The Ondo state House of Assembly has dismissed reports that it planned to impeach the state deputy governor, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Speculation was rife within and outside the state that the assembly would soon commence the impeachment process.

Recall that the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, a few days after returning from medical vacation, sacked all the media aides attached to the office of the deputy governor for alleged insubordination.

Their sack was contained in a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, in Akure.

Aides sacked include:, Press Secretary to the Governor, Kenneth Odusola; Special Assistant to Governor (New Media) Okunniga Oladipupo; and Special Assistant to the Governor (Photography) Abayomi Samson Adefolalu.

The Press Crew attached to the office of the deputy governor was disbanded.

Akeredolu, directed the ministry of Information and Orientation to henceforth provide adequate coverage for the activities of the deputy governor office.

Speaking on the plot by the assembly to impeach the deputy governor, the Speaker, Rt Hon. Olamide Oladiji, said that ” there’s no underground plot to impeach the deputy governor.

Oladiji said that ” There is nothing like that, you know the social media can write anything they like, but it is not true.

” Nothing like that is going on. As I am talking to you, I’m in Abuja for the Speakers’ conference. So, there is nothing like that.”

Corroborating the Speaker, the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Mr Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, said the rumour should be ignored.

Ogunmolasuyi said that “Nobody is plotting any move to impeach the deputy governor.

He added that ” We are busy with what will bring development to the state. What is of importance to us is to carry out our duties.

Recall that few days after the sack of the deputy governor’s aides, his resignation letter went viral on social media.

But in a swift response, the deputy governor, denied resigning his position.

Aiyedatiwa in a statement issued and personally signed by him in Akure, the state capital, denied a purported pre-signed resignation letter said to be circulating in the public domain.

According to him ” My attention has been drawn to a rumour of a purported pre-signed resignation letter, signed by me, being circulated in the public domain.

“I wish to state that I, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor of Ondo
State have not, do not intend and will not sign/author any letter resigning my position as the duly elected Deputy Governor in a joint ticket with my principal the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu SAN,CON.

” I took an oath the day I was sworn in along with Mr. Governor on February
24th, 2021 to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a
four (4) year mandate which terminates in February 23rd, 2025.

” I remain loyal to my Principal and I stand by the oath I took with the Bible to run the full cycle of the four year tenure with Mr. Governor.

He added that ” To this end I urge the people of Ondo State, the State Assembly and the general public to disregard such letter now and in the future.

Edo State deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, was on Monday morning, locked out of his office at the Dennis Osadebey Avenue seat of power in Benin City, Edo State capital.

Shaibu got to his office and met a chain and heavy padlock at the entrance.

The embattled deputy governor and his aides waited for about one hour and thereafter left.

Shaibu also made frantic phone calls to his principal, Governor Andrew Obaseki, but to no avail.

Sources revealed that Shaibu had some discussions with the State’s Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security Services (DSS), alerting them of how he was locked out from his office.

He was said to have summoned the Government House camp commandant, SP Ibrahim Babatunde, and asked him why he was locked out of his office and senior Police officer said it was a directive from above, adding that the Chief Security Officer (CSO) in the Government House, Wabba Williams, will be in a better position to explain.

Shaibu put calls to Williams and promised to come but never showed up all through the waiting of Shaibu at the gate.

“Up till now, I don’t have any official communication that I should relocate. The only people that have official communication are my civil servants. The civil servants have official communication but I don’t. As I am speaking to you now, I am standing by the gate,” he said while on a phone call to a yet-to-be-identified person.

Last week, a letter said to be from the office of the Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, was reported to have been sent to the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, directing Shuaibu to relocate to a new office situated at No 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, GRA, Benin City.

It would be recalled that about two weeks ago, a signboard sprang up at the former State Procurement Office, showing the Deputy Governor’s workplace some few meters away from the Government House, but Shaibu insisted that he was not informed of the development.

Obaseki locks out Deputy Shaibu from Edo govt house office

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed why he ordered traditional rulers in Oyo State to stand and then sit.

This is coming days after Obasanjo was criticised for his action during the inauguration of two projects in Iseyin, Oyo State, last Friday.

Obasanjo in a viral video had condemned the monarchs for failing to rise to greet the state governor, Seyi Makinde.

