Rising from a general meeting, the people of the oil-rich Ugborodo community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State today said they have suspended further protests against Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) just as they issued a notice to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to negotiate with them with regards to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

The meeting was held in the town hall of Ode-Ugborodo, the headquarters of Ugborodo.

Alex Eyengho, who spoke on behalf of the community, said they suspended the protest against CNL to make room for further discussions.

Eyengho pointed out that the Ugborodo community has held several meetings with CNL after its recent protest against the international oil company.

He further confirmed that there had been a tripartite meeting involving the community, CNL, and a national regulatory commission over the matter.

According to Eyengho, “Chevron is showing some commitment as it concerns the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA.”

He said the community demanded a trust different from others in Itsekiriland.

The community resolved that its trust should be known as “Ekpere Host Communities Development Trust,” he stated, stressing that the action is not in disrespect to anyone but in compliance with the PIA stipulations.

He further disclosed that the Ugborodo community has issued Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which also operates in its domain, a seven-day notice to negotiate directly with its people, as CNL is currently doing.

“CNL is doing the right thing. We have served SPDC a seven-day notice to comply with the extant law guiding the PIA,” he said.

In its recent protest, the community demanded that CNL provide its indigenes with electricity, water, empowerment, and job opportunities.

Eyengho declared that “CNL has made commitments to attend to it.”

The personal assistant to the Eghare-Aja of the Ugborodo community, Joseph Uwawah, corroborated Eyengho’s claims.

The meeting was attended by Chief Ayirimi Emami, Ologbitsere of Warri Kingdom, Eghare Daniel Uwawah, the Eghare-Aja of Ugborodo community, Prince Perry Atete, and a cross-section of Ugborodo indigenes.

[DailyPost]

An auto crash in Zakirai town on the Kano-Ringim Road in Gabasawa Local Government Area of Kano State has claimed the lives of 18 passengers.

The incident, caused by overspeeding, dangerous driving, and overloading, involved two commercial vehicles and resulted in a head-on collision and the subsequent bursting into flames of one of the buses.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Kano State, Ibrahim Abdullahi, confirmed the tragic accident.

He said the incident happened on Friday evening.

“We received a call about the accident at about 8:35 p.m. on Friday and dispatched our personnel to the scene to rescue the victims” he said.

“The accident involved a total of 35 passengers in two buses, out of which 18 were burnt beyond recognition while 12 others sustained serious injuries.”

Expressing his condolences, Abdullahi lamented the magnitude of avoidable road crashes that have occurred in Kano State over the past week.

During a visit to the crash scene on Saturday, he warned motorists, particularly intercity and inter-state drivers, to refrain from overloading, excessive speeding, wrongful overtaking, and other traffic violations that could lead to such devastating accidents.

The injured victims were promptly transported to the Murtala Mohammed General Hospital in Kano for urgent medical attention.

Meanwhile, some of the deceased were given a mass burial at the accident scene, while others were handed over to their grieving relatives.

Considering the recent surge in road accidents, the FRSC has pledged to intensify public enlightenment campaigns and enforce stricter patrol interventions.

These efforts include the operation of mobile courts to swiftly address traffic violations and ensure compliance with road safety regulations.

The tragic incident serves as a grim reminder of the importance of responsible driving and adhering to traffic rules.

Motorists are urged to prioritize safety, and avoid over speeding, overloading, wrongful overtaking, and any behaviour that poses a risk to themselves and others on the road.

The local community and authorities are deeply saddened by the loss of lives in this devastating accident and stand united in their efforts to prevent further tragedies on the roads.

[ChannelsTV]

The Police Service Commission (PSC), says junior policemen who hold law degrees and similar qualifications in other disciplines would be considered for upgrade in due course.

Mr Solomon Arase, Chairman, PSC, made the promise when he received the leadership of the Nigerian Unity Bar Association, Abuja branch, in his office.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Ikechukwu Ani, Spokesperson of the commission, on Sunday in Abuja.

The Chairman said qualified lawyers serving in the Nigeria Police Force and appearing in courts with the ranks of Corporals, Sergeants and Inspectors would be elevated soon.

He also said the cases of other policemen who acquired additional qualifications while in service will also receive attention.

According to the statement, Arase said, this would give the affected policemen the required self confidence to perform better.

