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CISLAC Laments Nigeria’s Debt Woes Amidst Insecurity, Rising Inflation, Economy Downturns

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Civil Society Group, the Civil Society and Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, is worried over the Debt Profile of Nigeria and the indifferent approach of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration coupled with devastating insecurity, inflation, poverty and hunger bedevilling the land.

CISLAC lamented  that the nation has further plunged into debt trap following the borrowing spree of the Buhari administration.

Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of the Group said that the nation is already in another debt trap, as records from both national and international financial and debt institutions regarding Nigeria’s debt reveal a state in crisis.

Speaking to the media on the role of private creditors in Nigeria’s debt crisis and the human cost, Rafsanjani, said: ”In the context of Nigeria, about 90 per cent of government revenue is devoted to debt servicing at the expense of development projects.”

The Civil Society organization said that it was concerned that little or no attention is given to the debt crisis in the country, which prompted CISLAC in partnership with Christian Aid Nigeria, initiated one-year research with a view to finding a solution to the debt situation.

While asserting that private creditors in the international finance scene have set a new dimension in the Nigerian debt crisis, Rafsanjani expressed worries over the impact of the situation on the government’s fiscal strength and its ability to respond to socio-economic emergencies.

The Group said in a statement that, “According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s total public debt stock as of June 30, 2022, was N42.84 trillion.”

“It is instructive to recall that Nigeria’s debt service cost outweighs its revenue with clear signs of economic dangers ahead.

“There are implications for this rising debt stock in Nigeria with total external debts amounting to about $ 40 billion and a private credit composition of $ 15.9 billion which represents 39.8 per cent of total external debt stock. Euro bonds take the bulk of the commercial loans with a total portfolio of $ 15.62 billion.”

The director criticised the lack of transparency on lending and borrowing and the inability to track funds attributing the predicament greatly to the nonchalance of lawmakers in granting requests for loans at the detriment of Nigerians whose interests they were elected to protect.

“We are deeply concerned with the lack of vigorous scrutiny and attention by the lawmakers in granting requests for loans without reflecting the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and the greater implication of the nation’s economic state.”

“The Nigerian legislators have a constitutional and legislative mandate to approve loan requests only on the basis of public interest and should put this clause as a prerequisite to any approvals they might want to give to the president’s requests for further borrowings.”

Rafsanjani revealed that CISLAC with support from its partner, Christian Aid is passionate about enhancing the urgency with which the governments address the country’s debt crisis.

He said that this solution included research commissioned to fully highlight the Nigerian context and dimensions of the indebtedness to private creditors for policy options and deliberate efforts to end it.

“We have launched a research product that centres on revealing and challenging the role of private creditors in hindering people’s recoveries to enhance the urgency with which the international community must address the sovereign debt crisis.”

“This research was commissioned with support from Christian Aid, to fully highlight the Nigerian context and dimensions of the indebtedness to private creditors for policy options and deliberate efforts to end it.”

“It aims to contribute to an international financial architecture and macroeconomic environment that enables the fulfilment of human rights and the undertaking of climate action in economics that centre on care.”

The Centre urged, “all state and non-state actors to heed this call and minimize collective actions to nip this issue in the bud as we head towards a fiscal cliff, in the interests of the increasing population of poor Nigerians whose lives are affected by the crisis.”

Fear Of Arrest Forces Emefiele To Appear Before House Of Rep Over New Naira Note

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

The Governor of the  Central Bank Of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, finally bowed  to pressure from the Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila led House of Representatives and appeared before the Lawmakers over the New Naira Note that has led to crisis in the past few weeks.

If Emefiele had failed to appear before the Lawmakers today, Speaker of the House, Gbajabiamila was set to issue a warrant of arrest on him. He had, on a number of tines, failed to honour the summon of the House.

On Thursday last week, Gbajabiamila threatened to mandate the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to arrest and force his appearance before the House Panel, insisting that the deadline breached the provision of Section 20(3) of the CBN Act.

The Speaker partly said, “I have no choice now. On Tuesday when we resume, we will invoke the provisions of Section 89 of the Constitution .The President has been very clear. The President gave the approval based on what he knows and what he has been told.

