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Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was detained and deposed on 26 July by his military guard under the command of General Abdourahamane Tchiani.

The unconstitutional change of government has been widely condemned internationally. Ecowas, the regional group, also issued sanctions and threatened military intervention.

However, other military juntas in the region have been sympathetic to the cause of the coup leaders.

The Niger coup has changed the security priority of key actors in the Lake Chad region, from fighting Boko Haram to addressing the political crisis.

Boko Haram terrorism and insurgency emerged in Nigeria in 2009 and spread across the Lake Chad region: Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The group has directly or indirectly killed more than 300,000 children and displaced five million people in the region.

At its peak in early 2015, the insurgents controlled about 20,000 square miles (over 50,000km²) of Nigerian territory.

Early in the fight against Boko Haram, especially between 2010 and 2013, neighbouring states in the Lake Chad region displayed inadequate interest in cooperating with Nigeria.

Regional discord allowed the terrorists to attack targets in Nigeria and escape to neighbouring countries.

From around 2013, the region showed growing interest in the fight against Boko Haram, as terrorist attacks spread beyond Nigeria. The 2014 Paris and London conferences further encouraged common frontline and international support against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.

Cameroon opened the second front against Boko Haram, deploying over 3,000 troops to its northern region in July 2014. Around the same time, Niger Republic granted the Nigerian military the right to pursue terrorists across the border.

Niger later declared a state of emergency and deployed 3,000 troops to the Differ region, threatened by Boko Haram, in February 2015.

Chad deployed 4,500 troops against the insurgents in early 2015. At the same time, Nigeria and Cameroon raised their forces to 25,000 and 7,000 respectively.

In July 2015, the Multinational Joint Task Force became operational against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. With headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad, the force established sectors in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The force is made up of 10,000 troops drawn from the four frontline countries and Benin Republic.

To support them, France, the US, Belgium, Italy and Germany maintain varying degrees of military presence in Niger.

This coordinated response is now threatened by the shift in focus from fighting Boko Haram to removing the coup leaders in Niger.

I have researched Boko Haram and its operations in the Lake Chad region for the last 13 years. Based on my research and understanding of the region, I see four ways in which the events in Niger will make the regional fight against Boko Haram more difficult:

Ecowas’s attention is divided

Niger’s attention is diverted

the gaps in security may give Boko Haram the opportunity to regroup and restrategise

suspension of western aid to Niger could fuel poverty and drive recruitment into Boko Haram.

Niger’s coup and its benefits to Boko Haram

The member states of the Lake Chad security arrangement and their western partners have condemned the Niger coup, and become hostile to the junta.

Ecowas, led by Nigeria, has sanctioned Niger. Ecowas suspended financial and commercial relations, closed land borders and restricted flights to and from Niger. The regional bloc also threatened military intervention to restore constitutional order in the country.

This means the Nigerian military has been preoccupied with possible Ecowas intervention in Niger. Data extracted from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project as of 23 August shows that the last offensive operation against Boko Haram by the Nigerian military was on 25 July. Since then, four insurgent attacks have been recorded, where 12 civilians were killed and 15 were kidnapped in Nigeria.

The military priority of Niger has also shifted from fighting against Boko Haram and other violent extremist groups. Now it is regime security. Niger’s military is preoccupied with a potential Nigeria-led Ecowas military intervention.

The junta has thus prioritised defence of the national capital and south-western borders. This is to the detriment of south-eastern borders, where Boko Haram is a threat.

Boko Haram is already taking advantage of this shift. On 15 August, 17 Niger soldiers were killed in an attack by suspected jihadists near the country’s border with Mali. The attack was described as the first in over a year.

Many western countries have suspended critical development and security aid to Niger. This is to the detriment of the country’s counter-insurgency capacity.

Niger’s military junta is mobilising anti-colonial and anti-imperial sentiment. It has severed defence cooperation with France and is aligning with pro-Russian forces.

Boko Haram can exploit the Niger crisis to regroup and re-strategise. Terrorist movement from Sahel to the Lake Chad region was recently reported.

The humanitarian effects of Ecowas sanctions and suspension of western aid may also fuel terrorist recruitment and a new wave of insecurity in the region.

The anti-western mobilisation of the junta can advance Boko Haram’s agenda to end western influence and establish Islamic State in the Lake Chad region and beyond.

The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State in the 2023 election, Magnus Ngei Abe, has appealed to his supporters to stop lobbying for any appointment for him in the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

 

According to him, the President should be allowed to form his government with those who can help him serve the people of Nigeria better.

Naija News reports that Abe, in a statement posted on his Facebook page, said he could not be fighting with the president’s appointees while declaring support for him at the same time.

 

Abe’s reaction, as gathered by this platform, follows agitation on why the President didn’t consider him for a ministerial position, instead of picking the former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.

While urging his supporters and agitators to stop crumbling over the situation, Abe said, “Please, if anybody is lobbying for appointment, go and lobby for yourself, do not lobby for any appointment for me on any platform.

 

“I withdrew my case against the elections in Rivers state, I have congratulated the President’s appointees, including the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and I genuinely wish them well.

