₦airaland Forum

The federal government yesterday disclosed that it had agreed to pay $496 million to settle a multi-billion dollar claim from Global Steel Holdings Limited following the termination of a contract to upgrade the country’s steel plants.

The figure was revealed in a report by Mining.com, an online news medium with focus on the global mining and metals industry.

As shown in the Mining.com report, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami confirmed the resolve of the federal government to pay the claims.

After a prolonged dispute, the federal government had signed a renegotiated concession agreement with Global Steel Holdings Limited for the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe.

The agreement had taken place after years of mediation and there had been hopes that Nigeria would begin to produce steel. But that never materialised.

The negotiations for amicable resolution of the Ajaokuta crisis had dragged on since 2008, leaving the country’s steel and industrial sectors largely in comatose.

But the news medium quoted Malami, who it said led the negotiations, as having said that the government had managed to get a 91 per cent cut on the original claims of $5.258 billion.

“I pay tribute to President (Muhammadu) Buhari for his dedication to resolving this problem and wrestling back a crown jewel of our national industrialisation plans rather than leaving the endeavour to the future administration to deal with,” he was quoted as saying.

Global Steel Holdings Limited, an Indian company, won the concession of the Ajaokuta steel mill for 10 years, but the agreement was revoked when the federal government accused the firm of asset stripping, a development that led to a court case between the two parties.

To resolve the matter, NIOMCO was reportedly ceded to the GSHL for the remaining period of the concession in line with an agreement reached during mediation talks.

Global Steel, which is linked to India’s Mittal family, had between 2004 and 2007 acquired rights to Nigeria’s entire state steel industry via five major concessions and share purchase contracts.

The deal also included access to Nigeria’s iron ore reserves and the central railway network. But in 2008, the government of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua terminated the contracts.

Global Steel sought arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce, Court of Arbitration in Paris the same year.

Between 2011 and 2020, Global Steel and the Nigerian government made several attempts to settle but failed, according to Mining.com.

Nigeria is said to have been losing billions of dollars in revenue and job creation opportunities for the last 35 years on the project, although the federal government reportedly  sunk over $10 billion to start milling.

The project, which as far back as 1994 was said to have reached 98 per cent completion, has the capacity to provide direct employment for 10,000 technical staff and indirect 500,000 unskilled upstream and downstream employment.

The steel plant was designed to produce 1.3 million tons of liquid steel per annum in phase one, with a built-in capacity to expand its production to 2.6 million tons of flat iron and steel products in its second phase.

The plan for phase three was to produce 5.2 million tons of various types of steel products, including heavy plates and has the capacity to become a major catalyst for the production of industrial machinery, auto-electrical spare parts, shipbuilding, railways and carriages.

Gondonu:
Corruption running things in NNPC.

In a call that can at once significantly advance the course of global net-zero emissions targets, facilitate energy access and the development of African countries, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has proposed a Debt-For-Climate (DFC) swap deal.

Explaining the concept yesterday at a lecture on a just and equitable energy transition for Africa at the Center for Global Development in Washington D.C, Prof Osinbajo stated that debt for climate swaps is a type of debt swap where bilateral or multilateral debt is forgiven by creditors in exchange for a commitment by the debtor to use the outstanding debt service payments for national climate action programs.

He said; “Typically, the creditor country or institution agrees to forgive part of a debt if the debtor country would pay the avoided debt service payment in a local currency into an escrow or any other transparent fund and the funds must then be used for agreed climate projects in the debtor country.”

Justifying the rationale behind such a deal in a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande, the vice president submitted that the commitment to it would increase the fiscal space for climate-related investments and reduce the debt burden for participating developing countries.

“For the creditor the swap can be made to count as a component of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC),” he said, adding; that “To make this efficient, there are of course significant policy actions necessary to make this acceptable and sustainable.”

The vice president also proposed the greater participation of African countries in the global carbon market while exploring financing options for energy transition.

According to him, there is a need to take a comprehensive approach in working jointly towards common goals, including the market and environmental opportunities presented by the financing of clean energy assets in growing energy markets.

