Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Thursday, handed over 76 minors arrested during the August #EndBadGovernance protests to their parents.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Shehu Sagagi, the governor oversaw the handover at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, where the children had been accommodated and treated for ailments they suffered during their remand.

The minors were arrested following their participation in the protests that highlighted governance concerns in the state and across the country. Their release followed an order by President Bola Tinubu.

Governor Yusuf expressed gratitude to the president for his intervention and called on parents to support the state’s efforts to provide quality education for their children.

“I want to call on parents to complement the government’s efforts towards ensuring these children are properly educated to enable them to contribute towards the development of the state and the country.

“Both the Federal and state governments have to also wake up to ensure that our children are educated,” Yusuf said.

He warned the parents who have an association to desist from using it to solicit any financial assistance from any individual, group or organisation, as the state government would not condone such an act.

The governor assured the parents that the state Commissioner for Education would ensure that the children are given the necessary support to return to their respective schools.

In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Education, Haruna Doguwa, said one of the protesters, who is a final-year undergraduate, would be supported in completing his studies. At the same time, another one who holds a National Certificate in Education would be employed.

“We have provided (cambus) shoes, two sets of uniforms for the 50 others to be supported to complete their secondary school education,” he said.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Yusuf, said all the sick minors had been treated during the period of their stay at the hospital.

“The 76 minors who had been accommodated in this facility, underwent a medical evaluation and received necessary treatment before being reunited with their families today,” he said.

A cross-section of parents who spoke to newsmen commended the state government for the gesture and thanked all those who contributed to ensuring the children’s release.

During the occasion, former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa donated N50,000 to each of the children in support of their education.

The National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismantled illegal alcohol centers in Abule-Osun, Lagos State.

NAFDAC, during the operation at Article Market, Abule-Osun, confiscated 50,000 counterfeit branded labels and packaging materials for fake alcoholic beverages, valued at ₦2 billion.

In a statement on Thursday, NAFDAC said the items were being used to produce hazardous alcoholic drinks.

“NAFDAC has dismantled illegal alcohol packaging operations at Article Market in Abule-Osun, Lagos State.

“During the raid, over 50,000 counterfeit branded labels and packaging materials for fake alcoholic beverages, valued at approximately ₦2 billion, were confiscated. These items were being used to produce unapproved and hazardous alcoholic products.

“NAFDAC warns about the severe health risks of counterfeit alcohol, including poisoning and organ damage. Consumers are advised to purchase alcoholic beverages only from trusted vendors and report any suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office,” it read.

Naija News reports that NAFDAC on Wednesday also uncovered a warehouse in Oke-Afa, Okota, Lagos, stocked with unregistered and expired supermarket items.

Over 14 rooms packed with unregistered and expired products, some of which were contaminated by rats, indicating poor storage conditions, were confiscated. The agency also confiscated a 20ft container filled with unregistered carbonated drinks meant for the warehouse.

A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign, Doyin Okupe, has said that the opposition’s claim of a stolen mandate in the 2023 election does not hold water.

He argued that there might have been possibility of rigging, but no presidential mandate was stolen from the opposition.

Okupe shared his thoughts in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

He wondered how Peter Obi was able to win in Tinubu’s home base if the election was indeed rigged.

Okupe said, “If Peter Obi (2023 LP presidential candidate) or the Labour Party says APC rigged elections, how come Obi was able to win in the home base of President Bola Tinubu?

“How come APC lost the election in the home base of the sitting president (Muhammadu Buhari)? How come APC lost the election in the home base of the secretary to that government?

“So, the accusations about rigging do not hold water; they do not hold water at all.

“The truth of the matter is that under the best of conditions, the results we got may not have been the exact results, but they will have that ratio.

“I was in the Labour Party; we couldn’t have done better than we did. I know that for some reasons, but that is a discussion for another day.”

According to him, the opposition PDP and LP appear to be unrealistic with their accusations that “the presidency was stolen.”.

Okupe added, “There’s nothing like that. No presidency was stolen. I am not saying there was no rigging.

“There was no election that we have done in Nigeria since 1960 till date that was not rigged one way or the other. Not one.

“Perhaps an exception was MKO Abiola’s election because of the unique nature of the voting pattern. You know it was Option A4; people were counted. Apart from that, every other election was rigged.”