“I am not, and I cannot be seen to be fighting with the President’s appointees while supporting the President.

“Anyone who claims to be with me should follow my steps and cease all hostilities against politicians who are in the APC or working with the APC government.

“The President is my father, and I have confidence in his ability to help Nigeria economically, which is why I supported him, and I will continue to support him.

“Let us give him space and time. By the grace of God, Nigeria will be better for us all, not only for those with positions in Government.

“Bile, bitterness, Unforgiveness and anger have never been part of my politics.

“Progress, prosperity and service are what we have always preached and talked about; it is time to practice what we preach with or without appointment.

“No matter what happens today, the sun will always rise again tomorrow morning; those who find favour before God will live to see the glory of another sunrise.”

Read the full statement below;

MY ADMONITION TO ALL THE RISING CONCERNS OPINIONATED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND VARIOUS ONLINE PLATFORMS FROM WELL-WISHERS AS WELL AS DERIDERS

”Please, can we tone down all these aggression. We have always supported President Tinubu, and we will continue to support the President.

”Let us all allow the President to form his government and bring in those he needs to help him serve the people of Nigeria.

”I withdrew my case against the elections in Rivers state, I have congratulated the President’s appointees, including the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and I genuinely wish them well.

”I am not, and I cannot be seen to be fighting with the President’s appointees while supporting the President.

”Anyone who claims to be with me should follow my steps and cease all hostilities against politicians who are in the APC or working with the APC government.

”Appointments, as we have all now confirmed, are not made on platforms, and appointment is not the only benefit from supporting the government.

”Please, if anybody is lobbying for appointment, go and lobby for yourself, do not lobby for any appointment for me on any platform.

”The President is my father, and I have confidence in his ability to help Nigeria economically, which is why I supported him, and I will continue to support him.

”Let us give him space and time.

”By the grace of God, Nigeria will be better for us all, not only for those with positions in Government.

”Bile, bitterness, Unforgiveness and anger have never been part of my politics.

”Progress, prosperity and service are what we have always preached and talked about. It is time to practice what we preach with or without an appointment.

”No matter what happens today, the sun will always rise again tomorrow morning; those who find favour before God will live to see the glory of another sunrise.”

Magnus Abe

[NaijaNews]

Tingo Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TIO) (“Tingo” or the “Company”), a profitable and fast growing fintech, agri-fintech and food company, today announced it has completed the investigation of the allegations made by short seller Hindenburg Research (“Hindenburg”), that relate directly to the Company and its businesses.

At the direction of the Company’s independent directors, independent counsel investigated certain of the Hindenburg allegations and provided the independent directors with an interim report summarizing evidence it had reviewed, along with items requiring further investigation. The Company’s outside counsel then conducted its own investigation into the allegations, which included following up on the items identified by independent counsel. Based on the Company’s outside counsel’s investigation and further investigative work of its own, the Company has concluded it can now provide the following response to the allegations in the Hindenburg report:

  • Agri-Fintech Holdings, Inc. Resignation of Director: Christophe Charlier was a co-Chairman of OTC-listed company, Agri-Fintech Holdings, Inc., which sold Tingo Mobile Limited to the Company on November 30, 2022. Mr. Charlier has never been a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, nor has he been involved in the management of the Company. In his resignation letter, which was filed with the SEC, Mr. Charlier complained only of a lack of communication and teamwork at Agri-Fintech Holdings.
  • Tingo Foods Revenue and Operating Margin: The revenue reported by Tingo Foods in Q1 2023 and its operating margin of 24.8 % has been confirmed.
  • Tingo Foods Business Relationships: During the period from September 2022 to March 31, 2023, Tingo Foods purchased its raw crops from two organizations in Nigeria, including the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (“AFAN”), which delivered the crops to third-party food processors. Tingo Foods then sold the processed food to several large wholesalers in Nigeria.
  • Food Processing Facility:   The construction of the Tingo Foods processing facility in Nigeria is well underway, with food and beverage processing operations expected to commence in Q2 2024. The images and renderings used for the Foods Processing Facility’s groundbreaking ceremony in February 2023 and in early presentational materials were stock images provided by an external marketing company, whereas specific renderings of the actual facility are currently being utilized. The Company has contracts in place with the construction company for the project and with Evtec Energy Plc and TAE Power Solutions Limited for the construction of a solar power plant to power the processing facility. Evtec Energy Plc is a special purpose vehicle for the project, whereas TAE Power Solutions Limited is a part of a multinational group that has been trading for more than 25 years.
  • Tingo Foods Sale of Inventory: The inventory held by Tingo Foods at the time it was purchased by the Company in February 2023 was sold to a customer on March 20, 2023, the proceeds for which were received on June 29, 2023.
  • Tingo Mobile Business Relationships with Farming Organizations: Tingo Mobile leases mobile phones to four co-operatives and farming organizations: the Kebbi (Dala) Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (“Kebbi”), the Ailoje Royal Farms Multi-Purpose Cooperative (“Ailoje”), the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (“AFAN”), and the Ashanti Investment Trust (“Ashanti”). The two farming cooperatives referenced in the Hindenburg report were Kebbi and Ailoje, to which Tingo Mobile has leased 4.5 million and 4.844 million phones respectively. The relationships with all the co-operatives and farming organizations have been confirmed.
  • Mobile License: Tingo Mobile does not directly provide airtime and data services on the phones it leases to customers, or through its Nwassa platform. Such services are currently provided by a third-party vendor. Tingo Mobile therefore does not require a Mobile License from the Nigerian Communications Commission. This arrangement allows Tingo Mobile’s customers to choose the best network provider for their location from Airtel, MTN, 9 Mobile and Globacom. Tingo Mobile earns a commission on the airtime and data services purchased by its customers, which it receives from its vendor, and which were previously received from Airtel.
  • Tingo Mobile’s Phone Suppliers: Since 2020, Tingo Mobile has purchased mobile phones from two suppliers: UGC Technologies Limited, with which it has had a contractual relationship since December 2020, and Bullitt Mobile, with which it has had a distribution agreement since February 2022.

