Home Blog Page 1046

Senate Passes National Minimum Wage Bill To Law

July 23, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

The Senate has passed a Bill amending the National Minimum Wage Act from N30,000 to N70,000 after the first, second, and third readings on Tuesday.

By this development, the bill will now await the concurrence of the House of Representatives before it is transmitted by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Magaji Tambawal, to President Bola Tinubu for assent into law.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier on Tuesday sent the bill to the House of Representatives to make ₦70,000 the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

This comes after the President and labour leaders agreed on the amount last Thursday.

After the Bill titled: “Minimum Wage Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (SB. 550)” was read for the first time, Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion that the Senate should suspend its relevant rules to enable the members to consider the Bill for Second and Third reading.

All the senators unanimously adopted the motion when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Senator Bamidele, while leading the debate on the general principles of the Bill, said it seeks to amend the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019 to increase the National Minimum Wage and reduce the time for periodic review of the national minimum wage from five years to three years and related matters.

He urged his colleagues to support the passage of the bill.

The Majority Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, seconded the motion and lauded the provision which has reduced the interval for periodic review of the Minimum Wage Act from five to three years.

No Senator opposed the Bill during its consideration by the Committee of the Whole.

The Senators also unanimously approved that the Bill be read for the third time and passed when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Dangote: Africa’s Richest Man Unleashes Anger Against Tinubu Govt’s Conspiracy Against Refinery

Tosin Olatokunbo

July 23, 2024

Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote’s revelation that he paid a whopping $100 million to the Lagos state government, for the acquisition of the land where he built his Petrochemical Refinery in Lagos has sparked more controversies surrounding the refinery.

The Refinery built In Epe, covering 2,635 hectares of land and adjudged one of the biggest in the world, has recently been hit with serious controversies, including the suggestions that some vested interests in the country, are trying to destroy Dangote’s biggest business ever.

Speaking to some journalists recently, Dangote opened what some analysts have described as a can of worms since the refinery first started construction in 2014.

His claim that he payed a whopping $100 million to the Lagos state government, according to analysts is a watershed in the controversy sorounding one of the largest downstream oil investments in the world.

“In the refinery, we did not, and I repeat, we did not collect one single incentive from the Federal Government of Nigeria or even Lagos State. Yes, the Lagos State gave us a good deal but we paid $100m for the land. It wasn’t a free land; we paid for it,” the business mogul said.

The state government has always given the impression that the huge piece of land was allocated to the company free of charge.

Recall that the refinery was to be cited in neighbouring Ogun state, but the state government could not reach a favourable deal with Dangote.

The bribe for land is however coming on the heels of the eyes of the storm that Dangote has now found himself in view of what many consider wea “system attack’ against him, particularly the refinery which happened to be the biggest in his investment so far, apart from the cement sector where he’s a big player.

Following a long delay, the cement mogul has announced that the company will beging to roll out PMS from August, promising to end importation of the product and other allied products such as diesel, jet fuel, fertilizer amongst others, a development many say will finally put an end to the perennial sufferings of Nigerians who had had to rely on import for so many years.

The question is why Dangote has now been caught in the web of serious controversies, and in collision with the same government that had earlier supported him to build the refinery which cost him close to $20 billion.

The magazine learned that trouble started for Dangote after Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power last year.

The immediate past governments of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari supported the project since it took of in 2014 by providing support, including directing contiguous government agencies to work to ensure that the project became a reality.

The Buhari’s government had capped it’s support for the refinery by commissioning it before the former president left power on May 29 last year.

However, things started to go bad for Dangote after Tinubu swept to power, and suggestions aggravated that Dangote is not in his good books.

The feelers that the company is no longer enjoying government support started two months ago after Dangote accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Limited, NNPPL, of not supplying the company crude oil which represents the major feed stock for production.

Recall that Dangote entered an agreement with the NNPLC for the supply of crude oil worth over $1.7 billion dollar, as part of the $2. 76 billion share purchase deal NNPCL had with Dangote to own over 20 percent stake in the firm.

But things has fallen apart as the NNPLC has now dumped the deal after failing to supply crude worth the equivalent amount to Dangote, a move many said has been sanction from the ‘top’, to send a strong message that Tinubu has no plan to support the company like his predecessors.

According to recent revelation, NNPCL now has 7. 2 percent share in the refinery following its failure to fully consumate the deal, thus rattling Dangote, who in most cases has depended on the Nigerian government to survive.

