Home Blog Page 828

Again, Stampede At Palliatives Distribution In Abuja, Okija Claim lives

December 21, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Few days after the death of 35 teenagers at a Christmas fun centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, another stampede at a palliatives distribution center in Abuja claimed the lives of at least 10 persons, including children, with several others sustaining various degrees of injuries.

Also from Anambra State comes a report that in Okija, Unspecified number, including women and children died during a rush where people were sharing bags of rice donated by a notable member of the community, Chief Dr.Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi (Obijackson).

The Abuja incident happened at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, Saturday morning as thousands of residents scrambled to receive palliatives distributed by the church.

The event, organised to provide relief for residents, drew over 3,000 people, mostly from Mpape, Gishiri Village, and other nearby settlements.

The National Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Mike Nsikak Umoh, confirmed the tragic development, noting the suspension of the palliative distribution. “Yes it’s true but with sketchy details.”

An eyewitness described the scene as chaotic and tragic, revealing that at least seven of the deceased were children.

“Many people had arrived as early as 4am, hoping to secure their share of the palliatives. The stampede occurred between 7.00am and 8.00am when the crowd surged forward.

“Ten persons have been reported dead, including children. We just received a call that they have passed on.

“Over 3,000 people came out to receive the palliative. It’s unfortunate. Some of them arrived as early as 4:00 AM. Most of those present were residents of Mpape, Gishiri Village, and other nearby settlements.

“The stampede occurred between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM. The distribution of palliatives has been suspended indefinitely, and people are dispersing. May God receive the souls of the departed and protect us from harm.”

A combined team of police, military, and DSS officers has been deployed to restore order and disperse the crowd. The church premises, initially filled with anxious beneficiaries, gradually cleared as security personnel enforced the suspension.

One Uche Nworah, Ph.D posted on social media that the “news coming out of Okija, Anambra state this morning indicate many have died including women and children following a stampede where people were sharing bags of rice donated by a notable member of the community, Chief Dr.Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi (Obijackson). May the souls of the dead rest in peace, Amen.

“This is obviously a crowd control issue. Others planning such community empowerment this season should do this differently to prevent this happening again.

“There is so much hunger in the land. Many will throng venue of such give-aways but the crowd should be managed better.”

VeryDarkman Dares Police: “G*d Punish Politicians Who Put Nigerians Where We are Today”

James Orji

December 21, 2024

By Akinwale Kasali

Social Media Critic, Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has blasted the Nigerian Police Froce, NPF, for threatening Nigerians who abuse and rain curses on government officials with imprisonment.

““God will punish all Nigeria politicians who put (sic)Nigeria where we are today” Otse said on his social media handle X on Friday.

The social media influential spoke few days after Muyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, ASP, warned Nigerians to stop cursing government officials, saying they could be jailed for commenting the act which he described as cyber-bullying.

The magazine reported that the Force spokesman was reacting to the arrest and arraignment of #EndSARS activist Olamide Thomas for insulting President Tinubu’s son, Seyi on social media.

“Raining direct curses on someone online is cyberbullying, not expression of freedom or criticism. And cyberbullying, which is even different from defamation, is a criminal offence and punishable. Be guided,” Adejobi said on Friday after many Nigerians criticized the police for charging Thomas to court.

Reacting on his verified X handle, Otse said the police cannot stop Nigerians from speaking out against their oppressive government.

He said if the Politicians don’t want to be insulted, they should stop embezzling public funds, serve the people, and justify the reason they are voted into office.

Otse said, “Let the Police come and arrest me, I will continue to insult any Politicians, public office holders, the government and even the Police if they fail to do the right thing.

“Why should they be scared of been insulted if they are doing the right thing, it is because they know they are been exposed on Social Media.

“This is oppression of the masses. You are making the people go through hardship, suffer them and making them go through pains and you want them to keep quiet, where is that done.

