The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said in one year of April 2022 and April 2023, National Household Kerosene (kerosene) average price rose by 96.7% from N589.82 to N1,16.0.67.
In its “National Household Kerosene Price Watch (April 2023),” NBS said on month-month basis, the price soared by 1.59% from N1,142.46 recorded in March 2023.
The document said: “The average retail price per litre of Household Kerosene (HHK) paid by consumers in April 2023 was N1,160.67, indicating an increase of 1.59% compared to N1,142.46 recorded in March 2023.
“On a year-on-year basis, the average retail price per litre of the product rose by 96.79% from N589.82 in April 2022.”
On state profile analysis, according to NBS, the highest average price per litre in April 2023 was recorded in Adamawa with N1,600.00, followed by Abuja with N1,382.10 and Bauchi with N1,320.50.
It added that the lowest price was recorded in Jigawa with N925.25, followed by Kaduna with N950.50 and Edo with N965.85.
NBS also said analysis by zone showed that the North-East recorded the highest average retail price per litre of Household Kerosene with N1,273.53, followed by the South-East with N1,265.71 while North-West recorded the lowest with N1,014.19.
The Bureau noted that the average retail price per gallon of Household Kerosene paid by consumers in April 2023 was N4,166.94, showing an increase of 1.50% from N4,105.25 in March 2023.
It said on a year-on-year basis, this increased by 95.03% from N2,136.52 in April 2022.
Singer Banky W has recalled how he once prayed never to marry someone in the entertainment industry.
Banky W stated this in a post on his Instagram page while celebrating his wife, Adesua Etomi’s birthday.
He wrote: “When I was ready for a wife, I specifically told God I didn’t want someone in the Entertainment business because my life was unstable enough.
I wanted a 9 to 5 career lady in Banking, Telecomms, Aviation, and Oil & Gas. I didn’t want someone with a career as crazy as mine.
“And when Susu prayed for her husband, she specifically told God she didn’t want a Musician, a Politician and Pastor. Lol. But here we are, almost six years into our marriage, and it’s crystal clear that God’s plans were much better than anything we could have dreamt for ourselves.”
[Nation]
A coalition of 150 civil society organizations, under the aegis of Advocates of Truth and Justice (ATJ), has berated the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over what it termed unnecessary and fraudulent involvement in politics.
The Coalition, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Dr. Anthony Ujah, accused top officials of the Scheme of conniving with highly-placed politicians to destroy the reputation of others in the name of forged NYSC certificates.
Recall that the NYSC DG, Brig Gen Yusha’u Ahmed, alleged that it never issued a discharge certificate to Enugu State Governor-elect, Dr. Peter Mbah.
Mbah consequently obtained a court order barring the NYSC from further disclaiming his certificate.
The governor-elect sued the NYSC for N20 billion at the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged conspiracy, deceit, and misrepresentation of facts.
However, despite the court order, the NYSC DG engaged the media to again disclaim the certificate, denying knowledge of the lawsuit and consequent court order, acting in clear contempt of the court.
Ujah said the NYSC leadership has derailed from its mandate and is now a tool in the hands of desperate politicians to frustrate perceived rivals.
The Coalition wondered why Mbah will forge a certificate he didn’t have to pay for and did not need to write any exam to earn.
“After our investigation, we discovered that the Governor-Elect of Enugu, Barrister Peter Mbah was dully mobilized by the NYSC, issued a call-up letter, assigned to a place of primary assignment, and carried out all duties and responsibilities assigned to him, including participating in the passing out parade and was issued a discharge certificate by the NYSC,” Ujah said.
“One now wonders how at the end of all these exercises, the NYSC could make a bold face by telling the world that the Governor-elect didn’t participate in the exercise. This is not only scandalous but ridiculous, to say the least.
“The NYSC discharge certificates are printed by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company PLC. They have security features such as watermarks and serial numbers denoting the batches. The NYSC should back its claim by producing any other certificate in the series of Mbah’s certificate that has the same serial number”.
The Coalition, therefore, vowed to embark on a massive protest at the NYSC secretariat to call for the total investigation of the Scheme and her staff by the National Assembly as soon as possible.