Speaking last week, Dangote explained what has now become a deal gone sour between the company and NNPCL.

“NNPC no longer owns a 20 per cent stake in the Dangote refinery. They were met to pay their balance in June, but have yet to fulfil the obligations. Now, they only own a 7.2% stake in the refinery,” he told journalists in Lagos.

The richest man in Africa has further angered the powers that be in Abuja after he tried to weave a web of conspiracies around the many uphills that the refinery is currently facing, after accusing International oil Companies, IOCs, of refusal to sell crude to the company.

They want the refinery to fail, Dangote screamed, though the allegation has been rebuffed by the IOCs which said the businessman has refused to compete in the open market, like others, saying oil business is an international one where every player must play by the rules.

According to those with this line of thought, crude oil business is not like the local “cement business” where Dangote has enjoyed government’s support for years, giving him undue edge over other players in the industry.

The government’s agency incharge of regulating oil business, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, NMDPA, had this week echoed the message that Dangote was trying to force a monopoly on the country through the Dangote Refinery. This will not be allowed, the agency said in what has been widely criticized by not a few Nigerians, who said the agency was trying to demarket Dangote.

The chief executive of the agency, Farouk Ahmed, who accused the company of producing substandard products against global standard, adding that this is one of the reasons why the Dangote Refinery has not been “licensed’ by the federal government, describing as a ruse, the allegation that some vested interest in the government are trying to destroy oil Dangote’s business.

The agency also said it declined Dangote’s request that other marketers be denied licence by the agency to import fuel into the country, in other to make the firm the sole producer in the sector.
Ahmed said, “The claim by some media houses that there were steps to scuttle the Dangote refinery is not so. The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet; we haven’t licensed them yet.
“They are still in the pre-commissioning. I think they have about 45 per cent completion,The NMDPRA boss warned that Nigeria cannot rely heavily on the Dangote refinery for its fuel supply.

“We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation, because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop importation of all petroleum products, especially AGO and direct all marketers to the refinery, that is not good for the nation in terms of energy security. And that is not good for the market, because of monopoly.”

Ahmed alleged that the quality of fuel from Dangote is below world standard. According to him, “So, in terms of quality, currently the AGO quality in terms of sulphur is the lowest as far as the West African requirement of 50 ppm is concerned.

“Dangote refinery and some modular refineries, like Waltersmith refinery and Aradel refinery, are producing between 650 to 1,200ppm. So, in terms of quality, their product is much more inferior to the imported quality.”
Dangote has since debunked the allegations, and keen experts in the sector have also adjudge NMDPRA claim to be false.
An economist Kelvin Emmanuel Co-founder and CEO of Dairy Hills, said officials from the agency has inspected Dangote Refinery and certified it okay for production, wondering why the agency is now demarketing the company.

For instance, Emmanuel said Dangote refinery “diesel is well well better than what is imported into the country” in terms of quality.

He said “After 6 months of testing wet production, they issue them a provisional acceptance certificate for a license to operate. After 12 months, they issue them a final acceptance certificate for license to operate — that test is currently nearing 180 days for PAC,” Emmanuel said.
Adding that, “Wet production test for pre-commissioning doesn’t mean the refinery is not already in production, it means the refinery is not yet functioning at full capacity utilization yet.

“The very fact that the condensation distillation unit has not fully gone into effect is the reason his diesel is currently producing 150-200 parts per million in terms of sulphur content—that will drop to below 50 ppm when all the centrifuges come into operation. It’s utterly disappointing that the NMDPRA chief in trying to sell a narrative, will attempt to de-market the refinery and mislead the public.”

Dangote has also debunked the agency’s allegation, calling for a thorough investigation of the NMDPRA claim, alleging that the agency does not have a laboratory to test petroleum products that are imported into the country to test their quality.

He said the regulator is only trying to encourage importation of petroleum products into t the country with a view to killing his refinery.
“I want to plead with the regulator to come, whether Sunday or Monday and I can guarantee you that before they come here it will be even below 10ppm,” he said.

“The most important thing is to note that the imported ones they are encouraging, is the spec in the test, but in certain cases when you check, different results will show. This is because those people who have the lab have been told what to write,” he added.

Amidst the counter allegations by Dangote and the government, not a few Nigerians are suggesting that there’s more than meet the eye in the whole issue.

For instance, experts in the sector are asking why the government would want to destroy the opportunity presented by Dangote Refinery, for the country to become an exporter of petroleum products, with the capacity to earn foreign exchange for the country.

