The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Julius Abure, has urged members of the party to be alert, following information available to him that the All Progressives Congress, APC, was already preparing for a possible re-run of the 2023 presidential election.

This, he explained, was because the ruling party was aware the tide was heavily tilted against it in the ongoing legal challenge to the presidential election results as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Abure said this during an online meeting held with Nigerian-American Coalition for Justice and Democracy, led by Professor Eddie Oparaoji, the Labour Party Diaspora Chairman in the United States, in Abuja yesterday.

Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement quoted Abure as calling on the over 10 million members of the party to be “on the alert and get ready to further humiliate APC and its government in the polls if their sinister plot fails to materialize.”

He said: “Rumours have it that those in government are already planning for rerun and this is one of the support we will be canvasing from you.

“We should also be getting prepared because since all those in government are already preparing for rerun, we should not be taken unawares.

“So, we will be needing your engagement and support on this aspect if par adventure it happens today, that the election is nullified which is not what we are asking for because we are asking for an outright declaration of Peter Obi as the President of Nigeria.

“We believe strongly that we won that election given the statistics we have, given the result we have, we are not expecting anything less than the declaration of Peter Obi as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But supposing that didn’t happen as the government is believed to be planning for a rerun it will not also be out of place for we to be preparing for a rerun election.

“Having said this by the side, I must say clearly that we have put all our evidence before the court we are very hopeful that the tribunal will act on our favour.

“We are very hopeful that supposing the matter gets to the higher court, the Supreme Court, in this case, it will also act in our favour. We are keeping our hope and confidence alive.

“In nine months we are able to change the political narratives of this country and we must build on that successes and so that we can have a more formidable party that we can strategically position fro the downtrodden people of Nigeria.”

In his contribution to the discussion, the Director of ObiDatti Presidential Campaign, Ambassador Oseloka Obaze, urged Obi-Datti members in diaspora to see the struggle for recovering of the party’s mandate as a collective responsibility and one that no one could actually abandoned for any other reason

He said: “Great countries of the world are built by the citizens of the country and I think we have in the diaspora enormous human capital. What we need to do is to be able to harvest them bring them home and make Nigeria to be a great place.

“The process is on going, the campaign to change this nation is not just an event, it is a process, a long drawn process. How long it is going to last, we don’t know, but I think what we serve as the most and best is to remain focused on our various sectors; you that are in diaspora do what you can do to support us, we that are in the trenches, we will continue to keep the ground.”

Also, the chairman of the Nigerian-American Coalition for Justice and Democracy, Professor Oparaoji, in his speech, titled ‘’Fostering a purposeful diaspora partnership for a new Nigeria’’, said the group in partnership with all Obidients in diaspora had the potential to contribute significantly to Nigerian’s development.”

“Through advocacy, human rights promotion, capacity building, investment, education and healthcare support, diaspora engagement, and policy advocacy, we can play a crucial role in fostering Democratic governance, justice, and socio-ecobomic progress in Nigeria.

“With our diverse network and resources, our diaspora community can be a catalyst for positive change and contribute to Nigeria’s long term development goal of powering up that new Nigeria of our dream,’’ he said.

A United States-based Nigerian, Mr. Bamidele Famose, has raised the alarm over alleged corrupt practices by some local government officials in Ogun State, parading themselves as task force officials to extort motorists.

He called on the Police to carry out a detailed investigation that would expose the perpetrators.

Bamidele, who is on a visit to Nigeria, narrated how the task force officials extorted N67,000 from him, last Wednesday, while he was travelling from Osun State to Lagos.

In a petition to Ogun State Commissioner of Police, he narrated: “I bring to the attention of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Ogun State Government, civil society organisations, Nigerian Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, and the anti-corruption agencies, a case of criminal extortion by officials of Ogun State Task Force in the most savage and terrorist manner.

“I came home to Nigeria last week to attend to some personal business. I usually stay in Osogbo, Osun State, whenever I am in Nigeria. On July 4, 2023, I received a phone call from my shipping agent that my goods had arrived from the US and that I must take possession before 12 noon on July 5, 2023.

“I left Osogbo the following day at 5.30am., for Lagos. I got to Ojodu Berger by 10.30am. There was heavy traffic, vehicles were taking a detour.

