The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has said he would rather work to ensure peace for the party to overcome its present challenges than leave it.

Obi stated this in Gombe in an interview with journalists after inaugurating a borehole he donated to Tike Ram Market in Pantami, Gombe State.

He said the rumour that he would leave was not true as he was more committed to the peace of the party.

He expressed optimism that the LP would resolve its challenges and forge ahead as one family.

“No, there is no such thing as leaving the Labour Party. I am for peace; I like peace. I believe we are one people.

“Our concentration should be on peace and I believe that we will resolve all situations,” he said.

On recent speculation of him running for the 2027 presidency with former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Obi said: “Well, I’m more interested now in Nigeria’s success today than tomorrow.

“We are always concentrating on the election rather than what Nigerians are going through.

“My commitment is about Nigerians living in a better society, given a better life and that’s my concern,” he said.

On why he donated the borehole, the former governor of Anambra State said he had been going round in the spirit of Ramadan to support Nigerians, especially the poor to help cushion the impact of the current challenges.

“I’m here in Gombe and I came to Pantami market to help them in the area of water supply that is the borehole I just inaugurated.

“You can see the business here, all the rams and everything here but they don’t have water.

“We will support some individuals which we will do remotely and send them some little money. About 100, that will be done.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that there were speculations that Obi might have started shopping for another political platform, in spite of being guaranteed the LP 2027 presidential ticket at its convention.

Recall that the NLC spokesman, Benson Upah on Sunday , said the NLC would not stand in the way of Obi, should he decide to defect to another political platform.

Upah said: “The right of choice is available to Mr Obi. If he chooses to leave the party, that is his preference. We can’t sit in judgment over him on that. But if he chooses to remain, of course, Peter Obi is an asset any day. I rest my case on that.”

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, has said he is more interested in Nigeria’s success today than in the future.

This follows speculations on social media that he was looking to make former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, his running mate in the 2027 polls.

But Obi, while speaking with journalists in Gombe State shortly after donating a borehole to the ram market in Tike Pantami on Sunday, insisted he was not looking far ahead.

When asked about a possible collaboration with El-Rufai, he said: “Well, I’m more interested now in Nigeria’s success today than tomorrow.

“We are always concentrating on the election rather than what Nigerians are going through.

“My commitment is about Nigerians living in a better society, given a better life, and that’s my concern.”

Adejumoke Aderounmu, a popular actress in the series Jenifer Diary is dead

Tragically, the Nigerian film industry mourns the loss of Aderounmu Adejumoke Oreoluwa, a beloved actress renowned for her portrayal of “Esther” in the popular series “Jenifer Diary.”

On April 6th, 2024, at the age of 40, she departed this world, leaving behind a legacy cherished by many.

The somber news of her passing swiftly spread, accompanied by circulating graphics detailing her impending burial arrangements.

Despite the widespread grief, the cause of Aderounmu Adejumoke’s untimely demise remains undisclosed at the moment

In the fast-paced and ferociously competitive airline sector, price wars have become like Siamese twins that can not be separated by the actors, as a surviving strategy.

While price wars are a common occurrence in the airline sector, they represent intense competition that sees airlines cut prices in an attempt to snatch passengers from their competitors. The subsequent implication may automatically trigger reduced margins and profitability. To thrive amid these price wars, airlines need strategy and competitive intelligence, specifically competitive flight price data to survive.

This is what is presently playing out in Nigeria’s air transport sector with focus on international flights since Air Peace, a Nigerian carrier, commenced flights to London Gatwick on March 30, 2024.

Prior to the entrance of Air Peace to the Lagos/London route, foreign carriers had, for many years, not only monopolized the lucrative route, but exploited the Nigerian travelers who were made to pay the costliest fares in the region while neighboring countries like Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic enjoyed very low fares.

The exorbitant fares by the foreign carriers reached its peak following the over $800 million of their proceeds trapped in Nigeria with the mega carriers withdrawing their lowest inventory fares, leaving the highest inventory fares for Nigerians to grapple with.

The withdrawal of low inventory fares by the foreign carriers saw airlines like Virgin Atlantic increase fares on the economy class to N2.353,200 for just a seat while the business class skyrocketed to N5,345,700 on the Lagos-London route.

For Turkish airlines, the economy class ticket for the Lagos-Istanbul route rose to N874,661 while the business class ticket jumped to N1,980,876.

