Warns Ekpa Against Anti-Igbo Activities

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, on Friday ordered that all Sit-At-Home, including the Monday Sit-At-Home and other proposed Sit-at-Home be ended.

In a Special Public Announcement, addressed to “The General Public and Media Institutions”, through his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor and titled, “Direct Order: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hereby ends all Sit-At-Home including the Monday Sit-At-Home and an other proposed Sit-at-Home”, the order read:

“This Public Announcement bears (as shall be reproduced below) the unedited, verbatim Instructions containing a Direct Order personally issued by MAZI NNAMDI KANU in his own handwriting on 24th July, 2023 through me to MAZI SIMON EKPA, instructing him to ‘desist from calling for any Sit-at-Home henceforth’ and ‘to make a public announcement to the effect that he (Mazi Simon Ekpa) is in receipt of a direct order from him (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) to cancel any pending Sit-at-Home in place at the moment’ and also that he (Mazi Nnamdi KAnu) has, by the same order, ‘authorized me to issue a press statement if he (Mazi Simon Ekpa) fails to make this announcement on his platform’.

“For avoidance of doubt, this Direct Order was personally handed to me by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu when | visited him on the said 24th July, 2023 at the headquarters of the Department of State Security (DSS), Abuja. Later that day, | tried to contact Mazi Simon Ekpa via his WhatsApp number but could not reach him until 1:44AMthe following day (25th July, 2023), whereupon | snapped the Direct Order as written and sent to him. He thereafter acknowledged receipt and we spoke briefly on it and exchanged a couple text messages thereof.

“Since that early 25th July, 2023 (when | conveyed the Order to Mazi EKPA and he duly acknowledged it, he has not implemented the Order or otherwise made such announcement on his media platform. Nonetheless, | made a conscious decision to give him the benefit of doubt and thereby accord him more time to do the needful.

“Then, late yesterday, further written Instructions was issued by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to me, referring to the extant Direct Order to Mazi Ekpa and, in addition, instructing me that given that Mazi Ekpa has not carried out the Order, | must, as of today, being 28th July 2023, proceed to make the Order public through a Public Announcement/Press Statement. In the said further instructions, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu added more pertinent details and instructed that | must equally make them public.

“Accordingly, and as of Counsel, bound by duty and the solemn oath of my noble profession to faithfully and zealously implement my Client’s clear Instructions without any fear or favor, | now therefore reproduce verbatim the contents of said Direct Order to Mazi Simon Ekpa (at the first Paragraph) and the related further Instructions (from the second Paragraph to the end), as follows:

“Simon. this is a direct order from me. I hereby instruct you to desist from calling for any Sit-at-Home henceforth. Equally refrain from antagonizing Govemors or persons in political positions because you are notin a position to know what they are doing on my behalf. | am ordering you to make a public announcement to the effect that you are in receipt of a direct order from me to cancel any pending Sitat-Home in place at the moment. | embarked on this movement to liberate our peopk not to enslave them. | despise and will despise any person or entity that wishes to inflict unnecessary hardship on our people. | have authorized Aloy to issue a press statement if you fail to make this announcement on your platform’.

“Anybody sitll engaging in Sit-at-Home is not my disciple. Haters of Biafra and mindless murderers in uniform are hiding under the cover of combating enforcers of Sit-at-Home to unleash mayhem against the same people we swore to defend’.

“I have sent countless messages to those purportedly enforcing Sit-at-Home that they are not doing so in my name. I am not begging anybody to release me just that Nigeria should have the decency to obey their own laws’.

“The main issue which our people should address their minds to is the unconscionable delays in heanng he govt appeal at the Supreme Court, whichis a Situation not amenable to any Sit-at-Home. Therefore Sit-at-Home is a waste of time, resources and energy’.

“Those who may not understand the genesis of the Sit-at-Home should refer to my younger brother’s press statement on the eve of the commencement of the original order issued by the IPOB family. My brother made it clear to the DOS that

I was against the order for people to stay at home under whatever guise. This caused a nift between my siblings and DOS till date”.

