gratuity.

The allowance of the deputy speaker was pegged at about N17.16m and this includes annual N2.29m for constituency allowance, N288,703 for recess, and N6.86m for severance gratuity.

Other members of the House of Representatives get N1.99m each as basic annual salary (a total of N7.94m in four years), while each got N58.76m as allowance.

The salaries of the 358 House of Representatives members will cost N2.84bn while their allowances are estimated at N21.04bn.

Also, the Speaker of a state assembly will be paid N1.64m (N6.56m in four years) as an annual basic salary while the deputy speaker gets N1.45m (N5.8m in four years).

In total, the 36 speakers will get about N59.04m as annual basic salary or N236.16m in four years while the 36 deputies will get about N52.1m as annual basic salary or N208.40m in four years.

The allowances of the speaker will gulp about N5.58m (N22.30m in four years) which includes N409,968 annual constituency allowance, N163,987.50 annual leave allowance, and N3.28m severance gratuity.

The deputy speaker will be paid about N4.92m (N19.67m in four years), and this includes N361,495 constituency allowance, N144,598 for annual leave, and N2.89m severance gratuity.

In total, the basic allowances for the 36 speakers and their deputies will cost the nation N1.51bn.

There are 784 members in the 36 state Houses of Assembly each of whom is entitled to N1.34m annual salary or N5.34m in four years and an allowance of N12.97m.

In total, the 784 members cost their states about N4.19bn in salary and N10.17bn in allowance.

Meanwhile, checks by The PUNCH indicated that the government approved a total sum of N294.7bn for the National Assembly, its affiliate bodies and infrastructure construction.

Details of the National Assembly’s 2024 budget showed that the assembly office got N36.73bn for its activities. The Senate got an envelope funding of N49.14bn while the Representatives got N78.63bn.

The political arm of the National Assembly has the Senate and the House of Representatives with 109 and 360 members, respectively, while the administrative/bureaucratic arm has the National Assembly Management headed by the Clerk of the National Assembly and the National Assembly Service Commission.

The federal parliament has affiliate bodies including the National Assembly Service Commission which got funding of N12.33bn, the National Assembly Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (the academic arm) got N9.1bn while the headquarters got N4.5bn.

Further checks showed that the legislative aides were given N20.34bn, the Public Account Committee of the Senate got N130m while N150m went to that of the green chamber.

Office of the retired clerks and permanent secretaries were allotted N1.2bn, the service-wide vote was N15.2bn; general services got N30.81bn, National Assembly Library building got N12.12bn while books procurement for the library got N3bn; Appropriation Committee Department – Senate (N200m); Appropriation Committee Department – House (N200m). The construction of the NASC will also gulp N10bn.

‘State Assembly’s budgets’

The statutory budgets of a state assembly and its agencies surged to N379.28bn in the 2024 budget.

An analysis of each state’s 2024 budget showed that Akwa-Ibom, Kaduna, Delta, Edo, Imo, Lagos, and Ogun governments gave the highest funding to their lawmakers.

This funding includes appropriation for the service commission, civil servants and capital expenditure.

Abia State assembly got N6.43bn, Akwa-Ibom (N5.84bn), Anambra (N7.23bn), Bauchi (5.45bn), Bayelsa (N2.04bn), Benue (N6.18bn), Borno (N8.1bn), Cross-Rivers (N10.82bn), Delta (N14.17bn), Ebonyi (N2.39bn), Edo (N26.17bn), Ekiti (N2.8bn), Enugu (N6.23bn), Gombe (N5.61bn), Imo (N26.85bn), Jigawa (N7.17bn), Kaduna (N17.11bn), Kano (N10.08bn).

Other states including Katsina (N4.83bn), Kebbi (N6.72bn), Kogi (N7.77bn), Kwara (N5.03bn), Lagos (N70.56bn), Nasarawa (N6.03bn), Niger (N4.15bn), Ogun (N14.41bn), Ondo (N11.34bn), Osun(N4.13bn), Oyo (N9.68bn), Plateau (N10.15bn), Rivers (N5.02bn), Sokoto (N10.16bn), Taraba (N9.5bn), Yobe (N3.99bn), and Zamfara (N3.83bn).

Reactions
Meanwhile, some state parliaments have reacted. The Ondo State House of Assembly said the amount earmarked for the budget of the assembly would not be enough to take care of all its expenses in 2024.

A check on the state’s website showed that a sum of N14.9bn was earmarked for the Ondo assembly for this year.

Speaking on the budget, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Orientation, Mr Olatunji Oshati, said the sum was not enough, calling for the implementation of the assembly autonomy which has been signed into law by the President.

Oshati said, “The money (budget) is not enough; even though we have been agitating for the release of our constituency allowances to carry out our constituency projects, it has not been granted. We would be happy if the money could be increased to enable the House to function well.

“It would be great if the assembly autonomy law that has been signed could be implemented, it would enable the house to address its financial challenges without any influence of the executive. The house would also function maximally”.

Edo
In Edo, the State House of Assembly was allotted the sum of N13bn in the state’s budget for 2024.

The Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku, had disclosed this early this recently during a function.

However, efforts to get the breakdown of the budget at the weekend proved abortive as a principal officer told the PUNCH that the breakdown could only be obtained from the Ministry of Finance.

Also, the Minority Leader of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Lukman Adeleye, on Sunday, said the budgetary allocation for the legislature was around N12bn.

Adeleye, however, said that the figure was only on paper, as precedence has shown that the actual budget performance has hardly been 30 per cent.

He said, “In this case, the actual performance, I mean the money the assembly will be able to get for a whole year, may not be more than 30 per cent of the entire budget going by the past performance of the budget.

‘’The budgetary provision was designed to take into consideration the implementation of the autonomy of the state houses of assembly as enacted during the tenure of President Mohammadu Buhari.

“The budget is to take care of both the capital and recurrent expenditure like payment of salaries for the civil servants, the salaries for the lawmakers, the constituency projects, running of the assembly, training, oversight functions among other things to aid the effectiveness of the legislature.

“But as I have earlier pointed out, the budgetary allocation is on paper because I don’t know of any governor that has implemented the autonomy law, we are still at the mercy of the executive arm of the government”.

Groups react
Meanwhile, some anti-corruption groups have reacted to the issue.

The Deputy Director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Kolawole Oludare, said the NASS lacked transparency and accountability, saying, “The transparency part is letting the people be aware of how much and the process of allocation. The accountability aspect is also for the actions and the procedures of the National Assembly.

“For context, the National Assembly was allocated just under N200bn in the 2024 budget in the appropriation, and they increased it on their own by say, more than 50 per cent in the 2024 appropriation before it was passed into law. So you will see that the NASS is lacking in the transparency and accountability mechanism in the way they handle their appropriation, both recurrent and capital. And perhaps that is why also the state legislature is taking a cue from the NASS”, he stated.

On his part, the Executive Director, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Musa Ibrahim, lamented the “discrimination and exploitation” in the unequal pay between the legislators and officials in the security agencies, describing it as unfair.

“Because the Nigerian government has created unequal pay, some Nigerians that are contributing immensely to the growth and development of this country are being neglected, and are not being given necessary support, especially those who are even giving their lives to save the country and save Nigerians.

“There’s no way you can continue to impoverish public officials, especially serving security officials with this peanut and then you expect them to go and put their lives, to protect you and the rest of the people. I think this is unfair, we cannot continue to do this exploitation and discrimination in pay. We cannot be pampering political appointees and politicians siphoning the public taxpayers’ money when there is not much to see in terms of the contribution they are making,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, stated that the lawmakers’ bogus pay was insensitive.

“Ordinarily, any emolument that is not recommended by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission is against the law and anybody that earns such income has committed an offence that is supposed to be criminal in nature. But what we have in Nigeria is that our leaders behave as if they are above the law, and they behave as if they have been elected to enjoy on our behalf.

Basically, what they have done is insensitive, is actually wickedness, and it will get to a time where Nigerians will not be able to bear it anymore, and it will snowball into a conflagration that they will find difficult to douse,” he said.

Internet connectivity was disrupted in several East African nations on Sunday due to faults reported on the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and SEACOM cables, Internet monitoring groups said.

NetBlocks, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stated, “Network data show a disruption to Internet connectivity in and around multiple East African countries.”

It was noted that Tanzania and the French Island of Mayotte were experiencing a high impact on Internet connectivity, while Mozambique and Malawi were seeing a medium impact.

Another Internet firm, Cloudflare, also confirmed on X that connectivity disruptions were ongoing in Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar.

Earlier, Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest telecoms operator, announced that it had activated redundancy measures to minimise service interruption and keep subscribers connected as they await the full restoration of the cable.

The telecom operator, however, said subscribers would experience reduced Internet speeds.

In March, Internet outages were reported in West African countries, including Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, as well as South Africa.

The outages were attributed to damage to four sub-sea cables off the west coast of Africa, which disrupted connectivity across the continent.

The affected cables included the West Africa Cable System, MainOne, South Atlantic 3, and ACE sea cables, which are critical for telecommunications data.

The Chief Executive Officer of West Indian Ocean Cable Company, Chris Wood, said it could result in collective repair costs of about $8m for the four digital infrastructure companies affected.

