The United States government has vowed to work with the Nigerian security apparatus to apprehend assailants who attacked its convoy in Anambra State and killed at least four members.
This was disclosed in a statement by the US Department of State on Wednesday.
Earlier, the Nigeria Police Force had confirmed the development saying at least two members of staff of the US consulate were murdered by the yet-to-be -identified gunmen.
What was not clear in the statement from the police was whether the US staff were Americans or Nigerians.
Same day, the US confirmed that some unknown assailants indeed attacked its convoy in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, on Tuesday.
Though silent on the citizenship of the deceased members of the convoy, it maintained that US values its “Locally Employed Staff.
” The convoy was carrying nine Nigerian nationals: five employees of the U.S. Mission to Nigeria and four members of the Nigeria Police Force.
” They were traveling in advance of a planned visit by U.S. Mission personnel to a U.S.-funded flood response project in Anambra.
“The assailants killed at least four members of the convoy, and U.S. Mission personnel are working urgently with Nigerian counterparts to ascertain the location and condition of the members of the convoy who are unaccounted for,” the statement partly reads.
The US government added that it does not know the motive behind the attack even though there is currently no indications that it was targeted against our Mission.
But it condemned the attackers while commiserating with the deceased.
The statement partly reads:
“We condemn in the strongest terms this attack. We will work closely with our Nigerian law enforcement colleagues in seeking to bring those responsible to justice.
“The United States has no greater priority than the safety and security of our personnel. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the attack, and pledge to do everything possible to safely recover those who remain missing.
“We deeply value our relationship with our Locally Employed Staff and our partnership with Nigeria.
“The United States reaffirms its commitment to the people of Nigeria to assist in the fight against violence and insecurity.”
Two leading public figures have called for making the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) a voluntary scheme. As Nigeria celebrates the golden jubilee of the NYSC, Professors Attahiru Jega and Anthony Kila have asked the Federal Government to review its policies on the NYSC and to make the programme a voluntary scheme.
Anthony Kila, a professor of strategy and development and director at the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies had in his book “Epistles” published in November 2022, advocated for a radical reform of the NYSC or its total scrapping. Kila reiterated his position on Sunday 14th May in a TV programme while on a panel discussion together with Professor Bolaji Akinterinwa and anchored by Reuben Abati.
For Kila, the NYSC as it stands today is archaic and redundant and does not meet the needs of contemporary Nigeria. Prof Kila also frowned at the use of NYSC members to replace teachers in schools. For him, “using NYSC member to meet the scarcity of teachers is a grave indictment of our understanding of education and an index of how little a value we place on education”. The NYSC of the future according to Kila has to be voluntary and aimed at national duties like security and elections.
In line with professor Kila’s position, Professor Attahiru Jega a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday in Abuja while delivering a lecture to commemorate NYSC’s 50th anniversary called on the government to reduce the number of members called to serve in the NYSC programme and to make the scheme voluntary rather than mandatory with high CGPA as prequalification for participation. Jega also called for improved welfare for corps members and steps that will motivate staff administering the scheme.
The NYSC clocked 50 this year, it was launched in 1973 under the General Gowon administration as a means to foster unity and nation building among Nigerians.
President Buhari in a statement had earlier praised General Gowon for his foresight in initiating the scheme. Speaking in Abuja at the same event as professor Jega, the Minister of Youth Development, Chief Sunday Dare noted that NYSC has become a household name in the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
[insidenigeriang]
A video showing the moment ‘acting’ chairman of the Labour Party (LP) Lamidi Apapa was booed and humiliated out of the premises of the Presidential Election Petition Court on Wednesday morning has surfaced on social media.
Apapa and the faction of the suspended National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure had engaged in a heated argument before the court proceeding after attempting to occupy the seat reserved for Abure.
Apapa was later seen walking away after the secretary of the presidential election petition court, Josephine Ekperobe stepped in, and would later go on to interrupt women leader, Dudu Manuga during the court hearing, where he would insist that he was the party’s chairman representing LP.