“Aloy should use the above contributions to form the main body of the press statement. I want our people to know how this whole sit-at-home brouhaha started. Had DOS obeyed my direct instructions to cancel the first Monday sit-athome, opportunistic scavengers would not have jumped on the bandwagon to wreak havoc on our people | want our people to know how this whole Sit-at-Home brouhaha started. Had DOS obeyed my direct instructions to cancel the first Monday Sit-at-Home, opportunistic scavengers would not have jumped on the bandwagon to wreak havoc on our people.”

*You (Aloy) must release the press statement tomorrow with the screenshot of the handwniten note I gave to you unfailingly’.

“Signed: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

However in his reaction, Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor said, “After drafting this Public Announcement, I sent it unsigned to Mazi Simon Ekpa with a Note that I will forbear from having to be the one to make this announcement if by 4pm today (Friday) he made the announcement himself and sent me a copy. He did not respond to my message, nor has he made the said announcement on his platform until 4:30pm today when I released this Public Announcement to the media and to the public.

Senator Walid Jibrin, a former Chairman of the Textile Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, has said 155 Nigerian textile companies collapsed in a few years.

Jibrin, the former Board of Trustee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, disclosed this recently in Kaduna.

According to him, only 20 textile companies operate in Nigeria from 175 a few years back.

He blamed epileptic power supply, lack of water, and insecurity for the industry’s collapse.

“Unfortunately, the story is different today as the sector is a mirage with a lot of challenges that led to its gradual collapse”, he said.

Nonetheless, he maintained that he hoped the textiles would bounce back.

A former Minister of Transportation, Ibrahim Bio, has said it is apparent that Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, is on his way out of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Bio disclosed this on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television while reacting to Wike’s ministerial nomination by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to Bio, it is evident that Wike will be exiting PDP because he cannot marry being a leader of the PDP in Rivers State and minister under the All Progressives Congress-led administration.

“Nyesom Wike is the only PDP card-carrying member on the ministerial list. I don’t know how he will marry that with being a leader of the PDP in Rivers State.

“It is apparent that Wike is on his way out of PDP”, he stated.

DAILY POST recalls that Wike, three former governors and 24 other nominees made Tinubu’s ministerial list read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary on Thursday.

Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Abdullahi Gumel, says documentation for all the ministerial nominees has commenced.

Gumel told newsmen on Friday in Abuja that the nominees were expected to visit the office of the SSA, located at AB 25, Basement, National Assembly complex, between July 28 and July 30.

“This is for necessary documentation, ahead of screening, which commences on Monday, July 31.
“Documentation for ministerial nominees has commenced and the nominees are expected to complete all necessary processes before the screening.

“The office will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for this purpose; this is to enable all nominees complete the process before the screening,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the senate had, on Thursday, received President Bola Tinubu’s list of 28 ministerial nominees for screening and confirmation.

The legal battle between Seplat Energy PLC and its Nigerian minority shareholders may have forced the company to spend at least $19.4m on professional fees to defend its Chief Executive Officer, Roger Brown.

Adding to Seplat’s injury is the naira depreciation resulting from the floating of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The policy has also slashed the company’s profits by 51 per cent and net financial assets have shed $33.8m.

The situation was contained in its half-year financial statement seen by THE WHISTLER.

The energy company posted impressive revenue of N278.3bn ($547m), up from the N219.2bn ($527m) recorded in the first half of 2022.

Gross profit increased marginally by 0.7 per cent to reach $276.3 million (N140.58bn), compared to $274.3 million (N114.1bn) in 2022.

Profit for the period rose to N42bn, from N35.4bn posted in the same period last year.

“During the period under review, our operating profit was $118.4 million (N60.2bn), showing a significant decrease of 51.7 per cent compared to the $245.3 million (N102bn) achieved in 6M 2022. This decline in operating profit was attributed to a combination of lower oil prices and foreign exchange (FX) losses due to changes in exchange rates.

“Because of these new CBN guidelines, there was a significant adjustment in the exchange rate between the Nigerian Naira (NGN) and the US Dollar (USD). The closing rate for June 2023 was adjusted to NGN753.01/US$, representing a notable difference from the May 2023 rate of NGN461.28/US$.