    Hindenburg contacted a company called UGC Mobile Technologies in the U.S., not Tingo Mobile’s supplier, UGC Technologies Limited, which has offices in Africa and China. Tingo Mobile has purchased almost all its mobile phones from UGC Technologies Limited to date, with only a small purchase of 1,000 units of Caterpillar branded phones from Bullitt Mobile in 2022.
  • Tingo Mobile’s Taxes: On April 7, 2023, Tingo Mobile paid in full to the Nigeria Federal Inland Revenue Service (“FIRS”) its corporate income tax (“CIT”) and Tertiary Education Tax (“EDT”) for the fiscal year 2022.
  • Tingo Mobile Ghana: The Company’s recently established operations in Ghana are currently conducted exclusively through its trade agreement with the Ashanti Investment Trust. The Company leases mobile telephones to individuals introduced through the Ashanti Investment Trust and such customers also have access to Nwassa. The sim cards, airtime and data are sold to customers through a third-party vendor, as a result of which Tingo Mobile is not required to have a license with the National Communications Authority in Ghana. Tingo Mobile does not currently deal with or accept any new customers other than through its relationship with the Ashanti Investment Trust, it is however preparing to further expand the company’s business in Ghana and is currently recruiting a workforce and building a website to assist in facilitating this.
  • TingoPay: Tingo Mobile entered into a partnership with Visa on September 27, 2021, subsequent to which it has hosted several joint events with Visa, and it also launched a beta version of TingoPay with Visa on February 14, 2023. Prior to contracting with Visa, Tingo Mobile entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Stanbic Bank, dated November 17, 2020, and work was undertaken by the parties to develop an integrated e-wallet solution. After a disagreement over the Tingo Mobile press release in April 2021, the partnership with Stanbic Bank ceased and Tingo Mobile instead entered into the partnership and e-wallet integration with Visa.
  • Tingo Mobile’s NWASSA Platform: The Nwassa USSD platform is pre-loaded on the Tingo Mobile phones that are leased to the cooperatives and their farmers. Other individuals that have their own mobile phone can also register on the Nwassa USSD platform and conduct transactions on the platform. The Nwassa platform can be used by farmers to purchase items such as farming inputs, insurance, micro-loans, or additional airtime. The transactions made through Nwassa are processed by a third-party payment processing company owned by an American multi-national fintech company, which collects a commission payment on behalf of Tingo Mobile on each transaction and remits the commissions to its bank account. Tingo Mobile has confirmed its Q1 2023 reported revenue from the NWASSA platform.
  • Tingo DMCC: Tingo DMCC is the Company’s new agricultural export business. As of June 30, 2023, Tingo DMCC had conducted three export sales transactions totaling $348 million with customers located in neighboring countries within Africa. Tingo DMCC currently conducts its business through its direct contacts and sales leads. It is, however, in the process of developing a separate website for use in the future.
  • Financial Statement Errors: The “errors” identified by Hindenburg in Tingo Group’s financial statements and MD&A in its year-end 2022 Form 10-K and Q1 2023 Form 10-Q were typographical errors that were obvious to the reader from the remainder of the numbers and other information.
    All the information required to be disclosed relating to Certain Relationships and Related Transactions (including the acquisition of Tingo Mobile on November 30, 2022), and Director Independence, was included in the Form 10-K.

    While the Company’s cash-flow statement inadvertently labeled an increase in trade receivables as a decrease, the numbers themselves were correct. The discrepancies Hindenburg identified between the change in receivables reported on the balance sheet and change in receivables reported in the cash flow statement reflect Hindenburg’s misunderstanding of the numbers and the relevant U.S. GAAP accounting standards, including in relation to how the business combinations that closed during the relevant accounting periods impacted the numbers. In both cases, the “difference” resulted from non-cash adjustments related mainly to the Company’s acquisition of Tingo Mobile in Q4 2022 and its acquisition of Tingo Foods in Q1 2023, all of which were correct.
  • Independent Auditors: The engagement with Brightman Almagor Zohar & Co., a firm in the Deloitte Global Network, was after consideration of the relevant factors regarding the location of auditors. Such factors included that the Company does not have any operations in the U.S., and the consolidation process and preparation for the group’s financial statement and SEC filings is performed by the Company’s finance function in Israel.
  • Bank Balances: Bank statements were obtained directly from the banks used by Tingo Mobile and Tingo Foods, and interviews with the banks were conducted over video conference calls. The bank balances of each company were confirmed at several dates, including at the Quarter End dates of March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and as late as August 3, 2023, which reconciled and agreed to each company’s accounting records and financial statements.

