₦airaland Forum

A warder attached to the Kirikiri Custodial Centre, Lagos State, Kayode Fatombi, has been arrested by the police for allegedly aiding the escape of some prison inmates.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that three men were arrested by the police for alleged robbery and kidnapping.

They were subsequently arraigned before the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

A source said two of the inmates escaped after the warder led them out on the pretext of taking them somewhere.




After the police got information on the matter, they tracked the inmates and re-arrested them.

This was when they reportedly confessed to having paid the warder N500,000 each.

The source said, “The warder is now at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, and is expected to be charged on Monday.


“He was attached to the Kirikiri custodial prison as a warder, and he took the inmates facing trial at the High Court for kidnapping and armed robbery out of the prison and allowed them to escape. He claimed that they ran away while he was leading them out. During the investigation, it was gathered that he purposely allowed them to escape, so he was arrested and kept at the SCID, Yaba.

“The suspects were tracked and caught and they confessed that they gave him money to allow them to escape. The inmates confessed that they paid him N500,000 each.”

The source claimed that the officer had been dismissed and would be arraigned on Monday.

“He was led to the police office at the SCID on July 6 in handcuffs and leg chains,” he added.

A credible prison source said the incident happened a few months back, adding that the warder was taken into custody around mid-May 2023.

The source also said out of the three-man robbery gang, two escaped, adding that one was still in custody.

“What the warder told his bosses was that he was taking the inmates back to prison after their court sitting at Ikeja when he was waylaid by a gang that freed two of the suspects.


“The prison service arrested him for a disciplinary procedure. This was ongoing when the warder consulted with someone in the police force and engaged him to track the escapees. He provided the necessary information that led to their re-arrest.

“When they were re-arrested, instead of briefing his bosses in the correctional service on the development, he kept the information to himself. He went to meet the police sometime in May and was arrested and detained.

“The information I have is that when the suspects were arrested, somebody told them who leaked out their details and because of that, they made a counter-allegation that the warder collected money from them. That was why the police detained him,” the source added.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the matter caused a rift between the police and the prison authorities.

A source said the correctional service was not being carried along with the process, as the ongoing internal trial of Fatombi had not been completed when he was detained by the police.

The source explained that the re-arrested inmates were also supposed to be returned to the service, from where they would be arraigned for several crimes, including escape from lawful custody.

“Even the warder has been in a police cell for about two months now. I gathered that the Lagos Controller has tried to talk to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for possible inter-agency collaboration, but it has not worked,” the source added.


The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, adding that the warder would be arraigned this week.

He also noted that the correctional service was part of the process of investigation.

Hundeyin said, “I can confirm that he is in our custody and will be arraigned this week. He was arrested for aiding the escape of some inmates, two of whom have been re-arrested.”

The spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service, Lagos State Command, Rotimi Oladokun, said investigation was ongoing into the matter.

In a WhatsApp text sent to Sunday PUNCH, he wrote, “The command has commenced investigation into the issue and any officer found culpable will be appropriately sanctioned.”


https://punchng.com/lagos-robbers-escape-from-prison-say-warder-received-n1m-bribe/

*Tasks them to embrace technical education

*As 154,000 candidates write 2023 NABTEB


By Joseph Erunke


ABUJA –THE federal government has advised Nigerians to embrace technical education where they will use skills acquired to earn a living, instead of depending on government jobs after graduation from school.

The government which reminded Nigerians that the world has moved beyond the days of white-collar jobs, tasked parents to encourage their wards to embrace technical education.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo said this on Tuesday, after monitoring the ongoing National Business and Technical Examinations Board,NABTEB, in Abuja.

Adejo, who expressed satisfaction with the general conduct of the examination which began last week across the country, said registered students in some states were not allowed to write as the state government which registered them failed to release money for the examination.

He regretted that some state governments were owing the examination body so much that the decision had to be taken to recoup the amount.

Adejo however refused to mention the states involved and the amount being owed the examination body.

Noting that there is improvement in the 2023 examination,he said:” But I keep telling people that as Nigerians,we need to really embrace technical education. We really need to let our children know that the world has moved beyond the days of white-collar jobs. What you get today is what you can do with your hands. And at the pre-tertiary education level, the NABTEB provides that opportunity for training you to be business minded and technologically focused. That is the examination that assesses you to get to that place.

