To Take Decision Soon

There are strong indications that the federal government is favourably disposed to raising the minimum wage to as high as N200k per month as demanded by the organised labour in the country.

However, state governors are urging for caution while Anambra State governor Charles Soludo has been asked to chair a Technical Working Group (TWG) to resolve the issues and its various dimensions.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the matter was discussed at the last month’s National Economic Council (NEC) meeting and it was there that the Salaries, Incomes & Wages Commission made a presentation on how the federal government can meet up with the demand of N200,000 per month minimum wage.

Sources, who spoke with Empowered News Network, revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is specifically and personally convinced that the demand of the organised labour is not unrealistic pointing to his campaign promises as a proof of his readiness to handle the challenge.

Recall that President Tinubu as president-elect also said on Workers Day on May 1 that “In the Nigeria, I shall have the honour and privilege to lead from May 29, workers will have more than a minimum wage. You will have a living wage to have a decent life and provide for your families.”

At the NEC meeting which the president inaugurated in June, the Salaries & Wages Commission costed the financial implications of the said minimum wage increase and showed how the federal government could pay it, with a certain recommendation that it was well within the capacity of the federal government. But at the meeting the state governors who make up the membership of the NEC raised questions over the proposal.

Leading the governors at the meeting was Anambra State governor, Prof Charles Soludo who argued that before adopting the presentation to significantly raise the national minimum wage, it would be important for NEC to first understand where the money would come from, how much would come and what states would get.

Part of the expectations and planning is that with the new foreign exchange policy more cash would be available to be shared by the federal and states governments under the FAAC monthly distribution. In which case according to informed sources there would be enough surplus cash to enable the significant raising of the minimum wage from N30,000 to N100, 000 monthly.

Similarly, the savings from the fuel subsidy would further mean more cash inflow to the federation account.

At the June NEC meeting, a sub-committee was formed to review the situation as was publicly announced, composed of governors led by Kebbi State governor with six other governors among the members. They are the governors of Anambra, Benue, Kaduna, Bauchi, Cross River and Oyo states with each representing the six geopolitical zones.

In the sub-committee are also the director-general of Budget Office of the Federation, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Accountant General of the Federation and the representative of NNPCL. Others included representatives from the organised labour (TUC and NLC) and Ms. Rukayyat El-Rufai, according to a statement from the Office of the Vice President who is NEC’s chairman.

The sub-committee at its meeting soon after the NEC last month, formed a Technical Working Group, TWG, with Governor Soludo as chairman to interrogate the issues around raising the minimum wage understanding that it is both the federal and state governments and not just the federal government that would be responsible for the payment of the new minimum wage.

Under Soludo’s leadership the TWG has met at least thrice last month; on the 24th, 27th and 30th respectively.

In one of its major resolutions the TWG resolved that negotiations with labour must be two-tracked between the federal government in one hand and the state governments in another hand.

Later this month the NEC would meet to receive the report of the sub-committee and take a final decision on the national minimum wage which would then be forwarded to the president as an advisory.

It was further gathered that what is most likely is that at the very least federal government workers would be receiving the huge minimum wage increase, while the Soludo TWG would determine the fate of the states’ workers.

The Federal Government has withdrawn the Mobile Police Force personnel attached to several Very Important Persons, including ex-governors, former ministers and lawmakers.

The order, which was contained in a police wireless message from Mopol 45 Force Headquarters, Abuja, affected Daura Buhari, brother to former President Muhammadu Buhari as well as former First Lady, Aisha Buhari’s sibling and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

The development came a few weeks after the IG vowed to withdraw Police Mobile Force personnel from VIP escort and guard duties.

He had also announced plans to establish the Special Intervention Squad, which according to him, would have 40,000 highly trained police officers including selected officers from the Police Mobile Force.

This, the IG said, was to allow the police to take back its place in the “internal security architecture” of the country.

Egbetokun, who spoke during a meeting with Squadron leaders and Tactical Commanders in Abuja, on June 26, stated, “We shall effect the withdrawal of PMF personnel from VIP escort/guard duties. While the protection of dignitaries remains paramount, it is imperative that we realign our priorities to address the escalating security challenges faced by the nation as a whole. By relieving the PMF of VIP escort and guard duties, we can redirect their focus and efforts toward addressing critical security concerns that affect our communities at large.

