The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has signed an agreement with the federal government in a bid to resolve their current strike.
The medical practitioners embarked on a five-day warning strike starting May 17, following the expiration of a two-week ultimatum.
Among the doctors’ demands are a 200 per cent pay increase, a boost in clinical staff recruitment for hospitals, and the withdrawal of a bill that would mandate medical and dental graduates to offer five years of compulsory service in Nigeria before obtaining their full practice licenses.
On Friday, representatives from NARD, the Senate Committee on Health, the House of Representatives Committee on Health, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, convened to discuss these demands.
According to NARD, the decision on whether to accept the government’s proposal based on the timelines in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be made by its National Executive Council (NEC).
Dr Emeka Orji, NARD President, said, “We have heard the government’s position, discussed our stand, and explored what can and cannot be done within specified timelines. We signed the agreement. The government’s offer will now be presented to the NEC for acceptance, rejection, or further directives. As per the MoU, NARD will convene its NEC within the next 48 hours to discuss the outcomes and make a decision.”
Despite the ongoing discussions, the strike has persisted, disrupting medical services in federal hospitals across the nation since it started on Wednesday.
Former Military Governor of Ondo State and Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has dropped his differences with President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and promised to pray for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate should the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal affirm he won the February 25th presidential election.
George spoke extensively during an interview yesterday about his position on the May 29 swearing-in of Tinubu as Nigeria’s next president and other issues of great importance ahead of the new governance.
When asked to speak further on why he had refused to visit Tinubu, and if his decision was because his party, the PDP is in court to challenge the APC candidate’s victory, George said: “Well, what will my visit add or subtract from him? If my party is in court with him, contesting the result of the last presidential election, and I am a life member of the board of trustees of the party and one man representing the whole of the South-West in the national caucus of the party, what other level of respect and regard could they (the PDP) have given me? If the court decides that he (Tinubu) is the winner, we will still do a post-mortem analysis and at that time, we will pray for Nigeria that God will lead this country right. I remember when President Muhammadu Buhari was coming. There were certain definitive statements that he made, that he would fight corruption, among many other things and we were all praying for him.”
According to him, once anybody emerges, “All we can do is call the grace of the Almighty to take control of this country to be peaceful. Forget about the individual. Our political differences are as different as day and night, so, what will I say I am going to do (by meeting Tinubu)? To look for (a political) position or what? All we will do is wish them well, that the Almighty God will bring peace to Nigeria using them, but the experience we had here in Lagos is that my state is in dire need of leadership. Nigeria is in dire need of leadership, no doubt about that. We are drifting like a ship at sea, with hurricane storms increasing; so, we need a lot of prayers. After praying, if I’m not satisfied, I have the option of getting out. I’m almost 80 years old. What else am I looking for? I want to spend the rest of my life in peace, not with these character-ravaging guys on the streets; the ‘agberos’ (louts). They left them on the street when they could have organised skills acquisition programmes for them to acquire skills. We have a big issue ahead of us in this country.”
On the chances of his party and candidate, Atiku Abubakar, winning the case in court, George said: “Yes, that’s why we are there. We have made presentations to the court and all the other political parties have also tendered their reports there. I am hopeful that the judiciary will remember their oath of office and that lady of justice, the stature you find in all law courts that is blindfolded with a sword and a scale, saying that she will dispense justice irrespective of colour, name, or race, will dispense justice based on the fact before it. So, we are praying for it.”
You Want Incoming Presidents To Use Clinic You Never Trusted, Patronize – Shehu Sani Replies Aisha Buhari
AdminFormer lawmaker, Shehu Sani has spoken hours after the first lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari stated that incoming presidents no longer need to go abroad to get treated.
Recall that that first lady while speaking at the newly inaugurated N21bn Presidential Wing of the State House Medical Centre in Abuja stated that there would no longer be need for future presidents and their family members to seek medical treatment abroad.
Buhari revealed that she first nurtured the idea of a Presidential Wing in 2017 after her husband’s extensive stay in London for medical treatment.
