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Donu Kogbara Loses Mother, Anne Kogbara

July 22, 2023

By Gideon Njoku

Renowned International Journalist and Columnist, Donu Kogbara, has lost her beloved mother.

Her mother, Mrs Anne Chizomam Kogbara, passed on Saturday, July 22, 2023.

She was the beloved wife of the late Ignatius Kogbara, defunct Biafra’s Ambassador to Great Britain during the unfortunate Nigerian Civil War.

Her husband was later appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and helped in midwifing Nigeria’s Democracy. In appreciation, a street was named after him in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The late Mrs Kogbara, a native of Owerri, Imo State, but married to her Ogoni, Rivers State sweetheart, was born on December 14, 1935.

A staunch Catholic, vivacious and strong-willed in her beliefs, her health began to fail when her daughter, Donu, on a visit from London, to her mother, in their home in Porthacourt, was kidnapped on 2nd September, 2015.

Her 13-day ordeal in the hands of her abductors left her mother shaken, shocked and devastated.

Mrs Anne Kogbara never quite recovered from the shock of that sad incident until her passing on Saturday, 22nd July, 2023.

NAUS Set To Stage Protest Over Hike In Tuition Fees, Laments Government’s Insensitivity

The Source

July 22, 2023

By Akinwale Kasali

The National Association of University Students, NAUS, is set to embark on a nationwide protest following the hike in the Tuition Fees of Tertiary Institutions and Government Schools nationwide.

NANS is lamenting the alleged insensitivity of the Government in increasing the Tuition Fees at a time Nigerians are facing perilous economic downturn that is affecting the masses.

A statement titled “Warning Against Tuition Fee Increment”, on Saturday, signed by the NAUS Chairman and National Deputy President, Eruobami Ayobami and Babalola Daniel, respectively, reads:

“It is with great displeasure as we Write to condemn the act of the Federal Government as well as higher institutions who have decided to increase the price of tuition in this current economic disintegration,” part of the statement read.

“It would be recalled that yesterday, Friday 21st July, 2023, the Management of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, had increased its fees for undergraduate students in the institution and was contained in a statement dated July 20, 2023, by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, UNILAG branch following a meeting with the top management staff.

“The students of the institution previously paid N19,000 but the management has fixed new fees at N190,250 for students studying medicine while for courses that require laboratory and studio, students are to pay N140,250.

“The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education has increased the school fees of new students into Federal Government Colleges otherwise known as Federal Unity Colleges to ₦100,000.

“This development has widely been criticized, as Nigerians are lamenting that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration is further impoverishing the people with children of the masses been denied access to University education by this astronomical increment.

According to the circular entitled, “Approved fees/ charges for Federal Unity Colleges (1st Term) for new students“, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, new students are expected to part with ₦100,000 instead of the previous N45,000.

NAUS is however querying what prompted the increment saying that it is evident that the state of our university education is not encouraging and as such, implementations that will further negatively affect the educational system would not be encouraged.

“University is where every profession that runs the nation is trained and mentored, investing in the origin of every profession should never be a problem for any nation interested in development.

It warned that the student populace would not hesitate to stage a protest against any enactment on tuition increment.

“We want to reiterate that as students, we won’t hesitate to come out en-mass to protest against any form of implementation that poses a threat to the students’ community,” it added.

While assuring students of its commitment to protecting their interests at all times, the student’s body further urged various higher institutions that have made plans to hike their school fees to reconsider their plans as it will only do more bad than good to the academic system and as well adverse effect on the students.

“l Am Not A Mad Man, But Words Fail Me” – Ibori On London Court’s Judgment Against Him

Adesina Soyooye

July 22, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

A former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori has declared that he is not a mad man. Ibori was reacting to a judgement against him by a London Court on Friday, July 21, 2023.

The London Court had on Friday, found Ibori guilty of corruption and slammed him with a confiscation order to the tune of $130m, or an eight-year jail term.

He is required to pay up immediately.

