Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will bounce back to deliver Nigerians from economic hardship.
The presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election spoke in a statement released by his Media Office in Abuja on Friday.
Abubakar is challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The tribunal has reserved judgment in separate petitions filed by Atiku, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to overturn the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
PDP marked its 25th anniversary on Thursday, August 31 but the party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 consecutive years from 1999, when the country returned to civilian rule, has been out of power for eight years, from 2015.
Atiku said, “I have every confidence that the PDP will bounce back to give Nigerians a responsive government.
“PDP is the progenitor of our contemporary democracy and shall ensure that democracy did not only survive in Nigeria, but that the country thrives through it.
“Being one of the founding fathers of our great party, the PDP, I take great pride in having participated in the process of nurturing the party from infancy to a deliberate agency of socio-political and economic development in Nigeria.”
Atiku, who served as vice president to former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2003, described the achievements recorded by the party in the 16 years it was in power as the ‘benchmark’ for economic development in the country.
“In the 16 years that the PDP was at the helm of affairs in our country, the party offered quality leadership through various administrations and the achievements recorded in those 16 years have remained the benchmark for positive growth in our economy and other critical areas of our national life.
“Of course, the PDP took leading role in the deconstruction of military rule in Nigeria, and the peculiarities of our contemporary experiences both within Nigeria and other countries in Africa demand that the PDP should once again, rise to the occasion in cancelling the economic hardship and other structural deficiencies that directly bear negatively on our people in the past nearly eight and half years.”
The Department of State Services (DSS) has allegedly the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in charge of economic policy, Kingsley Obiora.
According to Peoples Gazette, the CBN deputy governor has spent four nights in the custody of the DSS.
It was gathered that the secret police is looking into allegations of financial mismanagement under Godwin Emefiele, the suspended apex bank governor.
A source familiar with the arrest said he was being targeted as a principal witness against his boss.
Another top CBN official, Abbas Masanawa, was arrested recently and held in custody as officials seek to determine the steepness of Emefiele’s alleged corruption.
The publication did not promptly hear back from the SSS and CBN about Obiora’s detention, which officials said was not entirely unexpected given his knowledge of CBN’s policy decisions.
Obiora, born March 6, 1976, was a policy chief at the International Monetary Fund and advised former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He was also an adviser to Emefiele until March 2, 2020, when he was confirmed to his current position as one of CBN’s four deputy governors.
Recall that Emefiele, who was first appointed as CBN governor in June 2014, has been in SSS since June 10, 2023, a day after he was controversially removed from office by President Bola Tinubu.
Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti has terminated the employment of all civil servants who were employed into the state civil service from December 2022 to date.
The sack, which took effect from August 31, 2023, was announced in a circular signed by the state Head of Service, Lady Joy Maduka.
The circular, which was addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, all Commissioners, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, the Deputy Chief of Staff, and all heads of agencies, said the decision was taken in order to “streamline the civil service and make it more efficient.”
The affected workers are said to be about 10,000 in number.
According to the circular “Following the ongoing reorganization in the Abia State Public Service and in line with the provision of the Abia State Service Rules nos. 02801 and 02803. I write to inform you that the Executive Governor of Abia state has directed the disengagement of all the staff employed into the Abia State Public Service from December 2022, till date.
“However, any further directives of His Excellency on this matter shall be communicated in due course.
“Please take appropriate steps to implement immediately and according to His Execellency directives.
The governor of Niger State, Muhammad Umar Bago has declared a three-day public holiday for the distribution of palliatives to the various wards and units across the 25 local government areas of the state.
The three days declared are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week.
The governor announced the development at a press briefing in Minna on the modality adoption for the distribution of the palliatives.
He explained that to ensure proper distribution of the palliatives, civil servants in Niger State would shut down governance for three days in the state.
He also directed all political appointees, including permanent secretaries and local government council chairmen who are members of standing committees set up by the state government, to return to their wards and units for the distribution of palliatives.
Bago, however, warned that anyone caught diverting palliatives meant for the people would be jailed to serve as a deterrent to others.