“Now, when you look at what is happening in our university system and our tertiary institutions, they are also diverting to doing innovation and entrepreneurship, that is what makes the difference. “



“Given that education is on the concurrent list,I want to plead with the state governors because some of them disadvantage their citizens from taking this opportunity. They agree to register students free of charge but they don’t pay these fees to examination body.

“A number of states were not allowed to write this examination because the states did not pay. And NABTEB has to take that decision because previously, they have been allowing them but the debt is growing. These examination papers were made with money, the monitoring is money, the marking is money and the release of results is money.

So the best the state could do is that if it agrees to register students, it should pay.

“But I’m very hopeful that with this set of governors, we’re going to get a remarkable change where no state government would owe any of our examination bodies money for their students”, he added.

Adejo explained the reason for embarking on the monitoring exercise:”We’re here from the Federal Ministry of Education to monitor this examination and the essence of this monitoring is to see how the process is going in terms of physical aspect of what happens and what most people don’t see in terms of marking and all others.

Although the examination started a little bit late. This is understandable because there was rain and the weather was not too conducive but I think five minutes late is not too bad considering the weather condition today.

“On the whole, I will say I’m satisfied because there are some things you look for when you are in the examination. First and foremost,are the question papers intact? Are the students who registered for the examination the ones writing it and not mercenaries? And that is done by crosscheck of your paper against the list, the register they have. And how’s the hall, does it provide the opportunity for cheating? So,I think so far,so good, it’s a good start for the examination this year.

Speaking also,the Registrar of, National Board for Technical Education, Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, explained that registered candidates in some states were not allowed to write the examination because their state governors who registered them did not fulfill their payments.

She lamented the huge debts so far incured by some state governments.

He explained that'”Some states are owing us and this time, we refused credit so that action reduced the number of candidates writing the examination down. Nevertheless, what we have this year is 54,301. That is the exact number of candidates that enrolled this year.

” As you can see, this is a far cry and that’s to show you that we need to do more, we need to encourage technical education the more. We need more candidates because that is where you get the skills,”she said.

Explaining that the examination started last week across the country, she said:”So, we are one week now into the examination. This week is for our compulsory, general education subjects. As you can see, today is for English Language and tomorrow will be Mathematics followed by Economics on Thursday.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/07/world-has-moved-beyond-days-of-white-collar-jobs-fg-tells-nigerians/

The newly-appointed Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, on Saturday, approved the posting and appointment of some senior officers of the Nigerian Army to command, instructional and staff appointments across formations and units.
This, according to him, was an effort to reposition the Nigerian Army for operational efficiency and functional administration.
The Chief of Army Staff also directed all newly appointed senior officers to redouble their effort and commitment to duty in ensuring the sustenance of the ongoing onslaught against terrorism, insurgency, and other threats to national security, as they assume their new appointments.
A statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said those affected by the recent redeployment include some Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, General Officers Commanding, Corps Commanders, Commandants of training institutions, Brigade Commanders and Commanding Officers, among others.
Some of the senior officers appointed as PSOs of the AHQ include Maj Gen AB Ibrahim who was posted from Headquarters 3 Division NA to the Department of Policy and Plans and appointed Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Maj Gen BR Sinjen posted from Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA) to the Department of Army Operations (DAOPs) and appointed Chief of Operations(Army) and Maj Gen OR Aiyenigba from Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police to Department of Army Standards and Evaluation and appointed Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation (Army).
Others are Maj Gen NC Ugbo from Nigerian Army Signals School to Department of Civil Military Affairs and appointed Chief of Civil Military Affairs and Maj Gen E Akerejola from Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport to Army Headquarters Department of Logistics as the Chief of Logistics (Army).
Senior officers appointed as General Officers Commanding are Major General BA Alabi from Army War College Nigeria to Headquarters 1 Division as GOC, Maj Gen AE Abubakar from Headquarters 7 Division to 3 Division as GOC 3 Division/ Commander Operation Safe Haven and Maj Gen PP Mala, who was posted from Depot Nigerian Army to Headquarters 7 Division as GOC/ Commander Sector 1 Joint Task North East Operation Hadin Kai.
Others are Maj Gen GU Chibuisi from HQ Multinational Joint Task Force Ndjamena to Theatre Command Joint Task Force NE Operation and appointed Theatre Commander, while Maj Gen IS Ali was redeployed from Theatre Command Joint Task Force NE OPHK to HQ MNJTF as the Force Commander and Maj Gen EAP Undiandeye whose
redeployment from Martin Luther Agwai International Peace Keeping Centre to Defence Intelligence Agency as Chief of Defence Intelligence has been formalised.
Senior officers appointed as Corps Commanders include Maj Gen OO Oluyede as the Commander Infantry Corps, Maj Gen MG Kangye from the Department of Civil Military Affairs to Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery and appointed Commander. Others are Maj Gen AA Adeyinka from Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management to Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport and appointed Commander.
Other senior officers also affected in the redeployment are Maj General KO Aligbe who is appointed as Commander Training and Doctrine Command, Maj Gen JO Ochai, from Defence Headquarters to Nigerian Defence Academy( NDA) and appointed Commandant, Maj Gen IB Maina posted from Department of Policy and Plans to Army War College Nigeria and appointed Commandant.
Equally redeployed are Brig Gen TB Ugiagbe who is appointed Acting Chief of Military Intelligence (Army), Brig Gen OG Onubogu from Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre to Martin Luther Agwai International Peace Keeping Centre as Commandant, while Brig Gen N Ashinze moves from Department of Civil Military Cooperation to Defence Intelligence Agency as Director Fusion. The Nigerian Army has also formalised the redeployment of Col AO Onasanya from Army War College Nigeria to Headquarters Guards Brigade as Acting Commander.