She said “I’m quite happy, feeling fulfilled. Though we are leaving but all the same, we thank God the project has come to reality.
“I have opted for it six years now. I initiated this project six years ago when my husband spent three months abroad, consecutively, 90 days. And it shouldn’t be because we have all the experts in Nigeria. We only need a good platform.
“The hospital that is supposed to serve the First Family is serving like 35,000 people which is quite much. That’s why I insisted we should have a VIP Wing within the proximity of the presidential villa.
“This one is for the health and wellness of the First Family. They don’t need to go abroad now. They only need to maybe fly in experts to help our people. You know.
“So, no need for any leader to spend months and months abroad because of health care.”
Reacting via a post on Twitter, Sani noted that while the Buharis were in power they never trusted and patronized the clinic but want the incoming administration to do otherwise.
He wrote, “They never trusted and patronised their Villa Clinic for eight years,they now furnished it and want the next President to do so.”
The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje's daughter, Asiya Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has filed a fresh case against her ex-husband, Inuwa Bala, before a Kano magistrates’ court, Daily Trust reports.
Bala was arraigned before the presiding magistrate of Court 69, Ishaq Abdu Aboki, sitting at Muhammad Abubakar Rimi Market over six offences contained in a First Information Report (FIR).
The FIR borders around criminal force, assault, criminal trespass, causing hurt, mischief and inciting disturbance which are contrary to the Administration of the Criminal Justice Law of Kano State.
When the offences read to him by the court registrar, Nura Ahmad Yakasai, in the absence of the prosecution counsel, the defendant pleaded not guilty to all offences.
The defence counsel led by Hashim Mai Ulu applied for the defendant’s bail relying on Section 3C of the 1999 constitution as amended and sections 168, 172, 175 of the ACJL.
The magistrate granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50,000, with two sureties who must provide their passport photographs and means of identification.
He, however, adjourned the case to May 25 for continuation of hearing.
[PRESS STATEMENT] Matawalle's $2m Bribe Hoax: EFCC Will Not Bandy Words with Suspect - Wilson Uwujaren
AdminThe attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a trending interview granted to the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, by Bello Muhammed Matawalle, governor of Zamfara State, where he allegedly made wild bribery allegations against the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa
Matawalle's recourse to mudslinging is symptomatic of a drowning man clutching at straws. But despite the irritation of his phantom claims, the Commission will not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under its investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state. If Matawalle will be taken seriously, he should go beyond sabre-rattling by spilling the beans - provide concrete evidence as proof of his allegations.
Again, the Commission wishes to alert the public about plans by some of the alleged corrupt politically exposed persons to flee the country ahead of May 29. The Commission is working in close collaboration with its international partners to frustrate these escape plans and bring those involved to justice.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has said Igbos should have produced next Senate President ahead of the 10th National Assembly that will be inaugurated on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, if they had had better representation in terms of leadership.
He explained that the Igbos are problems of themselves and they have lost political credence in the country due to the division caused by greedy leaders looking for positions.
He disclosed this in a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, on Friday.
‘’Sincerely, Igbos should be the next senate president. They should ordinarily have become the next president of Nigeria but they are the problems of themselves. They have marginalised themselves because of desperation for positions. Igbo leaders are mostly responsible for the sufferings of their people; they have shown greediness, desperation, and betrayal at the expense of their kinsmen.
‘’The Igbos have lost the political credence in the country and It will take a long time before they recover it. If they are not united, they will be behind in this government, they won’t get anything tangible,’’ he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alerted the general public of the alleged move by some governors and other politicians accused of corruption to flee the country ahead of the May 29 handover.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren raised the alarm in a statement issued on Friday night.
The commission said it is currently collaborating with its international partners to ensure that the plans are frustrated.
The commission vowed that all political actors involved in corruption while in public office must be brought to justice.
The statement reads partly, “Again, the Commission wishes to alert the public about plans by some of the alleged corrupt politically exposed persons to flee the country ahead of May 29.
