A petrol-loaded tanker fell around Stadium Bridge, inward Ojuelegba  Surulere in Lagos state on Tuesday

This was disclosed in a statement made available to PUNCH Metro by the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq.

According to the statement, the accident occurred as a result of brake failure on the part of the truck.

The statement partly reads “Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and other emergency responders today prevented another petroleum fire explosion on top of Stadium Bridge inward Barracks/Ojuelegba on Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, Lagos.

He noted that relevant agencies which include the LASEMA Response Unit and the Lagos State Fire were immediately called to the accident scene to prevent a fire explosion.

The driver, Sefiyu Adamu was arrested and handed over to the Police for further investigation.

“Mr. Adebayo confirmed that in order to prevent another imminent fire explosion, LASTMA Officials as first emergency responders after arriving at the scene immediately called other emergency responders particularly the Lasema Response Unit and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services.

“Traffic Officer Olukoga Olajide who led LASTMA rescue operations to the scene confirmed that the driver of the falling Coniol tanker, Sefiyu Adamu, was arrested and handed over to the Police for further investigation.

“You will recall that the Lagos State Government restricted trucks including petroleum tanker drivers from plying the Ojuelegba, Stadium and Dorma-long bridges to forestall further accidents on the bridge.

“You will recall that the Lagos State Government restricted trucks including petroleum tanker drivers from plying the Ojuelegba, Stadium and Dorma-long bridges to forestall further accidents on the bridge.”

[Punch]

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2023 Internal Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) with a record of 61.60 percent of candidates scoring five credits and above including English and Mathematics.

The examination council disclosed that 93 schools were found to be involved in whole-school (mass) cheating while 52 Supervisors were recommended for blacklisting due to poor supervision, aiding, and abetting during the examinations.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi disclosed this while announcing the release of the results of the Examination.

Wushishi said that the erring schools will be invited to the Council for discussion after which appropriate sanctions will be applied.

He said that 1,196,985 candidates representing 616,398 males and 580,587 females sat for the examinations adding that 1,543 candidates with special needs also sat for the examinations.

Wushishi noted: “Number of candidates with Special Needs is 1,542 which includes 913 candidates with hearing impairment, 162 candidates with visual impairment, 103 candidates with Albanism, 61 candidates with Autism, 149 candidates with low vision, and 154 candidates with Adermatoglyphia which are candidates with no fingerprints.

“737,308 representing 61.60 percent Candidates passed with five Credits and above, 1,013,611 representing 84.68 percent candidates had five Credits irrespective of English and Mathematics.”

[Vanguard]

As early as 4am local time on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 eligible voters including first time voters woke up from their beds to secure their respective spots in a queue in readiness to vote for the person of their choice including the presidency and members of both the houses of Senate and Representatives in this much anticipated elections.

In other to see for themselves and to also make sure that these elections are conducted freely with transparency, observers from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), European Union (EU), the United States (US) and other international organisations for transparent elections also toured many of the polling centers around the Liberian Capital, Monrovia to see for themselves effort being applied by Liberians for a peaceful election.

During the tour early this morning in central Monrovia, Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, head of the ECOWAS delegation, and Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security who led the team including Ambassador Josephine Nkrumah, ECOWAS Representative to Liberia during tour of various polling centers urged Liberians to be peaceful during these elections in the interest of their country.

Liberians themselves who stood in queue to vote for the person of their choice speaking to the GNN poured praises on the International Community including election observers from ECOWAS, AU, EU, and others international observers and monitors, and prayed that these elections will bring a new breed of leaders who will make the difference.

According to today’s protocol, the team is expected to visit the polling center where the incumbent President, George Manneh Weah is expected to cast his vote.

[gnnliberia]

I am using this medium to respectfully call on President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Peace Corps Bill recently passed by the National Assembly. It will be recalled that the Peace Corp Bills suffered a chequered history during the tenure of former president Muhammadu Buhari who ultimately declined to assent to the bill, despite being passed several times by the National Assembly.