He further announced that so far, the sum of N2bn with five trucks of rice have already been received from the federal government, while 40 bags of maize and additional N2b are being awaited.
According to him, “The sum of N3.2bn will be disbursed to the 25 LGs as palliatives next Monday, and N5.2bn will be injected into local markets next week to boast economic activities in the state.”
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[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Approves Initiative To Provide Five Million Eyeglasses To Nigerians With Sight Impediments
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja, declared his unwavering support for a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Eye Health Programme and the Peek Vision Foundation to provide more than 5 million pairs of eyeglasses to Nigerians with sight impairments.
The President recounted how close to home his first intervention in eye health was as he made a pledge on behalf of the Federal Government during a courtesy visit by the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund, Prof. Andrew Bastawrous.
"My first experience was with my mother of blessed memory. She was ill and she could not recognise me. When I intervened, she was treated and given a pair of glasses. The next question she asked me was: I have you, and you are able to do this for me. What about those other women and their children who may not have somebody like you to intervene for them?
"So I made a promise to her that I will pursue the mass provision of eye care vigorously and that I would provide free eye screenings and surgeries to people because of that question my mother asked me and because of her passion to see others healed. We eventually impacted the eye health of millions of people in Lagos, and you could see their joy over the immediate sight enhancements when they were given a pair of glasses," the President fondly recalled.
Highlighting the pressing need for improved eye health services in Nigeria, President Tinubu expressed concern about the more than 24 million Nigerians grappling with varying degrees of vision impairments.
"We must act now because sight and vision is critical to economic development and growth," the President said, recalling his visionary "Jigi Bola" programme, which was initiated during his tenure as the Executive Governor of Lagos State in 2001 and provided free eye screenings and surgeries to Lagosians while setting a new precedent for proactive eye care initiatives in West Africa.
"I am in support of this initiative, and I will encourage the mobilisation of further commitment to see this through and to reach vulnerable people all across our country. Some parents may not pay attention to this, but I will, because I am touched," the President concluded.
Expressing his commitment to the cause, Prof. Bastawrous said:
"Good vision unlocks human potential. It improves earning, learning, and wellness for individuals, communities, and countries."
He shared his personal story and the transformative power of vision care:
"When I was 12, I was told by my teachers that I was clumsy and lazy, but the results of an eye exam explained I had very poor vision. And when I put on a pair of glasses, I saw the leaves on a tree for the first time, and my life completely changed and two weeks later, I was using my first pair of free eye glasses and I saw stars clearly for the first time. My grades improved, and the trajectory of my life completely changed, all because of a very cheap intervention that is 700 years old. Had that not happened, I would not be standing in front of you today. I would not be a professor, and I would not be involved in the work I am doing because sight gives opportunity," the Peek Foundation CEO shared.
Professor Bastawrous noted that eye care is still chronically under-resourced in many countries, adding that the estimates in Nigeria show that 0.0002 percent of the health budget is spent on eye health.
"The good news is that President Tinubu has an excellent team in the health sector, and some of them have demonstrated tremendous leadership in the sector. What we would like to offer is to bring our Peek Vision methodology and platform to Nigeria to help unlock resources from multiple sources. In the countries where we have worked, Peek in Botswana unlocked 10 million dollars for the school programme, and in Kenya, 17 million Euros. Through the Vision Catalyst Fund, we have secured a donation of 200 million pairs of glasses, and we would like a significant proportion of that to come to Nigeria,” he concluded.
At the end of the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate was joined by the Coordinator of the National Eye Health Programme, Dr. Oteri Okolo and the Director of Public Health, Dr. Chukuma Anyaike, as he presented a National Policy Document on Eye Health to the President.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has charged the United Nations to be more practical in supporting Nigeria in the fight against terrorism, in view of the rippling effect on global peace, displacements of people, and rising poverty.
He gave the charge in an audience with the Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism, Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, at the State House.
The president noted that terrorism had consistently reversed the gains on development and increased instability in families and communities, but that UN cooperation in dealing with it had always been inconsistent and whimsical in the developing world context.
He said UN charter and not charity must undergird future partnership.
