FEATURES
Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North Senatorial District and two-time governor of Edo State, has demonstrated a penchant for blaming Nigeria’s woes on the previous administration or leader at every point in time.
Barely after two months former President Goodluck Jonathan handed over government to the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015, the country was plunged into economic crisis. Oshiomhole, then as sitting Edo governor, without mincing words blamed the challenges on what he labelled “recklessness” of Jonathan’s government.
Featuring on Sunrise Daily, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, in July 2015, Oshiomhole had said, “The crisis we have at the moment is not a flash; it’s going to be here for some time. I feel what has happened is that at the peak of the oil boom, prices were high and people made projections and budgets were drawn up on the basis of those numbers and along the line there was a sharp drop.
“So, if the federal government had been stopped from borrowing, the federal government would have defaulted much earlier than the states and the number of months that the federal government would have been worse than the worst state in the federation. The federal government allowed itself to borrow recklessly, quite reckless in the sense that no serious manager goes month after month to borrow for the payment of salaries.”
He added that revelations of the excesses of Jonathan’s administration have been coming into the fore, noting that Buhari had made practical efforts to correct his predecessor’s anomalies.
Oshiomhole not only attacked Jonathan, but he also called for the heads of some of his appointees.
At some point, the former labour leader alleged that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, immediate past minister of finance, expended $1 billion on the re-election bid of Jonathan.
Oshiomhole, in blistering attacks on the former minister, described her as a “pathological liar”, re-emphasising the point of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that revelations of the rot of Jonathan’s government would be released in the coming weeks.
“You will soon begin to hear when all the numbers are published,” he said.
After Jonathan Comes Buhari
The former Governor now Senator has again latched on to the current growing hardship in the country and passed the blame on Buhari, who left the government about eight months ago.
Many Nigerians and most especially experts have criticised some of the policies introduced by the President Bola Tinubu-led government that have led to hardship, especially the removal of petrol subsidy, which tripled the pump price of fuel.
But Oshiomhole said President Tinubu should not be held responsible for the right or wrong decisions taken by the previous administration.
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV, Oshiomhole specifically said he always places national interest above partisan interests.
The senator said he criticized Buhari’s government for some of its policies. Oshiomhole was removed as the national chairman of APC in 2020 under the watch of Buhari.
“My first loyalty is to Nigeria. At some point, before the last president left office, I lamented loudly what I saw as reckless policies that were designed to dehumanize the population that was already in pain.
“I felt that it is not what the then president promised. I dissociated myself from those policies and I’m happy that I was not the only one.
“There were governors who approached the court to denounce some of those policies. It is the long term consequences of those policies that we are still grappling with now,” he said.
The executive director (Business Development) of the Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Stella Okotete, has revealed why she failed to emerge minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Okotete was recommended to the Senate for screening and confirmation by President Tinubu as a ministerial nominee last year but the red chamber did not clear her, citing security concerns.
However, former minister of state for Labour and Productivity during the immediate past presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, Festus Keyamo, was appointed minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria to replace Okotete and represent Delta State
Okotete, who is from Delta central senatorial district claimed that the refusal of the Senate to clear her was “purely political games.”
She said those fighting her are envious and fear that she may vie for the 2027 Delta governorship election. Okotete however said she had no intention to join the governorship race.
She added that she is not under investigation by any security outfit in the country, noting that she would not have remained a NEXIM bank director if she were a security threat to the country.
In 2020, Okotete was appointed as the national women leader of the All Progressives Congress Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).
[Leadership]
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, has said that the poor power supply currently experienced across the South-East is beyond its powers.
The company attributed the situation to low energy generation, which has resulted in a drop in power supply availability generally.
The Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, made this disclosure in a statement on Monday.
Ezeh, however, urged residents of the zone to bear with the company.
He said the development has resulted in low generation, leading to a reduction in the quantum of daily megawatt hour (MWH) of energy allocated to distribution companies nationwide, thereby impacting the quality of service to its customers.
“We understand the inconveniences this situation has caused our esteemed customers and appeal for their understanding as it is beyond us.