“The Commission may decide to send these categories of Police lawyers and other junior policemen with additional qualifications on a short service training, after which they would be properly placed as officers.

“The Nigeria Police need the services of more lawyers. The Commission will come up with a win-win situation for all parties,” he assured.

Arase called on the Nigerian Bar Association to advise practicing lawyers to stop criminalising civil matters.

He said “It is wrong and should be discouraged, civil matters should be treated as civil matters and arbitration should serve the parties and the society better.

“We should avoid time wasting in criminalising civil matters and sending them to the police when it can be better handled outside of the force,” he said.

The Chairman added that the Commission was setting up a Compliance Monitoring Unit to ensure that the Police Complaints Response Unit promptly attends to public complaints.

He said that the new unit will be directly under his supervision for effectiveness and efficiency, stressing that the Commission will henceforth ensure that it prevents a system that does not attend to public complaints with dispatch.

The statement quoted Arase as stating the Commission’s desire to collaborate with the Nigeria Bar Association to organise some training programmes on human rights so as to expose its staff lawyers to a better appreciation of its duties.

The Chairman of Unity Bar of NBA, Abuja, Mr Afam Okeke, had earlier congratulated the PSC Chairman on his appointment and pledged the union’s support.

Okeke, however, complained that lawyers who came into the Force as Junior Officers but improved their qualifications, were currently appearing and defending cases in courts for the Nigeria Police Force, but still wearing junior ranks.

[Guardian]

Once again, Nigeria tops the list of countries blocking funds that effectively prevent airlines from gaining access to these much-needed monies.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the start of its AGM in Istanbul, Turkey has warned that these rapidly rising levels of blocked funds are a threat to airline connectivity in the affected markets.

In total, the industry’s blocked funds increased by 47% to (US) $2.27 billion in April 2023 from (US) $1.55 billion in April 2022.

“Airlines cannot continue to offer services in markets where they are unable to repatriate the revenues arising from their commercial activities in those markets. Governments need to work with industry to resolve this situation so airlines can continue to provide the connectivity that is vital to driving economic activity and job creation,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.

The top five countries account for 68.0% of blocked funds. These comprise:

• Nigeria (US) $812.2 million
• Bangladesh (US) $214.1 million
• Algeria (US) $196.3 million
• Pakistan (US) $188.2 million
• Lebanon (US) $141.2 million

Last year Dubai based carrier Emirates threatened to withdraw its services from the country and the government responded by releasing (US) $265 million. Many international airlines fly into Nigeria under the legal framework of the Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA), signed between their countries and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

IATA urged governments to abide by international agreements and treaty obligations to enable airlines to repatriate these funds arising from the sale of tickets, cargo space, and other activities.

[airnews]

A letter from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealed that the controversial national carrier, Nigeria Air has been unable to move on to phase two of the Air Operator Certificate certification procedure.

Local airline operators had objected to the Federal Government’s delivery of the first Nigeria Air plane on the grounds that it violated a court order prohibiting the government from moving further with the project.

But according to a letter sent to the managing director of Nigeria Air on Friday and dated June 2, 2023, the airline’s request to move forward did not include the formal application form and the required paperwork, as stated in an earlier letter dated May 16, 2023.

The letter reads, “The Authority is in receipt of your letter dated 25th May 2023 on the subject matter. Quite contrary to our earlier letter of 16th May 2023 which enumerated the documents to be submitted with the Formal Application Form OPS 002, your letter of request to proceed to Phase Two has no inclusion of a Formal Application Form and the necessary documents referenced in the Formal Application Form. Hence, the Certification Process cannot progress to Phase Two (2) without these required documents.”

The process of obtaining the all-important AOC involves five stages.

Stage one is the pre-application phase where the NCAA will appoint a certification team and process the pre-application statement of intent form (AC-OPS 001). In this stage, discussions on all regulatory requirements, the formal application and attachments and any other related issues will take place. This is usually a week’s process.

Stage two involves a formal application for intending entrants where documents and manuals (including the curricula vitae of key management personnel) must be submitted for evaluation. The minimum timeframe for the formal application phase is two weeks.

Stage three involves document evaluation where the NCAA will review the applicant’s manuals and other related documents and attachments to ensure conformity with the applicable regulations and safe operating practices. The minimum time frame for the document evaluation phase is three months.