Following Apapa’s action, the five-man panel of the court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani would reject the names mentioned as representatives of the Labour party.
Below is a video of the ‘acting’ chairman, Lamidi being booed by supporters/members of the party and led out of the court on Wednesday.
Media
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi on Tuesday wondered why the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not present their presidential ticket to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
Obi while speaking at Dele Momodu’s birthday in London said he told the APC to present Osinbajo if they want Nigeria to work.
The former governor of Anambra State emphasized that he wants to see Nigeria work as a country.
He further stated that Nigeria needs someone who can handle the situation in the country within 24 hours each day.
Obi while speaking in the company of others at the event said, “I want to see Nigeria work I don’t hide it any day any time, I even confronted APC if you want it to work, why didn’t bring Osinbajo? Let’s have the place working for everyone so that we gave people who want to work for everyone and are healthy and good”.
Watch the video below:
Media
A lady who assaulted a police officer has been arraigned in court and remanded in Kirikiri prison in Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos state.
This was revealed by Lagos state police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin on Tuesday, May 16.
Sharing a picture of a woman grabbing a police officer by the Uniform, Hundeyin tweeted;
"Somewhere in Ogombo yesterday, she assaulted a police officer. She was arraigned today and has been remanded to the Kirikiri correctional facility till June 6 when the case come up again in court."
This comes after a video went viral over the weekend showing Afro beats singer, Seun Kuti slapping a police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
BBC investigation yesterday indicated that it had found evidence suggesting some results from Nigeria’s February 25 presidential election were manipulated, with significant anomalies in Rivers state, a key battleground during the poll.
The BBC stated that from its investigation into the issue, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), won the election in that state, rather than the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, contrary to claims by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, that he worked for the victory of the former Lagos governor.
Stressing that though not sufficient to change the overall national outcome of the election, the international broadcast organisation noted that there are also questions over the identity of an election official who read out some of the unexplained results.
For the first time in a Nigerian election, BBC recalled that photographs of the polling station results sheets were published online by the electoral commission, which made it possible to add up all the polling station sheets and to compare them with the results declared at the state level.
But after adding up the voting tally sheets from over 6,000 polling stations in Rivers state, where many of the opposition complaints had been made, BBC stated that while the official result in the state gave a clear majority to Tinubu of APC, its tally suggested that Obi of LP had actually received most votes in the state by a wide margin.
“We found an increase of just over 106,000 in Mr Tinubu’s vote in the official declaration when compared with our polling station tally – almost doubling his total in the state. In contrast, Mr Obi’s vote had fallen by over 50,000,” the report added.
However, it noted that although it searched through the election website for every single one of the 6,866 polling stations in Rivers state, it was not able to obtain results from all of them.
The BBC explained that some were incorrectly uploaded, others were missing, even after a month from the date of polling, stressing that for about 5 per cent of polling stations, the photos of tally sheets were too blurred to read.
“ It’s reasonable to assume that the official count would have included these as they would have had the original documents,” the report stated.
In another 17 per cent, BBC said that there were no results at all. “Many of these would have been places where no voting took place due to security issues or the non-arrival of voting materials. Others had technical problems preventing officials uploading the documents,” it posited.
In terms of the biggest discrepancies, the BBC reported that two areas stood out, the first being Oyigbo local government area, where it found that the vote for Tinubu was six times larger in the officially announced results compared with the its polling station count. “Peter Obi’s votes had been cut in half,” it stated.
According to the BBC report, the second local government area where it found major discrepancies was in nearby Obio/Akpor where the official result for Tinubu was 80,239 votes, but it counted just 17,293 votes from polling station tallies.
“The count for Mr Obi was announced officially as just 3,829 votes, but the BBC counted 74,033 votes for him on the tally sheets,” it said.
BBC said its investigation also raised doubts over the person of an Oyigbo election official, Dr Dickson Ariaga, who announced his name and that he worked for the Federal College of Education in Omoku.