Sir, the Peace Corp Bill is an important bill in the life of our nation and ought to be passed. At a time when our country is ravaged by insecurity arising from decades old fault lines, a peace corps aimed at orienting and educating the youths on the importance of embracing peace, cannot be overemphasised.

The argument of overriding security functions with existing security agencies, and overburdened running cost put forward by opponents of the bill every time it came up for presidential assent, can no longer hold weight in the present circumstances, and any such considerations, even if it were to be real, pans out when placed side by side with the benefits that the bill confers on the peace and unity of our nation.

All over the world, the Peace Corps contribute greatly to the peace, security and national values of any nation where there are domiciled. Nigeria should not be an exception. It is for these reasons that I urge you, Mr. President, to consider the great benefits of the Peace Corps bill and assent to it.

Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a judgement delivered on Monday, disqualified the Bayelsa All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11 governorship election, Chief Timipre Sylva.

Justice Okorowo ruled that Chief Sylva having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of Bayelsa would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.

The judge also declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the November poll because if he wins and is sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.

Citing the case of Marwa vs Nyako at the Supreme Court, Okorowo noted that the drafters of the country’s constitution stated that nobody should be voted for as governor more than two times and that the parties to the suit agreed that Sylva was voted into office two times.

He further stated that the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Marwa vs Nyako that nobody can expand the constitution or its scope. So, if Sylva is allowed to contest the next election, it means a person can contest as many times as he wishes.

The group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari has emphatically stated that there is no subsidy on fuel in Nigeria.

He disclosed this to State House correspondents on Monday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This is as Kyari made a projection that Nigeria will start exporting refined petroleum products by 2024.

The NNPC boss made this declaration yesterday at the 2nd edition of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Energy and Labour Summit (PEALS) in Abuja where he said that the country will soon be self-sufficient in product production.

Speaking on the theme, “Petroleum Downstream Deregulation and Utilisation for a Sustainable Energy Future in Nigeria”, Kyari also justified the federal government rationale for fuel subsidy removal, adding that without the move the NNPCL would have gone bankrupt.

He said that Nigeria needs to have sustainable energy that is anchored on the resources that are available and a replacement for biomass.

Kyari also advocated for a shift in the transportation system towards other energy sources, particularly for mass transportation which according to him, means Nigeria must do everything possible to bring to reality the current progress that is being made on CNG buses across the country.

“Today, we export 100 per cent of our production, no resource-dependent country does this and that is why we must deliver on our mandate .

So it will be done, and you will see. I don’t want to speak about it. We are tired of speaking about it. But what we must achieve is that this country must be the net exporter of petroleum products.

I strongly believe that in 2024, this country will become the net exporter of petroleum products. The meaning of this is that we will have sufficient volumes in-country, when refined locally, we do have advantages, creating wealth, creating taxes, and all forms of value, creating employment, and so on and so forth”, he said.

Recall that the National President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Festus Osifo, on Friday, said the government has restored subsidy on petrol, despite the official government policy of breaking with the subsidy regime since May.

However, Kyari explained that the occasional queues and lower fuel prices observed in some states were not indicative of a return to fuel subsidy.

He said the government was recovering its full costs from the imported products.

He said “no subsidy whatsoever. We are recovering our full cost from the products that we import. We sell to the market and we understand why the marketers are unable to import.

“We hope that they do it very quickly and these are some of the interventions the government is doing where there is no subsidy.

On fuel queues in some parts of the country , Kyari said these challenges were caused by blockades on roads connecting southern depots to the northern regions of the country, leading to delayed deliveries and temporary supply gaps.

He highlighted that full deregulation of the sector had led to healthy competition among marketers, resulting in reduced fuel prices at some stations.

He said this price competition had led to some customers flocking to stations with lower prices, potentially causing panic among those unaware of the market dynamics.

Kyari reassured the public that there is an ample supply of fuel, with over 1.4 billion litres of products available, both on land and in marine storage.

