The Federal Government says the 115 Federal Unity Colleges, FUCs, in the country will soon be unbundled into basic and secondary schools.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu made this known during the opening of the Annual General Meeting of Principals of Unity Colleges in Abuja on Tuesday.

The event has the theme: ”Entrepreneurship Education: A Panacea for Self Reliance and National Development”.

Mr Sununu said that the plan to unbundle the unity colleges was in line with the National Policy on Education, NPE.

The Minister explained that the unbundling of Federal Unity Colleges would among other things attract more funding to improve infrastructure, address teachers’ welfare and create employment opportunities, among others.

He added that the Ministry, with the support from relevant agencies of government, would ensure it was achieved at the shortest possible time.

“I want to emphasise the significance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in our youths, a spirit that will propel them toward self- reliance and contribute meaningfully to our nation’s development.

“Unemployment remains a pressing concern, and it is our collective responsibility to equip our students with the skills and mindset necessary to succeed.

“Entrepreneurship education offers a solution to this challenge as it prepares students to think creatively, innovatively, and develop the confidence to take calculated risks,” he said.

Mr Sununu called for the collaboration of the Principals as critical stakeholders to improve the educational landscape of the schools.

He further urged them to curb social vices, instil the maintenance culture on the students and co-operate with their host communities for the overall security and growth of the Colleges.

Also, the Chairperson, Principals of Federal Unity Schools Colleges, Dr Idowu Akinbamijo said the meeting was to set the agenda for the coming year and build capacity for the task ahead.

NAN

Residents of Abuja living at Mpape in Bwari Area Council have been thrown into panic over continued suspected tremor and vibration in parts of the city.

Dr Ebenezer Adebisi, the Chairman, Mpape Hills Landlord Association, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday that the residents had been experiencing the vibration in the last five days.

Mr Adebisi, who is a retired Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said that was not the first time the resident of the area were having such experience.

He said although it happened some years ago, it had become more consistent in the past five days.

According to him, residents of the area felt the tremor and vibration were more than the usual ones they experienced during the blasting of rocks in the area by quarry companies.

He said the vibration was more intense throughout Sunday and Monday night, adding that, “we don’t really know what would have caused the vibration”.

“I have also confirmed that those in Gwarinpa and Katampe areas are also experiencing the same thing, but the government has not said anything officially up till now.

“It is important we let Nigerians know the situation now; we are calling on the Nigerian government and the Nigeria Geological Agency to come to the rescue of the resident.”

He said urgent measures needed to be taken before things got out of hand, urging the government to advise the residents on the next line of action.

Florence Ilesanmi, a resident of Gwari Village, Mpape also told NAN that she had been experiencing the same thing.

Aisha Lawal, a resident at the Crushrock area of Mpape shared a similar experience with NAN, saying that the interval of the vibration was a source of worry.

An official of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, urged the residents to consider temporary relocation if the tremor continued.

The official told one of the residents who contacted him that the residents should continue to record the frequency of the vibration.

“I `googled` the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA). They told me I should be recording anytime the vibration occurred again.

“I was able to speak with one of the officers of the agency, who confirmed that all their equipment are already on ground to forestall any emergency.

“They said if the vibration is heavy we should try and evacuate from the premises for now,” the resident said.

NAN

The Labour Party (LP) has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacks the power to deregister the party.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said this in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

The party described comments allegedly attributed to the caretaker committee chairman of the party, Nenadi Usman, that its intervention saved the party from being deregistered by INEC as “ludicrous, unattainable, unsubstantiated and a pack of lies”.

It reads: “The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to a statement issued by Senator Nenadi Usman, a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), wherein she claimed that the quick intervention of some leaders of the party at the September 4, 2024 stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia (Abia State) saved the party from being deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The Labour Party leadership wishes to refute that statement as ludicrous, unattainable, unsubstantiated, and a pack of lies. We wish to state emphatically that the Labour Party is in a good shape at the moment, having fully abided by the laws of the land and therefore cannot be deregistered by INEC.

“These leaders have also mischievously leveraged INEC’s misinformed and erroneous disposition that the tenure of the party’s current executives has expired. It is paradoxical that some of these leaders, who were victims of INEC’s mismanagement of the 2023 general election, are now the ones quoting INEC, in order to victimise the leadership of the Labour Party.