The company has the capacity to earn the country more than $20 billion annually in foreign exchange, which the country needs badly due to the current scarcity in forex, experts say.

Other salient posers include why the once rosy relationship between Dangote and the federal government has suddenly become sour, and the contributions by the President Tinubu’s Presidency to all of the these.

The Presidency has yet to speak directly on the raging issue, but not few suggest that some persons in authority may have a hand in what is currently going on.

Watchers of events, therefore, insist that the fact that Dangote has chosen to speak publicly on the issue, rather than engage directly with the President indicate that he sensed that some people powerful forces in government are not happy with him, and had decided to take a pound of flesh against his business.

“Dangote has been attacking the federal government lately, which he hardly did in the past. What do you think is responsible, after all he’s a member of the President’s Economic Team, which gives him an access to Tinubu. But the fact that he has chosen to become the Bull in the China shop points to one thing, he craves for public sympathy against the government which obviously is poised to teach him a big lesson,” a source privy with the issue told the magazine on Sunday.

Recall that Dangote has raised some eye brows recently after he openly criticised some economic policies of the Tinubu administration. Top of his criticism is the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, which he criticised for hiking the interest rate to over 30 percent.

The magazine also reported that the mogul had earlier criticised the administration for devaluing the naira, describing it as the ‘biggest mess’ that has brought down the economy.

“The biggest mess created (by the government) was the devaluation of the naira from N460 to N1,400,” Dangote said.

Indeed, Dangote unwittingly put himself in the firing line of the Tinubu’s administration as a result of a slew of factors, including that Africa’s Richest Man failed to back Tinubu’s presidential bid last year, those familiar with the ongoing dog fight told the magazine.

Meanwhile, Heineken Lokpobiri, The Minister of State for Petroleum on Monday, met with Dangote and officials of the NNPCL and NMDPRA with a view to reaching a truce among the warring parties. It remains to be seen how far this can go to helping Dangote, as he navigates the current official conspiracies against him.

OPINION: The Story Of Bayo Onanuga And Agosu The Barber

The Source

July 23, 2024

By Steve Osuji

There was a very ribald joke in my newsroom days a couple of decades ago. It’s best rendered in Yoruba for full tonal and dramatic effects but let’s try deconstructing it in English.

A landlord once went for an hair cut in Agosu the barber’s shop. Agosu happened to be a long-time tenant of Baba Landlord.

It was in those virginal days when the tool for cutting the hair was a pair of scissors.

Having done Baba Landlord’s hair halfway, Agosu crossed the scissors right under his chin, around the throat, making a gentle squeeze as to severe the windpipe of his landlord. Fear and panic hit Mr Landlord at once: “What’s going on Agosu, what are you doing?” he said, half threatening, half scared.

Agosu replied in gruff, cold voice: “Baba Landlord you never knew that we know (in Yoruba: e mo pe awa mo),” putting a bit more gentle squeeze on the scissors, Agosu said further, “ guess you never knew that I know that you have been co-habiting with my wife all these years. I am now minded to slit your throat in revenge.”

Baba Landlord alarmed and sweating already, lapsed into wailing pleas, offering Agosu rent rebate among other perks.

■MORAL OF THE TALE:
Baba Landlord thought Agosu the barber was stupid as he took advantage of his lowly station in life for years. But nay, the victim was only bidding his time for an opportunity to get back.

■BAYO ONANUGA’S MOCK PROTEST: (Emo pe awa mo!)

President Bola Tinubu’s main spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, apparently thinks the rest of Nigerians are stupid (ko mo pe awa mo!). The once notable journalist who had been a long-time associate of President Tinubu has been doing a very poor job of managing the media and communications duties of the president. He’s so far shown himself up as master of puerile propaganda and barefaced lying to Nigerians which has continued to diminish the administration in the eye of reasonable Nigerians.

But little did the Aso Rock strategists realise that Nigerians are aware they are on to a mock national protest to fend off long-suffering Nigerians from exercising their right to protest. Where in the world is a protest announced for months ahead?

To authenticate his sinister heist, Onanuga last Friday, openly accused Peter Obi’s supporters of being behind his mock protest next month. Short of calling for the arrest of Mr. Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party in the last Presidential election and the chief opposition element of the day, Onanuga deployed all the APC media machines , using screaming headlines to orchestrate the evil scheme.

But Nigerians who know Onanuga’s wayward mind-set over the years have opined that the so-called: End Bad Governance protest planned for August 10, 2024, is actually part of the machinations of the Tinubu presidency to deflect and circumscribe any genuine protests by the Nigerian people.

