Oil marketers have said that they can no longer sustain the distribution of petroleum products across the country.

This is as a result of the hike in price of diesel used by these marketers to power their trucks.

The product now sells for N1,100/litre in many locations.

The marketers said the federal government must intervene urgently in order to arrest the situation.

This is the position of the marketers, under the aegis of Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers’ Association of Nigeria, NOGASA.

They raised the alarm in a statement signed by their President, Benneth Korie.

They cried out that diesel has witnessed an incessant hike in prices in recent months.

“NOGASA is worried about the ugly development and trying to understand why prices of diesel are going as high as N950 to N1,100 per litre in the market with a view to moderating the prices and shocks in the economy.”

[DailyPost]

The lingering question of how mankind  could strike a balance between competition and cooperation is implicit in the focus of the 78th United Nations General Assembly  which opened yesterday in New York, United States.

Nations have to find an urgent answer to this central question of existence as they grapple with the basic issues in their economies, polities and societies

This year’s meeting of world leaders has the following theme: “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability for All.”

It  is fitting that global attention is on the idea  of cooperation in the face of problems that confront humanity as a collective. Such problems cannot be solved by socially  blind competition. The solutions would rather be enhanced by solidarity. 

President Bola Tinubu spoke appropriately  on the theme and the sub-themes from the Nigerian perspective touching on  sustainable development, climate change, global cooperation  inequality and global humanitarian crises.

In the light of the urgency demanded in responding to these issues, the United Nations (UN)  is understandably  suggesting the  acceleration of action on the 2030 Agenda on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015.  However, a cloud of pessimism  would hover in the background of the sessions for obvious reasons: half way through the 15-year period  proposed for the realisation of the goals none has been achieved. And the future prospects are far from being bright. Indeed, only in July, the UN published a status report indicating that the SDGs  “are in peril” what with the soul-depressing  fact that barely  12% of the targets  are on track. The grim report also indicates that about half of the goals have suffered varying degrees of setbacks. 

Just imagine the goals: “No Poverty; Zero Hunger;  Good Health and Well-Being; Quality Education; Gender Equality;  Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Reduced Inequalities; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Production; Climate Action; Life Below Water; Life on Land; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; and Partnerships for the Goals.”  

The pessimism about the realisation of the goals in many countries is said to be shared by the government, private sector and the civil society. In fact, some experts are already wondering if the SDGs can ever  be saved given the obvious lack of capacity of many countries to reach the goal. 

The practical implication of this lack of  meaningful progress in the realisation of the goals is manifest. Globally, about a quarter of young people are out of school or work,  the earth itself  is getting hotter  by the day and the sea is becoming more acidic. About 1.1 human beings are still victims of acute  multi-dimensional poverty in 110 countries.

Solidarity among nations is essential for  global  issues to  be resolved for the sake of human progress. Failure to tackle some of these problems in the spirit of cooperation may put the future of mankind at risk.  Unbridled competition among  the strong and the weak nations  may not be helpful in the present circumstance of humanity. Individualism and greed will not advance the cause of mankind. The public  purpose should be the  pull for action. This reality should inform the underlying  philosophy of social and economic policies 

This point could be illustrated by examining  the way the world is tackling some of these big issues  – climate change, inequality,  pandemics and migration.

Perhaps, the coronavirus  pandemic is  the most  chilling reminder  in recent years  of the primacy of our common humanity. COVID- 19,  the disease caused by the virus has claimed about 6.9 million lives.  Cooperation rather than competition suddenly became the dominant trend  in the responses by different countries. The  global reach of the biological disaster caused  by  the pathogen has proved the World Health Organisation (WHO) right: “No one  is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe.” The interconnectedness of social and economic activities of peoples across nations was laid bare by COVID-19. The solution for the problem was not hinged on competition. With the coordination done by the WHO, solidarity was the watchword at the peak of the public health crisis. The outbreak of the disease was in China. Within months countries in the American continent already had their public health systems  overwhelmed by the disease.  Global supply chains were severely disrupted. The public health crisis triggered a socio-economic  crisis. Everywhere in the world people looked up to responsible governments to have a grip of things in combatting the spread of the virus and the disease caused by it. The  role of an effective state became central in the scheme of things. The quality of the public health system of each country was put to a monumental test.  The principle of solidarity was more prevalent than that of the market in the distribution of the vaccines developed to combat the disease. A take-away  from COVID-19 is that healthcare delivery is a public good. Investment in it should be informed by that logic.  

