Tinubu prepares to host ECOWAS emergency meeting

The African Union has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the junta in Niger to reinstall the country’s democratically elected government.

The ultimatum coincided with a meeting the coup leaders had with senior civil servants to discuss how they would run the country and as the U.S. and the European Union threatened sanctions against the regime.

Brig-Gen. Mohamed Toumba, one of the soldiers who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday, told state television that the junta met with civil servants on Friday and asked them to continue their work as usual, following the suspension of the constitution.

“The message given was not to stop the processes underway, to keep on with things,” said Brig. Gen. Toumba.

“Everything that must be done will be done,” he said, signaling the intention of the regime led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who also goes by Omar, to remain in power.

After its meeting on Friday, the African Union Peace and Security Council said it was concerned by the “alarming resurgence” of coups that undermine democracy and stability on the continent.

It asked the soldiers to “return immediately and unconditionally to their barracks and restore constitutional authority within a maximum of fifteen (15) days.”

Bazoum, whose condition and that of his officials remains unknown since the government was overthrown, should also be released immediately and unconditionally, the AU said.

Failure to do so, it said, would compel the bloc to take “necessary action, including punitive measures against the perpetrators.”

On the streets of the Nigerien capital Niamey on Saturday, things appeared to be returning to normal, though many in the international community were still on lockdown with hotels full of foreigners, many given instructions not to leave.

Locals say they’re waiting to see what unfolds, with many still in support of Bazoum who has not yet resigned.

“I’m with him, he does a good work. (But) what can we do?” said Mohamed Cisse, a street seller. “This is (the new leader’s) time, Bazoum’s time is over,” he said.

Tchiani, the junta leader and commander of Niger’s presidential guard, is close to former Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou, who stepped down in 2021 after a decade in office.

Tchiani’s takeover of power will reinforce speculation that Issoufou is behind the coup, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German think tank and consultancy.

President Bola Tinubu is billed to hold a special meeting of the authority of heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja today.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties Communication and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake, on Friday said the special meeting had been called to deliberate on the situation in Niger Republic.

President Tinubu is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS Commission.

Nigerians may need to brace up for more hard times in August as persistent high inflation and low disposable income will continue to weigh heavily on their spending, PricewaterhouseCoopers has revealed.

PWC the second largest professional service provider also believes that the clamour for a review of wages of workers by the Nigerian Labour Congress to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal may be unlikely.

The warning was contained in PWC’s Nigerian Economic Outlook for August, seen by THE WHISTLER.

“Inflation is expected to rise in the short to medium-term. Consumers are expected to be pressured by higher prices causing demand to slow down. Wage adjustments are unlikely to be adjusted simultaneously and proportionately,” PWC projected.

PWC believes that further impacts of these would be that continued inflationary growth and rise in the cost of living may slow real economic growth in the medium term.

“Continued inflationary growth and rise in the cost of living may slow real economic growth in the medium term. High FX rates may drive up production costs and impact negatively on firm performance,” PWC said.

For most Nigerians, living in Africa’s most populous nation has been unbearable since the new administration headed by Bola Tinubu removed fuel subsidy and floated the naira.

The price of fuel has jumped to over N600 from N190 per litre since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.

Although Tinubu has been vocal about his intention not to ‘suffocate’ the poor and let them ‘breathe’, consumer price index which measures inflation has hit 22.7 per cent while the food component has surged to 25 per cent.

The figures did not even factor in the removal of fuel subsidy, the National Bureau of Statistics admitted in a statement.

Businesses will also bear the pains of the policy reforms as their revenues may decline in the short-term mainly due to the direct impact of input costs and reduction in disposable incomes.

PWC said naira floating is expected to drive up the cost of imported raw materials, adding that “cost of borrowing (Naira) could remain elevated due to the increase in MPR rate to 18.5 per cent in July 2023 by 25 basis points.

“Finance costs to increase due to exchange rate losses from higher interest payments incurred on exposure to foreign currency denominated loans. These losses are on account of the currency devaluation.”

However, other positives according to PWC are that floating of naira from an average of N472 to N771 per dollar “could provide incentives to corporates to explore local sourcing or backward integration in the medium term.

”Economic reforms such as the FX market liberalisation could gradually attract foreign investments and boost capital inflows in the long term. However, in the short-run, investors will likely adopt a wait-and-see approach.

“This may be a result of the absence of further reforms to strengthen business and economic fundamentals.

“Rise in inflation will likely reduce the real yields or returns on investment. Proposed new ministerial cabinet to drive economic direction and fiscal policy management. Implementation of new tax reforms to drive revenue generation.”

Comprehensive palliatives promised by President Bola Tinubu to cushion the effects of the removal of petrol subsidy may take a while to come, going by the slow pace of work of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) the President has raised for the assignment.

The committee had been constituted on June 19 with a time frame of eight weeks to deliver on its mandate.

The implication is that by August 18, the committee’s report should be delivered to the government to enable it work on the comprehensive package of palliatives for Nigerians.

The panel is chaired by Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State with members such as Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Charles Soludo of Anambra, Uba Sani of Kaduna and Hyacindu Alia of Benue, as well representatives of the Organised Labour and Civil Society Organisations.

But a member of the committee says more than one month after, they were not going at the anticipated speed, saying the deadline for the assignment may not be met unless the government fast-tracked the process.