    Tingo Mobile earns interest only on funds held in a fixed deposit account. Due to its cash needs from time to time, Tingo Mobile is unable to encumber a large portion of its funds in a fixed-deposit account that would earn interest.

Having concluded the investigation into the allegations made by Hindenburg against the Company and its businesses, which was deemed to be the highest priority, the Company and its outside counsel will now proceed to investigate Hindenburg’s allegations against the founder of Tingo Mobile and Tingo Foods, Dozy Mmobuosi.

About Tingo Group

Tingo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: TIO) is a global Fintech and Agri-Fintech group of companies with operations in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Tingo Group’s wholly owned subsidiary, Tingo Mobile, is a leading Agri-Fintech company operating in Africa, with a comprehensive portfolio of innovative products, including a ‘device as a service’ smartphone and a value-added service platform. As part of its globalization strategy, Tingo Mobile has recently begun to expand internationally and entered into trade partnerships that are contracted to increase the number of subscribed farmers from 9.3 million in 2022 to more than 32 million, providing them with access to services including, among others, the Nwassa ‘seed-to-sale’ marketplace platform, insurance, micro-finance, and mobile phone and data top-up. Tingo Group’s other Tingo business verticals include: TingoPay, a SuperApp in partnership with Visa, that is currently in beta version, offering a wide range of B2C and B2B services including payment services, an e-wallet, foreign exchange and merchant services; Tingo Foods, a food processing business that processes raw foods into finished products such as rice, groundnut oil, nut products, wheat, millet and maize; and Tingo DMCC, a commodity trading platform and agricultural commodities export business based out of the Dubai Multi Commodities Center. In addition to its Tingo business verticals, Tingo Group also holds and operates an insurance brokerage platform business in China; and Magpie Securities, a regulated finance services Fintech business operating out of Hong Kong and Singapore. For more information visit tingogroup.com.

Disclaimer

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management and the Company’s board of director’s view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed and identified in public filings made with the SEC by the Company and: (i) the results of the independent review; (ii) the risk of restatement of the Company’s previously reported financial statements or the identification of one or more material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting; (iii) costs relating to the independent review, which are likely to be material; (iv) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company, including as may result from the independent review and (v) the ability to meet stock exchange continued listing standards. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

Abuja is not in a hurry to change. However, in a city famous for its bad habits fostered by wayward politicians, I think the dial may have moved a bit in the right direction. It’s hard to say if this slight movement has been fortuitous, or whether it had anything to do with the threat of the new minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to tackle lawbreakers with an iron hand.

I have noticed that one week after Wike’s swearing-in, more traffic lights in and around the Central Business District began to work. More than I can remember at any other time in the last two years at least. I got so used to seeing dead and malfunctioning traffic lights, I began plotting my commutes around these mostly dead or dying instruments, even if it sometimes meant using longer routes. 

After my car was bashed once at an intersection where the traffic light had failed and the warden was absent, I learnt to skirt around the lights to save myself from Abuja’s suicidal drivers. Even in the few places where the lights work, it would be foolish to move without first looking left and right, and left again. For the sane few the restoration of more traffic lights is a welcome relief. 

However, in a city nearly overwhelmed with filth, dead street lights, bad roads, occasional deadly police brutality, and rising crime – not to mention well-connected land speculators and violators of the masterplan – it seems like trivia to talk about traffic lights back in service. 

Yet, it is, in fact, because of the festering decay and spectacular all-round collapse of the city that a small matter such as the restoration of a number of traffic lights has become even more noticeable. 

Not that Abuja’s numerous drivers from hell care, light or no light. They will not stop at a road sign even if you beat them on the head with a flashing light pole. The point is, the resuscitation of the lights gives hope that perhaps there just might be fewer than the 348 motor vehicle accidents, 39 of them fatal, that occurred in Abuja between January and December 2022, according to data from the FCT Transport Secretariat.

Broken City 

Yet, the story of the failure of Abuja, as I said before, is more than the chaos in the Central Business District, more than its malfunctioning traffic lights and, certainly, much more than all its crazy drivers combined. Abuja is a victim of elite abuse. It took me years of living and working in and out of the place to understand and sympathise with the city over its misery. 

In fact, sometimes I secretly wished that Obafemi Awolowo had won the 1979 election and invited Walt Disney to make the place an amusement park as he contemptuously promised during his presidential campaign that year. 

Like most typical Lagosians, I disdained Abuja. Not out of a feeling of metropolitan hubris, but because even in its hubris, Lagos has a method, a soul. Until 2010, I tried, if I could help it, never to stay more than one day in Abuja, which had earned a reputation as the refuge of scoundrels.