Stage Four: Demonstration and inspection; this is a key stage of the process carried out only after a satisfactory documentation evaluation phase. In this stage, a thorough audit by the certification team at the applicant’s premises will be conducted to ensure that the proposed procedures are effective and that the applicant’s facilities and equipment meet the NCAA’s regulatory requirements.

Also at this stage, other demonstrations like emergency evacuation and ditching will be carried out and after successes in these exercises; a demonstration flight will be carried out. The minimum time-frame for the demonstration and inspection phase is two months.

[RipplesNigeria]

Attributing poor governance in Nigeria to corruption has become exceedingly simplistic in view of its unending inclination. A more sustained attack on the adverse effects of different specific dimensions of corruption on national development might be more useful.

It is therefore time for the nation’s scholars and analysts to throw more light on such unambiguous phases of the subject – a good example being the notorious hobby of last minute contracts and appointments that successive Nigerian political leaders engage in. Such efforts might help track the problem for action considering its pervasive nature of creating stunted growth at federal, state and local areas across the country.

Just before leaving office last week, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023) carried out several injury-time appointments as if it came into office two months ago instead of the recorded period of 8 years. Among those who have condemned the act is a member of the ruling party and also member-elect of the House of Representatives, Chief Philip Agbese.

He explicitly criticised the appointment of a new Accountant General of the federation, which he felt was done without recourse to the rules and numerous petitions on ground against the process. Agbese also disagreed with the approval for the board of the North East Development Commission to resume work without confirmation by the Senate thereby undermining the powers of the legislature.

There were similar criticisms against the activities of the immediate past minister of aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika. The Centre for Social Change and Democracy, CSCD, had accused the minister of appointing his cronies to different offices which made it to demand a thorough investigation of the appointments, employments and awards of contracts in the aviation sector.

In particular, the Centre wants the Minister to explain how funds budgeted for the Nigeria Air project were utilized. This criticism resonated through the sector with many deprecating what they perceived as hurried arrangements to surreptitiously place our aviation sector under Ethiopian authorities. If the assignment had been diligently handled in good time, may be it would not have elicited as much uproar.

The point must be made however, that it was not the first time that the federal government or some of its powerful officials engaged in such last-minute dubious transactions.

In 2015, the hobby of getting some favourites into certain offices also took place. Even the appointment of Chief Executives of federal bodies which others did routinely was herculean to President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. At a point, there were about 13 bodies whose heads acted for years without confirmation. In some cases, it looked like a strategy to make the appointees patently malleable.

For instance, one of our colleagues at the NTA acted as Director-General for more than 2 years before government remembered to replace him. If he was not competent, why was the organization left in seemingly wrong hands for so long? If he was not incompetent why then was he removed? Yet, the same government appointed 5 different chief executives for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 5 years, that is an average of one a year.

If federal authorities angered people by their last minute activities, happenings in the states were not less appalling.  In Niger state, the government spent no less than 6 of its 8-year tenure without filling vacancies in the public service thereby explaining its decision to recruit as many as 3,000 new workers at the tail end of the tenure of the immediate past governor, Abubakar Sani Bello. The former secretary to the state government Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane said the new appointees were to replace many civil servants who had retired or died since 2017.

In Plateau state, former governor Simeon Lalong, waited till the dying minutes of his tenure to swear-in five new judges of the State High Court and a judge of the State Customary Court of Appeal. It was only then it occurred to Lalong, himself a lawyer that a robust and vibrant Judiciary capable of meeting the needs of the people for justice delivery was expedient.

In Abia State, it was only after his preferred candidate lost the governorship election that former governor Okezie Ikpeazu suddenly woke up to the need to reconstitute the Governing Councils of some critical state institutions. By appointing Eme Okoro, the immediate past secretary to the state government (SSG) as chairman of the Abia State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Okezie betrayed the real motivation for his tail-end action.

Other favourites according to media reports were appointed to head the State Civil Service Commission and the State Polytechnic. In Jigawa state, most of the last-minute activities were essentially basic contracts such as the construction and renovation of classrooms and roads, drilling of hand pumps/ conversion of diesel motorized boreholes to solar powered as well as completion and upgrading of some health facilities. But then, no one understood why they were left for the tail end of the former governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar’s administration.