“So far, we have stayed more than one month and we feel that we are not going at the speed we anticipated”, Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Mr Festus Osifoh, who is representing TUC on the committee, said after its meeting in Abuja. “We want government to fast-track the action to ensure that between now and the next two weeks; all the committees must have submitted their reports so that the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) can conclude its work immediately because we cannot continue to blow grammar while Nigerians are suffering and trekking long distances to work”.

Osifo noted that the Federal Government gave a two-month ultimatum for discussions to be concluded on both sides.
His words: “As of today (last Thursday), we have formed technical committees on cash transfers, intervention funds, reduction of cost of governance, fixing energy and power, developing CNG as an alternative to PMS and fixing of refineries.

“We also have technical committees on education and health as well as mass transit.
“Government gave a timeline of eight weeks, beginning from June 19. Going by that calculation, eight weeks is going to end by August 19.

“We are ready to work because the plight of Nigerian workers is a great concern to us. “Anything that would affect Nigerian workers is what we fight to correct.

“Beyond the workers, it is also about the well-being of the masses because we have a lot of Nigerians that are today unemployed.

“What we are canvassing across these technical committees is to ensure that whatever is put in place should be aimed at alternative and cheaper energy like the CNG.

“There should also be a consideration for palliatives that would better the lives of the people and the issue of reduction of cost governance.”

Earlier, the committee Chairman had assured that Nigerians would have a cause to smile soon as the body was doing its best to bring succour and ease current difficulties.

“The committee sat and deliberated on possible ways to cushion the effects of subsidy removal and very soon Nigerians will start reaping the benefits of this”, the Kebbi governor had said.

“We are determined to come up with a good and suitable outcome that will benefit Nigerians, therefore, be rest assured that the committee is up to the task.

“All we need is patience, support and cooperation from all Nigerians to enable us to achieve the set goals and objectives of establishing the committee by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Damagum denies taking sides with ex-Rivers gov in party crisis

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is due to take a definite decision on the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike, following his nomination as minister by President Bola Tinubu.

Wike has been locked in a running battle with the PDP after the party decided to go into the last elections with its then National Chairman, Dr.Iyorchia Ayu, and presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, both from the North.

The Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, told The Nation on the phone yesterday that consultation was already in progress on the Wike issue.

“We are already consulting with the PDP Governors Forum on the matter and the National Working Committee (NWC) will be meeting on Monday to take a definite position on it,” Damagum said.

The chairman said that contrary to allegations that the PDP has gone to bed since the outcome of the elections, the leadership has been engaging the various party organs in consultations with a view to addressing the various challenges confronting the party.

Damagum said: “There is no lull in the PDP like you said, just because you have not seen us moving to the streets. Consultations are ongoing with key stakeholders.

“Among those we are consulting with are state chairmen, the PDP Governors Forum, past National Chairmen and a select group of PDP elders.

“We are also meeting with the leadership of the PDP Youth organ next week. So we have not been idle as some people might think.”

On why the party has not convened its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in the last 10 months, Damagum said there were still issues to be resolved before NEC meeting can hold.

The PDP constitution stipulates that NEC meeting must hold every quarter (three months) and vests the National Chairman with the power to convene the meeting. The last NEC meeting was convened on September 8, 2022.

But Damagum said he alone cannot take the decision to convene NEC meeting.

He said: “The fact that I am the chairman does not make me the Alpha and Omega in the PDP. There are stakeholders in other organs of the party who are also critical to any decision to convene the NEC. Among them are the organs I mentioned earlier.

“And don’t forget that we still have our case in court”, referring to the ongoing presidential election petition where the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Asked to clarify media reports that he was receiving backing from the Wike camp, Damagum said he was neutral in the entire fray and that he would remain neutral in the overall interest of the PDP.

The chairman said he was not aware of any moves by some interest groups within the party to remove him from office.

Some online publications had reported yesterday that the Atiku camp was plotting Damagum’s removal from office over his alleged romance with the Wike group.

The nomination of Wike for ministerial position in the APC administration is causing ripples in the PDP.

The former Rivers State governor and four of his fellow PDP governors, Seyi Makinde (Oyo),Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia ),Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuayi (Enugu) opted not to work for the party in the presidential election on account of the issue of national chairman and presidential candidate coming from the same part of the country.

Our correspondent learnt yesterday that Wike has been working in the background to draw his four other friends in the G-5 closer to President Tinubu.

A source close to ex-Governor Ortom confirmed the development to our correspondent in a telephone chat on Friday.

According to the source, who does not want his name in print, Ortom had resolved his differences with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. The SGF is the leader of the APC in Benue State.

Akume, who was Benue governor from 1999 to 2007, used to be Ortom’s political godfather before they parted ways shortly before the 2019 general election.

Akume was instrumental to how Ortom joined the APC and got elected governor in 2015 on the party’s platform.

The two politicians, however, had a disagreement that led Ortom to later defect to the PDP where he secured the party’s ticket for his re-election in 2019.

The source confirmed that Ortom and some of the G-5 members were in Abuja yesterday for a scheduled meeting with Akume.

According to him, Wike was billed to be part of the scheduled meeting where some key decisions were expected to be taken.

The source said Akume might lead the group to meet with President Tinubu after the meeting.

“You must be aware that ex Governor Ortom has already reconciled with Senator Akume. The initial arrangement was for President Tinubu to reconcile them. But they have made the President’s job easier by being able to settle their differences on their own,” said the source.

