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Na’jaatu Muhammad Tackles Keyamo, Calls The Minister A Liar

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Festus Keyamo and Najaatu Mohammed

By Akinwale Kasali

Naja’atu Mohammed, a former Director in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, has tackled the Spokesperson of the PCC, Festus Keyamo for saying she chased Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu to London to beg for an appointment.

In an interview on Arise Television Monday morning, Muhammad, a Member of the Police Service Commission, said the contrary was the case. She said she was begged by Tinubu and the Party to take the appointment as a Director in the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima Presidential Campaign Team.

Tinubu, she said, was on her neck, calling her on phone on several times, pleading for her to accept the appointment.

In response to tagging her incompetent, she said: “If they (the APC) knew I was incompetent, why were they begging me? Folake cannot lie and say he did not beg me to take that appointment. Asiwaju called me. I still have the text. He called me severally. I didn’t even know his number, I refused to pick.”

Keyamo, who is also the Minister of State for Labour and Employment had claimed that Mohammed chased Tinubu to London for an appointment in the PCC.

Keyamo, in an interview with The Punch Newspaper, had said, “What she (Mohammed) went to London to do was to grovel and lobby. We don’t see people who are worth their salt pursuing Asiwaju all over the globe.

“Why did she not meet him in Nigeria? Why chase him to London?”, Keyamo had said.

But Mohammed  said she “knows her onions and having seen that the APC does not worth it, I parted ways with the Party and moved on.”

New Naira Notes: El-Rufai, Two Other Northern Governors, Drag Buhari To Supreme Court

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

As Nigerians continue to starve due to scarcity of new Naira notes, three Northern States have instituted a suit against the Federal Government seeking an order to stop the full implementation of the Naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The States, Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara, in a motion ex-parte are praying the Supreme court to grant an interim injunction stopping the CBN from ending the timeframe within which the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes will cease to be legal tender.

The plaintiffs said since the announcement of the policy, there has been an acute shortage in the supply of the new naira notes in their states, adding that citizens who have dutifully deposited their old currency notes have increasingly found it difficult and sometimes next to impossible to access the new notes for their daily activities.

Asides from the unavailability of the new notes, the plaintiffs also submitted that the notice period given by the federal government was inadequate.

They submitted that the 10-day extension is insufficient to address the challenges plaguing the policy.

The plaintiffs have also filed a motion on notice to abridge the time within which the respondent may file and serve a counter-affidavit for an accelerated hearing.

The states are seeking a declaration that the demonetisation policy of the CBN is not in compliance with the extant provisions of the constitution, and the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.

They are also seeking a declaration that the three months notice given by the federal government through the CBN is in gross violation of the provisions of Section 20(3) of the CBN Act which specifies that reasonable notice must be given.

They also want the court to declare that by the express provisions of Section 20(3) of the CBN Act, the federal government, through the CBN has no power to issue a timeline for the acceptance and redeeming of banknotes issued by the bank, except as limited by section 22(1).

Consequently, the plaintiffs want the court to direct the immediate suspension of the demonetisation policy until the relevant provisions of the law are complied with.

In A Split Judgement, Supreme Court Sacks Machina, Affirms Lawan As Yobe North Senatorial Candidate For APC

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

After months of legal warfare, the Supreme Court has affirmed that the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, is the authentic Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Yobe North Senatorial District.

In a majority judgment delivered on Monday, the apex court allowed the appeal filed by the APC against Bashir Machina’s candidature.

In the lead judgement, Justice Centus Nweze faulted the approach of Bashir Machina in commencing the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu Division by way of originating summons and without oral evidence to prove allegations of fraud.

The apex Court also set aside the decision of the Appeal Court, Gombe Division, which affirmed the decision of the trial Court that declared Machina the Senatorial Candidate for Yobe North.

But in a dissenting decision by Justices Emmanuel Agim and Adamu Jauro, the apex Court said Ahmad Lawan never participated in the APC Primary held on 28th May, as he withdrew voluntarily to participate in the Presidential Primary held on the 8 June 2022.the

The minority decision held that in the conduct of another primary on June 9, 2022 where Lawan emerged was in breach of Section 84 (5) of the Electoral Act as the APC never cancelled that held on 28 May before organizing another.

The APC had challenged the nomination of Bashir Machina as the party’s candidate for Yobe North Senatorial District.