“We can only distribute what is allocated to us,” he said.
According to him, efforts were being made by the various stakeholders in the power sector to address this issue, and “we hope this yields positive results so that normal distribution will return”.
[DailyPost]
If you seek ideas to escape Valentine’s Day billing from your partner, here are six tactics you could implement right away
Most men find it overwhelming to think about Valentine’s Day because it usually means thinking about how many debit alerts their phone will beep.
But it doesn’t have to be so with ‘clever’ ways to avoid being ‘billed’ by one’s partner.
If you seek ideas to escape Valentine’s Day billing from your partner, here are six tactics you could implement right away:
1.Start complaining
Given that practically everyone is experiencing a harsh economy, you have a justifiable reason to offer your partner to have them refrain from ‘billing’ you. Begin by nagging about how much money you spend when you go out and make purchases and how this is negatively impacting your finances.
2.Stay Moody
Become silent and indifferent, especially when Valentine’s Day is discussed. This will let your partner understand what to expect on that day. And when the day itself comes, continue your sullen mood, and you will find your partner shrinking back from billing and only being concerned about getting you back in a good mood.
3.Form Busy
Pretend to be busy even when you’re not. Keep yourself occupied with work, hobbies, or other commitments to create the impression that you have no time or energy for Valentine’s Day celebrations. This will subtly discourage your partner from making any grand plans and lower their expectations.
4. Fake Broke
You can also fake being broke to avoid a Valentine’s Day request from your partner. Pretend that you are facing financial constraints and cannot afford to splurge on extravagant gifts or outings. You could also casually bring up other bills that need to be prioritised at the time. This will help deflect any pressure from your partner to participate in Valentine’s Day activities.
5. Bank issues
This is yet another easy one to avoid the financial burden that comes with Valentine’s day. You can mention that you are currently dealing with some unexpected bank issues, such as a temporary hold on your account or a potential overdraft situation. This will give the impression that you need to be cautious with your spending and cannot afford to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
6.Act of service
Start doing things for your partner that you are not known to do on a regular basis. Some examples of acts of service could be cooking their favorite meal, doing household chores without being asked, or surprising them with a relaxing massage. Most ladies get excited by these things that they forget money or gifts but just pure acts of service from you that create a meaningful and memorable Valentine’s Day experience.
The University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), have been ranked as one of the top ten universities in Africa.
The two Nigerian universities emerged in the top ten list of universities in Africa according to the latest ranking of world universities released by the Times Higher Education.
According to the 2023 World University rankings which covers 104 countries and regions, the University of Ibadan comes seventh in Africa, while the University of Lagos takes the ninth position on the continent.
The ranking rates the University of Cape Town as the number one in Africa, while Stellenbosch University and the University of Witwatersrand rank second and third, respectively.
Globally, the University of Oxford tops the ranking for the eighth year in a row, but others in the top five have seen shifts in their ranks.
Harvard University moves up to second place, pushing the University of Cambridge down to third.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 include 1,799 universities, making them the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.
This year’s ranking analysed over 121 million citations across more than 15.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 40,000 scholars globally.
Below is a list of Africa’s best Universities
1. University of Cape Town
2. Stellenbosch University
3. University of Witwatersrand
4. University of Cape Coast
5. Aswan University
6. Ferhat Abbas Sétif University
7. University of Ibadan
8. University of KwaZulu-Natal
9. University of Lagos
10. Muhimbili University
The Enugu state chapter of the Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP) says it will increase the price of a bag of sachet water to N300 as members begin shutdown of their operations for three days as a result of unbearable cost of production.
Tony Edike, chairman of ATWAP disclosed this in a joint statement issued by himself and Clems Nwamadi, state secretary in Enugu on Sunday.
This was among the decisions made at the association’s emergency meeting on February 8, 2024, in Enugu on the issues facing all of the association’s members.
All producers of table water, including those who produce sachet water and pet bottles, were instructed to cease operations and cease manufacturing starting on Monday, February 12 till Thursday, February 15, 2024.
