Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has declared that the era of tampering with Local Government funds in the state is over.

This is as he has waded into the rift between traders at Ariaria International Market and a developer engaged by the previous administration to remodel the market.

Otti said he had directed that original shop owners at the remodeled A-line of Ariaria International Market, should be given the first right of refusal in the remodeled market.

The Governor said he got complaints from some of the original shop owners that the contractor was trying to sell their shops to money bags.

Vanguard reports that the remodeling of A-line at Ariaria International Market was initiated by the administration of the immediate-past Gov Okezie Ikpeazu.

Otti who spoke with newsmen in Umuahia said he would not allow the original shop owners at the market to be shortchanged for any reason.

He said that he was told there were about 4000 shops originally but there would be additional 1000 shops after the remodelling.

The Governor insisted that justice demands that the original shop owners should be given the first right of refusal before new persons would be allowed to buy.

Otti further promised that if any original shop owner were unable to afford the cost of the remodeled shops, Government would assist in negotiating a loan with any willing commercial bank to help out the affected traders.

He, however, added that there must be evidence that the affected traders do not truly have the financial capacity to pay for the new shops.

Gov. Otti said that a repayment plan had to be worked out with the willing financial institutions.

On the management of council funds, the Governor said that under his watch local government funds were no longer tampered with.

He challenged anyone with any evidence that council funds were being tampered with should make same available.

The Governor said that for the first time after many years, Council Chairmen in the state were able to “grade roads and rehabilitate health centres”.

” Now in Abia Council Chairmen are doing what they were unable to do before. There are massive renovations in our Local Governments now. It’s evident that our councils are operating well now”.

Vanguard]

Switzerland has topped the list of the most powerful passports in 2024 according to the Nomad Passport Index.

The consulting firm, Nomad Capitalist, disclosed that factors responsible for the strength of passports include visa-free travel, taxation, global perception,ability to hold dual citizenship status, and personal freedom.

The five criteria have a weighted index of Visa-free travel — 50%, Taxation — 20%, Global perception —10%, Ability to hold dual citizenship — 10%, Personal freedom (freedom of the press, mandatory military service, etc.) — 10%

Here’s the list of the top 20 passports in 2024:

1. Switzerland

2. Ireland

3. Portugal

4. Luxembourg

5. Finland

6. UAE

7. Netherlands

8. Norway

9. Germany

10. New Zealand

11. Iceland

12. Italy

13. Greece

14. Sweden

15. Czech Republic

16. Malta

17. United Kingdom

18. Belgium

19. Denmark

20. France

With the Premier League title race reaching its climax, attention turns to the crucial remaining fixtures that will determine the destiny of the 2023–24 season.

As 20 teams gear up for the final sprint, analysis reveals intriguing insights into who holds the advantage and who faces an uphill battle in the pursuit of glory.

The race among the current top four contenders showcases a tight battle, highlighting the competitive nature of the league.

With just eight points separating table leader Liverpool, boasting 67 points, from Aston Villa, holding firm with 56 points, every match becomes pivotal in determining the ultimate outcome of the season.

In a season characterised by its unpredictability, the presence of game-in-hand fixtures has emerged as a crucial factor in the English Premier League standings.

Premier League title race outstanding games

Notably, while most teams are contending with one extra match to be played, Chelsea stands alone with the rare advantage of having two.

Among the clubs yet to fully capitalise on this opportunity are Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle, Brighton, Wolves, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Sheffield, all awaiting their respective additional matches to potentially shift the balance of power.

Currently, only Aston Villa, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, and Burnley have completed 30 games, providing them with a clearer picture of their standing as they navigate the final stretch of the season.

As the league approaches its climax, the significance of these remaining fixtures cannot be overstated, with every point potentially altering the trajectory of teams’ aspirations and determining their fate in the race for glory.

Last 10 Premier League winners

In the last ten seasons, Manchester City has won the Premier League title six times, Chelsea twice, and Liverpool and Leicester City have won it once each.

On Sunday, Liverpool beat Brighton to go top of the EPL table.

Manchester City failed to break down Arsenal as a highly-anticipated clash at the top of the Premier League failed to live up to the hype in a 0-0 draw at the Etihad on Sunday.