Okupe, who expressed strong belief in Tinubu’s reforms, said that the president’s policies would begin to yield results from the second year of his administration.

The former LP chieftain said that Tinubu had impressed him not only as a politician but as a technocrat: “a man that is capable of deep thinking.”

He said that Tinubu had development ideologies and policies at his fingertips. “This thing, you don’t learn it. It’s a gift.”

The 72-year-old politician said that Tinubu was like the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, with great ideas about public policies.

Describing Tinubu as a reformer, Okupe said it was “total nonsense” to say that the president came to the office without a plan.

Former Nigerian model, Olajumoke Orisaguna, popularly known as Olajumoke Onibread, has opened up on her sudden disappearance from the public after coming to the limelight.

Recalls that Olajumoke became a social media sensation in 2016 after accidentally walking into a photoshoot featuring British rapper, Tinie Tempah, photographed by Nigerian photographer, TY Bello.

In an interview with City FM, Olajumoke shared a heart-wrenching ordeal about domestic violence from her husband, Sunday Orisaguna.

She revealed that their marital challenges began while they were still in Ire, Osun State. She cited her mother-in-law’s mistreatment and Sunday’s alleged physical abuse as major contributors to her ordeal.

She said the physical abuse continued despite their relocation to Lagos state and persisted even as her career blossomed.

Olajumoke admitted that societal pressures and the stigma of separation, especially as a mother of two, kept her silent about her struggles for a long time, adding her ex-husband worked to tarnish her reputation and that of her supporters.

She said, “What I am saying now, I have never said it out before. Even when I met TY Bello and I told her that I had a husband, my friend was furious when she found out. She was like I do not have sense, why would I say someone who beats me is my husband? I had to explain that I had to say that because I have children. That was how he came to Lagos. Even in the house that was rented for me in Surulere, he would still beat me up.

“I did not even tell TY Bello what was going on. I could not even admit that we were not married. I am a very gentle person so I did not tell anyone what was going on, I was enduring all of it. Sometimes when he goes out to drink, because he is someone to have a good time, when he gets back and a minor misunderstanding happens, he would start beating me again. It is almost four years since we separated.

“While he was beating me, he did not have a job. I was the one who would go out to hustle for us because I did not want my children to suffer. He would just stay at home and sleep or go out to drink. I did not even disturb him from doing these things, I just wanted him to stop beating me. Then he also started monitoring me when I went to work. If I go for photoshoots, sometimes I come back very late. He would accuse me of sleeping around with other men.

“So I decided to finally leave him. It got so bad that he would even start insulting my parents. It was when I separated from him, that was when everything started going down the drain because he started spoiling my name. All those who had helped me then, he started saying bad things against them. Since then, things started going down.”

President Bola Tinubu has decried that his economic reforms weakened Nigerians’ purchasing power; he promised to prioritize social investment programmes to help the most vulnerable.

President Tinubu stated this on Wednesday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, paid him a courtesy call on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

A statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that “While acknowledging that the reforms had weakened Nigerians’ purchasing power, President Tinubu said his administration will continue to provide social safety nets to cushion the unintended consequences”.

Congratulating the IMF Chief on her election for a second term in office, President Tinubu appreciated her support in implementing the reforms, calling for more institutional backing for stability and sustainable growth.

He emphasized the critical need for educational access, stating “We have too many children out of school, and we know that education is a way out of hunger and poverty. That is why we are designing ways and incentives to keep these children in school, and we need your support for these kids who want to stay in school.”

President Tinubu stressed that substantial resources must be invested to stimulate the much-needed infrastructural development in the country.

The President further noted that Nigeria is working on tax reforms to stimulate the economy further.

“We are engaging stakeholders and sensitizing Nigerians to expand the economy’s tax base for inclusive developmental growth. We are doing this without necessarily increasing the taxes on our people who have already given a lot. We will require your support on this,” he appealed.

In her remarks, the Managing Director, who expressed a desire to visit Nigeria, commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and their positive indicators.

She assured the President of further support in diversifying the Nigerian economy. She specifically lauded the social investment programmes as a way of cushioning the effects on the most vulnerable and promised the assistance of the body in this regard.

Contrary to popular perception, she said that the IMF is focused on developing vulnerable societies and devoting substantial resources to emerging economies.