https://punchng.com/new-army-chief-reshuffles-top-brass/

SaharaReporters learnt on Tuesday that the three men, who were once powerful during Buhari's time in the Aso Rock Villa, left the country in a private jet provided by billionaire businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari, his “powerful” nephew, Mamman Daura and his private secretary and another nephew, Sabiu “Tunde” Yusuf, have all left Nigeria for London, the United Kingdom.





SaharaReporters learnt on Tuesday that the three men, who were once powerful during Buhari's time in the Aso Rock Villa, left the country in a private jet provided by billionaire businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.



SaharaReporters further gathered that their decision to leave the country was connected to growing pressures from Nigeria's secret police, the Department of State Services to arrest Sabiu, who had been named in sundry corrupt activities in the last eight years.




Already with the DSS are the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and the suspended chairman of anti-corruption body Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.



“Former President Buhari, his nephew, Mamman Daura and Private Secretary Tunde Sabiu have all skipped town and are now in London. Daura and Buhari are resting in a hospital in London,” a top source revealed.



“This follows pressures by the DSS to arrest Mr. Tunde Sabiu upon finding out that he was involved in every corrupt activity that bled the Nigerian economy in the last eight years,” the source added.



SaharaReporters further learnt that Buhari's State Chief of Protocol (SCOP) and one of his closest long-time aides, Sarki Abba, were also in London.



SaharaReporters on April 30 reported that “Tunde” Yusuf, the personal secretary to Buhari who is in his 30s, was set to retire with huge retirement benefits from loot said to run into billions of dollars.



And to ensure he enjoys his loot, SaharaReporters learnt that Yusuf secured a form of diplomatic immunity from prosecution through his appointment to the National Intelligence Agency, according to sources in the Presidency.



Regarded as one of the wealthiest young men in Nigeria today, Yusuf until his appointment by former President Buhari was said to be surviving on proceeds made from the sale of call cards in his native Daura, a sleepy community in Katsina State in the Northern part of the country, which is also Buhari’s hometown.



He is said to have got the name ‘Tunde’ after being likened to the late Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari’s second in command during his military regime in the early 1980s. Idiagbon was seen by many Nigerians as the de facto leader even though Buhari was the head of state. He was known to be powerful and strategic.



Yusuf is the son of Mamman Daura’s immediate younger sister, Hajia Halima, who died in 2018.



“To ensure he doesn’t get arrested by the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), Tunde (Yusuf), as he’s popularly known has secured diplomatic immunity by his irregular appoint into Nigeria’s intelligence Agency known as NIA and he’s already been transferred to the United Kingdom as his first foreign posting to manage his loot,” a source in the Presidency had told SaharaReporters.



Also, according to sources in the Presidency, Yusuf recently spent $100 million to help Kano-born oil billionaire Alhaji Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, the executive chairman and CEO of holding company A. A. Rano Group, start Rano Air.



Rano Air is a licensed airline, incorporated in 2021 with its operational base in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. When it started, it proposed to operate in Nigeria and beyond but start with eight local stations - Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Yola and Asaba.