The cable firms might need to allocate between $1m and $2m for the complete restoration of a single subsea cable, depending on the severity of the damage incurred, he explained in March.

I was unconscious for seven hours, neglected by Jos hospital over N80,000 deposit – Ex-minister Dalung

A former sports minister, Solomon Dalung, said he was abandoned for about four hours due to “nonpayment of admission deposits” at the Rayfield Medical Services, in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Dalung, who stated this on Friday via social media, said he became unconscious for “about seven hours” after he managed to pay the admission deposit.

He stated, “I took ill on Wednesday, arrived at the hospital, and shortly became unconscious after doctor’s interviews. Was ferried into the emergency ward but abandoned for over four hrs due to non payments of admission deposits. Regained partial consciousness, later did the transfer of deposit.

“After that, I fell into unconsciousness again for about seven hours. To God be the glory, I have been discharged after three days and recovering. Were it not for partial consciousness to pay the deposits, I would have been Mr. late. Many Nigerians have gone this way. Where is our humanity?”

In a telephone chat with our correspondent late Friday night, Dalung said he asked his aides to take him to the hospital Wednesday evening when he realised he was “gradually transiting into unconsciousness.”

He said that despite passing out and couldn’t make payment through his phone, officials of the hospital insisted on the payment of N80,000 deposit before they could treat him.

He told The PUNCH, “We left the house around 3:30pm and got to the hospital around 4 pm, but the doctor did not come out. Instead, he said I should come in. He didn’t even produce a wheelchair to take me in. So, my orderly and driver held me and took me to the doctor’s office.

“He asked me the normal questions, but then I was already transiting into subconsciousness, so I was not even hearing what he was saying. I managed to tell him, ‘I can’t sit anymore. Can I lie down?’ And he said I should lie down in the bed in his office, and he concluded his questions. I remember him saying, ‘admission’. I shook my head in response.

“Then three of them came. Instead of taking me to the ward, because it’s a hospital I’m familiar with, I was ferried into the emergency ward. Why emergency ward? I couldn’t do anything, so I lied down and just went off. I didn’t know what was happening. They administered an intravenous injection on me. They brought the medication to me, but it was kept in the room.”

He added, “After four hours, I suddenly became very cold, so I became conscious. And I raised my head and saw some drugs in a cartoon but I couldn’t move or do anything, so, I was just there for few moments, then my orderly came in and then the drama of deposit started. Deposit about what? Take me into admission. They said they couldn’t administer the drugs on me, that I had to pay the deposit before I would be taken to the ward, and then they would administer the drugs. Then, my consciousness became erratic again.”

Dalung wondered why he was treated in that manner by the hospital’s management, despite being their client for several years.

“I’m not even new to the hospital. That’s where my medical records are. The last two months I had my medical checkup, it was there. I’ve been admitted there a couple of times. That’s where my wife died. They’ve been treating my family members. That’s why I’m yet to come to terms with how I was treated.

“They discharged me without even telling me what they treated me for, so I insisted I wanted to see the doctor and that I won’t leave until I saw him. I went on to see him, and I asked him, ‘You have discharged me. What did you treat me for?’ He told me it was high malaria concentration and infection. I walked out,” Dalung told The PUNCH.

He added, “I intend to lodge a protest to the management of the hospital because I would have been forgotten if I had not recovered partial consciousness.

“Even at that, when I was transferring the money, it was an experience between two worlds because I could hear them speak, but when I spoke, I spoke to a different world. But they were talking about money, money, money.

“So, I asked my PA what was happening? He was talking, but I wasn’t listening because we were operating on completely different wavelengths. I could only see them, but they were not in my own world. So, he (PA) now stretched his hand to indicate money, money, and money. I asked him how much, and he said they needed N80,000 deposit.

“I heard that, and maybe that was the grace, but it took me some time because I would start punching my phone, and I would go off. After some time, I would come back (regain consciousness). It went on like that until I was finally able to send the money to them, and I went into unconsciousness again. So, they took me to the ward.”

The Jos-born politician added that he couldn’t give account of what happened thereafter until Thursday morning, when he became conscious.

“So, I asked my aide, ‘why was I abandoned?’ He said we had not paid the deposit. Deposit from an unconscious person? I couldn’t walk from the doctor’s office, three of them could not even hold and walk me to the emergency ward, and you were asking for a deposit? Was it that I could not produce the deposit? I would have been forgotten by now. That would have been the end.

“What has been on my mind is that many would have died from similar situations. It constituted a sort of psychological problem that recovery within that environment became an issue, and I had to leave.”

When our correspondent called Rayfield Medical Services on Friday night, an official who identified himself simply as ID, said he was unaware of the issue.

“I don’t have any information on that,” he said.

The facility is a full-service medical clinic and specialist hospital that provides eye treatment services, ENT, family planning, endoscopy, laparoscopy and emergency health care for trauma and other life-threatening conditions.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has read the Riot Act to foreign missions based in Nigeria, banning them from transacting in foreign currencies, and mandating the use of Naira in their financial businesses.

The EFCC has also mandated Nigerian foreign missions domiciled abroad to accept Naira in their financial businesses.

The move, the EFCC noted, is to tackle the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy and the degradation of the naira

The anti-graft commission, in an advisory to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, titled: “EFCC Advisory to Foreign Missions against Invoicing in US Dollar,” expressed reservations and displeasure “regarding the unhealthy practice by some foreign missions to invoice consular services to Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country in United States dollar(s).”

In a letter dated April 5, 2024, which was addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede expressed dismay over the invoicing of consular services in Nigeria by foreign missions in dollars.

The EFCC cited Section 20(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which makes currencies issued by the apex bank the only legal tender in Nigeria.

The letter read, “I present to you the compliments of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and wish to notify you about the commission’s observation, with dismay, regarding the unhealthy practice by some foreign missions to invoice consular services to Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country in United States dollar ($).

“This practice is an aberration and unlawful as it conflicts with extant laws and financial regulations in Nigeria. Section 20(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 makes currencies issued by the apex bank the only legal tender in Nigeria.

“It states that ‘the currency notes issued by the Bank shall be the legal tender in Nigeria on their face value for the payment of any amount’.

“This presupposes that any transaction in currencies other than the naira anywhere in Nigeria contravenes the law and is, therefore, illegal.”

The commission added that the refusal by some missions to accept the naira for consular service in Nigeria and also comply with the foreign exchange regulatory regime in fixing the exchange of the cost of their services is not only illegal but represents an affront to the country’s sovereignty symbolised by the national currency.

Such a situation, EFCC added, undermines Nigeria’s monetary policy and aspiration for sustainable economic development.

The letter continued, “This trend can no longer be tolerated, especially in a volatile economic environment where the country’s macroeconomic policies are constantly under attack by all manner of state and non-state actors.

“In light of the above, you may wish to convey the commission’s displeasure to all missions in Nigeria and restate Nigeria’s desire for their operations not to conflict with extant laws and regulations in the country.”

When contacted for comments, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale declined comments.

Meanwhile, the EFCC had resumed raiding in a bid to stabilise the naira.

Operatives of the EFCC had on Tuesday arrested some Bureau De Change operators at the popular Wuse Zone 4 market in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

However, traders also said some BDC operators resisted the arrest during a sting operation.

The operatives had embarked on routine raids to sanitise the market of street traders and eliminate arbitrary trading.

But this move was resisted on Tuesday, leading to gunshots and damage to the operatives’ vehicles.

Penultimate week, the commission arrested over 35 suspected currency speculators for alleged foreign exchange fraud.

Last week, it also paraded over 20 BDC operators arrested in the capital city.

The International Monetary Fund has advised the Nigerian government to ask global crypto trading platforms to register or obtain licences before operating in the country.

This recommendation was made in the IMF’s latest staff report, released on Thursday following the conclusion of its 2024 Article IV consultation with Nigeria.

According to the report, compelling global crypto trading platforms to register will subject them to regulatory requirements.

The IMF emphasised the need for Nigeria to establish a robust regulatory framework to oversee the growing cryptocurrency market, ensuring financial stability and protecting investors.

It added that the move aligns with global efforts to standardise cryptocurrency regulations and prevent illicit activities.


“Global crypto trading platforms should be registered or licensed in Nigeria and subject to the same regulatory requirements applicable to financial intermediaries following the principle of the same activity, same risk, and same regulation,” the report highlighted.

The IMF also noted that Nigerian authorities took significant steps early in the year to address issues surrounding cryptocurrency trading platforms.

The report read, “The authorities agreed with the importance of maintaining external stability and emphasized that the reforms that they have implemented as well as efforts to bring in FX liquidity, including the requirement for international oil companies to hold 50 per cent of repatriated oil receipts in Nigeria for 90 days, are geared towards that end.

“They see pressure on the exchange rate now coming from illicit flows, including through crypto-asset platforms, and not being driven by fundamentals, noting that some ceilings on FX access are intended to curb abuse.”

In February, the Central Bank of Nigeria expressed concerns about the large volume of transactions passing through crypto exchange platforms from unidentified sources, stating that it is working with other government agencies to address these illicit financial activities. The bank claimed that in the last year, $26bn passed through Binance Nigeria from unidentified sources.