The former Governor had served time before now in a London prison for corruption.

Reacting to the judgement which he described as outrageous, unrealistic and unrealisable, Ibori said he would appeal it as his people would term him a madman if he fails to do so.

Ibori: “I know one thing for sure. If I do not go to the Court of Appeal to contest this outrageous Order, then my people will definitely say that I am a madman!”

He lamented the judgement and said he was not sure of his continued belief that he will ever get justice from the British judicial system. He said the system has consistently persecuted him, and his belief that he would ever get justice seems to amounts to “Albert Einstein’s definition of madness – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

In the Court Order issued in London on Friday, Britain seeks to confiscate 101.5 million pounds ($130 million) from Ibori, who it accused of abusing his office when he was the Governor of Delta State. The Court agreed that Ibori laundered millions of pounds in not just Britain but in other countries too.

The Confiscation Order against Ibori ranks as one of the biggest imposed on an individual in recent British legal history.

But Ibori said of his plans:

“The next steps will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK.”

Judge David Tomlinson, who delivered the confiscation judgement which has lasted the whole of ten years at Southwark Crown Court, said the former Delta State Governor should pay the sum immediately or face an eight-year jail sentence.

Senior Legal Researcher at campaign group Spotlight on Corruption, Helen Taylor noted: “The long and tortuous road to reach this point shows just how tough it is to recover the proceeds of corruption in the UK.

“To ensure justice delayed doesn’t mean justice denied for the Nigerian people, it’s essential that the UK now makes every effort to ensure the speedy return of this stolen loot to benefit the victims of Ibori’s corruption in Delta State.”

Britain pledged to return any funds recovered from Ibori to Nigeria. In 2021, the country returned £4.2 million confiscated from Ibori’s associates.

However, on this judgement, Ibori said “it is difficult to comprehend and even harder to accept Judge Tomlinson’s ruling.”

He, also noted that he has “had to move past the fact that the British Courts found themselves competent to sit in Judgment over contracts awarded in Delta State that were legitimately awarded and completed.” He added that “the judgement is hard to comprehend given the inability of the British prosecutors to show any evidence whatsoever of monies defrauded or indeed missing from Delta State.

“Notwithstanding the fact that many of the assets are not and have never been owned by me – it seems that if you are my friend and you allowed me to spend some holiday time in your house, then by this order I now own your home and must ask you to sell it to satisfy the Order.”

He accused the Judge of bias. Said Ibori: “The Judge in this case appears to have cast aside any pretence of impartiality and has made an Order which is both wholly unrealistic and unrealisable. He has completely disregarded any arguments, evidence or expert witnesses in my favour.”

Following is the full text of Ibori’s response to the judgement which he posted on his Facebook wall.

“Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that the ‘definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result’.

“If that is true, then I must be going mad because in over a decade since the British Courts have been persecuting myself and those close to me, I kept believing that justice and fairness would eventually triumph.

“In hearing after hearing through the years, despite some of the most logic- defying rulings against me, I still believed. Despite clear evidence of police corruption against the main officer in my case (evidence so strong that it caused the lead prosecutor to resign from my case) I still believed. Despite a clear victory in my 2013 Confiscation hearing which left the Judge unable to make an order against me, only to have him rule that the prosecution should start the trial afresh some years later – I still believed.

“However, today’s ruling from Judge Tomlinson is difficult to comprehend and even harder to accept. I have to move past the fact that the British Courts found themselves competent to sit in Judgment over contracts awarded in Delta State, contracts that were legitimately awarded and completed. I have come to accept my fate despite the inability of the British prosecutors to show any evidence whatsoever of monies defrauded or indeed missing from Delta State.

“Since 2005 the British Prosecutors have investigated my assets worldwide, they have had a restraint order in place on most of those assets and they are well aware that the total monetary value of those assets is nowhere close to the sums that were the subject of today’s Order. Notwithstanding the fact that many of the assets are not and have never been owned by me – it seems that if you are my friend and you allowed me to spend some holiday time in your house, then by this order I now own your home and must ask you to sell it to satisfy the Order.