Ujah said after this mass action, the incoming administration would be left with no other option but to reform or outrightly abolish the compromised Scheme.
[authorityngr]
A former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has told the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he will help the latter’s administration once he becomes Nigeria’s president.
Blair said that the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which he founded, would be a willing partner of the incoming government of the Tinubu administration, especially in prioritising its goals and delivery.
Blair gave the commitment when he paid a visit to the president-elect at the Defence House in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, according to a statement by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz.
“We would like to help in any way with your administration, we only need to know what the leadership priorities are and help in how to actualise them,” Blair said.
He also commended Tinubu’s campaign focus on key areas of security, economy, agriculture and power, describing the intertwined nature of the areas as vital to the development of any nation.
“Being in government today anywhere in the world is tough, you have things happening around the world which affect you and for which you can’t do anything much,” Blair said.
Tinubu will be sworn-in on Monday, May 29, 2023 at the Eagles Square in Abuja, taking over from Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s next president.
He won the 2023 presidential election after defeating the likes of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Peter Obi.
[Guardian]
Nigeria's annual economic growth rate slowed to 2.3% in the first quarter, data showed on Wednesday, hurt by a government plan to swap old banknotes for newly designed ones that disrupted trade and payments.
The gross domestic product (GDP) data came hours before a central bank interest rate announcement and next week's swearing-in of President-elect Bola Tinubu, who has pledged to revive growth.
Africa's largest economy has now grown for 10 consecutive quarters after a severe recession in 2020 linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
GDP posted annual growth of 3.1% in the first three months of 2022.
"The reduction in growth is attributed to the adverse effects of the cash crunch experienced during the quarter," the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
Nigeria launched the newly designed banknotes with the aim of controlling liquidity, curbing inflation and moving towards a cashless economy.
But the move disrupted payments in a country where cash is dominant. Full implementation of the policy has been moved to the end of the year.
The NBS said first-quarter growth was driven by the services sector, which grew 4.4% year on year.
The oil sector which accounts for around two-thirds of government revenue and 90% of foreign-exchange reserves, contracted 4.2%.
Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer, recorded average daily oil output (NGOIL=ECI) of 1.51 million barrels per day (mbpd) in the first quarter, up from the daily average of 1.49 mbpd registered in the same quarter of 2022.
Analysts said the slowdown in the growth rate could prompt the central bank to hold interest rates at its policy meeting on Wednesday, despite double-digit inflation.
[Reuters]
President Muhammed Buhari has sworn in seven federal commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
The president performed the brief ceremony before the commencement of the valedictory federal executive council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.
The federal commissioners include Ayogu Eze (Enugu state), Peter Opara (Imo state), Hawa Aliyu (Jigawa state), and Rekiya Haruna (Kebbi state).
Others are Ismaila Agaka (Kwara state), Kolawole Abimbola (Oyo state) and Ayuba Ngako (federal capital territory).
At the meeting, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also presented the report on the health reform committee to the president.
The committee, chaired by Osinbajo, was put in place to develop a roadmap to achieving universal health coverage in the country.
Its recommendations include improving funding of the health sector above 10 percent.
[TheCable]
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to approve $566,754,584.31, £98,526,012.00, and N226 billion to clear some outstanding judgement debts.
This request is coming barely five days before the termination of the current administration.
The letter of request was read by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan on Wednesday during plenary.
In the letter, Mr Buhari explained that the money are for judgement granted against ministries, departments and agencies which had earlier been settled through promissory notes.
He stated that the payment of the judgment debt was approved by the federal executive council.
“The distinguished Senate President may wish to be informed that the Federal Executive Council FEC in its meeting on March 29, 2023, approved the settlement of top priority judgement debts secured by federal ministries, departments and agencies MDAs through the issuance of promissory notes.
“The judgement debts have been settled through the issuance of promissory notes which will then be reviewed over time for the convenience of the federal government or of Nigeria.
Buhari is set to exit office on Monday following 8 years of leadership of the federal republic of Nigeria as president.
[DailyPost]
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has dissolved his cabinet ahead of his swearing-in ceremony on May 29, 2023.
Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, will be sworn in for a second term of four years on May 29.
The Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, made the announcement on Wednesday through a circular with No. 046.
The circular read in part, “However, political appointees whose appointments are by Legislation/Tenure-Based and Members of Statutory Commissions/Governing Councils whose tenures have not lapsed, are not affected by this directive, unless otherwise formally informed.
“Therefore, all affected political office holders are expected to prepare individual handover notes and return any government property including utility/project vehicles in their possession to the Accounting Officer/Most Senior Director of their respective Ministries, Department and Agencies.
“In addition to handing over to their respective Permanent Secretaries, cabinet members are to send a copy of the handover notes to the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office not later than Friday, 26 May. 2023.
“Furthermore, all concerned Officers are to comply with the provision of paragraph 11 (1b), part one of the Fifth Schedule of Nigeria Constitution on End of Tenure Assets DeclarationWhile wishing the affected Political Office Holders success in their future endeavours, Mr. Governor appreciates the contributions and roles of the affected Public Officers to the development of the State, especially the significant milestones recorded under the T.HE.M.ES Agenda.
“Accordingly, all affected political office holders, accounting officers of MDAs and the general public are enjoined to note the contents of this circular and give it the deserved service-wide publicity.”
[Punch]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of 132 microfinance banks, four primary mortgage banks, and three finance companies in the country.
Channels Television reports that the revocation exercise was disclosed in the official gazette of the Federal Government published on the website of the CBN on Tuesday.
According to the apex bank, the financial institutions “failed to fulfil or comply with the conditions subject to which their licences were granted; or failed to comply with the obligations imposed upon them by the Central Bank of Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, Act No. 5.”
The four primary mortgage banks whose licences were revoked are Resort Savings & Loans, Safetrust Mortgage Bank, Adamawa Savings & Loans and Kogi Savings & Loans. The finance companies whose licences were revoked include HHL Invest & Trust Limited, TFS Finance Limited and Treasures & Trust Limited.
Some of the microfinance banks listed include Bluewhales Microfinance Bank, Igangan Microfinance Bank, Mainsail Microfinance Bank, Everest Microfinance Bank, Merit Microfinance Bank, Musharaka Microfinance Bank, Nopov Microfinance Bank, among others.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the licences were revoked in the exercise of the powers conferred on the apex bank under Section 12 of BOFIA 2020, Act No. 5.
See below the full list of the affected banks and financial institutions:
S/N Name Of Institution
- ATLAS MICROFINANCE BANK
- BLUEWHALES MICROFINANCE BANK
- EVEREST MICROFINANCE BANK
- IGANGAN MICROFINANCE BANK
- MAINSAIL MICROFINANCE BANK
- MERIT MICROFINANCE BANK
- MINNA MICROFINANCE BANK
- MUSHARAKA MICROFINANCE BANK
- NOPOV MICROFINANCE BANK
- OHON MICROFINANCE BANK
- PREMIUM MICROFINANCE BANK
- ROYAL MICROFINANCE BANK
- STATESMAN MICROFINANCE BANK
- SUISSE MICROFINANCE BANK
- VIBRANT MICROFINANCE BANK
- VIRTUE MICROFINANCE BANK
- ZAMARE MICROFINANCE BANK
- NORTH CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK
- CHIDERA MICROFINANCE BANK
- EXCELLENT MICROFINANCE BANK
- NI’IMA MICROFINANCE BANK
- COSMOPOLITAN MICROFINANCE BANK
- PROGRESSIVE LINK MICROFINANCE BANK
- TRUST ONE (FOMERLY DESMONARCHY)
- EKUOMBE MICROFINANCE BANK
- FIRST INDEX MICROFINANCE BANK
- OLA MICROFINANCE BANK
- ULI MICROFINANCE BANK
- VERDANT MICROFINANCE BANK
- AGULERI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED 31. APEKS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- FAHIMTA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MANNY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- REALITY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- SURBPOLITAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ONYX MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OSINA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OLOFIN-OWENA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ZIKADO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- PRUDENTIAL CO-OPERATIVE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- PENIEL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- TARABA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BRASS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MICHIKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NDIAGU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NORTHBRIDGE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- FCT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OMU-ARAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- CHERISH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BIPC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- DANELS GLOBAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BANCORP MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MANNA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MONEYWISE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MERCURY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NEW AGE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- PEARL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ZAWADI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- SEED CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- EDUEK MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- EKSU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- DAKINGARI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OGOJA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NWABOSI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NUTURE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ACTIVE POINT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- AMOYE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BOLUWADURO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IYEDE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MAYFAIR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- CALABAR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IGHOMO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMTED
- HACKMAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IDESE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BRIDGEWAY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- GRASSROOT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- SURELIFE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- TIJARAH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IC-GLOBAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- EJIAMATU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BRIYTH COVENANT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NANKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- CUB MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BFL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- UMUNNE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OROKE MICROFINANCE BANK
- ALKALERI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- CROWNED EAGLE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- UNIFA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- DADINKOWA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IFESOWAPO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OAF MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BAMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NGALA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IWOAMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- KADA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- KEFFI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NUT-ENDWELL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- FIRST MULTIPLE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- SBDC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OROS CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OZIZZA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- PRIMERA CREDIT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IFEANYICHUKWU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- IHIOMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- JOSAD MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- AKPO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- AIYEPE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ABC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- STAR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- PURPLE MONEY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- UTUH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- STALLION MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- KJL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- CREDIT AFRIQUE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- COWRIES MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- LAWEBOD MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- MABINAS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BUSINESS SUPPORT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OGBE-AHIARA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OLOFIN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- OBOSI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- FIYINFOLU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- BISHOPGATE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- AWKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ZIGATE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ESAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ENUGU-UKWU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ECHO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- ALLY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- NETWORK MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
- AWGBU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
SCHEDULE II
LIST OF FINANCE COMPANIES LICENCES REVOKED
S/N Name Of Institution
- HHL Invest & Trust Limited
- TFS Finance Limited
- Treasures & Trust Limited
SCHEDULE III
LIST OF PRIMARY MORTGAGE BANKS LICENCES REVOKED
S/N Name Of Institution
- RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS
- SAFETRUST MORTGAGE BANK
- ADAMAWA SAVINGS & LOANS
- KOGI SAVINGS & LOANS
[CHannels TV]
[PRESS STATEMENT] Abiodun is not responsible for the loss of Dangote Refinery to Lagos - Kunle Somorin
AdminOur attention has been drawn to a report credited to a PDP stalwart, Segun Sowunmi, heaping blames on the successive administrations in the state for losing an N19bn Dangote
Refinery to the neighbouring Lagos State.
Any true born Ogun indigene will sincerely be pained by the huge investment loss, especially when Ogun had been marked as the most suitable natural location for the mega project in Olokola Free Trade Zone, in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of the state.
In truth, everyone knows that Segun Sowunmi is referring to the immediate past governor, Ibikunle Amosun, as the man who frustrated the efforts to locate the refinery in Ogun State.
We are all aware that the penultimate administration made appreciable and concerted efforts to ensure that the Olokola deep sea port and other ancillary projects in the OKFTZ, become a reality, by rallying major players in the oil and gas sector, including Dangote Group.
But, its successor between 2011 and 2019, for reasons best known to it, killed the project and frustrated the promoter of Dangote Refinery out of the state.
The present governor, Dapo Abiodun, served as the Chairman of the Committee on the Olokola Free Trade Zone projects during the first term of the immediate past governor.
Governor Abiodun, as the chairman of the committee and a big player in the oil and gas industry himself, did everything possible to make sure the project saw the light of the day.
The then governor, perhaps, having a personal axe to grind with the promoter of the refinery project, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, frustrated all the efforts of Governor Abiodun and his committee.
A former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun was then a commissioner and served on the committee, which engaged Dangote on the mega project.
Aliko Dangote is still very much around and can be asked to shed more light on Gov. Abiodun's role that he alluded to in his testimonial at the commissioning.
He is alive to speak on how he was frustrated, despite Prince Abiodun's pleas and multiple interventions that fell on the deaf ears of the then governor.