As to the statement, the decision was made to facilitate their search for a feasible resolution to numerous issues the association members were facing.
“The current harsh economic situation in the country especially as it affects materials and other logistics for the production of table and sachet water in the state were critically reviewed,” the statement reads.
“After hours of deliberations on the overwhelming challenges being encountered by ATWAP members, especially the over 500 percent increase in the prices of raw materials and other factors of production, we as to come to this decision.
“The 500 percent increase in prices of raw materials, which included : nylon, parking bags, purifying materials, procurement of water from boreholes located outside the city, diesel, high electricity tariff, haulage transportation and other maintenance staff cost.
“Also the upward review of various fees charged by both agencies of the state and local government areas within our areas of operations, was another strong reason.
ATWAP received field reports from different association zones indicating that a high number of producers had closed their factories as a result of high material costs and other production issues, which had raised the member death rate.
“With effect from February 16, 2024, a bag of sachet water (20 sachets) will be sold at #300 to enable the producers sustain their operations and rescue their businesses from total collapse,” the statement continues.
“Any defaulter or violator of this resolution unanimously endorsed by all members of ATWAP, Enugu state chapter will pay a fine of #200,000 per any truck caught by the ATWAP taskforce that had already been charged to enforce the exercise.
“Members are however advised to mobilize their staff within the period of factory shutdown to clean up their production equipments and keep their environment clean as the taskforce would soon embark on factory inspection to ensure members comply to the resolution and standard operating procedures
However, the association appealed for the cooperation of dealers and consumers for understanding within this period to enable members of the association remain in business ahead of time.
A police inspector from PMF 51 in Oghara, the headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, has reportedly misplaced his AK-47 rifle along with sixty (60) rounds of ammunition.
The mobile police officer, Yusuf Samaila, is affiliated with the palace of the Olu of Warri.
The officer lost his service rifle with breach number: 0927, with 60 rounds of ammunition on Sunday when he went to watch the match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on the palace premises.
Confirming the incident to SaharaReporters, a source in the palace privy to the matter, said that the mobile police officer had locked his rifle with 60 rounds of ammunition inside his room in the palace and gone to watch the match. But when he returned to his room, the rifle was missing.
The source said, “It was during half time when he came back to his room, he discovered that the room was burgled and his rifle had been taken away by an unknown person.
“Based on this, his unit commander attached to Olu of Warri Palace went to Warri Area Command to incident the case of missing firearm that the Inspector locked his AK-47 rifle with breach number: 0927, in his room and went to watch the AFCON finals between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire within the palace premises.
“The police officer has been defaulted while an effort to recover and arrest anyone behind the stolen rifle and ammunition is in place.”
Contacted on the issue, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe Bright in a text message simply said, “False, the rifle was immediately recovered.”
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, says the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, must tell President Bola Tinubu about the parlous and precarious state of the nation.
The highly respected monarch said the first lady must intimate the her husband about the deepening insecurity and high level of hunger and starvation in the country.
The Emir issued the advisory when Tinubu’s wife visited Kano to open the faculty of law at a private university.
“Although we have several means of communicating to the government on our needs and requests, but your way and means is the surest way to tell the President the actual happenings in the country,” The emir told the first lady.
He said though, pervasive hardship and insecurity, didn’t start under the current administration, things have worsened under it.
The emir, who spoke through an interpreter, added, “The hunger and starvation didn’t start with this government but the situation has become more alarming and needs urgent attention.”
He also urged her to tell Tinubu to address insecurity, saying, “The issue of insecurity is another serious problem we are facing. I know your government inherited it, but something more serious should be done to take care of the threats.”
Bayero also spoke on the relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to Lagos.
“We are receiving series of messages from our people. One of such messages is the much talked about relocation of CBN and FAAN to Lagos. I think the government should come out clean on this matter and talk to Nigerians in the language they would understand.
“Do more enlightenment on this matter. I for one cannot tell the actual intentions of the government. We should be made to actually understand the reasons behind the relocation of the CBN and FAAN offices to Lagos.”