“The Order made today was to be paid immediately, this was made in the full knowledge that it could take many months to actually realise the sale of many of these assets.

“There is an 8 year default sentence, which means that if I do not co-operate and pay nothing at all, then the prosecution can apply for the imposition of the default sentence. However as the prosecution already has a Restraint Order over the assets – the situation of my not co-operating or paying will not arise.

“However, an issue arises if my Restrained Assets are sold, and the total realised from the sale does not equal the amount in the Order, then the Prosecution can still apply for part of the default sentence to be applied, but they could only ask for a sliding scale reduction of the 8 years default sentence based on the amounts that remain outstanding. If such an application were to be made it would be vigorously contested.

“In the normal course of events any talk of a default sentence would normally be stayed until any outstanding Appeal has been concluded.

“The Judge in this case appears to have cast aside any pretence of impartiality and has made an Order which is both wholly unrealistic and unrealisable. He has completely disregarded any arguments, evidence or expert witnesses in my favour. It was apparent during these last 2 days that he has forgotten many of the important elements of the case which is unsurprising as it is almost 2 years since the case concluded. It has taken him 2 years to write this Judgment and in the interim he has presided over hundreds of cases, but I refuse to make excuses for him.

“At this point in time words fail me and so the question for me as I take my case to the Court of Appeal, is, if I continue to believe that I may finally get some Justice is this the definition of madness? I know one thing for sure, that if I do not go to the Court of Appeal to contest this outrageous Order then my people will definitely say that I am a madman!”

Ibori was the Governor of Delta State from 1999 to 2007. In 2011, he was extradited from Dubai to Britain where he was prosecuted and jailed 13 years after he pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering. He served seven years out of the 13 years jail term. Ibori returned to Nigeria thereafter where he, again, took up his position as a political kingmaker.

Ondo: Anglican Bishop Advises President Tinubu On Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho

Ayodele Oni

July 22, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

The Bishop of Owo Anglican Diocese, Ondo state, Rt Revd Stephen Fagbemi has advised President Bola Tinubu to consider the release of the detained leader the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The Bishop noted that Kanu has stayed for too long in detention stressing that his release would usher in a new relationship between the group and the Nigerian masses.

The plea was contained in the Bishop’s charge at the second session of the 14th synod of the Diocese of Owo, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, held at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Imola, Owo.

The cleric pointed out that a much needed olive branch is needed at this time adding that the government should take the initiative in order to douse the existing tension in nation.

The Bishop also implored the federal government to extend the same gesture to Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, currently taking refuge at the Republic of Benin.

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on the occasion, charged Christians to re-double their efforts by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ beyond urban borders.

Akeredolu, who is Chancellor of the Diocese of Owo, was represented at the occasion by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Olayato Aribo.

The Governor said he was delighted that the second session of the 14th Synod of the Diocese, was holding particularly as the programme coincides with his birthday celebration, adding that the session provides an opportunity to give thanks and to look back to all that he has done.

Akeredolu thanked the Church for celebrating him in his absence, stressing that the theme of the second session of the 14th Synod “Possessing More Land for Christ” is very symbolic and it is in tandem with the Great Commission.

The Chancellor of the Diocese added that the challenges facing the great Commission are enormous, but only the Gospel is bringing hope.

Cash Transfer: APC Gov Says It’s A Fraud After FG Spent Billions

Tosin Olatokunbo

July 22, 2023

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state, has described the federal government cash transfer policy as a scam.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this week, cancelled plan to make transfer Nigerians, after many Nigerians criticized it.

Under the now botched plan, the federal government said over 12 million households would receive N8000 for six months.

The federal government had borrowed $800 million from the World Bank to execute the policy.

Not a few Nigerians criticized the plan, saying it would be a waste because the money is too small to ameliorate the sufferings of would-be beneficiaries.