“Since I was not too familiar with the area, I decided to slow down my speed and drove slowly by the side of the road, during which I beckoned on one of the security personnel controlling the traffic, for assistance.

“A man in mufti with a tag on his neck with the inscription ‘TASK FORCE’ came to attend to me. I greeted him first and inquired from him if the detour would take me to Oshodi. He said yes and then gladly offered to personally escort me to a safe and easier route to Oshodi, on the condition that I would give him transportation fare back, which I agreed to do. I immediately gave him N1,000.

“He entered my car and introduced himself as Mr. Ajayi from Ilesa, Osun State. Coincidentally, I am also from Ilesa. We struck a rapport. I thought I had found a reliable companion.

“To my consternation, he turned out to be a scammer. He later asked where l was coming from. I told him Osogbo. Instantly, his body language changed, as he perceived me to be a soft target to be scammed.
“He pretended to show me the quicker route to Oshodi, but took advantage of my little knowledge of the area and innocent trust to take me to the VIO office at No 4. Odozi Street, Ojodu Abiodun, Ogun State.

“As soon as I drove in, the entrance gate was shut in a banditry style. My vehicle was surrounded by four dangerously looking men. They pounced on my vehicle.

“He beckoned on a man in mufti, who he later introduced as his boss. The man asked for my offense. He lied. He told him that I parked by the road side without putting on the hazard light. Immediately, the boss ordered the four men to deflate the four tires of my vehicle, to which they respectfully obeyed.

“The boss later brought out a printed sheet of paper, where he showed me the penalty for the alleged offense, which he claimed was N250,000. He said because I was a first offender, I should pay the least amount on the paper, which was N67,000. Thereafter, he called a young man to do the capturing and other verifications of me.

“I told him that I did not commit any
crime and narrated my story. He was not ready to listen to my version. His actions were predetermined.

“When I considered my appointment with my shipping agent, the nightfall, the risk of staying with menacing and cruel people and, as a non violent, responsible adult, I was coerced to submit to his whims by pleading with him to accept the only N30,000 that I had with me.

”He accepted the N30,000 cash but still refused to let me off the entrapment. He demanded more money. I was forced to cough out N67,000 fully paid. They demanded my ATM and said I could use it to pay. They surrounded me and, in the midst of the threats, I feared for my life.

“After the extortion, I demanded for an official receipt, if the full payment is made, and he agreed to it. I told him to allow me to go to the bank to withdraw the money, but he refused and called a POS lady to do the transaction.

“At 11.55am. on July 5, 2023, the sum of N37,000 was withdrawn through the POS transaction, plus the N30,000 cash, making a total of N67,000.

“Thereafter, he called the Vulganiser to inflate my tires and ordered the gateman to open the gate. When I demanded for the official receipt, he refused to give me one and told me to be grateful that he was being lenient with me by asking me to pay the lowest penalty.

“I was reliably informed that this is the usual practice by the Ogun State Task Force and that daily, Nigerians are humiliated, extorted and bruised by this notorious rogue cell.

“How can Nigeria lay claim to developing the country and encouraging foreign investments, when those coming from abroad to do business are pushed to the tunnel of death and anguish by government agencies?

“I am using this medium to submit an official petition to the police to do a detailed investigation of this matter,” he stated.

When the Ogun State Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer, VIO, Gboyega Adetimeh, was contacted, he said the matter had nothing to do with the VIO, but authority of the Ifo LGA of the state.

He clarified that “VIO doesn’t use the Task Force to discharge its duties.”

Speaking on the development, the Council Chairman, Mrs. Kikelomo Delana, said when she got wind of the incident on Saturday, she order stoppage of all forms of revenue generation in the area.

She said: “When I stopped them, some community leaders from the area called me on phone and said they were in support of the activities of the illegal revenue officers, because of illegal parking of motorists in the area.“

On his part, a senior official in the local government, who pleaded anonymity said the Federal, state and local governments have revenue officers in the Ojodu-Abiodun area.

He noted that when the man paid a huge sum of N67,000, without collecting receipt, how will they be sure that those who collected the money were local government officials.