“In a bid to kick-start the process of regaining our pride of place in the internal security architecture of our dear country first and foremost, modalities for the creation of a new special squad – the Special Intervention Squad have been initiated.

“This special squad shall consist of 40,000 specially trained elite officers. The Squad will be formed by selecting officers from the pool of existing Police Mobile Force personnel and all tactical units in the country.

“These officers will undergo intensive pre-deployment training to make them combat-ready for frontline operational duties in all the states of the Federation, with a particular focus on areas plagued with unrest and turmoil.

“By pooling together the expertise and experience of our PMF personnel and other tactical units, we can establish a formidable force that is well-equipped to handle the evolving challenges we face.”

Egbetokun set up a committee headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), Adeleke Bode, to assess and advise on how the new policies could be implemented seamlessly.

The committee submitted

The PUNCH reports that thousands of police operatives were attached to public officials, ex-political officer holders, businessmen and other private individuals, thus reducing the number of police personnel required to protect the public while fewer officers were available for core police duties like investigations and patrols.

Though previous IGs had withdrawn the police orderlies deployed to protect some politicians in the past, the cops found their way back to the VIPs.

Statutorily, only the president, vice president, governors, local council chairmen, legislative principal officers in the states and at federal level, magistrates and judges are entitled to police protection.

But this privilege has over the years been extended to just about anybody who can pay, leaving ever fewer personnel for real police work.

However, the Force headquarters in its order with reference CB: 4001/DOPS/45PMF/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.15/353 signed by the AIG MOPOL, directed the addressees to implement the directive with immediate effect.

The message was addressed to DSPs Lauretta Iruonagbe; Yusuf Ishaq; Okeme Emmanuel; Ilesanmi Temidayo; Emmanuel Akaniro; Yakubu Francis; Chindo Atege; Zakari Mohammed and ASPs Osori Sani; Job Andrew; Iyabo Oluwadamilola, and Yakubu Anthony who are believed to be attached to some of the affected dignitaries.

VIPs affected by the withdrawal order include former governors of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim and Rochas Okorocha; former governor of Bauchi, Adamu Muazu; ex- Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje and former governors of Ogun and Zamfara, Gbenga Daniel and Bello Matawalle, respectively.

Similarly, the MOPOL attached to some former ministers who served under the Buhari administration were withdrawn.

They are ex-Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi; former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipreye Sylva; former Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Gbemisola Saraki; former Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Henry Ikoh; former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba and former Minister of State for Power, Goddy Agba.

Also, the orderlies working with the former Chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Haliru Dauda; former Chairman House Committee on Police Affairs, Rabiu Lawan, and Senator Stephen Adey, were equally withdrawn.

The mobile police officers to the suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu were also affected.

The order read in part, “You are directed to withdraw all personnel mine attached to the under-listed politicians: Former governor of Imo state, Ikedi Ohakim; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; former governor of Bauchi, Adamu Muazu; former governor of Imo, Rochas Okorocha; former governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje; former governor of Ogun, Gbenga Daniel; former governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle; former Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi; former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipreye Sylva; former Clerk of the National Assembly; Aisha Buhari brother; Daura, brother to the former president Buhari ; APC National women leader; former Minister of State for Mines and Steel; former Chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Haliru Dauda; former Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation; former Minister of State for Power; National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyocha Ayu; former Chairman House Committee on Police Affairs, Rabiu Lawan; Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba and former Senator Stephen Adey. Treat as very important.”

Reacting to the action of the police authorities, the media aide to Senator Gbenga Daniel, Steve Oliyide, said it was in the power of the IG to determine the security architecture of the country.

Oliyide said, “It is actually within the precinct and powers of the IGP to determine the security architecture for the country and Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel will support any and every initiative towards strengthening the country’s security system, notwithstanding any temporary discomfort to his personal safety.’’

“Once there are composite security arrangements for the entire country, it also suggests that VIPs too will also be secured, and Senator Daniel has implicit confidence in the capacity of the IGP to provide and make adequate security for all in the circumstance. Where and when the need arises, I am sure he will arrange complimentary security supports,” he added.

The former SGF could not be reached for comment on Sunday as he did not respond to several calls and a message sent to him on WhatsApp.