As a result, in the last three months, cryptocurrency trading platforms have come under scrutiny on the suspicion that they were manipulating the local currency’s value in the foreign exchange market.

On Monday, the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Emomotimi Agama, said delisting the naira from P2P platforms was necessary to avoid the level of manipulation currently happening.

Given the above, the Central Bank of Nigeria had directed fintech companies operating in the country to block the accounts of customers engaging in cryptocurrency transactions and to report those transactions to law enforcement agencies.

Further, the IMF also warned that the rapid growth of foreign exchange trading platforms in Nigeria poses new challenges to the country’s financial stability.

A member of the House of Representatives, Abdusamad Dasuki, has said the current presidential democracy being practised in Nigeria is not working, and should be abandoned for a return to the parliamentary system of government operational in the country during the First Republic.

The federal lawmaker representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in Sokoto State, stated this on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television on Friday.

According to him, Nigeria is in a “state of quagmire” and “like a house with a faulty foundation”, as the current system has not been able to deliver representative democracy where members of the executive arm of government, beginning with the President, are fully accountable to the people of Nigerians.

Dasuki said, “Things are not working in Nigeria, we can’t deny that fact. This (the move for parliamentary system) is not something that started with this Assembly, some of us that were in the 8th Assembly believed that there was something that was fundamentally wrong with the system.

“The system is faulty. Some will say it is the Nigerian factor, the Nigerian people and all that, but the system itself gives you so much power and power corrupts absolutely.

“Our founding fathers had the foresight to believe that Nigeria is a plural state, and everything must be pluralistic. Let’s have a situation where even if it is the elite coming together to come up with what works for us.”

Mid-February, talks of parliamentary democracy resurrected in Nigeria when a group of 60 lawmakers in the House of Representatives sought amendments to the 1999 Constitution to transition from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system of government.

The lawmakers said the transition has become necessary to reduce the cost of government in the face of dwindling revenue.

Titled, ‘The Bills Proposing Constitutional Alterations For a Transition To Parliamentary System of Government,’ the bill was sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and 59 others. The bill was read on the floor of the House during plenary in Abuja but has not progressed since the first reading about four months ago.

Many prominent Nigerians have since joined the call for a transition to the parliamentary system of government.

Dasuki, one of the lawmakers supporting the bill in the green chamber, said, “In our draft proposal, which is not cast in stone, we want a homegrown parliamentary system, not one copied from somewhere else.”

“For me and my colleagues, what we are proposing is that among the elected representatives (in the parliament), we have the Prime Minister and the ministers.”

He imagined a parliament where President Bola Tinubu is the Prime Minister, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the head of the opposition, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) is a member of the parliament as well.

Dasuki said such a parliament won’t breed unaccountable, inefficient and corrupt cabinet members as they could be recalled by elected representatives in the parliament anytime the people feel they aren’t giving their best.

Dasuki said, “We want a leader where every single day, you are on top of the situation; you are able to relate with citizens. A leader should be able to communicate and say what’s going on.”

The lawmaker said he and his colleagues in the lower chamber are proposing that the parliamentary system start with the local government election in Nigeria in 2027. He opined that the local government polls should be regularised with the general elections.

He said, “The ward councillors should elect their local government chairmen among themselves. If a chairman is not leading right, he is taken back and the councillors elect another chairman. That is the proposal. There shouldn’t be an election for local government chairmen in 2027, the same as for governors and the President. The elected representatives should elect from among themselves.”

Dasuki said after the initial reading of the bill in the green chamber, the proponents of parliamentary democracy decided to be strategic about the second reading. He said lawmakers have been visiting those who witnessed the First Republic to seek their support and advice. He said elder statesmen like Ango Abdullahi, Edwin Clark, Segun Osoba, Bisi Akande, and others have been consulted and they approved of parliamentary democracy

Nigerians on social media were in awe on Friday as Deeper Life High School announced that no fewer than 174 students across its campuses nationwide scored 300 and above in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The school in a post via its official handle on Facebook @Deeper Life High School posted the 174 students.

“Despite JAMB’s announcement that only around 0.5% of candidates nationwide scored 300 and above in the 2024 UTME, an astounding one hundred and seventy-four (174) students of DLHS exceeded expectations with flying colours by scoring 300 and above,” the school said in the post.



According to the information obtained from the school’s Facebook page, the highest scorer this year Ayeyemi Godsgift Ibukunoluwa scored a total of 362 points out of the total 400 obtainable points.

Recall that the school produced the highest scorer for the 2023 UTME. Umeh Kamsiyochukwu emerged as the highest scorer for 2023 UTME with a total of 360 points.

According to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, 1,402,490 candidates out of 1,842,464 failed to score 200 out of 400 marks.

The examination body, through its registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had stated that, among other reasons, the board considers the UTME as “only a ranking examination,” hence, its decision not to disclose the names of the highest-scoring candidates in the just-concluded UTME.

Also, the board urged Nigerians to be wary of any candidate parading printed result slips as currently, the result is not in any paper format.

Meanwhile, Nigerians on Facebook have hailed the top-performing students.

A Facebook user who posted via Thomas Ewa said, “Congratulations all, it takes Godliness, discipline and commitment to achieve such great results.”

Another Facebook user, Olumu Peace while congratulating the school’s top scorer said, “Congratulations Ayeyemi🎉🎉🎉 Delta Campus is proud of you.”

Ajayi Oluwafemi James who posted in the comment section of the post made by the school said, “This is quite incredible, congratulations to DLHS family. Leadership with Distinction!.”

The Kaduna State government has disclosed plans to merge a total of 359 schools over incessant activities of bandits which had resulted in cases of abduction and kidnapping in the state.

Speaking at a stakeholders forum and the training of the Schools’ Protection Squad on Wednesday, Governor Uba Sani represented by his Chief of Staff, Sani Kila, said the schools in vulnerable communities would be merged with those in safe locations, as part of measures to safeguard the schools and children from being attacked by bandits.

According to him, the launched school protection squad under the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative is aimed at securing schools, children, and teachers from all forms of attacks by bandits and terrorists.

While noting that Kaduna is one of the states that has been waging a sustained battle against banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality, Kila lamented that the activities of non-state actors, have disrupted socio-economic activities in the affected communities, and are threatening the educational revitalisation programme of the state.

“Kaduna state’s educational system is facing a crisis of declining enrolment, with over 200,000 fewer primary school pupils recorded in the 2022/2023 academic session compared to the previous year. This dramatic drop (from 2,111,969 in 2021/2022 to 1,734,704 in 2022/2023) is largely attributed,” he said.

“In several local government areas (lgas) particularly chikun, birnin gwari, Kajuru, Giwa, and Igabi insecurity has forced school consolidation, further pushing up the number of out-of-school children. Incidents like the kidnapping of 135 students from the Lea Primary and Junior Secondary School, Kuriga, Chikun local government, tragically illustrate the devastating impact of insecurity on education access and safety.”

For more than a decade, Kaduna like other states in the North West zone, has faced severe security challenges orchestrated by bandits and terrorists, including attacks on educational institutions.

However, Kila said he believed that no nation could achieve its human capital development goals, and continue its path towards sustainable development when its schools are threatened by insecurity.

“The theme of this capacity building programme ‘Strengthening Security Resilience and Integration of host Communities in the Protection of Education’ is apt. No nation can achieve its human capital development goals, and in fact make giant developmental strides if it fails to guarantee the safety and security of schools.

“For you to effectively guarantee the safety and security of schools, you must build the capacity of security forces and communities to anticipate, prepare for, reduce the impact of, cope with, and recover from the effects of shocks and stresses. It follows therefore that security forces must integrate host communities in their security plans and execute effective psychological operations to win the hearts and minds of the people”.

“I commend the Federal Government for launching the N144.8 billion safe schools financing plan in 2022. The plan was developed through rigorous consultative strategic engagements with all relevant stakeholders in the education and security sectors, at national and sub-national levels.

“It is gratifying to note that in furtherance of this plan, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun has established the Schools Protection Squad (SPS), a proactive initiative aimed at enhancing security and safety in educational institutions across Nigeria.’

“To ensure that the education of our children in conflicts-prone and terrorist-infested areas is not interrupted, we have commenced the merging of 359 schools with those in safe locations. We are also implementing our safe school program to strengthen the security in our primary and secondary schools. We are collaborating with the Nigeria police force which is currently training a school’s protection squad (SPS). We have made adequate budgetary provisions for effective implementation of our safe school programme.”

He listed measures being implemented as, fencing of schools, the establishment of security and safety response committees with membership drawn from schools and communities, deployment of Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS) to schools, provision of emergency lines to schools, security awareness training for school managers, teaching and non-teaching staff and school-based management committee members, construction of muster points in schools, training on identification of early warning signs, and construction of watch tower in schools.

“I hope that this capacity building programme will not only equip the participants with the skills and techniques of coping in challenging security situations but will develop a framework for psychological operations and strategic communication to win the hearts and minds of citizens in conflict-challenged communities,” he said.

“Security forces must hold regular meetings with elders, religious leaders, representatives of youth and women groups”.

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has criticised the Federal Government over the introduction of the 0.5 per cent cyber security levy.