“We appreciate all that you have been doing. We know that in the face of many demands and challenges, you can still do much better. We can score you ‘A’ in collaboration but ‘B’ in physical support. You have to do more because terrorism is an effective danger to democracy; terrorism is also an effective danger to development.
“Growth and prosperity can not be achieved until we banish terrorism. We have to equally look at other sides of the issue, and I have said it is the where, how, and when of terrorism,” the President said in a statement on Friday by his spokeman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale.
President Tinubu noted that in going forward, global peace and prosperity would demand the swift and comprehensive provision of the right answers to the challenge posed by insurgencies in parts of the world, which threaten universal stability.
“We must take into account the basic needs of our people. If out of the meagre resources presently available, we have to dip our hands without the steady support from organisations like the UN, then we are in trouble,” the President asserted.
In his remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said he had highlighted some of the conditions that promote insurgency like poverty and injustice with the UN team while noting the Nigerian government’s response.
“Nigeria continues to make significant investments in education and social security,” he said.
While commending Nigeria’s contributions toward global counter-terrorism efforts, the Under-Secretary General noted that Nigeria already had a framework on prevention, mitigation, and reconciliation, commending the efforts taken so far in tackling terrorism.
“Of course, terrorism is part of the international agenda, and we had a successful meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussing how to enrich our agenda on international terrorism response. I can only mention that politically, and from the point of view of capacity building on activities for counter terrorism, Nigeria is one of the leading partners,” he added.
Voronkov told the President that the UN was planning a Counter-Terrorism Summit in Abuja slated for April 2024, and it would be largely driven by African nations with an African agenda.
President Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja, declared his unwavering support for a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Eye Health Programme and the Peek Vision Foundation, to provide more than five million pairs of eyeglasses to Nigerians with sight impairments.
According to a statement by Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the President recounted how close to home his first intervention in eye health was as he made a pledge on behalf of the Federal Government during a courtesy visit by the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund, Prof. Andrew Bastawrous.
“My first experience was with my mother of blessed memory. She was ill and she could not recognise me. When I intervened, she was treated and given a pair of glasses. The next question she asked me was: ‘I have you, and you are able to do this for me. What about those other women and their children who may not have somebody like you to intervene for them?’
“So I made a promise to her that I will pursue the mass provision of eye care vigorously and that I would provide free eye screenings and surgeries to people because of that question my mother asked me and because of her passion to see others healed. We eventually impacted the eye health of millions of people in Lagos, and you could see their joy over the immediate sight enhancements when they were given a pair of glasses,” the President fondly recalled.
Highlighting the pressing need for improved eye health services in Nigeria, President Tinubu expressed concern about the more than 24 million Nigerians grappling with varying degrees of vision impairments.
“We must act now because sight and vision is critical to economic development and growth,” the President said, recalling his visionary “Jigi Bola” programme, which was initiated during his tenure as the Executive Governor of Lagos State in 2001 and provided free eye screenings and surgeries to Lagosians while setting a new precedent for proactive eye care initiatives in West Africa.
“I am in support of this initiative, and I will encourage the mobilisation of further commitment to see this through and to reach vulnerable people all across our country. Some parents may not pay attention to this, but I will, because I am touched,” the President concluded.
Expressing his commitment to the cause, Prof. Bastawrous said: “Good vision unlocks human potential. It improves earning, learning, and wellness for individuals, communities, and countries.”
He shared his personal story and the transformative power of vision care thus: “When I was 12, I was told by my teachers that I was clumsy and lazy, but the results of an eye exam explained I had very poor vision. And when I put on a pair of glasses, I saw the leaves on a tree for the first time, and my life completely changed and two weeks later, I was using my first pair of free eye glasses and I saw stars clearly for the first time. My grades improved, and the trajectory of my life completely changed, all because of a very cheap intervention that is 700 years old. Had that not happened, I would not be standing in front of you today. I would not be a professor, and I would not be involved in the work I am doing because sight gives opportunity,” the Peek Foundation CEO shared.
Professor Bastawrous noted that eye care is still chronically under-resourced in many countries, adding that the estimates in Nigeria show that 0.0002 percent of the health budget is spent on eye health.