Also, Matawalle, who was also affected by the new development, was not available for comment. The former Principal Private Secretary to the former governor, Lawal Maradun failed to react on behalf of his principal despite repeated messages sent to his mobile phone number.

Commenting on the development, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Adedayo Adeoye (retd.) commended the IG for making good his word.

He, however, expressed fear that the directives could be truncated by the VIPs.

Adeoye said, “I am in total support of what the IG is doing but my fear is that they will not allow him to complete this. Others have tried it in the past and did not succeed.

‘’He needs the president’s support to implement this to the letter. For me, there should be no special protection unit for anybody. The law provides a guideline for people entitled to police protection. We should follow that.”

A retired Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu described the attachment of the mobile police to VIPs as an abuse, adding that the VIPs had denied Nigerians the valuable contributions of the mobile police personnel.

The former force spokesman noted, “The police have what is called a special protection unit for the VIPs to harvest police to protect them. Mobile Police was not created for that. The mobile police is the combatant arm of the police; As a result, the VIPs want the utmost protection; that explains why they have been going for the mobile police.”

A retired FCT Commissioner of Police, Lawrence Alobi, said the withdrawal of mobile police would bolster the security architecture of the country.

He added that the VIPs have nothing to fear as the personnel of the Special Protection Unit are equal to the task.

“Security operations are about the need and the reality on the ground. The IG must have assessed these before giving that order. Also, the primary duty of the government is to secure the lives and properties of the citizens and not only the VIPs,”

Of the N33.1trillion total Nigerian Exchange (NGX) market capitalisation, 10 out of 156 listed companies control N25.62trillion translating to 77.1 per cent of the entire market valuation in six months, LEADERSHIP learnt.

The 10 companies are; MTN Nigerian Communications (MTNN) Plc, Airtel Africa, Dangote Cement, BUA Cement, BUA Foods, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), Nestlé Nigeria, Seplat Energy and Geregu Power.

The total number of companies on the NGX as at June 30, 2023 are 156 with total capitalisation of N33.198 trillion. The NGX market capitalisation of the equities refers to the total value of the equities of all the listed companies on the Exchange.

These 10 stocks are called large cap and they dictate market trading direction through positive or negative performance as a company’s stock is generally classified as large-cap, mid-cap or small-cap.

MTNN has taken over to become most capitalized stock of the NGX, with a market capitalisation of N5.565 trillion, accounting for about 16.76 per cent of the total equities market capitalisation as as June 30, 2023. Airtel Africa’ market capitalisation followed by N4.960 trillion as it declined by N1.185 trillion from N6.145 trillion on January 2, 2023; while Dangote Cement followed with a valuation of N4.857 trillion.

BUA Cement recorded a total capitalization of N3.124 trillion, while BUA Foods achieved N2.444 trillion capitalization, gaining N1.274 trillion in six months.

Zenith Bank total capitalisation grew by N298 billion to N1.075 trillion, while Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) recorded a half year growth of N353 billion to N1.030 trillion.

Nestle Nigeria, Seplat Energy and Geregu Power capitalization stood at N990.820 billion, N823.705 billion and N750 billion respectively as at June 30, 2023.

The equities market performance in 2023 has maintained the uptrend momentum from 2022. As at June 30, 2023, the NGX All Share Index has a year-to-date (YTD) return of 18.5 per cent, driven by strong share price performances of large-cap stocks such as Dangote Cement, BUA Foods, Geregu Power and MTNN; impressive earnings performance as well as dividend declarations; and positivity following the inauguration address by President Bola Tinubu and subsequent policy reforms; including the new FX liberalisation policy.

Speaking on this development, the chief economist/head, Investment Research of PanAfrican Capital Holdings, Mr. Moses Ojo, said impressive corporate earnings and dividend pay out to shareholders contributed to these companies’ price appreciation.

According to Ojo, the three companies are the largest companies by market capitalisation on the NGX and that if these companies record one per cent gain, it will affect the direction of the stock market.

“The financial results of these companies have been impressive despite foreign and domestic challenges. Despite reporting high operating cost, the likes of MTNN and Airtel Africa have maintained robust fundamentals,” he said.

The chief operating officer, InvestData Consulting Limited, Ambrose Omorodion attributed stock price appreciation in these companies to stability and its classification, saying “investors are always after highly capitalised stocks across the world. These are companies where Pension Fund Administrators, foreign and high network investors are ready to take positions. These companies are defensive stocks and they control over 50 per cent value on the NGX.”