The managing director expressed the Fund’s readiness to offer technical support for the budgeting process, adding that it will assist Nigeria in achieving the best possible results from loans.

Georgieva said the world had suffered some shocks from the pandemic that caused damage to world economies. Over the last two years, the IMF has injected about $1 trillion into the world economy.

While the developed countries managed the shocks better, the developing nations did not do so, she noted. She said the IMF is working with developing countries to build resilient institutions to better manage future global economic shocks.

She stressed that it is the right of every country to benefit from the Fund after a critical analysis of its priorities.

The IMF Managing Director informed President Tinubu that the organization’s Executive Board has approved the 3rd Chair for Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), enhancing the African voice.

She congratulated Nigeria on hosting the IMF’s African Caucus meeting in Abuja in August. Georgieva also advocated for deepening regional economic ties, ensuring the IMF is ready to support this process.

Acclaimed leader of Eastern Security Network (ESN), alleged armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, has been reportedly arrested in Finland.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Pidgin Service, Simon Ekpa was remanded in detention by Finland authority for alleged terrorist activities.

BBC reported that the District Court of Päijät-Häme, in Finland, sent Ekpa, who is a Lahti-Nigerian municipal politician, ‘to prison on probable cause and on suspicion of publicly inciting people to commit crime with terrorist intent“.

The court reportedly said Simon Ekpa allegedly spread separatist propaganda on social media.

It reported that Ekpa allegedly committed the reported crime on 23 August 2021, in Lahti.

In addition to Ekpa, BBC reported Finnish National Bureau of Investigation also arrested four other men on suspicion of terrorist offences.

Recall that Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, had called on the federal government to expedite action for the repatriation of Ekpa.

Governor Mbah accused Ekpa, who claimed to replace IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, of disrupting the security of the South East region through his Monday sit-at-home order.

On his social media handle, Ekpa consistently described Nigeria as a ‘zoo’. According to him, he wants a separate country for the people of South East.

However, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, in press statements, condemned Ekpa’s sit-at-home order. Emma Power also emphasized that Ekpa was not a replacement for Nnamdi Kanu.

A United States-based Nigerian, Ifeanyi Ozoh, has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for his role in a $6m bribery scheme aimed at defrauding a US insurance company, Medicaid, through kickbacks.

Ozoh was also ordered to pay a sum of $4.9m as restitution to the insurance company with a three-year post-release supervision.

This was announced in a statement by US Attorney Alamdar Hamdani, published on the US Department of Justice website on Wednesday.

PUNCH Metro gathered that 54-year-old Ozoh was sentenced following his conviction for conspiring to pay bribes to bring patients who were registered under the Medicaid insurance to a non-existent clinic in the guise of receiving treatment which was used to receive claims from the insurance company.

The statement read, “A 54-year-old man has been sentenced following his conviction for conspiring to pay and receive health care kickbacks and payment of kickbacks to marketers, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

“A federal jury deliberated for an hour following a three-day trial before finding Ifeanyi Ozoh guilty on all counts February 14.

“The US District Chief Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Ozoh to serve 72 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Ozoh was also ordered to pay restitution to Medicaid for $4.9 million.

“At the hearing, the court heard Ozoh was integral to the kickback scheme as he bribed marketers and parents to bring their Medicaid-insured children to a sham dental clinic.”

In handing down the sentence, the court noted the overwhelming evidence of Ozoh’s guilt presented at trial.”

Ozoh, who lived in Houston, Texas, reportedly worked for a dental clinic known as Floss Family Dentalcare Centre. The clinic filed an insurance claim from Medicaid for $6m and received a payment of over $4m.

It continued that marketers for the insurance had testified against Ozoh to have paid them between $20 and $100 for each Medicaid-insured child referred to Floss.

“The marketers testified that Ozoh secretly paid them in cash and out of sight of other witnesses, sometimes putting their illegal kickback payments on top of a vending machine down the hall from the clinic.

“One clinic manager testified that she repeatedly warned Ozoh that paying marketers was illegal. The jury also heard that Ozoh paid out over $163,000 in bribes to marketers and received bonuses for reaching a quota of patients.

“From 2020 to 2021, Floss billed Medicaid over $6m. Floss received over $4m on those claims, most of which were predicated on a kickback paid to marketers and for dental services that were not provided.”