Yusuf ‘Tunde’ Sabiu is said to be the proud owner of several mansions in Abuja.



“He recently shelled out $100 million to help start an airline known as Rano Air, according to sources in the presidency and massively invested in fuel stations across Nigeria through the same outfit, Rano Oil,” one of the sources had said.



Sources said Buhari’s nephew once had several accounts opened that house billions of naira in Nigeria.



“The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor (recently suspended by President Bola Tinubu), Godwin Emefiele reportedly got him to reinvest the funds in three new banks,” one of the sources had added.



During Buhari’s 77th birthday in December 2019, Yusuf reportedly wore a Patek Phillipe leather wristwatch valued at $99,995.00 – about N36 million at the time.



In June 2020, investigations by SaharaReporters indicated that a Senior Special Assistant to the President (Domestic), Abba Sarki and Yusuf, in collaboration with some Ministry of Power officials had pushed the government to commit to the purchase of a building for the Transmission Company of Nigeria at a grossly inflated price in Abuja.



Despite the Ministry of Works and Housing not approving the purchase of the building, Sarki and Yusuf had pushed their cronies in the Ministry of Power further to actualise the purchase of the property for around N14 billion to N17 billion – a rate many times higher than the original cost of the building.



The plan, according to findings by SaharaReporters, was to in the end give the presidential aides access to the funds and thereafter give part of the funds to other partakers in the fraudulent scheme before pocketing the rest.



A top source at the Ministry of Power privy to the corrupt scheme gave more insights, saying, “This building is being pushed by Abba Sarki, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Domestic) and Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf for Transmission Company of Nigeria.



“Accordingly, the building will be paid (for) by the Federal Government, so the TCN was not directly involved. The Ministry of Works and Housing did not approve the request by the Ministry of Power.



“For TCN, they are comfortable where they are and the current building was built by PHCN/TCN superannuation fund. But the ministry is claiming the building was given to them by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.



“The Minister of Power now wants to buy Gilmo building, which was a small building that cannot accommodate TCN’s staff at a highly inflated price of about N14 billion to N17 billion which would go to Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf and Abba Sarki.”



In a memo dated July 19, 2019, and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing before it was split into two, Louis Edozien, the ministry responded to a request by the TCN for a dedicated and convenient office accommodation and thereafter established a joint committee to look into all relevant issues on the subject.



Insiders had informed SaharaReporters that underground moves had been going on to achieve the target by the two aides of President Buhari despite the administration’s claims to be waging a war against corruption and looting of public funds in the country, especially by government officials.



Also on May 20, SaharaReporters reported that Isa Ali Pantami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and Sabiu "Tunde" Yusuf allegedly colluded to grant licences for broadcast frequencies in the 600MHz spectrum band by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in the twilight of the Buhari administration.



A source within the presidency had confirmed this to SaharaReporters, adding that Pantami and Tunde Yusuf had also been attempting to shift earnings from sales to private bank accounts, which was another attempt to fraudulently steal from public assets before handing over to the incoming government.



This mischief also included a 50 per cent discount on the licence.


https://saharareporters.com/2023/06/20/exclusive-former-president-buhari-and-nephews-mamman-daura-tunde-sabiu-flee-nigeria-uk

At least eight people have been killed in a fresh attack by gunmen in Plateau state.

It was learnt that the incident occurred on Friday night in Rawuru community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.




A youth leader in the community, Solomon Dalyop confirmed the killings to The PUNCH in Jos on Saturday.

Dalyop said “So far, we have confirmed that eight persons were killed during the attack last night in Rawuru community in Barkin LGA. What we don’t understand is that before the attack took place, some soldiers came to the village in the afternoon. We also saw them in the night.

“And yet, the villagers were attacked leading to the killing of the victims who were in their homes. How come the assailants will carry out the attacks successfully without being apprehended by the soldiers and the security agents who are also within the community?”

Another community leader and president Global Society for Middle Belt Heritage, Jerry Datim who described the attacks as one too many called for an investigation into the activities of the personnel of the Military Taskforce deployed to maintain peace in Plateau communities.

He also noted that a total of 276 persons had been killed in different communities in the past month following the persistent attacks with over 30,000 displaced.