Omordion explained that, “in any market of the world there are different categories of stocks that lead to different indexes to measure their performance. These 10 stocks or companies on the NGX influence the general market performance as a result of its capitalisation.

“It is expected that these companies should have created more wealth for Nigerians due to their huge earnings but the shareholding structure and float has not helped in this matter.

“To reduce the influence of these 10 companies and balance the market, more new companies should be encouraged to list on the Exchange. The present market fragmentation is not the best for our market; we need to have a standardized market where we have companies from across the sectors of the economy listed so that no one firm or few firms will be domineering and dictating the movement of the market as we currently experience.”

He however said, it is not too good for these few companies to keep dominating the market because it does not represent the whole economy, and some of these companies are having float problems due to their shareholding structure, saying, this shows that the market is not deep and does not represent the size of the economy.

Omordion said, government and the market regulators should encourage companies to list and participate, saying, “making the right policies to drive economic growth and encourage small businesses to list by reducing cost of listing and post listing requirements are key to addressing this issue.”

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has urged Nigerians not to see age as a barrier to pursuing educational dreams, saying one of the conditions he was given before his 2022 governorship ambition would be supported, was for him to complete his education.

Adeleke spoke at the combined 9th undergraduate and 5th postgraduate convocation ceremonies of the Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, on Sunday, where 75 postgraduate and 537 undergraduate students were conferred with various degrees.

The governor, who said that after losing the 2018 governorship election, he was subjected to the worst personality attacks and assaults, added that he had to leave the country to escape the attack and to complete his degree programme, after his elder brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke insisted he must complete his education, or forgo his 2022 governorship ambition.

He said, “Dr Tajudeen Adeleke encouraged me to move ahead. Before I went into exile, he called me to a meeting where we discussed. He told me that I should look at what I have been subjected to, by those saying I was not educated. He advised me that I should go to America for studies.

“He said the only thing I can do for Osun people if I am ready to be governor is that I must get educated, I must complete my education, and without completing it, I should forget my governorship ambition.

“At my age then, I successfully re-enrolled and completed my degree programme. I am proud of that achievement and I thank my family and friends for their total support. I came back to re-contest in 2022 as a brand-new graduate. The rest is now history. What is the lesson? Our age must never be a barrier to educational pursuit. What we need is commitment and passion to succeed.”

In his remarks, Dr Deji Adeleke, who is the founder of the university, said if Nigerians resolved to change the country for the better, it could be achieved.

Dr Adeleke, while lamenting the bad attitude of many Nigerians to nation-building, which according to him was hurting the country, noted that about 120 corps members that worked as INEC ad hoc staff during the 2022 Osun governorship election, suddenly disappeared on election day to frustrate the exercise, and did not show up at their different polling units until the leadership of the scheme threatened them.

Speaking further on the bad followership, Adeleke, said components in the turbine that had not been installed, imported for the 1250MW power plant he was building in Ajebandele, Ondo State, were looted by people.

He urged Nigerians who desire a good country to contribute their quota to nation-building and stop apportioning blame to those in positions of authority.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has directed Muslims to look out for the new moon of Muharram from today.

The Sultan, who is also the president-general of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), gave the directive in a statement issued by the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs Sultanate Council, Sokoto.

He said, “This is to inform the Muslim Ummah that Monday, July 17, which is equivalent to 29th day of Dhul-Qadah 1444 AH (Islamic calendar) shall be the day to look for the new moon of Muharram 1445 AH.

“Muslims are, therefore, requested to start looking for the new moon of Muharram 1445 AH on Monday and report its sighting to the nearest district or village head for onward communication to the Sultan,” the statement read.

The Sultan prayed to Allah to help all Muslims in the discharge of their religious duties.

It would be recalled that Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and identified as one of the four sacred months of the year.

No fewer than 42.69 million poor Nigerians were excluded from the Federal Government’s N5,000 monthly cash transfer since its inception in 2016, according to findings by The PUNCH.

In June 2023 edition of the Nigeria Development Update, the World Bank disclosed that only 19.4 per cent of Nigerians benefitted from the programme.

With an estimated population of 207.25 million (based on World Bank estimates), this meant that only about 40.21 million Nigerians benefitted from the cash transfer programme.