The former president described their behaviour as a sign of disrespect for the governor and his office.

This prompted Obasanjo to order the traditional leaders to rise and greet Governor Makinde.

The development has prominent Nigerians ask Obasanjo to apologise to the monarchs for ordering them.

However, Obasanjo, in an interview with Premium Times, revealed that he acted the way he did because the monarchs displayed utter disrespect for Governor Makinde.

He said, “I arrived at the event venue with the governor,” the former president said from South Africa where he was attending the burial of politician Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who died on 9 September at 95.

“As we arrived, every other person at the venue rose, but they (the monarchs) remained seated. I was surprised because I considered that a breach of protocol and disrespect for the governor.

“It later became the turn of the governor to speak. As he rose, every other person at the venue, including me, stood up as demanded by protocol and in respect for the governor and his office. Again, the Obas refused to rise. They all remained seated.

“I then asked people around whether that was the practice in Oyo State. I was told the Obas have always displayed disrespect for their governor. I wondered where they got that from and then decided to speak to them about it.

“As far as I am concerned, there is constitution and there is culture. By our constitution, the governor is the leader of a state. Everyone must respect him no matter his or her status or age. He deserves respect no matter how young he is and protocols must be observed.

“That was why I spoke to them the way I did. I wanted them to realise that it is not part of Yoruba culture to disrespect authorities. Respect begets respect and they must learn to deal with their governor with respect if they want to be respected in return.

“I respect traditional rulers and even when I was President and till today, I treat them with reverence. I prostrate, bow and knee before them as necessary.

“I respect our culture. But let us also know that there is a Constitution which puts a chairman as head of a local government, a governor as head of a state and a president as head of our country. Whatever we do must be in respect for that arrangement. I am saying there is culture and there is constitution. One must not disturb the other.”

In many states across the country, sitting Governors are hardly on talking terms with their predecessors, including those who facilitated their emergence in the first place. Quarrels usually break out when former governors forget they have left the saddle and would want to breathe down the necks of the new men, especially on issues to do with money and allocation of political offices.

It is a different story in Ogun State. In the past twelve years since he left office as Governor,  Gbenga Daniel has squared up with his successor, Ibikunle Amosun and the present Governor Dapo Abiodun, mainly over issues to do with his personal interests and the open contempt for the government he once headed.

He picks unnecessary quarrels, alleges victimization where there is none and has generally not managed well, his relationships with Governors that came after him.

The brouhaha over the partial demolition of Datkem Plaza, a 5-storey shopping complex owned by his family arises from such lawlessness, a wrong sense of entitlement and a misplaced belief that being a former governor makes him above the law.

Although the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun has gone to great length to state the facts behind the demolition and how it is about law, order and public safety, the former wound rather trade unnecessary blames and cook up an allegation that he is a victim of political witch-hunt.

It all smacks of blackmail against Governor Abiodun who, in recent past, stuck out his neck to save the popular Conference Hotels, Abeokuta, which was marked for demolition by the immediate past government. The hotel which belongs to the former governor, is now a flourishing concern.

The demolition of Datkem Plaza which occurred penultimate Sunday, brings to the fore the recurring incidents of mismanaged relationship between the former governor who now represents Ogun Central in the Nigerian Senate, as leaders of his state. After he had a  running battle with his successor in office, Ibikunle Amosun over a similar issue of unapproved construction, many consider his present confrontation with the present governor as one too many. Daniel may indeed be thinking of himself as one VIP that is above the law.

The allegation that Governor Abiodun - rather than acting to prevent an unsavoury development and save lives - is on a political witch-hunt, raises other issues of their own. may have forgotten that it was the same Dapo Abiodun who extricated him from a similar web involving Conference Hotel during the tenure of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

On assumption of office in 2019 as Ogun State governor, Abiodun not only allowed Daniel to move back to site, he facilitated the completion of that project despite different court actions and EFCC charges hanging around the project. He would eventually go to commission the project alongside the former vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

It is anybody’s guess why a former governor and a serving Senator would always be found on the other side of the law, especially when his personal or family projects, like Datkem Plaza, are concerned. But to now accuse a governor who previously saved such a project from demolition of victimization and political vendetta is not only uncharitable, to say the least.