The party insisted that Ahmad Lawan, Nigeria’s Senate President, was the authentic Senatorial candidate for Yobe North for the forthcoming general election.

At the last hearing of the appeal, the counsel for the party, Sepiribo Peters argued that the primary election held on 28 May last year which produced Machina was in breach of the Electoral Act 2022.

Peters contended that one Danjuma Manga who conducted the said primary election was not nominated by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

He told the Court that the APC cancelled the Primary poll on account of the irregularities observed during the exercise.

However, Machina’s lawyer, Sarafa Yusuf prayed the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit on the ground that the Senate President did not challenge the suits at both the trial and lower courts.

He also pointed that Manga who conducted the primary election where Machina emerged, was a member of the NWC-appointed Committee to carryout the exercise.

The apex court had last Wednesday fixed today (Monday), February 6, for final judgment in the long-drawn legal battle.

Machina had held firmly to his victory at the APC Primaries and refused all appeals to let go.

Naira Scarcity: Nigerians Are Suffering, Starving Says Gbajabiamila

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives has lamented the sufferings Nigerians are facing due to the scarcity of naira across the country.

The situation is no longer funny for many households who find it difficult to purchase essential commodities for the feeding of their families due to invailability of the bank notes, despite the promise by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to make more cash available as the s arcity bites.

The House had in response to the hardship facing Nigerians, summoned the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele who for days failed to honour the invitation until the Speaker threatened to issue a warrant of a rest for him.

But one week after the meeting with the House adhoc Committtee led by Ado Doguwa who is also the Leader of the Chamber, Gbajabiamila said the hardship continue as Nigerians ae “suffering, we have paid your salary, and you cannot withdraw it; people cannot eat, what kind of thing is that?”

According to a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, the Speaker stated that he will reconvene the House members who are currently on a break if the problem persists.

He expalined that the scarcity of the new naira notes have shown no sign of abating, adding that it is within the powers of the House to summon anybody in government, as nobody is above the law.

The Speaker said the lower house will not hesitate to summon Gbajabiamila again, noting that it’s currently watching what the apex bank is doing.

The statement reeds in part: “The House of Representatives intervened on several occasions. We summoned the CBN governor the first time and again, but he refused to answer, because we had many hard questions for him.

“It was until I issued the threat of warrant of arrest before he came, and I would’ve signed that warrant; it would’ve been the first time in the history of National Assembly that a CBN governor would be arrested. I would’ve done it.

“Many have argued on the independence of CBN, the autonomy of CBN. That does not make CBN above the law. The constitution gives the House the power to issue an arrest warrant against anyone, we can summon anybody, and that was exactly what the House was going to do until the CBN governor came.

“So, we are watching, and we are monitoring very closely. If need be, we will reconvene the House, even though we’ve all been away for our elections. I will call the House back, if need be.

“On the currency swap, let me explain something to you. We are all very intelligent people. Many are suffering, we have paid your salary, and you cannot withdraw it; people cannot eat, what kind of thing is that?

Sterling Bank Sanctioned By CBN For Hoarding New Naira Notes, Sabotage

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Sterling Bank Plc has been accused of sabotaging the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to make the new naira notes available in the country.

Oluwole Owoeye, an Assistant Director with the apex bank disclosed this in Ado Ekiti on Sunday after CBN officials, on a monitoring duty in the state, discovered loads of new naira notes which the commercial bank failed to load into the Automated Teller Machines, ATM.

The CBN official said the bank had received over N6 million new notes from the CBN for over two weeks but simply refused to load the cash into the ATM machines belonging to the new generation bank.

Recall that the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele disclosed last week that it was working with security and anti graft agencies in the country to ensure that commercial banks in the country sabotaging the even distribution of the new naira notes are sanctioned accordingly.

Also, President Muhammadu Buhari during his meeting with 36 state governors in the country, accused top officials of some commercial banks in the country of hoarding and sabotaging government’s efforts to ensure that the new notes are made available across the country before the deadline of February 10 set by the CBN to demonetize the old naira notes of N200. N500, and N1000 banknotes.

The CBN has also arrested some commercial bank managers, for hoarding the new notes in the cause of its monitoring exercise in the last few days.

The arrested officials, the apex bank said will be punished accordingly. The chief executives of the culpable banks, sources in the Godwin Emefiele-led government bank, said will also be queried soon.

Speaking after the N6 million new notes were discovered in the Bank’s Ado branch, Owoeye said the bank is one of the commercial banks in the county causing cash scarcity, and frustrating customers and others who need cash to transact their businesses.