“The Commission is working in close collaboration with its international partners to frustrate these escape plans and bring those involved to justice.”
Mr Babatunde Olushoto is a Nigerian man who chose to become a coffin maker and casket constructor even though he studied computer engineering.
Many may not know that casket is different from coffin. Though both are used for burial, Olushoto said “Casket is more complex to construct than coffin, and casket is more expensive than coffin.”
Olushoto has been making both for more than 20 years as his means of livelihood. He is married and has two children.
The interesting aspect of Olushoto’s profession is the fact that he is a trained Computer Scientist who earned his First Degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State. He graduated at the time computer graduates were sort after by multinational companies and industries all over the world. It was a period when the whole world was becoming computerized and graduates with such skills had the privilege of choosing where to be employed.
Amazingly, Olushoto refused to allow such opportunities to work and live comfortably in Europe or America with good pay to determine his choice of life career. Rather, he dropped his Computer certificate and settled in a carpentry shop somewhere in Dadin Kowa, Jos.
When asked why he refused to aspire for jobs in rich oil companies and other multinational industries on Nigeria and abroad, Olushoto simply said, “It is all about passion. I just love to do constructions with wood.”
Olushoto told Daily Trust on Saturday that he developed an irresistible passion for coffin and casket making from a very tender age. “I took the skills from my father. This shop known as ‘Last Home’ was set up by my father long ago. I grew up as a child to meet my father in this shop, it is from this shop my father got married to our mom and raised his family. It is from this aspect of carpentry work that my father trained me and my siblings in formal education. My father sent me to the university with his earnings in making and selling coffins.”
Olushoto is the first born of the family of seven. When he was a kid, he loved watching his father working at the shop. “I always run to my father’s shop immediately after school to watch him making the coffins, at a point I saw myself assisting my father. I started developing interest in the way my father does the construction. So, on my own, I became an apprentice in my father’s shop. My father had several apprentices then, and I made myself one of them. And when my father noticed my interest in the job, he began to teach me the skills.”
At the time Olushoto completed his secondary school education in Jos, he has already mastered the skills of coffin construction. However, his father sent him to the university to obtain a degree, but on completion of his university education, Olushoto refused to join the already saturated labour market like many graduates, he simply returned to his father’s shop to do what he like best. He was so good that his father handed the shop over to him and retired. And so, for the last 20 years, Olushoto has run his father’s coffin factory efficiently and effectively.
“I learnt it from my dad; the shop belongs to my dad. My father started training me in his shop when I was younger. I grew up to see my father doing the caskets and he trained me because I was interested in learning. So, the passion to be a casket maker started from there, to the extent that even when I went to the university to study Computer Science, I didn’t have as much passion in the course as I had for casket making. I only went to the university to get good education and be a degree holder.
When I was pursuing the admission, I never had any course in mind, I was ready to study any course. So, I eventually got admission to do computer science, and I did it and graduated with good result.
“The fact that I’m not practicing what I studied doesn’t mean that I don’t like computer science. I’m happy I did the course, but my passion is in what my father thought me. I cherish that carpentry skills than the computer knowledge.
In spite of his love for making coffins, the society hardly appreciate such skills. Many feel it is a trade that thrives on people’s death, and so whoever is into such trade is stigmatised as someone who wishes others death, or who smiles when people die.
Such mind set never deterred Olushoto from doing what he likes best. He said, “My belief as a Christian is that death is a natural thing that must happen. Death is the end of every mortal. And so, I don’t need to pray for someone to die for me to get good business. It occurs naturally; not by my wish. People have been dying before I was born and people will continue to die even if I stop selling coffins today. So, it is not about me praying or wishing for people to die. My style of prayer then is, if death do happen, let the bereaved come and patronize my business. That is how I pray; I don’t pray for death but I pray for those in need of casket to patronize me.”
Casket making is not a business that can be comfortably advertised because of the sentiments attached. “Many think if you advertising casket, you are wishing people death. So, the best business plan is to build relationship with people. A relationship that will make them refer people to you and talk good about you. So, your public relations rating must be good for mourners to patronize you.”