Liverpool seizes a crucial advantage with the most favourable remaining fixtures among title contenders.

Despite facing relatively tough schedules, all three contenders brace themselves for a nail-biting conclusion, hinting at twists and turns that could shape the final outcome of the season.

The run-in officially starts here, with the remaining fixtures set to decide who wins the 2023/24 Premier League title, who qualifies for Europe, and who avoids relegation.

So, with just nine matchweeks left, which teams have the “best” and “worst” fixtures?

PUNCH Online delves into the average points total of the remaining opponents for every team, unveiling insights into which clubs are poised for a late-season surge towards glory and which ones confront a formidable challenge to conclude the campaign on a high note.

According to data obtained from the Premier League website, the average points of the remaining opponents for Premier League teams vary significantly, offering insights into the challenges they may face in the run-in.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Newcastle has the most favourable average point of 33.5, followed closely by Everton at 34.2 and Brentford and Nottingham Forest sharing 35.4.

As the scale progresses, Burnley stands at 35.8, Fulham at 35.9, and Sheffield United at 37.0.

Manchester United also shares this average, indicating a moderate challenge ahead.

Moving up, Chelsea sits at 38.0, followed by Spurs at 38.8 and Liverpool at 38.9, showcasing a tougher road for these title contenders.

Further up, Bournemouth faces an average of 39.1 points, while Manchester City have 41.0 and Wolves have 41.5.

Arsenal, in pursuit of title aspirations, contends with an average of 42.3 points among its opponents.

West Ham and Luton share an average of 43.2, while Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Brighton face the toughest challenges with averages of 44.8, 44.9, and 45.1 points, respectively.

Title race fixtures club average

By implication, Newcastle United enjoys the easiest remaining schedule with an average of 33.5 points among their upcoming opponents, akin to facing a 14th-placed team in each match.

Conversely, Brighton & Hove Albion faces the toughest fixtures, with their opponents averaging 45.1 points, resembling matches against seventh-placed sides.

In the title race and before Sunday’s game, Liverpool enjoys the most favourable fixtures among the top three contenders, with their opponents averaging 38.9 points.

On the other hand, Arsenal face the toughest challenge, with their opponents averaging 42.3 points, slightly more daunting than those of third-placed Manchester City (41.0). 

Title race: Remaining fixtures

But interestingly, all three title contenders have tricky schedules.

While Liverpool have the “easiest,”  theirs only ranks 11th-best among the 20 Premier League teams, while Manchester City’s ranks 13th and Arsenal’s 15th.

Premier League title race

PUNCH Online reports that the 2023–24 Premier League marks the 32nd instalment of the prestigious league and the 125th season of top-flight English football.

Fixture details were unveiled on June 15, 2023.

The season’s run commenced on August 11, 2023, and the season is slated to culminate on May 19, 2024.

Whether the EPL winner will emerge before the season concludes remains to be seen in the coming weeks. If not, the ultimate decision will be made on May 19.

In recent times, Liverpool lost the 2014 league title to City in the last game of the season.

On Wednesday night, Arsenal host Luton at the Emirates Stadium and Manchester City host Aston Villa.

Liverpool, on the other hand, host Sheffield United on Thursday night.

[Punch]

Leicester reignited their bid for automatic promotion to the Premier League with a 3-1 win at home to Norwich on Monday.

Victory at the King Power Stadium meant the Foxes returned to the top of English football’s second-tier Championship, if merely for a few hours before promotion rivals Ipswich and Leeds are in action later in the day.

Goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Stephy Mavididi and Jamie Vardy enabled Leicester to complete a comeback after Gabriel Sara’s fourth goal in as many games gave Norwich the lead.

Leicester have topped the table for much of the season, but Monday’s success was just their third win in eight Championship games.

On Friday, Leicester City’s hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League suffered a fresh setback with a 1-0 loss away to Bristol City.

Only the top two clubs at the end of the regular season are guaranteed automatic promotion to the Premier League, with Leicester now a point ahead of second-placed Ipswich and two clear of Leeds, currently in third place.

“This was important, because we are in the final part of the season,” said Leicester manager Enzo Maresca.

“But then we started by conceding a goal, and 1-0 down from a corner, we needed to be mentally strong.