Obi’s reaction comes after the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), described the planned cyber security levy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on all electronic transactions as another burden on Nigerians.

According to a circular issued to various financial institutions, including commercial, merchant, non-interest, and payment service banks, the apex bank indicated that the levy would come into effect in two weeks from May 6.

The levy’s introduction has since sparked widespread criticism among Nigerians and civil society organizations, with the NLC calling for its reversal.

Rejecting the policy, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had said such deductions directly affect the disposable income of workers, and further diminish the purchasing power of the common citizens.

In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Obi described the levy as yet another form of tax on the suffering masses.

He wrote, “The introduction of yet another tax, in the form of Cybersecurity Levy, on Nigerians who are already suffering severe economic distress is further proof that the government is more interested in milking a dying economy instead of nurturing it to recovery and growth.

“The imposition of a Cybersecurity Levy on bank transactions is particularly sad given that the tax is on the trading capital of businesses and not on their profit hence will further erode whatever is left of their remaining capital, after the impact of the Naira devaluation and high inflation rate.

“It is inconceivable to expect the suffering citizens of Nigeria to separately fund all activities of the government. Policies such as this not only impoverish the citizens but make the country’s economic environment less competitive.

Obi concluded that the levy came at a time when the government should be reducing taxes to curb inflation.

“The government is instead introducing new taxes. And when did the office of the NSA become a revenue collecting centre?” he added.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has ordered banks operating in the country to start charging a cybersecurity levy on transactions.

A circular from the apex bank on Monday disclosed that the levy implementation would start two weeks from today.

The circular was directed to all commercial, merchant, non-interest, and payment service banks, among others.

The circular revealed that it was a follow-up on an earlier letter dated June 25, 2018 (Ref: BPS/DIR/GEN/CIR/05/008) and October 5, 2018 (Ref: BSD/DIR/GEN/LAB/11/023), respectively, on compliance with the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015.

However, the apex bank exempted loan disbursements and repayments, salary payments, intra-account transfers within the same bank or between different banks for the same customer, and intra-bank transfers between customers of the same bank from the levy.

Also exempted from the levy were inter-branch transfers within a bank, cheque clearing and settlements, ⁠Letters of Credits, ⁠and Banks’ recapitalisation-related funding only bulk funds movement from collection accounts, savings, and deposits including transactions involving long-term investments, among others.

Nigerians on social media are lamenting the new levy, which they complain has added to the multiple levies paid for electronic transactions. In this report, PUNCH Online highlights the five other transaction levies paid and the amount deducted on transactions between N1,000 and N1,000,000.


1. Cybersecurity levy

N5 is charged on the transaction of N1,000

N50 is charged on the transaction of N10,000

N500 is charged on the transaction of N100,000

N5,000 is charged on the transaction of N1,000,000

N50,000 is charged on the transaction of N10,000,000

2. Transfer fee

N10 is being charged on the transaction below N5,000

N25 is being charged on the transaction between 5,001 and N50,000

N50 is being charged on transactions above N50,000

3. Stamp duties

N50 is being charged on transactions between N10,000 and N10,000,000

4. Short Messaging Service (SMS)

N4 is being charged on each electronic transfer notification

NB: This is only applicable to customers on eligible electronic transactions. Those who opt for e-mailing services are not charged the same.

5. Value Added Tax

N0.75 is being charged on N10 transfer fee

N1.875 is being charged on the N25 transfer fee

N3.75 is being charged on N50 transfer fee.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested six senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps over alleged N6bn fraud.

The senior officers are currently being grilled by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, The PUNCH can confirm.

Though details of the probe are still sketchy, our correspondent gathered that the NSCDC officers were handed over to the EFCC on Monday on the order of the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi.

Impeccable sources privy to the development but who were not authorised to speak to the press revealed that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had earlier written a letter to the NSCDC CG, demanding the officers’ release for interrogation.

A source revealed, “Six senior NSCDC officers are currently in our custody. They’re being grilled by our investigators over alleged fraudulent activities running into over N6bn.”

Confirming the development, another source said, “The EFCC did not arrest the NSCDC CG, neither is he being probed. We only have six senior NSCDC officers in our custody, and they’re being probed over alleged N6bn fraud.

“The EFCC Chairman had earlier written to the NSCSC CG to provide the officers, and the CG did. Now they’re in our custody and are being grilled by EFCC interrogators.”

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for comments on Monday as phone calls and text messages to his phone lines were not responded to nor returned.

Meanwhile, when contacted for comments, the spokesperson for the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, said he was not aware of the development.

“I’m not aware of this,” Afolabi said in a terse WhatsApp message sent to our correspondent on Monday.

The father of the late student of Dowen College, Lagos, Sylvester Oromoni jnr. has again alleged a cover up in the coroner’s findings regarding the cause of his son’s death.

In a five-page statement personally signed by him and made available to Channels Television, Sylvester Oromoni Snr said that the Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, who inquired into the cause of his son’s death deliberately delayed his findings so as to cover up the cause of the tragic death.

He said, “The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri commenced hearing on 21st day of January 2022 and concluded on the 9th day of October, 2023 after calling 32 witnesses. The coroner delivered his verdict on the 15th day of April, 2024, after two years.

“During the reading of the verdict of 325 pages, the Coroner shed crocodile tears not less than seven times in open court. In fact, he had to rise twice and retired into his chambers to cry more than the bereaved. The coroner claimed that my son died of natural cause. The Coroner deliberately delayed the case in order to cover up the cause of the tragic death of my son as I will explain below”.

Mr Oromoni said this “dubious verdict” will not discourage him from pursuing justice especially to ensure that all other students in Dowen College and other schools do not suffer the same fate his late son did.

While narrating what happened at the inquest, Mr Oromoni disclosed that despite the request of his legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, for a visit to Dowen College to enable the Coroner to ascertain the state of the school before the death of his son, it took the Coroner about 17 months to finally carry out the visit, ostensibly to give the management enough time to fix up the physical deficiencies in the school.

“In his desperate bid to exonerate Dowen College of any liability, the Coroner turned round in his verdict to applaud the authorities of the school for upgrading the facilities during the proceedings,” Oromoni Senior stated.

He also accused the Coroner of suppressing material facts of the bullying of his son by a clique of students, in order to further exonerate the management of Dowen College of any liability.

Mr Oromoni noted that though the coroner proceeded to blame the cause of death on “parental negligence”, it is on record that no witness indicted him as he took all steps recommended by the family doctor to save the life of his son.

In rejecting what he called “the wicked and heartless conclusion of the Coroner”, Mr Oromoni detailed areas in the Coroner’s findings where he alleged vital evidences were suppressed as well as the alleged negligence of Dowen College which led to his son’s death.

He also narrated how his son was allegedly killed as well as the role of the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution which gave two contradictory legal opinions, one recommending the prosecution of Dowen College and another exonerating the school and its management even in the absence of fresh proof to back same.

In his conclusion, Mr Oromoni Snr recommended further investigation of the matter in the interest of justice.

While thanking the good people of Nigeria who stood by the family, Oromoni Senior also called on the Lagos State Government to investigate several cases of bullying in Dowen College.

He said, “Since the coroner decided to cover up the killers of my son, we shall take appropriate actions to unravel the mystery surrounding his death. Finally, I am compelled to call on the Lagos State Government to take urgent steps to investigate the several cases of bullying of students in Dowen College. The students and management staff involved in inflicting torture on helpless students in the school should be brought to book without any delay”.

In pursuit of securing a new $750m loan from the World Bank, the Federal Government may reintroduce previously suspended telecom tax and other fiscal measures.

This is according to the Stakeholder Engagement Plan for Nigeria – Accelerating Resource Mobilisation Reforms programme between Nigeria and the World Bank.

A copy of the plan’s document posted on the World Bank website indicated that the government might reintroduce the excises on telecom services, and EMT levy on electronic money transfers through the Nigerian Banking System among other taxes.

President Bola Tinubu in July 2023 ordered the suspension of the five per cent excise duty on telecommunications and the Import Tax Adjustment levy on certain vehicles.

However, it appears that this suspension may be lifted to meet the programme targets for a new, yet-to-be-approved World Bank loan with negotiations ongoing between the government and the World Bank.

Checks by our correspondent showed that the government had initially requested to obtain the loan in 2021 but was halted without clear reasons.

The programme’s development objective is to strengthen the government’s financial position by enhancing its capacity to manage and mobilise domestic resources effectively, which includes improving tax and customs compliance and protecting oil revenues.

The planned tax reforms under the ARMOR programme are expected to have significant implications across various economic sectors.

The PforR Programme is part of a larger governmental initiative running from 2024 to 2028, aimed at reforming tax and excise regimes, enhancing the administrative capabilities of tax and customs, and ensuring transparency in oil and gas revenue management.

The World Bank’s contribution of $750m constitutes a significant portion of the programme’s budget and the government is expected to contribute $1.17bn through annual budgetary.

According to the plan, affected stakeholders will include manufacturers of goods such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, sugar-sweetened beverages, telecom and banking service providers, as well as the general tax-paying public, importers and international traders.

Key industry groups such as the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria are engaged regarding the excise duties on telecom services.