“The good news is that President Tinubu has an excellent team in the health sector, and some of them have demonstrated tremendous leadership in the sector. What we would like to offer is to bring our Peek Vision methodology and platform to Nigeria to help unlock resources from multiple sources. In the countries where we have worked, Peek in Botswana unlocked 10 million dollars for the school programme, and in Kenya, 17 million Euros. Through the Vision Catalyst Fund, we have secured a donation of 200 million pairs of glasses, and we would like a significant proportion of that to come to Nigeria,” he concluded.
At the end of the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, was joined by the Coordinator of the National Eye Health Programme, Dr. Oteri Okolo, and the Director of Public Health, Dr. Chukuma Anyaike, as he presented a National Policy Document on Eye Health to the President.
Without France’s military operations in the Sahel, “there would probably no longer be a Mali … Burkina Faso, and I’m not sure there would still be Niger”, French President Emmanuel Macron told French publication, Le Point.
Macron is referring to the former colonial power’s interventions in the mid-2000s, Operations Serval and Barkhane.
French troops were moved from Mali to Niger after its military leaders cut ties with the former colonial power.
He said the interventions were done “at the request of African states” and were “successful” as his policy is facing scrutiny in the face of losing the allyship of the last remaining ally, Niger, and increasing negative sentiment from Africans.
He went on to explain that while these operations reflect France’s “honour” and “responsibility”, France could no longer remain involved “when there is a coup d’état, and the priority of the new regimes is not to fight terrorism” even though this is “tragic for the states concerned”.
In the interview, Macron defended his administration’s policy in the Sahel as one of partnership rather than focusing on security.
France refuses to acknowledge coup leader General Abdurahman Tchiani’s announcement that all military deals between Niger and France are terminated, and more than a thousand French troops remain stationed at a military base there.
NAN
The Nigeria Labour Congress will commence a two-day warning strike on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, over what it described as the failure of the government to adequately cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol, The PUNCH reports.
Earlier in August, the labour centre staged a national protest over what it described as “anti-poor” policies meted out on Nigerians by the Bola Tinubu administration.
Following the removal of the subsidy on May 29, 2023, the price of PMS rose to N610 per litre. The hike in fuel eventually led to an increase in the cost of living.
Although the Tinubu administration set up committees to plan out the rollout of palliatives for workers, the labour centre noted that the committee had yet to come up with the plans.
A member of the NLC national body in a terse message said, “There will be a warning strike starting from Tuesday. The national body will issue a notice soon.”
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What started as a Normal Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA took a chaotic turn when the 2nd Vice President of the Association, Chukwuemeka Clement Ugo Esq, while presenting his annual report to Lawyers accused the NBA President, YC Maikyau SAN of not carrying him along, sidelining his office and undermining his constitutional duties.
“I have not been carried along in everything the President is doing” … the NBA 2nd VP Lamented
“The AGM should look into my plight and empower me to function as if the President and 1st Vice President is not available, I am to represent this Association and I can’t represent the Association adequately if I am not carried along on events” he pleaded with the Meeting which is the highest decision making body of the Association.
“I am not Poor, but my office should be empowered and funded to act effectively” he explained
Also the 3rd Vice President, Mandy Asagba also accused the NBA President of disregard to her office deliberate acts by the President to make her office redundant. In an emotion laden voice, the NBA 3rd vice President narrated to the bewildered lawyers how the NBA President YC Maikyau SAN has disrespected and sabotaged her office.
“The Whole Annual General Meeting and AGC was done without the Knowledge of National Officers” , the NBA 3rd VP lamented to the consternation of lawyers present at the meeting.
Perhaps, the most shocking moment was when the NBA National Treasurer, Caroline Anze-Bishop Esq mounted the podium and disowned the financial statement as not coming from her and accused the NBA President of sidelining her office.
In an emotion laden voice, Anze-Bishop narrated to the shock of lawyers how she was never consulted nor involved in the preparation of treasurers report. She disowned the report and refused to adopt it.
“The Financial Reports was prepared without my singular input, I respect the Bar too much to sign an account I don’t know” .. she told the lawyers.