Of course, Nigeria’s former military head of state, General Murtala Mohammed, who first announced Abuja as the new Federal Capital on February 3, 1976, had very good intentions for doing so. The argument of the military, under General Yakubu Gowon, was that Lagos had become congested and unlivable. Nigeria’s capital of the future had to be more than a concrete jungle.  

Squandering of Riches 

President Shehu Shagari tried to move things along rather gingerly but anyone who has watched Onyeka Onwuenu’s BBC-NTA documentary, The Squandering of Riches, might see where Abuja finally lost its way and inherited its perverted DNA. 

When the military government of General Muhammadu Buhari struck in 1983, the mess in Abuja – huge contracts awarded at fantastically inflated costs – was a part of the charge sheet against Shagari’s government and a number of politicians of that era. 

After Gideon Orkar’s 1990 coup attempt in which military president General Ibrahim Babangida, escaped by the skin of his teeth, however, he felt vulnerable in Lagos. He gave construction giant, Julius Berger, a carte blanche denominated in sweetheart crude oil deals, to get Abuja ready for his government.

If Abuja looks like a shadow of its former self today, a far cry from the model of Brasilia, planned by the US consortium of three companies – Wallace, Roberts, McHarg and Todd; and its Central Business District is anything but what was conceived by Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange, it’s not because of lack of effort by at least two notable persons to save it.

Major General Mamman Vatsa was one. Julius Berger may have done the main construction work, but the credit for the greening of the new Federal Capital goes to Vatsa, an outstanding poet and humanist whose execution remains a big stain on the Babangida era. 

Somehow, where the lush greens, gardens and open spaces in FESTAC Town, Lagos, could not withstand the philistinism of elite land grabbers, Vatsa’s green footprint legacy in Abuja has managed, at least in the many parts, to withstand the ravages of the elite and assorted trespassers. 

The second notable Abuja steward was former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, when he was minister of the FCT. In a city where politicians believe they can get away with virtually anything, El-Rufai’s fanatical insistence on compliance with the Abuja masterplan brought him in collision with the high and mighty. 

But it was a fight worth having. Without El-Rufai’s stubborn insistence, Abuja would be a far worse place than it is today, especially as a result of the collapse of many industries in the North, not to mention Nigeria’s dysfunctional federalism. Imagine a city where the CCTV cameras installed with a Chinese loan of $460 million which was supposed to help manage crime became a crime scene, with the cameras, cables and poles all stolen on former Minister Bala Mohammed’s watch?

Achebe’s Warfront

And as if that is not bad enough, we’re now being told in a Bloombergreport on Tuesday, that the city train service, a star project of Rotimi Amaechi’s era, is an example of “how not to build public transit!”

Abuja is not yet like living at a warfront, which was how Chinua Achebe once described Lagos. But I guess it depends on which Abuja you’re talking about. The rise in insurgency in the surrounding states, especially Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa, in the last 10 years, has led to a surge in the city’s population from 2.2 million 10 years ago to 3.8 million. 

Abuja has become Nigeria’s fourth most populated city, and life in such satellite towns as Bwari, Kubwa, Karshi, Gwagwalada, and Kuje may not be too different from warfront existence, not to mention slums like Deidei, Mpape and Nyanya, Abuja’s own copies of Ajegunle in Lagos.

These places are congested and chaotic, bereft of basic amenities, and frighteningly unsafe. The satellite towns, apart from being hotbeds of crime, have also become flea markets of sorts exploited by Abuja landlords for house-helps, drivers, cooks, nannies and clerical staff. The Kuje Prisons, one of the most popular landmarks of that satellite town, is a metaphor of life not only in Kuje but also in other satellite towns surrounding the city. 

Any revival plan by Wike that excludes the satellite towns where the bulk of Abuja’s population resides, and respect for the culture, landmarks and wellbeing of the indigenous people, will return to haunt the city.

Framing Wike as an urban bulldozer misses the point. Abuja needs salvation not from Wike but from decades of elite abuse. Otherwise, we may hand the city over to Walt Disney as a zoo franchise!

Now, Gabon…

Libreville, the Gabonese capital, is only roughly two hours’ direct flight from Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. In the early hours of Wednesday, soldiers struck, deposing President Ali Bongo, who has been in power for 14 years. It was the country’s first successful military coup in its 63 years of post-independence history. But it was also the seventh successful coup in Africa in five years, extending the coup belt southward. It’s OK to blame Bongo, and in fact, excoriate him for the notorious incest that kept Bongo father and son in power for nearly 55 years. Indeed, all previous deposed leaders in the region have also been blamed for failing to deliver on their promises. But show me one African country that has fared better under military rule and I will show you at least three that have done far better, in spite of the obvious imperfections of democratic rule. I’m afraid that at this rate, the next coup may arrive at a destination less than two hours away from Lagos, carrying the letter, “C.” There must be an end to this epidemic!

 

Rwanda President, Paul Kagame, who doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), on Wednesday, approved the retirement of 95 military generals and senior officers as well as 930 junior soldiers.