“But after that, the game was completely in our control, we dominated.”

He added: Probably in the last six games, we won one game and it was the one we didn’t deserve – Sunderland. We lost four games, and not one of them we deserved to lose.

“At the end, we are human beings – we have emotions so when we scored the last one with Jamie, the game was finished, so we were all happy and we enjoyed the moment.”

Defeat left Norwich in sixth position – still in contention to reach the post-season play-offs that will decide which club gets the third and final promotion spot.

It looked as if it might be a good day for the Canaries when Sara put them ahead from a corner in the 20th minute.

But Dewsbury-Hall’s first goal since January drew Leicester level 13 minutes later and from then on the Foxes started to get a grip on the game.

Mavididi made it 2-1 just after the hour mark with a fine curling shot into the far corner before former England striker Vardy, one of the stars of Leicester’s shock Premier League title triumph eight years ago, wrapped up the points in stoppage time with a powerful strike after Harry Winks’ initial effort was blocked.

AFP

What you value is what you invest your riches in. A wealthy man with a million slaves dies, but in his wardrobe is found one lone dress (Oun tó ndun ni níí pò l’órò eni. Ológún erú kú, aso o rè kù ìkan soso). That is my people’s proverb for otherwise wise men with deliberately misplaced priorities. We’ve always known that politics pays better than education in Nigeria. The N90 billion Hajj subsidy is higher than the combined 2024 budgets of the University of Ibadan (N23.4billion), Obafemi Awolowo University (N17.1 billion), Ahmadu Bello University (N29.2 billion) and the University of Lagos (N19.4billion). So, what is the matter prioritized here? The government did not spend that money for religion. It was for politics and the need to avoid the political consequences of hurting Nigeria’s powerful entrepreneurs of pilgrimage”.

From Lagos, one Ayinde Salihu wrote to the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the Northern Region, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, on 19 January, 1964, describing the premier as the “Prophet of Nigeria.” The man wanted the Sardauna to take him to Mecca for Hajj. Buliyaminu Oladiti Fadairo wrote from Ibadan on 21 January, 1964, saluting the Sardauna as “Nigerian Holiest Father.” It was his way of massaging the big man’s ego so that he would make him a pilgrim in that year’s Hajj. Same day from Kabba, Aruna Agbana wrote begging the Sardauna to sponsor his pilgrimage to Mecca “in the name of Allah and Annabi Muhammadu, the Holy Prophet…and in the name of Usman Dan Fodio…” The Sardauna had a standard response for all of them: “Pilgrimage is not obligatory if one has no means…” American professor of history, Mathew M. Heaton, has all the above in his ‘Ahmadu Bello and the Politics of Pilgrimage’. It is a chapter in his book on ‘Decolonising the Hajj’ published in 2023.

What the Sardauna said about pilgrimage not being “obligatory if one has no means” is the correct injunction prescribed in Islam. But, the injunction might be canonically true in 1964, it is no longer so today. Never mind that John Bunyan in ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ says “what God says is best, is best though all the men in the world are against it.” The poet just wasted words. There are egregious carts everywhere today for the pilgrim to ride in short-circuiting faith and its precepts. They say the times determine what law to keep. They say that at every point in time, what the world carries is the child the times birth for it.

The way we fart while pricing irú (locust beans) is not the way we should fart while buying salt. But now, there are no limits to misbehaviour. Everywhere stinks. We shit in holy places and receive effusive thank you from the guardian priests. If he were alive, the powerful Sardauna would not have resisted the pressure to pay today – and remain relevant. A multitude of Nigerians (Muslim and Christian) desire the bliss of paradise which may be in holy pilgrimages but everyone wants someone else to pay for it. And they get it. ‘FG bows to pressure, approves N90 billion subsidy for Hajj fares’ was how The Guardian headlined its report on a payment of subsidy for Hajj. I read it in other papers also. The payment is unprecedented in the hugeness of the figure. And the government has not said the media lied. Hajj is an obligation which applies under clearly stated conditions – these include financial and physical capability. But now, every year, pressure, threats, and blackmail are rained on presidents and governors to sponsor pilgrims. And they cave in to do what is wrong. They forget that they were elected to say no to irregularities; that sometimes, resistance may be politically inexpedient and tough, but in resisting wrong lies victory. “Dark clouds bring waters, when bright bring none” – Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress again. Robbing the Peter of millions of Nigerians to foot the bill of elitist Paul is a mark of the beast. But it is the new normal. Governments sponsor thousands to Mecca and Jerusalem in exchange for political support.