It is the height of impunity if indeed DATKEM had submitted an application for an office building in 2009 with registration number CB/05/299/2009 and had gone ahead to deviate from the stated parameters by construction instead, a building that did not conform with the plan granted. At a time the public is concerned about the frequent incidents of building collapse which have claimed hundreds of lives and caused incalculable damage over the years, the building was allegedly modified and enlarged with an additional storey building at the back, without authorization.

The question is: why does Distinguished Senator Gbenga Daniel believe he is above the law? Considering the frequent incidents of building collapse in the country, there is no excuse for the Ogun State government to turn a blind eye to a developer who chooses to ignore legitimate orders meant to safeguard the public.  

No responsible government that accounts to its citizens will fold its arms and watch a developer treat its legitimate orders pertaining to building codes with contempt as Datkem has done. The Ogun State government must therefore be commended for the proactive action which is in line with the laws of the state.

It goes to no issue that Daniel, an engineer who should know better, prefers to be throwing baseless allegations about that he is a victim of political witch-hunt.

Barrister Alimi writes from Apapa, Lagos.

David Umahi, the minister of works, says the administration of President Bola Tinubu inherited N14 trillion worth of road projects across the country.

Umahi gave the number of road projects inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as 2,604 spanning 18,000 kilometers.

Speaking with reporters at the presidential villa, the minister said of the N14 trillion, N4 trillion has been paid to contractors by the current administration.

“Between when we came on board and now, about N4 trillion has been paid. And so that is a balance of N10 trillion remaining,” he said.

“Now, in this N10 trillion, we have identified sources that could fund up to N4 trillion. So, we have a funding gap of about N6 trillion.

“We have a number of programs for road development under the previous administration. We inherited all the projects; we have not dropped any of them. But curious to know that some of these projects have lasted for 20 years, some 10 years.

“In fact, in most cases, they were never appropriated throughout every tenure.

“So I went to seek Mr. President’s nod so that I will be able to terminate some of the projects that have stayed up to 10 years without any defined source of funding.”

The minister said Tinubu should encourage the national assembly to prioritise road projects.

“Just look at over 2,600 projects, 18,000 kilometers of roads, and N14 trillion. That is huge and the worrisome part of this is that even the ones that are being funded properly, the roads hardly last up to five years,” Umahi said.

“I shared with Mr President that the way appropriation is being done is not healthy to develop our roads infrastructure. For example, for a road that may cost N10 billion, an appropriation of N150 million is made.

“It is just for the contractor to take and put in his pockets because where the average cost of projects that we inherited is about N700 million per kilometres and you are giving out N150 million for the whole year, then you are just enhancing the pockets of the contractor.”

The rise in the cost of crude oil, coupled with the depreciation of the naira against the United States dollar, might lead to a hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, oil marketers stated on Sunday.

It was also gathered that the sharp rise in crude oil price to about $94/barrel and the crisis around forex, had warranted a gradual increase in the amount being quietly spent as subsidy on petrol by the Federal Government.

Dealers in the downstream oil sector explained that the cost of crude oil and the exchange rate of the dollar accounted for over 80 per cent of the cost of PMS.

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, rose to $94/barrel on Sunday, the highest figure in 2023. Oil had started the year at about $82/barrel, dipped to $70/barrel in June, but traded above $92/barrel in the past week.

Recall that the naira weakened to N950/dollar as forex scarcity worsened.

The report stated that the naira fell further against the dollar the preceding day (Wednesday), after closing at 950/$ at the parallel market.

Bureau de Change operators had told The PUNCH that the naira, which earlier closed at 930/$ at the close of operations on Tuesday, was bought and sold at 935/$ and 950/$ on Wednesday.

Although the Federal Government and its Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had insisted that subsidy on petrol had ended, following the deregulation of the downstream oil sector, operators insisted on Sunday that the government was implementing quasi-subsidy.

They explained that with the latest rise in crude oil price, the cost of petrol was meant to increase, stressing that if the government insists on leaving the commodity at N617/litre, then subsidy on PMS had been returned quietly.

The marketers explained that in July when the cost of petrol was raised to N617/litre, crude oil traded around $82/barrel, while the the exchange rate was not as high as N950/$ at the parallel market.

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners corroborated the concerns of marketers, as it stated that the price cap on petrol had made it tough for marketers to comply with the demands of NARTO with respect to increasing the cost of transportation for petrol.