In the now viral video the CBN top official said, “I am currently at Sterling Bank, on Bank Road as part of the new naira notes monitoring compliance with the guidelines by CBN. They have N6 million, which they collected from the bank for almost two weeks, they have not disbursed any. They said they are yet to configure their ATMs, I do not know why that and I have brought attention to the penalty clause of N1 million per day, because they have five ATMs here, they have no reason for keeping this money.

“The zonal service manager, Tunde Onipede promised that by 10:00am latest tomorrow (Monday), because I told him by latest 10:00 am I’ll be here and I want to see the machine dispensing this money.”

Last week in Ibadan the Oyo State capital, some commercial banks wee attacked by angry customers who accused their officials of hoarding the new notes. It took security agency’s serious efforts to bring the violent situation undr control, but some ATM machines had already been vandalised by the any mob.

In Lagos also, some angry customers stripped themselves naked in the banking halls after bank officials informed them they were yet to receive new cash allocation from the CBN, which made it impossible for the banks to dispense cash to customers.

Meanwhile, competent sources in the CBN informed the magazine on Monday that the apex bank will step up the monitoring exercise this week with a view to ensure that commercial banks working against government efforts are exposed to Nigerians.

“The CBN has already warned the CEO of all the money banks in the county to ensure that they rein in their staff, as they will be held responsible for their actions. The situation has already got out of hands, the CBN is working hard to bring the scarcity under control, and we will not be shy to shut down bank branches frustrating our efforts, ” an official said today.

UBA CEO, Alawuba, Receives Doctorate Degree From Imo State University

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Oliver Alawuba

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa, UBA,  Plc, Oliver Alawuba, was on Saturday, conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Banking and Finance by the Imo State University, IMSU Owerri, Nigeria, for his immense contributions to the growth of banking and finance in Nigeria and across Africa.

Alawuba was honoured during the school’s 8thConvocation Ceremony, an event witnessed by the Executive Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma. Also in attendance were the former Governor of the State, Dr. Rochas Okorocha, the University’s Pro-Chancellor, Chief Sir, Ernest Nwapa; Vice-Chancellor Professor U.U. Chukwumaeze, Vice-chancellors from various tertiary institutions in Nigeria, captains of industries and a host stakeholders.

Whilst congratulating Alawuba, the Vice Chancellor, Professor U.U. Chukwumaeze pointed out that the conferment is in recognition of Alawuba’s contribution to redefining Public Sector Banking in Nigeria and across Africa.

“The honour is in recognition of your numerous contributions to the financial sector in Nigeria and Africa and as one of the major drivers who contributed to taking modern banking to all state capitals and major cities in Nigeria where hitherto most banks primarily concentrated on the major commercial centres of the country,” Professor Chukwumaeze stated.

Speaking after receiving the recognition, Alawuba expressed his appreciation to the leadership of the University for the honour extended to him, just as he attributed his success to God and hard work. He took time out to encourage the students to stay focused and diligent whilst congratulating other fellow awardees.

Alawuba said. “I am grateful to the management of IMSU for the honour and recognition, and I want to thank the amiable governor, the VC and other top executives of this great institution for the honour that you have shown me today. I promise that I will continue to do my best to make this school and indeed the indigenes of this great state proud. I also seize this opportunity to advise the young ones to be focused and put their best in their studies, so that one day they will also be recognised globally.”

Other awardees of the honorary Doctorate Degree include the former Governor of Anambra State, Her Excellency, Dame (Dr) Virgy Ngozi Etiaba; Chief Chika Emenike, CEO of Tummy Tummy Noodles, Chitec Motors Limited, and Kotec Group of Companies; and Engr Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB.

Alawuba who emerged the best graduating student in Food and Technology from the Abia State University, is the recipient of multiple awards from humanitarian organisations, and is also a member of several organisations and sports club. He is married to an Associate Professor Dr. Mrs Nkeirula Oly-Alawuba and they are blessed with seven children.

Alawuba is a seasoned banking professional with over 25 years of work experience. He has a broad range of strategic and well-grounded experience in Corporate and Institutional Banking, Consumer Banking, Public Sector, Retail and Commercial Banking, Project Management, Corporate Governance, and overall bank management.

