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President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was on Tuesday inaugurated as President of Senegal. He is the youngest to take the presidential seat in the West African nation.
Here is a list of youngest leaders in Africa.
1. Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso ( 36)
Ibrahim Traoré is the current youngest serving President in Africa after he displaced the former military leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba through a coup d’etat when he was 34. Ibrahim Traoré has been in charge of the Affairs of Burkina Faso since September 30th, 2022.
2. Mahamat Deby, Chad ( 39)
Four-star military general, Mahamat Idriss “Kaka” Déby Itno is serving as the transitional president of Chad. He gained power following the death of his father, late Chadian President Idriss Déby who died in action while commanding troops in the Northern Chad offensive. Born April 4, 1984, he assumed power on 20 April 2021. He is the second youngest serving African leader.
3. Assimi Goïta, Mali (41)
Following the military take over in Mali against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020, Assimi Goïta became president and the third youngest military leader in Africa. The 41-yeat-old has been in charge of Mali on interim basis since May 28th, 2021.
4. Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea ( 44)
Mamady Doumbouya led a coup d’état on 5 September 2021 that ousted the former president, Alpha Condé.
Doumbouya is now the military officer serving as the interim president of Guinea since 1 October 2021. Born on March 4, 1980, makes him the fourth youngest leader on the African continent at age 44.
5. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal (Age 44)
Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is the youngest democratically elected president in Africa, and the fifth youngest African leader sworn in in on April 2, 2024. He is a lawyer, tax inspector, and politician who ran for the office of the president in place of disqualified candidate Ousmane Sonko. He was born on March 25, 1980.
6. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia (Age 47)
Abiy Ahmed was born on 15 August 1976 is the sixth youngest African leader. He is a politician serving as the third Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018. Ahmed is a computer engineer and military officer. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea”..
7. Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar ( 49)
Andry Nirina Rajoelina was born on 30 May 1974 and is the seventh youngest African leader. The Malagasy-French politician and businessman who has served as president of Madagascar since 2019 was president of a provisional government from 2009 to 2014 following a political crisis and military-backed coup. He once held the office of Mayor of Antananarivo for one year. Before venturing into politics, Rajoelina was a media and advertising entrepreneur.
[TheNation]
The seven-man panel set up by the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, to investigate the allegation of misconduct levelled against the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, began sitting on Wednesday.
The panel headed by retired Justice S. A. Omonuwa, was set up by Justice Okungbowa following the resolution by the state House of Assembly, which initiated the impeachment process against Shaibu.
At the panel on Wednesday, the House of Assembly was represented by Mr Joe Ohiafi, Deputy Clerk, Legal, just as Shaibu was represented by Prof Oladoyin Awoyale (SAN).
The impeachment process is believed to be the latest development in the conflict between Shaibu and Governor Godwin Obaseki, his principal, which allegedly began when Shaibu announced his intention to run for Edo governor this year.
A statement signed by the administrative secretary of the panel, George Odidi, last Thursday read, “Take notice that consequent upon the inauguration of the above panel by His Lordship the Hon. Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice Daniel Okungbowa, in line with Section 188 Subsection 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the said panel shall commence sitting at Judges Conference room, New High Court Complex, Benin City on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 10am prompt.
“Parties and/or their counsel are expected to be present on that day while the complainant is expected to be ready to present its case on that day.”
[Punch]
Left-wing pan-Africanist, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, on Tuesday became Senegal’s youngest president, pledging systemic change after years of deadly turmoil and announcing his mentor, opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, as prime minister.
Faye, 44, has never previously held an elected office. He swept to a first-round victory on a promise of radical reform just 10 days after being released from prison.
He took the presidential oath in front of hundreds of officials and several African heads of state at an exhibition centre in the new town of Diamniadio, near Dakar.
He then returned to the capital, with his motorcade greeted by hundreds of jubilant residents who lined the roads leading to the presidential palace.
His predecessor, Macky Sall, symbolically handed Faye the key to the presidential headquarters before leaving the palace.
“Before God and the Senegalese nation, I swear to faithfully fulfil the office of President of the Republic of Senegal,” Faye had said earlier in the day.