“We also know the President to be a man of the people. He gave his approval based on what he had been told. But we are saying – what the motion is saying – is that after the President gave his approval, how does the money get to the people? The money is not getting to the people. That is what we sought to clarify and that is exactly what we are going to do.

“So, on Tuesday, this House will follow its procedure – the normal procedure – and invoke the provisions of Section 89 to compel the governor of the CBN and the directors.”

Emefiele is appearing before the ADHOC committee set up by the House to investigate the crisis, which is chaired by Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa.

Details Later…..

Atiku Mocks Tinubu Over Gaffes, Says The APC Presidential Candidate Is Embarrassing Nigeria

By
The Source
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Bola Ahmed Tinubu

By Gideon Njoku

The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has noted that his All Progressives Congress, APC, counterpart, Bola Tinubu, had become an embarrassment to Nigeria and Africa because of his many gaffes at Campaign Rallies.

This followed Tinubu’s gaffes in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in Monday, where he referred to Atiku as a former Senate President. Somebody had to whisper to him, after the deed had been done, that Atiku was a former Vice President.

Expressing worry over the gaffes which have become rather frequent,  Atiku’s aide Phrank Shaibu, in a statement, reminded Tinubu and his handlers that Aso Rock is not a Sanatorium.

He, also, worried about the embarrassment such gaffes are causing Nigeria and Africa before the International Community when it is remembered that Tinubu is vying for the highest office in the land.

Following is Shaibu’s statement:

“Aso Rock is not a sanatorium, Atiku was never Senate President

The constant gaffes of All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, which started as a comic relief is slowly becoming a tragedy, an embarrassment to Nigeria, Africa’s largest nation.

“Since Tinubu declared his intention to contest, he has made over 20 gaffes publicly. These gaffes, which have provided online skit makers with comic content, are no longer a laughing matter but a tragic embarrassment to a nation in dire need of salvation.

In his latest rally in Akwa Ibom State, Tinubu said he made Atiku Abubakar the Senate President, when it is on record that Atiku has never contested any legislative election before.

“I make bold to say that, apart from his questionable background and records, Tinubu’s endless gaffes and miscues are effects of his failing health.His degenerate mental faculty is a clear and present danger to national security. A man who lacks clear control of his mental faculties cannot lead a nation.

“But this would not be the first time the so-called Lagos godfather would put his ignorance on national display. Some months ago, he said he planned on recruiting 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army in order to solve the unemployment problem. Sadly, those within his circle gave him a standing ovation at the event in Kano rather than correct him.

“Next, he called on Nigerians to go and renew their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as they would expire ahead of the election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had to swiftly issue a statement after Tinubu’s utterance began causing panic in the polity.

“Tinubu at his Lagos rally asked Nigerians to get their APV in order to vote for APC when even primary school children know that the PVC (Permanent Voter Card) is the only item that admits a voter into a polling unit.

“If Tinubu were contesting for the position of Grand Comedian of the Federal Republic (GCFR), his gaffes would have been appropriately classified as jokes. But he is running for the most exalted office in the land. Hence, these gaffes must not be overlooked.

“Imagine Bola Tinubu with a demeanour similar to that of comedian Klint da Drunk representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly. Let us imagine him making such gaffes at meetings with world leaders. Nigeria would become the butt of jokes across the world.

“Nigerians must note that the Bola Tinubu who served as governor from 1999 to 2007 is different from the Bola Tinubu of today. The Bola Tinubu of today lacks the capacity to lead a nation of 200 million people most of whom are living in abject poverty.

It is really not about his age since many leaders across the world are also advanced in age. It is about his mien, his utterances and faux pas. These are things that can no longer be ignored. In a bid to deceive the electorate, Tinubu and his allies have been saying that what Tinubu lacks in physical capacity, he makes up for it in intelligence because “Presidency of Nigeria is not wrestling but brain work”.

But sadly, it seems Tinubu’s physical strength is actually superior to his mental capacity, going by his numerous embarrassing utterances. Last Christmas, comedian Sabinus, based his entire stage performance on Tinubu’s many gaffes.

The audience that gathered were almost rolling on the floor.

On the surface, this might be funny but when one considers the fact that Tinubu is the candidate of the ruling party, it becomes all the more tragic. Tinubu’s handlers know about his declining mental capacity hence their refusal to let him attend debates or live interviews.