“We have the Mass grave sites where deceased bodies were buried for those that care to go round and see for themselves. Thirty thousand (30,000) IDPs were scattered in Mangu, Panyam, Mangu Halle, Yilpo (Sabon Gari) Fan in Barkin Ladi, Maikatako in Bokkos, Marish in Bokkos, Bukuru in Jos-South and a lot in Jos North LGAs of Plateau State.

“We also want to bring to your notice that our children both at Primary, Secondary Schools and some students of tertiary institutions in the affected Local Governments have missed their examinations such as; the Junior NECO Exams set for JSS 3, also the ongoing Senior Secondary School Examination and the Tertiary examinations due to forceful migration of our people to various places as IDPs president stated.

“We want to thank our Plateau ethnic brothers that have been supportive of our people and we wish to regret with shock the silent position of SEMA and NEMA which before now were known for their quick response in time like this but until now we have not felt their presence. We are calling on SEMA to work in accordance with their constitutional responsibilities and attend to the 30,000 IDPs scattered across the state.

The group accused the Military Special Taskforce in charge of maintaining security in the state of not doing enough to secure the lives of the people.

They called on the federal government to disband all military checkpoints in the state and replace them with that mobile police for more operational effectiveness

“We want our people who were displaced to be returned to their ancestral land with immediate effect. The federal government should also see to their welfare and security. While waiting for the vacation of the Fulani from our ancestral lands, any subsequent attack on any community henceforth, the Leaders of the Fulani should be held responsible for harbouring the assailants,” the group warned.

Efforts to speak with the Spokesman for the Police Command in the state, Alabo Alfred proved abortive as he did not pick up his calls when contacted on the latest attacks in the affected communities.

https://punchng.com/eight-killed-in-plateau-fresh-attack/

A leading aspirant for the Speakership of the House of Representatives, Aminu Jaji has denied reports that he has stepped down from the race.

The lawmaker-elect from Zamfara State stated that consultations are still ongoing with his colleagues to drum support for his ambition.

In a statement by his media office on Monday, he said reports suggesting his exit from the race was an attempt by his opponents to blackmail him.


National Assembly leadership: Tinubu’s meeting with lawmakers fails to resolve zoning crisis
The statement read, “Jaji is still in the race. We have consulted widely, and our colleagues have shown support.

“The fake news is unconnected with the massive support received in the last few days from Members-Elect across political divides, we urge our opponents to wait and allow members to choose their leaders.

“Ignore fake social media reports. Jaji is experienced, qualified, and competent enough to lead the 10th House of Representatives. Nothing will stop him. He has the blessing of the President and other party bigwigs, while the majority of the members elect are excitedly waiting for the election tomorrow. By God’s Grace, he will win.”

https://punchng.com/just-in-10th-nass-im-still-in-speakership-race-says-jaji/

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Plateau state, Samuel Kwamkur on Sunday cautioned former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai not to set Nigeria on fire using his utterances

Kwankur who is a former National Director of the Christian Association of Nigeria stated this at a press conference in Jos on Sunday.




He was reacting to statements allegedly credited to the former Kaduna State Governor in which he told his audience before handing over to his successor that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna had been successfully replicated in Nigeria and that it shall continue.

El-Rufai, he alleged, equally told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they”(Christians ) tried to ask questions on why the Muslim/Muslim Ticket, he deceived ‘them’ that it was not for religious dominance when in reality, the tickets both nationally and at the state level were for Islamic dominance.

He said that in the video containing the speech which has gone viral on social media, El-Rufai further said that the victory of Bola Tinubu had silenced the Christian Association of Nigeria, adding that he will sustain an Islamic-dominated government for 20 years and unending not only in Kaduna State but in Nigeria at large

But Kwankur while reacting to El-Rufai’s outburst expressed disappointment at the utterances of the former Governor noting that the classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ versus us’ meant that the former Kaduna Governor cannot be exonerated from the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna.

Kwankur said he was surprised that El-Rufai who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation had turned himself into a confirmed religious bigot with a hidden agenda to destroy the country using religion.


He advised El-Rufai not to use his utterances to mislead Nigerians into thinking that President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory was purposely to islamise Nigeria and nothing else.

The former National Director of CAN said “Ordinarily, I have heard Islamic clerics preach that Tinubu’s Muslim/ Muslim ticket is in furtherance of an Islamisation agenda, and despite that, I am one of those who contributed in discouraging Christians and Nigerians from accepting such as true because I believed in the antecedents and character of His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu but hearing from a political leader like El-Rufai, a close associate of Tinubu and Shettima, an active participant in the campaign who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation confirmed that there is a hidden agenda to be mindful of.