The Washington-based bank noted that about 40 per cent of Nigerians (82.9 million people) lived on less than the national poverty line at the end of 2022.

On the poverty rate, the bank said, “The majority of Nigerians are either poor or economically insecure, just one shock away from falling into poverty. About 40 per cent of Nigerians—82.9 million people— lived on less than the national poverty line in 2018/19.13. An additional one quarter of the population—some 52.6 million people—were economically insecure, at high risk of falling into poverty. The overall poverty situation since then is unlikely to have improved given that GDP per capita has declined since 2019.”

Based on the poverty rate, it meant that 42.69 million poor people did not benefit from the Federal Government’s cash transfer programmme.

Despite the exclusion, the lending bank noted that an additional four million Nigerians became poor between January and May this year due to rising inflation.

With the recent fuel subsidy removal, it had been projected that about 7.1 million poor Nigerians would become poor if the Federal Government failed to compensate or provide palliatives for them.

This had further underscored the need for urgent assistance, especially to the poor and vulnerable in the country.

Nigeria underspends

The World Bank has said that the Nigerian government is not spending enough to address the issue of poverty and protect Nigerians.

In its NDU report, the bank stated, “Despite being exposed to frequent recent shocks, the majority of the population lacks protection to adequately cope with shocks financially. In 2021, Nigeria spent only 0.7 percent of its GDP on social safety nets. This is much lower than the average for SubSaharan Africa and lower-middle-income countries of 1.2 percent and the global average of 1.5 percent.

“Consequently, only 19.4 per cent of Nigerians benefitted from any safety nets programme, compared with 25 per cent regionally and 41 per cent globally. Even among those covered, benefit levels remain insufficient to keep households out of poverty. Thus, Nigeria needs to rapidly and comprehensively expand the coverage and adequacy of its social protection programmes to allow households to cope better with inevitable future shocks.”

The bank further noted that Nigeria had the capacity and infrastructure to deliver the necessary assistance needed.

It stated, “Nigeria has the capacity and the infrastructure to deliver immediate assistance at scale. In recent years, Nigeria has invested in building a robust safety nets delivery system that can provide immediate assistance to a large number of households. This includes the development of social registries that can be used to select households for support and a robust payment system that can deliver cash transfers in a safe, secure, and reliable manner.”

Call for Expansion
There have been calls for the expansion of the social safety net to cover more poor people.

In this regard, the World Bank said, “Building on earlier progress in expanding social protection to the poor and vulnerable, the government can leverage the phasing out of the petrol subsidy to establish a new social compact with Nigerians.

“Establishing a redistribution mechanism that uses a portion of the fiscal savings to protect lower-income households could minimise the negative impact on consumer welfare while still yielding a large net gain in government revenues.

“To build public support for phasing out the subsidy, and as part of a wider process of building trust, the government could propose a compact with Nigerian citizens that directly links the phased-out subsidy to compensatory cash transfers. It could publicize this compact (cash transfer amounts, eligibility criteria, transfer mechanisms, etc.), enabling the media and civil society to monitor compliance.”

Experts agree with the World Bank in not just expanding the coverage but making it more transparent.

Speaking with the PUNCH on it, The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu, said that the government needed to be transparent and make the database accessible to everyone for easy confirmation.

He said, “The government must have a register, and that register should be in public domain. It should be broken into states, local governments, districts, so that people can actually go to that register and confirm the genuineness of the people in the register.

“This way, you have genuine people who are in need in that register, So, it is just about the level of transparency and openness that the government has regarding the register.”

A former President of the National Accountants of Nigeria, Dr Sam Nzekwe, also stressed the need for accurate data to ensure that genuine poor people are the major beneficiaries.

“It is very important that we have open data,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, have told the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja, to dismiss the petition of the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate Peter Obi.

Tinubu and Shettima, through their counsel, Mr Wole Olanipekun (SAN) in his final written address against the petition of Obi and LP, described the arguments and testimonies of witnesses presented by the challengers as “frivolous, bogus and based on hearsay.”

In his written address, he urged the court to dismiss the petition as totally lacking in merit, substance and bona fide.

He argued that the “remote” contention of the petitioners that his client’s election should be cancelled for not scoring 25 percent or one-quarter of the votes recorded in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is not backed by any fact known to the law as the use of “and” in the constitution is conjunctive and not disjunctive.