Just hours later, his new administration appointed firebrand opposition leader Sonko prime minister.
“Mr Ousmane Sonko is named prime minister,” said Oumar Samba Ba, the general secretary of the presidency, as he read out a decree on the public television station RTS.
Sonko, 49, was at the centre of a two-year stand-off with the state that triggered bouts of deadly unrest. He was disqualified from running in the most recent race and picked Faye as his replacement on the presidential ballot.
The former tax inspector is Senegal’s fifth president since independence from France in 1960 and the first to openly admit to a polygamous marriage.
“I am aware that the results of the ballot box express a profound desire for systemic change,” Faye said in a brief speech after taking the presidential oath.
“Under my leadership, Senegal will be a country of hope, a peaceful country with an independent judiciary and a strengthened democracy,” he added.
Faye and Sonko were among a group of opposition politicians freed from prison 10 days before the March 24 presidential ballot under an amnesty announced by former president Macky Sall, who had tried to delay the vote.
“I have painful memories of the martyrs of Senegalese democracy, the amputees, the wounded and the former prisoners,” Faye said Tuesday, referring to the past three years of political unrest that left dozens dead and hundreds arrested.
“I will always bear in mind the heavy sacrifices made in order never to disappoint you,” he added.
Faye also reiterated to foreign partners “Senegal’s openness to trade that respects our sovereignty and meets the aspirations of our people, in a mutually beneficial partnership”.
Commonly known as Diomaye, or “the honourable one”, his promise of radical change won the election with 54.3 percent of the vote.
Reconciliation, sovereignty
Working with his populist mentor Sonko, Faye’s campaign set out priorities of national reconciliation, easing the cost-of-living crisis and fighting corruption.
He has also vowed to restore national sovereignty over key assets such as the oil, gas and fishing sectors.
Senegal is due to start hydrocarbon production later this year.
Faye also wants to replace the CFA franc, which he sees as a French colonial legacy, with a new common regional currency, and to invest more in agriculture with the aim of reaching food self-sufficiency.
After three tense years in the traditionally stable nation, his democratic victory has been internationally hailed, by Washington, Paris, the African Union and the European Union.
On the international stage, Faye seeks to bring military-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger back into the fold of the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc.
On Tuesday, he urged “more solidarity” between African countries “in the face of security challenges”.
The military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea all sent representatives to Diamniadio, including Guinean president General Mamady Doumbouya.
Burkina Faso’s leader Captain Ibrahim Traore wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Faye’s mandate represented a “symbol of a new era for an uninhibited, free and sovereign Africa”.
He added he was ready to work together on “the renovation of sub-regional and international cooperation”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the inauguration “a testament to the Senegalese people, that they fought for their right to vote”.
New generation of politicians
A practising Muslim from a humble background with two wives and four children, Faye represents a new generation of youthful politicians.
He has voiced admiration for US ex-president Barack Obama and South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.
However, Faye and the government he will shortly lead face major challenges.
The biggest appears to be creating enough jobs in a nation where 75 percent of the 18-million population is aged under 35 and the unemployment rate is officially 20 percent.
Faced with such dire economic prospects at home, many young Senegalese have chosen to risk their lives to join migrants trying to reach Europe.
AFP
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has increased the electricity tariff paid by Band A customers from N68/KWh to N225/kWh.
Band A customers are those that receive an average daily electricity supply of 20 hours or more. With the new order issued by NERC, Band A customers would no longer enjoy Federal Government subsidy on Electricity.
NERC said in Abuja that Band A customers make up just 15 percent of total electricity customers in the country.
Details coming...
[Vanguard]
Ali Chiroma, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), is dead.
Ibrahim Chiroma, a relative to the deceased and secretary of the NUJ in Borno state, announced Chiroma’s death in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the ex-NLC president, who died at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, will be buried on Wednesday in Borno.
Chiroma served as NLC president from 1984 to 1988.
“It is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of Comrade Ali Chiroma, former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress,” the statement reads.
“The sad event occurred this evening (Tuesday, April 2) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
“The burial for the repose of the deceased will be held tomorrow Wednesday 4pm at the residence of the deceased, No.7A along Galadima Road, near Muhammadu Shuwa Memorial Hospital (Nursing Home), Maiduguri.”