The statement concluded that the judgement however permitted Ozoh “to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.”

The Arewa Consultative Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to address the pressing issues of insecurity, education, and economic development in northern Nigeria.

Specifically, the ACF urged the President to review and reassess his administration’s economic policies to ensure they have a human face, given the current hardship Nigerians are facing.

The pan-northern socio-political organisation stated this in a communique released to newsmen at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Kaduna, on Wednesday.

The communique, signed by ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, expressed dissatisfaction with the current economic policies, which the forum claimed have worsened the condition of Northern Nigeria.

“The policies of the current Federal Government have continued to make matters much worse, with little indications of needed sensitivity to the precarious existential conditions of Arewa people.

“The time to think big is now. Notwithstanding the parlous state of Arewa’s glaring challenging economic conditions, the policies of the current Federal Government have continued to make matters much worse,” the ACF said.

The forum also expressed concerns over the escalating security situation, noting that it had become a major challenge to human existence.

It noted that security was an irreducible minimum of human existence, adding that the government must take responsibility for safeguarding lives and property.

“Those whose responsibility it is to provide security saying they are doing their best is unacceptable. The minimum duty of the government is to safeguard life and property, and doing anything less is a failure,” the communique added.

On education, the forum emphasised the dire state of Northern Nigeria’s education system, particularly the alarming number of out-of-school children.

“Statistics of out-of-school children, of which Arewa has an overwhelming proportion, are cogent pointers to the situation.

“A lot has been done, but the truth is, far more needs to be done,” the ACF noted.

It urged northern governors to adopt a strong, coordinated approach to policy planning and implementation, particularly in areas such as security, education, and agricultural production.

The communiqué stated, “Despite the dire economic conditions in Arewa, the policies of the current Federal Government have continued to worsen the situation, showing little sensitivity to the precarious existential challenges faced by the Arewa people.

“Succinctly stated, economic reforms, while indeed desirable, should not impoverish the same people they are meant to serve; the people may not be alive to reap the putative benefits.

“In view of the above, the meeting resolved as follows: calls on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review, reassess, reevaluate and re-order the direction of its economic policies with a view to giving it the needed human face.

“Strongly calls on the governors of the northern states to adopt a strong, coordinated approach to policy planning and implementation, as these relate to security, education, skills acquisition, agricultural production, health services, etc.

“Calls on the Federal Government to be receptive to criticisms, suggestions, etc., not only in line with the principles of democracy but also because they improve, not retard the policy process for the ultimate benefit of the people.

“Calls on the northern elite, in all spheres of life, to take it upon themselves to counter negative narratives about the North and also imbibe the spirit of community service, individually and collectively. The interests of the North will be best served by northerners.”

It added that “The growing food crisis with every through short and long term measures, including imports where needs be, but the ultimate solution is to achieve food self-sufficiency.

“People should take responsibility for our fast-growing population. Public policy and the law should be adopted to achieve a balance.

“Poor electricity supply will continue to hamper efforts to ameliorate poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment in the region. These have to be addressed with utmost urgency.”

Speaking earlier on insecurity, the ACF lamented the operations of bandits and terrorists, killing and abducting citizens.

Its Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman (SAN), stressed the urgent need for collective action to address the deteriorating situation.

Osuman highlighted the alarming rate of attacks, kidnappings, and killings in the region, stressing that these incidents had become too common.

He said, “The North is currently under siege from various threats, including bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and unjust treatment. We must come together to address these challenges.

“As leaders, we must demonstrate prudence and concern for domestic and environmental problems affecting our region.

“It is imperative that our governors and legislators work in synergy with traditional leaders to combat the ills plaguing our region.

“We must address the internal crimes perpetuated by our sons and daughters, and work towards preventing these trends.

“There is a need for public awareness campaigns to educate our people on the importance of self-defence and preservation.

“We must develop local strategies to combat illegal mining by foreigners and locals in our region.”

The forum endorsed the Shekarau-led League of Northern Democrats, convened by elder statesman, Dr Umar Ardo, and recently launched at a meeting attended by key Northern elites in Abuja.

The League of Northern Democrats is a group comprising former governors, senators, and other prominent figures from the region.

According to the chairman, the objectives of the group aligned with the ACF’s goals.

He, however, stressed the need for inward reflection and immediate action, rather than focusing solely on long-term political solutions.