On how he feels dumping Computer Science, he said, “I never dumped my Computer Science training, I am applying the computer knowledge in the casket making. And that is why I have an edge over my competitors in the state. My computer knowledge has made me improve on the training my father gave me. You know my father did his own with no educational background, but with my educational background, I have improved on what my father handed over to me. So, my knowledge of computer science is a waste; there is the application of computer in every discipline all over the world. You know casket making is construction work, and so computer knowledge is very key in casket making. I am combining both trainings to make a living.”
Though he inherited the trade from his father, Olushoto who now has two children said, “I will not compel my children to take after this skill as I did from my father, I will prefer they make their own choices. I inherited it from my father willingly, my children can inherit it from me if they are willing. I am not going to impose it on them. I will allow them make their choice and that is why I will train them to university level just as my father did. When they graduate, whatever they chose to do is left for them. I inherited the trade from my father not because he forced me to accept but I developed the passion to do it. My siblings chose other careers and professions, but my interest is on this trade, and it is just natural to me, I love doing it. That was why I never looked for job after my university education, I simply returned to my father’s business in this very shop. And when my father saw that I was good on the trade, he simply retired and handed over the shop to me as his first son.”
Source: Daily Trust
For two long nights between May 15 and 16, Kubwat and Fungzai villages in Mangu Local Government Area, LGA, of Plateau State were killing fields. Terrorists unleashed mayhem on the villages, razing houses and foodstuffs, and killed no fewer than 100 persons mostly women and children.
So far, 50 bodies have been discovered. The death toll could rise as people were still running in droves from the sacked communities to Mangu town and beyond to seek refuge as of press time.
The lawmaker representing Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr Solomon Maren, said the attacks were among many in the constituency where 200 persons had been killed in the last four months.
The 100 lives wasted in Mangu are among the 63,111 that have been killed since outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015.
According to data obtained from the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme, the deaths arose from terrorism, banditry, Herders/farmers clashes, communal crises, cult clashes, and extra-judicial killings among others.
The NST documents and maps violence in Nigeria that is motivated by political, economic or social grievances. “Different groups in Nigeria resort to violence. The militant Islamist movement Boko Haram is active in northern Nigeria. Violence among ethnic groups, farmers, and herdsmen sometimes acquires religious overtones. A new generation of Niger Delta militants threatens war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscriminately. Police are notorious for extra-judicial murder,” it said.
The 63,111 death toll is conservative because only reported cases from multiple sources were included. And many cases are under-reported or not reported at all.
Thus, the NST statistics should be viewed as indicative rather than definitive.
Since the NST started the data on May 29, 2011, when former President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated, no fewer than 98,083 Nigerians had been killed.
When President Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015, the cumulative number of people killed in Nigeria, according to the NST was 34,972. Since then, the death figure has risen to 98,083 as of May 16, 2023.
Since 2015, Nigeria recorded the least killings in 2017 when 4618 persons died and the worst in 2021 when 10575 lives were wasted (see table).
However, the death tolls have been going down since 2022 when 9079 deaths were recorded.
How 63,111 Nigerians were
killed in
8 years under
Buhari
Year Deaths
2015 5556
2016 5763
2017 4618
2018 6565
2019 8340
2020 9694
2021 10575
2022 9079
2023 2921
Total 63,111
*Killings between June and December 2015
**As of May 16, 2023
Timeline of killings in May 2023
*May 1: Bandits killed two and abducted four in Zaria, Kaduna.
*May 1: Kidnappers abducted three and killed one in Akwanga, Nassarawa.
*May 2: Kidnappers abducted twelve in Owan East, Edo.
*May 2: Gunmen killed one police officer in Aba, Abia.
*May 2: Herders killed three in Boripe, Osun.
*May 3: Gunmen killed a youth leader in Ahoada East, Rivers.
*May 4: Gunmen killed three police officers in Orumba South, Anambra.