“The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, in one of his statements, had pointed out that as long as the dollar continues to rise, Nigerians should not expect petroleum products prices to be pegged. The cost of crude oil is also on the rise and it impacts on petrol price, because PMS is derived from crude.

“So in this price deregulation regime, once the dollar increases, automatically it means that the cost of importing petroleum products will also increase. And the cost of every other related service will rise,” the National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, stated.

He added, “So the fuel we are buying today at N617 or N596 depending on where you buy it and based on the nearness to depots, is actually below what the price should really be, going by the rise in dollar and crude oil price.”

Ukadike stated that though the rise in crude oil price would increase Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, the forex was being used to import refined products.

“I said earlier that what we are experiencing now is quasi-deregulation. The rise in crude oil price has both positive and negative effects on Nigeria. It is positive because it increases our generation of dollars when we sell the crude.

“But it is negative in the sense that we still use that dollar that we have got to import the finished products of crude. That is the problem. For if Nigeria is refining products, then there will be a windfall, but since we import with the dollar that we make, then it makes no sense.”

On whether the rise in oil prices would warrant further hike in the cost of PMS and other finished products, thereby increasing subsidy on petrol particularly, Ukadike replied, “Yes, of course.

“The gap is becoming too much. Also, the exchange rate gap between the official and parallel markets is widening. And these gaps have to be filled by the government through quasi-subsidy on petrol.

“You also know that most of the investors who tried to import products when it was announced that the subsidy on petrol had been removed, are now finding it very difficult to do so.

“This is because after buying the dollar in the parallel market, they cannot recoup what they have invested. So the government must be transparent with this subsidy removal thing. It should apply it to the fullest, so that competition can set it.”

On his part, the President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said though the cost of crude had been rising lately, the NNPCL should be able to manage it for the benefit of Nigerians, with respect to petroleum products prices.

“Crude oil is selling at a higher price and that price should impact positively, because the major importer of petroleum products is the NNPC and they do that on a swap basis, unless they are telling us that the swap is not efficient.

“For if it is efficient, they should have more money for the size of crude oil they sell, which should impact on the price they pass on to Nigerians. Yes, today it is a commercial company, but it is still owned by Nigerians and is a sovereign company.

“And the fact that Nigerians must benefit from their natural endowment by God should be reflected in the pricing of products by NNPC. That is all I’ll say about this issue,” he stated.

Earlier, the National Secretary, IPMAN, Chief John Kekeocha, had asked the Federal Government to come out clean with respect to fuel subsidy, instead of mandating oil marketers not to dispense the product above a stipulated band.

In August, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, had told State House correspondents that President Bola Tinubu had instructed that the cost of petrol should not increase.

“Mr. President, wishes to assure Nigerians following the announcement by the NNPC limited just yesterday (Monday) that there will be no increase in the pump price of PMS anywhere in the country. We repeat, the President affirms that there will be no increase in the pump price of PMS.”

NNPCL had also in August stated that it was not raising petrol price.

“Dear esteemed customers, we at NNPC Retail value your patronage, and we do not have the intention to increase our PMS pump prices as widely speculated. Please buy the best quality products at the most affordable prices at our NNPC Retail stations nationwide,” the company had stated.

NNPC Retail is the downstream subsidiary of NNPCL that retails refined petroleum products for the group.

Kekeocha had told our correspondent that the decision of the Federal Government to put a cap on petrol price meant that subsidy on petrol had been reinstated.

He said, “The government is not being very transparent with this issue. When you say you have removed fuel subsidy, you don’t come again and moderate prices. Is like speaking with the two sides of the mouth.

“Removal of subsidy means you have removed your hands and the prices have to follow demand and supply. So if the NNPC says it is getting forex (foreign exchange) to import products and reduce prices for marketers, are they going to do the same for other importers? Remember the government gave import licenses to about seven marketers?

“Are they still going to moderate prices for those people when they bring in the products? No! You don’t blow hot and cold at the same time. There is no way they can bring in products and reduce the price and peg it for marketers to sell at a certain level, it means they are indirectly bringing back subsidy.

“If they want to bring back subsidy, let them say it openly, that ‘we are going to come back to subsidy because of the pains the country generally is going through.’ This is because the initial things they are supposed to do they did not do it. We have always been clamouring, let the refineries work.”