To establish that last minute contracts which many see as phoney had become part of our political culture, it is probably necessary to refer to older relevant activities. In Imo state, opposition parties publicized daily, alleged awards of last-minute jobs by former governor Rochas Okorocha. The said contracts which were yet to be executed in the last few days of the administration had been reportedly paid for in full. Okorocha was also said to have recruited over 2000 employees into the public service at about the same time while several vehicles were auctioned at give-away prices. This made the then incoming governor Emeka Ihedioha to warn financial institutions against entering into any transaction with the then outgoing governor.

Similarly, the incoming government of governor Umaru Fintiri had to caution all Banking institutions in the state that giving arbitrary loans or overdrafts to government at the time was at their own risk. He spoke against the backdrop of a number of appointments, promotions and boards of some government agencies constituted close to the end of his predecessor, governor Mohammed Bindow.

Fintiri fulfilled his threat by cancelling all last minute suspicious activities carried out before he assumed duties. He was not alone. In Sokoto state, the new governor, Ahmad Aliyu reversed with immediate effect all recent appointments into the State Civil Service made by the outgoing government of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal after March 19th, 2023. In Osun state, the new governor, Ademola Adeleke, announced the reversal of late appointments by former governor, Gboyega Oyetola which were hurriedly done without following due process. Interestingly, this included the appointment of some ‘partisan’ Obas.

The reversals of several contracts and appointments had many adverse implications not only on societal development but also on innocent victims. For example, only two days ago, there were reports that the new Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, had commenced the demolition of structures believed to be illegally erected on properties belonging to the government. The owners were said to be cronies of the previous government to whom the plots were allegedly allocated. 

There is however doubt if the trend of phoney or unpopular last minute favours would end soon as some of the new beneficiaries were old victims. In Benue state for instance, it was interesting to hear that governor Samuel Ortom who cancelled last minute recruitment by his predecessor on account of inability of the government to pay workers’ salaries and other entitlements for several months was at the twilight of his own tenure attempting to build an airport. With what funds?

In the legislative arm of government, the situation has been the same. In the last one week, our federal legislators have suddenly become active. Part of their busy assignment was to investigate former Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio yet, they were unavailable when Akpabio reported.

Whereas, the most sanguine feature of any law making process is the quality of the average lawmaker, members of the Nigerian 7th Senate whimsically set an unbroken record of passing 46 bills in 10minutes on the last day of their tenure! Alas, we have neither reputable/seasoned legislators nor those that legendary Albert Einstein said should be “ready to live their lives for others.”

On Monday afternoon, my friend in Benin, Edo state, went to his father’s house for some daddy-and-son time. His fuel gauge was on red, but because the next gas station was on the other side of the road and he would need to make a long turn, he decided to buy petrol on his way back. That was what his driver suggested anyway. After watching President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inauguration and listening to his speech, he headed back home. But the world had changed within the twinkle of an eye. He ran into a sudden traffic caused by fuel queues. That was when he remembered Tinubu’s statement of “subsidy is gone!” which was instantly greeted with petrol “scarcity” all over Nigeria.

With all of Tinubu’s experience in government, I thought a presidential pronouncement on such a very sensitive and emotive topic could have been better managed. There are people who have built their careers on opposing the removal of petrol subsidy and you do not expect them to take it lying down. Policy communication is as important as the policy itself. Many good policies have suffered miserable death in the slaughter room of populist activism partly because of the way they were communicated or marketed. One mistake many policy makers make over and again is to assume that if a policy makes sense and has benefits, it would be readily embraced. It doesn’t work like that.

I do not suggest that if a good policy is well marketed, there would be no resistance. It also doesn’t work like that. However, there are people who genuinely want to understand a policy and its promises. There are people who want to be persuaded so that they too can persuade others. In reality, there will always be resistance to the removal of petrol subsidy in Nigeria, no matter how well you communicate it. But you have a duty to sell the idea to educate your people, especially the new generation of Nigerians some of who believe that the UN will take over a country if a public protest goes on for three weeks or that INEC can only announce election results between 8am and 4pm.