*May 4: Soldiers killed 23 bandits while one soldier was killed during a clash in Shiroro, Niger State.
*May 6: Troops killed two Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) commanders and “several” other ISWA militants (est. at twelve total) in Konduga, Borno.
*May 7: Gunmen killed one police officer and kidnapped the Taraba local government chairman in Takum, Taraba.
*May 7: Bandits abducted forty from a church in Chikun, Kaduna.
*May 7: Bandits abducted thirteen and killed one in Kagarko, Kaduna.
*May 7: Security operatives killed four kidnappers in Idemili North, Anambra.
*May 7: Communal violence led to one death in Mokwa, Niger.
*May 8: Herders killed three in Guma, Benue.
*May 8: Cult clashes resulted in 16 deaths in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
*May 9: A cult clash resulted in three deaths in Owo, Ondo.
*May 9: Herders killed six in Guma, Benue.
*May 10: Security forces killed seven gunmen in Nnewi South, Anambra.
*May 10: Gunmen killed two in Mangu, Plateau.
*May 10: ISWA killed three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Damboa, Borno.
*May 11: Troops killed 11 ISWAP militants in Abadam, Borno.
*May 11: Kidnappers abducted an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ehime-Mbano, Imo.
*May 12: Bandits abducted fifty in Rijau, Niger State.
*May 12: Communal violence led to 13 deaths in Karim-Lamido, Taraba.
*May 12: A pastor, Daniel Danbeki and 37 others were killed by suspected herdsmen in attacks on Takalafia and Kwaja in Karu LGA of Nasarawa State
*May 12: Communal crisis between Amazaba community of East Obolo and ikot Akpab Udo village in Ikot Abasi LGA of Akwa Ibom State claimed four lives
*May 14: A man shot his elder brother and cut off his head and private parts at Ekori in Yakkur LGA of Cross River State.
*May 15: Gunmen killed 29 person’s at Kubwat and Fungzai villages in Mangu LGA of Plateau State.
*May 15: Three soldiers were killed and 10 were injured while repelling an ambush on their convoy by Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, terrorists in Abadam, Borno State.
May 15: A man killed his stepmother with a pestle in Ihima Obeobe Ebozohu community, Okehi LGA of Kogi State
*May 16: Gunmen killed four US Embassy officials in Ogbaru LGA, Anambra State.
*May 16: 10 persons including a couple and their only child were killed in attacks on Akpanta, Ochumeko and Ijaha communities in Apa LGA of Benue State by suspected herdsmen
*May 16: An EFCC official was killed by two of his colleagues in Sokoto following a disagreement on custody of items belonging to a suspect.
*May 16: Kidnappers killed one person and kidnapped three including Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, immediate younger brother of the Akogun Oyedepo, Chairman, Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti along Ijara-Isin/Isanlu Isin Road in Kwara State.
A former Vice President and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the last presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Friday, berated the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for filing processes to defend the qualifications of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Atiku maintained that it was wrong for the electoral body to throw its weight behind the president-elect, whose election victory is being challenged in court.
While accusing INEC of fighting a proxy war for Tinubu, the PDP candidate who came second in the presidential election held on February 25, through his team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, urged the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja, to dismiss a counter affidavit and preliminary objection the Commission filed to challenge his petition.
According to Atiku, INEC lacked the legal capacity to defend the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s educational qualifications, his age as well as his alleged indictment in a drug-related case in the United States of America, USA.
He contended that INEC, being the umpire that conducted the election, ought to remain neutral in the case.
Atiku’s lawyer had at the resumed proceedings in the matter, notified the court that there were seven pending applications, among which he said included the one that INEC sought the striking out of 32 paragraphs of the petition relating to Tinubu’s qualifications.
Uche, SAN, prayed the court to not only dismiss INEC’s preliminary objection but to also declare it as a gross abuse of the judicial process.
“All that INEC has done is to ask for averments that were against Tinubu to be struck out. INEC is fighting a proxy war for Tinubu, which a neutral umpire is not expected to do. This is very wrong my lords,” Atiku’s lawyer added.