These handlers of Tinubu who are now acting like a cabal believe that if he gets into Aso Rock, he will have the best medical attention while he will delegate important activities of state to them.

This is also the reason Tinubu has been depending on his surrogates to address important discussions. Even at Chatham House, London, Tinubu could not boldly answer the questions directed at him, preferring to hide under the excuse that he “believes in working with an unbreakable team”.

This is funny since his dictatorial tendency has chased away Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from his camp.

However, it must be noted that Aso Rock is neither a sanatorium nor a mental institution. To that extent Nigerians have a right to demand that any aspirant to that office should be in the best state of health.

Tinubu doesn’t believe in teamship. He is hiding his deficiencies and mental incapacity. Nigerians must not allow themselves to be deceived by this charlatan who claims to have built Lagos from scratch but cannot debate a simple economic policy without begging his handlers to bail him out.”

The Presidential Election is on February 25, 2023.

Shaibu is the Special Assistant, Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar

Feb 25: “Over Three Million Students Must Be Allowed To Vote” – Peter Obi Tells EU Observers

By
The Source
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Peter Obi

The Presidential Candidate candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi,  has said  it is important that over three million Nigerian students who are eligible to vote in the forthcoming Presidential Election must be encouraged to perform their constitutional right of electing their leaders.

Mr. Obi also expressed worries over the inability of some Nigerians in a few States, particularly in Lagos State, to collect their Permanent Voters Card, PVCs.

Speaking late Monday evening during a meeting with observers from the European Union, Election Observation Mission EU-EOM, the Labour Party candidate while answering a question on the fate of about 3.5 million students that may not exercise their voting right if at least one week holiday is not given to enable them return to their area of registration, said ” I am sure INEC will do the right thing. I am sure the universities will give them the break to go and vote. It is important because it is about their future This election is about these young people and I’m sure they will allow them to go and vote. We will continue to mention it to them as we go along.”

On the challenges being witnessed on some areas by voters in collecting their PVCs, he said, “For me now, what is important is ensuring that people collect their PVCs. There are some areas where people are still complaining that they are being denied their PVCs for one reason or the other. INEC must give them attention. But I must give INEC credit for extending the date for the collection of PVC but again I urge them to ensure that people collect their PVC. This election is very important to Nigerians. It is an existential election. We want all those that have registered to participate.”

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure who also elucidated the challenges said, “It is the young ones that bear the brunt of maladministration, so this election is about them. When the voter registration was on going, most of the University students were at home and they did their registration at home. Right now they are in School and if they remain in school during the election, it means they will be denied the opportunity to vote. So we are asking that a one week break should be giving as holiday to enable them to go and vote. You would have excluded them if they have their PVC and are not in the place where they can use it to vote.

“Generally, the country is insecure. We want the security to improve before and during the election because if security is not guaranteed we may have a situation were legitimate voters may be afraid to come out on the election days to vote. So there must be assurances that security will be beefed up. So we need the security agencies, the commander in chief to continuously give the assurances that security will be guaranteed on that day. And also, the security agencies themselves because we have had situations where the security agencies are being used to rig election or create an enabling environment for elections to be manipulated or in some cases facilitate vote buying.”

Earlier, the EU-EOM Chief Observer, Barry Andrews had told the party leaders that their visit was a routine one embarked for the purpose of interacting with leading presidential candidates and other stakeholders in the February 25 presidential election.

He said, “It is part of our work, we are having meetings with all the stakeholders in this very important election here in Nigeria. We have met with important participants including Labour Party today. We also met with APC and PDP candidates. We also met with the minister of foreign affairs earlier today, the vice president , civil society and the media. What we are doing is trying to develop a picture of transparency, inclusivity and credibility of the election. And we will report that, two days after the election in a preliminary report in a press conference on the 27th of February.

“We are in the very early stages. We have being meeting and people have a collective sense of deepening the very root of democracy and we think we can play a part but we won’t be making any conclusion until after the election.”

Anger Over Attack On Buhari in Kano, APC Calls For Arrest Of Conveyors

By
The Source
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0
President Buhari in Kano

By Gideon Njoku

Amidst strong claims backed by video evidence, of an Attack on President  Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to Kano, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has denied the disturbing story as the handiwork of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It has, therefore, called on Security Agencies to arrest the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba.