Shall we say then that: “won mo pe awa mo that Onanuga and his devious company are the ones planning a fake national August protests. In other words, no one is planning any protests it’s an OFFICIAL DECOY to further destabilise Nigerians.

■REWORKING THE ENDSARS STRATEGY:
Onanuga in his high-wire propaganda has continued to repeat the evil falsehood that IPOB escalated the peaceful protest of October 20, 2020.

Again, they think Nigerians are stupid; won mo pe awa mo. Every thinking Nigerian knows that the Endsars protest was escalated by the Lagos State government with promptings from Bourdillon. It’s on record that the Lagos State governor invited the army which marched on Lekki Tollgate, Lagos to mow down innocent, Nigerian youths protesting peacefully.

Apart from inviting the army, to clear the tollgate, it is also on video record how state officials moved Lagos area boys to the scenes using official vehicles, to attack peaceful protesters. The mobilized touts later went on to burn down businesses and police stations in many cities across the country, ostensibly to paint the Endsars protesters black.

For Bayo Onanuga, an elder, to seek to cover up this state crime, this well-known fact, by pointing at IPOB merely unveils the desperation of this government.

It’s on record that the Endsars protest was their etutu, a blood sacrifice for their 2023 presidential bid. And we ask, what about the bodies (body of evidence) stacked in a private morgue by the Lagos State government years after the protests; are they for nothing? Won mo pe awa mo!

■TREASURY CAPTURE:

While they are at it, they know not that we know that all they do is breach the treasury all round. They have borrowed more money in one year than Buhari did in eight years. They have created more “Ways and Means” in one year than they accused Godwin Emefiele of doing in nine years. The difference however, is that while Buhari managed to reflate the economy through loans to industries and agric production, today, they spirit away most of these funds as Nigeria sinks rapidly.

They know not that we know that they are mopping up by proxy, all the assets of fleeing IOC’s and multinationals.

They think we are so stupid not to know they are using our resources to buy up all the big oil & gas and manufacturing assets they have pushed out of Nigeria. But the day of atonement will come upon them sooner than they think.

Won mo pe awa mo: Baba Landlord actually thought Agosu was eternally stupid…

Bayo Onanuga e mo pe awa mo… he thinks Nigerians are stupid.

Lastly we wish Bayo Onanuga and company well as they plan their August protests!

Osuji, an accomplished Journalist and Columnist, was the Special Adviser to a former Governor of Imo State, the Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha

OPINION: The New Minimum Wage and Matters Arising

The Source

July 22, 2024

By Abraham Amah

Last week, President Bola Tinubu announced a new minimum wage regime for Nigerian workers. This kind gesture, as seen and interpreted by the government through its body language, is coming weeks after back-and-forth movements between organised labour and the government, interspersed with strikes and threats of it, just to bring the government to the negotiation table after its undeniable unwillingness to do what it was supposed to do without duress. The crushing economic hardship that started at its slow speed during the last APC government of President Muhammadu Buahri had taken off to a rapid higher speed, with the current driver, President Tinubu, unable to apply brakes to stop its speedy movement, making it expedient for the government to have acted without compulsion from the organised labour.

The negotiations for the new minimum wage, which started with the high bargain of N600,000 from organised labour and the government’s laughable offer of N40,000, made it clear that both parties were insincere in their offerings right from the inception of negotiations. The insincerity came to a peak when the labour accepted N70,000 as a tradeoff against the offer of N250k from the federal government with a caveat to increase the price of fuel far above the current landing cost of N1,117, as fuel importers revealed just last week. So the government just confirmed the rumours to Nigerians without saying loudly that it is still paying for the fuel subsidy that was supposedly removed on May 29, 2023.

From the beginning, Labour knew its last and final proposition for a minimum wage of N250,000 was unrealistic, even as the government knows that its present offer of N70,000 is more unrealistic, given the prevailing rate of runaway inflation that has reduced the purchasing power of the average Nigerian. But Labour may have based its demands on the unbridled extravagance of operators of this government who live large at the expense of Nigerians, unconcerned and unperturbed, and without minding the poverty level of the people that they are governing.

From what happened in the past regarding a minimum wage, or is it a minimum salary for Nigerians, it is very certain that the issue is far from being settled, and the government duly acknowledged this by reducing the time frame for a review of the just-approved minimum wage from the normal five years to three years. The government anticipates, and correctly too, that the issue will come up sooner than later as the vagaries in the unplanned economy continue to inflict pains on the average Nigerian worker.