“The revaluation of financial assets arising from this exchange rate resulted in a net (non-cash) loss of $33.8 million,” the books revealed.

The company said it incurred general expenses of $65.8m, which is 42 per cent higher than the $46.4m incurred in 2022 half-year.

Seplat decried that the expenses grew due to the legal battle between the company and minority shareholders.

“General and administrative expenses (G&A) amounted to $65.8 million, 42.0% higher than the G&A costs of $46.4 million incurred in 6M 2022. This increase in G&A costs was mainly due to professional fees associated with the litigation costs in response to the unprecedented and intense period of minority shareholder actions through the Courts and some costs associated with the MPNU transaction. Excluding these exceptional items, G&A costs would have closed relatively flat compared to the previous year,” Seplat revealed.

THE WHISTLER had reported that Seplat shareholders had accused its CEO of discrimination against Nigerian workers.

They had petitioned him to the Ministry of Interior but Brown failed to appear before the Nigerian authority after several summons, the ministry had said.

The aggrieved shareholders control only 0.005 per cent of Seplat issued shares.

Consequently, his Working Permit, Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (“CERPAC”) and other Visas for entry or stay in Nigeria were withdrawn by the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Further to this problem, Moses Igbrude and others in Suit No. FHC/L/CP/402/2023 petitioned the CEO in the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. The petitioned commenced on 8th March.

“The Court ordered the Petitioners to pay N1 million in costs. This followed the filing of a Notice of Discontinuance by the Petitioners,” Seplat said.

Another case came up at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Seplat said, the “Federal High Court in Abuja had struck out the criminal charge brought by the Nigeria Immigration Service against the Company and some of its Officers. The Court fully discharged all named defendants.

“The charge had earlier been withdrawn by the Nigerian Immigration Service on the 20th April 2023 and was in relation to the immigration status of Mr. Roger Brown and the withdrawal of his immigration visa by the Ministry of Interior.

An ex parte Interim Order was obtained from the Federal High Court in Abuja by – Juliet Gbaka & two others in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2023.

The case will be heard on 3rd October 2023 at the Federal High Court and 31st October 2023 at the Court of Appeal

The nomination of former governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike for a ministerial position is a ‘reward for rascality’, according to the view of our respondent in an interview on Friday.

President Ahmed Bola Tinubu had Wednesday submitted his ministerial list to the Senate with Wike making the list. Wike is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, but openly worked for the All Progressives Congress during the 2023 presidential election.

Some stakeholders that spoke with THE WHISTLER said Tinubu had rewarded Wike for his anti-PDP posture during the election.

Barr Nnadume Offorkansi, a human rights activist, said, “Tinubu has just rewarded Wike’s rascality. Wike openly worked against his party which was a plus to Tinubu. He was clever anyway for finding a way to be close to power after leaving office as governor under the platform of PDP.”

Osmond Eze, a commentator on national issues, said Wike sacrificed his co-G-Governors to find favour in the Tinubu government.

He said, “I wouldn’t know the political limbo other members of the G-5 have found themselves. But Wike dribbled them in a manner they never expected. One wonders whether Wike is now in the APC even though Tinubu has a right to appoint his ministers from other political parties, and even non-politicians.”

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has been advised to appoint former governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, as his minister of works.

Mike Eze, an Abakaliki-based civil engineer, said, “Umahi’s scorecard as Ebonyi governor is excellent because he used local contents in executing all the constructions his administration executed. He was able to rejuvenate local engineers to become world-class. The quality of works executed during his era as Ebonyi governor also attests to what Nigerians night expect if Umahi heads the Federal Ministry of Works.”

Steven Nwambe, from Ebonyi State, however, wondered how Umahi who is in the Senate should be considered for a ministerial position.

According to him, “We have other experienced and quality sons and daughters of Ebonyi State to be appointed minister instead of appointing our senator. Probably, Umahi is not sure if his electoral victory being contested at the tribunal will favour him. He might also be in jeopardy if Tinubu’s election is upturned by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.”