He said; “In addition to conventional capital flows both from public and private sources, it is also essential that Africa can participate more fully in the global carbon finance market.
“Currently, direct carbon pricing systems through carbon taxes have largely been concentrated in high and middle-income countries. However, carbon markets can play a significant role in catalyzing sustainable energy deployment by directing private capital into climate action, improving global energy security, providing diversified incentive structures, especially in developing countries, and providing an impetus for clean energy markets when the price economics looks less compelling – as is the case today.”

He encouraged developed countries to support Africa to develop into a global supplier of carbon credits, ranging from bio-diversity to energy-based credits, which would be a leap forward in aligning carbon pricing and related policy around achieving a just transition.
While also addressing the concerns of the African continent and other developing countries regarding a just transition, Prof Osinbajo noted that the central thinking for most developing countries is that we are confronted on this issue of a just transition with two, not one, existential crises; the climate crisis and extreme poverty.

“The clear implication of this reality is that our plans and commitments to carbon neutrality must include clear plans on energy access if we are to confront poverty. This includes access to energy for consumptive and productive use and spanning across electricity, heating, cooking, and other end-use sectors,” he said.

According to him, nearly 90 million people in Asia and Africa who had previously gained access to electricity can no longer afford to pay for their basic energy needs. The inflationary pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other macroeconomic trends have been further exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

He added; “Countries worldwide have been hit by record prices on all forms of energy. Power prices are breaking records across the globe, especially in countries or markets where natural gas plays a key role in the energy mix.”
Prof Osinbajo however sounded a note of caution, saying that in such a global reality, limiting financing of gas projects for domestic use would pose a severe challenge to the pace of economic development, delivery of electricity access and clean cooking solutions, and the scale-up and integration of renewable energy into the energy mix.

Speaking on Nigeria’s initiative to combat the unfolding crisis, he revealed that the country’s Energy Transition Plan was designed to tackle the dual crises of energy poverty and climate change and deliver SDG-7 by 2030 and net-zero by 2060 while centering on the provision of energy for development, industrialization, and economic growth.

“We anchored the plan on key objectives including lifting 100 million people out of poverty in a decade, driving economic growth, bringing modern energy services to the full population and managing the expected long-term job losses in the oil sector due to global decarbonization,” he said

He also emphasised the role that natural gas must play in the short-medium term to facilitate the establishment of baseload energy capacity and address the nation’s clean cooking deficit in the form of LPG.
Furthermore, the vice president identified some double standards evident in the response to the current energy crisis by many countries in the global North.

According to him, today excluding South Africa, the remaining one billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa are serviced by an installed capacity of just 81 gigawatts. Sub-Saharan Africa has contributed, based on information that is already out there, less than one percent of cumulative CO.2 2 emissions.

“By comparison, the United States has an installed capacity of 1,200 gigawatts to power a population of 331 million people, while the United Kingdom has 76 gigawatts of installed capacity for its 67 million people. The per capita energy capacity in the United Kingdom is almost fifteen times than in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

“Many of these countries had barely a year ago seriously advocated or implemented policies on limiting public funding for fossil fuel projects in developing countries, making no distinction between upstream oil and coal exploration; and gas power plants for grid balancing.

“But today in the wake of the energy crisis, many European nations have made recent announcements to increase or extend their use of coal-fired power generation through 2023, and potentially beyond. This is in violation of their climate commitments and analysis suggests that this will raise power sector emissions of the EU by 4%, a significant amount given the high base denominator of EU emissions,” he said.

Prof Osinbajo then observed that Europe’s energy crisis has not been ignored, it continues to be met with support, and international resources. In stark contrast, the developing world is still being held to account for its emission reduction without adequate support and investment for its energy transitions.

Acknowledging the contrast to the wider responses to the climate crisis on the African continent, the vice president said, “We are not seeing careful consideration and acknowledgement of Africa’s aspirations. For instance, despite the tremendous energy gaps, global policies are increasingly constraining Africa’s energy technology choices.”

Nevertheless, he confirmed that with the Kigali communique and several other formal and informal consultations, African nations are now happily more intentional in taking joint ownership of our transition pathways and designing climate-sensitive strategies that address our growth objectives. This is what Nigeria has done with our Energy Transition Plan.

“Our Energy Transition Plan finds that an additional $10 billion over business as usual is required annually till 2060 to shift the entire economy to a net-zero pathway.”