He also emphasised that there were no issues with the delivery of products.

Regarding foreign exchange issues, Kyari mentioned that the government was actively working to ensure a stable foreign exchange market.

He acknowledged that the current exchange rate of around N770 to the US dollar was part of the transition towards a more stable market, aligning prices of petroleum products with other commodities.

He said “we have seen in very few states pockets of very low queues. Not unconnected with the road situation that we’re seeing the number of blockades on our road crossing products from the southern depots into the northern part of the country and it takes them a much longer time than they do now.

“They have to reroute the trucks around many, many locations for them to be able to reach and that created delays and some supply gaps.

“But that has been filled and we do not see any of such problems again. And secondly, because of the full deregulation that we have in this sector, marketers are now competing amongst themselves.

“So you must have noticed some fuel stations will reduce prices by N2 and N3 so customers will naturally run to the places where you have that reduction in prices.

“And that creates panic, because for those who don’t know why they are doing it, they will think that there’s something wrong happening, or there’s an ominous sign of scarcity or people start queuing up in the fuel stations.

“Otherwise, there is no challenge. Supply is robust. We have over 1.4 billion litres of product in our hands both marine and land. Also there are no issues around delivery of those products into the land.

“So there is no fear, nothing to worry about. But we are also happy that the market forces are now playing out and marketers are competing and of course there are a few issues we’re engaging them to resolve alongside other agencies of government and critical issues around access to foreign exchange.

“And as you all know, the government is doing so much to ensure supply of FX into the market.

“We know that this FX market will stabilise and the current I&E window is around 770. And we know that with those inputs that’s already happening, the inputs of the government today will crystallise and also they will come to an equilibrium position in the FX market and this is a dream of this country.

“So they will have a stable FX market, a stable product market where the prices of products will also speak to prices of other commodities.

“And this is already manifesting and we think this is the economic revolution that this country needs,” he said .

Meanwhile, PENGASSAN national president, Comrade Festus Osifo called for a salary benchmark for oil and gas workers.

Speaking at the PEALS, yesterday, Osifo said the salary was necessary to align with the instrument of trade of the oil and gas commodity.

According to Osifo, the model practiced in Angola, where legislation pegs workers’ salaries in dollars and pays them the legal tender equivalent, is a testament to the possibilities of safeguarding the interests of workers amidst currency fluctuations.

He stresses that the recent floating of the naira by the federal government in the official market has exacerbated the challenges faced by oil and gas workers.

He emphasised that Nigeria must explore innovative solutions to forestall financial losses to workers and prevent undue gains to companies, ensuring a fair and equitable environment for all.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has severely criticised the European Union (EU) over its report on the Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, saying the report did not give the true position of the last election held in the country.

Wike, who made his dissatisfaction known when the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, paid him a visit in his office on Monday, said that the report created a wrong impression on the minds of the electorate especially in his native Rivers State.

The Minister said the EU was supposed to serve as an observer during the last elections and not to present a report that would not give the true picture of Nigerian democracy.

Recall that the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM), through the chief observer, Barry Andre, had in June presented its final report on the 2023 general election, and highlighted six priority areas with recommendations.

Wike, however, said Nigerian laws can not be the same as those of the EU because they have different environments.

“I did not agree with the European Union over the last report on the elections in Nigeria. They are to observe. Nigerian laws can not be the same as EU laws because they have different environments.

“In Rivers State, the EU’s report was different from what transpired there. How can people who believe in democracy and practice it be portrayed as people who do not understand democracy?

“Our concern should be how to make the economy grow better, we have to cooperate and agree on specific areas of development in the Federal Capital Territory and the entire country. Foreign partners should be concerned with strategic development irrespective of the areas,” he said.

The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, while responding, said the report was put together by independent observers and has nothing to do with her operations.

She pledged the Union’s commitment to work with the Minister to boost development in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and beyond.

London-based Financial Times publication says there are signs of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms not going as planned.