However, INEC, which is the first respondent in the matter, through its team of lawyers led by Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, asked the court to either strike out the said paragraphs or dismiss the entire petition for want of competence.
Likewise, Tinubu’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and that of the APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, equally drew the attention of the court to processes they also filed for the petition to be dismissed.
The Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel subsequently adjourned the case till Saturday to conclude the pre-hearing session.
The court held that it’s ruling on all the preliminary objections would be delivered before its final judgement on the case.
The development came on a day the court equally adjourned another petition that was brought before it by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, till Saturday.
A mild drama played out in the court on Friday, as the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the LP, briefed another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, to announce an appearance for the party.
Immediately Obi’s petition was called up for hearing and lawyers were asked to announce their appearances, Chief Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, stood up and told the court that he was briefed to represent the LP.
The senior lawyer addressed the court after Prof. Awa Kalu, SAN, who appeared alongside five other SANs, had already announced his presence as counsel for the petitioners.
Maduabuchi, SAN, told the court that he was instructed by the party to appear on its behalf and to represent it in the matter.
However, the panel declined to record his appearance.
“You did not file this petition. Let the person that filed the case announce their appearance. We cannot record you,” Justice Tsammani held.
Another member of the panel berated Maduabuchi, SAN, for accepting the brief when he was aware that the party already had its team of lawyers.
“As a learned silk, you should know better and you should have told whoever briefed you that there is another lawyer handling the matter,” a member of the panel added.
Realising that he would not be allowed to take over the case, Maduabuchi, SAN, said he would go back and relate what happened in court to his client.
“That is not our business. You can either leave the court or sit and observe the proceedings,” Chairman of the panel, Justice Tsammani told him. Earlier, Obi, who was in court, announced himself as the representative of the petitioners.
Remarkably, the two factional Chairmen of the party, Julius Abure and Apapa were both in court for the matter.
It will be recalled that irate youths had on Tuesday, attacked Apapa at the court premises, accusing him of yielding himself as a tool in the hands of people seeking to disintegrate the party.
Apapa, who denied the allegation that he received N500 million to scuttle Obi’s case against Tinubu, was subsequently taken into protective custody by security operatives attached to the court.
Meanwhile, the court said it would on Monday, deliver its ruling on two separate applications that Atiku and Obi brought for day-to-day live coverage of proceedings in their cases.
They argued that the dispute trailing the presidential election was of serious national importance to both Nigerians that are within and outside the country.
However, INEC, Tinubu and the APC opposed the request which they said would expose the judiciary to unnecessary opprobrium.
They further argued that a live telecast of the proceedings would not be possible in the absence of an administrative policy direction from the President of the Court of Appeal.
Both Atiku and Obi are seeking the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return that was issued to Tinubu by INEC.
The duo, in their separate petitions, claimed that they won the presidential election, insisting that Tinubu was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the poll.
More so, they told the court that Tinubu was not qualified to contest, adding that his election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices.
It will be recalled that INEC had on March 1, announced Tinubu as the winner of the presidential poll, ahead of 17 other candidates that contested the election.
INEC declared that Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku who polled a total of 6,984,520 votes and Obi who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.
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Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, house of representatives, says it will not allow the outgoing government of president Muhammadu Buhari to spend the $800 million loan it approved for it.
A member of the House of Representatives Committee on Loans, Aid and Debt Management, Dr Abubakar Yunusa Ahmad, made this known during a an interview on Channels TV on Friday.
He noted that in spite of the approval given to the Buhari administration to take the highly controversial loan, the lawmakers would not allow his government to touch money.
Ahmad said the lawmakers have a means of ensuring that the Buhari administration adheres to the conditions it attached to the loan approval, noting that the House had given a caveat to the president in approving the loan.
He said; “On the $800 million, we engaged in consultations and we advised them (FG) to leave this thing to the incoming government but since the loan has been granted, we can collect but we cannot use it, maybe when the next government comes in, they might have a different approach to issues.