I must also admit that there is no best time to remove petrol subsidy. No matter when you remove it — morning, noon or night; January, May or October; Sunday, Wednesday or Friday — there will always be some resistance. You do not withdraw a 50-year-old benefit that Nigerians have taken as a birth right and expect them to give you a standing ovation. It is our entitlement, as far as we can see. Since we hit oil boom in 1973, we have been hooked on subsidies, most of which we have got rid of — like giving meal tickets to university students and even paying for their laundry. We have successfully ended subsidies on diesel, gas and kerosene. But petrol is the most stubborn of them all.

Why do most Nigerians oppose the removal of petrol subsidy? At this point, I would like to speak for myself. I was a fierce advocate of petrol subsidy — until shortly before President Goodluck Jonathan pulled the trigger in 2012. By then, I had become more receptive to the economic case. I used to be nauseated with the argument that removing subsidy would curb smuggling, which I considered a grand celebration of the weakness and incompetence of state institutions. That Nigeria’s petrol was the cheapest in the world, as was being advanced as a major reason to remove subsidy, was also a problematic argument to me because I didn’t see why anybody should be saddened by that.

But the core economic argument that won me over in 2011 was that petrol subsidy was not an efficient way of spending a country’s resources. If you must subsidise, pick the productive link in the economic chain, not the consumption point. I think it was the then CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, that kept hammering on that. Moreso, why pour trillions of naira into subsidising petrol when healthcare, education, power and roads are crying for help on a daily basis? Is that not a more efficient way of spending money compared to dispensing petrol at subsidised pump prices? These arguments resonated with me more than the claim that petrol was cheaper than Coke.

It got more interesting for me when Jonathan withdrew the subsidy in January 2012 and some of those who openly supported it were lobbying me, through back channels, to argue against it in my writings. I was shocked. All my life, I had been playing into the hands of these buccaneers with my pro-subsidy campaign which I thought was helping the poor. It finally dawned on me that the more government retained the subsidy, the more these buccaneers profited from the system and the less the real object of my campaign benefited. Jonathan was, unfortunately, forced to beat a retreat as the opposition parties came after him. Otherwise, we would have passed this stage ages ago.

Nevertheless, there were two fundamental reasons for my lifelong opposition to the removal of petrol subsidy until I abandoned my position in 2011. One, I strongly believed (and still believe) that the poorest Nigerians would suffer the most, at least in the short run, in terms of the cost of living, particularly as transportation is a major expense in most Nigerian cities. Two, I did not (and still do not) trust the government to spend the gains judiciously and make life better for Nigerians. There were other reasons — such as the smuggling argument — but those were tangential. Generally, I was never in the mood for anti-subsidy debates and I dedicated my life to savaging the campaign.

On my first point, for instance, there is no doubt that the burden of subsidy removal is disproportionately borne by the poorest whose incomes can barely sustain their living costs. Transport fares go up instantly and they have no wriggle room to deal with it. For an economy that runs largely on “I pass my neighbour” generators, cost of doing business for barbers, beauty salons, eateries and vulcanisers will go up. Cost of food items will go up, notably in the cities which rely on road transportation for supplies. Poor people will surely suffer. This was my position when I was a pro-subsidy campaigner and it remains my position even as I am now in support of subsidy removal.

The issue now is: how do you make things less painful for the poorest? This takes me to my second point. The N3 trillion we have spent on subsidy this year alone is enough to make public hospitals hospitable to Nigerians. If we pour N3 trillion into the health sector today, buying the necessary equipment and drugs, upgrading the wards and paying the medical personnel decent wages and benefits, the “poorest of the poor” would feel the impact. If we choose to pour the N3 trillion into public schools, modernising the infrastructure, training teachers and treating them as human beings, the “poorest” would benefit and be glad. People need to experience, not just hear of, the benefits.

Obviously, the core reason for opposition to subsidy removal is lack of trust in government. People would rather petrol sells at N185/litre and their daily transport fare remains N500 than to be promised better life if petrol is N500/litre and transport fare goes to N1000. They would prefer the devil they know. Besides, many believe that “if not for corruption” Nigeria is rich enough to spend N6 trillion yearly on subsidy and still provide free electricity, free education and free healthcare. Many do not know that we currently owe over N46 trillion. Even if no kobo is stolen, we are in a mess. The simple truth is that we cannot afford petrol subsidy anymore. The economy is choking to death.