The draft document stated, “Domestic Revenue Mobilisation drive in the government ARMOR program seeks to increase revenue on some targeted industries and sectors of the economy. Specific groups and agencies within affected sectors include the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria: The introduction of excises on telecom services requires that all telcos are mobilised to fully participate in the collection of such revenue.

“Committee of Bankers: Introduction of EMT levy on electronic money transfers through the Nigerian Banking System would need the buy-in of all banking institutions

“Manufacturer’s Association of Nigeria: Manufacturers of tobacco products, sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic beverages who would be required to collect excises on their products are critical stakeholders for the introduction of the new excise regime. They are currently organised into various sectoral groups under the Manufacturer’s Association of Nigeria. Producers of alcoholic beverages organised under the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria also need to key into the reforms.

“Also, strategic partners involved in the importation of different items into the country will be mobilised to participate in the ARMOR programme. A key stakeholder group is the Association of Nigeria Customs Agents.

“Vehicle Importers and Manufacturers: Stakeholders in the automobile trade industry must be engaged in reforms involving the introduction of green taxes on high GHG emission vehicles. Local manufacturing and assembly of vehicles is growing through a phase of growth in Nigeria. The demand for vehicles is mostly met through importation by vehicle importers under the aegis of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria.”

The document also emphasised the importance of engaging vulnerable groups to ensure they are not disproportionately affected by these changes.

It also said, “Services that will be subjected to the newly introduced excises are regulated by key public sector agencies. The introduction of the new revenue measures will require the application of existing regulatory mechanisms available within these institutions. The concerned institutions include the Nigerian Communication Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“There are also agencies with the mandate for making policies on some of the issues covered in the ARMOR program concerning policy framework on matters of public interest in Health and Environmental Protection. The government institutions relevant to ARMOR in this regard are the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Environmental Standards Regulatory and Enforcement Agency, and the Federal Ministry of Health.”

Additionally, the programme outlines specific allocations for technical assistance, with $5m each going to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service to support their capacity to implement these new measures effectively.

This includes the development of systems for better data sharing, risk-based audits, and compliance processes, as well as substantial investments in program management and capacity building.

“The government program is funded from annual budget allocations of $1.17 billion to FMF, FIRS and NCS. The PforR with results-based financing of $730m, and $20m investment financing, is 62 per cent of the program budget”

“There will also be $10m for project management, tax policy capacity-building and other expenses. In total, the amount makes the $20m investment financing before the release of $730m in line with the fiscal targets met.”

An international drug syndicate with networks in parts of Nigeria, South Africa and Thailand have been smashed by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Also, no fewer than five members of the cartel were arrested in a two-week intelligence led operation in Lagos, Abia and Anambra states following the seizure of their illicit drug consignments at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.

This was disclosed in a Sunday statement by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, saying the unravelling of the drug cartel started on Sunday 20th April when their cargo of four big suitcases arrived at the NAHCO shed on an Air Peace airline flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.

He said that the first suspect, Umeh Chisom Peter was arrested on Wednesday 24th April after he showed up to pick up two of the suitcases containing Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis owned by a Thailand-based member of the syndicate, Obum Michael.

According to Babafemi, the consignment of four parcels was concealed in false bottoms of the two suitcases, while the four suitcases contain a total of 17.6 kilograms Loud and drug candies.

He said another member of the syndicate, Mrs. Chiwendu Uche Ugbe whose South Africa based husband, Aloytus Uche Ugbe sent some of the consignments, was traced to Anambra state where NDLEA officers arrested her on Saturday 27th April while attempting to collect the drug parcels sent to her by her husband.

Two other suspects: Onyejakor Francis Chimezie and Naaji Valentine Chukwukere, with links to the cartel, were also arrested in parts of Lagos on Monday 29th April.

He stated that their arrest led to another operation in Abia state where Mrs. Chinazo Osigwe was arrested when she was to pick up some of the parcels containing Loud and drug candies sent by her husband, Osigwe Chidiebere Anthony who is equally operating from South Africa.

The United Kingdom edition of Reader’s Digest is shutting down after 86 years of operation.

The magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Eva Mackevic, announced this development on LinkedIn on Monday.

Mackevic explained that the magazine, founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Wallace in the US, has been struggling financially

Mackevic wrote, “After 86 wonderful years, I am very sad to share that Reader’s Digest UK has come to an end. It has been my privilege and joy to contribute to this iconic publication for nearly eight years, leading its talented team for the last six.

“Unfortunately, the company just couldn’t withstand the financial pressures of today’s unforgiving magazine publishing landscape and has ceased to trade. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the
incredible colleagues, writers, PRs, and brands. I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with you over the years.

“Your passion and expertise have made this journey unforgettable, and I’ve been fortunate enough to make some amazing friends along the way. To any writers awaiting payment for their work, I’ve been assured that the insolvency practitioners are working to communicate with everyone about the next steps. I sincerely hope this process goes smoothly and swiftly for you.”

Over its remarkable history, Reader’s Digest gained recognition through impactful campaigns.

One such campaign in 1924 raised awareness about the health risks associated with tobacco use.

Reader’s Digest also had a notable association with the British monarchy.

It received recognition from Queen Elizabeth II, including a commissioned portrait for her 60th birthday

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has submitted additional proof of evidence against the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

During the court hearing on Friday, Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo requested an adjournment to review the new evidence before continuing the cross-examination of John Ikechukwu Ayoh, the second prosecution witness.

Ojo accused the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, of engaging in “trial by ambush” and not being diligent in their prosecution.

He told the court that he just received the additional proof of evidence from the EFCC.

He said the new proof of evidence was filed on Thursday, saying he needed to study the additional proof of evidence to cross-examine the prosecution witness.

He told the court, “My lord, there is a need to adjourn this case. We were just served these huge documents by the EFCC in court.

“The prosecution keeps dumping documents on us at every sitting. This is trial by ambush.”

Sharing the same sentiment, the counsel to the second defendant, Adeyinka Kotoye, also said he was served the additional proof of evidence five minutes after arriving in court.

In his defence, Oyedepo argued that they provided documents from a former aide to Emefiele in preparation for his testimony, saying it did not affect the ongoing cross-examination.

He added that it was unfair to describe the service of processes by the prosecution as “ambush by trial”.

Oyedepo emphasised that the additional evidence submitted were documents obtained from the phone of a former aide to Emefiele, John Adetona, who is set to testify as a witness.


He also clarified that these documents were provided in advance for Adetona’s future testimony and that he was not scheduled to appear in court on the present or upcoming hearing on May 9.

“The witness (Adetona) whose device the documents were printed from has not given evidence before the court,” Oyedepo said.

“In preparation for his testimony which is not coming up today or May 9, the prosecution rather waiting for the defence to formally demand the hard copies the prosecution team printed the documents out.

“How does that amount to prosecutorial unfairness?”

Oyedepo, however, requested that the court instruct the defence counsels to conclude their cross-examination of the second prosecution witness.

He clarified that the introduction of new documents does not hinder or impact the ongoing cross-examination of this witness.

However, Emefiele’s lawyer disagreed, stating that he needed time to review the new documents as they may contain valuable information for use during cross-examination.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Rahman Oshodi, agreed with the defendant’s counsel.

Oshodi then adjourned the matter to May 9.

Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are currently being tried in a Lagos high court on a 26-count charge.

Both the former CBN governor and Omoile pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.

A graduate of Chemistry from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State, Juliet Chidiebube Uka, has scored 324 in the just concluded 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Uka was the best-graduating student in the Department of Chemistry at UNIZIK in 2021, graduating with a first class.

She said she sat for the 2024 UTME to study Medicine as she wants to fulfill her dreams of becoming a medical doctor.

Her result made public, showed that she scored an aggregate of 324 in UTME as she seeks to re-enter the university.

Her elder brother, Obiora Uka, said his sister made up her mind to study medicine and surgery at all costs.

“She has demonstrated resilience through outstanding performance. She has maintained that her ambition is to become a doctor. This led her to write Jamb again this year 2024 and scored an aggregate of 324,” he added.

Obiora said the family hopes she can actualize her lifelong dream of becoming a medical doctor.

Meanwhile, users of social media have continued to the inflow of candidates’ results from the concluded 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, in its statement, disclosed that 1,402,490 candidates out of 1,842,464 failed to score 200 out of 400 marks.

Netizens have continued to display the results of some UTME candidates nationwide who had scored 300 and above.

One such is the daughter of a lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Kaduna State; Toro Shehu, who scored 348 out of a total 400.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has said the government discovered 86 apartments under the Dolphin Estate Bridge, Ikoyi, where tenants pay N250,000 annual rent.

Posting videos on his X account on Wednesday, Wahab said the 86 partitioned rooms, sized “10×10 and 12×10”.

He added that the enforcement team of Lagos State’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had successfully removed all structures, including a container utilised for various illegal activities, from beneath the Dolphin Estate Bridge.

Sharing videos, the commissioner wrote, “18 individuals squatting illegally under the bridge leading from Dolphin Estate were arrested yesterday 30th of April, 2024 by the officials from the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps”

“A total number of 86 rooms, partitioned into 10×10 and 12×10, and a container used for different illegal activities were discovered under the Dolphin Estate Bridge.