In the same vein, he urged the President’s wife to actualize her Renewed Hope Initiative Pet Program, noting that the scheme, if fully actualized, will free the less privileged from their shackles
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has disclosed that organized labour may have no choice but to demand one million naira as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV, the NLC president argued that when they were considering two hundred thousand naira (₦200,000) as the minimum wage, the exchange rate stood at about ₦800/$1, but that is no longer the case.
He said if the value of the naira continues to depreciate and inflation continues to bite harder, then the NLC would be left with no other choice than to demand one million naira as the new minimum wage.
According to Ajaero, the demand of labour is based on what is happening in the society. He added that labour’s demand will be based on the cost of living index.
Speaking further, the NLC president said the new minimum wage committee should have been inaugurated by the federal government at least six months before the current national minimum wage expires, but that wasn’t the case.
He revealed that even after the committee was inaugurated, they have not sat for meetings, meaning they may not have more than a month to deliberate and agree on a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Media
Economic Hardship: Nigeria’s Problem Is Spiritual, Leaders Trying Their Best – Adeboye Laments
AdminThe General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejere Adeboye, has said the problems facing Nigeria are spiritual.
The clergyman stated this on Sunday while visiting the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani.
He stated that Nigeria needed urgent spiritual help to overcome the challenges confronting the nation.
According to Adeboye, the challenges facing the country were more than political, but problems that required spiritual solutions.
“We don’t want a situation where people begin to think of taking their own lives.
“Nigeria needs the help of God and it needs the help urgently,” he said.
He, however, expressed hope that the problems would not last forever and things would soon be better.
According to him, his tour of Nigeria, which brought him to Kaduna, was not just to organise crusades and pray for the people and Nigeria, but an opportunity to gather people together to let them know that, tomorrow is going to be alright if Nigerians can be a little more patient with God.
He said, “I am delighted to be here again. I was here about two or so years ago with the former governor; at that time, I came to pray for some of my members who were kidnapped and they were miraculously rescued. I came to encourage their families to let them know that all will be well.
“I have come again this time around because it has become more and more clearer to us that, the problem our nation is facing is more than political. Our problems will require a bit of spiritual solution.
“We as a country are blessed; we are blessed with people with great intelligence, we are blessed with all manners of resources and yet we have so many problems.
“And it is not as if people in authority are not trying their best; they are doing as much as humanly possible. And then we found out that when you have problems that are beyond human ability to solve, you call on the Almighty. The reason we call Him Almighty is because He has the power to solve all problems.
“So, we have been going around in our little way to support the efforts of all the various governments and parastatals to call on the Almighty to come to our aid, because we need help. We need help and we need it urgently.
“Because, as much as our leaders are doing their very best to help us solve our problems, the problems seem to have persisted, and in some areas, the problems seem to be getting worse. But we trust in Almighty God that, this problems will not last forever. We trust God that the problem will even be over sooner than later.
“That is why we have been going round holding crusade and the crusade are just a means of gathering people together to let them know tomorrow is going to be alright if we can be a little more patient with God. We believe very strongly that people need this kind of encouragement so that they don’t lose hope.”
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Comedian Bello Khabir has alleged that famous crossdresser Bobrisky is gay and once asked him out.
He made the allegations while featuring as a guest in the latest episode of The Esther Show podcast.
He claimed a lot of gays approached him after he played a female character in one of his skits.
Khabir said: “Bobrisky moved to [approached] me. That was a long time ago. I think it was 2017, 2018. I can’t remember vividly.
“When you’re talking about the Pamela, Mama Felicia thing, there’s a whole lot [of] story behind that character because it’s a feminine character. So I got some ridiculous approaches from them; I don’t know if I should mention them. They are alphabet people.”
Reacting to Khabir’s allegations via his Instagram page, Bobrisky claimed that the comedian was using his name for clout.
Sharing a screenshot of Khabir’s sending him a DM request, Bobrisky wrote: “My lawyer sent me this stupid boy’s lie on one dead podcast, and I was just laughing hard.
