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In commemoration of the country’s 64th independence anniversary, the Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) has called on President Bola Tinubu to implement the recommendations of the 2014 national conference.
The national president of the union, Chinonso Obasi, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mr Obasi said that some of the challenges the country faced before the confab were still there, noting the need to address them. He also called on the government to create an enabling environment for youths to thrive.
“The only way to empower the greater majority of Nigerian youths is by creating an enabling environment for everyone to strive. Revive the moribund companies like Ajaokuta Steel Company Kogi State, Nigeria refineries, Nigeria Cement Company Nkalagu Ebonyi state, Nigeria textile companies, etc.
“We are concerned with the increasing level of hopelessness and the lack of an enabling environment to excel as a youth in present-day Nigeria. A youth surviving in Nigeria today ironically is like a camel passing through the needle’s eye. What does the future hold for me in Nigeria? Ranging from education, economy, security, and youth empowerment,” Mr Obasi explained.
Speaking on education, Mr Obasi commended President Bola Tinubu giant stride for the novel initiative of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He, however, said that with the economic situation, the loan given to the students would not be adequate for the purpose it was meant for.
“While we thank President Tinubu for the novel NELFUND, it becomes imperative that N500,000 loan to students in an economy where a litre of premium motor spirit (PMS) is over N1,500 in some parts of Nigeria is a mess. Universities raising tuition fees to over N400,000, students’ hall of residence being a death trap and lack of job opportunities upon graduation, all of these make a mess of the good intention of the NELFUND,” he said.
He called on the government to look into the security issues in the country as youths could no longer travel freely and willingly without making a special budget for exigencies.
“Most insecurity that exists in Nigeria is politically motivated. For instance, in Zamfara state, the high deposit of gold is the major cause of insecurity through the activities of economic saboteurs. Likewise, in Imo state, more than 50 per cent of gas deposits in Nigeria are found there, and the economic sabotage of this resource is the major cause of insecurity in that state,” Mr Obasi explained.
He said the union had mapped out solutions to some challenges bedevilling Nigerian youths. He added that the union would visit relevant stakeholders to press home those solutions in the coming days.
(NAN)
With a few weeks to the gubernatorial election in Ondo State, the deputy governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Mrs. Susan Gbemisola Alabi, has resigned her membership from the party.
Alabi disclosed this after notifying the governorship candidate of the party, Bamidele Akingboye of her decision to step down as his running mate in a letter addressed to the party’s standard-bearer and National Chairman of the party, Shehu Musa Gabam.
In the letter addressed to Akingboye, Alabi stated that her resignation from the party takes immediate effect.
She, however, did not indicate the reason why she dumped the party or her next political destination.
The letter dated October 2, 2024 read: “In furtherance to the discussion you had with me and the advise you gave me on the morning of Friday 20th September, 2024, I hereby formally resign as the Social Democratic Party Deputy Governorship Candidate for Ondo State in the 2024 governorship election. The resignation takes immediate effect.
“I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to run alongside you. Your leadership has been inspiring and I have learnt a lot on this journey. As I step away, I wish you the very best in your future endeavours. I am confident that you will continue to make a significant impact on our great state.”
In the same vein, Alabi in the letter addressed to the national chairman of SDP, said: “I am writing to formally resign from my membership in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) effective immediately.
“This decision was not made lightly as I have valued my time with the party. However, after careful consideration I believe it is in my best interest to pursue new opportunities and directions.
“Please also note that I have given notice of my resignation as the SDP Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2024 Governorship election to Otunba Bamidele Akingboye (OBA), the SDP governorship candidate.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity and for your support during my time in SDP. Thank you for your support and camaraderie during my time with SDP. I wish the party continuous success in its future endeavours.”
The General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, on Wednesday, reacted to an alleged criticism of his church by social media activist, Martins Otse, widely recognized as VeryDarkMan.
The church in the last few weeks has been in the news following some testimonies shared by members of the church.
In one video, an elderly woman claimed she was attacked by four armed robbers but miraculously gained control of their guns.
Another testimony featured a man who said he survived a kidnapping, machete attacks, and gunshots “without sustaining any injuries.”
Addressing his congregation in a recent video, Pastor Muoka said he had been informed that VeryDarkMan had made negative comments about the church, allegedly stating that “Chosen members will learn the hard way.”
In response, Muoka implied that the activist himself was facing difficulties as a result of his remarks.
He said, “Someone came to me and said, ‘Pastor, do you see this man who is speaking against us? He said Chosen people will learn something the hard way.’ And he mentioned the man’s name—VeryDarkMan. I said, ‘No, Chosen will not learn the hard way; he will be the one to learn the hard way.’”