Before the expiration of the last Minimum Wage Act in April 2024, not all the states were able to pay the N30,000, and it had become a sore in the conscience of the nation, especially as the governors who were unable to pay the N30,000 lived lavishly, with many of them taking billions of naira as security votes without any reduction in insecurity, and some with as many as 40 state-of-the-art vehicles that cost millions of naira in their convoys just to inspect a road construction project that is less than 5 kilometres away from their offices, among other infamous spending of state funds without regard to the sufferings of the masses. With that mindset that has not changed even with the increase in revenue accruing to the states from the federation account that is shared every month, it beggars belief that the same set of governors will afford to pay the N70,000 without pressure from either organised labour or other external forces. In the end, the approved N70,000 minimum wage may just turn out to be words written on ordinary paper, with the person who approved it not being able to enforce the act that will bring it to life.

Considering that many states find it difficult to implement the national minimum wage, is it still realistic to have a national minimum wage, or will it be an invention to deviate from our local norm and allow states to peg their own minimum wage, which may be above or below the national minimum wage? While we ponder on this and evaluate its merits or otherwise, would it not be proper to question the use of the word minimum wage, as those for whom the whole drama revolves do not even receive wages but salaries? These are two different payment models, and in Nigeria, the people who ordinarily receive wages, which are calculated on an hourly basis, ordinarily belong to the private sector, and they are hardly factored in during discussions and negotiations about the minimum wage.

And who exactly constitutes the workforce that should benefit from the minimum wage? What is the volume of turnover or the number of employees a business should have for its workers to fall into the category of earners of the minimum wage? Is the Nigerian minimum wage exclusive to government workers and big unionised corporations alone? Are there measures to enforce compliance with small private sector operators? These are some of the undefined parameters that create distortions in the understanding and implementation of the minimum wage act in Nigeria and should be addressed in the interest of workers, businesses, and the government that sets the minimum wage.

The above points bring us to the challenge of documenting business entities in Nigeria, the lack of which has hampered the harmonisation of business activities and the collection of data, taxes, and analytics that are used for proper planning by concerned authorities. While it is understandable that growing the economy, just like any other sector, is a work in progress, efforts should be made to build a strong foundation that will capture, define, and close these lapses at the early stages of development and not allow them to become so humongous that addressing them in the future will become almost impossible.

As we await the passage of a new minimum wage act by the National Assembly, Nigerians expect that these grey areas concerning the applicability and implementation of a minimum wage for the workers are clearly defined so that those who have the responsibility to work and get paid and those who have the obligation to receive labour and pay are on the same page. And as we do that, the Ministry of Labour and other allied agencies should begin to tinker with the possibilities of transiting our work modules to hourly rates at the appropriate levels, so that the minimum wage, as the name aptly implies, can become more meaningful to the average Nigerian.

On its part, the federal government must be sincere in acknowledging that the current N70,000, which it approved as the new minimum wage, is truly not enough for the workers at that base level that receive such an amount of money. It must also be understood that the wage bills of many states will become over bloated when the new minimum is recalibrated to reflect the different levels of workforce in the states. The president had, during the announcement of the new minimum wage, promised to help the states pay the new minimum wage without explicitly saying how he intends to do that. Nigerians await further clarifications and action on that.

And as Nigerians wait for that, it is imperative that the President and his economic team go back to the drawing board and reevaluate and reassess their economic policies to see how they measure and conform to their objectives to revive the economy. The poverty in the land has become pervasive, endemic, and pathetic, even as social discontent has risen to its apogee, and there is an urgent need to cushion the effects of the hard times and declining economic opportunities for Nigerians, as well as improve their purchasing power, which has been eroded by the inflation caused by the shortage of food, insecurity in the land, and the high exchange rate of the national currency to the United States dollar.

The government’s media team has its work cut out for it, and this time, it must shelve public posturing and antagonism towards the opposition and inform Nigerians that the economic hardship they are currently facing is a product of the painful but temporary sacrifices they must make to redirect the economy in the right direction for future gains. But for Nigerians to believe them wholeheartedly, they must also see that the leaders are making the same painful sacrifices as the other Nigerians. Unfortunately, there is a total disconnect on that, as Nigerians do not see the leaders making any of these sacrifices. The leadership must sit up to earn its hallowed place; otherwise.