Climate change is another phenomenon that should temper humanity’s instinct for mindless  competition. Each sovereign nation or economic bloc  makes increased growth rate a  goal of its political economy. Economic advisers urge governments to make their national economies more competitive. Some nations have even been  reduced to “emerging markets”  that should be  made “competitive.”   Policies are implemented  in the pursuit of this  legitimate economic and social  objectives within their national  or regional boundaries. But the ecological consequences of these activities transcend boundaries. With the melting of sea ice and global warming, parts of the world are increasingly becoming inhabitable as result of floods, fires and atmospheric pollution. The climate change has shown that for centuries world capitalists hardly gave a thought to the condition of the earth as they pursued profits. That has been the mega trend since the industrial revolution.

The approach towards saving the  common habitat can only be that of cooperation and not competition. After all, regardless of the legality of national boundaries the habitat of humanity is the earth.

In response to existential risk of climate change world leaders came up with the “Paris Agreement” on how to address this common problem of humanity.  The agreement was drawn up in December  2015 at  the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris, France.  It came into force  a year later . Essentially, it is a legally binding international treaty adopted by 196 parties  on  the way to tackle climate change. The major goal of the treaty is to keep “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees centigrade above the pre-industrial levels” while striving to “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees centigrade above the pre-industrial levels.” Social and economic transformation would be required to achieve the purpose of the agreement. Eventually, it would lead to a global transition to clean energy. Again, the underpinning principle is that of cooperation and solidarity and not competition. It cannot be competition any more because the excessive competition for economic growth and   years  of  mindless consumerism are partly responsible for the present state of global ecology. Rich nations are expected to demonstrate solidarity with poor ones in environmental distress. Developed countries made the pledge to provide the finance, technology and capacity building for the poor countries to join the train moving towards a significant reduction in carbon emission. Unfortunately, a  sense of urgency is lacking on the part of the rich countries. They are yet  to demonstrate in action that the treaty is indeed binding on them as their  commitments are hardly  fulfilled.

Inequality is a social plaque that exists among nations and within nations. A majority of the human population  has been excluded from partaking in the benefits of globalisation. Individualism and greed have widened the social gulf within nations. In 1944,  the International Labour Organisation (ILO), one the oldest UN agencies,  declared in Philadelphia, United States that “poverty anywhere constitutes a threat to prosperity anywhere.” The truism of that statement today is indisputable. The social convulsions are  experienced in poor and rich countries alike are  proofs  of the veracity of  that declaration.    So it is apposite for the UN to make poverty reduction a top most goal on its agenda. The migrant crisis afflicting parts of Europe is also a reminder that tackling global poverty  requires more of cooperation than competition. As the proceedings of the 78th UN General Assembly continue, more than 7,000 migrants are having an immigration battle with officials in the Lampedusa Island in southern Italy. The migrant crisis has again demonstrated the fact the mass poverty and widening inequality are common problems of humanity. The  migrants from the poor countries of the south are asserting their common humanity to the face of  the people in the rich countries of the north by forcing their way through the borders in pursuit of better life. It is clear that the migrants have no respect for the legality of the borders. That is their own  form of globalisation. This has become a moral crisis for European countries. After all, centuries  ago there were earlier forms of globalisation in which slave traders, pirates and colonial agents  backed  by  European monarchies and governments  rampaged other parts of the world taking human beings and wealth to their countries. For instance, in  those epochs there were no  borders and no one  issued the Europeans any visa to come to Africa.  

Solidarity is, therefore proposed as an element in the process of finding definitive solutions to these common problems of humanity.