Recall that the immediate past President of the country, Muhammadu Buhari administration claimed it spent several billion in cash transfer to many Nigerians as part of its social intervention policy.

But speaking on Friday on Arise Television, Governor Sani said the cash transfer policy is a fraud, citing, for instance, that the funds must have gone into wrong hands.

The Kaduna helmsman, a former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Banking said it is impossible to make electronic transfer to people who have no bank account.

According to him, many poor households in the northern part of Nigeria, the federal government claimed received the cash transfer, have no bank accounts, and could not have benefited from the largesse meant to assist vulnerable Nigerians.

Sani said, “I think that cash transfer for me, in my opinion, is a scam. Completely is a scam. I can be very certain about that, because who are you transferring the money to?

“Let me give an example, go and check the current statistics. Like I said, as the Chairman, Committee of Banking for four years in Nigeria, I oversight Central Bank, I oversight all the commercial sector of our economy for the last four years and I look at the statistics, I will be very firm on this issue and you can go and check it.

“About 70 to 75 percent of the rural population in North West are financially excluded completely. You will have to go and check, these people we are talking about are important people in the society. They do not even have a bank account so who are you transferring the money to?

“Let’s put more money to ensure that we open accounts for them, get them involved, if we don’t do that, no matter what we do however you do it, money will go to the wrong people, that’s the fact.”

President Tinubu had cancelled the plan to distribute N8000 to some Nigerians, citing negative feedback across the country.

Underground Amoured Cable Thief Caught By The NAF At MMIA

The Source

July 22, 2023

AT about 01:35hrs on July 21, 2023, the guards on duty at the Nigeria Airforce HQ NADC gate halted three cable thieves along the airport road by NADC perimeter fence who were sighted digging the FAAN underground amoured cable with the aid of a digger, shovel and cutlass.

On sighting the guards, they took to their heels. A guard however opened fire on them ,aiming at the shoulder of Usman Musa.

Usman Musa , 28years old, a native of Adamawa State, residing at Ijora sustained gunshot wounds. He was subsequently arrested and taken to 661NAFH Ikeja.

He is presently receiving treatment at General Hospital Oyingbo while his other two accomplices escaped.

Usman Musa will be properly interrogated after he has stabilised.

The Authority believes that this incident could be a relevant clue to unravelling the theft of the Runway Lighting at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport,

Kema Chikwe Dumps PDP, Quits Partisan Politics, Endorses Uzodinma For Second Term In Office

The Source

July 22, 2023

By Gideon Njoku

The Governorship aspiration of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the Imo State Governorship flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was on Friday, dealt another devastating blow. And so has the PDP in the State. Dr Mrs Kema Chikwe, by any standard, one of the most powerful and successful female politicians in Nigeria has dumped them.

In the past few weeks, the Imo Chapter of the PDP has had an unparalleled run with a number of its high profile members, dumping it for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and Governor Hope Uzodinma.

Aside from its most high profile member and former Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who has given the Party in the State some space since his sudden withdrawal from the Governorship race, the Party, in one fell swoop, a couple of weeks ago, lost seven members of its State Working Committee, SWC, including the State Secretary, State Publicity Secretary, Women Leader, Youth Leader, a State Deputy Chairman, to the APC. They declared that one of their reasons for leaving was to support the “good works of the Governor in the State.”

Since then, a number of other leaders, including a popular former House of Representatives Member, Jerry Alagboso, have followed the same path.

On Friday, July 20, it was the turn of Dr Chikwe. Until now, a staunch PDP member, Dr Chikwe was Minister for Aviation during the President Olusegun Obasanjo Government, later Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ireland, later, Chairman, JAMB, later, PDP National Women Leader, BOT member, etc. All, in addition to being a very strong pillar of the Party in the State.

Chikwe began to lose interest in the party some months ago. She was one of those who criticized the running of the Party in the State, and, alongside others, protested to the National Leadership of the Party.