“They have all been removed by the enforcement team of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.”

A Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, further confirmed the eviction of illegal settlers from beneath the bridge towards Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi.

Rotimi-Akodu said 23 individuals were arrested during the eviction, which was carried out by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI on Tuesday.

He wrote, “Squatters dwelling under the bridge leading from inward Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi were evicted today Tuesday, 30th of April, 2024 by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps LAGESC (aka KAI).

“These people created their illegal settlement under the bridge, thereby exposing the critical infrastructure to impending destruction. 23 persons have so far been arrested and MoE/KAI will continue to monitor the place. The law will take its course.”

He also confirmed that the bridge has hitherto housed 86 rooms, partitioned into 10×10 and 12×10 with squatters paying an average rent of N250,000 per annum.

“Continuation of the removal of abode under Dolphin bridge. 11 more persons were arrested. It is important to note that wood materials were used to construct the shelters, some occupants used gas cylinders, and some had stored fuel for their generators, these are recipes for disaster,” he added.

He wrote, “Squatters dwelling under the bridge leading from inward Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi were evicted today Tuesday, 30th of April, 2024 by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps LAGESC (aka KAI).’’

“These people created their illegal settlement under the bridge, thereby exposing the critical infrastructure to impending destruction. Twenty-three persons have so far been arrested and MoE/KAI will continue to monitor the place. The law will take its course.”

The Anambra State Government has arrested one Uzochukwu Okoli for giving out his underage daughter’s hand in marriage.

Okoli was apprehended after his daughter reported to the state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare about the ill-treatment being meted out to her by her father and the man he forced her to marry.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, the Media Aide to the state Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, on Thursday.

Ikeanyionwu said the girl, identified as Chioma, who is currently 16 years old, told the ministry that after the death of their mother, their father brought her back from Edo State, where they were going to school to take a husband.

The statement read, “She alleged that she was first forced to live with a 70-year-old man at the age of 14, but after some time, she ran back to her father’s house before he finally gave her out to a 34-year-old Chinedu N. as husband.

“Chioma, who also came with her elder sister, explained that life with the said husband has been a ‘living hell’ because he beats her and sometimes, after beating her, pees in her mouth and that made her run away with her nine-month-old baby.

“Her father, Uzochukwu Okoli, on the other hand, claimed his daughter is 18 years old and, at some point, said 20 years.

“Okoli, when he was handcuffed, threatened to deal with the daughters if he made it out of prison. He also urged them to pray he dies in prison because he will make life more miserable for them.”

Reacting to the development, Obinabo, instructed that the case be charged to court so that the children can get justice.

She used the medium to urge parents to be mindful of their children and direct them properly instead of pushing them to early marriages, which will destroy their lives.

Both Okoli and Chinedu N were arrested and will be arraigned in court.

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday pledged better living and working conditions for all Nigerians of working age, saying the “custodians of the nation’s machinery deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare.”

Tinubu made this pledge in his maiden May Day message dedicated to workers nationwide.

The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, conveyed the President’s remarks in a statement he signed Wednesday titled ‘President Tinubu salutes Nigerian workers on May Day.’

According to Ngelale, the President affirmed that his administration remains committed to improving the welfare of all workers, noting the various relief programmes, including the wage award and the imminent minimum wage review.

“President Tinubu strongly believes that the custodians of the nation’s machinery deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare and that a labourer is deserving of not just any reward but fair and commensurate wages.

“The President assures Nigerian workers of his dedication to not only improving their welfare but also enhancing their working conditions and providing the necessary tools for them to succeed,” the statement read.

His remarks come amid a cost of living crisis believed to be the aftermath of hardline economic reforms pursued by his administration.

When he assumed office on May 29, 2023, Tinubu implemented the discontinuance of subsidies on petrol as approved by the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari.

The move, he posited, would save the government money for massive infrastructural expansion.

Tinubu also unified the foreign exchange rates to, among other things, curb currency arbitrage and other forms of forex malpractices.

However, these steps sparked collateral instability in the value of the Naira and heaped hardship on Nigerians as food prices soared.

While speaking at a high-level panel session at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, April 28, Tinubu defended the removal of the petrol subsidy as a “necessary action for my country not to go bankrupt” and to “reset the economy towards growth.”

On May Day, President Tinubu saluted Nigerian workers for their “fidelity to the peace, progress, and development of the nation evident in their tireless efforts and patriotic zeal to keep the national engine running.”

He commended the workers across all spheres, from the clerical officer who ensures the proper documentation and distribution of correspondence; the security officer who remains ever dutiful through all seasons; and the teacher who secures the future of our nation by imparting knowledge to the next generation; the doctor who works relentlessly to save precious lives; and all Nigerian workers who keep the candle aflame.

“The President wishes Nigerian workers Happy May Day celebrations,” the statement concluded.

Workers’ Day celebration in Nigeria owes its origins to the People’s Redemption Party government in Kaduna and Kano, which in 1980 adopted May 1 as a public holiday for the commemoration of International Workers Day.

In 1981, the Federal Government under Shehu Shagari, declared May 1 as a national holiday to celebrate International Workers’ Day.

President Bola Tinubu has secured a $600m investment from Danish shipping and logistics firm A.P Moller-Maersk, the presidency said on Sunday.

The deal is to help in expanding port infrastructure to accommodate more container shipping services in Nigerian ports.

Chairman of A.P Moller-Maersk, Mr. Robert Maersk Uggla, disclosed the decision during a meeting with President Tinubu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement.

”We have seen a significant opportunity for Nigeria to cater for larger container ships. Historically, most of the West African coasts are already served by smaller ships. Currently, we see an opportunity to deploy larger ships to Nigeria. To achieve this, we need to expand the port infrastructure, especially in Lagos, where we need a bigger hub for logistics services. The growth potential is hard to quantify,” Ngelale quoted Uggla as saying.

”We believe in Nigeria, and we will invest $600 million in existing facilities and make the ports accommodating for bigger ships.”

On his part, Tinubu appreciated the firm for its contributions to the Nigerian economy.

“We appreciate your business and the contribution you have made and continue to make to our country’s economy over time. We do not take our partners for granted. A bet on Nigeria is a winning bet. It is also a bet that rewards beyond what is obtainable elsewhere,” Tinubu said.

“More investment opportunities are available, and my government has worked on various reforms to encourage investments. We need to encourage more opportunities for revenue expansion and minimize trans-shipments from larger ships to smaller ships.”

The Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom in Ondo State, Oba Victor Kiladejo has ordered the prohibition of the idea of traders being forced to join associations in the kingdom

Oba Kiladejo gave the order, through the Osemawe-in-Council, as part of the efforts to reduce the prices of food and commodities and services.

The order was part of the resolutions adopted by Osemawe in Council at the stakeholders and youth meeting held at Palace Hall, Ondo town, Ondo State on Wednesday.

The resolutions were contained in a statement from the Ondo Ekinmogun Youth Congress on Saturday, issued by Kayode Igbekoyi on behalf of the President of the group, Comrade Kayode Folajogun.

According to the statement, the resolutions read that “imposition of association membership of any kind on traders is prohibited in Ondo kingdom. Ondo markets are declared free and open for every legal trader and traders in legal items or wares from other communities, towns or states can trade freely in Ondo kingdom.

“All moribund and abandoned community markets e.g Odosida, Okelisa, Ayeyemi, Akinjagunla, Igba, Oka, and Odojomu including neighbourhood markets should be revamped, steps being taken to create more alternative markets like Shasha, Kara ( in Ondo) should be expedited ”

In the resolutions, the council asked any seller or trader who felt threatened while selling her goods in Ondo to call the concerned constituted authorities, Iyaloja or youth president and also that Iyaloja should make necessary publicity concerning the resolutions of market women on Osemawe’s directive.

The Osemawe-in-Council also warned that any fuel station selling above the approved pump price or exorbitant cost would be sealed off and that collection of extra charges on transactions done on any company’s POS machine, especially fuel stations is cancelled forthwith.

It said, “Strict measures would be taken against any fuel station especially independent marketers who hoard fuel and dupe buyers and Ondo residents by selling inaccurate meter measures, hat steps being taken by Ondo kingdom through the Osemawe in council to upgrade Agbogboke Injector transformer would be accelerated and that “Ondo youths should be empowered to engage in agriculture and trading that could lead to the amelioration of current economic hardships being witnessed in Ondo kingdom and Nigeria at large ”

The council frowned at the alleged bad conduct of some local government officials extorting goods motor drivers coming into Ondo markets and market women by extension and ordered for its stoppage forthwith.

The statement added that the intelligence and community task force team would be out to see to the implementation of the resolutions.

Due to the removal of fuel subsidies and the depreciation of the naira, there has been a consistent increase in food prices nationwide in recent times.

The Federal Government has not yet released the database containing the details and photographs of the 105 inmates who escaped from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, Niger State, despite the 72-hour timeframe since the prison break.

A downpour on Wednesday night wreaked havoc on the custodial centre resulting in extensive damage to the facility and facilitating the escape of 119 inmates.

The downpour caused severe damage to the custodial centre’s infrastructure, including a breach in the perimeter fence, allowing inmates to flee.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, after inspecting the damage highlighted the need for reforms in over 240 custodial centres nationwide.