Reflecting on these big issues, Oxford  University philosopher, Toby Ord,  says that given the grave nature of the risk  humanity faces the first thing to do  is to take urgent action that could make the world reach “a place of safety”  so as to allow time for further reflection about the future. In his book entitled “The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity,” Ord makes the following proposition: “If we steer humanity to a place of safety, we will have time to  think. Time to ensure that our choices are wisely made; that we will do the very best we can with our piece of the cosmos. We rarely reflect on what that might be. On what we might achieve should humanity’s entire will be focused on gaining it, freed from material scarcity and internal conflict. Moral philosophy has been focused on the more pressing issues of treating each other decently in a world of scarce resources. But there may come, time, not too far away, when we mostly have our house in order and can look in earnest at where we might go from here. Where we might address this vast question about our ultimate values.

This is the Long Reflection.”

As the world leaders are making their great  speeches in New York, it is important for the rest of us to focus our reflection on these mega trends. 

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has revealed that for Nigeria to curtail the increasing number of Out-Of-School children in the country, an additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms must be provided.

Recall that in 2022, there were controversies surrounding the actual number of OSCs in the country.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) had said that the total of OSC in the nation were more than 20 million but UBEC said the figure is slightly above 10 million.

The Executive Secretary, of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Boboye while briefing the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman and the Minister of State, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, in Abuja on Tuesday said the country will need an additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms to absorb the growing number.

Boboye also identified infrastructural gaps and inadequate manpower as some of the challenges limiting the commission’s efforts towards ensuring equitable access to quality basic education.

Reacting to the UBEC demands, the Mamman said the foundational level of education is the most important background for excellence and must be prioritized at every level.

Mamman reiterated that his administration is keen on placing the education sector at the forefront of global standards and recognition.

He also charged States Government, agencies to commit to providing counterpart funding to harness the development of basic education in the country.

Speaking on the controversies surrounding the actual number of OSCs in the country, the minister said the forthcoming National Census will put an end to the issue.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, dismissed a suit filed by Senator Ahmad Muhammad Bulkachuwa, seeking an order restraining anti-graft agencies from inviting, interrogating or arresting him over what he said about influencing his wife’s judgement who was a former Court of Appeal President.

The court held that the lawmaker has no right to influence judgements of a judge.

There had been calls for Bulkachuwa’s arrest and prosecution after he publicly claimed that he influenced decisions of his wife while serving as President of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal.

THE WHISTLER reports that Senator Bulkachuwa had during the valedictory session of the 9th Assembly, said his wife, Justice Zainab, “accepted my encroachment, and extended her help to my colleagues.”

In the viral video clip on June 12, he said his wife assisted his colleagues at the National Assembly, as a serving judge.

“I look at faces in this chamber whom have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal.

“And I must thank particularly, my wife, whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office, and she has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment, and extended her help to my colleagues.

“I did my best and in most cases I succeeded,” Senator Bulkachuwa had said, while the then Senate President, Ahmed Lawan interjected him.

But in his originating summons before Justice Inyang Ekwo, Senator Bulkachuwa, through his lawyer, Mr. Donald Ayibiowu, stated that the leadership of the 9th Assembly did not allow him to “fully speak” during the valedictory session.

Ayibiowu claimed that his client’s political opponents are now twisting the development to malign his reputation and that of his family.

Moreso, Ayibiowu argued that in line with Section 1 of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges) Act 2017, only the Senate in session or any of its sub-committees has the disciplinary power to invite Bulkachuwa to answer any question relating to his conduct/utterances on the floor of the Nigerian Senate.

The plaintiff therefore asked the court to declare that he “is covered, privileged and protected by the parliamentary immunity as enshrined in Section 1 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017 and freedom of speech and expression made thereto is privileged.”

He also prayed the court to declare that without exhausting the internal disciplinary mechanism, recommendations and approval of the 9th House of Senate, no other law enforcement agent of the federal government including the defendants “can invite any member of the Senate for questioning/interview and or for any disciplinary purposes in relation to the plaintiff’s privileged inchoate expression/statement/speeches made on the floor of the Nigeria House of Senate at the valedictory session.”

The Attorney-General of the Federation, the Clerk of the National Assembly, State Security Service, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), and Nigeria Police Force, were listed as 1st to fifth defendants.