A strong ally of Ihedioha, the two of them unexpectedly parted ways over the affairs of the Party in the State. She became more inclined towards the National Secretary of the Party, Anyanwu, who picked the Party’s Governorship ticket as a sole candidate after Ihedioha withdrew.

But since then, Chikwe’s attitude towards the Party in the State has been very lukewarm. Not a few people put it down to the insults publicly hauled at her, without any respect for her age and status, by those described by some people as overzealous PDP members over her criticism of the SWC. Not even the fact that Anyanwu is the Governorship flag bearer could draw her out from her shell.

On Wednesday, she took the bull by the horn. At the 6th Anniversary of the Women Leadership Institute, her baby, in Abuja, attended by a number of Imo leaders and stakeholders, Dr Chikwe told a brief story of her foray into politics. Then she threw in the shocker. She announced that she was done with partisan politics. She quit.

The high point of her speech, however, was her public endorsement of Governor Hope Uzodinma for a second term in office. This has left Anyanwu at crossroads, murmured somebody in the audience.

By doing so, Chikwe simply followed in the footsteps of many other individuals, associations and communities, recently, endorsing Uzodinma for a second term in office. While the PDP is embroiled in a self-inflicted crisis, and the Labour Party still battling with a “rogue” claimant to the ticket, Uzodinma has been harvesting goodwill and support from left, right and centre.

The Imo State Governorship election will be held on 11th November, 2023. Said a PDP stalwart who pleaded anonymity, “It will be a no-contest. The soul of PDP has moved on. PDP lost it when Ihedioha withdrew from the race.” However, time will tell.

Anarchy Threat: Obi Replies Tinubu, Explains Where Anarchy Reigns Supreme

The Source

July 21, 2023

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25, 2023, election and first petitioner in the ongoing case at the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, Peter Obi, has given a principled response to the threat of anarchy from the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the 2nd and 3rd Respondents in the petition, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima that if the Court interprets the Electoral Act section 134 against them it might lead to breakdown of law and order.

Recall that Tinubu’s legal team, led by Wole Olanipekun, had in their final address to the Court threatened that, “Any other interpretation different from theirs will lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature.”

But Peter Obi’s lawyers led by Dr Livy Uzoukwu and Onyechi Ikpeazu disagreed saying instead that what will lead to anarchy is where the rule of law is trampled upon or truncated, that in such situations anarchy reigns supreme!

According to Obi, “A sentence in the 2nd-3rd Respondents’ address alarmed the Petitioners and millions of Nigerians. The 2nd-3rd Respondents went too low and abandoned discretion when they claimed as follows: “Our submission is that the Petitioners are inviting anarchy by their ventilation of this issue of non-transmission of results electronically, by INEC.”

Obi’s legal team noted that they found Tinubu’s outburst as “a cheap, misguided, and destructive blackmail clearly intended to target the country’s judicialism and constitutionalism. It also aims at cannibalizing our democracy”

The legal team also noted that the careless and absurd statements of the 2nd and 3rd Respondents intend to raise the issue of insecurity if the Petitioners were to emulate the bad example of the 2nd-3rd Respondents but remarked that such will never happen because of the petitioner’s discipline and peaceful disposition and believe in the rule of law.

Still underscoring the pointlessness and the supererogatory of the Respondent’s threat, OBI’S legal team wondered “When has it become offensive for Petitioners to canvass a ground prescribed for the challenge of an election in section 134(1)(b) of the Electoral Act 2022?

The legal eggheads attributed the needless flare-up and effusion of the Respondents to desperation taken too far which can be extremely dangerous.

“Let the 2nd-3rd Respondents know that where the rule of law is trampled upon or truncated, anarchy reigns supreme!”

“Tinubu Has ‘Lagonised’ Presidency” – South-West Group; Warns Of Anarchy In The Zone

Adesina Soyooye

July 21, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

An All Progressives Congress, APC, Group in the South-west, has accused President Bola Tinubu of appropriating the Presidency to Lagos.