In an editorial, the publication noted that although Tinubu started well by removing fuel subsidy and moving towards a market-driven exchange, events in the past four months show that more work has to be done.

“In removing a costly fuel subsidy and in shifting towards a market-driven exchange rate, which has sharply weakened a previously overvalued currency, he has gone some way towards persuading investors he is serious about reform. But four months into his presidency, there are signs of things going awry,” it said.

The report noted that the removal of Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), raised eyebrows due to its unconventional nature, giving the impression of political reprisal.

“The removal of Godwin Emefiele, the previous governor, was overdue. But its manner, initially via a charge of firearms possession, was odd and smacked of political revenge. More substantively, the new exchange rate regime has yet to be properly explained,” the report said.

“On how the new CBN management can stabilize the financial system, the report said the new CBN leadership will most likely increase the interest rates to curb inflation.

“Markets consider Cardoso, a former Citibank Nigeria chair, to be a sound appointment. (The same cannot be said of all of Tinubu’s picks.) The incoming governor will probably need to raise rates at the next policy meeting to establish his inflation-busting credentials. Tinubu must restore institutional independence by leaving the bank to get on with its job. In other areas, the president needs to be more active – and more articulate,” the report said.

It said in other areas, Tinubu needs to be more active and more articulate.

“He should spell out his policies to a skeptical public. He should also refrain from announcing plans — including the restoration of democracy in Niger — without any real idea of how to implement them. Execution is key. Only four months into his presidency, what started out with a bang risks becoming a whimper. Tinubu needs to regain the momentum,” it said.

The Lagos State Government says it has suspended its planned mass burial of the 103 corpses recovered in the wake of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, told The PUNCH on Monday that the planned mass burial had been suspended, following the controversy generated by the announcement in July.

In a leaked memo dated July 19, 2023, the state government had said it would conduct a mass burial for the 103 corpses, The PUNCH reports.

This had raised dust among human rights campaigners and civil society organisations.

A human rights organisation, Amnesty International, and a group under the aegis of the Coalition of #EndSARS Protesters and Supporters had demanded that the state government should suspend the planned mass burial.

In addition to the suspension demand, Amnesty International had asked the government to “also carry out transparent coroner inquest and autopsies on the 103 #EndSARS victims.”

In its reaction, the state government through the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mr Gboyega Akosile, exclusively told The PUNCH that the government would “conform to global best practices” in carrying out the mass burial.

When asked for an update on the matter on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy said the planned mass burial “remains suspended to give people ample time to identify their relatives that may be among the corpses.”

“It is to allow more time for identification as suggested when it was disclosed that the government was planning a mass burial for them,” Omotoso said.

He stated further that “up till now, nobody has shown up to identify any of the corpses. But the government has decided to give people more time.”

He added that the planned burial would “be carried out soon, but because of the controversies around that time, it was suspended. People now have the time and ample opportunity to see if their relatives are there.”

The Federal Government says it will soon issue an order, compelling airline operators to start paying compensation to passengers for delayed and cancelled flights not attributed to natural occurrences.

Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said this during a meeting with airline operators in Abuja on Monday.

“On delayed flights, I want to speak for ordinary Nigerians who complain every day [about] delayed, cancelled flights. I know you have said all your reasons. You have blamed the government and a few things we do. But I also want to say that it is not all the time that it is government,” he said.

“At times, you say you were waiting for passengers to finish passing through the screening machine. At times, they have finished passing through screening machines. They are waiting in the lounge for five hours and you cancel your flight.

“So, you see, after some time, we will start implementing the provisions of the NCAA Act. You know, Nigerians don’t know there is compensation for delay. If it is an act of God, you cannot pay. But if it is human fault, the NCAA Act says you will pay. So, for all airline operators, while I have praised and supported you, I will also support Nigerians. You will pay them. After some time, I will put my feet on the ground. Pay them when you delay, cancel their flight.”

However, Keyamo urged the airline operators to build stable communication channels that enable passengers to get cancellation notices.