Chiroma’s reign as NLC president came to an end in 1988 after the union was dissolved by Ibrahim Babangida, the former head of state.
In 1993, Sani Abacha, former military head of state, appointed Chiroma as head of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
[TheCable]
The Federal Government has announced it will be removing electricity subsidy for 15 per cent of consumers.
FG said this will reduce its N3.3tn cost and save the government about N1.1tn annually.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said this to Reuters on Tuesday.
Onanuga said the Bola Tinubu-led administration was poised to allow the price hike in electricity given its N450bn budget for energy subsidies in 2024.
Consequently, power distribution companies will be allowed to increase prices from N68 to N200 per kilowatt-hour for urban consumers in April, the presidential aide explained in another interview with Bloomberg.
He explained that the country last reviewed electricity tariffs in 2020, and the planned increase would enable Discos to recover costs and improve investments.
“With the huge subsidy burden and high cost of gas…the current electricity tariff is not realistic,” he told Reuters.
Confirming this to our correspondent, Onanuga said the tariff hike would affect only 15 per cent of consumers, accounting for 40% of electricity consumption.
He said the FG would help power generating companies to offset about N1.5tn debts they owe the country’s bulk electricity buyer.
An electricity report released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday showed that electricity distribution companies in Nigeria saw their revenues surge to N1.1tn in 2023. This is despite the persistent epileptic power supply nationwide.
The figure represents an increase of N234.4bn or 28.2 per cent from the N831bn generated by the power firms over a similar period in 2022.
Nigeria’s national power grid collapsed 46 times from 2017 to 2023, a report by the International Energy Agency revealed.
The IEA said Nigerians endured more nationwide blackouts in 2023, especially on September 14 when the grid collapsed due to a fire on a major transmission line.
An analysis of the revenue data showed that the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company got the highest revenue of N218.6bn, up by 31.7 per cent or N52.7bn from N165.9bn recorded in 2022.
It was followed closely by the Eko Distribution Company, which got a revenue increase of N52.8bn or 42.3 per cent from N124.8bn in 2022.
Third on the list is the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, with a revenue generation of N167.4bn from N125.7bn recorded in 2022.
Similarly, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company got a revenue of N111.3bn, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company got a revenue of N82.5bn, Yola Electricity Distribution Company (N22.3bn), and Benin Electricity Distribution Company (N84.6bn), and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (N32.4bn).
Also, Jos Electricity Distribution Company increased its revenue to N38.9bn, Kano Electricity Distribution Company (N55.2bn), and Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (N74.7bn).
Findings also showed that the increased efficiency in revenue collection might not be unconnected to rise in the overbilling of customers, especially those on the estimated billing system.
Also, The PUNCH had observed that Discos were able to capture more customers under the estimated billings system.
Further analysis revealed that the number of metered numbers increased by 9.38 per cent or 480,833 while the number of customers under estimated billings reduced slightly by 1.73 per cent to 5.8m.
The Debt Management Office, DMO, has unveiled plans to raise N1.8 trillion through new issuance and reopening of federal government bonds over the next three months amid the country’s increasing debt stocks.
This is as DMO opened offer for the April 2024 Savings Bond.
The debt office in the bond issuance calendar for the second quarter of 2024 said it plans to raise between N300 billion to N600 billion every month between April and June this year.
According to the calendar, the DMO plans to open a new five-year bond this month to raise between N100 and N200 billion.
Also, it plans to reissue the 7-year 18.50 per cent FGN FEB 2031 paper and the 10-year 19.00 per cent FGN FEB 2034 paper during the three months.
Meanwhile, it plans to raise more funds this week through the 2-year and 3-year savings bonds due April 2026 and April 2027.
According to the offer document, the DMO is issuing the 2-year paper at 17.046 per cent per annum while the 3-year paper is being issued at 18.046 per cent per annum.
Last month, it issued the 2-year savings bond at 15.097 per cent, while the 3-year paper was raised at 16.097 per cent.
