The Kogi East Senatorial Election Tribunal sitting in Lokoja has sacked Senator Jibrin Isah, (Echocho), the Senate Committee Chairman on Customs Excise and Tariffs, cancelling the election in 94 polling units in the district.

Consequently, the chairman of the Tribunal , Justice K.A. Orjiako, ordered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units in the district.

Dr Victor Adoji, Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through his Counsel, Mr Johnson Usman (SAN), had challenged the return of Senator Isah on the ground that the elections were cancelled in some polling units where the PVCs collected were more than the margin of win.

The petitioner (Adoji) had pleaded with the tribunal to annul the election of Senator Isah and ordered for a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units in the senatorial district.

In a unanimous judgement, Justice K.A. Orjiako agreed with the submission of the petitioner’s counsel (Usman SAN) and annulled Isah’s victory, including withdrawal of his certificate of return to that effect.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Orjiako declared in his ruling: “Since the PVCs collected in the 94 polling units is 59,730, while the margin of win is 26,922 votes, the Returning Officer ought to have declared the election inconclusive without making a return.

“Consequently, this honourable tribunal hereby granted the reliefs sought by the petitioners. We also set aside the Certificate of Return issued to Jibrin Isah.

“The tribunal hereby also orders INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the affected polling units where election did not hold or was cancelled in order to determine the winner,” he added.

With a thriving and fertile environment for extortion and racketeering, process for obtaining the Nigerian passport has turned the booklet into a hire purchase document where applicants pay official cost at point of application, connoting preliminary downpayment, and thereafter compelled to pay a bribe as balance in installments or in full, depending on the deal reached with Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) officials involved in this underhand deed.  This is the practice nationwide.

Applicants who fail to comply with this process risk delayed services characterized by uncertainty, except for Very Important Persons (VIP) and those with direct contact with top officials of NIS who enjoy some level of waivers exempting them from any form of bargains.  Despite this, a balance sum is made as gift at the end of the exercise to the facilitating official in appreciation, but at the discretion of the applicant.

Sadly, some of these NIS officials have also extended these unethical practices to foreigners and the country’s missions abroad.  As a government agency providing direct services to foreigners, NIS is the face of Nigeria.  How it carries out its activities and obligations rub off on the country’s image with implications on public perception.  Its conduct can be used to gauge corruption in the course of passport, visa, work permit and expatriate quota issuance.

The hire purchase process is embodied in two recognized methods of application, namely, online and physical through NIS official.  In the online, applicants are required to apply through dedicated portal on the internet where payment is made and appointment date assigned for biometric capture.  Fixed date for collection is not known, and applicants need not contact NIS officials prior to application.  

But applications through NIS officials are directly handled and facilitated by a contracted official who superintends over the process.  Based on the agreed sum, payment is made inclusive of official cost, and thereafter, dates for biometrics capture and collection are given to the applicants.   Processing time through this method is short and definite.  This is the preferred choice for NIS officials due to attractive illicit returns.   

Unfortunately, while the online method is officially and openly canvassed as the appropriate channel, it is softly and covertly discouraged by unscrupulous NIS officials owing to inducement constraints.  Once these NIS officials are aware you have applied online, you are treated like a leprosy patient to be avoided. You may not even get a response for a simple enquiry relating to collection date.  Sarcastically, they ask you to go back to the internet to get a date.  This is done to discourage applicants from applying online.  

At any passport office, online applicants are subjected to indecent conditions, including standing in scorching sun almost all day, and drenched in a state of uncertainty.  In some instances, they are crammed into small office spaces, either waiting for biometrics capture or collection of passports or making enquiries for collection date.  Sometimes, they go through this process next day with no definite assurances.  

Persons applying through NIS officials are not subjected to these depressing conditions.  They are given special treatment which enables them to reduce their waiting time either for biometrics or other formalities.  Their transaction timelines are guaranteed.  Once their passports are ready, they are contacted by the handling official for collection.

Kickback charged by NIS officials for direct applicants is contingent upon delivery time, whether for fresh passport application or renewal, and this ranges between N30,000 and N60,000, depending on negotiation.  However, any frustrated online applicant may also speak to any NIS official for intervention to facilitate the process, but this requires a bribe of not less than N20,000 or higher, depending on compromise.

