The minister of information and national orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has said that President Bola Tinubu’s first year anniversary in office would be low-key in line with his policy of prudent management of resources.

Idris stated this on Wednesday in Abuja during a ministerial press briefing heralding the one year anniversary of President Tinubu administration slated for May 29, 2024.

He noted that the move was in line with Tinubu’s desire to serve the country and efficiently use resources for the good of all Nigerians.

He said, “The first anniversary will be low-key, there will be no celebration, it will be a sectoral presentation by ministries.

“This is in line with Tinubu’s administration to ensure efficient and judicious use of resources to deliver dividends of democracy to citizens.

“The president has directed that useful information should be provided in an honest, timely, and consistent manner.

“Members of the media are expected to report honestly, responsibly, and with a deep sense of patriotism. The essence of the media is to inform the people and hold government accountable.

“Thus, over time, the ministry of Information and National Orientation finds it worthy to always brief the media and people on what the federal government is doing.”

The minister also charged media practitioners to do their job with deep sense of responsibility and patriotism.

He reiterated that, as part of the ministerial briefing, ministers of various ministries would begin present their ministerial scorecards on Thursday, May 23, as part of the first anniversary of the administration.

[Leadership]

Nine of the about 20 people abducted from Dawaki community in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory FCT are still missing, families of the victims told the Daily Trust Tuesday.

But the FCT Police Command said the claims were not true, insisting that only eight people were abducted and all of them have been rescued.

Relatives and neighbours of the victims told Daily Trust during a follow up visit, that nine of the abducted victims were still missing.

This newspaper had on Tuesday reported that 20 people were abducted from around the Fulani junction in Dawaki community during a siege on Sunday.

Dawaki, located opposite the Gwarinpa District, along the Abuja-Kubwa Express Way, is home to thousands of middle- class workers, among other residents.  

A resident, who craved anonymity, said when they were fleeing with their victims, they stopped at a nearby herders’ helmet on the outskirts and abducted two people.

Another resident, Hosea Christopher, said five people were able to escape while being taken out of the community, with additional five others escaping around the Usuma Dam area along the Bwari way, when the gunmen had a fierce confrontation with the operatives of the DSS.

He added that the remaining victims obeyed the gunmen by following them to their hideouts deep into the bush.

‘Some of our loved ones still in the bush’

A resident, Usman Uthman, told one of our reporters that two people abducted from their home were among the rescued persons.

“They were brought back to the community on Monday afternoon by the soldiers,” he said.

He, however, said one other person abducted from the house, a female, was still missing.

Murna Lawan, another resident, said one-person from her home, too, named Peter, was yet to return.

She said that a lady named Blessing and one Francis, who were also abducted, were yet to return.

A resident, Nura Muhammad, who escaped when being led to the bush, said there was confusion about the whereabouts of one of the abducted women.

He said, ‘’It was learnt that she was rescued, however her family have visited various security agencies with no information about her whereabouts.’’

It’s not true – CP

When contacted last night, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, said it was not true that some of the abducted people were still at the kidnappers’ den.

When our reporter told him that it was families of the victims that confirmed that some of their loved ones have not yet returned, he simply said, “hold on…” and ended the call.

Our correspondents waited up till 10.15 pm waiting for an update on the development before sending this part of the story.

Earlier in the day, the police commissioner had reassured that the nation’s capital was safe and secured against kidnapping and banditry.

The CP said this during a visit to Media Trust Group Headquarters in Abuja, where he said he had taken the fight to the bandits’ camp in the bushes and mountains from where they operate.

The CP was reacting to the newspaper’s story that bandits abducted 20 in the Dawaki community in the FCT.

He said, “Abuja is now very safe, and it will continue to be safe. We have done everything possible to ensure the safety of Abuja because we know the terrains very well. We know the terrains of the bandits, and we know their modus operandi. That is why we have succeeded in making Abuja safe. We don’t care how the arm robbers and the bandits feel, but we are telling them that we are dominating everywhere including the bushes where they move. I have taken over the mountains. So that is why anywhere they enter, we must conquer them.”

Also speaking about the porous nature of the FCT neighbourhood, the CP said, “You know we have neighbors that are crime prone, from Kaduna to Niger to Nasarawa to Kogi. We are aware of our boundaries, but we are doing all it takes is to ensure the safety of everybody in Abuja, and I want to assure and inform every resident that we are on top of every situation. You can see the safety now, everything is working. I want to appreciate the effort of the IGP and the Minister of FCT. We are getting it right in Abuja, and we will continue to get it right.”

While appreciating the citizens for cooperating with them, he said, “We have been telling people, when you see something, say something. It is when you say something that we will do something. I want to thank the residence and indigenes of FCT. They have been giving us useful information and it has been useful for our successes. They’ve have started trusting the security agencies, especially the police.”