This was the same situation Nigerian travellers experienced with other foreign carriers like British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, KLM/Air France, Air Maroc and Ethiopian Airlines.

Before the foreign carriers ganged up to increase their fares, economy class tickets on the Nigeria-UK route was between N400,000 and N650,000, depending on the booking period while business class was between N800,000 and N1.2 million.

The financial pressure the exorbitant fares inflicted on the Nigerian travelers became so unbearable that those who could not afford it were forced to suspend international trips while some like students shifted their patronage to the neighboring countries where low inventory fares were available.

The rip off continued even after the federal government had paid the substantial part of the trapped funds with the outstanding funds now put around $29 million.

Relief however came with the commencement of Air Peace flights to London.

Immediately Air Peace announced its fares which have been found cheaper and more affordable for Nigerians, the foreign carriers, out of fears of losing their Nigerian, passengers to Air Peace have engaged in price wars for survival.

According to investigations, majority of the foreign carriers operating on the Nigeria/London route have conspired to drastically slash fares to the point of charging fares lower than Air Peace fares.

Apart from introducing new incentives and more friendly marketing strategies, the foreign airlines are neck deep in dangerous battles for market share that is capable of sending weaker airlines out of business and equally wreak havoc on profit margins or even challenge the very survival of Air Peace.

A price list sighted by Saturday Tribune showed Air France luring passengers to book between May 15 and June for economy class seat on the Lagos/London route with N907,782 fares as against the over N2 million for the economy it charged before now.

British Airways has also slashed its fares on the Abuja/London Heathrow to N1,394,536 as against the over N3 million it was formerly charging. Now, an economy class ticket on Virgin Atlantic from Lagos to London has been brought down to N980, 654,000 as against the N2.353,200 it used to charge.

The ongoing price wars and other gang ups by the foreign carriers which has raised concerns amongst key players have been attributed to the desperation of the mega carriers to push out Air Peace out of the Lagos/London route.

The price war strategy adopted by the foreign airlines has been described as one of the unjust engagement of the use of international Aero politics to frustrate any African carrier they see as competitive like Air Peace.

Many of the foreign carriers are said to be uncomfortable with the presence of Air Peace in view of its capacity in the areas of modern day aircraft in its fleet that can compete favourably with those of the foreign carriers.

The global record of the Nigerian carrier as a carrier that had in the past engaged in flight operations between Nigeria and other countries like China, UAE, Israel Brazil and South Africa during the pandemic seamlessly may have caused sleepless nights for the foreign carriers.

Many key players while reacting to the foreign airlines price wars described the market as extremely agile and impatient. They advised Air Peace to urgently change its game plan by making “the world taste what it means to be a truly Nigerian brand. You could see the presence of intentionality in their campaigns. It shows a clear understanding of the market. They are unleashing on Air Peace products of insights derived from the algorithm in their passengers platforms. They know where these customers are, they have their details, they may even be engaging passengers directly.”

The sudden reduction in the fares the key players said will be for the benefit of the Nigerian travelers who are the brides. They, however, expressed surprise at how the foreign airlines that refused to reduce their fares ab initio suddenly slashed the fares just to get at Air Peace.

Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves have taken a significant hit, dropping by approximately $1.02bn within 18 days as the Central Bank of Nigeria steps up efforts aimed at defending the naira.

On March 18, 2024, the FX reserves stood at $34.45bn, but by April 3, it had dropped to $33.50bn, based on the latest data from the CBN.

Before the current decline, the reserve had been steadily growing, witnessing a remarkable 43-day surge between February 5 and March 18, 2024, during which it appreciated by $1.28bn.

The CBN attributed this rise to increased remittance payments from Nigerians abroad and heightened interest from foreign investors in local assets, including government debt securities.

Additionally, reforms in the foreign exchange market and an increase in oil production contributed to the reserve growth.

However, the trend since March 18 indicated a significant drawdown in the reserve. After peaking at $34.45bn, it gradually declined; $34.39bn on March 19, $33.57bn by April 2, and finally $33.50bn by April 3.

This rapid decline of $1.02bn within 18 days underscores the pressure on the reserve as efforts continue to stabilise the local currency.

The CBN has been actively intervening in the foreign exchange market to support the naira, which has faced pressure from various economic factors. These interventions often involve the sale of dollars to maintain liquidity in the market, a strategy that has likely contributed to the decrease in FX reserves.