Amah, a Politician and seasoned commentator on current issues wrote from Abia

“Why I Remain Calm In The Face Of Insults And Provocation” – Governor Fubara

Suleiman Anyalewechi

July 22, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has revealed that he chose to remain calm in the face of insults, disrespect and provocation because Rivers State can only progress in an atmosphere of peace.

The Governor also regretted the negative impact of Petroleum products bunkering on the economy of the country.

This is even as he charged Traditional Rulers in the State to prioritize the maintenance of peace and security in their various domains.

Governor Fubara, who spoke on Monday, July 22, 2024, at the opening ceremony of the 117th and 118th edition of the quarterly meeting of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, noted that illegal oil exploration has tended to render nugatory all efforts by the Federal Government to shore up production level.

According to him, the incessant vandalization of oil pipelines and other facilities as a result of oil bunkering, has brought about a loss of a considerable quantity of crude oil monthly.

He, therefore, urged the Traditional Rulers to monitor closely, activities in their domains, with a view to assisting the Government in protecting oil facilities, as well as halt the rampant oil theft ongoing in some parts of the state.

“These people that are carrying out these acts ( oil theft ) are not from the moon. They live in our communities and we know them.

“I am charging this Council, as a first step, to please take control of your communities. If there is any information you want to share with us ,do so.

“The overall interest is that we need our country to progress, be stable and grow economically. And it can only be so through stable oil production” the Governor noted.

The Rivers state Governor insisted that no meaningful development can take place in any society without peace.

He explained that the meek disposition of his administration in the face of unprovoked insults and disrespect from some quarters is mainly informed by his belief that Rivers state can only progress in a peaceful atmosphere.

He appealed to the Traditional Rulers to always aspire for peace in their communities .

This is just as he assured them of adequate financial and moral support from the State Government in the task of maintaining peace and stability in their various domains.

While commending the leadership qualities of the Chairman, as well as the tremendous positive impact he has made within the short period of his appointment, Governor Fubara promised to provide the Traditional Rulers with official vehicles for the effective discharge of their duties.

“What we are doing here today is not politics, but performing our duty as a Government. And I want to commend the Chairman of the Council who is barely three months in office,for being able to put this meeting together .

“It shows leadership. There is nothing new that has happened. The immediate past chairman ( Sergeant Awuse) served out his term which is one year .

“It is at the discretion of the Governor to extend it or not. I believe from my assessment ,there was no reason to extend it.

“Rather, we felt it will be better to bring in new blood. And what we did was in good faith because our Communities and people are more important”, he stated

The Source reports that in April 2024, Governor Fubara relieved the erstwhile Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council Chairman, His Royal Highness, Sergeant Awuse of his Chairmanship position.

He was replaced with Eze Amadi Worlu Wodo.

Awuse is a known ally of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, whose relationship with godson Governor Fubara has since gone sour .

The Governor had cited as one of Awuse’s disrespectful attitude the printing of the Council’s 2024 Calendar without his picture and that of his Deputy, an act that he considered the height of disregard to his office for the non extension of Awuse’s tenure.

Count Down To Imo Local Government Election: Parties Extend Closing Dates For Sale Of Nomination Forms

Suleiman Anyalewechi

July 22, 2024

Independent National Electoral Commission - INEC

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Imo State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, has announced an extension to the closing date of the sale of its Chairmanship and Councilorship expression of interest and nomination forms for the forthcoming local council polls in the State.

This is even as its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said it has extended the sale of forms from Monday July 22 to July 26 2024.

The Imo State Independent Electoral Commission has fixed Local Council Election in the State for September 21, 2024.

The State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, had earlier assured of a level playing ground for all Parties in the election.

A statement issued by the APC, Imo state Chapter spokesperson, Cajethan Duke, informed that the sale of the party’s nomination forms will now be closed on July 24, instead of the initial dateline of Monday July 22, 2024.

The Source reports that through out last week, many of the intending aspirants, both for Chairmanship and Councilorship were complaining about the exorbitant costs of the forms.

The APC has fixed the cost of expression of interest form at one million Naira and N200,000 for chairmanship and councilorship respectively .

The Party similarly pegged the Chairmanship nomination form at over N3 million, while that of the Councilorship is N700,000.

The development has not been well received by many of the intending aspirants,who until the late last week, were still protesting against the high cost of the forms.

But an impeccable party source revealed that it is meant to discourage frivolous aspirations and at the same time prune the number of aspirants to a manageable level.