The increased rate on the savings bond, according to DMO, is to bring the interest closer to the Monetary Policy Rate, which was raised to 24.75 per cent at the last Monetary Policy Committee meeting last month.
Recall that Nigeria’s’ total public debt stock more than doubled to N97.3 trillion in 2023.
The total public debt stock includes external and domestic loans from federal and state governments.
The newly inaugurated President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has appointed Ousmane Sonko as the prime minister of the country.
The 44-year-old Faye had earlier on Tuesday, took the presidential oath in the presence of hundreds of officials and several African heads of state, including President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria at an exhibition centre in the new town of Diamniadio, near Dakar.
Shortly after, he returned to the capital, with his motorcade greeted by hundreds of jubilant residents and supporters who lined the roads leading to the presidential palace, where his predecessor, Macky Sall, symbolically handed Faye the key to the presidential headquarters before leaving the palace.
Hours after officially taking over the reins of power, the administration of the new president, named 49-year-old opposition leader, Sonko as prime minister.
“Mr Ousmane Sonko is named prime minister,” said Oumar Samba Ba, the general secretary of the presidency, who read out a decree on the public television station RTS.
Sonko was disqualified from running in the most recent presidential race and picked Faye as his replacement on the presidential ballot.
Faye and Sonko were among a group of opposition politicians freed from prison 10 days before the March 24 presidential ballot under an amnesty announced by former president Macky Sall, who had tried to delay the vote.
Five weeks after the inauguration of two judicial commissions of inquiry to look into the activities of ex-Governor Samuel Ortom while in office, Arewa PUNCH investigations reveal that they are now set to quiz him and his aides.
Our correspondent reports that the state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, had on February 26, 2024, inaugurated the two judicial commissions of inquiry to look into the activities of his predecessor, Ortom.
The inaugurated probe panels are the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Income and Expenditure of Benue State Government from May 29, 2015, to May 28, 2023, while the other one is the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Sale/Lease of Government Assets, Companies and Markets (both state and local government owned markets), as well as moribund companies from or before May 28, 2015 to May 28, 2023.
The two commissions of Inquiry comprise 16 members with their chairmen drawn from the South-West and North-East.
They are retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo from South-West who will chair the former and Justice Appolos Idi (retd) from Gombe, North-East will preside over the latter commission.
Arewa PUNCH further findings indicate that tongues are already wagging over the cause(s) of the delay in the take-off of the probe panels.
When our correspondent contacted the state Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim, on Monday, he dismissed the idea of any possible obstacles that might be hindering the sitting of the panel.
Mnyim assured the residents that the panels would begin to sit from next week.
“There are no obstacles at all. The point is that the panels are waiting to begin sitting after Easter, so by next week, they will commence sitting,” the Attorney General of the state told Arewa PUNCH.
The two judicial commissions of inquiry are, among others, to identify the income of the Benue State Government from May 28, 2023, 2015, to May 29, 2023.
They will also look into the expenditure and utilisation of the Benue State income from 29 of May, 2015, to day 28 of May, 2023.
Also, they are to identify all the Benue State bank accounts and examine the propriety or otherwise of the transactions in the accounts from day 29 of May, 2015 to the day 28 of May, 2023.
Further more, they will identify the various loans taken by the Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023 and ascertain the appropriateness of the utilisation, interest charge on the loans and the possible abuses thereof.
The probe panels will equally identify the loan(s) given out by the Benue State Government, the alleged waiver, and the possible abuses thereof.
Finally, the panels will identify the special interventions, including but not limited to the Bailout Funds, Paris Club Refunds received by the Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023 and the application thereof.
Though the immediate past governor, Samuel Ortom, through his media aide, Terver Akase had stated that he was ready to face the panels and also urged all his aides to prepare to appear before the two panels.
The pump price of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, has dropped from about N1,700/litre which it sold for a few weeks ago, to around N1,350/litre in some locations across the country following the sale of the commodity by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
It was gathered on Tuesday that the $20bn worth refinery started pumping out diesel to the domestic market last Wednesday.
It sold a minimum of one million litres to each registered oil marketer that got the product from the plant since it commenced diesel sale.