“Your career is dead a long time ago, I’m sure that’s why you think you can use Bob for clout. I’m happy he mentioned 2017. Guys, this is the last chat I can remember I had with that guy before blocking him. He has been on my block list since 2017. Those of you real followers will know that my page has always been private. Baba kept sending me requests; probably he was asking for something I can’t really remember.
“If a billionaire dude says Mummy of Lagos wants him, honestly, I’m never going to argue, but a broke n*gga like that one with beards like he-goat, naaa. I’m too classy for that trash.”
Maverick singer, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has reacted to Super Eagles’ 2023 Africa Cup of Nations 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast on Sunday.
Charly Boys said Jose Peseiro’s men tried against Ivory Coast but admitted that the best team won
“The Super Eagles really tried but the best team won,” Charly Boy wrote on X.
“Oya, make we face the demons facing us.”
Recall that Nigeria took the lead in the first half through William Troost-Ekong’s header.
But Ivory Coast levelled after the break through Franck Kessie’s header.
With a few minutes left in the game, Sebastien Haller flicked the ball past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to give the host the victory.
The United Kingdom (UK) Minister for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, has arrived in Nigeria for a three-day visit to deepen the UK-Nigeria partnership.
The UK Mission in Nigeria disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
Following the former Foreign Secretary’s visit to Nigeria in August 2023, and last week’s UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Talks,
Minister Badenoch is expected to take forward ongoing efforts by both countries to boost the UK-Nigeria trade relationship and unlock new investment opportunities.
While in the country, the Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Helen Grant, will have meetings with the Federal Government, State Governors as well as British and Nigerian business leaders and investors.
According to the statement, the minister will explore current and potential investment and trade activities from education to infrastructure and energy projects, with a potential to create thousands of jobs during the meetings.
Minister Badenoch will look to further strengthen the UK-Nigeria partnership, remove barriers to trade and investment, grow business between the two countries, and ensure the City of London’s enabling role for international business is more accessible to Nigeria.
Speaking on her visit to Nigeria, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, said, “Nigeria is one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa. We are committed to helping Nigeria unlock new investment opportunities, supporting more UK and international investment through the City of London, and thereby creating jobs in both our countries.
“Recent big and bold reforms by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank are boosting optimism amongst international investors that the country is on the right path and are creating the conditions for growth.”
The Rt. Hon. Kemi Badenoch MP was appointed Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade on February 7, 2023.
She remains Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade on, which she was appointed to on 6 September 2022, and Minister for Women and Equalities for the Equality Hub, which she was appointed to on 25 October 2022.
[Vanguard]
Stop Saying The Country Will Be Better, Those In Power Are Selfish, Self-Centred – Ameh Advises Nigerians
AdminThe National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Peter Ameh, has called on Nigerians to challenge the government over the security and economic challenges in the country.
He insisted that the ability of the people to protest bad leadership is what keeps those in government responsible and responsive.
Ameh shared his reservations about the state of the economy during an interview with Punch.
He insisted that it was time for Nigerians to stop being docile.
The CUPP chieftain opined that the country will not get better if Nigerians do not make demands.
According to him, “Nigerians are the number one critical stakeholder in this process. There is nowhere in the world where docility does not keep people in government stable. What keeps a government responsible? What makes a government responsive?
“What makes a government listen to the people? It is the ability of the people to protest bad leadership; to openly protest and physically protest bad leadership peacefully and responsibly; to request that the government must sit up.
“Nigerians must stop being docile; Nigeria must stop resigning to fate, and Nigerians must stop saying, ‘No, it will be better’. It will not be better if we do not make demands. We cannot just be satisfied with wishful thinking that Nigeria will be better with this group of leaders.
“This group of leaders are selfish, self-centred, and do not know what to do and they are not willing to give way to those who know what to do. The failure of this country and the setbacks that this country witnessed today are largely due to the inactive participation of Nigerians in the governance of their states.
“It is a fact that when a government sees that people are not worried, they will continue to manipulate the process; they will continue to manipulate the whole system and say they will wait for four years for another election.”