During the 18 days under review, the Central Bank of Nigeria made two significant announcements. First, it declared the complete clearance of the valid foreign exchange backlog. Second, it facilitated the sale of foreign exchange to Bureau De Change operators in Nigeria at an exchange rate of N1,251/$1.

Usually, Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserve reflects the country’s balance of payments and its ability to meet international obligations. A substantial decline in reserve can erode investor confidence and potentially lead to a credit rating downgrade, which would further impact the nation’s borrowing costs.

The International Monetary Fund recently projected that Nigeria’s foreign reserve would experience a significant reduction, plummeting to $24bn by 2024. The IMF foresaw a challenging period for Nigeria’s financial account through 2024–25, driven by the absence of new Eurobond issuances, substantial repayments of existing funds and Eurobonds totalling $3.5bn, and continued portfolio outflows.

Meanwhile, the federal government has said it will issue domestic bonds denominated in foreign currency in the second quarter of this year, precisely in the month of June, a move which some economists believe would stabilise the naira and nation’s reserve.

The Federal Government has declared Tuesday and Wednesday, April 9 and 10, 2024, as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Aishetu Ndayako.

The minister congratulated all Muslims for the successful completion of the fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.

Tunji-Ojo called on them to imbibe and practise the virtues that entail kindness, love, tolerance, peace, good neighbourliness, and compassion, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

The statement read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Tuesday, 9th and Wednesday, 10th April, 2024 as public holidays to mark Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

“The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, congratulates all Muslim Ummah for the successful completion of the fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.

“Tunji-Ojo calls on Muslim Ummmah to imbibe and practise the virtues that entails kindness, love, tolerance, peace, good neighbourliness, compassion as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

“He urged Nigerians to continue in the spirit of unity in order to improve and achieve peace and oneness in the country.

“The minister wishes all Muslim Ummah a happy Eid-el-Fitr celebration and prays that the peace, blessings, and favour of Allah be with everyone and our great nation.”

Some retired soldiers have warned the Federal Government to desist from rehabilitating and reintegrating some repentant terrorists who have gone through the government’s deradicalisation programme, Operations Safe Corridor (OSC).

Naija News reports that the rehabilitation programme began during former president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and has seen no fewer than 4,000 ex-Boko Haram members go through the programme.

In January 2023, no fewer than 613 rehabilitated terrorists undergoing de-radicalisation were scheduled to be handed over by the military authorities to their respective state governors.

However, in July 2022, some repentant Boko Haram members, despite renouncing their membership of the terror group, were accused of having contact with their former colleagues and supplying them intelligence.

The former terrorists were said to be among the 800 persons who were recently reintegrated into the Bama community in Borno State and were resettled at the Government Girls’ Secondary School Bama.

Speaking on the development, a retired colonel, Hassan Stan-Labo told Punch that, “If we have mobilised and brought them (terrorists) out for rehabilitation, it is already too late; there is nothing we can do but to go the whole hog; go through the entire demobilisation, de-radicalisation and rehabilitation.

“However, if I were the commander-in-chief, my instructions would have been: ‘Don’t bring anybody for any damn rehabilitation; you bloody well will pay the price for whatever you have done on the battle front’.

“You want a battle, come get the battle. You have committed all kinds of atrocities and now, you turn around begging for forgiveness.

“We don’t have a responsibility to forgive you; we hasten your journey to heaven. Go and meet God and ask for penance. What do we tell the people in the displaced persons camps, who are not even getting the kind of treatment we are giving these guys?

“We can have the biometrics of these guys and since fingerprints are used in the course of recruitment, we should be able to fish out those who may want to join the military. If we have a very effective intelligence network on the ground, this wouldn’t happen. I’m also aware that the Borno State Government is documenting their biometrics data. That’s a very good starting point.”

Another retired military officer, who served in the Nigerian Navy but refused to be named, said it was wrong to assume that terrorists would repent because the government made them go through a programme.

He said, “We are talking of hard criminals who kill innocent people for a living and leave families deserted. They destroy people’s livelihoods and feel nothing. Why will a few months or years programme deradicalise them? What was the government thinking when it said it wants to reintegrate them back into the society to live with the same people whom they rendered homeless? The government needs to have a clear rethink. No terrorist should be treated with kid’s gloves.”

Also speaking, a former director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, said the rehabilitation programme seemed not well-thought-out and ill-timed.

He said, “The government has been releasing some of them under the notion that they have been de-radicalised. These same people will go back into the society and start wreaking havoc. I think the government should reconsider its stance on the release of de-radicalised insurgents to avoid reintroducing criminals into the society.