“In the said address, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai spoke like one of the religious bigots that have been working underground to set the nation on fire. Amongst his ill-motivated statements which I can only paraphrase for now, El-Rufai confirmed that he is a leader of the Islamic terrorist group operating in the Sambisa forest albeit disguising himself as a governor in a complex nation like Nigeria”

“Firstly, El-Rufai in his speech, wondered why he should give ‘them’ a deputy governor when most of ‘them’ cannot vote for his party. That he calculated and discovered ‘we’ can win an election without ‘them’ hence why give ‘them’ a deputy? From El-Rufai’s classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ versus ‘us’ one needs no angel to tell you that he cannot be exonerated from the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna. Secondly, Mallam El-Rufai went further to state that Islamic dominance of government in Nigeria will bring peace, Justice and fair play. He assured the gathering that he will sustain an Islamic-dominated government for 20 years and unending.


“This outburst reiterates his extreme fanaticism and displays his ignorance of what constitutes justice, equity and fair play. Discrimination, ethnic profiling and all genocidal attempts to consume a race or religion constitute injustice and are recipes for anarchy and crisis.

“Thirdly, he told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they” tried to ask questions on why the Muslim/Muslim Ticket, he deceives ‘them’ that it is not for religious dominance but in reality the tickets both nationally and at the state level were for Islamic dominance.

“He boasted that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna has been successfully replicated in Nigeria and it shall continue. He said further that the victory of Asiwaju has silent the Christian Association of Nigeria.


“The question is: is it only Muslims that voted for Asiwaju? Who voted for Atiku and Peter Obi? I guess it was only Christians! How could a sitting governor, former minister of the Federal Republic and a potential key government appointee be this callous and insensitive? I recall in one of my visits to a friend in Kaduna, he expressed his views about Mallam El-Rufai”s involvement in the killings in Kaduna and I kept arguing that he should be given the benefit of the doubt, but watching El-Rufai address the Muslim Umma, I have no doubt in my mind that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is one of those behind the unending religious crisis and insecurity in Nigeria.”

Continuing, the former CAN official added “For the record, Christianity does not practice deception as a principle or mode of operation. The Holy Bible admonishes Christians to say the truth at all times. Christians are also taught unconditional love regardless of religion, region and background. In the Christian faith, the Holy Book frowns against religious discrimination and dominance. The definition of Justice, equity and fairness is hinged on providing platforms for the involvement of all regardless of their population, religion and tribe.

“We also believe that God is the giver of life and power; he gives to whoever He wishes and takes it at the time He so wishes. Hence boasting of any sort is an open challenge to God’s sovereignty. Being a member of the Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC), I have closely interfaced with respected Islamic leaders of high repute and found out that there are Muslim leaders, unlike Mallam El-Rufai who are deeply concerned about the peace, development, and growth of Nigeria without pretense.

“Truly speaking El-Rufai is a setback to the peace process that NIREC has been battling with in the midst of religious upheavals. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has exhibited blatant misuse of the trust that God gave him and confirmed that he is an extremist who has largely contributed to the pains of the very people he took an oath to protect in the guise of working for his religion.”

He urged the former governor to use the NIREC platform tom promote unity.

“One would expect El-Rufai to take advantage of such meetings to discuss the achievements of his government in developing the state and taking his people out of poverty and insecurity but ney! He wants to be celebrated as a religious hero and a Jihadist of high repute. How can our nation grow with this kind of leader in authority? Let it be known to all Nigerians that those of us Christians who supported His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu did so out of sincere hope that both himself and his Vice will work to ensure the sustainable development of Nigeria through their policies, experience and exposure.

“It should be known that we did not vote Tinubu out of El-Rufai”s deception (Taqiya) as he claimed! It should be made known to El-Rufai that against his wild imagination of achieving an Islamisation agenda through the dominance and persecution of Christians, Christianity grows better in persecution and supposed dominance. We shall continue to preach inclusiveness, equity and fair play in the true sense of these words. We shall never practice deception to cling to power. No! It is against our faith! May I use this medium to invite Mallam El-Rufai to study the nature of our God in the Book of Esther especially Chapters 6 & 7 where Haman’s plot to end the lives of the Israelites ended up consuming his own life.