The last time Ms Hilda Effiong Bassey featured in this column was in a piece titled “Tales The Country Told Me: Hilda Baci and Seun Kuti” (ThisDay, May 16) wherein I commented on her courage and heroism for using her culinary skills to bring herself to global attention by breaking the Guinness World Record in cooking, what has now become known as cook-a-thon. Hilda Baci, 27, cooked for 100 hours at the Amore Gardens, Lekki, Lagos, from Thursday, May 10, till Monday, May 13. 2023. Her exploit was a big social media event, a big, welcome distraction for a Nigerian community that was becoming weary of corrosive and febrile politics arising from the country’s 2023 general elections. Celebrities trooped to the venue of the cooking marathon for photo opportunities. Hilda Baci became an instant celebrity too. Many defied the heavy rainfall to support her.

As it turned out, the Guinness World Record, after assessing her submissions ruled that she had in fact made up to 93 hours, 11 minutes - seven hours short of her target but remarkable enough to dethrone the then cooking marathon champion - Indian Chef Tata Landon who set the existing world record of 87 hours, 45 minutes in 2019. Ms Baci became an instant megastar. She won endorsements. She was given a royal reception by her home state of Akwa Ibom. She even got to meet billionaires and because she is backed by a good social media team, and looks really stunning, stylish, a head-turner in appearance on top of everything, she generated so much excitement. Some people tried to cash in on her fame by organizing a “Meet and Greet Hilda Baci” event for an admission fee which she promptly turned down. She has since been reported as using her celebrity status to raise funds for widows, by cooking more. She has since received her certificate from the GWR. I wrote in praise of Ms. Baci’s creativity, how through sheer imagination and effort she got transformed from being a great unknown into a global figure. But I have since noticed an emergent Hilda Baci syndrome that speaks to the character of the average Nigerian, and this is a problem, an abnormality. Not long after Hilda Baci was recognized by the GWR, the Hilda instinct started crawling out of many Nigerians who wanted to be like her. These persons have since turned the country into one big kitchen of emergency cooks. It is not funny. It is beginning to look like the spread of mass psychosis! Ms Tata Landon kept the record for marathon cooking from 2019 – 2023. Nigerians are not even allowing Ms Baci to enjoy a month of fame, before they started rolling out their own kitchen utensils in larger numbers to displace her.

By June 9, another Nigerian lady, Ms. Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy had entered the kitchen in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State with the mind to cook for 120 hours and prove that she could do better than Hilda Baci of Akwa Ibom State. She did 120 hours, June 9 -13.! The people of Ekiti were excited. They had produced their own marathon cook, so they thought. Chef Dammy was celebrated by the First Lady of Ekiti State. The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Oye Ekiti, Professor Sunday Abayomi Fashina led a delegation of University Council Members to visit Chef Dammy, a student of the university, to thank her for putting the university on the global map. Imagine a whole university throwing its weight behind a cooking event. Ekiti persons in diaspora also expressed their excitement with one of them sending a return ticket to the US and N500, 000 in appreciation, someone else sent a gift of N1 million but as Chef Dammy herself disclosed later, she didn’t make up to N2 million. She also got some endorsements. But she did not displace Chef Baci. What she got instead was a statement from Guinness World Record advising that anyone who wants to break a record must first apply and follow due process. Chef Dammy did not. She was courageous, but hers was a waste of time and energy, more or less. She has however threatened to cook again in July and follow due process. We were told in an official statement by her handlers that “Chef Dammy is coming back!”. But before then, other cooks have since stepped into the fray. In Ile-Oluji, Ondo State, Ms Adeola Adeyeye, aka Chef Deo announced a 150-hour cooking marathon again to beat Hilda Baci. Unlike Chef Dammy of Oye-Ekiti, Chef Deo followed due process and took the precaution of informing the Guinness World Record, hence from June 30 2023 – July 7, she too started cooking round the clock and crossed the 150-hour mark. If she submits her evidence to the GWR, she could break Ms. Baci’s record and become the new champion.