In what looks like an unending supremacy battle, Muslims and Osun devotees again clashed in Ilorin penultimate weekend as Islamic cleric stormed Yemoja community in a bid to stop the traditional worshippers from performing their rites at a river in the community.

For the umpteenth time, a rowdy scene broke out when some Muslim clerics and Osun devotees clashed in the Yemoja area of Ilorin, Kwara State penultimate weekend. The latest clash occurred when some traditional worshippers performed some rites at Yemoja River, prompting the Muslims to confront the traditionalists at the river bank.

A group of Islamic clerics led by one Imam Baba Olokuta Agidi was said to have threatened to deal with the traditionalists if they did not desist from carrying out the rites at the river; a development that was said to have angered the traditionalists.

The cleric and some Muslim leaders had got wind of the activities of the Osun devotees through a video posted on social media, that they were making sacrifices at the river, but they did not know their exact location. Irked by the development, the Muslim leaders fruitlessly combed the town for three days to know the whereabouts of the Osun devotees.

Their search paid off penultimate Sunday when they were tipped off that the Osun devotees were visiting the river again. The Muslim clerics stormed the riverside and confronted the traditionalists.

A video obtained by our correspondent shows that a group of traditional religion worshippers also warned the Islamic clerics not to test their will.

“We are at the Iyemoja River, because we saw a footage posted on the social media wherein it was claimed that some people parading themselves as traditionalists came to this river to offer sacrifices and that they would be seriously dealt with. However, what amazes us is the fact that this river is called Yemoja River and not Zem Zem River (in Mecca, Saudi Arabia).

“As far as we are concerned the people behind the threat to poison the river with charms if we traditionalists come to carry out sacrifices here are just blabbing. They (Muslim clerics) should desist from issuing threats to us.

“Won’t passersby that drink from this Yemoja River die if the clerics make good their threat to poison this river just because we traditionalists come here to make appeasement?

“Do the Muslims intend to kill other people that drink from this Yemoja River? And what do Muslims want to do with this river by asking us not to come here and threatening to poison it?

“The Muslims are calling us idol worshippers, but we want to let them know that we are genuine indigenes of Ilorin. We are traditionalists and we can never be ashamed of our religion.

“Therefore, this Yemoja River we are standing beside, should any Muslim cleric come here to do evil to the water, such person would face calamity before he gets home.

“May water kill anyone that comes to this river to do evil. Anyone that attempts to poison this river because of us will be swept away alongside his children by the river.

“We traditional worshippers are peace loving people. Hence it is absurd to hear that some people have been threatening to kill those who come to carry out sacrifices here.

“We are warning you (Muslim clerics) to stop threatening us, because we also have charms that we inherited from our forebears and we might be forced to bring them out to liberate ourselves.

“As you can see, the water the Muslims said is laced with poisonous substance is what we are drinking now and nothing has happened to us.”

The traditionalists had barely finished their comments when a group of Muslim clerics stormed the scene and an altercation ensued. In the middle of the confrontation, the Muslim leaders led by Imam Baba Olokutaagidi again warned the traditionalists never to set their foot on the river again.

There was eruption of cacophony of voices as the Muslim leaders said they would resist any attempt by the traditionalist to use the river for sacrifices.

They said the Yemoja community where the river is located is not the name of the river. Rather, Imam Baba Olokutaagidi said the river is known as Odo (River) Oko Olowo.

Hear them: “We have come back to confront those idol worshippers at the Odo (River) Oko Olowo.

“This river is not where you idol worshippers can make sacrifices or appeasement at all.

“We will not tolerate that. We don’t want Osun river worshipping in Ilorin.”

When the confrontation subsided, Imam Baba Olokutaagidi reiterated that the traditional worshippers were not welcomed in the community.

He said: “The matter on ground does not call for altercation or fighting except you (traditionalists) want to fight, and we would advise you to bring it on because we are ready for you.

“The Mogaji (community leader) is here with us. He was duly turbaned by Ilorin monarch and he is a Muslim…”

In the course of the confrontation, one of the Muslim leaders at the scene interrupted Imam Baba Olokutaagidi declaring the traditional worshippers as persona non grata.

“We don’t want anything that has to do with do with idol worshipping at this river…we are also spiritually endowed but we chose to run away from trouble… I am not happy seeing you here and I do not want you to wait for too long here…

“We trailed you to this area and the presence of these clerics here means that the Emir of Ilorin is aware of their mission here…we have been seeing the sacrificial pots not far away from here, and a car crash just occurred this morning here (suggesting there is a link between the sacrifice and the accident).”

Continuing, Imam Baba Agba Olokutaagidi said that he was alerted to the activities of the traditional worshippers at the river three days earlier. Hence, he decided to trail them.

He said: “Three days ago, I was alerted that some idol worshippers were carrying out sacrifices at River (Yemoja) Oko Olowo. We tried in vain to locate the exact axis of the river until around 11pm when we saw a post on the social media which detailed how some idol worshippers robed in white apparel with heathen pots emerged from three commercial tricycles and went to this river to carry out sacrifices. Hence, I came to this river three days ago and threatened to lace the river with a poisonous substance.

“Any religious activity that is at variance with our religious beliefs in Ilorin that would make anyone to come and worship this river, such persons will end up leaving here with calamity.

“We brought some Tirah, which we intended to use to teach these idol worshippers a bitter lesson. Unfortunately, it started raining and we couldn’t bring out the Tirah as rain water could render it ineffective.