A preliminary objection filed by the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) against Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State’s N20 billion suit over alleged certificate forgery has been dismissed.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the objection.

In his ruling, on Friday 28 2023, Ekwo held that the preliminary objection lacked merit and ought to be dismissed.

Ekwo insisted that the provision of Section 20 of the NYSC Act, 2004 which the Corps based its objection on wasn’t applicable to the governor since he wasn’t a serving corps member.

He said, “Again, I am minded to agree with the plaintiff [Mbah] on whom the provision of Section 20 of the NYSC Act, 2004 applies.

“This means that the provision has a category of persons to whom it is applicable.”

Ekwo, who dismissed the NYSC’s preliminary objection for lacking in merit, however, adjourned the matter until September 21 and September 22 for hearing, NAN reports.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services, DSS, had countered the NYSC to the effect that Mbah forged his NYSC discharge certificate.

...says Governors, Tinubu arbitrariness will fuel distrust

The erstwhile national Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has explained why he resigned as a member of the party national working Committee on Wednesday.

Lukman in a statement entitled, “Resignation from APC NWC: Explanatory Note,” insisted that the forum of governors on the platform of the party, the Progressives Governors Forum, is becoming too high-handed and overbearing for the progress of the ruling party.

Lukman also expressed strong reservations about the dominant thinking in the party where whatever is attributed to President Bola Tinubu on party matters is taken as the law without recourse to the provisions of the APC Constitution.

He stressed that move by the Progressive Governors Forum fueled by buy-in of President Tinubu to impose former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as national chairman, leaving the North Central politically stranded could create distrust and ultimately party break up.

His statement reads in part: “Sadly, the turn of events in the last 10 days since the resignation of Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore suggests to the contrary. Members of the NWC were left in suspense. A meeting of NWC with PGF scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, 2023 was cancelled without any explanation. Suddenly, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, in his capacity as Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) converted himself into a receiver manager for the party and begin to act almost as the party’s NWC. Speculation about nomination of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as nominee of Governors and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu then started and became stronger each day. Efforts to highlight legal and moral issues which should require a rethink was simply ignored. The dominant view among leaders is that once President Asiwaju Tinubu has decided on an issue, we should just simply work for its success even with all the legal and moral questions.

“Maybe at this point, we should publicly state both the legal and moral questions. The legal question is straightforward. Article 31.5(i) of the APC constitution dealing with what to do when there is vacancy clearly stipulate that ‘in the case of a National/Zonal Officer, the State Executive Committee shall propose a replacement to the State Congress and Zonal Executive Committee for endorsement. Thereafter, the name shall be sent to the National Working Committee, which shall be forward same to the National Executive Committee for approval.’ No section of the APC constitution gives anyone, including President Asiwaju Tinubu the power to act in any contrary way. Therefore, if this provision of the APC constitution is to be respected, the Nasarawa State Executive Committee of the APC, which is where Sen. Adamu comes from, should have the right to propose replacement, which should be endorsed by the State Congress and the Zonal Executive Committee. Following which the name shall be forwarded to the NWC for onward transmission to NEC and approval.

“Related to this is the fact that negotiations for leadership of the National Assembly ceded the position of National Chairman of the party to North Central. For whatever reasons, to proceed to act arbitrarily and move the position of National Chairman to North West will be unfair and unjust. It simply amounts to taking the people of North Central for granted. Just imagine if the South West where President Asiwaju Tinubu comes from is to be treated by any leader of Nigeria that way. The related moral question is the choice of Dr. Ganduje. Sincerely, it simply means that we don’t attach any importance to the party if with all the corruption allegations against Dr. Ganduje, we find him about the only one in the North West to be recommended. Perhaps, it needs to be stated without fear of any contradiction, if leaders of the North West are asked to nominate five people for consideration to serve in the capacity of National Chairman of APC, I am confident, Dr. Ganduje will not be one of the five nominees.