President Buhari’s motorcade, including his helicopter, had allegedly come under attack in Kano on Monday where he went to commission some projects. Some youths were said to have, allegedly, defied the heavy security and attacked the Presidential convoy and helicopter with stones and clubs.

But in a Press release on January 30, Bayo Onauga, the Director of Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, denied that any such attack took place. He put the story down on PDP propaganda, and called for the arrest of Ologunagba.

Following, the full text of Onanuga’s angry statement.

entitled Re- Attack On President Buhari In Kano – APC

“We were not surprised to read of the imaginary attack on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria being peddled by the Peoples Democratic Party since the party has nothing tangible to tell Nigerians from its crumbling Presidential Campaign.

“This invented attack on President Muhammadu Buhari must have happened only in the fertile imagination of PDP National Publicity Secretary, one Debo Ologunagba..

Nigerians should disregard this fake news from a party that has lost touch with reality and suffering the agony of violating its own rules on power rotation.

“Just as it has been masterminding fake news against the APC presidential candidate and trying vainly to cause disharmony in the APC family, we believe the party may have planned to embarrass President Buhari in Kano and then put the blame on host Governor Ganduje and Tinubu.

“This is because PDP has of recent morphed from being a Buhari virulent critic to strangely becoming a Buhari spokesperson ! The last time it issued a self-serving misinterpretation of Asíwájú’s statement in Abeokuta as an attack on President Buhari.

“It should be quite obvious to Nigerians that the knowledge of impending defeat of PDP at the coming presidential poll has pushed the party and its candidate into frenzied hallucinatory mode of mindless, ridiculous, ludicrous litany of lies and fabrications against APC and its candidate.

“The PDP is a drowning party feverishly clawing at any straw of lies and lashing out in all delusional directions to keep afloat – but sink it will.

We believe Nigerians are not taken in by the jejune antics.

“The PDP now runs the most unethical, pernicious and inelegant, abusive, obtrusive and nationally divisive campaign in the history of electioneering in Nigeria.

The other day it was the PDP candidate Atiku who, out of frustration, stated publicly that the north must not vote anybody outside the region. It’s the same trend that characterizes the PDP campaign ever since.

That surely is a sign of defeat, and readiness to sacrifice the unity of this country on the alter of unbridled inordinate ambition.

“Nigerians are wiser and would never allow PDP centrifugal forces to take our nation down with it . All men and women of good conscience should rise up and use their votes to send PDP and its band of desperados to the dustbin of history where they rightfully belong.

“Contrary to PDP fabrication, President Buhari was warmly received in Kano State today by the good people and government of the state where he commissioned eight hugely impactful projects including overhead bridge with underpass and a cancer centre.

“On Sunday, we alerted the nation to the plot by PDP to orchestrate and execute many evil plans to defame, ridicule and delegitimise President Muhammadu Buhari and our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Nigerians of goodwill would have seen by now that we didn’t raise false alarm in our statement issued on 29 January , 2023 where we detailed the evil machinations of PDP and their hirelings.

“Only the evil mind of PDP could conceive an attack on a President of Nigeria.

It is not impossible that PDP through its paid agents would organise miscreants to stage-manage an attack. But we are sure the security agencies are capable of foiling any planned attack on the President and anyone who is caught in such unholy plot now or in the future will have himself or herself to blame.

“We call on the security agencies especially the Police and Department of State Services to immediately arrest PDP National Publicity Secretary for interrogation over this imaginary attack.”

It will be recalled, according to reports, that Ganduje had, allegedly, tried to stop President Buhari from his trip to Kano following a similar attack on him in Katsina during the President’s visit.

The unruly youths were, allegedly, angry over the high cost of fuel, scarcity of the new Naira denominations and general suffering in the Country.

Judiciary, An Avenue To Truncate General Elections – Afenifere Alerts

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

The role of the third arm of Government to ensure a smooth and crisis-free elections comes to focus as  Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere issued a challenge to the Judiciary not to allow itself to be used to abort the general elections.

The Group also called on the Government and all stakeholders to ensure that there is no change in the conduct of the elections and the handing-over date on May 29, 2023.

Afenifere, in a statement on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi noted that the February/March elections are imperative partly due to a warning that the court may be used to thwart the election process.