Despite being fraught with corruption, the public is still advised to apply online to avoid touts, as asserted by the acting Comptroller General of NIS, Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.  According to her, “our applications are available online and we are trying to sensitise our applicants that they should go online for these applications to avoid patronising touts”, assuring that “for a fresh application, it takes six weeks to get the passport ready, while it takes three weeks for renewal”.

This declaration is at variance with realities at all NIS passport offices.  It is either Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju is feigning ignorance or lack the courage to admit prevailing anomalies.  Having risen from the ranks to become Controller General, she cannot deny knowledge of unethical practices in the system and the plight of online applicants.  Touts operate within the precinct of NIS, and mostly, in collaboration with some NIS officials. Besides, passports are not ready in weeks as current minimum waiting period is two months, just as online applicants are still required to visit the offices for biometric capture despite automated process.  

The cost for a 64-page passport with a 10-year validity period is N70,000 while same page with five years period goes for N35,000, just as a 32-page passport with a five-year validity period costs N25,000.  Officially, NIS says applicants are not required to pay any other fee outside these costs, but in practice, it is not true, as actual costs are padded.   

Nigerians in diaspora and foreigners living in Nigeria alike are not spared the agonies inflicted by crooked NIS officials.  These are manifested when travelling through the country’s international airports where these NIS officials brazenly solicit for alms in hush tones from travelers without mindful of existential damage to the country’s image.  

At the country’s missions abroad, NIS methods of service delivery are poor and do not conform with international best practices as obtain in advanced economies.  Despite the presence of NIS officials in those foreign territories, they ignore enculturation of prevailing work ethics and civility of their host nations, preferring to hold on to the Nigerian factor where Nigerians in diaspora are subjected to undignified manners in the course of passport issuance.

Renewing or obtaining fresh passports abroad by Nigerians is a nightmare.  Most of these applicants travel long distances either by road or air to get to Nigerian Embassies or High Commissions.  Yet, upon arrival, they are confronted with cold reception and unruly behaviour with a mentality of doing these applicants a favour, resulting in low morale of many Nigerians in diaspora.

I recalled a friend who narrated his experience in the hands of NIS officials in Nigerian Embassy in New York City (NYC) where he had gone to renew his Nigerian passport after flying for over five hours by air from Portland.  On arrival at the Embassy, NIS officials were reluctant to attend to him, not because they were busy, but hiding under cover of arrogance and laziness.  He had to practically beg them before he could be attended to, and thereafter given a date for receipt of his passport, a development connoting a hangover of the Nigerian mentality.  Others are not as lucky as he was.

From Ottawa, Canada to Atlanta and Washington D.C., USA to Bern, Switzerland to London, England to Madrid, Spain to Brasilia, Brazil to Berlin, Germany and to Johannesburg, South Africa, the story of ineptitude, poor work ethics, lack of professionalism, poor service delivery and recalcitrant disposition are the same, leading to stress, trauma and humiliation of applicants.  

As a result of these glitches and contradictions in the operations of NIS, the agency conjures image of graft and ineptitude, just as the uniform constantly reminds the public of existing ethical gaps in the system. While these are symptoms of larger dislocations in the Nigerian system, the greed of some of these NIS officials who take delight in sabotaging the system for selfish gains, should be curbed, failing which, means NIS has been compromised beyond redemption.

It will do the country no good if these greedy officials who have exposed NIS to profound ridicule, undermined and precluded the system from delivering a seamless process for all Nigerians are allowed to sustain their dubious acts of extortion.

It is absurd for a country like Nigeria that is enmeshed with corruption toga to have a preferential service reserved for a category of Nigerians while others are subjected to ill-treatment.  It is therefore, imperative for the entire NIS system to be retooled for transparent, equitable, optimum and improved delivery capacity to save the country from a few elements who are bent on making corruption a lifestyle.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has said the general power outrage experienced across its franchise is due to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike.

This was contained in a statement released via its social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

The company recommended that consumers take necessary precautions to manage the outage effectively.

It urged them to unplug sensitive electronic devices and appliances from power sources pending the restoration of power.

The statement reads, “We are aware of the general power outage being experienced across our franchise due to enforcement by NLC of the two-day warning strike embarked upon by the labour union.

“We apologise for any inconvenience you may be experiencing as a result of this as we continue our engagement with key stakeholders towards minimising the impact of the strike on our customers.

“In the meantime, we recommend that you take necessary precautions to manage the outage effectively. Kindly unplug sensitive electronic devices and appliances from power sources pending the restoration of power.