Nigerian musician Teniola Apata, better known by her stage name Teni, Has revealed that witnessing her father’s murder, retired Nigerian army Brigadier-General Simeon Apata, had a profound impact on her life.

The late Brig. Gen. Apata (RTD) was killed On January 8, 1995, in Lagos.

Teni claimed that the incident took place in their living room when she was only two years old.

She revealed this on the newest episode of the Tea With Tay podcast, hosted by actor Temisan Emmanuel Ahwieh, nicknamed Taymesan.

Regina Daniels opens up, speaks on criticisms trailing marriage to Billionaire – VIDEO
Teni described how watching her father assassinated in her presence and growing up without a father has affected her life and made her have trust issues.

Young Teni and Late Military father
In her words:

“My father was a disciplinarian. He was a soldier and he owned a school; Apata Memorial High School. He was also a big philanthropist.

“Growing up with my father passing at such a young age, the trauma of losing my father at a young age affected me. You know, him being assassinated in the presence of all of us and all that stuff. I was 2 at the time.

“Him passing away robbed me as a child of having a father figure. It sort of made me have trust issues growing up. Because they [gunmen] came into our house purposely to kill him.”

In another story, Teni Sparks Reactions As She Shares Video Of Her Pet, Named ‘Burna Boy’

The singer took to his Instagram story to share a video of herself playing with the pet as she beacons on it to get closer.

Some internet users, however, see it as a dig at Grammy Award-winning singer Dami Ogulu, also known as Burna Boy.

Members of the House of Representatives on Friday were shocked to the marrow as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) publicly justified the sales of 82 vehicles for the sum of N5.8 million over the past 12 years.

Trouble started when the NIMASA Executive Director, Mr. Chudi Offodile, announced during the resumed investigative hearing into the disposal of public property by the Agencies between 2010 and 2022 to unravel the extent of illegal auctioning of public property and non-remittance of revenue realised into the Consolidated Revenue Fund’, chaired by Hon. Julius Ihonbvere, that due process was followed.

The documents presented and obtained by the Nigerian Tribune showed that a Peugeot Expert Ambulance with a market value of N200,000 was sold at a forced liquidation or auction value of N95,000; a Honda Civic Saloon Car with a market value of N170,000 was sold at N76,500; a Toyota Hilux (Grounded) with a market value of N300,000 was sold at N140,000; another Toyota Hilux (Accidental) with a market value of N200,000 was sold at N96,000; and another Toyota Hilux (Grounded) with a market value of N250,000 was sold at N115,000.

In the same vein, two units of Toyota Hilux, which were at the time of inspection in the custody of Carbotage Consultant in Lagos and put at N1 million market value, were sold at N470,000 each for forced liquidation or auction value; a Honda Civic put at N210,000 was sold at N95,000; a Honda City put at N190,000 market value was sold at N80,000, among others.

Through its office in Abuja, a Toyota Hilux put at N500,000 market value was sold at N245,000; a Toyota Avensis put at N300,000 market value was sold at N145,000; a Toyota Corolla put at N300,000 market value was sold at N147,000; and two units of Honda Civic put at N90,000 market value were sold at N30,000 each, among others.

Other lawmakers who spoke during the investigative hearing demanded documentary evidence of funds remitted into the CRF account as provided by extant provisions of the Procurement Act, Proceeds of Crimes Act, and other known legislation or financial regulations.

In his presentation, Mr Offodile, who denied knowledge of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 on the remittance of the funds generated from the sale of public assets, however, affirmed that the proceeds of sales were paid by the Auctioneers into NIMASA’s coffers.

When asked whether the Agency has a mechanic’s workshop where faulty vehicles can be repaired, Mr. Offodile answered in the negative.

While expressing surprise that most of the vehicles displayed in the document presented to the Ad-hoc Committee didn’t show that they are old or not in good condition, Hon. Ihonbvere said: “Looking at them (pictures of vehicles captured in the documents), some of them are looking new,” adding that for Nigerians, a 13-year-old Toyota Hilux is not old.”

Hon. Ihonbvere thereafter narrated how a former Edo State Governor engaged a female mechanic to fix some of the vehicles tagged as unserviceable and recovered over 100 vehicles while other spare parts were stored.