While other results matched those on the collation sheet the BBC had obtained, it stated that when he reached Mr Tinubu’s APC, instead of saying 2,731 as written on our photograph of the sheet, Ariaga read out “16,630”.
“Then for Mr Obi’s party (LP) the figure changed again – instead of the 22,289 seen on the sheet, he announced “10,784”, more than halving his vote,” it stated.
Indicating that there was some mystery surrounding Ariaga, it said it sent a reporter to the Federal College of Education in Omoku, about two hours drive north of Port Harcourt, where he’d said he worked when introducing himself.
“The Deputy Provost Moses Ekpa told the BBC: “From our records, both from our payroll and from our human resources, there is no such a name in our system and we don’t know such a person.”
When its findings were put to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it noted that Johnson Sinikiem, INEC’s regional spokesman in Port Harcourt, told the news medium that due to a “gross shortage of time and personnel” INEC had needed to take on some people without verifying their identity documents.
“If he had presented himself as a lecturer from (the college in Omoku) and it’s otherwise, then he is dishonest,” the INEC’s regional spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“We also approached INEC’s headquarters in Abuja for a response to our findings of discrepancies in the results in Rivers state. We were told that they were unable to comment due to ongoing legal challenges.
“This is just one case in one state in southern Nigeria where the evidence points to the results having been manipulated,” the BBC said.
In a power twist, the Federal Government commenced the payment of salary arrears to lecturers in the departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences and Medicine across some federal universities.
The lecturers are under the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics, one of the two splinter groups licensed by the government to reduce the influence of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The government had in 2022 implemented a no-work-no-pay rule against lecturers for seven months due to the strike embarked upon by the ASUU.
Efforts to get the government to pay the lecturers the withheld salaries for the duration of strike by ASUU proved abortive.
But the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, a body which encompasses medical doctors in the academics and other consultant medical doctors, explained to the government that medical schools were not shut down during the period of strike hence the salaries of their members should not be withheld.
Speaking with our correspondent in Abuja, a source from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, confirmed that medical lecturers have been paid their withheld salaries.
“This is currently causing confusion in the school. Medical lecturers have started receiving their salaries. Other lecturers have not but we have been told to stay calm.”
Another medical lecturer at the University of Maiduguri said, “It is true, medical lecturers who worked during the time of strike have started receiving theirs.”
Confirming the development, the chairperson of ASUU, FUTMinna told our correspondent that even though not all the medical lecturers have been paid, he could confirm the payment of medical lecturers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
Details later…
The Lagos State Police Command on Tuesday invaded the residence of popular musician Seun Kuti in search of evidence to nail him with a separate crime.
The security operatives, who carried out the search, reportedly seized Kuti’s wife’s mobile phone during the raid.
This is coming hours after Yaba Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday granted Seun bail.
However, in a new development, a trending video on social media captured the moment police operatives conducted a search at the embattled singer’s house situated at Akin Osiyemi, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
Recall that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Alkali Baba, had ordered Kuti’s arrest after he slapped a police officer on the 3rd Mainland Bridge last week.
Video:
Media
Actor and activist, Adebowale Debo Adedayo, also known as Mr Macaroni has reacted to the arrest of Afrobeats star, Seun Kuti by the Nigeria police.
Macaroni, taking to his Twitter page, condemned Kuti’s alleged assault on the police officer.
He, however, stated that following the incident, the police force in the country was now aware of how it feels to be assaulted and oppressed.
Macaroni went on to appeal for Kuti’s rights to be respected in the course of seeking justice.
“I love how the Nigeria Police is quickly seeking justice for one of theirs who was assaulted. I hope such speed is also applied when Citizens are being harassed and brutalized by the Nigeria Police.
“While I totally condemn assault on Police officers, I also condemn any form of maltreatment against Seun Kuti.
“As the police attempt to fight for the rights of one of theirs, Seun Kuti’s rights must also be respected. The Law should be allowed to take its course.
“I hope the Nigerian Police understand how the people also feel when they assault, brutalize, humiliate and oppress us. All we want is for things to be done rightly.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. I hope the Police and the Citizens understand this.