Instead of showing enthusiasm towards hosting the project in the state, the former governor brazenly opposed and obstructed the efforts of the Abiodun-led committee in ensuring that the OKFTZ came into fruition
Having become governor in 2019, it is on record that Governor Dapo Abiodun had always rued the missed opportunity, and he'd embarked on efforts in reawakening the OKFTZ. At different forums, the governor had made it known that the Olokola project is a gold mine waiting to be tapped by the state.
Apart from that, he has continued to shop for would-be investors to bring the project to life. His administration has not relented in bringing net-worth players in oil and gas as well as maritime, to ensure that the natural resources in OKFTZ such as bitumen, natural deep seaport, marine and natural gas are tapped for the economic development of Ogun State.
Even before Aliko Dangote declared on Monday at the official commissioning of the refinery in Lagos that Ogun was the next port of call, Governor Abiodun was already wooing Dangote to reconsider the Gateway State.
Indeed, Dangote has been a resourceful partner in the "Building our future together" agenda of Prince Abiodun. This is evident in his partnership on the reconstruction of the Sagamu Interchange - Papalanto - Obele Road and the provision of an alternate road from Epe to Ijebu-Ode
Conclusively, Governor Abiodun-led administration can never be held either directly or vicariously responsible for the loss of Dangote Refinery. All Ogun State indigenes know the administration that worked against the economic development of the state, all in the name of bad politics and shenanigans.
Rather, Governor Abiodun's government should be applauded for working to revive OKFTZ.
Kunle Somorin
Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Dapo Abiodun
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Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has appreciated those who stood by him while in detention.
In a social media post hours after he was granted bail in his ongoing assault trial, the musician said though he is an orphan, his family members, friends and legal team did not leave him alone.
The musician had reported to the Lagos Police Command headquarters after the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) ordered his arrest for assaulting a policeman in Lagos.
He was subsequently detained at State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) after a magistrate’s court in Lagos ordered his remand.
The Afrobeat crooner finally regained freedom on Tuesday night.
In a post via his Instastories, he thanked his legal team for helping secure his bail.
“I want to say a profound thanks to everyone who showed me all this love. All my friends that showed up! Thanks most especially to my beautiful wife @chefyeidekuti.
“Last but not least, the legal team. Uncle Femi Falana, SAN, Uncle Olumide Fisika, SAN, Uncle Kayode Adegoke, SAN, Barrister Ogunlana, Ade Ademiluyi; and everyone on the team, I owe you my freedom and my sanity. Let’s go,” his post read.
On Facebook, he wrote: “I be orphan o but family deeee!”
The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has warned of a division between the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima.
Primate Ayodele said Tinubu and Shettima would have issues when they assume office.
In a statement by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele revealed that the Southwest and Northern cabals would not have it rosy till the end.
According to Ayodele: ‘’Apart from these ones, President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima will have issues. There will be attempts to divide them.
“Also, the South-west cabal and Northern Cabals will not have it rosy till the end, there will be disagreements between them.’’
Five days to the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, ministers have commenced handing over to permanent secretaries in their ministries ahead of the dissolution of the cabinet, Daily Trust reports.
The eight-year tenure of President Buhari, which commenced on May 29, 2015, comes to an end on Monday, May 29, 2023.
Activities for the inauguration of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, commenced weeks ago. The inauguration proper is slated to take place at Eagle Square, Abuja by 10am on Monday. Ahead of the inauguration, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, is reported to have handed over to the permanent secretary.
A source said the minister would formally bow out today (Wednesday) although the dissolution of the federal cabinet is yet to be announced by President Buhari. It was learnt that Magashi, a retired major-general of the Nigerian Army, has already directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Ibrahim Kana, to take charge.
An official at the ministry said the minister told Kana that since the government is a continuum, he should deal with all necessary issues regarding the budget and contracts in line with set service rules.
Daily Trust reports that a valedictory dinner in honour of the minister will be held today to formally mark his exit from the ministry. In a formal notification sent to one of our correspondents, the permanent secretary said Magashi deserved the honour due to his “fatherly leadership style”.