On the subject of energy investments, he identified the mismatch in the volume of investments experienced in developed countries as opposed to developing countries.
According to him, while representing just 15% of the world’s population, high-income countries received 40% of global energy investment in 2018. Conversely, developing countries with 40% of the world’s population received just 15% of global energy investment. This hasn’t improved much in recent years.
Addressing what the ultimate goal of the global energy transition should be, Prof Osinbajo stated that it is in achieving reliable net-zero carbon energy systems to power prosperous, inclusive economies.

Speaking on the Nigerian context, he added that it means building sustainability into our economic planning, which we had developed in an Economic Sustainability Plan in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes an ambitious plan over the near term to provide 5 million homes and SMEs with cleaner energy through its decentralized solar power program.

After he delivered remarks at the American think-tank, the vice president took questions around the theme of a just energy transition and the recently launched Nigerian Energy Transition Plan.

Members of the Energy Transition Implementation Working Group (ETWG) present at the lecture included the Minister of Works & Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. (Mrs) Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi; Director-General and CEO of the National Council on Climate Change, Salisu Dahiru; Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Dr. Uzoma Emenike, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi; Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, Chiedu Ugbo; and other senior government officials.

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission has increased the Duty Tour Allowance of key functionaries of government including ministers, permanent secretaries and top civil servants.

The newly approved allowance would see a small category of political appointees and directors in ministries and federal agencies collect more money as duty tour allowances that are more than twice the N30,000 minimum wage.

This revelation was contained in a circular cited by LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday in Abuja. It was signed by the Office of the Executive Chairman National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and addressed to the Chief of Staff to the Presidents, the SGF, clerk of the National Assembly, Secretary of the National Judicial Council, ministers and a host of federal agencies.

The circular said President Muhammadu Buhari approved the upward review of Duty Tour Allowances applicable to permanent secretaries and their equivalent from N20,0000 to N70,000, while that Minister/SGF/HCSF/Equivalent was reviewed from N35,000 to N80,000.
 

The circular titled: Review Of Duty Tour Allowance In The Federal Public Service was signed by the chairman of the Commission Ekpo Nta.

Published reports revealed that Nigeria’s minimum wage cannot cater for the minimum nutritional needs of one adult person in a month.

A report by Picodi, an international e-commerce report revealed that the value of basic food products for the healthy living of an adult in a month, at the beginning of 2022, stood at N40,980 higher than the N30,000 minimum wage in Nigeria.

This represents a 15.89 per cent increase compared to the beginning of 2021. These figures do not reflect the current exchange rate.

The circular reads in part, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved the upward review of Duty Tour Allowances applicable to Permanent Secretary/Equivalent from N20,000 to N70,000, and Minister/SGF/HCSF/Equivalent from N35,000 to N80,000.

“This approval takes effect from 1st September 2022.

“Given the above, and further to our Circular No. SWC/S/04/S.6/11/208 dated 2nd February 2022 on the above-mentioned subject, the comprehensive list of officers and their Duty Tour Allowances are as follows:- Grade Level 01-04, 10,000 per diem; Grade Level 05-06 and its equivalent 15,000 per diem, Grade Level 07-10 and its equivalent, N17,500 per diem; Grade Level 12-13 and its equivalent, N20,000 per diem; Grade Level 14-15 and its equivalent, N25,000 per diem; Grade Level 16-17 and its equivalent, N37,500 per diem.”
The Nigerian Labour Congress and Civil Society Organizations have reacted to the review by the National, Income and Wages Commission with outrage saying I ts focus on salaries of top government functionaries rather than workers is unfair.

Some of the functions of the commission based on the law setting it up include recommending the proportions of income growth which should be utilized for general wage increase; to inform the federal government of current and incipient trends in wages and propose guidelines within which increase in wages should be confined.
Historically, however, the commission rarely recommends the review of the minimum wage and salaries of low income workers. The NLC and other trade unions have had to embark on strikes and street protests to get the government to review the minimum wage.
Reacting to the new allowances, the General Secretary of NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaje said the rising cost of living, which the government has acknowledged and supposedly necessitated the review, is affecting workers far more than ministers and directors.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, Ugboaje said that they have found that allowances do not meet their expectations, it should apply to the other side. “What is good for the goose is good for the gander”, he said.