Muoka was quick to clarify that he bore no ill will toward the activist, stating, “I didn’t speak evil of him. I only made a statement. I don’t want to speak negatively, because if I say anything negative or evil, it will happen immediately.”
He continued, “I cannot speak evil against any man, but I am telling you that VeryDarkMan is learning something today in a hard way. I didn’t say it to punish him, I only echoed his words.”
Muoka concluded with a warning: “If God’s anointed gets angry with you, you are finished.”
Italy is poised to simplify the process for foreigners applying for temporary work visas to meet the increasing demands of its labor market.
Plans are underway to increase the number of “Click Days”—the designated days when applications are accepted—making it easier for foreign workers to obtain visas, according to TravelBiz.
This change aims to address the country’s urgent need for skilled workers, as the current system has been insufficient in filling critical gaps in the labor market.
The proposal includes a shift away from the rigid quota and deadline-based approach, instead focusing on a more flexible system that aligns with Italy’s actual labor needs.
Maria Grazia Gabrielli, Secretary of the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Cgil), highlighted the limitations of the current “Click Day” system and called for reforms that reflect the real workforce demands in Italy.
Despite these efforts to ease the visa process, the government has ruled out any changes to the controversial Bossi-Fini Law, which governs Italy’s immigration policies.
This law mandates that non-EU nationals secure a job offer before arriving in the country and imposes strict requirements for residence permits.
It also grants authorities increased powers to deport undocumented migrants and penalizes employers who hire them.
Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano revealed that the government is preparing to present a decree law outlining these changes to the Council of Ministers soon.
While the proposed reforms aim to improve access to the Italian labor market for foreign workers, the key provisions of the Bossi-Fini Law will remain intact.
Alhaji Isa Rabiu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State, has asked former governor Nasir El-Rufai to be patient and allow a proper investigation to be conducted into his eight years administration in the state.
Rabiu spoke to Daily Post in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The PDP chieftain was reacting to El-Rufai’s claim that he did not steal public money during his time as Kaduna governor.
El-Rufai had said he is ready to swear with the Holy Quran to prove his innocence.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s assertion, Rabiu said, “Former governor El-Rufai should wait patiently for the final investigation before uttering anything against his predecessors or swearing with the Quran on what transpired during the eight years of his administration in Kaduna State.”
Rabiu observed that the same El-Rufai ‘arranged’ a petition against former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, following which the Makarfi administration was investigated.
He added, “To be honest, from all indications, El-Rufai lacks discipline, self control and focus to do the right thing than swearing with holy Quran. The same El-Rufai ran away to a foreign country during the regime of late President Yar’Adua and only came back when the President died in 2010 and started making unnecessary utterances against the late President Yar’Adua.”
He called on the Kaduna State government, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate the former governor with a view to recovering what was stolen from the state during his tenure.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the federal government to review policies causing economic hardship in the country.
In a statement on the nation’s 64th independence anniversary, the PDP said Nigeria has never had it this bad.
President Bola Tinubu’s policies have driven petrol prices to record highs and depreciated the naira to record lows since he assumed the reins on May 29, 2023.
The party asked Nigerians “not to surrender” in the face of “emasculating policies”.
The opposition party said Nigerians should “reawaken the spirit of nationalism in defence of our democracy and national sovereignty against the emerging totalitarianism being foisted on our nation by the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
“The Independence Day celebration is not the symbolic marching at parade grounds, taking of salutes, inspection of guards and making of speeches but it is the freedom of the citizens to express themselves, pursue legitimate endeavours and freely participate in the process to choose those who lead them through an unhindered expression of their will at elections,” the statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, reads.
“The independence of a nation is embedded in the respect for the Rule of Law and constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens by a transparent and responsible government that is democratically elected, answerable and committed only to the good of the people.
“Since its calamitous arrival in the Nigerian political space, the APC continues to barefacedly stifle these fundamentals of our nation’s independence.
“It is, therefore, an irony that the APC deludes itself that Nigerians should celebrate independence whose essence has been completely diminished by the anti-people policies and programs of the APC that have not only discounted the lives of citizens but also deprived them of the independence to legitimately pursue their endeavours and freely participate in governance.”
The PDP alleged that the APC is not interested in the wellbeing of the people and is “returning our nation to a state of bondage, where the government is a cabal that has no respect for citizens but relishes in inflicting pain and hardship, where dissenting voices are treated as enemies of state”.
The party said citizens are being suppressed and exploited “through excruciating tariffs and taxes are now instituted as state policies”.