“We have read in the social media that they intend not to retain any of Buhari’s ministers because they have rated them to underperform. Yes, we have granted that loan, it has been approved and we want Nigeria to take it, but it is not going to be utilized by this outgoing government. When the next government comes, they can decide on what to do with the loan”. On Nigeria’s debt profile, he described it as baffling, saying the House of Reps members had reasons not to approve the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means requested by President Buhari.
“Our debt profile is baffling. That is why we declined the N22.7 million Ways and Means even though the Senate has granted the request. Those of us in the House of Representatives raised a lot of questions and the request has not yet been attended to. There are things I can’t say because I don’t want to open the can of worms but I hope people understand this language of ways and means. In a nutshell, it means printing currency.
“First, Nigeria’s high debt profile, Nigeria has the capacity to pay. It is the intention of the APC government under Buhari, the infrastructure they put, the railway they built, if utilized properly, within one or two years, they would have generated the money to pay back the loans. Our problem is lack of patriotism. When the government comes up with an initiative, along the line, you have people who will engage in what I will refer to administrative stupidity to frustrate it. If Ajaokuta which remains three percent to complete and the railway would work effectively, I tell you that within 5 to 10 years, the situation of this country would change
Seun Kuti, the embattled Afrobeat singer, has been crowned the ‘General Overseer’ of his cell by the inmates.
Recall that Seun made the headlines and his woes began after a video of him assaulting a police officer on the Third Mainland bridge on May 13 went viral.
The incident prompted an order for his arrest by the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba.
Seun, however, turned himself in at the police station on Monday accompanied by his lawyers and was subsequently arraigned at a Sabo, Yaba Chief Magistrate Court on Tuesday which ordered his remand.
The son of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was later remanded at the State Criminal, Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos on the orders of Yaba Chief Magistrate Court for assaulting a police officer.
He was, however, greeted by uneasiness and pandemonium in the prison, a situation engendered by the initial hostile attitude of the inmates at the SCIID.
He would later be appointed as the spiritual father of his cell. However, his appointment as the GO was however not without some drama after the inmates initially rejected him.
According to the Vanguard, upon his resumption at the cell, Seun was greeted by the intimidating hoarse, deep baritone voice of the leader of the inmates who ordered him to remain standing.
A few minutes later, a pandemonium ensued inside the cell as the inmates were said to have rejected him.
The inmates were banging on their metal protective door in protestations, asking that Seun should be taken out of the cell.
Sources said as the uproar by the inmates rose, Seun called for calm and started negotiating for peace to reign. That was when he noticed that the commotion his presence caused and his rejection by the inmates attracted little or no attention from the police guards.
At that stage, he reportedly promised to dole out N25,000 to them and he was directed to produce it without delay. He had to beg for the phone to call his wife who quickly brought the money which was handed over to their leader. The inmates subsequently accepted him (Seun) and provided a space for him to sit down.
Vanguard reported that Seun was so exasperated by the ugly development that played out that he refused to eat the food provided for him including the food brought by his wife. The hunger strike continued for almost a day and a half until he finally started eating.
The climax of the drama was that the inmates later crowned him the General Overseer of the cell and a bible was handed over to him. That means that he is presently leading the inmates in prayer sessions whenever the need arises after which they would all chorus: GO, GO.
It’s gathered seun was seen clutching the Bible tightly with his left hand around 2:30 pm on Friday while climbing the stairs leading to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge, Waheed Ayilara. He was later led down the stairs, back into the cell.
President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) on Friday shunned hearing in a suit seeking to stop the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29.
Buhari and AGF who are the first and second respondents in the suit filed by a former Presidential candidate, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuro did not file any process or have any legal representation at the hearing of the suit at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, despite been served with hearing notice.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which conducted the 2019 Presidential election, which was the subject of dispute asked the Court of Appeal to dismiss the case of Owuro who claimed to be adjudged the constitutional winner of the 2019 Presidential election.