The statement reads: “The contrived pains can be seen in the unabated insecurity, heightened difficulties in getting fuel, in getting new Naira notes and in getting other energy sources such as electricity, gas, kerosene and diesel.

If the difficulties being experienced in these areas continued and Nigerians begin to react, their peaceful expression of frustration may be used as an excuse to want to tinker with the democratic experiment going on. Such would not be acceptable in any way.

“Nigerians will not accept to live under any arrangement that offends the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“In spite of the fact that Afenifere has been strident in its call for a constitution that will usher in a restructured Nigeria, for now, citizens have no choice other than to abide by the constitutional provisions especially on how to change governments in the country, which is through the electoral process as well as peaceful handing-over to the winner.

“Afenifere calls on the Judiciary not to allow itself to be used to imperil democracy through unhelpful and perhaps frivolous litigations such as the one brought by one Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru wanting to stop the forthcoming presidential election.

“Luckily, the case, which was heard by Honourable Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja was dismissed on Monday.”

DSS Arrests Hoarders, Sellers Of New Currency

By
Uche Mbah
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Peter Afunaya - DSS Spokesperson

By Uche Mbah

The Department of State Services (DSS), Monday, announced its arrest of some members of a syndicate involved in the sale of the newly redesigned naira notes.

The notes-N200, N500 and N1000 has been adjudged very scarce, with the N200 virtually non-existent.

Checks by this Magazine Monday indicates there was no new currency in major banks, including their automatic teller machines. There were no old notes either.

Rowdy crowds were seen at Egbeda area, Mainland Lagos, and some parts of Ikeja, waiting at ATM service point to withdraw money.

Government had Sunday extended the deadline for cessation of use of old notes by ten days.

A statement by Peter Afunanya, DSS Public Relations Officer (PRO), Monday, said some commercial banks’ officials are “aiding the economic malfeasance”.

“In the course of its operations in parts of the country, it was established that some Commercial Bank officials are aiding the economic malfeasance’, he said.

“Consequently, the Service warns the currency racketeers to desist from this ignoble act. Appropriate regulatory authorities are, in this same vein, urged to step up monitoring and supervisory activities to expeditiously address the emerging trends.

“It should be noted that the Service has ordered its Commands and Formations to further ensure that all persons and groups engaged in the illegal sale of the notes are identified.

“Therefore, anyone with useful information relating to this is encouraged to pass the same to the relevant authorities.”

UBA: Elumelu Harps On Gender Equality As Bawuah Becomes CEO

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

Tony Elumelu, Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa, UBA says the bank is very gender sensitive when it comes to appointing persons into top executives roles.

Women now dominate the board of the commercial bank following the appointment of Abiola Bawuah as Chief Executive Officer, UBA Africa, UBA Africa, Elumelu said.

Bawuah is the first female to be appointed to the position by the bank.

To qualify for the position, Elumelu said “Abiola has contributed significantly to the growth of UBA Africa for close to a decade. She brings a wealth of experience in commercial banking, and stakeholder engagement.

“It also gives me great pleasure that with her appointment, the UBA Group Board has now become a majority female board.”

In her new role as one of the Executive directors of the bank, Bawuah will oversee the Group’s operations across 19 African countries, excluding Nigeria.

The appointment of the Ghanaian born banker further demonstrates UBA’s commitment to diversity, the commercial bank said, adding that it now has eight female Directors.

Bawuah is coming into her new role with a ruburst experience in the banking and financial services sector.
Prior to her appointment, Bawuah was Regional CEO, West Africa, supervising the Group’s operations in nine subsidiaries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. She previously held the role of CEO, UBA Ghana.

Meanwhile, the bank has also announced other appointments.

Chris Ofikulu becomes the Regional CEO, UBA West Africa. Ofikulu, who has over two decades of banking experience spanning corporate, commercial, and retail banking.

Uzoechina Molokwu will take on the role as Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of UBA Ghana, subject to local regulatory approvals. He was previously the Executive Director, Business Development – UBA Côte d’Ivoire and has over 23 years banking experience.

Ayokunle Olajubu will be the Managing Director/CEO UBA Liberia, subject to local regulatory approvals. He currently drives compliance across Africa subsidiaries andcomes with 30 years banking experience in Nigeria and other African countries,includingSierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire and the Gambia.