Officials of the multi-billion dollar plant and oil dealers confirmed that the product was dispensed to marketers at between N1,225/litre and N1,300/litre depending on the volume of purchase.
This came as it was also gathered that the refinery would start releasing Premium Motor Spirit to the domestic market in May this year.
“They started pumping out diesel to marketers since last week. They also promised to sell aviation fuel soon. Some of my members confirmed this to me after making the purchase,” the National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, told one of our correspondents.
He added, “So some of our marketers have started getting the product, but as an association we have not got the product yet, because we want to get the actual rate that it will be sold to us when we buy in bulk. However, they have started selling diesel because some of our marketers have started buying.
“They are selling at N1,225/litre and the minimum volume they are giving is one million litres per marketer. Also, they assured us that they will release more products, but for now this (diesel) is what they are starting with. So we are expecting them to release PMS anytime from now.”
Maigandi said the move by Dangote would definitely lead to a crash in diesel price, as the commodity rose to a high of about N1,700/litre recently.
“The price of diesel is going to fall because of the release of products from Dangote refinery. In fact, it is already coming down in Lagos,” Maigandi stated.
Another oil marketer, who is the Chief Executive, AF Ralph Oil and Gas Ventures, Dr Ralph Arokoyo, confirmed that the refinery had started the sale of diesel to dealers, adding that the plant started dispensing the product last Wednesday.
Asked if Dangote refinery had started supplying diesel to the market, Arokoyo replied, “Yes they have started. They started diesel sales last Wednesday and they have sold to many marketers including members of IPMAN and MEMAN (Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria), as well as other private registered independent dealers.”
When also asked about the minimum volume being sold to dealers and at what rate, Arokoyo said, “One million litres is the minimum and the rate is okay considering what other major tank farms are selling, which is why people are trooping to the refinery now.
“The price ranges between N1,250/litre and N1,300/litre depending on the volume you are buying. This is good news for Nigerians because in the last few weeks the price of diesel hovered between N1,600 and N1,700/litre.
“But in many locations across the federation, the prices are beginning to drop due to the emergence of products from that refinery and as the products are being dispatched since last Wednesday. Now you can get AGO (diesel) in some stations at N1,400/litre.
“Some are even doing N1,350/litre now and I want to believe that in a couple of weeks to come, we should see more reduction in the price of the product as more products from the plant hit the market and spread very well across the country.”
On whether the company informed dealers when it would start releasing petrol into the market, Arokoyo replied in the affirmative.
“They (Dangote refinery) said it (petrol) will be available between now and May, which is next month. We are optimistic about this, because PMS is largely used by Nigerians,” the oil marketer stated.
A senior official at Dangote refinery confirmed the sale of diesel to marketers, as the source noted that Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would soon be released to the market.
“The product (diesel) is everywhere and they (marketers) are accessing it with ease. The product has been on sale to marketers since last week and the transactions have been better.
“The price of the product in various locations of the country will come down, and it is already coming down in many parts of Lagos since we started releasing products to marketers,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, stated.
The Dangote refinery has faced a series of hurdles as it strives to release refined products into the market after it was officially inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May last year.
Recall that on February 8, 2024, indications emerged that lingering regulatory approvals stalled Dangote Petrochemical Refinery’s plan to release aviation fuel (Jet A1) and diesel for sale in the Nigerian market in January.
The report had stated that weeks after the January 31 timeline set by the management of Africa’s largest refinery to begin sale of its petroleum product in the local market, the refinery was still battling to cross the hurdles of the several layers of regulatory approvals.
It stated that the development came after the refinery began the production of refined petroleum products at the expansive facility.
On January 12, 2024, Dangote refinery announced that it had commenced the production of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, and aviation fuel or JetA1.
Aliko Dangote, in a statement issued by his firm at the time, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support, encouragement, and thoughtful advice towards the actualisation of the project.
Dangote also thanked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NMDPRA and Nigerians for their support and belief in the historic project, as he revealed that the facility would pump out diesel and aviation fuel in January, subject to regulatory approvals.
He said, “We thank President Bola Tinubu for his support and for making our dream come true. This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to details.