“We then promised that we shall return to confront the idol worshippers with our Tirah some other time when rain would not prevent us from bringing it out from the underneath of our dress to teach them a lesson. Hence we are here today.

“Although we are not your enemies, we would not accept anything that is ungodly from you. You cannot worship river goddess in Ilorin, the city of Alimi. We won’t accept it.

“What we know about Ilorin is that it is not a city of pagans. They cannot revive a culture of paganism that has long been eradicated in Ilorin.

“Prophet Muhammed (SWT) was instructed by Allah to eradicate paganism in Mecca and he did. So also paganism has long been cancelled here in Ilorin and cannot be revived again.

“We cannot ask those of you who are indigenes of Ilorin not to live here, but we cannot allow you people to give Ilorin a bad name.

“We don’t want to see anyone of you at this river anymore. If we hear that you idol worshippers carry out any sacrifice in any river anywhere in Ilorin, we will come for you and ensure that such persons become physically disabled when they get home.

“Although this community is called Yemoja, this river is not Yemoja River, and as such cannot be used as an excuse to worship it. The leaders of this community are here and you people should behave yourselves. We don’t want any celebration of Isese festival in Ilorin.”

The traditional ruler of Yemoja community, Alhaji Mogaji, explained that he tried in vain to prevent the traditionalists from carrying out sacrifices at the river.

“We learnt that they (Osun devotees) were at the river and that others were coming to this river in three commercial tricycles, and I asked my people to block the path to the river with logs of wood.

“When they eventually arrived, we denied them access to the river. However, their colleagues who had finished their propitiations and were coming from the riverside threatened that we would be swept away by the river if we tried to stop them and other Osun devotees from using the river, and we were upset by their comments.

“I was born and raised here in Yemoja Village and my forebears never offered sacrifices to this river. We are all Muslims in this community.”

However, the traditional worshippers vowed to resist any further attack or intimidation from Muslims who they claimed were fond of stopping them from freely practising their religion.

“The Muslim clerics said they had poisoned the river and that is why we went to the river and drank from it and nothing has happened to us as we speak.

“We traditional worshippers will never be afraid of Muslims. The fight has just begun and we will stand by our members in any part of Kwara State.

“Despite the attempts to stop us from using the river, we are also taking some steps on that matter and we will never be afraid of the Muslims.”

The latest clash trails a recent warning issued by a Muslim group to an Osun priestess not to go ahead with her plan to celebrate Isese (traditional) festival in Ilorin in her own interest.

The priestess, Yeye Adesikemi Olokun Omolara Olatunji, had reportedly released fliers on the social media announcing a three-day festival aimed at celebrating some Yoruba deities.

Members of the Muslim group Majlisu Shabab li Ulamahu Society had stormed the residence of the priestess Yeye to stop her from hosting the event and imposed a ban on any form of Isese traditional religion festivals in five local governments in Kwara State.

The four local governments are Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South and Asa.

Members of the group, in a viral video posted on Facebook a few weeks ago by one Arowolo Abdulfatai, said the visit followed reports of an imminent traditional festival known as Isese, which was to be hosted by the priestess.

The development has since been generating mixed reactions across the country with people speaking for or against the attempt to stop traditional worshippers from freely practising their religion.

Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, in an open letter to the Emir of Ilorin recently, condemned the development, saying: “It is sad to see the ancient city of Ilorin, a confluence of faiths and ethnic varieties, reduced to this level of bigotry and intolerance, manifested in the role of a presiding monarch.

“Your Royal Highness, it is conduct like this that has bred Boko Haram, ISIS, ISWAP and other religious malformations that currently plague this nation, spreading grief and outrage across a once peaceful landscape, degrading my and your existence with their virulent brand of Islam,” he said.

“It is conduct like this that has turned, before our very eyes, a once ecumenical city like Kaduna into a blood-stained mockery of cohabitation. It is conduct like this that makes it possible for a young student, Deborah, to be lynched in the very presence of armed police, on mere allegation of having belittled the image of a revered prophet.

OSun river

“It is action of this nature, perpetrated in obscure as well as prominent outlets of the nation that turns a young generation into mindless monsters, ever ready to swarm out and kill, kill, kill. Simply kill for the thrill of it, but under presumption of religious immunity.

“It is conduct like this that then nerves one extremist to wake up one day in a Scandinavian country, publicly announce his intention, and proceed to make a bonfire of copies of the Qur’an.

“Reprisals followed, equally mindless, trapping humanity in an ever-ascending spiral of costly but gleeful violence.”

He added: “…rein in those agents of division, of triumphalist intolerance, such as the Majlisu Shabab Ulamahu Society. There is a thin line between power and piety.”

“Call Yeye Ajasikemi OIokun Omolara to your side, make peace with her and make restitution whichever way you can for this grievous insult to our race. We know the history of Ilorin and the trajectory of your dynasty – but these are not the issues.

“The issue is peaceful cohabitation, respect for other worldviews, their celebrations, their values and humanity. The issue is the acceptance of the multiple facets of human enlightenment.”

When you think you have seen it all in our dearly beloved country, you realise you ain’t seen nothing yet. Every day, we keep coming up with the silliest of things. The spectacle at the federal high court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, July 25, wherein officials of two government agencies openly re-enacted a scene from WrestleMania, is one of the many things that make you thoroughly embarrassed being called a Nigerian. Is this the best we can do in a country of highly educated, enlightened and well-travelled people? Is this the limit of our capability? Or are we simply determined to turn Nigeria into a complete jungle where anything goes? No low is too low for us. When we go low, we go really low.

Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had finally been charged to court by the Department of State Services (DSS) after what looked like an eternity since his arrest. The judge granted him bail in the sum of N20 million and ruled that he be remanded specifically in Ikoyi prison — or what we have fancifully renamed “Correctional Centre” without substance — while perfecting his bail conditions. But as we have now become fully accustomed to, the DSS waited outside the courtroom to re-arrest Emefiele on another allegation that is not yet public. That makes it look like they were trying to hold on to him by any means necessary.

But wait for this. Prison warders started tussling with DSS operatives over Emefiele’s custody. Is there no formalised process of handing over a suspect from one agency to the other, with the help of paperwork? As some lawyers have pointed out, if the DSS refused to obey the court order, it was not in the place of the warders to seek to enforce it. It is Emefiele’s lawyers that would have to apply to the court for contempt proceedings against the secret police. The way the prison officials were hustling to take Emefiele away suggested that they had hit a jackpot. It was like a hunter catching a big game. The prison officials felt someone was trying to deny them their monumental catch.

A senior official of Ikoyi prison suddenly showed up at the court to help extract Emefiele from the DSS. The whole world ended up seeing his underwear as his uniform was ripped in the WrestleMania. Actually, the underwear of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) was also on display. In a viral article, a former Kuje prison detainee, who gave his name as Emeka Ugwuonye, said prison officials make a lot of money when a “big man” is detained at their facility. “They go out of their way to curry favour from such big men,” he wrote, listing some of the mutual benefits on offer when someone of Emefiele’s status is with them. These are things you can’t make up about Nigeria.

We have been hearing unpleasant tales of corruption in Nigerian prisons. Mr Femi Falana, a senior lawyer, alleged some time last year that some convicts never serve in jail. “When a judge pronounces a jail term,” he said, “before getting to Kirikiri, warders have an arrangement whereby some prepared young persons will replace the convict. That is the person that will enter the prison. He’s paid. Also, there’s a syndicate run by the defence counsel, prosecutors, warders and court clerks at court premises. Once the judge turns his back, the convict will pay these officials and walk back home.” The prison authorities have always denied these allegations. I wish I believed them.

The DSS, I now have to say, has not covered itself in glory in recent times with the way it has been handling certain matters, particularly issues bordering on the rule of law. While the service continues to insist that it has not broken any law and that it has continued to act within its legal mandate, that is not exactly the picture we are getting from the outside. There has been a slew of court orders which we believe the DSS has refused to obey, and re-arresting Emefiele in the court premises without informing us of the basis is not going to win them friends or earn them points. Nigerians deserve to know and understand why DSS does what it does. We don’t need the sensitive details.

There has been a running battle between the DSS and Emefiele since at least 2022 when the service sought a court order to interrogate him over allegations of terrorism and economic crimes. The court did not grant the order. Protesters believed to be working for Emefiele took to the streets to lampoon the DSS — something I think was unprecedented — and the battleline became very visible from then. Seeking to arrest a sitting CBN governor was also unprecedented. A Yoruba proverb, simply translated, says when you do what nobody has done before, you will see what nobody has seen before. It has been one bizarre drama or another since this cat-and-mouse game started.

I know that under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), suspects can be detained for only 48 hours before they are charged to court. However, they can be further detained for 14 days based on a detention warrant obtained from a court of law. This can be extended by another 14 days after which the suspect must be charged to court or released. The intention of the lawmakers is to make sure no citizen is detained endlessly. You either establish your case against the suspects or let them go. The law does not envisage the arrest and detention of a citizen for 30 days over one allegation, and a continuous re-arrest and re-detention every 30 days over every other allegation.

The Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act allows a suspect to be detained for 60 days with a court order. The suspect can be held for longer if investigation is still ongoing, but with a court order. We do not know under what law the DSS is holding Emefiele. We have not been told. But whatever it is, the tide is turning against the secret police and Emefiele is now enjoying sympathy from many quarters. Before the 2023 general election when Emefiele fronted the traumatic naira recolouring policy, he was easily one of the most disliked men in Africa. Nigerians were directing acidic insults and curses in his direction as they went through hell trying to access their cash in the banks.

Although Emefiele said the policy was routine as currencies are redesigned at regular intervals, he also made statements about stopping vote-buying which many read to mean he was targeting a particular candidate. In fact, Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu pointedly said the policy was directed at inflicting hardship on Nigerians to stop him from winning the presidential poll. But we all know that the way the presidential system works in an underdeveloped democracy, it is impossible for the CBN governor to change the colour of the currency without full presidential authorisation. Whether or not it was his idea, Emefiele could not have done it without President Muhammadu Buhari’s say-so.

Emefiele was so vocal that he became the poster boy of the devastating policy. Many branded it the policy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). It became a major campaign tool against Tinubu, the party’s candidate. The APC subsequently lost a significant number of votes especially in the north, believed to be the hardest hit region because of the heavy reliance on cash transactions. Tinubu still won. We didn’t need any prophecy to know that Emefiele would pay dearly. There was wild jubilation in the land when Emefiele was suspended by Tinubu on June 9 and arrested by the DSS the following day at his house in Ikoyi. It was as if Nigeria had won the FIFA World Cup.