“We will continue to provide updates on developments regarding the impact of the strike action on our operations through our official social media handles. Thank you for your understanding and continued support during this challenging time. We remain committed to serving you.”

The AEDC supplies power to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa states.

Apart from these states, there are currently power outages in Osogbo, Kano and other states as workers disrupted services because of the strike.

Former sporting director at Paris Saint-Germain, Leonardo, has admitted that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé lacked support and recognition to create a winning environment during their time together in France.

The star-studded attacking trio won league titles at PSG the past two seasons, but failed to bring Champions League success to the club.

“People, they need to feel comfortable. These players need a state of good spirits, they need to feel support, they need to be recognised.

“And the ones who have do that are the club, us, and the coaches,” Leonardo told Brazilian publication Ge.

Mbappé is into the final year of his current contract at PSG, while Messi left the Ligue 1 champions this summer to join Inter Miami CF as a free agent. Neymar moved to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal in a €90million transfer.

[DailyPost]

The Director of Strategic Communications for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Momodu, has expressed his desire to expel the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from the People’s Democratic Party if given the authority.

Despite his desire to sack Wike from the PDP, Momodu did not object to Wike’s ministerial appointment by President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Momodu said this while speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Political Paradigm’ programme aired on Tuesday (today).

“I don’t have the power, if I had the power, I would have fired him (Wike) long ago,” Momodu said.

PUNCH Online reports that Wike had challenged his party, the PDP, daring them to take action against him through suspension or disciplinary measures.

The former Rivers State governor asserted that he had yet to encounter a party leader who possessed the authority to suspend or expel him from the PDP.

He also claimed to be working for President Bola Tinubu and not the All Progressives Congress.

When questioned about his rationale for wanting to expel Wike from the party, Momodu responded, “Such an unruly person who wants to destroy our party? One individual cannot hold everybody to ransom. If we fought the military, Tinubu was part of those who fought the military in this country, and then, you will now allow a civilian dictatorship?”

Prior to the 2023 elections, Wike and four other former governors, collectively known as the G-5 within the PDP, withdrew their support for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, due to disagreements over power-sharing within the PDP.

[Punch]

The Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN) has condemned the wanton destruction of Daar Communications PLC’s (owner of African Independent Television and Raypower) building and equipment by the Rivers State Government, which occurred on Monday, 4th September, 2023.

IBAN has described the Rivers State Government’s action as self-help, illegal, and an abuse of the legal order prejudicial to our nascent democracy, as the dispute on the land between Daar Communications PLC and Rivers State Government is still a subject of litigation before a court of competent jurisdiction.

IBAN views the action of the Rivers State Government as an attempt to intimidate and silence the media, which is the watchdog of the society. It calls on the Rivers State Government to stay action and allow the judicial process to prevail on the matter.

Guy Murray-Bruce

Chairman, Independent Broadcasting Association Of Nigeria (IBAN)

Undeterred by jetlag from a long intercontinental journey, President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, arrived in New Delhi to the immediate embrace of Mr. Gopichand Hinduja, the Chairman and CEO of the Hinduja Group of Companies, a conglomerate with a total asset portfolio exceeding $100 billion U.S. Dollars.

The Indian Industrialist was received by the President within 90 minutes of the President's arrival in India for a meeting, which began around 8:00pm local time.

Accompanied to the meeting by Nigeria's Ministers of Finance, Trade & Industry, and Foreign Affairs, the smiling Nigerian leader made it clear to his first visitor that he is in India with one focus: attracting investments to Nigeria with lucrative opportunities for investors, but most essentially, jobs for Nigerians and new revenue opportunities for Nigeria's federal and sub-national governments.

"We are here for business. I am here to personally assure our friends and investors that there is no bottleneck that I will not break. Nigeria will become one of the most conducive places on earth to make good profits and create lasting jobs. With my support, there is nothing standing in your way of enjoying the unrivaled opportunities presented by our massive market and the ingenious & hardworking nature of the Nigerian people. We are open for business," the President firmly assured.

The Hinduja Group Chairman told the President that he was a living witness to his landmark effort as Governor of Lagos in turning a coastal erosion and water encroachment crisis into a massive free trade zone where industry now thrives. This, he said, was partially responsible for his excitement to partner with Nigeria's new President to create win-win prosperity for Nigeria's talented population.