Top on the list of retirees is General James Kabarebe, the country’s former Minister of Defence and Chief of Defense Staff.

Those affected were disclosed in a statement published on the Rwanda Defense Force’s official website on Wednesday.

The announcement came amid recent military coups in Niger Republic and Gabon.

Until his retirement, General Kabarebe served as the special advisor to the president on security.

Local media reports that some of those retired had attained the retirement age of 65 while others were indicted in some misconduct.

“The president has also approved the retirement of 83 senior officers, 06 junior officers and 86 senior NCOS, 678 end of contract and 160 medical discharges,” the statement partly read.

Prior to their retirement, the Ugandan president promoted a number of lieutenant colonels to the rank of colonels and brigade commanders.

Although the statement did not categorically state the reasons behind the retirement of over 600 military officers, the president had in previous weeks addressed opinion leaders on the need to keep the country united.

“Our history has been an example of how destructive division can be. We have also seen that it is our unity that has led to our country’s transformation. We have people who lost their family members, others who have family members who are perpetrators, everyone has suffered the consequences of division. The only solution to this is unity. We cannot accept to return to the destructive practice of division. That would be self destruction.” President Kagame said.

Reacting to the development, some users on X (formerly Twitter) claimed it was a coup prevention strategy while others commended the soldiers for serving the nation for over three decades.

President Bola Tinubu has expressed concern over the recent coup d’état in Gabon, saying he is watching closely while consulting with member states of the African Union.

Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this on Wednesday to State House Correspondent in Abuja.

The Nigerian Presidency warned against the seizure of power by the gun.

‘’President Bola Tinubu is watching closely with deep concern for the country’s social-political stability and at the seeming autocratic contention spreading across different regions of our beloved continent.

‘’The president as a man who has made significant sacrifices in his life in the course of advancing and defending democracy believes that power belongs in the hands of Africa’s great people and not in the barrel of a loaded gun,’’ he said.

The junta had ousted the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, accusing him of treason.

The Arewa Economic Forum (AEF) has accused President Bola Tinubu of what it termed ‘Yorubanisation’ and ‘Lagoslisation’ of his appointments.

The Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Dandakata, who expressed the displeasure of the Forum lamented that the North, which significantly contributed to the enthronement of the Tinubu government, is being left out in the Finance and ICT sectors which are crucial to economic development.

Dandakata spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a press conference organized by the Forum to register its discontent over the seeming nepotism in some of the President’s appointments.

He added that both the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Folashodun Shonubi, are from the southwest.

The Group alleged that many of the appointments of Heads of strategic government agencies in Finance and ICT are from the southwest and also of the Lagos axis.

He said, “As you may be aware, Finance and Information Communication Technology (ICT) are crucial to the economic eldorado that the President envisions for Nigeria.

“While the Federal Ministry of Finance manages the finances of the Federation, including controlling and monitoring federal revenues and expenditures, the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy develops a knowledge-based economy and facilitates the development of the ICT industry towards increasing its contribution to GDP.

“The two ministries play greater roles in facilitating businesses, e-commerce, job creation, empowerment and increased efficiency and productivity, which are vital for economic growth and prosperity.

“The importance of Finance and ICT sectors are such that we must be circumspect in the kind of decisions we make in those sectors.

“As a patriotic, refined statesman who won a credible, national mandate on February 25, 2023, President Bola Tinubu has a duty to not only be fair to all parts of the country but also to be seen to be fair to all parts.

“We have observed that the Minister of Finance and the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Folashodun Shonubi, are both from the southwest though we admit that they are eminently qualified for their respective positions.

“The Minister of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, is from the southwest and even the Chairman of Senate Committee on ICT, Senator Afolabi Salisu, and that of House of Representatives, Hon. Adedeji Olajide Odidiomo, are also from the southwest.”

The Forum’s Chairman further alleged that some Chief Executive Officers of some key government agencies and parastatals, who were northerners are gradually being replaced with Lagosians and there is the fear that more may be replaced.

“It must be added that even some agencies in the Finance and ICT sectors whose chief executives were removed like the Customs and NIMC were replaced by people from the Southwest.

“There is even confusion on the recent appointment of Engr Bisoye Coker-Odusote from Lagos as acting DG NIMC, after Engr Aliyu Abubakar Aziz was asked to go on retirement leave.

“The presidential directive stated that after acting for three months, Coker-Odusote would then immediately resume as substantive DG for a full tenure.

“This is curious and unprecedented. If the President could not allow the most senior director in the Commission to act for some time, he should have instructed Madam Coker-Odusote to resume her four-year tenure immediately instead of making her enjoy extra three months. This is capable of setting a bad precedent in public service appointments.”

While commending the President for retaining some performing chief executive officers of leading agencies in Economy and Technology like Bello Hassan of NDIC and Kashifu Inuwa of NITDA, the Forum said it believes that more competent, qualified and experienced technocrats from the North can also be appointed to head crucial sectors of the economy.

He added, “There is however palpable fear that more Northerners may be recommended for removal and their replacements may take a similar pattern.