But the way the DSS went about it — leaking the video of Emefiele’s arrival at the airport in a Hilux van before he was loaded on a jet to Abuja, with an operative showing off handcuffs that many believed would be used to chain him on board — got some sympathy for the CBN governor. Many felt this was an unnecessary humiliation and a raw display of power. And by keeping him for so long amidst running and confusing legal battles, the DSS has inadvertently diverted more sympathy to him. The longer the drama lasts, the more sympathy Emefiele gets — except the DSS is able to come up with loads of earth-shattering allegations that will be clear to all that Emefiele cannot defend.

In sum, none of the combatants in the Ikoyi WrestleMania should be given a medal. For one, the correctional service needs to undergo a customised overhaul. The rot stinks to high heavens. Also, the DSS should stop acting like they do not owe Nigerians any explanations. If there is a new offence they are investigating, we need to know. We don’t have to be told the fine details. Many were disappointed that Emefiele was charged with illegal possession of firearms rather than some horrendous crimes. I guess this is just a “holding” charge to keep him in detention while investigation continues. Something tells me they are still searching for the smoking gun (not literally) to nail him.

This is where the whole affair gets clumsy. In a modern society, a security agency should have enough on you before arresting and detaining you. And there is a limit to the length of detention before you are charged to court. Even then, you are still entitled to bail if it is a bailable charge. But in Nigeria, it seems you are first arrested and the search then begins for the evidence to keep you in detention and charge you to court. It is not just the DSS that does this. It has become the established order for Nigerian state agencies. Detain first, search for evidence later. We can do better than this. Because it is Emefiele that is at the receiving end in this instance, many people cannot be bothered.

Nevertheless, if the DSS doesn’t have any concrete case against Emefiele, they should just let him go. Otherwise, the only way the Emefiele drama will be read is that this is all about vendetta, and such a reading is not good for the Tinubu administration, for the DSS, for the judiciary and for the country. The DSS remains one of the most professional and efficient government agencies. They must not drop the ball. It is not about Emefiele. It is about law and order. It is about how a democratic society should run. The Ikoyi drama is too bizarre to be laughed off. It is too embarrassing to be wished away. It is too damaging to our justice system. It is too dramatic. No, Nigerians deserve better that this.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

MINISTERIAL MESS

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally sent the ministerial list to the senate on Thursday — one day to the constitutional deadline. It was incomplete and was tagged “first batch”, albeit the constitution does not say “send the first batch before 60 days”. We seem to have overlooked that. In any case, I am still trying to understand why it took Tinubu forever to name a cabinet. This is someone who said being Nigeria’s president was his life ambition and had been declared winner since March 1. If there was no constitutional timeframe, he probably would have beaten President Muhammadu Buhari’s “GWR” cabine-thon set in 2015. Buhari sent his own list four months after inauguration. Startling.

PETROL PARTY

Obviously, it was not just our neighbouring countries that were having a ball with our petrol subsidy regime. According to a Reuters report, many refineries in Europe were also feeding on our ineptitude and the billion-dollar bazaar. But the removal of the subsidy — which has badly hit millions of Nigerians, especially the poorest, as a result of increased transportation and feeding costs — has left many European refineries vulnerable as demand has dropped by a quarter. The oil traders would also lose: we were giving them crude in exchange for petrol, which is just one of the thousands of products from a barrel. We can now export our oil properly and earn some revenue in forex. Sense.

THE JACKBOOTS

On Wednesday, soldiers from Republic of Niger’s presidential guard said they had deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in an apparent coup. This is yet another affront on democracy by ambitious soldiers. West Africa is increasingly becoming a hotbed of military rule, with similar coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Guinea in recent years. Some of us who grew up under military regimes in Nigeria can relate with the impact on the people. The soldiers usually come with beautiful promises. The gullible warmly embrace them. It does not take more than a year or two for many citizens to realise that the worst form of democracy is better than the best military dictatorship. Fired!

AND FINALLY…

Did you see the video of Mrs Stella Okotete, former executive director of Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), when news broke that she had made the ministerial list? If you didn’t, what a miss! She lifted up holy hands, broke into tongues, psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in her mouth to the Good Lord who does wonders without number. The Delta state nominee acted like someone who had been praying all her life to have the opportunity to serve her country and put her quota into national development. She was so emotional. The only charitable conclusion is that she loves Nigeria so patriotically and would serve the country with heart and might. LOL.

The Nigerian police force public relation unit of the force headquarters released a publication some days back which was signed by the force public relations officer,  ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi stating that the force is coming after a famous skit maker Mr Abdulgafar Abiola, aka cute Abiola and will prosecute him for always wearing the Nigerian police force uniforms in some of his skits and painting the Nigerian police in a bad light.

Many people have raised concern as to the reason the police force headquarters would want to go after a skit maker for shooting his skits dubbing a police attire. Some said that it is all entertainment and that the police have no jurisdiction or power to arrest and prosecute a person merely because that person dubbed a police attired to shoot a video. 

Now let’s push emotions and sentiments aside and see what the law says about this acts of using police uniforms or any other law enforcement agency uniform for skits or for whatever reasons;

Section 251 of the Criminal Code Act which was captioned, Bringing contempt on the uniform, states thus; 

Any person who, not being a person serving in any of the armed or police forces of Nigeria, wears the uniform of any of these forces, or any dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or other distinctive marks of any such uniform, in such manner or in such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt on that uniform, or employs any other person so to wear such uniform or dress, is guilty of a simple offense, and is liable to imprisonment for three months or to a fine of forty naira.