“It should be Good against Evil. Not the Police Vs Citizens because we all are capable of both good and evil. If we want a better society, we must encourage good and shun evil.”
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has adjourned till Friday, May 19, the pre-hearing of the petition by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani, fixed the date following failure of parties to agree on documents among other reasons.
More...
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has unveiled his his wife, Opeoluwa Elizabeth Akinmuda.
According to reports, the monarch, who took his sixth wife sometime in May, is set to officially welcome her into his Royal Palace of Oodua in Ile-Ife.
The invitations for the Thanksgiving service and reception of the new queen have reportedly been sent out. Top dignitaries are expected to attend this grand event.
The event is scheduled to hold on Saturday 20th May 2023.
The event will be preceded by the traditional entry of the Queen into the ancient Ife Oodua Palace of Ile-Ife this Thursday.
The couple reportedly tied the knot on May 10th, 2023.
Meanwhile, the palace has yet to comment on the development as of filing the report.
Recall that Oba Enitan Adeyeye, is already married to five other women namely; Olori Mariam, Olori Tobi Phillips Ogunwusi, Princess Ashley Adegoke, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi and Temitope Adesegun.
A Magistrate’s Court in the Yaba area of Lagos State on Tuesday granted bail to embattled Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti.
Kuti is expected to meet his bail conditions within 48 hours, his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN); as well as police spokesman in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin both told Channels Television in separate interviews.
The Lagos State Police Command had taken Seun to court to secure a 21-day remand order but the court granted the singer bail.
Upon completion of an investigation, the police should hand over the case to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, his lawyer added.
The musician spent the night with the police at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba on Monday after he turned himself in to the police following an order for his arrest by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba.
The singer was captured on video slapping and assaulting a policeman on a busy Lagos road.
The Federal Government has incurred a deficit spending of N36.8 trillion in eight years under the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2022.
Vanguard analysis of data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on Federal Government finances from 2015 to 2022 revealed that 77 per cent of the deficit spending occurred in the last four years, from 2019 to 2022.
The data revealed that total revenue for the eight years stood at N32.05 trillion, while total expenditure during the period stood at N68.8 trillion, indicating deficit spending of N36.8 trillion.
In the first four years, 2015 to 2018, the government recorded N13.9 trillion as revenue but spent N24.3 trillion, resulting in deficit spending of N10.4 trillion.
However, the deficit spending jumped by 60 per cent in the last four years, 2019 to 2022.
Compared to the previous four years, revenue rose by 31 percent to N18.2 trillion, while expenditure rose by 83 percent to N44.5trillion. Consequently, deficit spending rose to N26.4 trillion, translating to 60 percent increase when compared with the previous four years.
Further analysis showed that over 22 per cent of the eight year deficit spending was incurred in 2022 alone.
During the year, the Federal Government’s revenue grew by 14.7 per cent to N5.05 trillion from N4.4 trillion in 2021, while expenditure stood at N13.4 trillion in 2022, up by 14.5 percent from N11.7 trillion in 2021.
As a result, the government incurred N8.3 trillion as deficit spending, representing a 13.6 per cent increase from N7.3 trillion in 2021.
Fuel subsidy
A major factor behind the spike in deficit spending is the steady and sharp increase in fuel subsidy spending which stood at N9.34 trillion in the eight years from 2015 to 2022.
Vanguard analysis revealed that annual fuel subsidy spending shot up by 571 per cent to N4.39 trillion in 2022 from N654 billion in 2015.
National debt rises 267%
Given that the N36.8 trillion deficit incurred in the eight year period was financed by borrowing, total debt stock, according to data from the Debt Management Office, DMO, rose sharply by 267 per cent or N33.65 trillion to N46.25 trillion in 2022 from N12.6 trillion in 2015. This excludes the N23 trillion borrowed from CBN as Ways and Means.