Tunji-Ojo pledged the Federal Government’s dedication to bringing the remaining fleeing inmates back into custody.

Ten fleeing inmates were earlier recaptured on Thursday morning and by evening, four additional fleeing inmates were arrested.

The spokesperson for the NCoS in charge of the Kuje and Suleja medium security custodial centres in Abuja, and Niger State, Adamu Duza, told our correspondent on Thursday that the service would soon display the names and pictures of the fleeing inmates.

However, a source close to the Minister of Interior, who spoke to our correspondent on Saturday, claimed the NCoS was working on the database of the fleeing inmates for publication.

He said, “The NCoS is working on the database of the fleeing inmates. That is all I know about it. Once it is ready, I will let you know.”

Efforts to get the spokesperson for NCoS, Umar Abubakar, on the subject matter proved abortive as he ignored our correspondent’s call, and was yet to respond to his WhatsApp message after viewing it.

As of Sunday morning, our correspondent observed that the names and pictures of the 105 fleeing inmates were still not published on the websites of the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Ministry of Interior.

Faulting the delay in the display of the database of the fleeing inmates from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, a security expert, Chidi Omeje, blamed the ineffective security system in the country, adding that, “What happened was not a jailbreak. Rain fell, and the wall collapsed. But the first thing they would have done within 24 hours after the incident was to post the pictures and the names of the fleeing inmates.

“The NCoS is the heart of the security infrastructure in Nigeria because every security agency has something to do with prisons. The delay showed that there is no proper record of inmates in Nigeria.”

Another security expert, Oladele Fajana, expressed concern that the pictures of the escapees have not been released so that the public can help the security agencies identify them for easy capture.

Fajana noted, “I am really concerned. I think the Ministry of Interior needs to rise up to the challenge and quickly publish their pictures through the NCoS so that the public can know and identify them for the security agencies to re-arrest them.

“By now, their pictures are supposed to be everywhere; if not, they would become a terror to the nation.”

The 20th child of the founder of Celestial Church of Christ, Worldwide, Olatosho Oshoffa, popularly known as Tosho is the shepherd of CCC International Headquarters, Ketu, Lagos. He speaks with IMOLEAYO OYEDEYI on some controversial issues surrounding the church and its founder, the late Bilewu Oshoffa

How related are you to the CCC founder, the late SBJ Oshoffa?

My name is Olatosho Mathew Oshoffa. By the grace of God, I am the 10th son and the 20th child of the late founder of CCC. So, I am a real and proud son of Oshoffa for that matter.

Over time, there has been controversy about the CCC founder, especially regarding the number of wives and children that he has (had). Can you shed more light on this?

⁠Well, this is no longer private. My father left this world on 10th September 1985. He left behind 13 wives and 53 children. Many people have said he has (had) 100 children and so on. But no. We (The children) (the children NOT The children) know ourselves and up till now, I can tell you that we know the number of wives that gave birth to this number of children for my father. So, we know ourselves and relate very well. There is one love in the family, no matter how many we are. The number of children is 53, but we are all in one love and one accord.

How possible is it for the entire 53 children of the CCC founder to be well connected and united as you said?

Let me tell you something, my dear brother. Our father, while on earth, used to gather us together and tell us, “Never say you are a son or daughter to any of my wives. But tell yourself, you are a son of Oshoffa.” This means he used that girdle of love to tie us together. So we don’t see ourselves as children of our various mothers but as children of Oshoffa. And that is the same way we related when he (Oshoffa) was still in this world and has been doing after his demise. Even as of today, the remaining Oshoffa wives that were younger to my mother, I still refer to them as my mother, because of the love that our father (Oshoffa) has used to bind us together. So, we all remain one as SBJ Oshoffa children.

But given the scriptural position that a Bishop must be a man of one wife; don’t you think those condemning polygamous men of God are right?

Can I tell you something, my brother? You see, in that scripture, Paul was only advising. Tell me in the Bible, which prophet of God had only one wife? Do your research and tell me. Secondly, if God were to judge by the number of wives, my father would have been the first to be disqualified as the founder of CCC, because he was already having three wives before God called him. Yet, he was given the vision and mission to found CCC Worldwide. This year, it will be 76 years since the church came into being and it will also be 39 years since the founder left the church. But the church has kept on waxing stronger and stronger every day. So, if it was not the will of God, then, Oshoffa wouldn’t have been the first to be contacted.

I am sure in 1947, if there was a better candidate to found CCC, Oshoffa wouldn’t have been chosen. But because there wasn’t a better candidate, he was the only one that God found worthy to found CCC, despite having three wives. So those condemning my father should know that he never had any concubine. He married them (his wives) and they were all under his roof. But today, the so-called men of God with only one wife will have concubines outside. Which one is better? So, I will tell you that if God were to judge by the number of wives before sending a bishop or pastor on a mission, my father would have been disqualified because he had three wives before God called him. And thank God, the church he founded is still alive today, despite all the attacks here and there. The church remains one and keeps waxing stronger every day.

Based on this, what is the position of CCC on polygamy?

Based on this, anyone who desires to marry only one wife is allowed to do so. The church allows it. In the same way, the church does not have a law that binds a clergy to have only one wife. So you have a freedom. Maybe in the future, there will be a law that will bind us to have only one wife, but as of today, there is no law that binds a shepherd or prophet in CCC to marry only one way.

Does this mean that polygamy is not forbidden among the shepherds in CCC?

As of today, to be frank, polygamy is not forbidden among the clergies, the shepherds, or pastors in CCC. Tomorrow, there may be a law if God says so. But as of today, no law forbids polygamy in CCC.

About six different pastors claim to be the authentic spiritual head of the Celestial church. What is your take on this?

Let me assure you that this church came to sanctify and save the world. It was for salvation. Now, when the founder of this church departed, the same way Jesus Christ departed there were troubles among the apostles about who will lead. The same way as well that according to history the Catholic Church at a time had multiple Popes. But today, they have only one Pope after so many centuries. This is the same situation with CCC. After the demise of its founder, there was so much trouble. The apostles also faced the same challenges on succession as those of the Catholic Church.

Today, it is our turn. I believe that despite all the problems that we are facing today, a time is coming when the church will have only one leader. But as of today, the most acclaimed and accepted leader in CCC all over the world is the first son of the founder, my eldest brother, Rev. Emmanuel Oshoffa, who is based in Imeko, Ketu, and Makoko, the headquarters of the church. A time is coming when the church will become one again. It is our prayer that when that time comes, it will be during our time so that it will not happen when we might have passed away.

Are you saying that the church can still be united under one leadership despite the depth of the division within the fold?

We can still be united, my dear brother.

How?

I believe in one thing, which is dialogue. In Isaiah 1:18, God called all the people and said, come let us reason together. A time is coming, and it is not far again when we shall all reason together and see where our faults are. And believe me, we shall become one again when we sit down and reason together. It is my prayer once again that when that time comes, we shall be tools that God will use to give a way for our church to have one leader that will be accepted all over the world. I believe it is possible and it is my prayer that it should not be far. And we are working towards it. And that is the vision and mission of the Pastor, Rev. Oshoffa. So whether we like it or not, the church will be one again, because, without the oneness of the church, it cannot fully accomplish its mission. We have to be one. And God must enter the hearts of everybody to make us one because it (The church’s mission) is a task that must be achieved.

Does it seem the Cherubim and Seraphim churches also have similar divisions to that of CCC or is the situation different?

No, no. Let me tell you why we are different. During the time of Moses Orimolade, the founder of C&S, he was frustrated. He was so frustrated that on the day he was dying, he picked a bunch of brooms and scattered them, saying, “You C&S people because you have made me suffer this much, you will not be one anymore. He gave a collective curse to the C&S. But during the time of my father, the founder of CCC, he laid down individual curses. What was the curse? He said anyone that will divide my church, his ways, blessings, family, and inheritance in heaven shall be divided. That is an individual curse. And believe me, none of those who have a hand in the problem of this church has had a good end. It is always evil. You can see the difference. There was a collective curse placed on the C&S but an individual curse placed on CCC. That is why we still have room for reconciliation and oneness according to Isaiah 1:18. There is a big difference between collective curse and individual curse.

What are the efforts that Pastor Emmanuel Oshoffa has taken towards reaching out to other factional pastors in a bid to unite the fold?

I believe he is making his best efforts. No one is perfect. Let us put it that way. But recently, during the burial of my late younger sister, Arewa Deborah Oshoffa, the Deputy Pastor of CCC in Benin Republic, Babanla Shimi, sent by the CCC leader in the French country, met with Pastor Emmanuel after the burial. And they both spoke about the oneness of the Celestial fold. So, I believe that Pastor Emmanuel is trying in that area. He took over the leadership of the church on December 25, 2002, but he was enthroned on 23rd February 2003. I was his Personal Assistant for 13 years, so I know much about him.