“There is a School in Abuja, the building is dilapidated, there are no good toilets, because of the poor state of the School, there is no Primary Six.

“Also in the same Abuja, there is a particular Secondary School, the JSS 2 and JSS 3 Class has cease to exist because of the poor state of the Schools, despite the huge sum of money budgeted for Education in the nation’s yearly budget,” he said.

Jigawa Farmers Accuse Agro Dealers Of Sabotaging FG’s Agricultural Scheme

Ayodele Oni

December 21, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Farmers in Jigawa State have accused agro dealers of sabotaging the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS&AP) programme.

A report monitored on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, (FRCN) Kaduna, stated that the farmers made the allegations while speaking to journalists during a monitoring exercise conducted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture at distribution centers in Dutse and Miga Local Government Areas.

They expressed concern that delay in the distribution of agricultural inputs could result in significant losses, thereby undermining the government’s efforts to achieve food security in the country.

The farmers alleged that some agro dealers were involved in recycling the inputs, using agents to purchase the distributed items immediately after farmers receive them.

According to them, “These inputs are reportedly stored for other beneficiaries, forcing many farmers to wait for over ten days to access their shares”

The State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Jigawa, Sale Saidu, explained that the programme was aimed at supporting small-scale farmers to produce substantial food for both the state and the nation.

He stated that under the scheme, farmers were provided with fertilisers, agrochemicals, and improved seeds at subsidised rates to reduce their reliance on loans.

Saidu pointed out that, the programme targets 80,000 farmers across the state, but only 60,000 have been registered so far.

“The distribution of inputs, particularly for wheat farming, was planned for a two-week period but has been hampered by ICT network issues and delays in transporting inputs to distribution centres”

“The ministry is working hard to improve the situation for easy access to the inputs”

He urged farmers to cooperate with them as efforts were being made to address the challenges.

He also encouraged farmers to use the inputs appropriately to achieve the programme’s objectives.

He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, to boosting food production in the country.

The NAGS&AP initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to ensure sustainable food production and agricultural development across Nigeria.

Five Years After, Amnesty International Asks FG To Search For Dadiyata, Missing University Lecturer

Ayodele Oni

December 21, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Global Human Rights body, Amnesty International, (AI), has once again charged the Federal government to disclose the whereabout of Abubakar Idris, aka Dadiyata, five years after his abduction.

AI, which raised the alarm over the continued disappearance of Dadiyata, who was abducted over five years ago, noted that the fate of the university lecturer has continued to create tension and fear among the populace.

On August 2, 2019, Dadiyata, a vocal critic of the Nigerian government, was forcibly taken by armed men from his home in Kaduna. His whereabouts remain unknown, and despite repeated calls from his family for government intervention, authorities have yet to offer any answers.

According to AI, “Dadiyata’s family and friends have been experiencing slow mental anguish for over five years. What happened to Dadiyata violates a range of human rights.”

In a statement, Amnesty International emphasized that the government has a responsibility to determine the fate and whereabouts of Dadiyata, as well as others who have disappeared.

“Dadiyata, who was not only an outspoken critic of the Buhari administration but also a prominent member of the Kwankwasiyya movement, was highly regarded by his peers for his humor and soft-spoken nature.

“At the time of his abduction, he was a 34-year-old lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State.

“The abduction occurred at around 1.00 a.m. when armed men breached the security of his home and forcibly took him, placing him in his BMW car. Over five years later, his family remains in the dark about his fate, while the nation continues to grapple with the implications of his disappearance.

“What happened to Dadiyata is used as a strategy to spread terror within society. The feeling of insecurity and fear such abduction generates is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects communities and society as a whole.

“Dadiyata’s case highlights the broader issue of enforced disappearances in Nigeria, where human rights abuses persist without accountability.

“As his family continues their search for justice, there is mounting pressure on the Nigerian government to take decisive action in locating Dadiyata and addressing the wider problem of missing persons.”