“We are afraid to state that a situation whereby the appointees in crucial economic sectors are not only from the southwest but also connected to the Lagos axis suggests a deliberate ‘Yorubanisation’ and ‘Lagoslisation’ of the polity.

“It is not too late for Mr. President to turn the corner and do the needful in upcoming appointments and crucial decisions.

“We believe firmly that this President means well for our dear nation but he and his lieutenants need to understand optics as perception is reality.

“We urge Mr. President not to yield to sectional pressure for parochial appointments and patronage on the critical sectors of our economy.”

In his appointments, changes and replacements, the Forum called on the President to be wary of actions that can send a wrong signal on his true intentions or the agenda of some of his key lieutenants.

“We expect President Tinubu to be fair, just and equitable in his decisions not only because the Northerners overwhelmingly voted for him but because that is the right thing to do,” he added.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dared his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, to suspend him declaring he has not seen who is capable of suspending him.

The former Rivers State Governor stated this while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday, a day after the All Progressives Congress, APC, under which he’s a minister named him as a member of the party’s governorship campaign council for Bayelsa State.

The APC however said it would produce another list declaring the composition of the council as announced by its National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, as not authentic, in a statement by its spokesman, Felix Morka.

The spokesman of the party told THE WHISTLER on Wednesday that another list would be announced Thursday.

The PDP had earlier named Wike as a member of its Bayelsa State Campaign Council.

Some members of the party told THE WHISTLER on Thursday that Wike deserved suspension or expulsion for anti-party activities but blamed the acting National Chairman of the party for the poor direction the party was headed.

But speaking against the demand for his suspension, Wike said, “The person who will suspend me is when I couldn’t produce a governor, three senators, Assembly members. I have not seen that person. Nobody will do it”

He however made it clear that, “I am not working for APC. I am working for Tinubu who has trust in me to help him deliver the renewed hope agenda.”

Thursday, 31 August 2023 07:18

APC Expels 84 Aregbesola Loyalists

No fewer than 84 loyalists of the former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, have been expelled from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State for anti-party activities.

They were expelled for accepting political appointments by Governor Ademola Adeleke, including as Commissioners and members of the Osun State and Local Government Caretaker Committees.

THE WHISTLER gathered that the party may also take disciplinary action against Aregbesola who disclosed in an interview on Tuesday that he deliberately worked against APC’s bid in the state’s 2022 governorship election.

The current Osun State Commissioner for Political Affairs and Inter-Governmental Relations, Biyi Odunlade and Rasaq Salinsile who was appointed by Governor Adeleke as Chairman, Osun Teaching Service Commission, were among those that were expelled from the party.

The Osun APC Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, announced the party members’ expulsion in a news release.


“Following complaints of anti-party activities, the State Executive Committee of the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) constituted a Disciplinary Committee to investigate the allegations against some members.

“This disciplinary measure came in response to the allegations of misconduct and actions that embarrassed and brought the party to disrepute. The Disciplinary Committee undertook a thorough and impartial review of the allegations and the findings were carefully deliberated upon by the State Executive Committee.

“After a comprehensive assessment of the evidence and consideration of the committee’s recommendations, the State Executive Committee has taken the difficult yet necessary step of expelling the members.

“Among the expelled are: Akibu Olaiya – Iwo LG, Yekeen Ajoke Nafisat – Iwo LG, Wakeel Mutaleeb Adekunle – Iwo East LCDA, Olufunke Akano – Iwo East LCDA, Olatunji Idowu Ajoke- Iwo West LCDA, Ajala Abayomi – Ayedire LG, Adegboyega Semiu Adeniyi – Ayedire LG, Sabitu Rofiat Omolayo – Ayedire South LCDA, Oladeji Ismail – Ayedire South LCDA, Tajudeen Akanbi – Olaoluwa LG, Oyediran Quasim – Olaoluwa LG, Ajetunmobi Moshood – Olaoluwa South LCDA, Akintoye Opeyemi – Irewole LG, Akerele Sunday – Irewole LG, Pastor Peter Olaawo – Irewole LCDA, Orisatola Surajudeen A. – Irewole LCDA, Shariat O. Olaniyi – Ayedaade LG, Akeem Olodude – Ayedaade LG, Raji Sikiru – Ayedaade South LCDA, Isaac Adeyemi Aderinoye – Ayedaade South LCDA, Oyedeji Tawab O. – Osogbo LG, Aderemi Tajudeen – Osogbo LG, Kamoru Afusat Bolanle – Osogbo South LCDA, Ibrahim Mumini Tunde – Osogbo South LCDA, Olayinka Musiliu Shina – Osogbo West LCDA, Adewumi Ademola Taofeeq – Osogbo West LCDA, Ajala Oladiran – Olorunda LG, Abiola Omotosho – Olorunda LG, Ganiyu Aliu O. – Olorunda North LCDA, Lawal Olalekan – Olorunda North LCDA and Ganiyu Adebayo A. – Olorunda Area Council