“You know the Governor has made it clear that ,he will not want to interfere with the whole exercise from the party level down to the election proper .

“He is serious about organizing a free, fair and credible Local Government election. So, because of his posture, many people even from the opposition parties have decided to come out.

“But the APC wants to control, the party arrangements so as to avoid unnecessary rancour at the primaries”, a Party stalwart stated .

However, as at the time of reporting, it was not yet clear if the party had come down from the initial costs of the forms.

The APC statement also called on all aspirants to visit any of the branches of the UBA for payments for the expression of interest/ nomination forms.

In the same vein, the PDP in a statement issued by its Organizing Secretary, Gozie Nwachukwu, advised all aspirants to avail themselves of the new closing date.

The party initially had scheduled to end the exercise on July on July17, 2024.

All things being equal, expectations are high that the conduct of the polls, will represent a marked departure from the experiences of the past,particularly in the areas of fairness and participation on the part of opposition parties.

Ondo Police Command Secures Release Of Abducted NYSC Members, Others

Ayodele Oni

July 22, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Police Command has announced the release of passengers abducted last weekend along Benin/Owo highway.

Among those abducted is a Youth Corps member who was returning home from Anambra State after the Orientation Programme to prepare for the service year.

Family of the Youth Corps member had appealed to the public to assist in raising money to pay ransome being demanded by the kidnappers early Monday.

Residents of the State are equally calling for deployment of Ondo state commissioner of police, Abayomi Oladipo, following escalating cases of armed robbery and kidnappings since his resumption few months ago.

The residents who spoke with newsmen in Ifon, Ose local government area, Owo, Ajowa-Akoko and Akure described the high rate of various crimes since Mr Oladapo assumed office in Ondo state in December, 2023 as disturbing considering hitherto low crime rate in the state.

Spokesman of the command,

Funmilayo Odunlami -Omisanya, in a statement announced that “The command this day on the 22nd of July has found victims of Ose/Ifon area kidnap which occurred on 18th July, 2024.

“The Victims were abandoned by their assailants after the police mounted pressure on the kidnappers .

“Policemen drawn from the Tactical squad led by the Area Commander of Owo, ACP Olufemi Awoyale continuous combing of the bush with sustained technical support frustrated the assailants and were forced to abandon the victims at Oyinbo/ Sanusi Camp.

“The victims are currently being attended to at the Police Medical Services Owo, and will be handed over to their family members after being debriefed.”

The driver of the sienna car and a female passenger sitting close to him were however not lucky as they were shot dead by the kidnappers.

It could not be ascertained whether the ransome was paid before their release.

Edo Govt Accuses APC Of Clandestine Move To Win State

Ayodele Oni

July 22, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Edo State Government has maintained that the antics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the September Governorship Election in the State is to cause mayhem and make the State ungovernable.

According to a Government statement on Monday in Benin, while this is ongoing, APC will take advantage of the chaos to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election.

The statement, signed by the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Osa Nehikhare, stated that: “The attention of the Edo State Government has been drawn to the negative spin that the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fruitlessly attempting to put to the comments made by His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, at a stakeholders meeting, on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

“For the records, we want to restate the comments of the governor on that occasion which is that: ‘If a free and fair election is not allowed to hold sway in Edo State on September 21, 2024, it will trigger a major crisis in Nigeria.’

“Recall that on Thursday, July 18, 2024, ahead of the rally to inaugurate the APC National Campaign Council, in Benin City, which was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, the party assembled a large number of people believed to be thugs, most of them bearing firearms around the precincts of the Benin Airport, on Airport Road, Benin City, to cause mayhem in the State.

“This resulted in the unfortunate death of a Police Officer, Inspector Akor Onuh, attached to MOPOL 45 Abuja and the wanton destruction of property and injuries to several citizens who were going about their lawful businesses.

“The mob then moved around the city, attacking other institutions, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Secretariat, inflicting violence and terror on the lawyers in their secretariat, with one of the lawyers, Mr. Israel Idahosa, being severely injured and his property destroyed.

“They also intimidated and harassed private citizens who were putting on any material that had the insignia of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, within the Benin metropolis.

“As they say, the morning shows the day and the APC has clearly shown their plan for the September 21 governorship election in the State, which is to cause mayhem, make the State ungovernable, and take advantage of the chaos to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election.

“We however want to advise the APC to, for once, read the mood of the nation and understand that with the current hardship, unattainable cost of living, and pervasive hunger in the country, a slightly irresponsible behavior by the political class can ignite a crisis that will have a domino effect and cause a conflagration across the nation.