I call the Nigerian elite culture which allowed this payment an ‘Aj’ìfà’ culture. Aj’ìfà is that person who grows fat reaping big where he sows little – or reaps without sowing at all. Someone else said elsewhere that Nigeria is an “Aj’òfé society.” That somebody is Ladun Anise, late professor of political science, who explains in a 1979 journal article that “the word Aj’òfé is a Yoruba word meaning ‘free-loader’ or ‘parasite.'” I nodded as I read his further explanation that “an aj’òfe society carries a parasitic culture; builds its expectations on what the government can and must do (for them) with no sense of individual or group responsibility…It is a culture in which people are determined to turn constrained privileges into fundamental constitutional rights or even the precepts of natural law.” I understand that some of the intending pilgrims are threatening to pull out of this year’s hajj unless the government pays the balance of N1.9 million for them. The country is a fallen elephant before a pack of cleavers.

We married a wife in the month of famine and in that same month of lack, she decided to use pounded yam to build a house. What name would you give that kind of wife? What baby would the woman birth, and what will the name be? The question is elegantly answered in the original Yoruba version of that proverb: Ìyàwó tí a fé l’ósù agà tí n fi’yán mo’lé, yóò-báa-ní’bè l’orúko omo rè yóo máa jé. ‘Yo-ba-nibe’ (e go meet am there), the reserved name for the expected product of the conjugal error, forebodes tragic delivery. I thought our husbands said the country was broke and all subsidies should go -and was gone. Now we know they lied. The Federal Government that said no to what benefitted 200 million Nigerians last May has released N90 billion to subsidise the purse of about 50,000 persons (or of their rich sponsors) so that they could make a personal religious journey to Saudi Arabia. It is a subsidy for politics.

What you value is what you invest your riches in. A wealthy man with a million slaves dies, but in his wardrobe is found one lone dress (Oun tó ndun ni níí pò l’órò eni. Ológún erú kú, aso o rè kù ìkan soso). That is my people’s proverb for otherwise wise men with deliberately misplaced priorities. We’ve always known that politics pays better than education in Nigeria. The N90 billion Hajj subsidy is higher than the combined 2024 budgets of the University of Ibadan (N23.4billion), Obafemi Awolowo University (N17.1 billion), Ahmadu Bello University (N29.2 billion) and the University of Lagos (N19.4billion). So, what is the matter prioritized here? The government did not spend that money for religion. It was for politics and the need to avoid the political consequences of hurting Nigeria’s powerful entrepreneurs of pilgrimage.

The Obafemi Awolowo government of the old Western Region set up Nigeria’s first Pilgrims Welfare Board vide Western Regional Gazette No. 39, vol. 7 of 5th June, 1958. The board’s existence was dictated by the need to attend to issues of welfare of hajj pilgrims from Western Nigeria. The northern region followed that example seven years later in 1965. Both boards were restricted by law to collecting Hajj fares from intending pilgrims, arranging passports for them, helping intending pilgrims to get visas and other consular interventions, assisting them with flight tickets and with vaccination, getting them comfortable accommodation and transportation in Saudi Arabia – all at their own expense. The limit of the responsibilities of the boards was the limit of government involvement in Hajj operations. Apart from one VIP Hajj flight per year involving the Sardauna and selected members of the northern elite, there are no records of any government-sponsored Hajj trip for anybody in any of the regions.

What is the official explanation (reason) for the Federal Government’s release of that subsidy for the Hajj? Each of the 48,414 intending pilgrims was initially supposed to pay N3.5 million, then it was jacked up to N4.9 million when the dollar raced past the strength of our sense. N4.9 million is a huge amount in this season of want. There was an outcry which the anti-subsidy government in Abuja heard and doused with a subsidy coolant which translated to N1.6 million per pilgrim. This N90 billion pilgrimage subsidy paid by this government I could not find anywhere in the 2024 budget of the Federal Government. Even in the pads and paddings, it is absent. So, where did the president conjure that humongous sum from?