Subsequently, the Penal Code in its Section 133 provides as follows;

Whoever not belonging to a certain class of public officer wears any dress or carries a token resembling a dress or token used by that class of public officer with the intention that it may be believed that he belongs to that class of public officer, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to forty naira or with both.

Both the criminal code applicable in the South and the penal code applicable in the North criminalizes the use of police uniforms or any other force agency uniform for skit-making, content creation or for whatever reasons. The punishment for this offense as provided by law is a 3-6 months imprisonment term or a fine of 40 naira or both. 

The offense committed when a person who is not in any law enforcement agency in Nigeria wears a force uniform for whatever reason is contempt of the uniform and impersonation of an officer. To   that extent, anybody who wants to shoot a movie, skit or whatever reason that would warrant that person to dub on a police uniform or any other force uniform but obtain express consent from the law enforcement agency or risk getting prosecuted for the offense of bringing contempt to the force uniform and impersonation of an officer of the law. 

We are deeply concerned about the negative tilting of a very harmless statement by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, about his deep concern and that of the Senate on the plight of the ordinary Nigerians as a result of the prevailing economic situation In the country.

The statement "Let The People Breathe" made during Plenary on 26th July 2023, was made by Senator Akintunde Abiodun while speaking on the motion to halt the planned electricity tariff hike.

We want to assure the general public that all matters discussed during Senate sessions are of utmost importance and are treated with great seriousness by the President of the Senate and his Distinguish. colleagues.

It is crucial to clarify that the intentions of the mover of the motion and the com-ments of the President of the Senate were never to make light of the hardships, suffering and economic challenges faced by Nigerians at this critical juncture.

The purpose of the proposal was to firmly reject any plan of Increasing electricity tariffs for Nigerians, considering the ongoing economic challenges that Nigerians are faced with.
The primary focus of the current National Assembly under the Chairmanship of Senator Akpabio is on the implementation of effective and well-structured policies that truly benefit the people. He has repeatedly assured Nigerians that the current Senate will work for all Nigerians.

The President of the senate deeply empathises with Nigerians and has never considered the current economic crisis in the country as a matter of jest. His unwaver-ing commitment lies in serving the best interests of the Nigerian people with the release of the ministerial list and the subsequent screening and swearing-in of the ministers, we have high hopes that the newly appointed officials will promptly ad-dress the challenges and bring the much needed relief and succour to all citizens, thereby, easing the current hardship and pains experienced by Nigerians.

Signed,

Media Unit

Love potion. Is it real? Does it still work? Can a wife be that mean as to administer it on the man she married, the father of her children? Love potion, if you ask me, is like magun, only those who live to tell the story know that it is still efficient.

This is a major sensitive subject. It is one that rubs many people , especially men, the wrong way. It is one of the topics that earned me a warning from one of my close friends, Steve.

‘You want to be teaching our wives bad bad things, right?’ He once scolded me.

Well, it is not like that. This is an age-old sensitive matter in marriages. It is spiritual. It is real does not matter what the Gen-Z thinkers think. It may not be as common place as it once was but who wants to dare it, whether it still works or not? Who wants to be the guinea pig volunteer so we can finally chalk it up as a scientific find?

By the time Jane discovered that she had made the one wrong choice that had led to a dozen more wrong choices, it was too late to cry. In the beginning, she thought it was love. Toye was all over her, refused to let her spend her money. He assured her he was going to pick all her bills, that that was the way he was raised.  All Jane’s friends were green with envy. After the wedding, Toye’s true colours started emerging. First he wanted Jane to quit her job. She didn’t need it. He was picking all the bills already. Jane resisted. She kicked. She begged. She refused to stop going to work. That was when the demons strolled out of Toye’s closet, in a fine line. It started with the occasional slaps. Then he made good his threat to lock her out of their apartment. The embarrassment was indescribable for her. She slept on her balcony all night. Toye made sure of it. After that things move from bad to worse.

Toye wanted his breakfast to be ready by 7a,m and his lunch packed by the time he finished breakfast. He didn’t want the housekeeper touching his food in any way or at any stage. Jane k new she was in trouble but she didn’t want her friends to know. How do you tell your friends who thought you married a keeper that your husband is actually a killer?  She concealed her pain and maintained the façade. If she had a party with the girls at the same time she was wearing a black eye or her arm was in a sling courtesy Toye’s raging fists, she would come up with a gigantic lie, like she and her mother-in-law were going to see ‘mama’s cardiologist.

Then came the day she knew she must be ready to die in her marriage or must do something about it. Jane had fallen ill and gone to the hospital in a taxi because her husband always locked all car keys up somewhere or took them to the office. She was asleep from all the drugs and injections when Toye arrived hungry and angry. Jane had not cooked. What effrontery? He dragged her out of bed, down the stairs into the kitchen and ordered her to make dinner. A sick, groggy woman dragged down the stairs and locked in the kitchen. You got the picture, right? Of course, all Jane could do was lean on the kitchen island and cry bitter tears. Bitter tears don’t make dinners. No dinner meant more walloping for Jane and Toye really beat her that night.