Amid the development, the retired justice had debunked the comments credited to her husband, saying she “never favoured any party” during her time as a judge.

But in his judgement on Tuesday, Justice Ekwo held that the most rational interpretation of the statement made by Bulkachuwa was that it is contrary to the law.

“The answer is simple, he influenced his wife, ” Ekwo said, adding this is an act of corruption.

Ekwo said the statement of the lawmaker is a confession of an irregular act that is subject to be investigated and prosecuted.

The judge said the plaintiff is liable to be arrested based on his statement, adding that the National Assembly is not a place to hide any person who has committed a crime involving influencing the administration of criminal justice.

“I hold that this case lacks merit and ought to be dismissed. The case is dismissed” Ekwo held.

For the second time in one week, Nigeria’s electricity supply again experienced a severe decline, dropping from a high of 3,594.60 megawatts to an alarming 42.7MW.

The development has caused blackouts across the country, with businesses and residents relying on alternative power sources.

THE WHISTER had last week reported that the grid, operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) from Osogbo in Osun State, collapsed on Thursday morning

The grid had gone down to 273 megawatts of electricity coming from two out of the over 27 electricity generation points.

The grid went down at 00:41am, putting some Distribution Companies (DisCos) feeders out.

As of 4:00am last Thursday, five generating plants were on the grid. Afam VI had 0.70MW, Dadinkowa was generating 0.00MW, Ibom Power had 32.90MW, Jebba had 240MW and Olorunsogo was on the grid with zero generation.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had last week said the national grid shutdown was caused by power outage.

He said there was a fire outbreak at the Kainji/Jebba line, that led to a sharp drop in the frequency from 50.29Hz to 49.67 Hz at 0:35:06 hrs. These stations are the key player in the power supply chain.

Adelabu in a statement said, “At 00:35Hrs this morning, a fire outbreak with an explosion sound was observed on Kainji/Jebba 330kV line 2 (Cct K2J) blue phase CVT & Blue phase line Isolator of Kainji/Jebba 330kV line1 was observed burning.

“This led to sharp drops in frequency from 50.29Hz to 49.67 Hz at 0:35:06Hrs with Jebba generation loss of 356.63MW. Kainji started dropping load from 451.45 MW at 00:35:07Hrs to zero.

“At 00:41Hrs frequency dropped further from 49.37 Hz to 48.41 Hz resulting in system collapse of the grid. We are on top of the situation and speedy restoration is in progress.”

Erik ten Hag has been urged to recall Harry Maguire for Manchester United’s heavyweight Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

The England international has endured a torrid start to the new season which began with him being stripped of the club captaincy.

Maguire has since appeared only fleetingly and returned to the substitutes’ bench on Saturday from where he watched his side torn to shreds by a rampant Brighton canter to a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford.

The defeat compounded a wretched start to the new campaign for United who are languishing in mid-table ahead a daunting test against Bayern and the in-form Harry Kane, who has made a prolific start to life with his new club.

Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez both looked way off the pace against the Seagulls and were said to have been involved in a heating dressing room bust-up after the game.

Regardless of the veracity of those reports, former Chelsea star Andy Townsend believes Ten Hag should swallow his pride and recall the struggling Maguire who he believes is perfectly qualified to negate the threat of his England teammate Kane.

Townsend told talkSPORT: ‘At the weekend United were all over the place at the back, were they not? I don’t think that Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof, they’re what I’d call a number two centre-half.

‘I don’t think they are natural leaders, I think they need to be talked through, coaxed through matches. Is this the perfect match for Harry Maguire to come back into the United defence. He knows Harry Kane.

‘He’ll have been up against him in training, he’s played against him here, there and everywhere. Could Harry Maguire come back in and resurrect himself. Is it that outrageous because Harry has been well documented.

‘Don’t forget it’s easy to overlook what he’s done previously because he’s lacking in confidence and he hasn’t looked sharp.

‘Every now and then you have a game where you stick someone in.’