“You can’t continue to release them in the heat of the problems when none of the people that have been arrested has been successfully prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. Since they are not prosecuted, they are not afraid of going back to their old way.”

Ahead of the 2027 election, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabi’u Kwakwanso, has said his party is the best alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former Governor of Kano State described the ruling APC as a failing party and the PDP as a failed party, adding that both parties do not have the competence to lead the country.

He likened the ruling APC and the PDP to birds of a feather, suggesting that both parties have inflicted immense suffering on Nigerians with their unpopular and inhumane policies.

He stated these during the party’s national convention, which took place at the A-Class Event Centre in Maitama, Abuja, on Saturday.

Kwankwaso guaranteed that the NNPP would introduce a revitalising change for citizens and the nation as a whole if it is given the chance to lead the nation.

The former Defence Minister asserted that Nigeria possesses sufficient resources and manpower to address insecurity.

He said, “We are all aware that the PDP has completely failed. Many of us decided in 2014, and 2015 to bring in some positive changes. Unfortunately, we have seen what happened from 2015 to date. This is the same APC government.

“Therefore, as far as we are concerned, we have a failing party that is the APC and we believe that this country requires an alternative to the APC and of course, the PDP and the only party, in my opinion, and based on facts, because the NNPP today is the fastest growing party in this country.

“I also believe even beyond this country, that is the only hope as we stand today. In many parts of this country, especially in northern Nigeria, particularly in my part of the north, so many people have been chased out of their homes, and so many have been killed. Some are in the bushes now in the forest under the care of bandits and other criminals. And it looks like many people don’t care.

“It is even becoming a normal thing to go and pick up people in their homes, on the roads, in the markets and so on. I believe it is only in this country that this sort of nonsense is happening. And it is the responsibility of every government, responsible government to ensure the peace of its people.

“I believe, as a former minister of defence in this country, as a former chief security officer of Kano State for eight years, and so on, I believe that we have adequate resources, we have enough manpower, we have all that it takes to protect Nigerians to peace in this country today. So it’s an opportunity for me to ensure that we bring on board a united, stronger, more peaceful, more prosperous Nigeria for all of us.”

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed not to give recognition or legitimacy to the leadership of the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure.
NLC vowed not to rest until it unseat Abure as national chairman of the party.

The Congress also stated that the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, is free to leave the party if he chooses to.

The NLC spokesman, Benson Upah stated this on Sunday during an interview with Punch.

According to him, “Our position on this matter is clear and has not changed. Abure remains unknown to us. It is not a question of removal. As far as we know, he does not exist.”

Speaking further, Upah said the issue of whether Obi should stay or leave the party should not be debated, saying the former governor was free to determine his destiny.

According to him, the NLC cannot stand in the way of the presidential candidate should he decide to defect to another political platform.

While describing him as an asset, the spokesman reiterated that the congress would not stand in his way if he chose to leave.

“The right of choice is available to Mr Obi. If he chooses to leave the party, that is his preference. We can’t sit in judgment over him on that. But if he chooses to remain, of course, Peter Obi is an asset any day. I rest my case on that,” he added.

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, arrested the General Overseer of CAC Freedom City Prophetic and Deliverance Ministry, Ilorin, Kwara State, Adeniyi James, for allegedly defrauding a member of the church to the tune of N3,980,000.

A Statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, made available to our correspondent in Ilorin on Saturday noted that the victim, Oluwole Babarinsa, had in a petition to the commission, alleged that James called him out during a church programme some time in 2021 that he had a revelation that he would travel abroad.

According to the petitioner, the cleric, in the course of giving the revelation, asked him about his preferred country, to which he replied “Canada”.

“Thereafter, we struck an agreement to talk later to perfect arrangements for the trip,” the petitioner said.

“The prophet later told me that he had a friend in Lagos who could help me facilitate my relocation to Canada, but for N1.7 million and N2.5 million for processing of flight ticket and travel documents, respectively”, the petitioner said.

The Petitioner further disclosed that he had to sell some of his property and took some loans before he could raise N3,980,000, which he gave the prophet to facilitate his quick relocation to Canada.

The Petitioner further said that after prolonged waiting with no result, he became agitated and began to query the prophet’s vision, prompting him to ask for a refund of his money.

He said that all efforts and entreaties to the suspect to refund his money yielded no positive result.

The EFCC said that the suspect would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.