The Group, South-West APC Support Group, SASG, expressed shock at the appointments made so far by the President, insisting that most of them were from members of the Party in Lagos, to an, almost, total snub of members from other States in the South-west. The Group has, therefore, warned of the dangers inherent in “Lagonising” the Presidency, by giving APC chieftains in Lagos an undeserved sense of entitlement.

In a statement, the National Coordinator of the group, Otunba Tunde Filani, alleged that APC chieftains in Lagos whom he identified as “Lagos boys” have cornered most appointments from the Tinubu Government.

In the statement entitled, “Dangers of ‘Lagosizing’ Southwest”, Group noted that out of 20 aides recently appointed by Tinubu, 13 of them are Lagos-based.

For the records, Filani noted the contributions of other States in the zone to Tinubu’s success, and pointed out that Tinubu lost Lagos in the presidential election but won in Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo states which are getting nothing, so far.

Said the statement: “We have observed, with utmost dismay, the ongoing unpleasant development at the presidency whereby most appointments are being filled with ‘Lagos boys’.

“We the Southwest APC Support groups are constrained to say that this trend, if not checked, might make the Southwest the first boiling point of the Tinubu administration.

“We hereby wish to call the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to this ugly development and to state that a situation whereby politicians from Lagos State are seen to be the ones taking all the benefits that accrue to the entire Southwest is totally unacceptable to other States in the region as Lagos is not the only State in Southwest.

“A cursory look at the appointments made so far under this administration showed that majority of the people around Mr President are all Lagos politicians. While they may not all be indigenes of Lagos, but these are politicians based in Lagos, who have played all their politics in Lagos, lived in Lagos, and as a matter of fact made Lagos their immediate constituency.

“Looking at the appointments of 20 aides that was recently made by Mr President, we can categorically count on our fingers about 13 of them who are Lagos based.

“The arrival of former Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode into the fray as one of the ministerial hopefuls is another fact in this direction.

“Another scenario is that if you look at Tinubu’s first trip to France as President, those who accompanied him on that journey are those from Lagos despite the fact that most of them are without official portfolio or capacity.

“This is uncalled for. This administration shouldn’t be made an all-lagos affair. It doesn’t project Mr President well as a nationalist and a pan-Nigerian leader.

“Recently, the President constituted a committee that will constitute boards of Ministries Departments and Agencies, MDAs, and went ahead to make his Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the chairman while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume was made the Secretary. This is wrong. Going by hierarchy and order of protocol, Akume’s position supercedes that of chief of staff. Gbaja is only an aide to president Tinubu while Akume is the SGF. The president should do the reverse, Gbaja should be the secretary, then a representative of the party should be part of the committee because the party knows who worked for the president during the election. Putting Gbajabiamilla as Chairman of that Committee is to further take care of ‘Lagos boys’. If care is not taken, you will see ‘Lagos boys’ having most of the Board appointments.

“It shouldn’t be like that. Similar things might happen with the appointment of heads of MDAs.”

Filani appealed to President Tinubu “to ensure that other states in the south west zone are given a sense of belonging in his administration.

“Mr President should stand his ground and not allow himself to be misled under any unwarranted pressure. He should be a president for all.

“His appointments should spread out to other States in the Southwest because if not, it will be as if Lagos State is the only State in the entire region.

“Even if we are to look at it on the strength of performance at the 2023 general elections, Lagos didn’t lived up to its billing as Mr President lost the State to opposition party. If we were to rely on Lagos State alone for that election, the president would have failed going by the results declared.

“We know the role other States in Southwest particularly Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo played in the last election. These states gave the president the best results in the Southwest in the last election.

“Politicians from Lagos should stop The unwarranted sense of entitlement to this administration as they contributed nothing to the success of Mr. president and cease from giving him unnecessary pressure.

“We want to state that we are not comfortable with this trend, and things need to change. If the president fails to correct this anomaly, the narrative might change come next election.

“This government shouldn’t be seen as Government of Lagos State and Lagos alone shouldn’t take all the benefits that are meant for the Southwest otherwise other parts of Southwest will leave Lagos next time to play the politics alone to see if they have the strength to do it.