But again, she is not alone. About the same time that she applied to GWR, an Ogbomoso-based chef, Temitope Adebayo also applied for a 140-hour cooking marathon, and his application was verified but it is just that he has been asked to wait till November 2023 before he enters the kitchen. He says he is ready and he has been taking lessons in endurance and stamina building. He is probably thinking of extending his advertised 140 hours, to surpass Chef Deo of Ondo who is expecting a response from GWR. Generally, this is very much like what Nigerians refer to as a “wahala be like bicycle” situation, and understandably, the obsession of young Nigerians (age range 26 -31) with cooking marathon has generated comedy skits with one Chef Damilda Adeoci clowning around on instagram that he intends to break the cooking record by 363 hours, 11 minutes. There is never a shortage of humour around here. Nigerians joke with everything and everything. But there are others who do not think this is a joke who have proposed other options in pursuit of a Guinness World Record. Here are a few examples, because nobody knows what may still come up tomorrow: At the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) a computer science lecturer, Joshua Hassan Bature is now proposing a 150- hour teaching marathon which he calls ‘aca- a-thon”. The GWR people have given him an October 16, 2023 date. I hope “Lecturer 150 hours” would have enough audience for his computer jargon.

Similarly, one Oluwatobi Kufeji, Alejo Pataki, is proposing a 200-hour singing marathon. He calls his proposal: “Praise Worship-a-Thon”. There is also Joyce Ijeoma, the Nigerian lady who wanted to set a record for the longest hours for body massaging. She collapsed in the process and had to be revived! There is also a lady from Benue State, Treasure Joseph who says she wants to set a record for the longest video on instagram with a target of 125 hours between July 5 -9. Woli Arole – I want to believe that one is truly clowning, has also been quoted as saying that he wants to do a “Prayer-a-thon” for 5, 000 hours. Please, who has to pray to God for 5, 000 hours before he answers? The Catechist taught us that God sees our mind. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. Apparently, whatever God Woli Arole worships needs over 5, 000 hours before he can hear His children’s pleas. But the more ridiculous aspect of all this is that the Hilda Baci syndrome has since gone across the border. Nigeria is the main leader in West Africa and to a great extent in Africa. Other countries within the sub-region look up to us. That is probably one of the reasons why President Tinubu is now the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments, within 41 days of his assumption of office as President. It also probably explains why when our President decided to remove fuel subsidy on May 29, some motorcyclists in Cameroon had the temerity to stage a public protest to question President Tinubu, asking him to reverse himself because the economic policy in Nigeria is not in their best interest in Cameroon.

It further makes sense to see why and how the Nigerian Hilda Baci syndrome has crossed the border. In Cameroon, a 25-year-old lady who wants to be the Hilda Baci of Yaounde has now announced a sex-a-thon. She wants to have sex with able-bodied, strong men for 200 hours non-stop. She wants strong men to line up. In Ghana, another lady is proposing “eat-a-thon.” How did we get here please? Nigeria is now a country that is exporting psychosis to demonstrate leadership? Other countries are demonstrating leadership in cutting edge science and technology, artificial intelligence, and global politics, we are here, a country of over 200 million people, with youths that are obsessed with cooking, prayers, singing, sex and a culture of frivolity. Nigeria should not become a sub-regional leader that exports mass, intercontinental psychosis. Can anyone in fact believe the fact that in this country today, one Nigerian lady is now launching what she calls “snails--a-thon”? She wants to cook and fry snails for 500 hours and get into the Guinness Book of World Records. At least one person has called on the Nigerian government to stop the madness from spreading further. Not many would disagree, and we already have an example in this regard.

In Ekiti state, one guy called Sugartee showed up the other day proposing to organize what he called a 72-hour “kiss-a-thon”, that is a kissing marathon. The same Ekiti state government that accommodated the cooking competition by Chef Dammy and the proposed lecture marathon by lecturer Bature immediately stepped forward to ban the proposed kissing marathon as “unhealthy, absurd and an attempt to denigrate the image of Ekiti State.” In my view, the Gov. Biodun Oyebanji administration acted rightly in the interest of public morality. Coincidentally, the GWR itself had banned kissing world records among its categories because of the risks involved. It has since accommodated a revised kiss-a-thon but with a different set of rules, and procedures. While individuals have the right to express themselves, it is also important to stress that there are no absolute rights. As the Ekiti state government has done in the case of the so-called “kiss-a-thon”, the Nigerian government must draw a line in the sand with regard to all the GWR psychosis that has overtaken the country. Danny Lammy of Cameroon for example is calling on strong men to come over and have free sex for 200 hours. If any Nigerian man shows up at that free sex event, assuming it eventually happens, such a Nigerian male citizen should be arrested on his return for engaging in an act that is against public morality and the order of nature. When the accused person gets to court, he and his lawyers can go and argue their case about jurisdiction, human rights and morality. What nonsense!