Prior to his appointment as the Group Managing Director/CEO of UBA Group, overseeing the group’s banking operations across its 20 subsidiaries in Africa and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates, Alawuba was at various times country CEO and Regional CEO of UBA’s Rest of Africa operations.

Oliver holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Food Science and Technology and an MBA in Banking and Finance. He is an alumnus of the AMP and SEP programmes of the prestigious INSEAD Business School, France and the London Business School respectively. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN.

We’re Ready For Election, Uzodimma Tells EU Election Observers

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has assured the members of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria that his State in particular and Nigeria in general are ready for the forthcoming election.

He gave the assurance at the weekend when he received in audience at the New Executive Chambers, Government House, Owerri a team of European Union Election observers led by Thomas Boserop who paid him a working visit.

Governor Uzodimma assured them that “the State Government and the Federal Government are ready for the election,”  and that “adequate preparations have been put in place.”

He told them that the Mock election they just came to observe and the main elections of February 25 and March 11 will surely be smooth.

He thanked them for finding time to visit and wished them the best of luck as they monitor the elections, reminding them that “government owes it a responsibility to ensure a very successful election by providing a conducive environment for her citizens to vote and be voted for.”

Earlier, the leader of the team Thomas Boserop informed the Governor that they are in Nigeria “to observe the elections lined up for February and March,” and that they “thought it wise and proper to pay the courtesy call on the Governor as a way of informing him that Imo State is part of the State they are listed to observe.”

Nextier SPD Poll: Again, Obi Leads, Beats Atiku, Tinubu To Second, Third Places

By
The Source
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Bola Tinubu-Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar

Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election is shaping to be an exciting race, with the Labour Party leading with 37%, followed by the PDP with 27% and the APC with 24%, according to the latest poll by Nextier SPD, an African-based international development consulting firm.

The poll, released on Saturday, February 5, 2023, is the second national face-to-face survey conducted by Nextier SPD and shows that a significant percentage of registered voters, 72% have chosen their presidential candidate.

The poll places Peter Obi, the dark horse of the 2023 election, well ahead of his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

According to the most recent Nextier Poll, Peter Obi has the greatest net favorability among the leading presidential contenders. At the same time, among the major political parties, the Labour Party has the greatest net favorability.

According to the firm’s website, Nextier SPD, employs evidence-based research and policy to create and strengthen knowledge and skills for managing society. The organisation released its first poll in November, 2022 and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate emerged as the most preferred. This poll shows Mr Obi has expanded his lead in the race.

In a statement released by the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation, it thanked Nigerians for their continued support leading up to the 2023 Presidential Election.

“It is wonderful to note that the findings of Nextier’s second poll for the 2023 General Elections suggest that the message of hope of our Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is resonating strongly with the Nigerian people,” Dr Tanko Yanusi, the Chief Spokesperson for the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, said in a statement on Sunday, February 5, 2023.

“It demonstrates that the efforts of Nigerians from across the nation to take back their country and reshape its character and fortune to benefit all Nigerians are bearing fruit.

“We are delighted that His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, who is seen as the burden bearer and hope for true change in Nigeria has the greatest net favorability rating among the leading presidential contenders.

“In addition, our great Party, the Labour Party, which was first mocked by institutional demagogues impeding Nigeria’s road to genuine greatness, has been deemed to have the greatest preference across various religious and non-religious groups in the nation.

“We are particularly pleased by the findings that reveal that 72 per cent of respondents have already decided on who to vote for, and 77 per cent say that they will vote in the forthcoming election.

“This development is a strong indicator that the Nigerian voter is smart, conscious and actively engaged in changing the future of our nation. It also indicates that the Nigerian people have for long anticipated the emergence of a candidate like Peter Obi blessed with the capacity to bring about real change and good governance for all Nigerians,” he added.

The statement also expressed satisfaction that most Nigerians were concerned about tackling the vexing problems of insecurity, joblessness, bad economy, and institutionalised corruption, to which its Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has offered the most straightforward solutions.

The possibility of a runoff between Peter Obi and either Atiku Abubakar or Bola Tinubu as indicated by the Nextier survey was based primarily on the fact that neither contender is projected to achieve the criterion for an outright victory.

According to the survey, only Peter Obi’s Labour Party would be able to accomplish that in 23 states, beating out the PDP and APC.

Other outcomes of the polls were communication channels of choice and the views of Nigerians on the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The study found that radio and the social media tool WhatsApp are the most favoured outlets for political parties ahead of Election Day.