MORE : Manchester United concerned over ‘growing involvement’ of Erik ten Hag’s agent in transfer business

MORE : David De Gea to be offered La Liga return with Real Betis after Manchester United exit

[NewsPot]

AN unnamed supporter of Newcastle United is safe and in a stable condition in hospital after being stabbed in Milan yesterday ahead of his side’s UEFA Champions League fixture, Italian police confirmed today.

Newcastle United, who finished fourth in the English Premier League last season, face AC Milan tonight from 5.45pm at San Siro in the opening Group F match of the 2023/2024 Champions League campaign.

The fan was stabbed twice in the arm and once in the back, according to the Italian police, but is expected to leave hospital later today.

Police say they were called to an incident in the popular nightlife area of Navigli at around midnight.

The police said: “The victim was with a friend and it is thought they encountered a group of seven/eight other people. It is not known if this group were Italian or foreigners.

“The state police have opened an investigation to try and discover exactly what happened, the motive and to find those responsible.

“Many Newcastle fans have arrived in the city of Milan and this is the only reported incident.”

Newcastle expressed their concern about the incident and promised to work with Italian law enforcement to look into it.

“Our thoughts are with the supporter and their family and we hope for a full and speedy recovery,” the club said in a statement today.

AC Milan were semi-finalists in the competition last season while Newcastle United are back for the first time in 20 years.

Stabbings are not uncommon with Italian ultras (die-hard fans) while travelling England fans also have a reputation of rowdiness.

[NaijaTimes]

The prestigious Chevening Scholarship was won by 44 Nigerians in 2023, according to the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Nigeria.

At a pre-departure event held for the latest scholars at the British House, Walter Carrington, Lagos, on September 6, 2023, the Deputy High Commissioner, Johnny Baxter, revealed that Chevening received over 70,000 applications from 160 countries across the globe, with 14,000 of those applications coming from Nigeria alone.

The Deputy High Commissioner further revealed that only 10,000 of those applications qualified for consideration. Out of the 10,000, 44 emerged scholars from Nigeria.

The luck 44 were selected through a thorough, rigorous and credible screening process.

One of the Nigerian Chevening Scholars is Lawyer and development advocate, Aderonke Ige, who has spent over a decade contributing to developments through community mobilisation, policy advocacy and social impact building in communities across Nigeria.

Speaking at the pre-departure event, Aderonke recalled that her passion for development and humanitarian activism stemmed from her experience growing up during the oppressive military regimes in Nigeria.

According to the scholar, she thereafter vowed, as a child, to dedicate herself to creating alternative realities of dignity and sanctity of life for fellow citizens. Three decades along the line, it is apt to say that this young and vibrant non-profit practitioner is still on course birthing that dream into fruition.

Aderonke, who founded Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development in 2019, a platform for hand-holding and community building is also an Associate Director at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), where she works with a team of other patriotic Nigerians in delivering social justice through citizens engagements.

She champions advocacies for human right to water, climate justice and good governance.

For over a decade, she has been actively involved in promoting human rights, Gender justice, citizens’ engagements and participatory development through non-profit platforms including New Initiative for Social Development (NISD), Justice Development and Peace Commission, CIVICUS, Help Initiative for Social Justice, CAPPA and so on. She will be studying at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London for a Master of Science in Development studies.

While speaking with our correspondent, a visibly elated Aderonke Ige said: “With each passing day since I was chosen for Chevening, I have been acutely aware of the enormous responsibility that comes with this opportunity. My hope is to deepen my knowledge and expertise, to delve into the intricacies of development and social impact, and to equip myself with additional skills necessary to bring about lasting change and positive impact within and beyond my communities.”

[Leadership]

Rivers United head coach, Stanley Eguma has said his team will be banking on the support of fans against Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso

The Pride of Rivers held the Burkinabes to a goalless draw at the Stade Municipal Stadium, Yamoussoukro during the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Eguma admitted that the fans need to awaken the team from their comfort zone.

He assured that the coaching crew will work on the lapses noticed before the return leg.

“It’s a game of football, the fans are very important, we need them,” Egunma told the club’s media.

“This is the time we need them most, the fans need to awaken the players from their comfort zone to achieve the needed victory.

“The team needs to rise up to the occasion so as to get the needed results to make the fans happy.”

[DailyPost]