The chairman emphasised the importance of collective action, inclusive leadership, and collaboration among stakeholders to address the region’s security challenges.

“The  ACF commends the League of Northern Democrats’ objectives, which align with our goals, but we must focus on immediate action and inward reflection.

“We must prioritise economic empowerment, education and skills development, infrastructure development, and security and justice to revitalise the North,” Osuman said.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has recommenced the purchase of crude oil from the United States in its ongoing efforts to ramp up oil production and enhance its refining capacity.

The new purchase comes after a three-month hiatus in purchasing crude from foreign countries, focusing instead on domestic supply.

A report by Bloomberg on Wednesday said the cargo conveying two million barrels of WTI Midland crude from Chevron Corp is due to be delivered to the refinery next month.

The latest development may be an indication that the naira-for-crude initiative by the Federal Government may have stalled or that the refinery is not getting enough crude supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

“Dangote refinery purchased its first shipment of US oil after a hiatus of three months as the site continues to ramp up production.

“The plant purchased about two million barrels of WTI Midland crude from Chevron Corp,” the report said.

Chevron booked the supertanker Azure Nova to load crude from the US Gulf around December 5 to Dangote, according to tanker fixtures seen by Bloomberg.

Earlier this year, Dangote was typically receiving one or two supertankers of US crude every month alongside domestic supplies.

However, these imports were reduced around August following an agreement with the federal government that the NNPCL would supply crude oil to the refinery in naira rather than dollars.

The agreement stated that the refinery would take up to 400,000 barrels a day of Nigerian crude paid for in local currency.

Dangote is taking a growing role in US and European oil markets, after gradually raising purchases of crude from Nigeria and the US.

The plant’s pull on those barrels increases the competition for the oil faced by traditional buyers in Europe.

The report added that reasons for the return to US imports remain unclear, though a report from Sparta Commodities earlier this week suggests lower shipping costs may have made US oil more affordable in Europe recently.

On Monday, The PUNCH reported the refinery was seeking to raise billions of dollars to import crude oil and increase production.

The report said the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, was in concrete talks with commercial lenders, development banks, oil traders, and other industry participants to raise funds for crude supplies to turn into refined products.

According to the report, the refinery would need a minimum supply of 300,000 b/d to secure more crude to reach its refinery’s capacity.

On Tuesday, the plant began refined petroleum product shipping to West African countries,  a sign to traders that the mega-refinery’s operations could soon potentially shake up regional fuel markets.

IOCs couldn’t build refineries

In another development on Wednesday, the Dangote Group said it had done what international oil companies could not do by building a refinery in Nigeria.

The Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, stated this while receiving members of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment at the refinery complex in Lekki, Lagos State.

During the visit led by the Chairman of the committee, Sadiq Umar, Edwin told the senators that the Dangote Group did what Shell, Chevron, or ExxonMobil has never done in any part of the world.

According to him, a Nigerian company took up the challenge to build the largest single-train refinery in the world.

He said about six companies in the world could do the same.

“Here, a Nigerian company took up the challenge which nobody like Shell or Chevron or ExxonMobil has ever done in any part of the world. So, the Nigerian company—Dangote Projects Limited—took up the challenge and built the refinery on time. And this is the world’s largest single-train refinery,” he said.

Speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, Umar, assured the refinery of the National Assembly’s support.

According to him, the $20bn project is a national asset that must be protected.

“For us as legislators, you can rest assured that we know what you have done here, we know what it means to the country. We will do anything within our power to see how we support you to succeed so that Nigeria can succeed.

“This investment we have seen here is an investment for the country and for the world, not necessarily for Dangote himself. It is our responsibility to see what we need to do to encourage him.

“I am sure you can see a lot of actions in what the president has done to support him so that the country will be better for it,” the senator said.

Located within the Lekki Free Zone in Lagos, the 650,000-capacity began production in January this year, releasing diesel and aviation fuel into the local market while exporting to other countries.

In September, the facility started producing premium motor spirits. This is after weeks-long controversies with IOCs over crude supply.

The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, repeatedly accused the IOCs of refusing to sell crude to him, saying it was an attempt to sabotage the refinery.

After presidential interventions, the refinery started getting crude in naira to boost the local supply of petrol in naira.

It was learned that the refinery might export petrol to other West African countries soon.