“The permanent secretary, Ministry of Defence, is organizing a valedictory dinner in honour of the Minister of Defence, Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi, in recognition of his meritorious service and fatherly leadership style in shaping and curbing the challenges in Nigeria’s defence sector during the period of his stewardship.
“In light of the above, I am directed to invite you to provide media coverage for the event scheduled as follows: Date: Wednesday, 24th May, 2023; Time: 6pm; Venue: AHQ Command Officers Mess 1, Asokoro,” the notification signed by Adelaja Gbemisola reads.
Farewell organised for water minister 4 days ago
At the Ministry of Water Resources, our correspondent learnt that the minister, Suleiman Adamu, has not been in the office since last week.
On Saturday, staff of the ministry and those of parastatals under it bade the minister farewell.
At the event, the minister said he had carried out the assignment professionally as an engineer and urged the incoming minister to be committed to the development of the sector.
Dare hands over today
The sports minister, Sunday Dare, will hand over to the permanent secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, today after the valedictory FEC meeting. Before he hands over, according to sources within the ministry, Dare will be honoured by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) for his role in the development of the association.
His last major sporting event was on Monday when he inaugurated the newly elected board members of the Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Federation with a view to creating more opportunities for youth with disabilities.
Farewell ceremony for Adamu tomorrow
In the Ministry of Education, it was gathered that the minister, Adamu Adamu, was in the office in the morning but left to attend the FEC meeting.
Though nothing unusual happened when the reporter visited the ministry, a source in the ministry who does not want to be mentioned said the minister has started packing his personal belongings. He said a valedictory ceremony would be organised for the minister on Thursday.
He said the minister is yet to do an official hand over but that may be on Thursday.
Labour ministry officials perfect documents
Officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment as well as federal agencies under it are currently perfecting documents in their respective departments and parastatals, Daily Trust reports.
This, it was learnt, is part of the preparation ahead of the dissolution of the federal cabinet.
One of our correspondents, who visited the ministry’s headquarters on Tuesday, observed that the permanent secretary, Ms Kachollom Daju, was in a closed-door meeting with some directors and deputy directors heading departments in the ministry.
A deputy director, who does not want his name in print, said discussions at the meeting centred on how some debts incurred on the recurrent expenditure of the ministry would be settled before the new administration comes in.
The spokesman of the ministry, Olajide Oshundun, who confirmed the meeting in an interview with Daily Trust, said the minister, Chris Ngige, was still very much in charge since there was no official dissolution of the cabinet.
‘Akume ready with handover notes’
The Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, is prepared to leave the ministry and ready with his handover notes’.
Officials of the ministry, who said this to Daily Trust, yesterday, however, pleaded not to be named, as they were not authorised to speak on the matter.
Efforts to see Akume, a former Governor of Benue State and senator, were not successful as he was said to be attending meetings.
Mamora holds last official engagement
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Olohunimbe Mamora, may have held his last official duty as minister on Friday when he went on an inspection tour of some projects by a parastatal of the ministry.
Mamora was at the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) to inspect some ongoing building of pilot plants in Abuja.
The pilot plant complex houses a lot of indigenous fabricated machines used for the processing of agricultural and pharmaceutical raw materials that are sourced locally from different parts of Nigeria into finished products.
However, a source at the ministry said the minister travelled to Lagos on Monday for the Dangote refinery commissioning. On Tuesday, the source said Mamora was in the office at the time of filing this report by one of our reporters.
One of the directors at the ministry who didn’t want to be mentioned said the minister had not handed over any instruction to any of the directors nor the perm-sec “as far as I know”.
Pantami’s personal belongings moved out of the office
On his part, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, also performed his last official assignment last week when he inaugurated the Blockchain committee in Abuja. A staff of the ministry said Pantami’s aides were seen on Monday moving some of their principal’s documents and belongings out of his office.
FCT minister orders more demolitions
A few days to the end of the present administration, the FCT minister, Mallam Muhammad Bello, has ordered the demolition of the popular UTC market in Area 10, as well as houses in Gishiri among other places.
Daily Trust reports that the minister was still coming to the office and attending to official engagements.