When he became the Pastor, there were only a few parishes loyal to the CCC headquarters in Ketu, Makoko, and Imeko. But today, he has spent 21 years on the throne and many parishes have returned to his stream. I am not condemning other spiritual heads that are not in Ketu. No. As a leader in my little way, I cannot condemn anybody. That’s why whenever any parish returns to Ketu, Pastor Emmanuel never criticizes them; he will simply say, “Welcome to our father’s house.” So, I am not condemning anybody in his favor. And since every Celestial parish still prays with the God of Oshoffa, I believe the church still has a chance to be united. Already, despite having different leaders, our ways of worship, praying, singing and tenets have not changed. This means every CCC member is Papa Oshoffa’s child. Even the founder said so while he was alive. So for me, he has laid down the foundation of unity for the church. Based on this, I believe a time will come when the entire CCC members who are all Oshoffa’s children will come together and chart a way for the church’s unity.

Regarding your younger sister’s recent death that just you mentioned, what type of person was she, and what was the cause of her death?

My younger sister unfortunately has passed away. May her soul rest in peace. She shared the same father and mother with me. My sister, during her lifetime, fought for the unity of CCC. She was almost everywhere. Yes, she died at a prime age, 51, because we still have much older people who are still alive. God knows best. But let me tell you, death will always come with something once the time comes. Ecclesiastes 8:8 says, “At the time of death, no one can change, and no one can be saved again.” That is, no one can be saved from the hands of death when your time comes. Her time came. Believe me, many people have said, how can an Oshoffa child die like that? If she had lived for 100 years, she may not have gotten such a befitting burial that would get wide acclamation from people. Believe me, she died at her appointed time to meet her creator. But the fact remains that death will always hold onto something. And yes, death held onto something in her case and we all knew it. Debby Oshoffa died and the page is closed. As a family and church, we are moving forward. But she will never be forgotten. As I said, death held onto something and she passed away. But let me leave it that way.

So you don’t want to share the ‘Something’ that her death held onto?

No, I cannot share it now, because it is still very fresh in the memory of the family. She was buried just two weeks ago. So, why should I be talking about her death now? She is my younger sister for that matter, not my older sister. So for now, I don’t want to say anything about Debby. She passed away at the time God wished, and the death took her because of something, which I don’t want to reveal now. But in the future, everybody will know it.

It has been widely reported that Pastor Emmanuel Oshoffa has been having a prolonged court case with the registered Board of Trustees of the church, who claimed that he does not have the legal right to dissolve them because they were appointed by his father, the CCC founder. How can this issue be resolved?

Yes, Pastor Mobiyina was appointed in 2002 and proclaimed as Pastor in 2003. But at times, some problems could have been avoided. But at the same time, these problems are here now and we are facing them. What can we do? I have said earlier that court case or not, a time is coming when we all will sit down in CCC and reason together. But believe me, these are problems that may have been avoided. I won’t say more than that. Whether on his side or not, these are problems that we shouldn’t have faced normally. But they are here already in our house. So, it is my prayer that we get a solution to it quickly.

I believe the solutions will come at the right time. It is my prayer once again that God will give us the wisdom to realise that we don’t need to fight each other. We are all children of Papa Oshoffa. We just need to come back home and reason together. And if we know that we are all true children of Oshoffa, please, let us come together and resolve the issue. I want to beg everybody, both the registered BOT and Pastor Emmanuel, that we should please come back home and reason together so that the church may become one.

Some people believe CCC is occultic and fetish. What is your reaction to this?

They said the same thing to Jesus and Papa Oshoffa. But the real Pentecostal church is CCC and I will tell you why. This is the only church where in every service, both during the week and on Sunday, we denounce occultism openly. We tell our members that we are not part of any occultic acts or sects, and none of them has the right to join any occultic sect. So, tell me, which other church in the world openly denounces occultic during its devotional services? It is only CCC. But because of the magnitude of the power of God in the fold, people tend to disbelieve it and claim it is not possible. This is the 76th year of the church on earth and testimonies have been recurring in the CCC parishes spread across the globe. But we are not a church that makes noise with its testimonies. So, we are not occultic. Let me give you an example.

Baba Ogunde, during his time, came to Papa Oshoffa early in the morning one day. Papa said, “Oh, I hope there is no problem.” Ogunde said, “Papa, I have said your name in every occultic group all over the world, but I thought you were using evil and that you belong to a secret cult with all these miracles you are doing. But I didn’t see your name on the list of occultic people. So, because of the power of God that you are using, I want to produce a film that will reveal the secret of the darkness.” And the film was called “Aye”. Ogunde now said, “Papa, I want to put my family and myself under the God that you are serving, so that no harm will befall us.

Meanwhile, if Pope John Paul II could leave Rome in 1982 to come and visit Papa Oshoffa because of what he had heard about him that should tell you we are not occultic. We are a church of God, the Holy Spirit, and the real Pentecostal church.

CCC is a church I am very proud of and till my last breath, I will remain a member of the church. This is because what is not possible in other places is possible in CCC as it was through the blood of the lamb (Jesus) that the church was founded.

But people say Celestial church shepherds do involve themselves in diabolical things….

Yes, I call them intruders. Any CCC prophet or shepherd who deals with an occultic group is an intruder. Sooner or later, God will flush them out. But don’t forget, the Bible says, “Let the chalk and the wheat gross together. They are there and they are individuals. But the church as a body is a church of God. We may have one or two occultic people, but they do not belong to us. They are intruders and soon, God will flush them out.

Is it true that every member of CCC joined as a result of one problem or the other?

No, some people were born in the church. I was born in the fold. I didn’t come with any problem. Meanwhile, for those who joined the church, it may not be because of problems. Some people joined the church because of the white garment we wear and its neatness. Some other people also joined because of our hymns, while some joined because a prophet gave them a message. Many people have reasons for joining the fold, so I may not agree that all joined because of one problem or the other.

But have you ever heard that other Christians see Celestial members as inferior because they believe they are involved in using charms?

Yes, they do say that. But they are telling lies. And it is because they believe the CCC founder is not well-schooled. He didn’t attend any university. He didn’t take a Ph.D, and he didn’t pass through a theology school and all. But God said he would take what does not exist to confound what truly exists so that what exists may not be arrogant. This is because everything is not about books. It is on record that despite the CCC founder not being educated, God still made use of him and today, CCC is still standing. How many churches can do that many years after their founders passed away? But as I have said, people may say anything they like. They cannot still understand CCC, because the church is not of this world. Have you heard of how some people went and fasted for many days all because of CCC? But in the end, angels appeared to them and told them CCC is a divine church and you cannot fight it. It has come to stay and except people go spiritual, they cannot comprehend it.

Some months back, a popular investigative journalist, published a story that raised public eyebrows on how fake prophecies affect peoples’ lives. The CCC International Headquarters was one of the churches indicted in the report. What is your take on his report and what has the church done to address some of the issues he raised?

No. No. No. I won’t agree with that. It was a wrong thing. Have you heard of him again since then? I don’t want to talk about him. It is almost two years now. I won’t say he indicted us, no. He assumed because there was no proof. As God would have it, a year after, Ebenizeri came out from my choir, the CCC Apex Choir. It was exactly a year later. That is to tell you that though the report said something wrong about the church, the angel of the Lord came a year after to make amendments and glorify the church (Through the song). Today, the CCC International Headquarters is standing strong and it has changed. The Spirit of the Lord lives there and every day, the prophets, like in every other CCC parishes, still performs miracles and the spirit of the Lord is working. So no one can destroy what the Lord has not destroyed.

How are CCC shepherds paid? Is the headquarters in charge of every branch of your church or people are allowed to open their churches and just make remittances to the headquarters?

Before the CCC founder left, Celestial church shepherds were not paid a fixed salary. We are paid stipends. What does that mean? Every income realised in the parish monthly is divided into three parts. One stays in the parish; one goes to the headquarters; and one is divided among the shepherd and those working with him. So that is how we are paid as clergies in CCC. For now, we don’t have a fixed salary. But a law may come tomorrow that will fix the salary.

English Premier League trio Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all looking likely to miss out on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as French giants Paris Saint-Germain have decided to pay the €120m release clause in the Nigerian’s current contract, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

After a successful four-year spell at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the Nigeria international is expected to leave Naples despite signing a contract extension in December.

Osimhen is one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe following a successful time in Italy.

The 25-year-old played a huge role as Napoli claimed the Serie A title last season – their first in over three decades.




The Nigerian striker scored 31 goals across 39 appearances with 26 of those goals in the league.

Osimhen has netted 74 times across 129 appearances for Napoli and it came as no surprise that he has been linked with some top clubs in Europe.

If the report by Il Mattino is anything to go by, the Nigerian could be heading to France after the Italian media outfit reported that the French giants were ready to pay his release clause.

“Victor Osmihen is close to signing for PSG this summer! The French club has decided to pay his release clause of €120m,” the publication wrote.

The news will come as a major blow to his suitors, especially Arsenal and Chelsea. The two teams have identified Osimhen as their primary target for their attacks ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with the player also keen on the move.

The Premier League clubs desperately need a striker ahead of next season.

Chelsea have heavily depended on Nicolas Jackson to get their goals but the former Villarreal man has failed to deliver and his woeful performance in the past few days during clashes against Manchester City and Arsenal has shown why the Blues are in desperate need of a reliable striker.

While Arsenal have scored the highest number of goals in the Premier League this season, Mike Arteta still needs a goal poacher as Gabriel Jesus has failed to live up to expectation.