“His intervention at various stages cleared all impediments thereby accelerating the actualisation of the project. We also thank the NNPC, NUPRC and NMDPRA for their support. These organisations have been our dependable partners in this historic journey.
“We also thank Nigerians for their belief and support in this project. We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals.”
The refinery, Africa’s largest with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, was built on a peninsula on the outskirts of the commercial capital Lagos.
Nigeria has for years relied on expensive imports for nearly all the fuel it consumes but the $20bn refinery is set to turn it into a net exporter of fuel to other West African countries, in a huge potential shift of power and profit dynamics in the industry.
Meanwhile, the National Vice Chairman of IPMAN, Hammed Fashola, also confirmed that Dangote refinery had commenced the sale of diesel to marketers.
However, Fashola said IPMAN had yet to start receiving diesel from the private oil refining company.
“Yes, it is correct (that Dangote has started selling diesel), but not yet to IPMAN. Some marketers are already getting allocation, we are still waiting for our own. We’ve put in our request, and I am very sure that at the appropriate time, they will call us,” Fashola stated.
On the current price of diesel, he said, “In filling stations now, diesel ranges from N1450, N1500 to N1600, depending on the location”.
Fashola noted that Dangote’s diesel would have a positive effect on the price of the product, saying “at least there would be a difference from the imported one”.
While saying there was no financial commitments made yet, he expressed confidence that the independent marketers would fuel from Dangote this month.
“No financial commitments made yet, but we’ve put in our papers to make known our intentions and our requests. When they issue allocation, then we can talk of financial commitments,” he stated.
Meanwhile, a diesel distributor in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Kayode Lawal, said the pump price of diesel is now between N1420 and N1500 as of Tuesday.
Also, an attendant in Badagry Lagos State, Bose Opeyemi, told our correspondent that the product now sells at the rate of N1,395 in some parts of Badagry, Lagos State, while some sell at N1,450.
In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Saheed Babalola, who is a quarry agent, also said he got a litre of AGO at the rate of N1,45O
More...
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Tuesday revealed that the force would give post-humous awards to the families of six police officers killed in Delta State.
Announcing the development while speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Adejobi detailed that the police would be there for the families of the deceased soldiers during the difficult time.
Naija News reports that the police spokesman further disclosed that this would be the first time that the the IGP would be organising an event of this nature.
”The IGP has decided to give post-humous awards to the six and our fallen heroes will also be honoured. We are going to move with their families shoulder to shoulder and navigate these difficult moments,” he said.
Naija News had earlier reported that six officers killed while investigating the disappearance of three colleagues in Delta State.
Adejobi had while announcing the development disclosed that six other officers are still missing and five suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings.
The statement released by Adejobi after the development read, “The Nigeria Police Force is profoundly saddened by the devastating loss of six courageous officers in Delta State who exhibited exceptional valour in the face of adversity.
“These brave officers tragically fell victim to a cowardly ambush by armed assailants while undertaking a mission to investigate the disappearance and rescue of three of their colleagues in the Ohoro Forest, Delta State, while six others are currently missing-in-action.
“Our hearts extend to the families, friends, and colleagues of the fallen officers during this period of profound sorrow. We stand in solidarity with them, offering our deepest condolences and earnestly praying for the peaceful repose of the departed souls.”
[NaijaNews]
There is an urgent need to address the neonatal mortality in Nigeria, the General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, has said.
Odeh spoke at the public presentation of the winning work of Prof. Hippolite Amadi to the industry community.
The event was organised by the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited, sponsors of won by Prof. Amadi, in collaboration with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
Represented by the Acting Manager of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Yemi Adeyemi, the General Manager noted that Nigeria, as per a 2023 World Health Organisation (WHO) Report, ranks second globally in maternal, neonatal, and child deaths.
According to him, Professor Amadi’s innovations offer a beacon of hope in the face of this alarming statistics.
“The ground-breaking innovations of Professor Amadi, as recognised by The Nigeria Prize for Science, are not merely a step forward for our nation but a beacon of hope for the countless new-born lives that hang in the balance. We cannot afford to let the cries of our newborns fade into the background of our daily lives.