“As we have maintained earlier, the September 4 stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia is unconstitutional and illegal as the party’s constitution clearly states all the organs of the party, of which Stakeholder is not one of them. The stakeholder group which produced Senator Usman as its leader has no foundation whatsoever, and therefore, its existence is delusional and can never be recognised by INEC or any law of the land.

“Senator Nenadi’s claim that the Stakeholders saved the party from being deregistered by the INEC is equally preposterous.This us because the existence of the Labour Party is not under any threat.

“Perhaps, Nenadi Usman is not aware that Appeal Courts, both in Edo State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have affirmed Julius Abure as the rightful National Chairman of the party. She is probably unaware that a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice J. K. Omotosho, had also declared that the national convention of the party held in Nnewi on the March 26, 2024 is valid and was conducted in line with the requirement of both the 2022 Electoral Act and Labour Party constitution.

“We wish to remind Senator Usman that even the Supreme Court in several judgments had ruled that Issues regarding delegates at a national convention or how the convention is planned and executed by a political party are outside the jurisdiction of any court of the land being internal affairs of a party

Troops have rescued 20 kidnap victims in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State just as it neutralised four bandits in two operations in Birnin Gwari and Giwa local government areas of the State.

The Kaduna State Government, which disclosed this citing a security report, said troops of Operation Forest Sanity had embarked on special clearance operations in the general area of Alawa in Birnin Gwari LGA.

Overseeing Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement on Tuesday, said the troops set up as a blocking force, sighted bandits movement around Kwaga, and after a brief pursuit, neutralized two of them.

The statement said: “The following items were recovered: Two AK-47 rifles, Three magazines, Three motorcycles, One Baofeng Radio. In the second report, troops of Sector 6 Operation Whirl Punch conducted fighting patrols around Nakwakina village, Giwa LGA. Following credible intelligence, the troops laid ambush along a likely terrorists’ withdrawal route.”

“The terrorists were eventually sighted and engaged, resulting in two neutralized as others escaped with bullet wounds. The troops combed the area and recovered two motorcycles, one cutlass and one mobile phone,” it added.

The statement explained that in another mission, troops of Sector 3, Operation Whirl Punch deployed along Kwaga-Polewire Road, Birnin Gwari LGA, responded to a distress call and intercepted bandits who had kidnapped locals near Polewire village. “The bandits fled from the scene on sighting the troops, who promptly rescued the 20 kidnapped victims and reunited them with their families.”

Reacting to the development, Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, commended the troops for the successful operations.

A delegation of the House of Representatives has visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital that has been ravaged by devastating flood.

Led by the Chairman of the Northern Regional Caucus, Alhassan Doguwa, the lawmakers sympathised and commiserated with the government and people of the state over the unfortunate incident.

The delegation met with the state governor, Babagana Zulum, where Doguwa announced the intervention of the House on behalf of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

Addressing reporters at the Government House in Maiduguri, Doguwa commended President Bola Tinubu for his prompt and effective response to the plight of the people of Borno State.

He expressed appreciation to the President for pledging the Federal Government’s support to the state government and the affected victims.

“We are here on behalf of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD, and all members of the House to express our heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Borno State,” he said.

“This donation of ₦100 million is a testament to our commitment to standing with Borno during this difficult time. We remain dedicated to supporting the state as it recovers from this disaster.

“We pledge the National Assembly’s readiness to liaise with the Federal Government to develop a legislative framework or any possible budgetary intervention to assist state governments in addressing the impacts of flood disasters in the country.”

Receiving the delegation, the governor commended the House of Representatives for their swift response to the crisis.

“On behalf of the people and Government of Borno State, I sincerely appreciate the Speaker, the House leadership, and all members for their quick and timely intervention,” he said.

“This prompt action will greatly assist in alleviating the suffering of our people and helping us manage the aftermath of this unfortunate disaster. The responsiveness of the House of Representatives in moments like this is truly reassuring.”

The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi on Tuesday led the leadership of the party and the Obidient Movement to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to condole with the state over the flood disaster that befell the state recently.

Obi who visited the state governor, Babagana Zulum and Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba Al Amin El-Kanemi, was accompanied by his 2023 running mate, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, and Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee Senator, Nenadi Usman.

The former Anambra State governor donated the sum of N50 million to the emergency relief fund of the state Government.

“We will continue to stand with the people of Borno, providing aid and resources to help them rebuild and recover from this tragedy,” he said in a statement by his media aide, Ibrahim Umar.