After three days in bed, Jane decided to seek counsel and a way out of her troubled marriage. You see, there was an ‘aunty adugbo’ a neighbourhood big sister whose husband used to be a beast but is now a ‘born-again’ husband. Jane took her burden to big aunty and pleaded with her to teach her what she did that made her husband now caring and loving. Long story short, Toye is now a born again husband. He no longer beats his wife. If she goes to work or even a party and is not back by midnight, Toye waits outside, harmattan or downpour, on the balcony for Jane. Toye cooks and cleans now. He calls Jane honey and sweetheart. If Jane says he should not go out, he stays home. Jane decides when he goes to hang out with the boys and once she blows the whistle, he packs his things and returns to his ‘honey’. Imagine the man who once pulled his wife’s newly braided hair until she wept like a baby now opening the door for her, carrying her bags and massaging her feet and back every day after work?

Did you say it is not ‘ordinary eye’? Ah, that’s my point exactly. It was also not ‘ordinary eye’ when he was pummeling another woman’s daughter, was it?

Women in abusive relationships react to their pains in different ways. Some pray and hope that God will change the man. Some just bear the punches until they die or end up in a psychiatric ward.  Some talk about their pain. Many cover the gashes and scars. Some leave in the night while others have been known to kill their abusers in fits of frustrated rage.

The group under discussion here are those who opt for self-help by changing their husbands with dark magic. They call it love potion. I call it changing your husband’s heart and forcefully remolding him The only problem is the ‘dosage’ and ‘directions for use’ of this dark magic do not specify the ‘spec’ you will end up with. Too often we’ve heard of a once confident man becoming a super-mumu, fool who the wife does not even recognize. A remodeled abusive husband is usually extremely different from his original self. But if their wives like the pimped version, who are we to explain?    

All it takes, I heard, is a sprinkle of the life-changing powder in the food of the abusive bully. In the case of Toye, the powder was put in his  favourite soup, seafood okro .  Now, he’s a  pimped, prim and proper husband.

My stand has always been this. A man who will be fed with love potion always asks for it. Good husbands, responsible fathers do not end up with belly-full of dark magic powder. A loving man who does what he should do when he should do it is not a problem his wife wants to solve. A man who protects and respects his wife will not be changed to a model his mother will not recognize.

These are the men who are likely to be served love potion along with their dinner, today or in no distant future.

Men who beat their wives regularly or irregularly.

Men who disappear from home to hibernate with side chicks for weeks.

Men who impregnate multiple women without marrying or catering for them or their children.

Men who think they are special gifts to women and so should take and not give back in  a relationship or marriage.

Rich, fine young men who are known for breaking hearts of women who trust and truly love them.

For a while these iniquitous men may get away with their bad ways but the day they meet their match or waterloo, their ‘ofada’ rice stew or ‘ofe nsala’ or groundnut soup will be spiced with love potion. And that’s when they become good husbands by force, washing toilets and driving madam to the market and waiting until she finishes shopping.

Guys, I’m not interested in any debate over whether love potion exists or if it works or not. I’m just a concerned mum trying to do my bit.  Whatever names medical doctors call ‘magun’, it has been seen in action including its cousin that glues a man and a woman together via their private pens and ink-pot, until they become a spectacle.

Isn’t it just better to change your ways, your bad manners, my brother, before your wife changes it for you with just a pinch of powder? And fellow mothers, let’s pull our sons, wards, brothers’ ears before they are pimped into models we can’t recognize. Let’s stop encouraging these young men to do evil things in the name of tradition. Their wives are their partners, not commodities. These Gen-Z girls are wired differently. Let’s not push them into taking matters into their own hands. As for recalcitrant men who like to test fate, go on, keep abusing your wife physically and mentally, when you have had a full dose of the dark powder, and you start your Mondays with sorting your wife’s coloured pants and bra from the whites, we will be here to cheer you up.

On Saturday (today), the Department of State Services (DSS) grilled the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo.

Naija News learnt that Ododo was invited to the office of the DSS for investigation over a petition against him reportedly by some members of the opposition party in the state.

Confirming the event, the spokesperson to the Kogi State Government, Kingsley Fanwo, took to his social media page to reveal that Ododo willingly honoured an invitation by the DSS.

However, Fanwo, who accompanied the APC governorship candidate to the DSS office, did not reveal the allegations in the petition. He rather described the allegations as “frivolous and unfounded”, maintaining that the APC governorship candidate honoured the invitation by DSS “to respect a constituted authority.”

Fanwo explained on his Facebook page that Ododo was drilled by a team of Operatives at the DSS for hours, “and he gave convincing explanations to the interrogators.”

He was thereafter allowed to go by the DSS operatives.

Fanwo’s Facebook post read: “The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo today honoured the invitation of the DSS to answer questions regarding a petition against him by some members of the opposition.

“The DSS invited him, and as a law-abiding citizen who is aspiring to lead the state, he honoured the invitation.

The allegations contained in the petition are frivolous and unfounded, but it was incumbent on the APC Governorship Candidate to respect a constituted authority such as the DSS.

“Alh. Ododo was drilled by a team of operatives at the DSS for hours, and he gave convincing explanations to the interrogators.

“We commend the professionalism of the DSS and pledge our cooperation to whatever measures taken, or that would be taken to ensure a peaceful Kogi and a peaceful poll in November 2023.

“We assure supporters of the APC GOVERNORSHIP candidate that he has since left the DSS Office to continue his consultations with Kogites ahead of the Guber poll. Our commitment to peace and tranquillity is ironcast. Every Kogite and every supporter of Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo should endeavour to be peaceful in all their activities towards the election.”