The real problem is that Nigeria is a troubled country and the evidence shows in the psychotic conduct of its people. It was Aristotle who told us that “imitation is a form of flattery”, and in addition that “a child learns by imitation”. The people imitating Hilda Baci and seeking a Guinness World Record are not children. It appears they are envious people, lacking in originality who simply want to pull down Hilda Baci, and prove that they are better than her. Envy. Jealousy. Desperation. In a country where inflation is galloping, and more people are slipping into the poverty trap, salaries and pensions are not paid, it must not be too surprising that the young people have become so desperate they would imitate anything that can bring a little fame and opportunity. Hilda Baci cooks for hours, gets famous, everyone else rushes to the kitchen. It is an emergent trait in our land. People don’t think. They copy. If you set up a business, and you seem to be doing well, before you know it, everyone in the neighbourhood would set up a similar shop. And if they have their way, they will stop at nothing to pull you down, in typical crab-mentality fashion. It is a crime to succeed at anything in Nigeria. And it is in every facet of our lives: in politics, business, academia and even in personal relationships. When as a politician, you give people opportunities to also grow and rise, the next thing they would be gunning for is to dethrone and send you into retirement while they move past you. Many friends whose colleagues die, pretend to be helping the widow, but their main interest is to take over the wife whom they have always been eyeing by the way. This is the root of the psychosis.

Worse still, this character flaw is often justified as did the kiss-a-thon Sugartee of Ekiti state. After the state government banned his proposed programme he later came forward to say that he actually did not want to organize any kissing marathon. He, being a musician, would ordinarily have proposed a singing marathon, but if he said he wanted to sing, nobody would have paid any attention. So, he had to announce a kissing marathon which got him the attention and influence that he needed. “People now know Sugartee,” he said. “In this country, you need something to get people to talk about you.” Sugartee also reported that he was invited to the Ekiti State Government House, and that he, the same man that the past administration in the state ignored, is now being invited by the new administration. And he has the effrontery to take the people for a ride and promote a scam? Sugartee and others like him who have turned the pursuit of a Guinness World Record into an opportunity for clout-chasing, misrepresentation and deception should be made to face the full wrath of the law. There are too many jobless people in this country, particularly among the younger generation who are willing and ready to turn everything into a joke. Can we all get serious for once please? Administrators of The Guinness World Record also have an obligation to review their procedures and introduce more stringent rules to protect public morality and humanistic values. Nigerian youths have a bigger obligation to dig deeper into our culture as Africans to evoke and embrace profound authenticity, innate resourcefulness and heritage that we have across board instead of competing viciously for Western style-records that come across as a validation of their own limitations rather than true strength.

Former Governor of Ekiti, Ayo Fayose has slammed critics asking him to give account of how he appropriated funds during his tenure as governor of the State.

Fielding questions on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Sunday, furious Fayose told his critics to “go to court” adding that he made his money outside politics.

When asked if he would publish details of how he administered state funds as Ekiti governor, he answered; “That’s a very meaningless question. They have charged me to court, anybody that is not satisfied should also take me to court.

“How can I be explaining how I spent (Ekiti money)? I was one governor that never borrowed a dime. Ekiti people cannot forget me for the good works I did.

“Do you (referring to the anchor) think I’m a pauper? I made my money before you became a presenter. So don’t go there at all. If anybody’s money is missing, let them go to court.”

The PDP chieftain and his company, Spotless Investment Limited are being prosecuted over an alleged N6.9 billion fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on July 2, 2019, re-arraigned Fayose and Spotless on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering and stealing.

The defendants were first arraigned on October 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.

The case was later adjourned till May 8 and 9 and June 6, 8, 2023 for continuation of trial.

President Bola Tinubu, on Monday evening, returned to Abuja after a two-day official visit to Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

President Tinubu arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 6:30p.m., aboard the NAF 001 Boeing 737 jet.

While in Bissau, the President was unanimously named the new Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, making him one of the fastest into that office, after the election into office as President of any of the member-states.

After accepting the role of Chairman of the Authority, Tinubu pledged to bear the responsibility of the office and run an inclusive administration of the regional organisation.