He told the people of Borno that as they navigate the challenging time, “We want them to know they are not alone.

“We are dedicated to helping alleviate the suffering and hardship caused by the floods, which have submerged over half of Maiduguri and displaced thousands of residents.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families, and we will do everything in our power to support them.”

Three major oil marketers are expecting vessels of imported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, this week barring any unforeseen circumstance, it was gathered on Tuesday.

Dealers said about 141 million litres of PMS are being conveyed to Nigeria by the vessels following the full deregulation of the downstream oil sector by the Federal Government.

They also noted that the recent hike in the pump prices of petrol produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Monday had allowed room for PMS imports.

This came as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority declared that all imported PMS would be subjected to at least three major tests by the agency before being allowed for sale across the country.

On Monday, NNPC announced that it would sell the petrol lifted from the Dangote refinery at a price above N1,000/litre in the far north.

Its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed in a statement titled, ‘NNPC Ltd Releases Estimated Pump Prices of PMS from Dangote Refinery Based on September 2024 Pricing’.

Soneye explained that the price may go for as high as N1,019/litre in Borno State and N999.22 in Abuja, Sokoto, Kano, and others.

In Oyo, Rivers, and other areas in the South, it will be N960/litre. The lowest price, according to an infographic released by the NNPC, is N950 in Lagos and its environs.

Reacting to this on Tuesday, a major marketer confirmed that the deregulation of the downstream sector had fully set in, stressing that three dealers are expecting their products (PMS) this week.

The marketer, who spoke to our correspondent in confidence due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, stated that each vessel would bring in about 35,000 metric tonnes of PMS.

This means the three dealers are expecting about 105,000 metric tonnes of PMS this week, all things being equal.

Going by the conversion rate of 1,341 litres to one metric tonne, it, therefore, implies that the marketers are bringing in about 141 million litres of petrol.

“Most marketers often import three parcels for this kind of transaction and the lowest parcel is about 35,000 metric tonnes of PMS. Now, because of how the business is run, you see marketers bringing in between two and three parcels.

“This week, we expect about three marketers to bring in products. However, some of these imports are not cast in stone, in the sense that the influence of many regulatory authorities is still there. So it is not that you will just go and bring in products and you then start to sell them.

“The regulators, such as the NMDPRA, have to look at the quality, flash points and so many other things that should be taken into consideration before the product comes in. And when it lands, they will take samples and check them in their labs,” the marketer stated.

On whether the three parcels of each of the marketers would land this week, the dealer replied, “All of them are not going to bring in the three parcels at the same time. They bring in a parcel first and later, say in one week time or so, another parcel comes in. All these imports have storage implications.

“It is not something you do in a day. You can’t bring in one vessel today (Tuesday) and you bring in another one on Saturday. No, it is not done like that. This is not the importation of 20,000 or 30,000 litres of PMS.”

When contacted, the spokesperson of the NMDPRA, George Ene-Ita, said marketers with approved import licenses were free to import PMS, but stressed that the products must be subjected to three major tests by the agency.

“The products must be subjected to our testing protocols at the ports. The products must conform to stipulated standards before we give them the authorisation to offload to their terminals.

“Also, before the smaller vessels bring it further inland to Nigeria our people will fly to the place to see the product and carryout some tests to ensure the right specification is upheld.

“Tests are also done at the products’ origins. And when the products come in, before they are released to the market, further tests would be conducted to ensure that they meet the specifications,” he stated.

The presidency says President Bola Tinubu did not ask Yemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to resign.

According to a report on Tuesday, the president reportedly asked Cardoso to resign from his position owing to his inability to stop the poor performance of the economy, most especially, the free fall of the naira.

The report also alleged that Tinubu instructed Cardoso to step down before his departure to China, despite alleged efforts by prominent Yoruba leaders to retain him in the role.

“Cardoso, who reportedly secured the nomination for the plum job through the Yoruba Elders, allegedly lacks the knack to turn around the troubled institution and the poor economy he inherited,” the report said.

“Cardoso’s undoing, according to insiders, is his inability to live up to the promise he made to President Tinubu in January to salvage the Naira and return it to between N700 and N900 to $1 before May 29, 2024, and also, save the economy from the ruins it currently lays.”

Addressing the claim via his X handle, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, called the report false.

“It’s all lies. President Tinubu has not asked Yemi Cardoso to resign,” Onanuga said.