“For El-Rufai to think that the Asiwaju vote is a victory for Islam is very unfortunate and speaks volumes of his kind of bigotry. His outburst has destroyed the remaining respect he enjoyed from patriotic Nigerians. We call on Asiwaju to be mindful of friends, associates and politicians like El-Rufai who seek to work with him as they will do more harm to the system and the nation and nothing good can come out of such. May I also use this medium to call on our governors in Nigeria, particularly our Northern governors to truly work towards removing our battered citizens from poverty, insecurity and the like and ensure the provision of good healthcare and other benefits of good governance, rather than to dwell on preaching hate and religious and tribal differences. I call on our leaders to show the citizens the number of people they have empowered instead of the number of lives and property they have destroyed as is happening in Kaduna. I believe that God shall continue to expose the wolves in sheep’s clothing amongst Nigerians”

https://punchng.com/dont-set-nigeria-on-fire-apc-chieftain-tells-el-rufai/

Following the announcement of fuel subsidy removal by the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has declared war on agitators in support of its continuation.

The senator made this known in a tweet on Monday while reacting to developments stemming from the president’s announcement yesterday.



PUNCH reported that Tinubu announced on Monday in Abuja that his administration would remove the subsidy on petroleum products.

“Subsidy is gone!” Tinubu exclaimed during his inaugural address at Eagle Square, Abuja, shortly after he was sworn in as the 16th President of Nigeria.

The president said there was no provision for subsidy in the national budget as of June 2023 and, therefore, it stands removed.

Senator Shehu, who had been in support of the idea of the removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria, noted that fuel stations shutting down in less than 24 hours after the announcement of subsidy removal is mere blackmail.

He wrote, “Shutting down petrol stations on the announcement of the removal of petroleum subsidy is the usual blackmail by the subsidy cartel. It’s time to neutralise the subsidy parasites.”


According to him, the government had spent billions of naira on fuel subsidy which experts say is not sustainable.

The issue of fuel subsidy has been a matter of national discussion for many years, with many questioning its impact on citizens.

The immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari had announced the removal of the fuel subsidy in June, but it was postponed during the Federal Executive Council meeting on April 27.

https://punchng.com/its-time-to-neutralise-subsidy-cartel-senator-shehu/

The newly sworn-in president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Monday became the first democratically elected president who has formerly occupied the position of a senator and governor, The PUNCH reports.

In 1992, Tinubu won the Lagos West senate seat. During his brief stint in the Senate (22 months), he led the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriations and Currency.

Following the dissolution of the third republic by the military junta, Tinubu was forced to flee the country for championing the cause for a return to democracy and the installation of the winner of the 1993 presidential elections, Moshood Abiola.

Tinubu returned to Nigeria in 1999 and joined the Justice Forum, a political platform for the progressives in Lagos and became one of the prominent members that formed the Alliance for Democracy. He was supported by members of NADECO, Afenifere and citizens alike. This gave him the base he needed to emerge as the Lagos state governorship candidate under the AD.


Tinubu in a landslide victory polled 814,000 votes to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dapo Sarumi, who got 184,000; the candidate of All Peoples Party Nosiru Kekere-Ekun scored 122,000 votes. Tinubu won 19 of the 20 local councils.

In 2023, during the presidential elections held on February 25, Tinubu defeated his opponents with a wide margin, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party by scoring 8.7 million votes. He garnered over 25 per cent of the votes cast in 30 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required and was declared the president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission on March 1, 2023.

Thus making him the first former senator who attained the position of governor and ended up becoming a President of Nigeria.

https://punchng.com/tinubu-makes-history-as-first-former-governor-senator-to-be-president/

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product growth fell to 2.31 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 from 3.52 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to new GDP results from the National Bureau of Statistics.

The NBS attributed the decline to the adverse effects of the cash crunch experienced during the quarter.

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The report read in part, “Gross Domestic Product grew by 2.31 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the first quarter of 2023. This growth rate declined from 3.11 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022, and 3.52 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022. The reduction in growth is attributed to the adverse effects of the cash crunch experienced during the quarter.”

The decline is slightly below a recent projection by KPMG that Nigeria’s GDP will grow at a relatively slow pace of 3 per cent in 2023 due to challenges associated with the naira redesign and political transition.


https://punchng.com/breaking-nigerias-gdp-growth-falls-to-2-31-in-q1-2023/