“This note of caution is even more appropriate with the ominous threat of a nationwide protest with the potential to degenerate into a widespread breakdown of law and order.

“While we urge all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses without fear, we call on the Nigerian Police to do its job and apprehend the hoodlums, most of whom have been positively identified and captured in videos, carrying firearms at the location of the crisis.

“The Edo State Government, through its robust security video surveillance, is ready to supply these videos taken in real-time to help the Police in their investigation.”

Zamfara Holds Local Council Polls August, APC To Shun Exercise

Suleiman Anyalewechi

July 22, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

With the imminent threat to cut off funds to all Local Councils operating with undemocratically elected officials, many States have been caught in a frenzy of plans to conduct polls to fill in positions in the Third Tier of Government.

The Source reports that ever since the Thursday, July 20, 2024, landmark Supreme Court verdict affirming the financial independence of the Local Councils, as well as an order for the withholding of the Federal Allocation of Councils operating with Caretaker officials, many States have either conducted, or about to hold the otherwise disdained exercise.

The Zamfara State Government on Monday, July 22, 2024 joined the league of States set to hold elections to fill in the Executive Councils of its Local Governments.

While addressing the media at the Government House ,Gusau, Farouk Ahmed Shettima, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal on Communication and Mobilization, informed that Council Election will hold in August 2024.

He said all arrangements are at advanced stage for the State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct the polls so that the Local Councils will be able to access their Federal allocations.

Malam Shettima also assured that the Peoples Democratic Party-led adminstration in Zamfara will conduct a free and fair Local Government election.

“Zamfara State Government is in agreement with the Supreme Court position on Local Government autonomy as it will attract more development to the grassroots.”

As part of its preparation for the exercise, Shettima noted that plans are, also, a-foot to fill all the vacant positions within the State Chapter of the PDP.

The vacant slots available include three delegates each for the 147 political wards in the State, one National officer, and others within the State working committee which are currently being manned by interim officials.

This, according to him,is sequel to the directives from the Party’s National Working Committee, NWC, to explore the selection option ahead of mini Congress.

“Everything is in place. We are waiting for the arrival of the Chief Executive of the State, Governor Dauda Lawal, to carry out the task before notifying the National Leadership, and to seek permission concerning the Local Government election preparations.

But The Source have gathered that opposition parties, particularly APC, may shun the Local Polls due to what one party stalwart described as lack of sincerity of purpose by the PDP led adminstration.

“How can you just wake up and announce that election is going to hold next month? How many days from now?

“Our sincere thinking is that the PDP-led administration in the State does not want to hold any election .They just want something that will ensure that they continue to have access to the Local Governments Funds.

Joining them in the planned charade amounts to wasting of time and resources,” an opposition chieftain noted.

Dalung Tackles President Tinubu, To Lead Anti-Tinubu Protest Against Hardship

Akinwale Kasali

July 22, 2024

By Akinwale Kasali

Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Sports under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has vowed to lead the proposed Nationwide Protest against the hardship and sufferings meted on Nigerians by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

Dalung berated President Tinubu and his aide, Bayo Onanuga, for describing the planned Nationwide Protest as a plot to destabilize the nation by aggrieved persons who embittered by the 2023 Presidential Election loss.

He said the Nationwide Protest was sacrosanct and apt, as it is a way of showing discontent over the Leadership style, policies and economic situation the nation has been plunged into by the current administration.

Dalung had in a post on his X handle (formerly Twitter) said Onanuga’s statement was not only uncharitable but wicked.

“Make no mistake about it, we love our country. The protest is to demand accountability from those who (are) destroying our common heritage. Nigerians have nowhere to go but @officialABAT has France, while others have Europe, Canada and the USA.

“Therefore @aonanuga1956 (Onanuga) calling out Nigerians as those planning to destabilise Nigeria is not only uncharitable but wicked. The generation of Nigerians demanding good governance, accountability and justice are more entitled to Nigeria than the group … occupying power. Take it to the bank, the protest is sacrosanct.

“Deploying antics of divide and rule will not only fail but antiquated. The only antidote to the protest is for @officialABAT (Tinubu) and his … to surrender to the demands of the people. The fear of the protest degenerating into anarchy is an evil imagination of your mind calculated at abating holding the government responsible. All we are demanding is good governance, which is not too much.”

1...1,0451,0461,047...2,955 Page 1,046 of 2,955