Cardoso was appointed by Tinubu on September 22, 2023.

Within the first year of Cardoso’s tenure, the naira has depreciated by 124.39 percent in the official window and depreciated by 66.83 percent in the parallel market.

When Cardoso assumed office, the naira was N738/$ in the official window however, almost a year later, the naira has depreciated to N1,656 per dollar in the official market as of Tuesday.

Also, in the parallel market, the naira has depreciated to N1,660/$ as of Tuesday, from the N995/$ reported when he began his tenure.

The Federal Government earned approximately $1.2bn in telecom license fees from major operators, including MTN, Globacom, Econet (now Airtel), and Etisalat (now 9mobile), during the inception of mobile technology in Nigeria.

These license fees played a vital role in establishing the telecom industry in 2000, a sector crucial to Nigeria’s economy.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo revealed this at the book launch and exaugural lecture of former Editor of The PUNCH, Dayo Oketola, in Lagos on Tuesday.

He revealed that his administration rejected attempts to sell telecom licenses for a mere $3m, instead ensuring they were sold at their true value of $280m each to MTN, Glo, and Etisalat.

Notably, Etisalat, the last entrant into the telecom sector, paid a substantial $450m for its license. This strategic move generated a total of $1.2bn to the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission.

“When the first three mobile telecom companies came in, they were offered licenses. The cost of one of these licenses was $280m, but soon, the same license was going to be offered for just $3m by some individuals in the previous government who wanted to give out these licenses to their friends for just $3m,” Obasanjo said.

He said while these investments have driven significant progress, creating the right conditions remains essential for attracting future investments and sustaining sector growth. 

“There are still opportunities today for Nigeria to attract investments, but the right conditions need to be created for that money to come in again,” he stated.

MTN, a South African firm, began operations in Nigeria in August 2001 and quickly became a market leader. Globacom entered the market in 2003, introducing a pioneering per-second billing model that compelled MTN and Econet to follow suit.

Econet Wireless Nigeria, launched in 2000, initiated commercial GSM services on August 5, 2001. In 2007, Emerging Markets Telecommunications Service, trading as Etisalat, joined the Nigerian telecom market.

Speaking further, he acknowledged that the competition among operators (MTN, Econet, Glo) significantly shaped the sector.

“We achieved competition. The three of them were competing. And of course, the one who had the upper hand in terms of spread, I think, was MTN, followed by Glo and then there was Econet. Econet made the heart quarrel among themselves a bit, but eventually, they sorted themselves out. Well, when they came, they came last,” the ex-president stated.

Before the advent of mobile telephony in Nigeria around 2000, landlines were the primary means of communication. During this period, landlines were limited and often considered a luxury, accessible mainly to the wealthy.

The former head of state recounted how Nigerians faced considerable challenges with limited infrastructure, securing fewer than 500,000 phone lines despite extensive investments.

“The story of communication telecommunication, particularly mobile communication telecommunication, was a very interesting one, because before mobile telecommunication, we’d done a lot of things.

“We spent a lot of money. We have had companies we have invited from America, from France, even from Britain, and we did not get more than 500,000 lines with all that we have done, and people have to queue at the telephone,” Obasanjo stated.

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued a flood alert to Nigerians as the management of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon is set to begin regulated water releases into the country.

In a statement on Tuesday, Umar Mohammed, NIHSA’s director-general, said the dam’s regulated water releases will commence on September 17.

Mohammed said the dam managers intend to release the water gradually so as not to exceed the transfer capacity of River Benue and cause major flooding in Nigeria.

He said the water will be released at an initial rate of 100 cubic metres per second (m3/s) — 8.64 million cubic metres per day, and gradually increased to 1000 m¾s in the next seven days.

“Notwithstanding, it is highly imperative for all states that are contiguous to the Benue River system, namely —Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, and Rivers; the government at all levels (Federal, State, and LGAs) to step up vigilance and deploy adequate preparedness measures to reduce possible impacts of flooding that may occur as a result of increased flow levels of our major rivers at this period,” the statement reads.

Mohammed added that the agency would ensure that it closely monitors the flow situation to forestall further flood disasters.

He assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm, noting that the flow levels along the Benue River are still within the warning levels.

On September 10, residents of Maiduguri were displaced from their homes following a devastating flood caused by the collapse of Alau Dam, which has been at full capacity for the past week.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said more than 30 persons lost their lives and over 400,000 displaced due to the floods.