He warned that terrorism and the persistent pattern of coup d’etat in the region had reached alarming levels, demanding urgent and concerted action.

He argued that insecurity and creeping terrorism were stunting the progress and development of the sub-region, necessitating collective action from member-states.

While decrying the emerging pattern of coup d’etat in West Africa, Tinubu charged ECOWAS to stand firm in defence of democracy.

“There is no one among us who did not campaign to be a leader. We didn’t give our soldiers resources, we didn’t invest in them, in their boots, in their training to violate the freedom of the people,” he said.

According to him, the military turning its guns against civil authorities violates the principles upon which they were hired, which is to defend the sovereignty of their nations.

“We must not sit in ECOWAS as toothless bulldogs,” he added.

He urged his counterparts to strengthen their respective democratic institutions and ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Tinubu said his one-year tenure “will enhance engagements with the countries in transition (Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso) to ensure their quick return to democratic rule.”

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd in a statement on Monday confirmed that a private security contractor engaged by the corporation intercepted a suspicious Vessel with a Cargo of Crude oil.

The NNPC Ltd in a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad said the cargo was heading to Cameroun with the Cargo on board when it was apprehended at an offshore location.

According to Muhammad, the vessel has been carrying out the illegal operation for the past twelve years.

The statement added that preliminary investigation has it that the oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore Ondo State, Nigeria. There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the Crude Oil Cargo onboard at the time of the arrest.

The Captain and Crew members were all on board when the arrest was made.

Below is the full statement by the NNPCL on the arrested vessel as made available to Naija News.

PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTORS INTERCEPT 800,000 LITRE CAPACITY VESSEL WITH STOLEN CRUDE OIL

“Following the receipt of credible intelligence, a Private Security Contractor engaged by NNPC Ltd., Messrs. Tantita Security Services, intercepted a suspicious Vessel with a Cargo of Crude oil on board on July 7, 2023.

“The Vessel, MT TURA II (IMO number: 6620462), owned by a Nigerian Registered Company, HOLAB MARITIME SERVICES LIMITED with Registration Number RC813311, was heading to Cameroun with the Cargo on board when it was apprehended at an offshore location (Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°), with the Captain and Crew members on board.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the crude oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore Ondo State, Nigeria. There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the Crude Oil Cargo onboard at the time of the arrest.

“Further investigation into the activities of the vessel at the NNPC Ltd. Command and Control Centre also revealed that the Vessel has been operating in stealth mode for the last twelve (12) years. The last reported location of the Vessel was Tin Can Port in July 2011.

“Details of this arrest and the outcomes of the investigations were escalated to the appropriate Government authorities, upon which it was concluded to destroy the Vessel to serve as a strong warning and deterrent to all those participating in such illegal activities to cease and desist.

“Destroying vessels involved in transporting stolen crude oil is of paramount importance as a strong deterrent. The illegal trade of stolen crude oil not only inflicts significant economic losses on Nigeria and legitimate stakeholders in the oil industry, but also perpetuates a cycle of corruption, environmental devastation, and social instability.

“NNPC Ltd. assures Nigerians that we will sustain the momentum in the war against crude oil theft until it is brought to a halt.”

The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has said that Nigerians witnessed the worst phase of corruption under the last administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said this while delivering a keynote speech at the 60th call to bar anniversary celebration of legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola, in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State on Monday.

Bishop Kukah noted that even though corruption did not start under the last administration, they amplified it in moral, financial and other terms.

“We have seen the worst phase of corruption in Nigeria, Femi Falana, my friend here will speak about that because he has published a series of articles talking about what happened under the Buhari administration.

“They were not the ones who caused corruption but I think in the last administration, we saw the ugliest phase of corruption whether in moral terms, financial terms and other terms,” Kukah said.

The clergyman lamented that Nigeria is sharing its sovereignty which is guaranteed in the constitution with bandits and other terrorists.

He said that nobody is excited now about being a Nigerian even if they are President or Senators, as the country is literally being held hostage by people who threaten the very existence of our democracy and country.

Kukah noted that a lot of Nigerians have lost faith in the judiciary but added that he considers the judiciary a victim the same way every other institution in Nigeria is suffering a crisis.