“We made this observation in the interest of unity in the Southwest and the best interest of Nigeria at large.”

Group Slams CUPP, Labels It A Toothless Bulldog Over Call For Kyari’s Removal As NNPCL Group CEO

Akinwale Kasali

July 21, 2023

By Akinwale Kasali

Nigeria’s Foremost Civil Society Group under the aegis of Network for Transparency and Good Governance, NTGG, has blasted the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, for trying to play politics with the emotions of Nigerians by playing to the gallery over the recent fuel subsidy removal which has led to an astronomical hike in the pump price of petrol.

The Group labeled CUPP a political opposition group allegedly led by disgruntled members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It stated that CUPP had alleged that the fuel subsidy removal was a scam to cage Nigerians for which it called for the immediate removal of Mele Kyari, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL.

Berating CUPP on the call for the sack of Kyari, NTGG, in a statement co-signed by its National Coordinator, Friday Imoni and National Secretary, Gana Alkali, said that ordinarily, it would have ignored “CUPP-PDP” for advertising “their lack of vision and empathy for Nigerians in these trying times which they brought upon the nation, but because of innocent Nigerians who may not be fully abreast with the current situation of things, it decided to respond.”

The statement reads: “We read with dismay a spurious, sickening and nefarious statement credited to the failed and disgruntled Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) led and sponsored by members of the troubled and corrupt-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), calling for the removal of Mr. Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer, GCEO, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over the recent subsidy removal

“It’s a statement of fact that CUPP has the unenviable mandate to try to intimidate and blackmail important state institutions such as the NNPCL, INEC, the judiciary, and security agencies, on behalf of PDP with the hope of gaining political advantage having been rejected by the majority of the people.

“As the current administration tackles our national challenges and at this period, we all should focus on issues of nation building, but the best PDP and its acolytes are offering is a distraction.

“Fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria is an economic necessity, as the subsidy funds could lead to major development gains. With the proper structure, such as building good infrastructure and a conducive environment for investors, removing subsidies is a blessing the economy needs right now.

“For instance, the amount paid out on subsidies from 2005 to 2021 is equivalent to the entire budget for health, education, agriculture, and defence in the last five years. The sum also equals the capital expenditure for 10 years between 2011 and 2020. The removal of subsidy will free allocations which can be channeled to the provision of infrastructure like roads, education, health service, power, security, creation of jobs, development of the downstream sector, improve our GDP growth, clamp down on product theft, pipeline vandalism, environmental pollution, foreign exchange shortages and provision of basic benefits for Nigerians.

“It’s however laughable that the personal interests and frustrations of the promoters of CUPP have beclouded their reasoning.

“The recent fuel pump price adjustment from N537 to N617 per litre was as a result of forces being determined by foreign exchange fluctuations induced by international market forces. The government is, however, working to mitigate the hardship occasioned by the increment in the fuel pump price.

While calling for the continued support and appealing to Nigerians for the temporary pains of the initiative, the group said: “Instead of the PDP and their minions to join hands with the current administration to salvage the economy, they have, in the name of opposition, continued to distract the government and Nigerians with their post-election delusions, salacious fictions, conjured rifts in government circle, and their spurious allegations against the NNPCL and its management.

“It’s worthy of note that NNPCL under the leadership of Mr. Kyari has witnessed massive transformation all around. The NNPCL chief has worked tirelessly to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

“The oil giant has moved to a profit-making corporation owing to its culture of accountability, transparency, and innovation.

“Maybe we should remind CUPP that Kyari was a vocal advocate for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), a comprehensive reform package aimed at overhauling the industry’s regulatory framework and promoting investment and growth.

“Today, the NNPC has become a world-class institution capable of competing with the best and brightest in the global energy industry.

“While the CUPP-PDP wallows in its obscene conducts, Nigeria under the President Bola Tinubu-led APC administration will continue to strife to lead the country to economic boom once again”.

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