Port Harcourt Refinery Not Shut Down; Report False

James Orji

December 21, 2024

By Olufemi Soneye

The attention of Nigerian National Petroleum Limited has been drawn to reports in a section of the media alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery which was re-streamed two months ago has been shut down.

“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false as the refinery is fully operational as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC. Preparation for the day’s loading operation is currently ongoing.

“Members of the public are advised to discountenance such reports as they are the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip-of.

How Tinubu’s Alleged N360bn ‘Offer’ To Reps Stopped Protest Against Budget Presentation

James Orji

December 21, 2024

More facts are emerging why members of the House of Representatives dropped their planned protest during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2025 Budget presentation.

The magazine reported that President Tinubu presented the N47. 9 trillion Budget Proposal to the joint Session of the National Assembly on Thursday December 18, 2024 in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

According to Daily Nigeria, the lawmakers had planned to disrupt the presentation by protesting against the Tax Reform Bill sent to the NASS in August this year. The Bill has been described to be very controversial following the divisions it created among Nigerians.

The Newspaper claimed that many House of Reps members who were not happy with the controversial bill had plotted to disrupt the event, which could have embarrassed the president , but shelved the plan after all the lawmakers were offered N1 billion each as Constituency Project. There are 360 lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

On their part, 109 senators in the Nigerian Senate were also believed to have been offered N2 billion each, which will be injected into the 2025 Budget, sources informed the online newspaper, saying the action was made to placate them, so that the Budget Presentation could go without any incident.

The deal was reached after an emergency meeting with the House leadership, the report claimed, adding that the lawmakers agreed to shelve their plans following the huge sums offered to placate them,

“Plans have been concluded to heckle “no to tax bills” during President Tinubu’s budget presentation speech, but the lawmakers were quickly invited to a meeting with the House leadership at 9:30am on Wednesday,” a top source familiar with the detail of the proceedings of the meeting revealed.

“During the meeting, they appealed to members to respect the sanctity of the hallowed chambers and the existing cordial relationship with the Executive, to shelve their plans to disrupt President Tinubu’s speech.

“They therefore announced that the president had graciously increased the constituency allowance to N1billion per member.”

The magazine reported that President Tinubu increased the Budget to N49.7 trillion from the N47.9 trillion initially proposed, an act sources said was done to placate some ‘major stakeholders’ in the government, particularly the National Assembly.

Port Harcourt Refinery Back To Square One; $1.5bn Wasted?

James Orji

December 21, 2024

The fanfare that greeted, the return to production, of the Port Harcourt Refinery appears to have turned to disappointment following reports that one of Nigeria’s government-owned Petro-chemical plants has shut down again.

The development is coming few days after the Dangote Refinery said it had reduced the price of petrol to N899.50 per litre, saying it took the decision to provide ‘relief’ for consumers ahead the yuletide period.

Recall that on November 26, 2024, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari announced that the 60,000 barrel per day refinery has bounced back to life, after many years of inactivity.

The announcement comes barely four years after the federal government said it had allocated a whopping $1.5 billion for the turn-around maintenance of the refinery.

Amidst the media frenzy and Kyari’s efforts to convinced Nigerians that the refinery has started full-throttle, the NNPCL boss claimed that trucks have started loading PMS from the facility.

Kyari stated that 200 trucks of petrol will be loaded daily from the refinery, assuring that maintenance work has started in the other three refineries in the country, including 30,000 barrel per day Port Harcourt Refinery, Warri Refinery and the Kaduna Refinery.

That enthusiasm appears to have suddenly disappeared following reports that trucks have stopped loading petrol from the Port Harcourt Refinery, barely a month after NNPCL claimed that production has commenced.

According to The Punch, production at the refinery stopped on December 13, 2024 less than three week after the NNPCL claimed that it has bounced back to life.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the lifting of petrol actually stopped on, December 13, as the 18-arm loading bay of the new Port Harcourt refinery was empty.