In fairness, Nigerians have earned the right not to trust the government. Of all the fuel price increases and the promises of better life in the last 40 years, why are we still here? Why are most roads, schools and hospitals still like this? Why are primary healthcare centres still lacking in basic drugs and personnel? Why are primary schools still lacking chalks and good teachers? Why are public taps still dry and poor people are drinking from the stream and contracting cholera? And we keep reading that one minister has stolen N20 billion, one governor has bought private jets, and one commissioner has mansions. And we expect poor Nigerians to embrace subsidy removal like a pillow!

In our history, only once or twice has the government increased petrol price and the people could point to how the gains were spent to improve their lot. In November 1994, Gen Sani Abacha raised the price and set up an intervention agency to rebuild public infrastructure, mostly roads, healthcare, education and water. That remains the gold standard. Alas, we are now operating a federal democracy and the president cannot dictate to states on how to spend their money. If Tinubu says let’s modernise hospitals but a governor says it is “cargo airport” that he wants to build in a state with poor health facilities, what can the president do? Nothing. That is our “true federalism”.

The best way forward, nonetheless, is for the government to win the trust of the people. As a starting point, I propose that all the revenue that will accrue to every tier of government from petrol subsidy removal should be isolated into a special fund and spent on specific social intervention programmes. Agreed, no tier of government can dictate to the other on how to spend its funds, but they can mutually reach a consensus in the interest of national development. How these funds are spent should also be publicised monthly for transparency and peer review purposes. Tinubu, as the leader, has to work harmoniously with the governors to deliver dividends from this subsidy removal.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

FAREWELL, DOKPESI

Dr Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi died on Monday after falling on his treadmill while recuperating reportedly from a stroke that had held him down for months. It was so painful. The maritime engineer is best known as the founder of Ray Power 100 — Nigeria’s first private radio station. He later launched the African Independent Television (AIT). With Ray Power and AIT, Dokpesi built men and women and contributed in no little way to the growth of journalism and entertainment industry. I first heard his name in a Sunny Ade song decades ago but I had no idea who he was, only to learn that he owned Africa Ocean Lines, Africa’s first indigenous shipping line. He was a great man. Adieu.

MIND THE GAP

Although President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has spent less than one week in office and deserves his honeymoon, some things need to be handled better in the days ahead. For one, press statements have been signed by at least three different persons. We in the media don’t even know who to relate with. We are practically scavenging for photographs of official engagements on the internet. Senator Remi Tinubu, the first lady, tweeted congratulations to Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila before he was officially announced as the chief of staff. The transition between the Buhari and Tinubu administrations was not as seamless as you would expect of people from the same party. Lacuna.

ACT OF COMMISSION

The senate passed an amendment bill last week effectively castrating the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). After reading the amendments to the ICPC Act, I concluded that the commission does not need a chairman any longer. The board will be able to meet at his back and appoint a member to preside. Certain provisions mentioning the “chairman” have been replaced with “commission”. Could it be that the current chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, has stepped on some toes and the senators believe the best way to deal with him is to destroy the 22-year-old institution? Will he be chairman forever? Bewildering.

DSS VS EFCC

Nigerians woke up on Tuesday to the disturbing news that there was some beef between the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Ikoyi office whose entrance they both share. They are in the same compound. The property used to belong to a DSS legacy agency before EFCC was created. Until now, there was no sign of any dispute or tension between the two. The EFCC accused the DSS of preventing its staff from gaining access to the office. The DSS response was coded. I still do not understand what went down but I hope we will never witness anything like this again. Not a good way of welcoming a new president. Mysterious.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) says it will embark on a nationwide protest next week Wednesday over the removal of petrol subsidy.

On Friday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a five-day ultimatum to the federal government to revert to the old price of petrol or face a nationwide protest.

Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the federal government had until Wednesday to revert to the old price of N185.

Reacting in a statement on Saturday, Shuaibu Leman, NUJ national secretary, said an emergency central working committee (CMC) meeting of the union was convened virtually.

Leman said discussions at the meeting centred on issues surrounding the decision by the federal government to remove fuel subsidy and the position taken by the NLC.

He said members unanimously adopted the position of the NLC.

“CWC reiterates the argument that although the removal of fuel subsidy will free allocations which can be channelled to the provisions of infrastructure and creation of additional jobs, the sudden removal could, however, lead to social unrest and protests as people may perceive Government as being insensitive to their plight,” the statement reads.