"We believe in you as a leader who has done this before. You know what the challenges are. You know how to fix them. We are going to make investments into the billions of dollars under your leadership, because we see you are already addressing the systemic problems. I am ready now to sign an MoU and to begin execution. You tell me who to liase with, and we will get to work immediately, particularly with respect to bus and automobile manufacturing in Nigeria, amongst other areas," the industrialist enthusiastically stated.

The President did not wait to respond.

"Ministers of Trade and Finance, the two of you will follow this up immediately, and you will draw up the terms to the satisfaction of both parties. If there are any issues at all that require my intervention, they must be brought to my attention immediately."

After the President assigned the task of concluding the agreement to the two Ministers in collaboration with Hinduja Group Executives, who were present in the room, the industrialist could not hide his excitement.

"I have had paperwork stalled in Nigerian bureaucracy for over one year, especially in FCT, but I knew that you would be purpose driven in this endeavour and God will help you to turn Nigeria's rich promise into rich reality for all of its citizens," the Indian Billionaire concluded.

The President concluded that his task of making Nigeria great can only be achieved through teamwork and not in isolation, noting that when his investors are happy, Nigerians will rejoice by partaking in an inclusive economy where hard work is rewarded and where excellence becomes the reputation of the nation.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

When on March 31st 2023, I offered my letter to step aside as National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples' Party (NNPP), my prayer and hope then was that this was an opportunity for the party to move ahead and move fast to consolidate on the indisputable gains made so far during the last 2023 General Elections and prepare for the forthcoming elections that lie ahead.

Unfortunately, in the last few weeks, the party has slipped deeper and deeper into avoidable crises and conflicts that have led to several cases of suspension and counter-suspension of key leaders of the party, acrimonious press war, accusations and counter- accusations, which regrettably has led to the factionalisation of the party.

After the historic merger of the party in March 2022, together with other astute, highly dedicated, hardworking and loyal members of the party, we put in place a robust political structure nationwide. The National Working Committee (NWC) forged cohesion among our members and created a formidable national platform that fielded candidates for all elective offices from the State Houses of Assembly to National Assembly, Governorship and the Presidency. I am proud to be part of that Dream Team.

It is on record that within a period of less than one year and despite the limited time corridor from the merger to the General Elections,
the party won elections in the Governorship, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly seats.

However, I voluntarily stepped aside as the National Chairman of the NNPP shortly after the general election this year to give room for new hands and fresh ideas in order to advance the party forward. As far I was concerned, I never believed in the culture of sit tight in leadership positions nor that I was indispensable. The New Nigeria we all aspire to achieve must be built on the solid foundation of dedication, hardwork, resilience and personal sacrifice.

However, the recent disturbing developments in the NNPP with the emergence of factions working against each other is really unfortunate and counter-productive. Sadly,
there appears to be no end in sight in this needeless war of attrition. It seems that there's an unwritten code by the warring factions not to allow Elders of the party to mediate to finding a lasting solution to the crises. This is indeed regrettable and unhealthy for the growth and survival of any political party, especially an emerging political party such as the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Therefore, and in accordance with the NNPP Constitution, and having consulted widely, I hereby announce the withdrawal of my membership of the NNPP forthwith, and I pray and wish the party the best in her future endeavours.

I wish to call on all my friends, associates and supporters to remain calm and resolute while awaiting communications on future developments and our next direction.

Professor Rufa'i Ahmed Alkali
Former National Chairman, (NNPP)

The National Executive Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has expelled its 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

His expulsion came following his alleged refusal to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee.

The former Kano governor had been earlier suspended by the party’s leadership at the National Convention on August 29 in Lagos.

Recall that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NNPP set up a disciplinary committee and directed it to invite Kwankwaso to defend allegations of gross anti-party activities and mismanagement of party/campaign funds within five days.

Announcing his expulsion, the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, said in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, that the NEC had expelled Kwankwaso with immediate effect because of his refusal to honour the committee’s invitations.

“The NEC met in an emergency session on Friday, September 1 and resolved that following the refusal of Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to appear before the disciplinary committee which sat on Thursday, August 31 after being duly invited in writing, he is hereby expelled from NNPP with immediate effect.

“That the erstwhile presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will be reported to appropriate quarters to answer questions on financial impropriety relating to mismanagement of public funds,” the statement said

[NationalDaily]