Even after that intervention, there are further subsidies to pay. Because the forex crisis has set every plan ablaze, the total hajj fees payable is no longer N4.9 million per pilgrim. The hajj commission last week raised the fare by a further N1,918,032.91 blaming forex volatility. The amount is now N6.8 million per pilgrim. The arithmetic is well explained in a report by the Daily Trust some days ago which quoted a Hajj commission source: “By the previous calculation, the N90 billion given by the Federal Government can only subsidise 19,000 intending pilgrims by ₦3.5 million. But by spreading it on 50,000 pilgrims, it (the subsidy) reduced it (the shortfall) to N1.9 million. This means that the federal government has subsidised each pilgrim by ₦1.6 million…” There is still a shortfall of N1.9 million which each of the pilgrims has to pay. But they may not pay anything. Some state governments are paying it for them.

A friend asked when this culture of using public funds to fund private religious acts started. It is difficult to know but it didn’t start with this regime. When a head would go bad, it starts its descent gradually, unnoticed. What I know is that there used to be pride in people using their hard-earned money to go to Mecca. O.E. Tangban in his ‘The Hajj and the Nigerian Economy’ (1991) traces this tradition of going to Mecca and notes that at the very beginning “ordinary people went on Hajj by land routes across Chad to Sudan and then by boat to Jeddah” – with their hard-earned money. Even big men did. Dunama, the second Muslim Mai (king) of Kanemi – what we know today as Borno – followed that route. History says he was the first around here to go on pilgrimage to Mecca. He went the first time and came back. He went the second time and returned in peace. He went the third time and perished in an accident in the Red Sea. There is no record that he stole from the poor to fund his Hajj.

Nigerians are a very religious people. You would think being this religious coheres with piety. Some of those whose Hajj fees we’ve just paid have gone to Mecca in many and repeated times – like Abiku. Indeed, for some, it is business – legit and illegit. A lot goes with pilgrimages – to Saudi Arabia and to Israel – which mocks the reason and essence of pilgrimage. On the current Hajj list will be mistresses, paramours and concubines of some ‘pious’ persons of influence. I witnessed a case some years ago. We are using scarce funds to sponsor the good and the bad and the very ugly. Some of the officials particularly hate the smell of roses. It is a chain. The known faces are mere masks of the very big men of religion who preach fiery sermons of godliness. To them, pilgrimage is their soup pot, their business, and they always find one verse somewhere to validate what they do. It didn’t start today.

A big businessman from a wealthy family in Kano was arrested, tried, convicted and fined £7,000 in Sudan in April 1957 for currency trafficking. He was the sole agent in charge of the welfare and wellbeing of all Hajj pilgrims from Northern Nigeria. For that year’s Hajj – which many from the north did by road, the big man collected money from poor intending pilgrims and decided to do brisk business with it. He was arrested in Sudan “for illegally smuggling over 21,000 Egyptian pounds into the country.” Quoting several 1957 and 1958 editions of ‘The Nigerian Citizen’ newspaper, Heaton, in another chapter of his book referenced above (page 160), wrote that apparently the man “had been taking the deposits made by his Nigerian clients (pilgrims) and trading them for profit rather than forwarding them to the next location for dispersal. Deposits made in Nigeria in British sterling were traded in Beirut for Egyptian pounds” netting the man “a 50 percent profit on the original deposits that he could then pocket before delivering the funds to Sudan for distribution to pilgrims and his contracted agents…” His victims, the pilgrims, suffered and got stranded; two of them died of meningitis while waiting to be sorted out. The big man absconded to Nigeria and soon got into bigger trouble: His home was searched and found with “printing presses, currency moulds and £5,000 worth of forged £1 and £5 notes.” He was tried and, on 22 November, 1957, jailed for eight years. But if you are big here, no net will be big enough to restrain your fish. The man came out of prison earlier than ordered; he joined the ruling party and was elected into the House of Representatives in 1965. End of story.

A lecturer at the Department of Physical and Health Education of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Dr Kamar Abdulkadir, has been brutally murdered on campus.

It was gathered that Abdulkadir was killed on Sunday, March 31, when the attackers sneaked into his office, stabbed him with a knife and hit the slain lecturer multiple times with a hammer.