“Afolabi Olaniyi Olatunde – Olorunda Area Council, Serifat Olayiwola – Ifelodun LG, Olawale Morufu Adebukola – Ifelodun LG, Ajibade Olatunji Ganiyu – Ifelodun North LCDA, Oladunjoye Rasheed Taye – Ifelodun North LCDA, Wale Agboola – Ifelodun Area Council, Sulaiman Akeem – Ifelodun Area Council, Odetayo Olubunmi – Odo Otin LG, Agboola Dayo Remilekun – Odo Otin LG, David Ajiboso – Odo Otin North LCDA, Ajala Richard Folashade – Odo Otin North LCDA, Ogunkanmi Adekunle – Odo Otin South LCDA, Adepoju Kabiru – Odo Otin South LCDA, Fadunmola Fatai A. – Boluwaduro LG, Aina Olusola – Boluwaduro LG, Oyekanmi Hajarat Adenike – Boluwaduro East LCDA, Adewumi O. Olufemi – Boluwaduro East LCDA, Teniola Alaba – Ilesa East LG, Muraina Fatai Olusegun – Ilesa East LG, Alaka Bode Olakunle – Ilesa North East LCDA, Ojediran Folasade Kehinde – Ilesa North East LCDA, Raji Azeez – Ilesa West LG, Afolayan Kafayat – Ilesa West LG, Kabir Ademola Hameed – Ilesa West Central LCDA and Kazeem Kafayat – Ilesa West Central LCDA

Also, “Agunlejika Adejuyigbe – Atakumosa West LG, Ogundele Sesan Opeyemi – Atakumosa West LG, Omidiji Olaolu – Atakumosa West LCDA, Adejare Israel – Atakumosa West LCDA, Oni Abiodun – Ife Central LG, Ismail Busayo Alabelewe – Ife Central LG, Chief Titus Awofesobi – Ife Central West LCDA, Alhaji Akeem Oyeleye – Ife Central West LCDA, Alhaji Omisakin Bisi – Ife East LG, Ogunrinola Sayo – Ife East LG, Oyewole Rafiu – Ife Ooye LCDA, Adefioye Adegboyega – Ife Ooye LCDA, Sangolade Olawale – Ife East Area Office, Adekunle Toyin Asabi – Ife East Area Office, Adeyeye Yinusa O. – Oriade LG, Mathew Olamuyiwa Samuel – Oriade LG, Samson Fakinyede Oladipo – Oriade South LCDA, Oyediran Mikail – Oriade South LCDA, Lamidi Oyeyemi – Obokun LG, Dare Adarayaki- Obokun LG, Oluseyi Oyinloye – Obokun LCDA, Ogundele Ogunsanmi – Obokun LCDA, Ismail Elewedi – Ejigbo Central LCDA, Yekeen Adewale – Oyebisi Ejigbo South LCDA, Muraina Atanda Adeleke – Ejigbo South LCDA, Alhaja Temilade Olokungboye Halid – Osogbo West LCDA, Comrade Biyi Odunlade – Ife Central LGA and Hon. Rasak Salinsile – Iwo LGA.”

He enjoined members of the party to remain focused on the party’s goals and continue working together to serve the interests of the State.

Governor Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party defeated the then incumbent, Gboyega Oyetola, who ran on the platform of the APC.

Oyetola failed both at the tribunal and Supreme Court to have Adeleke’s victory overturned.

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has affirmed the N50 million damages that was awarded against Senator Elisha Abbo for assaulting a lady, Ms. Osimibibra Warmate, in a sex toy shop in Abuja.

A High Court of Federal Capital Territory had ordered the lawmaker who represented Adamawa North, to pay damages over the incident that occurred in 2019.

Dissatisfied with the verdict, Senator Abbo approached the appellate court to set aside the judgement.

However, the appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Jamilu Tukur, dismissed the appeal.

The panel said it found no reason to dislodge the verdict the high court delivered on September 29, 2020, following a fundamental right enforcement suit that was lodged by Ms. Warmate.

The appellate court held that trial Justice Samira Bature was right in upholding Ms. Warmate’s case and awarding damages against the lawmaker.

It dismissed the Appellant’s argument that the suit that led to the damages that was awarded against him, was not properly commenced.

While also dismissing Senator Abbo’s contention that he was denied fair hearing, the appellate court faulted his argument that Ms. Warmate’s claim that he slapped her, pulled her hair and dragged her out of the sex toy shop, was only a case of simple assault and not rights violation.

The court, aside from upholding the N50m damages, equally awarded another N500, 000 in favour of Ms. Warmate, even as it resolved all five issues that were raised in the appeal, against the Appellant.

In its lead judgement that was delivered Danlami Senchi, the appellate court held that Senator Abbo’s appeal marked: CA/ABJ/945/2020, was bereft of any merit.

“The decision of the trial court in the award of N50m against the Appellant and in favour of the Respondent was proper,” Justice Senchi held, adding that going by the quality of evidence that was presented by Ms Warmate, including a medical report and video recordings of the incident, the decision of the trial court could not be tampered with.

“The conduct of the Appellant is sufficiently outrageous to merit the punishment as the facts of the case disclosed flagrant disobedience of the law, especially that the Appellant is an elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the court held.