“CWC also notes that already there is an astronomical increase in the prices of petroleum products and high inflation which have drastically reduced the purchasing power of citizens.

“Accordingly CWC directs all State Councils of the Union to mobilise members to withdraw their services and commence protests nationwide from Wednesday next week, 7th June 2023, if the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNCPL) refuses to reverse the new price regime in the oil sector.”

[TheCable]

AHEAD of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on June 13, President Bola Tinubu may have given the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, a definite assignment to ensure that double nominations were avoided in both chambers on that day.

Analysts, at the weekend, interpreted this to mean that the President believed that this was the only way the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could win all relevant Principal Officers’ positions in the incoming National Assembly.

It was gathered that Tinubu gave the tall order at the Presidential Villa on Thursday night, just as the Presiding Officers were said to have told the  President that there was no way a zoning arrangement which excludes the North-Central and gives two slots to the North-West would stand.

Recall there was a meeting between Tinubu and the duo of Lawan and Gbajabiamila at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

Also recall that the  APC had announced the endorsement of Senator Godswill Akpabio and three others for the topmost positions in the National Assembly. Akpabio from South-South was endorsed for Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau from North-West for Deputy Senate President, Honourable Tajudeen Abass, North-West for Speaker, House of Representatives and  Hon. Benjamin Kalu, South-East for Deputy Speaker.

The decision did not, however, go down well with some members of the party and especially those aspiring for the positions of Presiding Officers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives as there were protests, condemnations and strong criticisms across the country. 

Consequently, the Senate Whip and a former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a former Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, and Senator Osita Izunaso, among others, have continually kicked against the decision of the party while vowing to contest against the Akpabio/Barau ticket on Inauguration Day.

Amicable solution

According to a source, Tinubu decided to come into the matter to find an amicable solution to the issue which was already creating tension among senators-elect following complaints about the zning arrangement of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

The source said, “The President has given the duo of Senate President and Speaker a specific assignment to resolve the crisis created by the zoning of Presiding Officers’ positions announced by the All Progressives Congress leadership last month.

“The President wanted to avoid all forms of distractions and ill feelings among members-elect of the 10th National Assembly so that he could concentrate on the onerous task of providing good governance.

“The President is currently tackling the issue of dwindling revenue, poor infrastructure and epileptic power supply, among others, and he needed to concentrate on putting his team together.

“As we are all aware, the National Assembly is very critical. Since the APC has the highest number of members in both chambers, it was the President’s opinion that the leadership must not be imposed.”

It was also gathered that both Lawan and Gbajabiamila had asked all aspirants for Senate President and Speaker to put their houses in order to avoid rancour on the day of inauguration.

Against this backdrop, the Akpabio/Barau Stability Group met at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday night for several hours.

Also the Senate Democratic Caucus, which parades Yari, Kalu, Izunaso and others as members, met at Destination Hotel in Wuse 2, Abuja.

A source at the Akpabio/Barau’s Stability Group meeting explained that most of the senators-elect who were invited failed to turn up.

The source said, “Invitations were sent out to all senators-elect by the  Stability Group for the meeting, which was called by a prominent senator from the South-West but many of those invited did not turn up.

“It got to a point that some elders of the party like Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Abu Ibrahim were invited to the closed-door meeting, which had about 21 senators-elect in attendance.

Rival meeting

Meanwhile, the meeting called by the Democratic Caucus group at the Wuse Zone two was held simultaneously.

A senator-elect from the North-East, who confirmed the development  on the condition of anonymity, noted that the turnout of lawmakers-elect at the venue was highly impressive.

He said, “The meeting convened by the Senate Democratic Caucus had in attendance 57 senators-elect while about 16 others sent in their regrets.

“We are going to take the final decision on the matter on Tuesday (this week) and Nigerians will know that the zoning arrangement done by the APC had collapsed.”

It was also gathered that there were  moves by the President and the leadership of the APC to tinker with the zoning arrangement as announced by the APC just as  concerns were raised especially on the exclusion of the North-Central in the zoning made for  both chambers of the National Assembly by the APC to ensure inclusivity, fairness and justice which may alter current permutations.

[Vanguard]