“The urgency to combat neonatal mortality is a solemn duty to safeguard the future of our nation’s children, and we must answer that call with unwavering determination and immediate, decisive measures.
“NLNG is very proud of Professor Amadi’s discoveries through The Nigeria Prize for Science.
“Our vision of helping to build a better Nigeria is the core of the prize, and we believe strongly that the 2023 winning entry speaks in unambiguous terms as one of the ways we can achieve this vision. NLNG remains committed to the prize and will not relent in finding solutions to the nation’s development issues,” Odeh said.
The event not only celebrated Prof. Amadi’s achievements but also served as a platform to encourage collaboration between the researcher and industry investors.
[TheNation]
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said some officials were conspiring with land grabbers to work against the federal government on the issues of lands allocation in Abuja.
Wike said some of the people calling themselves investors bought hectares of land and start reselling to Abuja residents, with the connivance with legal and land secretariat.
The minister said this during a press briefing with select journalists in his office in Abuja, while reacting to the allegations by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the SNECOU Group Limited, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, that he wanted to deal with Igbo people.
Ukachukwu had said FCT minister ordered the demolition of investment on 214 hectares of land in the Asokoro district of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The Anambra-born businessman accused Wike of ordering the demolition without any court order despite pending valid two court orders from separate courts restraining him and the FCT administration from tampering with the property.
In his media chat with journalists, Wike said such cases on his desk were numerous, and thriving because of the corrupt civil servants aiding and abetting the property investors he called “land grabbers”.
He said they were defrauding people and the government by buying land in large quantities and reselling to residents, after they might have told the government that the lands were for investments.
“They are conniving with the legal secretariat here. Do you know we can sack them? Sack the land administrator? Have you seen the court judgement? Go and read the court judgement and see whether the court says the land is their own?” Wike asked.
“They went to tell the court to say tell FCTA to return our documents they are holding. I met these matters here. They were over 1000 cases on lands. As the court says ‘FCTA release their documents’ , does that show that you’re entitled to the land? There is no way they would go in there. It is our property!”
Speaking about the conspiracy of how they get court judgement, Wike said, “Do you know after they filed a suit against us, they made a deal with the law secretariat. They brought an external lawyer, and the external lawyer will agree with them, and the judgment will be served. I’ve never seen how corrupt human beings can be.
“The point I’m making is that all sentiments that I’m revoking people’s lands (is) by law. Nobody has said you revoked the land because I’m a Yoruba man. Nobody has said you revoke the land because I’m a Hausa man. What has this gotten to do with Igbo? What kind of a crazy, childish sentiment is that? He said.
[DailyTrust]
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Tuesday, said security agencies will go after individuals with fake university certificates in the country.
According to the minister, the individuals will be tracked after the committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the activities of university certificate racketeers in the country submits its report.
The Federal Government had set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers following an investigative report published by Daily Nigerian which exposed the activities of degree mills in the Benin Republic.
The Daily Nigerian reporter, Umar Audu revealed how he obtained a degree within six weeks and even proceeded to embark on mandatory youth service under the National Youth Service Corps scheme back in Nigeria.
The investigative report, which exposed the illegalities perpetrated by some tertiary institutions in the West African countries, led to the Nigerian government placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
The committee set up by the Federal Government was also tasked with investigating Nigerian private universities established in the last 15 years.
Recently, the committee invited memoranda from the public. Selected members of the committee also visited institutions in the Benin Republic.
While speaking at the first quarterly citizens engagement in Abuja on Tuesday, the education minister, Mamman, said, “On the issue of the fake degrees, we set up a committee and we expect them to submit their reports soon. Once the report is submitted, I can assure you that individuals with fake certificates will be apprehended. They will be tracked by security agencies.”
Also speaking at the engagement, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, noted that the quarterly citizenship engagement was aimed at creating awareness of the activities of the ministry.
He noted that the engagement would “ also promote mutual understanding with stakeholders and citizens, build and sustain public trust, and improve transparency and accountability in the sector.”
“Worthy of mention is that this engagement also aims to improve efficiency and streamline government operations by identifying and addressing bottlenecks,” Sununu said.
[Punch]