The electoral body which is the 3rd respondent in the appeal described Owuru’s claim as frivolous, baseless, irritating and unwarranted.
Represented by a lawyer, Hassan Halilu, INEC faulted the claims of Owuru and urged the appellate Court to dismiss it with heavy cost for lacking in merit.
On his part, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu who joined the suit as an interested party at the Court of Appeal argued that the claims of Owuru to the 2019 Presidential election was not only strange but baseless, frivolous and un- meritorious.
Tinubu through his counsel, Adelani Ajibade from the Chamber of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) told the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal that the purported constitutional rights being claimed and asserted by the former Presidential candidate had been extinguished by a Supreme Court judgment which nullified his petition filed against the 2019 Presidential election.
The President-elect whose brief of argument was filed on May 19 demanded outright dismissal of the suit with N20 million cost to be paid to the respondents by Owuru and his party, Hope Democratic Party (HDP).
Meanwhile, Justice Jamil Tukur who headed the three-member panel of justice in the hearing of the matter has adjourned judgment indefinitely.
Justice Tukur said parties in the appeal would be communicated as soon as the judgment is ready.
Before the hearing of the suit, Justice Tukur ordered Owuru to vacate the seat reserved for only Senior Advocates of Nigeria members of the Nigerian Bar Association.
As President inaugurates N21bn State House hospital
The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has said overseas medicals for Nigerian Presidents will henceforth become a thing of the past with the inauguration of the N21 billion Presidential/VIP Wing of the State House Medical Center, located within the precincts of the State House in Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration of the medical centre yesterday, Aisha Buhari, who accompanied her husband to the event, stressed that the new facility will stop incessant travel abroad by Nigerian presidents and their family members for medicals.
The First Lady who spoke to newsmen after Buhari had cut the tape and concluded a guided tour of the facility, said she bought the idea of executing the project in 2017, following the extensive stay of her husband abroad for medical treatment.
According to her, now that the facility is in place, Nigerian Presidents and their family members will no longer need to go abroad for treatment but may only fly medical experts to assist their colleagues in the country.
She said: “This one is for the health and wellness of the First Family. They don’t need to go abroad now. They only need to maybe fly in experts to help our people. You know. So, no need for any leader to spend months and months abroad because of health care.
“I’m quite happy, feeling fulfilled. Though we are leaving but all the same, we thank God the project has come to reality.
“I initiated this project six years ago when my husband spent three months abroad, consecutively, 90 days, and it shouldn’t be because we have all the experts in Nigeria. We only need a good platform.
“The hospital that is supposed to serve the First Family is serving like 35,000 people, which is quite much.
“That’s why I insisted we should have a VIP Wing within the proximity of the presidential villa.”
In his speech, President Buhari said the new state-of-the-art Medical Centre will boost health infrastructure in the country by far, calling for the judicious use of the facility to maximise its benefits.
The Medical Centre was conceptualised by the previous administration 11 years ago.
Accompanied by members of the first family, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; and the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Tijjani Umar, the President toured the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (CathLab), Operating Rooms for regular and specialized procedures, Intensive Care Unit, Specialized Infectious Disease Isolation Suites, and Specialized consultation rooms.
He expressed satisfaction with the fully-equipped and operational medical facilities at the Centre, noting that in the past eight years, holistic health care has been given a priority.
During his tour, President Buhari interacted with the local medical staff who received specialised training on handling the advanced equipment available at the facility.
Also speaking, the State House Permanent Secretary explained that the VIP facility is intended to be a one-stop shop for the provision of medical services to the President, Vice President and their families, as well as other VIPs.
According to him: “The establishment of the facility reflects Mr President’s commitment to prioritising the health and well-being of Nigerians.”
He recounted that the concept of establishing a medical facility within the seat of government was conceived in 2012.
He said this initial idea resulted in the creation of a project brief in 2013, outlining the objectives, scope, and specifications for the facility’s construction.
However, it wasn’t until 2020 that President Buhari gave his approval for a comprehensive geotechnical survey and assessment of seven potential sites.
[ThisDay]