The NLC Secretary General said, “We have made demands that they should review the minimum wage. Even though, this wasn’t their wages and is for administrative purposes, but the cost of living is rising.

He said this should be an election issue as there is hunger in the land and the high cost of goods and services cannot be ignored, citing what he called the illegal adjustment of the pump price of Petroleum Motor Spirit.
He also dismissed insinuations of the existence of a subsidy on PMS, which is eating at the government’s finances. “There is no subsidy”, he said.

“What is going on is outright stealing. The parameters and justifications doesn’t hold water. There are contradictory positions even with the government. The CG Customs has contradicted subsidy figures by the minister of finance and the GMD of NNPC. And they are working for the same government,” Ugboaje said.

Meanwhile, spiked by the revelation, civil society organisations in the country have vowed to contest the upward review of duty tour for political office holders, describing the decision as insensitive, unfair, and a delibrrate attempt to recklessly dilapidate the nation’s economy.

The executive director, civil society legislative advocacy centre( cislac) auwal rafsanjani who is at the forefront , advocating for rejection in cost of governace , said it was disturbing that , government could consider this despite weakening the financial strength of the country, through constant and reckless borrowing to finance baseless projects and budgets that have no value
“How can they allocate more stake for oersons without legacies, he questioned.

He said, this has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the government is actually not interested in effectively managing and changing the plight of the innocent, yet suffering Nigerian.

He said, “ It is indeed very sad that , despite the fact that these ministers and other political appointees who are already earning much more than they can show for it, get estacode, buy excessive tickets, buy hundreds of tickets for their private trips using government resources.

“ASUU has been on strike for months, complaining about poor welfare, yet government isn’t interested in their matter. One person has stolen the entire money needed for fixing our educational and healthcare systems and their children are schooling abroad.

“We strongly condemn any attempt by those in authority to continue to recklessly dilapidate our economy in the name of pleasing those who are not adding value to our economy
“We challenge them to show us the legacies of these ministers. Aren’t they the same personalities who abuse privileges and contract procurements laws. These same appointees, who award all ministries contracts to themselves, their families and friends?
“It is disappointing that this is coming at a time when the civil servant who labours for the country takes home only N30,000 minimum wage, which cannot even feed his family for three weeks. A university professor, with between 20-30 years working experiences earns as meager as one N115,00-N150,000


Review Of DTA In Federal Public Service Didn’t Violate Any Law – Reps

The House of Representatives yesterday said that the upward review of duty tour allowance in the federal public service did not violate any extant law

Spokesperson of the House, Hon Benjamin Kalu while commenting on the review explained that the executive arm of government had justifiable reasons for the upward review. Adding that the doctrine of separation of power must be respected.
Kalu, however, assured that the parliament would deliberate on the matter if there are stronger reasons to do so in the interest of Nigerians.

“Did the above affect any extant law of the parliament? Does the executive have the right to be executive in the exercise of her powers? Did such exercise Infringe any legislative right ?,” Kalu asked.

 
According to him, the doctrine of separation of power is an efficient tool of democracy and should be allowed to breathe if Nigeria’s democracy must advance.

“In this spirit, there are obvious reasons which justified their decision on this but if there are stronger reasons to refer to this for a possible review, that’s what sec 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was provided for and in such instance would be activated for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

“For now the executives should be allowed to be executive in their function without undue interference. Isn’t that the independence of the arms of Government that democratic principles support?” he further asked.

The Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Mrs. Patience Oniha, has confirmed that Nigeria’s dept profile as at March 2022 stands at N41.60 trillion.

Oniha, during her appearance at the ongoing engagement on the 2023 – 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Policy Paper held by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance Thursday, attributed Nigeria’s high debt profile to lack of revenues and approval of the annual budget with a deficit by the National Assembly which increased the debt stock of the country.

She said: “As at December 2020, the debt stock of the federal, state governments and the Federal Capital Territory was N32.92 trillion. By December 2021, it was N39.556 trillion. As at March of this year, we publish quarterly, it was N41.6 trillion. On the average, federal government is owing about 85 per cent of the total.

“We have been running deficit budget for many years and each time you approve a budget with a deficit, by the time we raise that money because when you approve it, it is giving us a mandate, authority to borrow, it will reflect in the debt stock, so debt stock will increase. Also note that states are also borrowing. So we add their own. They also have laws governing their borrowings and as debt stock increases so does debt service.