“It is indeed agonizing that all the gains achieved by the PDP in the development of our democracy and credible electoral process, personal freedom, liberty and security of citizens, good governance that resulted in better living standards and flourishing investments in education, healthcare, electricity, housing, railways and roads infrastructure, manufacturing, hospitality, real estate among others have all been reversed by the APC,” the party said.
The PDP said the APC-led administration must listen to Nigerians and “review all its anti-people policies and actions that are suffocating life in the country”.
“The Federal Government should, without further delay, reduce the pump price of fuel and stem the slide in the value of the Naira by immediately reordering resources to jumpstart the ailing productive sector,” PDP said.
“Again, the PDP urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to listen to the heartbeat of Nigerians.
“Indeed, Nigerians are hurting. He must act now by channelling resources to projects that have a direct bearing on the wellbeing of Nigerians so that the people can have the life they deserve as free citizens of an independent nation.”
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted an ex parte order to serve the Rivers State chairman of the Action People’s Party, APP, Sunny Wokekoro, the 23 chairmanship candidates of APP in the upcoming Saturday election, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, through substituted means.
Hart Badom, Destiny Omereji, and four others are in court seeking the reinstatement of Badom as the legitimate State Chairman of APP, while calling for the removal of Sunny Wokekoro from the position.
The plaintiffs are also challenging the legitimacy of the 23 chairmanship candidates, questioning when they became members of the APP in the state.
They are seeking a declaration that all actions taken by Wokekoro be considered null and void.
DAILY POST reports that when the case was mentioned, the plaintiffs’ counsel, Excel Omeghara, applied for an ex parte motion to serve the defendants through substituted means, a request that was granted by the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Obele.
APP has gained prominence in Rivers State in recent months, following its adoption as the platform for loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to contest the October 5 local government elections.
The APP’s chairmanship candidates, many of whom were formerly members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, switched to APP amid internal disputes within PDP in the state.
Although Governor Fubara is expected to automatically assume leadership of PDP upon taking office, as stipulated in the party’s constitution, his predecessor and political benefactor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has refused to step aside, leading to a leadership crisis within the PDP.
Meanwhile, PDP in Rivers State announced its decision to boycott the upcoming local government elections.
State PDP Chairman Aaron Chikwuemeka reaffirmed this position during a press briefing in Port Harcourt last Monday.
Chikwuemeka and PDP state executive in Rivers remain loyal to FCT Minister Wike.
[DailyPost]
Some supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday protested outside the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) office in Edo.
The protesters chanted anti-establishment slogans and songs, while demanding a reversal of the result of the recent governorship poll.
They held aloft placards with inscriptions that read: ‘INEC give us our mandate back’, ‘APC stole PDP mandate and they must return it’, ‘INEC sack Edo state resident electoral commissioner’, and ‘INEC why did you manipulate IReV results’.
Police operatives could be seen milling around and guarding the gates of the office.
On September 22, Monday Okpebholo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared winner of the Edo governorship election.
Okpebholo, a serving senator, won the election with 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, who polled 247,274 votes.
Olumide Akpata, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), came a distant third with 22, 763 votes.
Before the final declaration, some PDP supporters staged a protest against the collation of the results outside the INEC office.
After the declaration, Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa and chairman of the PDP campaign council for the election, said the poll was marred by “vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results”.
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo gubernatorial poll,” Fintiri had said.
Ighodalo has vowed to challenge the outcome of the election in court.
Governor Seyi Makinde’s government of Oyo State has announced a plan to recruit 791 new civil servants for the mainstream service.
The Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission, Alhaji Kamoru Aderibigbe, announced this on Wednesday in Ibadan during a press briefing.
Aderibigbe indicated that the recruitment will include the integration of 230 education officers along with 561 other positions into the mainstream civil service.
The government official noted that this recruitment would represent the largest intake into the mainstream civil service in the past twenty years.
Prospective candidates can submit their applications to the state government job portal at www.jobportal.oyostate.gov.ng from October 7 to October 11.
He highlighted that the online application process is designed to promote diligence, fairness, and equity throughout the recruitment procedure.
“Applicants into cadres requiring a degree must be university graduates with a minimum of second class honours division, while applicants into cadres that require Higher National Diploma certificate must be polytechnic graduates with a minimum of lower credit.
“All university and polytechnic graduates must possess NYSC discharged certificates or exemption certificates as at the time of the recruitment process.
“Equally, applicants into cadres requiring the Nigeria Certificate in Education must be graduates with a minimum of merit,” he said.
Aderibigbe said that the commission would ensure competence in discharging its duties without any political interference.
The Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Chinyere Almona, has criticized President Bola Tinubu for calling on citizens to exercise patience with his administration while the politicians are living big.
Dr. Chinyere Almona said the President is not being sincere with the citizens. She decried that politicians are living more comfortably than manufacturers who are producing and creating jobs for the citizens.
In an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday, Mrs. Almona explained that the country’s environment is not business-friendly.
While admitting that Nigeria is full of opportunities, she noted that the youths who need jobs cannot harness the opportunities because of corruption, inflation, high interest rates and unfavourable policies of the government.
The LCCI DG said, “I think in most sectors in Nigeria there is opportunity to drive development. What has been lacking is the ease of doing that. So you have a lot of businesses, you have a lot of entrepreneurs who want to go into business. Even the young ones, like we talked about just now, they want to go into business, start their own business, employ people and do so much more in the different sectors. But they are hampered by several things.
“They are hampered by regulation and the fact that regulation stifles rather than promotes. They are hard hit by the inflation, they are hard hit by inability to access finance and the fact that interest rate is so high. They are hard hit by just the basic difficulty in living. And so it just then makes it challenging to operate.
“There are opportunities. I think Nigeria is filled with opportunities. We are rich with opportunities in the different sectors. In mining, there are opportunities in agriculture, there are opportunities. But the private sector isn’t allowed to move. And so you have situations where companies are leaving Nigeria and they are increasing the rate of unemployment because every factory that shuts down, you shove 50,000 people into the employment market. So that’s what the challenge is.
“There are opportunities, but how do we harness those opportunities? How does the government create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive? I was listening to the President’s speech today and he talked about how he wants to harness the youth and the energy of the youth, how he wants to bring them together, how he wants to create jobs. Bringing youth together to talk is great, but then after the talk, then what next?”
Speaking on the 30 days National Youth Conference announced by the President in his Independence Day broadcast, Mrs Almona noted that unless policies are made to create ease of doing business, the result of the conference may not have much effect.
She added that the country’s problem remains leadership, stating that everything falls and rises on the back of leadership.
“So if you have a conference, after the conference, what next? Have you created an enabling environment for them to thrive? The environment is still rife with corruption. And when you have corruption, that means people don’t get the right opportunities or the right access to the right avenues that they need to succeed.
“Leadership is a problem. Leadership, everything falls and rises on the back of leadership, and we need to get leadership right. Today, with the hard economic conditions, we want to see, and what the President did say, oh, we should be patient and watch and wait for the reforms to kick in and begin to give us some positive vibes, as it were.
“I think about it, and the private sector is bleeding. The youth are struggling. But the political circles are living big. We see them all the time. We see them on social media. We see them in the media. They don’t seem bothered. They don’t seem affected by the hardship that Nigerians are facing. And that is a real problem, where you have the political sect being richer than the private sector, who are in the production area. That’s a problem. We need to support production. We need to power production as much as possible,” Dr Almona added.
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The House of Representatives has rejected the National Honour conferred on Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
The lawmakers accused President Bola Tinubu of discriminating against the lower chamber of the National Assembly after conferring a higher honour to Senate PresidentGodswill Akpabio.
Naija News reported earlier that President Tinubu, while addressing the nation to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebration, stated that the Senate President,Akpabio and Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun had been conferred with honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Others mentioned for awards include the Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Abbas and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau were conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), respectively.
However, following a motion of urgent public importance moved by Philip Agbese on Wednesday, the House resolved the Reps are not inferior to Senators, and therefore, both leaders should be treated equally.
The motion, signed by 360 members of the House, called for the abolition of the “upper chamber and lower chamber nomenclature”, stating that both chambers are equal.
FORMER President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has taken stock of Nigeria’s tortuous journey to nationhood and submitted that the time calls for sober reflection as the country celebrates its 64th independence anniversary, saying that this is the time for serious introspection by President dent Bola Tinubu and other leaders.
In a goodwill message to Nigerians, Senator Mark reflected on the journey so far and noted that despite the challenges of insecurity, poverty, disease, and general underdevelopment, Nigeria is endowed with human and natural resources capable of changing the tide for good, adding that this is achievable if all citizens are patriotic and united with a common mission and purpose.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Mumeh, Senator Mark said, “Disappointing as the situation may seem, the shortcomings of the past should serve as useful lessons for progress. We must learn from our past mistakes and work towards a better future.”
The former President of the Senate recalled the 30-month-old fratricidal civil war, occasional ethnoreligious conflicts and the uncertainties surrounding political engagements, saying that all these issues are traceable to inadequacies of leadership and citizens’ failure.