While about 18 trucks littered the stretch of the busy road leading to the refinery itself, nine trucks were spotted inside the parking yard, while the loading bay was empty.

The depot, which is usually a beehive of activities where tankers scramble for space at the parking yard, was a shadow of itself with literally no vehicular or human activity relating to operations.

Reacting to the development, a petroleum product marketer, Dappa Jubobaraye, said the claim that the refinery has started production was just a show put up by the NNPCL to deceive Nigerians, and to justify the $1.5 billion spent to revamp the plant.

Jubobaraye stated that only a few trucks of petrol were loaded at the refinery before it shut down again saying that “loading of PMS is not taking place” at the Refinery currently, adding that the claim that it has started production was meant to ‘deceive the people’.

The marketer stated, “It was intended to deceive Nigerians that the refinery is working and that is why they came up with that show. That day, only about four or five trucks loaded products.

“The loading meter was not calibrated yet before they started operation. Of the 18 loading arms at the bay only three are working and they have leakages. So, they have been trying to load three, four, five trucks, sometimes 10 just to show that they are working while they are not working.

“Since Mele Kyari came and left, the independent marketers have yet to load products from this depot because the NNPC is yet to fix prices for them to buy tickets and start loading products. They are only loading them to their own mega stations.

“The situation right now is that loading of PMS is not taking place because they don’t have the intention to make this place work. It is just to deceive the people.

“If you come into this place (depot), you will see trucks packed and think that loading is on; but the truth is that they are not working. Some tanker drivers have gone because they can’t come and waste time here.”

He said marketers have been lurking around the facility for days without product to load.

“How can you come here with the hope of loading and you stay here with your truck for two weeks, for what? Before the work stopped last week, they were loading up to 10, 15 but below 20.

“Ordinary one of the arms in the loading bay can load up to 20 to 30 trucks in a day. But for now, they are using only three arms out of the 18 loading arms inside the bay and the three are just for PMS alone. They have not started loading DPK (kerosene) and AGO (diesel). And kerosene is what concerns the ordinary more,” he said.

Meanwhile, energy experts insist that in spite of the shutdown at the Port Hartcourt Refinery, consumers need not worry of scarcity as the Dangote Refinery has enough products to supply across the country.

Update: Port Harcourt Refinery Not Shut Down; Report False

Appeal Court Sacks SamDaddy, Installs Okoye As PDP National Secretary

Suleiman Anyalewechi

December 20, 2024

Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Rt Hon Ude Okoye

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Opposition Lawmakers Hail Verdict

The Court of Appeal has, finally, sacked the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, popular as Samdaddy. He was sacked on Friday, December, 20, 2024.

Anyanwu’s sack has been hailed by the Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers at the National Assembly.

The Coalition expressed satisfaction with the Appeal Court sack of Anyanwu as the Secretary of the PDP.

A statement from the Coalition Leader, Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere, described the development as representing a new dawn for the troubled PDP.

According to the statement, Justice Rilwan Abdullahi, in the lead judgment by the Enugu Appeal Court panel, declared Rt Hon Ude Okoye as the authentic National Secretary of the Party.

The Appeal Court justices, also ordered Okoye to complete the remaining tenure of Samuel Anyanwu, following his exit to participate in the November 11,2023 ,Imo State Gubernatorial race.

The Source reports that Anyanwu was the PDP flag bearer in the election that also featured Governor Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressive Congress APC, Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party, LP, and others.

APC’s Governor Uzodinma won the election to secure his second term in office.

However, for failing to quit his position as the National Secretary of the PDP after securing the party’s gubernatorial ticket, Anyanwu was subsequently dragged to a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu.

The High Court earlier had declared null and void the continued claim of Anyanwu as the National Secretary. The High Court also recognized Okoye as the rightful National Secretary after being duly nominated by the South East Caucus to replace Anyanwu.