Zagazola Makama, a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad, disclosed that the victim was later found dead in the pool of blood with several injuries inflicted on his body by his alleged killers.

“His hands were peeled off when he tried to stop the attackers from stabbing him. They also used a hammer to smash his head and his spinal cord, killing him instantly,” Makama said.

The killers also zoomed off with his vehicle and other valuables.

The Borno State Police Command and the university authorities were yet to speak on the matter as at the time of writing this report.

[Newspot]

Allen Onyema, chief executive officer (CEO) of Air Peace, says the airline faced internal and external obstacles before it could commence Lagos-London flight operation.

Air Peace, Nigeria’s flag carrier, on March 30, commenced its Lagos-London flight services.

According to Onyema, during an interview with Arise TV on Monday, it took seven years to be able to commence operations.

“We got the designation about 6 and a half years ago to go into London. Since then, it has been a cat-and-mouse game,” Onyema said.

“We actually procured our three-triple seven because of this route, not for any other route because we wanted to give it the blow that it deserved at that time. 

“However, we were not allowed to. Whether you like it or not, there is what we call international aero-politics which is very dirty. We applied for the third-country operators (TCO). You must get that one before you start going into any European country, UK inclusive.”

NCAA ‘DENIED’ AIR PEACE DURING EUROPE VERIFICATION

Onyema said the TCO organisation from Europe wrote the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), asking if the agency knew Air Peace and its designation but the regulator “denied” the airline.

“My country denied us. So, they tweaked back. We went back to the NCAA and they said we did not tell them. Who designated us? The federal ministry of aviation whose duty it was and it still is to do that,” he said.

According to Onyema, the airline was ready “but they (NCAA) said until they allow us apply”.

“We got designation from the federal government and the NCAA, under the same federal government that was telling me that you should not make any application going into the UK,” he said.

This, he said, was despite obtaining licences to fly to China and India.

Onyema said NCAA does not find the airline worthy to fly to the UK, even though it is doing “over 160 hours of flying (unblemished) daily” in the country.

“No other airline in Central Western Africa does that much. So, the game is both from within and without. We were stopped. I’ll never stop saying it,” he said. 

“So, we continued this cat and mouse game with the NCAA until Captain Musa Nuhu during his time said enough is now enough. Air Peace must be allowed to go in. What’s the issue? When the heat became so much, they told us to prove to them that we will be able to pass the TCO.

“If I don’t pass the TCO, it doesn’t mean anything, then I’ll leave. But allow me to go. They said we must prove to them that we will be able to pass the TCO. I said you come and audit us based on the TCO standard. 

“They said we have to get consultancy firms from IATA to do that and IATA must conduct that and give their results. We paid a cost of over 200 million. We brought IATA and IATA conducted it.”

Onyema said Air Peace passed the test, subsequently writing to NCAA to approve the process to do an audit with the TCO Europe.

He said the TCO did not respond for over a year until the airline threatened to go to the press if their response was not gotten. 

Meanwhile, he said the country is being fleeced by all the airlines “going to London from this place”. 

Onyema said people were paying five times more than they should have been paying for flights.

[TheCable]

The simmering rift between the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State Malam Nasir El-Rufai and his successor incumbent Governor Senator Uba Sani which came to the fore over the weekend over the debt profile of the state, assumed a new dimension yesterday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State suspended its women leader, Hajiya Maryam Suleiman over an alleged defamation of the character of the governor.

The suspended women leader is a known loyalist of el-Rufai, who is one of the leaders of the party in the state.
Sources within the corridors of power in the state had hinted that the governor had not been comfortable with the makeup of his cabinet which bears the heavy imprint of his predecessor.
Sani, who was backed by el-Rufai to become senator and later governor, had retained a good number of his predecessor’s appointees including the deputy governor, secretary to the state government and some commissioners.

The retaining of the former governor’s men in Sani’s cabinet was said to be a pay back to el-Ruaf for supporting his emergence, the sources stated.
However, the seeming cold war came to a head over the weekend when Sani said the huge debt burden left behind by his predecessor is making it difficult to pay workers salaries in the state.
Sani, at a town hall meeting in Kaduna said his administration inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and N115 billion contractual liabilities from the previous administration, adding that with the rise in the exchange rate, Kaduna State is now paying back almost triple of what was borrowed by the previous administration.