Senator Mark who cautioned against divisive tendencies and inflammatory statements in recent times that tend to exacerbate the already fragmented atmosphere, said, “Those who exploit our fault lines of ethnicity and religious differences to promote hatred are enemies of the country”.
Despite the challenges, Senator Mark noted that Nigeria has made progress in some areas pointing out that, “though we are not yet where we should be, we are certainly better than yester years. This should serve as motivation for us to continue working towards a better Nigeria.”
The former Senate President who emphasized that political leaders should lead by example and strive to put the citizens at the centre of their programmes and policies, said, “Leaders must prioritize the needs and well-being of the people.”
Senator Mark was optimistic that Nigeria could come out of its current challenges if all Nigerians resolved to bury the hatchet of yesterday, “We must unite and work together to address our challenges”.
To further address the challenges of underdevelopment, Senator Mark advocated for huge investments in enterprises and production that would improve income and end capital flights.
He stated, “We need to create an environment where everyone can ply his or her trade in any part of the country without fear of intimidation or molestation. We need to be our brother’s keeper at all times. I wish Nigerians a prosperous nation.”
[Vanguard]
President Bola Tinubu has left Abuja, the nation’s capital, for a two-week vacation in the United Kingdom, which is part of his annual leave.
Naija News reports the President left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, along with Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and other top government officials, were at the airport to bid farewell to the president.
See the video.
Media
The United States (US) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Olayinka Oyebola, a Nigerian auditor, for allegedly aiding and abetting securities fraud reportedly carried out by Mmobuosi Odogwu Banye, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Tingo Group, and three companies controlled by him.
In a statement on Monday, the SEC also charged Oyebola’s accounting firm, Olayinka Oyebola & Co. (chartered accountants), registered with the public company accounting oversight board (PCAOB).
“The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Olayinka Oyebola and his Public Company Accounting Oversight Board-registered accounting firm, Olayinka Oyebola & Co. (Chartered Accountants), with aiding and abetting a massive securities fraud perpetrated by Mmobuosi Odogwu Banye, also known as Dozy Mmobuosi, and three related U.S. companies that Mmobuosi controlled (the Tingo entities),” the SEC said.
“The SEC recently obtained a $250 million final judgment against Mmobuosi and the Tingo entities.”
According to the SEC’s complaint, Oyebola and his firm deliberately failed to act after discovering that Mmobuosi and his companies created multiple fake audit reports which bore Oyebola’s signature and were included in SEC filings as if issued by his firm.
‘OYEBOLA ASSISTED IN CONCEALING FRAUDULENT REPORTS’
The SEC alleged that Oyebola made material misstatements to the then-auditor of one of the Tingo entities and assisted in concealing the fraudulent reports, causing auditors, investors, and regulators to rely on these fake reports to their detriment.
The commission said Oyebola and his firm’s assistance enabled Mmobuosi and the Tingo entities to carry out a multi-year scheme to inflate financial metrics that defrauded investors globally.
Antonia Apps, director of the SEC’s New York regional office, said as alleged, Oyebola and his firm violated the public trust and gave up their responsibilities as public company accountants and auditors by helping Mmobuosi and the Tingo entities effectuate and conceal their fraud.
“We will not hesitate to hold gatekeepers to the public markets accountable when they facilitate fiction rather than truth,” Apps said.
The complaint, filed in the US district court for the southern district of New York, charges Oyebola and his firm with aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws by Mmobuosi and three Tingo entities.
The SEC also charged Oyebola with aiding and abetting Mmobuosi in lying to auditors.
The complaint seeks civil penalties as well as permanent injunctive relief including an order permanently barring Oyebola and his firm from acting as auditors or accountants for US public companies or assisting in the preparation of financial statements for SEC filing.
“The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Michael DiBattista, Christopher Mele, Jeremy Brandt, Gerald Gross, and Rebecca Reilly under the supervision of Tejal D. Shah,” the SEC said.
“It is being litigated by David Zetlin-Jones and Mr. DiBattista under the supervision of Alexander Vasilescu, all of the New York Regional Office.
“The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Israel Securities Authority.”
On December 18, 2023, the SEC charged Mmobuosi for providing “false information to investors,” and “orchestrating a staggering fraud”.
Two days later, Mmobuosi temporarily stepped down as Tingo Group’s co-CEO.
A month before he stepped down, the SEC suspended trading in the securities of Tingo Group.
A US federal court, on September 1, fined Mmobuosi the sum of $250 million in monetary relief in a securities fraud suit default judgment.
The default judgment was given by Jesse M. Furman, a US judge, who said Mmobuosi and his companies failed to respond to an SEC lawsuit accusing them of overstating financial results.
[TheCable]