He explained that over 100 vehicles fixed by the female mechanic were deployed to various MDAs, thereby blocking financial leakages.

Hon. Ihonbvere specifically expressed concern over the rationale behind the placement of an advertisement on March 29, 2022, calling for a public auction of NIMASA vehicles and the sale of all the vehicles on March 30, 2022, through forced liquidation or auction.

While alleging that the move “leaves us with the impression that it’s a pre-arrangement,” the Majority Leader argued that the process contravened the extant Public Procurement Act to dispose of public assets within 24 hours.

Hon. Ihonbvere, who disclosed that the Ad-hoc Committee is in the custody of petitions against NIMASA alleging that the vehicles were sold to some officials and staff of the Agency, maintained that the Auctioneers engaged by NIMASA were merely hired to rubber stamp the fictitious insider trading.

Hence, the lawmakers requested a list of all the Auctioneers as well as beneficiaries of the vehicles, the original cost of the vehicles and invoices, a letter of contract awards for the auctioning of the assets to the auctioneers, and relevant approvals obtained from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing as well as the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

One of the lawmakers expressed worry about why the Agency only carried out sales of vehicles and did not have any record of sales of computers and other office equipment within the period under review.

Hon. Ihonbvere, who requested the registers of all the assets of NIMASA and other MDAs, disclosed that the asset registers would be computerised in the state-of-the-art library, which is currently under construction within the National Assembly complex, to be commissioned by the end of September 2023.

In the same vein, the lawmakers quizzed the Sokoto River Basin’s delegation over indiscriminate sales of public assets to the management of the Agency in breach of the extant Public Procurement Act at ridiculous prices.

To this end, Hon. Ihonbvere directed the delegation from NIMASA and the Sokoto River Basin to provide relevant documents that will aid the ongoing investigation. The ad hoc Committee is expected to resume hearings on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

The Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNUs) has made it clear that it is no longer possible for any federal university in Nigeria to sustain operation again without increasing its obligatory and some other fees being charged to students.

The Secretary-General of the committee, Prof Yakubu Ochefu, shared this position in an exclusive interview with the Tribune Online at the weekend, maintaining that the old fees regime in any of the federal universities is no longer relevant in the current economic reality in the country.

According to him, it is expensive to run universities. They hardly shut down a day. They run an almost 24-hour service. Even when the students are on holiday, the universities keep their doors open.

“So, the cost of running universities just like every other educational institution in the country is huge and now the situation has become almost unbearable, especially since the removal of fuel subsidy which is continuously pushing up the cost of goods and services in the country on daily basis,” he pointed out.

While explaining that it’s not that the administrators of various federal universities and their management teams are wicked as some people made to believe for increasing their obligatory fees, Ochefu said they have to do that because they have no better option if they want to sustain operation and provide quality services.

He said even at that, they still heavily subsidized their services to students as if they should charge commensurable fees, they would have charged up to four times or more of their new fees.

According to him, universities charging lower fees as some had done already is because the Federal Government is still responsible for the payment of salaries of workers and also providing some running costs even though grossly inadequate and still gives other supports through TETFund and some other intervention agencies.

He said if not for all these, public universities would have been charging high fees like the private universities do because tuition fees would have been where the salaries of workers would come from and that would have been passed on to parents and students.

He explained that the universities are the ones responsible for major running costs, which are huge such as electricity, sanitation, water supply, maintenance of infrastructures, cutting of grass, conduct of examinations, travelling and several others.

For example, he said, the cost of papers for examinations alone has gone up from N18,000 to N45,000 a carton within two years and that will be a lot of money for universities with a student population of about 30,000 or more. And that is just one issue as many also spend several millions of naira on electricity and so forth, every month.

“So, the cost of all these items are going up each day and so the universities have to push part of the costs to students and their parents.”

Ochefu therefore called on students, especially those who are still carrying placards and protesting fee hikes and parents to understand the financial burden the universities are contending with and cooperate with them to provide quality education that the country will be proud of.

He also urged the various state and local governments across the country to adopt a bursary award policy on a yearly basis for students who are their indigenes, saying such effort would equally go a long way to cushion the financial burden on parents.