IMF, World Bank
According to the World Bank, the rise in deficit spending as well as the huge debt stock will worsen except the government goes ahead with the proposed removal of fuel subsidy, even as it recommended other measures to strengthen the economy.
The World Bank stated in the Macro Poverty Outlook for Nigeria: April 2023 brief released last month: “The fiscal position deteriorated. In 2022, the cost of petrol subsidy increased from 0.7 per cent to 2.3 per cent of GDP. Low non-oil revenues and high-interest payments compounded fiscal pressures.
“The fiscal deficit was estimated at 5.0 per cent of GDP in 2022, breaching the stipulated limit for a federal fiscal deficit of 3 per cent.
“This has kept the public debt stock at over 38 per cent of GDP and pushed the debt service to revenue ratio from 83.2 per cent in 2021 to 96.3 per cent in 2022.
“Fiscal and debt pressures will increase if the petrol subsidy is not phased out in June 2023, as envisaged in the 2023 Budget.”
Similarly, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, in its Nigeria: 2022 Article IV Consultation, stated: “Directors highlighted the need for bold fiscal reforms to create needed policy space, put public debt on sound footing, and reduce vulnerabilities.
“They urged the authorities to deliver on their commitment to remove fuel subsidies by mid-2023, and to increase well-targeted social spending.
“Strengthening revenue mobilization, including through tax administration reforms, expanding the tax automation system and strengthening taxpayer segmentation, and improving tax compliance is also a priority.”
The Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has fixed July 23 for the trial of social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha in the alleged N6 billion money laundering case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Mojisola Dada fixed the new date for trial following information made available to the court that Mompha had been arrested.
Ismaila Mustapha is facing an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, laundering of funds obtained through unlawful activity, failure to disclose assets and property, possession of documents containing false pretence and use of property derived from an unlawful act.
At the proceedings on Monday, the EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Sulaiman Sulaiman told the court that the agency’s international partners had succeeded in arresting Mompha.
Sulaiman also informed the court that the defendant is not yet in the custody of the EFCC in Lagos.
He asked the court for a new date for trial while assuring that the defendant would be in court by the next adjourned date.
Counsel to the defendant, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) was however absent in court.
Justice Dada granted the request of the prosecution and fixed July 23 for trial.
At the proceedings of November 16 and 22, 2022, the absence of the defence counsel stalled the defendant’s trial before the court.
At a previous proceeding on September 22, 2022, Justice Dada had ordered that the trial of Mompha will continue in absentia following failed efforts by the EFCC to arrest him after he jumped bail.
Mompha was arrested on January 10, 2022 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and arraigned on Jan. 12 alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, an 8-count charge of alleged money laundering of over N6billion.
In the counts, the defendants were accused of conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of such funds, transfer of funds for a suspect Olayinka Jimoh popularly known as Nappy Boy, and unlawful transfer of funds for a record label, among others.
The EFCC also alleged that Mompha concealed his interest in expensive wristwatches and other movable assets valued at over N70 million.
The offence is contrary to relevant sections of the Advance Fee Fraud Act of 2006 and the EFCC Act of 2004.
Mompha pleaded not guilty to the eight counts. He also pleaded not guilty to the first six counts on behalf of his company, Islamob Limited.
On January 18, he was admitted to bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties in like sum, one of the sureties, the judge ordered must own property valued at N100 million within the jurisdiction of the court.
The court also ordered the defendant to return his international passport to the custody of the court while ordering his remand in any Correctional Centre of his choice in Lagos pending the perfection of the bail conditions.
On March 28, he was released to his lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) shortly after the court varied his bail conditions.
Since then, he has failed to appear in court on at least three scheduled dates for his trial.
On June 10, the EFCC accused him of flouting the court’s order by travelling to Dubai with a new international passport.
On June 22, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest following his continued failure to present himself for his trial.
The court also revoked the bail it granted the defendant.
This is the second case in which the EFCC is charging Mompha. He is also standing trial at the Federal High Court in Lagos on an amended 22-count charge bordering on cyberfraud and money laundering to the tune of N32.9m