“If Osun State is debating possible replacement of Sen. Omisore for the position of National Secretary of APC in line with provisions of our party’s constitution, why is Nasarawa State not treated in the same way? Why the double standards? I wish I can pretend to be dumb and blind on these issues. Unfortunately, I cannot. Painful as it is, I want to appeal to President Asiwaju Tinubu and all our leaders to resist the temptations that would project our party and our leaders as champions of illegality and repression. I hold the strong conviction that President Asiwaju Tinubu will not only succeed but lead Nigeria to a new era of unconstrained democratic development. As members of APC, we must provide the critical support to President Asiwaju Tinubu such that rule of law in all its ramifications will define his tenure for the next four years. Achieving that would require unwavering commitment to build the APC to develop every needed capacity to function as the regulatory authority holding every leader of the party, including President Asiwaju Tinubu accountable.

“Perhaps, it is important to clarify that this is not in anyway questioning the authority of President Asiwaju Tinubu as the moral leader of the party. Being the moral leader of the party doesn’t give him the power of exercising statutory functions of organs of the party or unilaterally changing provisions of the party’s constitution. It will amount to setting President Asiwaju Tinubu for failure in the worse possible way to proceed to encourage him to act in a manner that is illegal and immoral. If the scheming to have Dr. Ganduje emerge as the next National Chairman of APC succeeds with all the legal and moral questions, as a party, we would have set the stage for the destruction of our party and God forbids, we would have laid the foundation that will make President Asiwaju Tinubu and all our elected representatives unpopular. God in his infinite mercy will guide President Asiwaju Tinubu and all our leaders to return our great party APC to constitutional order and its founding vision.”

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists wreaking Nigeria’s north east state of Borno have killed 21 herders.

The herders were beheaded in the Kukawa axis of the beleaguered state, Guardian reports.

The herdsmen were killed on Tuesday for allegedly encroaching on the terrorists’ hideouts with their cattle.

A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed, yesterday, in Maiduguri that ISWAP fighters recently placed a ban on fishing, farming and grazing in their hideouts.

According to him, the terrorists also accused the herders of spying on them for the Nigerian military and other security agencies in the region.

On how the herders were killed, he said: “The terrorists did not fire any gunshot; they quietly used machetes to behead the 21 herdsmen.”

The terrorists also rustled an unspecified number of cattle into their settlements at the Kukawa-Doro-Kalla axis.

Also, the terrorists in seven-gun trucks intercepted another set of Fulani herdsmen in the Kukawa axis and killed six for the same reason.

A military source in Maiduguri said the herdsmen were killed after they were warned not to graze their cattle on the banned axis of Kukawa, adding that survivors were able to recover four bodies.

The military source told The Guardian that the terrorists also abducted seven Fulani herdsmen in Monguno on Monday and demanded N40 million ransom.

In another development, police in Katsina have confirmed the abduction of 14 persons at Modogora community, Batsari Local Council.

The abductees were working on a farm on Tuesday about 9.30a.m. when the armed terrorists stormed the farm on motorcycles.

According to sources, the bandits ferried the abductees, including women and children, into a forest near the community.

It’s gathered that the incident was one of four such attacks in separate communities within the council, same day.

The five attacks led to the abduction of about 40 persons, mostly farmers, locals say.

A source familiar with the incident said the other four attacks were carried out on farmlands at Dan Tsuntsu, Nahuta, Salihan Dadare and Zamfarawa communities on Tuesday morning

A passenger identified as Ogheneochuko David aboard Lagos – Abuja flight was on Wednesday July 26, 2023 arrested by aviation security personnel for allegedly taking another passenger’s laptop from his bag in the overhead cabin.

Spokesperson of Ibom Air and General Manager, Marketing and Communication, Aniekan Essienette disclosed in a statement.

According to Essienette, the owner of the laptop, who suspected the movement of Mr. David, within the aircraft, decided to check where his laptop was kept and immediately realized the item was no longer there.

He raised the alarm by notifying the crew members accordingly.

A search was immediately instituted, which led to about half an hour delay, and the laptop was found with Mr. David.

He was immediately offloaded and handed over to the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) for further investigation, who then handed him over to the Police for further investigation.