“Until the issues of personnel, overhead and capital expenditure are properly addressed in the budget, borrowing would not stop.”

Furthermore, she stated that: “A world Bank report showed that in terms of debt to GDP ratio, Nigeria is low but for debt service to revenue ratio, we are very high. So, if you look at tax to GDP ratio of these other countries, they are in multiples of Nigeria.

“The World Bank survey report of about 197 countries revealed that Nigeria is number 195, meaning we beat only two countries and that was Yemen and Afghanistan and I don’t think we want to be like those places.

“When the MTEF for 2021 to 2023 was being prepared, it is to say, let’s begin to look at revenues because as debt is growing, debt services are increasing. So, the language we used was for debt to be sustainable in the medium term. Sustainable means you can service your debt without difficulty, without it consuming all your revenues because you have very little for other projects.

“You must look at revenues very closely and I think the discussions you have had with the Customs is part of it. There are many other revenue generating agencies. So, we must increasingly begin to look out for our revenue for funding out activities as opposed to deficit.

“We talk about N11 trillion deficit and borrowing for 2023, how much is the revenue there? That’s one. When we look at the first tranche that was N10 trillion for full year of subsidy and N9 trillion for subsidy next year, the size of the borrowing was 62 per cent of the budget. That’s high. The responsibilities, I think, are on both sides. Query the various expenditure lines and see what it is we can handle. So, if the deficit is lower, the borrowing will be lower and that’s how to grow on a slower pace.”

The deputy chairman of the committee, Hon. Saidu Abdullahi, who presided at the session, said: “The country was on a good pedestal to keep borrowing. The need for borrowing will always be there. It doesn’t matter how much we make, the country must borrow. What we should be interested in is the sustainability of what we are borrowing and from what she has said, the country is on a good pedestal in terms of managing its borrowing.”

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has disclosed that a loss awaits the All Progressives Congress, APC, if President Muhammadu Buhari insists on the conduct of a free and fair election in 2023.

Wike said the APC will lose in 2023 if Buhari insists on a free and fair election.

Speaking at the flag-off of construction work of Igwuruta internal roads in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State, Wike thanked the president for promising not to interfere in the 2023 election.

According to Wike: “I thank Mr. President that he wants to leave a legacy of conducting a free and fair election.

“Thank God Mr. President for saying that you will not interfere or intimidate anybody. That means your party has no way to win.”

On Tuesday, Buhari had promised to ensure the votes of Nigerians count in 2023.

He said Nigerians would be allowed to pick their leaders at different levels in the next election.

Buhari said Nigerians would appreciate the APC in the next six months.

The federal government is proposing a N19.49 trillion budget for the year 2023. More than half of the money is to be borrowed.

To finance the budget, the federal government plans to borrow N11.03 trillion and privatize several assets to raise the capital.

The government plans to generate only N8.5 trillion, out of the N19.47 trillion budget.

Buhari’s administration plans to finance the huge budget by borrowing N7.4 trillion from the domestic market and N1.8 trillion from foreign entities. In addition, FG is expecting N206.1 billion from privatization proceeds and N1.7 trillion multilateral project-tied loans.

This borrowing plan is far above the recommended threshold stipulated by the fiscal responsibility Act. The law provides that the deficit should not exceed 3% of GDP. However, this plan is 5.01% of the GDP.

Section 12 (1) of the FRA states: “Aggregate expenditure and the aggregate amount appropriated by the National Assembly for each financial year shall not be more than the estimated aggregate revenue plus a deficit, not exceeding three per cent of the estimated Gross Domestic Product or any sustainable percentage as may be determined by the National Assembly for each financial year.”

However, the law gives the President power to cross the threshold based on the approval of the National Assembly if the president believes that there is a reason to cross.

But the president has steadily crossed the deficit with different justifications. In 2021, it was 3.5% with the argument that there is a need to finance COVID-19 recovery. In the past, the administration premised its argument on funding the defence sector due to insecurity.

This time, the government is making petroleum subsidy the central argument for the huge deficit. However, it’s worth noting that, in this current proposal, subsidy will only be paid for 6 months.