Theresa Henshaw has been appointed as CEO of UBA UK, subject to local regulatoryapprovals. She was previously the DMD, Business Development, UBA America and joined the Group as ED, Business Development at UBA UK.

Usman Isiaka, currently CEO, UBA Sierra Leone, will be the Deputy CEO in UBA America, subject to local regulatory approvals.

Adeyemi Adeleke, the former CEO of UBA, UK is now the Group Treasurer. Adeleke will be working to unlock the immense value in the Group’s multi-jurisdictional balance sheet, leveraging on its presence in 24 countries within and beyond Africa.

“Initial Server Report Gave APC Victory” At Osun Election Petition Tribunal

By
Ayodele Oni
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Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi

By Ayodele Oni

Analysts and election experts have continued to punctuate the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal on the Osun governorship election.

A top official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provided clarifications on the discrepancy related to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

The tribunal, on Friday nullified the election of Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Ademola Adeleke amid over voting and additional votes for Adegboyega Oyetola of All Progressives Congress, (APC) putting him ahead of Adeleke.

A former Director, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, in a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, said there should not have been a discrepancy in the 2022 Osun State governorship election.

Osaze-Uzzi explained that the APC obtained a certified copy of the initial server report before some of the data had been transmitted by the BVAS hardware.

Saying that was why the verdict was not a unanimous judgement, he explained that “The second tribunal member – the honourable justice who dissented from his two colleagues – said, ‘I would rather use the primary source of this information, and the primary source of this data is actually the machine itself.

“It is basically a computer. So, rather than go to the server where it transmitted data, I would use the printout from the machine itself.

“The machines were tendered, so were the reports from the server, and there ought not to have been a discrepancy, but somewhere along the line, not all the data had been transmitted at the time the APC obtained the certified copy of the initial server report.”

Osaze-Uzzi, however, described the judgement as a validation of the role BVAs has played in enhancing the electoral process.

Rather than view the discrepancy from a negative perspective, he encouraged stakeholders to take a more optimistic outlook, arguing that BVAs exposed the over voting in the election.

“It was BVAs that exposed that as it were, and the fact that the BVAs report was relied on. But we have to be careful; which of the BVAs report was relied on?

“Was it what was transmitted to the server – to the back-end – or was it the BVAs itself?”

According to him, there is a need to break the verdict of the tribunal, adding that the majority of the tribunal  “the chairman and the second member” relied on the initial report and the initial report of the back-end, duly certified by INEC.

“It was downloaded from the server after it was transmitted. But a couple of days later,  INEC used the word ‘synchronised’, I’m not too sure I like that word, but  you synchronise it and say, ‘Have all the results been transmitted, has all data been transmitted from the machine, BVAs itself, to the server?’

“The machine is a physical one and then it transmits to a physical one. It now went, checked and said, ‘There’s a problem here.’ The BVAS report now downloaded itself, [we] now brought it out and examined each BVAS machine and now found out that no, some data was not transmitted to the server.”

Another Container Falls In Lagos, Hours After Container Crushed Eight Persons To Death

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Ojuelegba Container Accident

By Akinwale Kasali

Less than 24 hours after Eight persons lost their lives in Ojuelegba, Lagos, after a Container fell on a Commercial Bus popularly known as Danfo, another Container has fallen off again on the ever busy Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Dopemu, Lagos.

The 40ft container fell off at the Sawmill inward Dopemu under bridge, and blocked 90 per cent of the road.

Though no casualties has been recorded so far, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, said its personnel  are trying to take the Container off the road. Vehicular movement has been halted following this development.

According to a Tweet from LASTMA, “A 40ft container laden truck fell at Sawmill inward Dopemu under bridge, it’s occupying 90 per cent of road. Our men are on ground doing the needful as effort is on for recovery.”

Vehicular movement is still  halted at the Ojuelegba area of the State as LASTMA officials are still making frantic efforts to clear the debris of the ill-fated accident that happened on Sunday.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that effort is currently being made towards rescue and evacuation.

LASEMA, in a statement stated that “Recovery of the fallen container is still ongoing, though it has been taken off on top of the minibus but is yet to be completely removed from the location. Traffic is still on hold, and we have a backlog of traffic presently at Alaka.

“Kindly exercise patience or find an alternative if you are not trapped in the traffic,” he added.

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