It also revealed that 47% of respondents believed INEC would not tamper with the results, while 29% did not, and 23% were doubtful.

We’ll Rescue Nigeria From Criminals, Assures Obi

By
The Source
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Peter Obi and Pa Ayo Adebanjo

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has proven to be a person who compulsively works excessively hard and for long hours by his recent itinerary on Thursday and Friday

After Thursday’s rallies in two states of Zamfara and Kebbi, Obi had a hectic schedule on Friday in Abia and Ebonyi states, meeting with all critical stakeholders and holding rallies.

After a debilitating electioneering day in Abia and Ebonyi states earlier in the day on Friday, the LP flag bearer was at the International Christian Ecumenical center in Abuja late evening addressing a meeting of some Christian eggheads under the umbrella of the Nigerian National Council NNC, declaring to them emphatically that Nigeria can be secured and people made to live in peace.

My interactions with some Security Chiefs are showing me that the enemies are no longer formidable, they can be overcome.

Obi told his guests that the situation has been bad in the country due to successive failure of leadership, but noted that a new Nigeria is possible because the enemies are surmountable.

According to the former Anambra state Governor, this country can be secured and our people can be pulled out of poverty but it requires all hands to be on deck, including non-politicians like his audience.

He said that since certain good things were done in the past by Nigerians, they can still be done. We cannot continue to leave our country, and our future in the hands of criminals.

Obi recalled that the regime of the first Prime Minister, late Tafawa Belewa borrowed $82m  from the World Bank to build the Kainji Dam; noting that 62 years later we still benefit from the dam.

‘But today, we owe a debt that could build 160 Kainji Dams but where are the dams”? He queried.

The Presidential candidate expressed regret that over time successive Nigerian governments have not invested in regenerative projects.

He assured the people that if elected President he and his Vice Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmad will change the narrative, assuring that they have the capacity and the capabilities to do what is contained in their manifesto.

Ondo Attacks: Suspected Terrorists Kill Six, Take Over Villages

By
Ayodele Oni
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Ondo Attacks

By Ayodele Oni

No fewer than six farmers, traders and passengers have been murdered in the last two weeks at Arimogija and Molege axis of Ose Local Government Area of Ondo state.

Narrating the ordeal, a community leader, Mr. Owolafe Folorunsho said the recent attack was triggered by effort by farmers to repel the continued wanton destruction of their crops by the herdsmen.

According to him, “the herders have continued to invade our farmlands at night, harvest our crops to feed their Cows and in many occasions, they will come during the day, forced us to uproot the Cassava by ourselves at gunpoint, command us to cut them into pieces to feed their cows.

“In order not to take laws into our hands, we reported this act of economic sabotage to the appropriate authority who took prompt action to chase them out of the farming areas only for the Fulanis to come back and attacked us with AK-47, Pump Action, Axes, Cutlasses and killed our people at night.

“In a broad daylight,  the terrorists laid ambush, attacked some traders coming from Akure and killed all the occupants before taking their money and set the car ablaze.

Several houses, cars and motorcycles were burnt during the attack while the families of the victims killed some cows to fight back.

Confirming the incidence, the Onimoru, Oba  Rotimi Obamuwagun lamented the atrocities of the Fulanis in the area.

Expressing his disgust about the criminal activities of the herdsmen in his domain, the first class monarch narrated how Fulanis completely destroyed four hectares of Cassava farm belonging to one of his subject that borrowed money from a commercial bank to finance farm.

This was corroborated by the Odibiado of Ijagba, Oba Andrew Ikioya Ilevare who said that the bandits have now resulted to harvesting plantains and bringing them to market to sell.

The royal fathers, wondered why should federal government allow herdsmen to go about with AK-47 rifles to terrorize innocent people.

They praised the Governor of Ondo state,  Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN for the establishment of the Southwest Security Network popularly known as Amotekun to checkmate the excesses of the herders especially in the area.

The Chairman of Ose government, Adekunle Dennis expressed the worries of Governor, Akeredolu SAN  over the security situation in Ose saying, something will be done urgently to checkmate the excesses of the herdsmen.

“The council is meeting with the relevant authorities and stakeholders with the aim of redesigning the security architecture of all the flashpoints to nip the challenges in the bud.”

While calling on the community leaders and youth organizations to be more security conscious, the council boss charged them to improve on intelligence information gathering  that will enable them  useful information to the security agencies as government cannot do it all alone.

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