He argued, “This case clearly cries to high heavens in vain to be fed with relevant and admissible evidence.

“The appellant woefully failed to realise that judges do not act like the oracles of life, which is often engaged in crystal gazing and thereafter would proclaim a new Oba in succession to a deceased Oba.

“Judges cannot perform miracles in the handling of civil claims, and at least of all manufacture evidence for the purpose of assisting a plaintiff win his case.”

Uncertainty yesterday pervaded the All Progressives Congress (APC) following reports of Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s resignation as national chairman of the governing party.

There are indications that Adamu announced his resignation after mounting pressure from party bigwigs that he should do so.

A source within the APC who spoke in confidence on the development last night told LEADERSHIP that the embattled national chairman may have preempted the outcome of the national caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings billed for tomorrow and Wednesday.

“I am not surprised if Adamu has resigned because that is the noble part he should take if he does not want to be disgraced out of office. His refusal to support Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Abbas during the NASS leadership election sold him out as being anti-party.

“Don’t forget that he also threw his weight behind former Senate president, Ahmed Lawan, instead of President Tinubu during the party’s presidential primary last year. That he has been tolerated all this while shows how magnanimous Tinubu is as a leader,” the source who did not want his name in print told our correspondent.

But an online report had it last night that Adamu resigned purportedly on the orders of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

National secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, was also said to have tendered his resignation minutes after.

An online newspaper, Prime Business Africa, reported that it got affirmation from reliable sources within the party and the presidency that Adamu “resigned a few minutes ago on the orders of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Another online newspaper, WesternPost, also reported that Senator Abdullahi Adamu has resigned as APC national chairman.

Although efforts to get key members of the party to confirm the authenticity or otherwise of the chairman’s resignation did not turn out, LEADERSHIP gathered from sources that members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) met at an undisclosed location to discuss pressing issues bordering on the fate of the party ahead of tomorrow’s national caucus meeting and the NEC meeting billed for Wednesday.

Why the NWC members opted to meet secretly outside the party’s secretariat when a meeting of the party’s NWC is billed to hold today was still a puzzle at the time of filing this report.

The APC had scheduled the same NWC, caucus and NEC meetings for last week but had to move it to July 17, 18 and 19 following protest from some NWC members over a financial report of the party presented for deliberation by Adamu, which they insisted was not detailed.

Prime Business Africa reported that information it obtained last night indicated that the NWC and the president’s meetings were postponed, purportedly at the request of Senator Adamu.

“It was also gathered authoritatively that all members of the NWC ” are on the same page” regarding the compulsory resignation of the National Chairman and his Secretary, Omisore.

“The NWC members are also said to be miffed by the alleged lack of transparency in the party’s 2022 Account audit, which they said was “surreptitiously secured and submitted without any of the members sighting it,” the online paper reported.

Quoting a source which it said was privy to the details of the resignation, another online paper, WesternPost, reported yesterday that “Adamu was forced out over many issues which included his non-support for President Bola Tinubu.

“According to the source, for the past two weeks, elements within the party have been calling for his resignation threatening to remove him at the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting if he fails to resign,” the online platform noted.

The paper further reported that Adamu caved in after Imo State governor and chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, “told him that if he didn’t resign, they will remove him at the next NEC meeting”.

LEADERSHIP recalls that since March this year, the national vice chairman (North-West)mof the party, Mallam Salihu Lukman, has been calling for the resignation of Adamu and the party’s national secretary to balance the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket and save the party in Osun State.

Lukman had also dragged Adamu and Omisore to court, praying the court to compel them to give account of how party funds were spent in the previous year.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja last week, the former director general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said despite raking in over N30 billion from sale of forms, Adamu refused to give President Tinubu and other candidates financial support in the 2023 general election.

He said, “Talking of national budget, we are just coming out of elections whereby we were not able to sustain past precedence. What was the past precedence? Under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in 2019, every candidate of the party received something from the National Secretariat. In this last election, no candidate of the party received a dime from the party.

“Talking of finances, in our constitution the NEC is supposed to approve some form of sharing formula. I am aware that each state chapter has received about N20 million out of the N30 billion. Put together, that is about N700 million less than a billion which is less than 3 percent of the total income that has been earned.