He further lamented that N7billion out of the N10billion federal allocation due to the state in the month of March was deducted to service the debt, which leaves the state with N3billion, which is not enough to pay the state’s monthly salary bill which stands at N5.2billion.
Recall that the immediate-past Governor Nasir El-Rufai had said he left a domestic debt of N80.60bn and a foreign debt of $577.32m for his successor during his handover to the new Governor last year. He also said he left N5bn and $2.05m in the state treasury.

Following the governor’s disclosure of the debt burden, a son of the former governor, Bashir elrufai, attacked the governor for revealing that his father left so much burden on the state.
Bashir, on his X handle, accused his father’s successor and political ally, of shying away from his responsibility by always staying away from the state and hibernating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
Meanwhile, Senator Shehu Sani, who had opposed the borrowings by el-Rufai, said he has been vindicated by the unfolding events. The former lawmaker, who was replaced by the incumbent governor in the Senate through the support of el-Rufai, said on his X handle, “To the glory of our Lord Almighty, posterity has vindicated me on the Kaduna Loan and Debt profile.

APC Suspends Former Governor’s Loyalist, Woman Leader
In what appears to be a fallout of the cold war, the APC Badarawa/Malali executive committee has suspended Kaduna State APC women leader, Hajiya Maryam Suleiman popularly known as Mai Rusau, over an alleged defaMation of the character of Governor Sani.
APC state women leader, a loyalist of el-Rufai, in a series of videos had condemned Sani for revealing the state debt burden he inherited from the previous administration.

In a letter of suspension signed by APC Badarawa/Malali ward chairman and secretary, Alhaji Ali Maiishago and Zakkah Bassahuwa, addressed to state suspended APC women leader, it explained that she was suspended from the party over unauthorised publicity of the party dispute that discredited the personality of Governor Sani.
The letter reads, ”The Badarawa/Malali Ward APC Executive Committee after due deliberations and careful examinations on the viral video clip released on 30* March, 2024 via social networks; Facebook, Whatsapp, and Tiktok which is against the constitution of our dear party APC as stated in article 21.2 (V)”
“In view of the above, below are the gross misconducts where the subsequent suspension relied upon. (1) Defamation of character of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State Malam Uba Sani. (2) Unauthorised publicity of the party dispute that discredited the personality of the Executive Governor of Kaduna State”
“Furthermore, from today Sunday 31″ of March, 2024, the leadership of APC Badarawa/Malali Ward unanimously resolved to suspend Hajiya Maryam Suleiman (Mai Rusau) from the Party pending further investigation on the matter from the constituted authority.” the suspension letter said.
Also, in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP, Kaduna State APC secretary, Yahaya Pate, confirmed the suspension of the state women leader: ”Yes, she is suspended from the party by her Badarawa/Malali ward. She is now a suspended state women leader” he said.

The unfolding rift comes as the former governor has, in recent weeks, held political meetings with the national leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as well as with members of the PDP and APC. These meetings have since sparked rumours that he plans to dump APC and contest the 2027 presidential election. Both conjectures have been debunked by his media team.
Until his recent political consultations, el-Rufai had been in hibernation of sorts, after his ministerial nomination by President Bola Tinubu was turned down by the Senate following a petition against his nomination.

Rift Reflects Party’s Failure – Lukman
Meanwhile, a former national vice chairman, North-west of APC, Salihu Lukman has said APC leaders both in Kaduna State and at the national level must admit the party’s failure over the face-off between the Governor Sani and his predecessor, Nasir el-Rufai.

Lukman, who hails from Kaduna, made the call in reaction to inherited huge debt burden in the state.
The APC chieftain in a statement on Sunday said whatever could have been the shortcomings of el-Rufai as a Governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023 would have been strengthened by the absence of a strong functional party structure, which could have checked or at the least moderated his excesses.
He said those realities are still there today and if allowed to continue could lead Sani also in a wrong direction, whose implication may only become another subject of contestation between him and his successor.