The Appeal Court, in affirming the earlier decision of the High Court ,described the continued claim of Anyanwu as the Secretary, even after clinching the PDP Imo gubernatorial ticket as a grave violation of the party’s Constitution.

Subsequently, the Appellate Court ,dismissed his (Anyanwu’s ) appeal against the judgment of the High Court for lacking in merit .

The Coalition of opposition party Lawmakers ,in its statement expressed total agreement with the Appeal Court verdict.

“We want to salute the courage of the Appeal Court to have ended this madness by first of all upholding the judgment of the High Court Enugu that recognizes the decision of South East PDP leaders that nominated Ude Okoye as the substantive National Secretary to complete the remaining tenure created by the vacancy in the office by the resignation of Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary when he went to run for governorship.

The Appeal Court has restated the principle of the PDP’s Constitution that anyone elected to the executive committee of the party at any level may resign his or her office by giving 30 days notice in writing to the executive committee, except in cases of vying for an elective office which shall be effective within the period stipulated by NEC.

“The law has said that you should resign. When you choose to run for the election, you have chosen to resign.

“We thank the Appeal Court. The opposition law makers are one hundred percent with our National Secretary Ude Okoye”, the statement noted.

Budget: Stop Yearly Appropriation For Forks, Vehicles, Computers; They Don’t Expire, El-Rufai Slams FG

James Orji

December 20, 2024

The lawmaker representing Kaduna state in the House of Representatives, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai has called on the federal government to stop appropriating funds for items such as spoons, forks, vehicles, and others every year.

The House member, the son of a former Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai said those items ‘don’t expire’ and as such should not be budgeted for yearly.

El-Rufai said the act does not show that government is serious about its austerity policy, which forces Nigerians to endure the current hardship to enjoy in the future as being promised by the administration of Bola Tinubu.

The administration has introduced serious economic measures which has pushed many Nigerians into serious poverty, even as it enjoined the citizens to endure more.

El-Rufai who made the remark, on Friday, during the House’s debate on the 2025 Appropriation Bill said the government must show that it’s prepared to make sacrificse for the country like Nigerian are currently doing.

The magazine reported that President Tinubu presented the 2025 financial estimates of N49.7 trillion before the Joint Session of the National Assembly on Thursday.

Speaking, the lawmaker said “My humbled contribution to the 2025 Appropriation Bill. The bill was deliberated upon at great length in a day that turned out to be very long. In summary, there are certain budget line items that Ministries and MDA’s should not be earmarking anymore.

“These include the new vehicles, furniture, stationeries and other equipments like computers and printers on an annual basis among others. These could last for years if managed well.

“As we continue to enact reforms that will shape Nigeria’s sustainable development, it is imperative for public officials in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government to keep in mind that these are dire times for our people.

“We should be at the front of line of making the necessary sacrifices, not the citizens,” he said.

The administration has not been spared by not a few Nigerians for alleged ostentatious lifestyles of many government officials, despite the serious poverty in the country.

Ibadan Stampede: NGF, House Call For Investigation

Ayodele Oni

December 20, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the House of Representatives have expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of over 30 children in a stampede at a Christmas event in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, expressed sadness over the death of children due to a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State. He described the incident as unfortunate.

The incident, which also injured many others, took place at a party attended by students. The organizer was, allegedly, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife.

Among those involved were the school principal and event organizers.

Governor Seyi Makinde, the NGF Vice Chairman, received condolences from the forum, as well as from the families affected by the tragedy.

President Bola Tinubu has called for a thorough investigation into the event.

The NGF has offered its condolences to the victims’ families and the people of Oyo State, wishing them strength as they cope with the loss.

The forum has also backed the investigation, urging actions to prevent future incidents like this.

Speaker Abbas, in his condolence message issued through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, commiserated with the Government and the people of Oyo State, especially the families of the victims.

The Speaker, while calling for a thorough investigation of the incident to forestall a recurrence, called for caution during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

1...827828829...2,962 Page 828 of 2,962