“Yet we want to sweep this under the carpet. We are having states, zonal, local councils and ward levels who are left on their own. The whole question of funding of the party has not been addressed”.

Asked in specific terms whether Tinubu got anything from the party or not, he said, “He didn’t get a dime from the party. I am making this public. Let them challenge me and contradict me.”

Lukman also faulted the party’s decision to send its budget to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC for scrutiny, arguing that it is the party’s NEC that has the constitutional power to approve the budget.

He said, “We are expected to present a proposed national budget to the National Executive Committee NEC for approval by the provisions of Article 13(3A)(14) of the APC constitution. I felt embarrassed when I heard the National Secretary (Omisore) say the budget of the party has been sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

“INEC is not the approving authority of the budget of the APC. The approving authority is the NEC. Till today we don’t have a national budget. Yet we made over N30 billion from sales of forms.

“Till today as a member of the NWC and majority members of the NWC, maybe with the exception of the Financial Secretary, Treasurer and or the Auditor who may have inside knowledge of how much was expended on the renovation of the National Secretariat of the party, we have no knowledge of what is being expended”.

He recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari got some level of support from the party when he was the party’s candidate in 2015 and 2019.

His words: “Look, in 2015, the party was truly a model party. President Buhari didn’t have money. People were assigned responsibilities to raise money. It is just like Asiwaju and you say Asiwaju has money. So there were people assigned with the responsibility of mobilizing money for the party. If anything was done in 2023 based on that, it would be the initiative of Asiwaju. I am not aware of it as a party.

“If you remember in between, we were busy causing distractions about what should be our roles in the Presidential Campaign Council. Unless if we are humble and honest to admit that these are things that ordinarily shouldn’t have happened and admit we need to correct them and reshape the relationship between us and the government that emerged, we would continue to have the problems we are having”.

Lukman further accused Adamu of disobeying the party’s decision on the choice of the leadership of the National Assembly by staying aloof from the position of the party.

According to him, instead of developing guidelines as directed by the provisions of Article 13 (4.6) of the constitution that would guide the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly, the Adamu-led NWC approached it with a blank cheque.

A recent discovery of significant quantities of water-contaminated fuel within an aircraft has resulted in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) commencing an investigation across the country's airports and fuel suppliers to identify the root cause of this issue.

However, the NCAA has alerted airlines operating flights to and from Nigeria to be vigilant about refueling aircraft in order to ensure fuel quality is up to the industry standard.

The discovery of contaminated fuel

The issue was first discovered when a Max Air Boeing 737-300 earlier this month experienced the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shutting down due to fuel contamination. This happened while the aircraft was on the ground at Yola International Airport (YOL).

The Independent reports that fuel was dumped onto the airport apron, during which time multiple drums of water were collected from both aircraft tanks. Since the airline, prior to the discovery, had purchased fuel from Lagos, Abuja, and Kano airports, the NCAA requires fuel suppliers to carry out water checks.

Reports suggest that while the NCAA is investigating the source of the contaminated fuel, it will additionally examine the browsers and fuel procedures of Max Air to ensure the airline was following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place.

Furthermore, it is reported that any party identified as having issues will have their license to operate suspended. As an additional precaution, the petroleum regulatory agency in Nigeria will also be consulted to ensure the problem has been solved.

Risks of water contamination

As noted by Acorn Welding, water is the most common cause of fuel contamination within aircraft fuel tanks. This poses safety risks to flight operations, increasing the chance of the water freezing, blocking fuel lines, and damaging the fuel pumps.

This is primarily because the fuel, unlike water, would be treated for use at various operational conditions and temperatures, resulting in the contaminated water freezing unexpectedly and affecting the operation of the system.

If the system gets blocked, the fuel supply to the engine could stop, resulting in the engine shutting down, which presents its own set of challenges during a flight. Ultimately, the presence of water in fuel will severely degrade the fuel quality.

IATA's Fuel Quality Pool

Aside from the checks carried out by regulators, airlines also inspect fuel. While airlines can individually check the fuel, they also have the option of joining IATA's Fuel Quality Pool (IFQP) program.

This program ensures that fuel facilities meet the regulatory requirements by sharing the workload of inspecting facilities among airlines jointly serving airports. This provides advantages for the airlines and the fuel suppliers as this program reduces repetitive inspection of fuel at airports, as all quality reports are shared among member airlines.

[simpleflying]