He added that, “People were complaining of one chance, they don’t ask about that any more. People were complaining about kidnappers, they don’t ask about kidnappers any more. People were complaining about bandits, but how many bandits have invaded Abuja since we took over? This is due the pro-active measures we brought in place that are bringing the safety we are seeing.”

The CP also applauded the IGP for working to bring more man power to the system, and as well as trying to bring some sophisticated gadgets for the police, which he said will help them in maintaining the tempo.

 [DailyTrust]

The embattled speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, has stated that he remains the Assembly’s speaker, despite being impeached by seventeen members who had already signed a notice of his impeachment.

The motion for his removal was moved on the floor of the House by the member representing Calabar South 1, Effiong Ekarika, and seconded by Charles Omang.

However, he described the process as unlawful in a statement released on Wednesday by his chief press secretary, Matthew Okache.

Okache said that Akarika, the person who proposed Ayambem’s impeachment, had disturbed the meeting by “inviting hoodlums to enter the chamber.”

The statement read: “The Cross River State House of Assembly has been alerted to false news reports that the Speaker, Elvert Ayambem, has been impeached.

“To be clear, the speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly is, without a doubt, Elvert Ayambem. He is in the current position. What happened earlier today (Wednesday) during the plenary, when Effiong Akarika, a member representing Calabar South 1, disrupted the session by inviting hoodlums to enter the chamber, is a ridiculous charade with no constitutional basis.

“The House of Assembly is not aware of any impeachment notices being served to anyone before the frivolous act as witnessed at the chambers. The alleged impeachment and replacement are speculative, and the general public is urged to disregard fake news and dismiss any notion of a crisis. The status quo is that Elvert Ayambem is the Speaker of the House of Assembly.”

[TheNation]

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set July 4 as the date for a national election that will determine who governs the U.K., choosing a day of good economic news to urge voters to give his governing Conservatives another chance.

“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Sunak said as he stood in heavy rain outside the prime minister’s residence.

Sunak’s center-right party has seen its support dwindle steadily after 14 years in power. It has struggled to overcome a series of crises including an economic slump, ethics scandals and a revolving door of leaders in the past two years.

The center-left Labour Party is strongly favored to defeat Sunak’s party.

The prime minister’s announcement was nearly drowned out by protesters blasting “Things Can Only Get Better,” a Labour campaign song from the Tony Blair era.

Bookies and pollsters rank Sunak as a long shot to stay in power. But he said he would “fight for every vote.”

Sunak stressed his credentials as the leader who saved millions of jobs with support payments during the COVID-19 pandemic and got the economy under control. He said the election would be about “how and who you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future.”

The election will be held against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis and deep divisions over how to deal with migrants and asylum seekers making risky English Channel crossings from Europe.

The announcement came the same day official figures showed inflation in the U.K. had fallen sharply to 2.3%, its lowest level in nearly three years on the back of big declines in domestic bills.

The drop in April marks the greatest progress to date on five pledges Sunak made in January 2023, including halving inflation, which had climbed to above 11% at the end of 2022. Sunak hailed the new figure as a sign his plan was working.

“Today marks a major moment for the economy, with inflation back to normal,” Sunak said Wednesday ahead of the election announcement. “Brighter days are ahead, but only if we stick to the plan to improve economic security and opportunity for everyone.”

Voters across the United Kingdom will choose all 650 members of the House of Commons for a term of up to five years. The party that commands a majority in the Commons, either alone or in coalition, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.

Labour leader Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor for England and Wales, is the current favorite. The party’s momentum has built since it dealt the Conservatives heavy losses in local elections earlier this month.

The Conservatives have also lost a series of special elections for seats in Parliament this year, and two of its lawmakers recently defected to Labour.

Following on his party’s successes in the local elections, Starmer, 61, last week announced a platform focused on economic stability after years of soaring inflation as he tries to win over disillusioned voters.

He also pledged to improve border security, recruit more teachers and police and reduce lengthy waiting lists at hospitals and doctors′ clinics across the country.

Elections in the U.K. have to be held no more than five years apart, but the prime minister can choose the timing within that period. Sunak, 44, had until December to call an election. The last one was in December 2019.

Many political analysts had anticipated that a fall election would give Conservatives a better chance of maintaining power. That’s because economic conditions may improve further, voters could feel the effect of recent tax cuts, interest rates may come down and a controversial plan to deport some asylum-seekers to Rwanda — a key policy for Sunak — could take flight.

Sunak had been noncommittal about the election date, repeatedly saying — as late as lunchtime on Wednesday — that he expected it would be in the second half of the year.

Although inflation has fallen, Sunak’s other promises — to grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists to see a doctor at the state-run National Health Service and stop the influx of migrants crossing the English Channel — have seen less success.

He has struggled after entering office following the disastrous tenure of Liz Truss, who lasted only 49 days after her economic policies rocked financial markets. Truss had been chosen by party members after Boris Johnson was ousted over a series of ethics scandals.

NEWSNOW