While the government is using subsidy as an excuse, there is a part of being unable to generate revenue. In 2014, government daily oil production was 2.33 barrels per day, but the government is projecting to produce 1.69 BPD in 2023.

On Monday, when the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed appeared before the House or Reps Committee on Finance, she lamented that oil theft has reduced the capacity of the government to fund the budget.

She said the inability to produce sufficient oil has made it impossible to meet the crude oil for PMS swap deal as the government is now paying cash instead of crude oil.

“We need the crude to undertake the DSDP arrangement where crude is swapped for PMS. It means we have to pay for PMS ourselves,” she said.

Furthermore, Nigeria is unable to meet its OPEC quota of 1.86 million barrels per day.

It would be recalled that the federal government recently signed a N4 billion monthly pipeline surveillance agreement with Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo.

It is a reversal of the initial stance which saw the cancellation of the contract months after President Buhari assumed office.

According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), as at the first quarter of the year, the debt of the country stood at N41.6 trillion.

Before the year runs out, Nigeria is expected to have added to it and by 2023, FG alone is expected to add N11.03 trillion to the profile.

Dr Adesanya Moses, an Economist at the Nigerian Army University, Biu, said any borrowing that is not going into financing the capital component of the budget is not sustainable.

“If they keep borrowing not for capital projects, then it is not sustainable because part of it will go into recurrent expenditures and debt servicing. It will be more efficient if the investment can repay the loans— it is what we call derived demand. When you spend money on capital projects, it will help the economy to grow.

“The problem is that borrowing to finance subsidy is not sustainable because the vast majority of the subsidy goes to the high and middle income earners. It is not creating jobs or improving the life of the people. Borrowing to finance subsidy is not sustainable,” he said.

While this is going to be President Buhari’s last budget, a large part of it will be implemented by another administration, hence, whoever emerges as the president in 2023, will inherit a huge budget built on borrowing.

The Peoples Democratic Party PDP, its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a legal action instituted by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to challenge the last presidential primary election of the party.

Atiku, PDP and Tambuwal informed the court that Wike’s suit is frivolous, baseless, unwarranted and unknown to law.

In their joint objection to the suit, the three defendants predicated their objections on four cardinal grounds.

Part of the objections filed on their behalf by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Ayo Kunle Ajibade are that the instant suit as filed is unknown to law and not cognizable under a pre-election matter.

They averred that the first plaintiff, Michael Newgent Ekamon, having not participated in the primary election conducted by the National Executive Committee of PDP lacked the requisite locus standi to institute this suit.

Atiku PDP and Tambuwal further stated that the suit as brought by the applicants does not fall within the purview of Section 84 of the Electoral Act, as such does not qualify as a preelection dispute.

The fourth ground was that the instant suit was not initiated by due process of the law.

They therefore sought order of the court striking out or dismissing the suit in its entirety for want of jurisdiction.

Wike has sued PDP, its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal over the conduct of the presidential primary of the party held in Abuja on May 28 and May 29, 2022.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, Wike and the PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon, are the two plaintiffs.

In the originating summons, PDP is listed as the first respondent while the Independent National Electoral Commission is the 2nd respondent.

Tambuwal and Atiku are listed as the 3rd and 4th respondents respectively.

In the originating summons, Wike and his co-applicant asked the court to determine eight issues including whether the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku by the PDP was illegal and void.

The plaintiffs asked the court to determine if Tambuwal lost his claim to votes the moment he stepped down for Atiku.

He asked the court to determine whether Tambuwal “having stepped down during the primaries ought to lose his votes.”

Meanwhile, hearing in the suit has been fixed for September 14 by Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the federal government should have used the recovered $23million Abacha loot to meet its demands.

ASUU president, Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television.

Last Tuesday, the federal government and the US reached an agreement to repatriate a new batch of funds looted by the former Nigerian Head of State, Sani Abacha.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, claimed the recovered loot will be used for the completion of the Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Second Niger Bridge.

But Osodeke said: “Let’s use a typical man as an example, you have a house and your child is seriously sick and you were paid money that you were not expecting. Where will you put the money?

“That child should be the first thing you will treat. Is it not? Before you will start thinking about how you are going to buy clothes.

“Your universities are shut for six months. You now have access to a fund you were not expecting, If you really love education, where should you put the money? In that particular place. They said they don’t have money. We need to love this country.”