The federal government, as well as alumni associations, corporate bodies and philanthropists, he added, can also give scholarship awards to indigent but brilliant students as the provision of a well-rounded education to the citizenry is a shared responsibility by all.

The lawmaker representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, Senator Ishaku Abbo, has asserted that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, along with his associates, were the ones who disseminated the story about his rumored intention to impeach him.

Abbo further added that the narrative was purportedly orchestrated by the Senate President to create discord between President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and northern politicians.

Recall that Akpabio has strongly denied allegations of an impending impeachment against him. He labelled these reports as both malicious and untrue.

There were media reports on Saturday stating that plans were underway to unseat Akpabio as the president of the 10th Senate when the Senate reconvenes on September 26, 2023.

The report also noted that two prominent senators from the North West and other senators across the national assembly are already meeting and mapping out plans to carry out the daring move.

The reports also alleged that the senators believed that the Senate President was a rubber stamp for the presidency and may be unable to carry out his duty effectively.

He stated, “I woke up today to find over 10 mainstream Nigerian newspapers all carrying news of a plan to impeach Senator Akpabio by senators from Northern Nigeria. The Whistler Newspaper even went on to name Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, and Senator Ogoshi Onawo, among others, as the senators behind the move.”

Abbo added, “As a Northern senator and an official of the Northern Senators Forum, I boldly affirm that this news is intentionally disseminated and propagated by the ‘camp’ of Senator Akpabio solely to pit President Bola Tinubu against the North. I call on Senator Akpabio to rein in his camp, as the seeds of discord and deep ethno-religious division they are sowing will not bode well for the country. Why the North? Why in Saudi Arabia?”

He remarked, “If Akpabio and his camp wanted a united Senate, much like Ahmed Lawan, they would have known exactly what to do during Senate Standing Committees allocation and supplementary budget resources allocation. But the camp of the SP continued to treat the senate as a conquered territory where the winner walks away with the spoils of war. A classic case of the winner takes all.”

Expressing his frustration, the Adamawa lawmaker said, “How do you justify a situation where out of Category A Committees, only two were granted to his perceived rivals? How will you explain a senate where 83.1% of those appointed Chairmen of Category A Committees also serve as Vice Chairmen of Category A?

“How do you explain a third-term Senator being denied the Chairmanship of a Committee? How do you justify the leadership of the Senate, all being Vice Chairmen of Category A Committees? You cannot treat us as conquered people and then return to manipulate us with planted and paid newspaper reports to set us against the President.”

Abbo also claimed that the 10th Senate was the most condescending parliament. He further referred to the screening of ministerial nominees, where the Senate President sought clearance for certain nominees at the Villa. He added that the Senate was not given the opportunity to decide on the fate of rejected nominees.

Before embarking on its annual recess, the Senate screened 48 ministerial nominees sent by the president, with 45 receiving approval and three being rejected. Among the rejected three was former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Reflecting on the screening, Abbo queried, “Let me pose this question: During the ministerial screening, when three ministerial nominees were denied clearance by the senate, which committee examined the petitions against them? Was it Ethics and Privileges, an ad-hoc committee, or the committee of the whole? Was the report deliberated and debated during plenary? Was there any voting, either AYE or NAY?

“The Senate President simply absented himself during plenary, leaving the Senate waiting in the Chamber for over three hours while he was at the Villa. This is something that has never occurred in the history of the Senate. Then he returned and read out the names of those cleared and ‘waved’ papers in his hand, citing security reports from NSA or DSS as the reason for not clearing some ministers.”

Abbo added, “In my opinion, this is the lowest the Senate has ever descended. Who granted NSA, DSS DG, or IGP the authority to correspond with the Senate? What kind of communication is that? Executive communication or reckless communication?

“Are we telling Nigerians that the Presidency and the Security agencies did not conduct due diligence before sending the list to the Senate, or is the Senate being used as a pawn in the power play of Presidential aides?”

He went on to assert that Akpabio knows what it takes to maintain a peaceful Senate, akin to Ahmed Lawan, and “not blackmailing Senators from Northern region and using newspaper report to hoodwink the President.

“President Bola Tinubu worked hard to make Senator Akpabio the Senate President, but it is only Senator Akpabio who can effectively manage his colleagues, not Tinubu managing them on his behalf.”