Lukman also said without any excuse, all of them in APC in Kaduna must take responsibility for the bad situation facing the state and urged Governor Sani to take every necessary step to undertake inventory of the debt of the state and how it was utilised.

The former director general of the Progressive Governors Forum advised that part of what is needed now very urgently is to assess whether there are cases of diversion, which if established should be recovered.
He said, there is the need to come up with new initiatives towards mobilising new resources for the state as resolving the challenge of today’s huge debt burden requires new initiatives beyond what is currently being undertaken.
Lukman stressed the need for Governor Sani to setup a committee to review current challenges and recommend what needs to be done both in the short, medium, and long term.
The former APC national officer also said, without going into details, there are clearly some of the loans running into hundreds of millions of Dollars.
He insisted that the state government must take steps to evaluate these loans and deal with all factors that must have worked against achieving the objectives earmarked for the loans.
“The hard truth also is that Mallam Uba was one of his strongest collaborators in Kaduna State. The reality was that everything Mallam Nasir did during his eight (8) year tenure was endorsed and supported by Mallam Uba.

“Certainly, the decision of Mallam Nasir to anoint Mallam Uba as his successor must have been informed by the consideration of their strong personal relationship. That shortly after taking over, the two friends are falling apart is most unfortunate and only reminds one about what played out between Alh. Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and Arc. Namadi Sambo between 2007 and 2010.
“These were very close friends and business partners, on account of which Alh. Makarfi anoint Arc. Sambo to emerged as his successor in 2007. Till today, the relationship between the two is still very bad,” Lukman added.

Meanwhile, the suspended APC women leader, Hajiya Maryam Suleiman has said she would stand by her statement on Kaduna debts.
“I stand by my statement that all the debt was supported by Governor Uba Sani as a senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district at the 9th National Assembly. He is not being fair to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai,” she said.
She however declined comment on her suspension by the APC in the state, saying she only read about it in the news.

The United Kingdom in December 2023 exported £185 million to Nigeria and imported £154 million, resulting in a negative trade balance of £30.8 million (N55.2bn), the federal government has disclosed.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the federal government is committed to changing the trend in favour of Nigeria.

She spoke at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos at the weekend during a ceremony marking the inaugural flight of Air Peace to London-Gatwick.

The much-celebrated flight had onboard Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and representative of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar.

Six years after, Air Peace reactivated the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) that Nigeria signed with the United Kingdom by launching the direct flight to London amidst widespread plaudits and jubilation.

However, Air Peace’s entry into the route has crashed fares even as the federal government vowed to give the airline all the support to survive on the route, and the aviation Minister stating that any treatment meted out to Air Peace on the route would be replicated by the government.

The Trade and Investment minister, in her remark, stated that Air Peace’s presence in London “is not merely about arrivals and departures” but about trade, investment and collaboration.”

“By choosing Air Peace, you choose to invest in Nigeria. You choose to empower local businesses, create jobs and strengthen our economy. In December 2023, the UK exported £185 million to Nigeria and imported £154 million, resulting in a negative trade balance of £30.8 million. This is a trend we wish to change in Nigeria’s favour, and an additional trade route is a major step in the right direction,” she said.

The minister of Aviation said Air Peace’s flight to London would not only crash fares but would strengthen the naira as the airline would not be looking for dollars to repatriate like other foreign airlines.

He said the federal government is not unmindful of the aero-politics that might play out, but it is ready to reciprocate if the British government comes up with any unfavourable policy against Air Peace.

He reiterated the policy of the federal government to support indigenous carriers to thrive.

“With Air Peace on the London route, there will be no problem of trapped funds. It is a local company, and we don’t have to repatriate the sale of tickets through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“We will be liquid enough in terms of foreign exchange to repatriate those funds. All the airlines that come into Nigeria, what they experience, are massive repatriation of funds that puts pressure on the naira because they have to seek dollars from both the commercial banks and CBN.”

Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema explained that the London route would be a daily flight, saying the airline started the route in the interest of Nigerians who have been crying over exorbitant charges on the route.

According to him, the London route is just a tip of Air Peace’s sojourn on the international route as the airline currently flies to China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, India, and several regional routes.

Acting Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, advocated for a fly Nigeria Act, saying every government official must support Air Peace for international trips.

[DailyTrust]