He was said to have ordered the Task Force on City Sanitation to clear shops at the UTC market and carry out a comprehensive clearing exercise at Gishiri, a settlement opposite popular Nicon Junction.
Last week, he announced that the Federal Executive Council had approved some contracts running into billions of naira for the Federal Capital Territory. Our correspondent, who was at the secretariat in the morning, reports that the minister left his Life Camp residence to attend a special FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa.
A group made up of spare parts traders and mechanics mainly from the Apo Mechanic Village were seen protesting at the gate of the secretariat, over what they called delay in relocating them to their official land since 2007 after the El-Rufai administration demolished their business places on the road corridor.
Sadiya in projects commissioning galore
The Humanitarian minister commissioned six legacy projects in Zamfara yesterday. Appointments for a new governing council and management were also made in the North East Development Commission (NEDC). The ministry also signed an MOU with the UN on nutrition for students recently.
20 sacked directors in the aviation ministry replaced
In a major shake-up affecting all agencies in the Ministry of Aviation, no fewer than 20 directors have been relieved of their appointments, while new ones were appointed in addition to creating additional directorates in the agencies, Daily Trust can report.
The agencies include the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMet) and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.
In last-minute decisions causing disquiet in the aviation industry, President Buhari approved the reorganisation of the agencies.
This, according to a statement from the ministry, was in line with the new Acts of the National Assembly which he assented to, and gazetted recently.
Highlights of the reorganisation include the creation of new directorates in some of the agencies prominent amongst which are the Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Corporate Services and Aviation Security directorates.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, had defended the reorganisation, saying it was approved by the president and that due process was followed in the appointments.
Abubakar addresses media on event to be held after May 29
Since the beginning of last week, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has been engaged in a number of activities during his final days in office.
Tuesday in Abuja, the minister addressed two ministerial news conferences. The first was on the 2023 World Milk Day, which takes place on May 31 to June 1, where he urged participants to attend the lectures and roundtable talks as the country joined the rest of the globe in celebrating milk.
In what appeared to be his last press conference in his capacity as the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the second press conference focused on the establishment of a special credit programme for herders through the Bank of Agriculture (BoA).
However, Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri, the minister of state for agriculture, was not present at any of the conferences yesterday. He hasn’t also appeared at any recent public event.
Buhari holds extraordinary FEC meeting
President Buhari yesterday presided over another extraordinary Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The marathon meeting is coming ahead of the inauguration of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on May 29.
At the end of the federal cabinet meeting, at a parley around 6:35pm, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the briefing on the outcomes of yesterday’s meeting would be combined with today’s sitting expected to be a valedictory session.
Daily Trust reports that the memoranda, which were stepped down on Tuesday, would be treated today before the valedictory session. The first hour-long extraordinary FEC meeting was chaired penultimate Monday by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, where funds running into billions of naira were approved for most contracts at an advanced stage of completion.
About 100 memoranda from various ministries, departments and agencies had been entertained between last week and this week before President Buhari hands over to Tinubu as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A Nigerian youtuber, Emdee Tiamiyu who asserted in an interview with BBC that Nigerian students do not travel to the United Kingdom because of degree but for greener pastures, has finally opened up on why he made the assertion.
The youtuber has been under heavy fire on social media after the British Home Secretary, Suella Braverman announced in a statement on Tuesday, that beginning from January 2024, Nigerians and other international students are barred from bringing in dependants into the UK.
Earlier in an interview with BBC, Emdee Tiamiyu asserted that “It is not like they [Nigerian students] need the degree, they need the degree as an access road to come into the country. So, a lot of these people their priorities shifted real fast…It’s not really about their education.”
Clip of the interview went viral shortly after the UK banned foreign students from bringing in dependants.
The youtuber earned backlash with many condemning his assertion.
But speaking with popular Nigerian media personality, Daddy Freeze via Instagram Live Session, Tiamiyu said he made the assertion because he was being “real”.
He said, “I do know I would have to find the balance between being real and being diplomatic. If you want to be real, you will offend people. People don dey curse you since because you were mentioning why are they japaring [migrating abroad]…”
Daddy Freeze added that he doesn’t have a problem with what the youtuber said but where he said it.