According to him, Nigeria should not yet assume that it is a democracy but instead assume that it is matching towards democracy, which means rebuilding Nigeria “after the kind of mess the last administration has left the country.”

The Bishop said it is time to rebuild the country, adding that no matter what happens at the Supreme Court concerning the election, he is convinced that Nigerians have put the “ugly past” behind them.

The event celebrating 60 years at the bar of the founder of the Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, attracted a host of dignitaries including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Femi Falana, SAN, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku among others.

The Chief Spokesman for Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko has berated media newspaper [Not this platform] for publishing a false report about the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi.

Naija News reports that the newspaper had written about a purported interview where the former Anambra governor revealed his plans to become president in 2027.

However, the Labour Party Spokesperson, Tanko in a statement released on Monday stressed that Peter Obi never granted any interview at home or abroad about plans on becoming president in 2027.

He also cautioned the newspaper to desist from fabricating lies against its party’s flag bearer.

The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication in the media newspaper [Not this platform] and some social media networks on an interview granted by His Excellency Peter Obi to Arise tv.

“We want to quickly point out that this is the highest level of yellow journalism taken too far all in a bid to change the narrative as there was no time HEPO granted such a nebulous interview to Arise tv.

“HEPO arrived Nigeria from an overseas trip just this weekend and for any reputable media organisation to publish such a fallacy and complete fabrication calls to question the kind of journalism some Nigerians are practicing.

“For all avoidance of doubt, HEPO did not at anytime grant such an interview to any media organisation in Nigeria or outside the country. Please note!”

A notable human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has advised President Bola Tinubu to take a stand against corruption.

He expressed concern about high-profile politicians currently facing corruption charges, yet visiting the Presidential Villa.

Falana voiced his concerns during a commemorative event in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Monday, July 10, 2023, celebrating Aare Afe Babalola’s 60 years at the Bar.

“Some of those who are going in and out of the Villa are standing trial for looting the treasury of this country,” he declared.

“So, wrong signals must not be sent to our people and the international community.”

The respected lawyer urged the President and his administration to demonstrate effective leadership.

His call to action was not only directed towards the President but to other influential figures present at the event as well, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku.

Falana proposed a return to an era of integrity, where anyone accused of corruption, with a case pending before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), would not be appointed to an authoritative position.

Taking a cue from First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s remarks at the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Interdenominational Church Service, Falana urged the President to lead a campaign against corruption.

He was referring to Mrs Tinubu’s statement: “God has blessed my family. We don’t need the wealth of Nigeria to survive but to do the right thing.”

He believes that with such a campaign, led by the President, Nigeria can “take its rightful place in the comity of nations”.

Falana highlighted the severity of corruption in Nigeria, describing it as having reached a “very dangerous dimension”.

According to him, influential public officers are stealing funds intended for the development of public infrastructures, causing an alarming amount of suffering and death.

He concluded, “So when a country gets to that stage, corruption is now a crime against humanity.”

The Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, has relieved all political office holders in the state of their duties.

The appointees whose appointment are terminated are those appointed before May 29, 2023.

The state government announced the development in a statement in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman on Monday.

According to the statement, Governor Bago ordered the dissolution and termination of the appointments with immediate effect.

They should go to court – Fayose reacts to critics’ allegation of funds misappropriation
The governor also dissolved all statutory Commissions, Boards, and Parastatals in the state.

The SSG further explained that Commissions, Boards, and Parastatals that are tenured or not tenured are also affected by the dissolution and urged concerned officials to comply immediately with the directive.

While recognising their positive contributions to the development of the State and the affairs of their office, the SSG directed those affected by the dissolution to hand over all Government properties including official vehicles in their possession to the most senior directors in their respective organisations.

The governor wished the affected members of the dissolved Commissions, Boards, Parastatals, and Political Appointees success in their future endeavors.

The governor had on July 3 dissolved the state electoral commission.

In a statement issued by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, Governor Umaru Bago ordered the dissolution of the state’s electoral body with effect from May 29, 2023.

According to the SSG, “Members of the Commission were directed to hand over all properties of the State Government in their possessions to the most senior Director in the Commission with immediate effect”.

The Niger State House of Assembly had, on September 27, 2022, sacked the chairman of NSIEC, Baba Aminu, over alleged misconduct.