Attempts by former NBA President, OCJ Okocha SAN to control the situation by suggesting that the issues be dealt with by an Elders Committee was overruled by the NBA President YC Maikyau SAN who insisted that he must respond to the allegations.
In his response, the NBA President accused his fellow officers of fighting him because of his refusal to share the Lawyers Practicing Fees with them. He gave instances where other National officers conspired to share millions of Naira belonging to NBA but his refusal made them accuse him without cause.
The meeting ended abruptly owing to the chaos occasioned by the National Officers fight as the NBA President adjourned the meeting amidst Chaos and shouts from Lawyers.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reversed the economic gains and development it laboured to achieve in the space of eight years.
The opposition party said it prudently and judiciously managed the resources of the country for the development of the nation and betterment of Nigerians, adding that Nigeria witnessed unprecedented growth between 1999 and 2015 under PDP.
The PDP made this known in a statement issued on Thursday to celebrate its 25th anniversary on its official X.
It stated that its government left over $550 billion worth of economy to the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, in 2015.
PDP accused the APC-led administration of mortgaging the future of Nigeria with reckless accumulation of N85 trillion foreign debt within eight years.
Speaking about its achievement, the party said, “Today, the PDP celebrates the resilience of Nigerians in the democratic process and particularly the founding leaders and teeming members of our Party for their sacrificial roles in returning, nurturing and sustaining democracy in our country.
“It is on record that the PDP administration, through deft management of the economy, achieved $18bn debt relief from the Paris and London Clubs, consolidated the banking sector, revolutionised the telecommunication sector, revamped the oil and gas, manufacturing, aviation, agriculture, real estate and other critical sectors to turn the inherited moribund economy into one of the fastest growing in the world and handed over a $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) in 2015 to the APC.
“Under the PDP’s result-oriented leadership, our Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) grew to over $8b; our Foreign Exchange Reserves grew from $2bn in 1999 to over $40bn in 2014. Today, under the incompetent and corrupt APC administration our FDI plummeted to $-0.19bn in 2022. The APC government had remained silent to reports by JP Morgan that Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange Reserves had fallen to $3.7bn as at the end of December 2022.
“Sadly, all the gains achieved by the PDP have been rolled back by the APC, which in a space of eight years, wrecked our economy and turned our nation into the poverty capital of the world with frightening 35% unemployment rate, where hunger, starvation, strange diseases and sudden deaths now ravage our citizens.
“The fraudulent APC administration has succeeded in mortgaging the future of our nation with reckless accumulation of N85 trillion foreign debt with no corresponding development project to show for it.
“Under the vicious, corrupt and incompetent APC’s watch, major multinational companies are exiting Nigeria; the Naira has fallen from N197 to US$1 under the PDP to abysmal over N900 to US$1; petrol which sold at N87 per liter by 2015 now sells for over N600 per liter. This is in addition to multiple harsh tariffs, taxes and levies imposed on citizens by the APC administration.
“Life in Nigeria under the APC has become very unbearable such that Nigerians are now resorting to suicide and slavery mission abroad as options.”
While calling on Nigerians not to succumb to hopelessness under the prevailing despairing situation in the country, PDP urged the citizens to remain optimistic in the hope that their democratic mandate will ultimately triumph in the end.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has instructed Nigerian banks and financial institutions to scrutinize their records for any ties to five individuals recently arrested in a massive $1 billion counterfeit currency scheme targeting African nations.
In an administrative letter dated August 23rd, the CBN directed banks to immediately check their databases and report any accounts, funds, or economic assets connected to the suspects. The directive was issued per the CBN’s anti-money laundering regulations.
The suspects – identified as Nigerian-Swedish dual citizen Dele Bolade Samson Babaola, Ghanian Kean Kwasi Arhin, Briton Netanel Jacob Weiss, and Swedes BO Nils Olof Forsanker and Peter Willi Herbert Schick – were apprehended for alleged production of $1 billion in fake currency headed to Africa.
Banks were instructed to file suspicious transaction reports to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on any ties found. Nil reports should be rendered if no connections are uncovered.
The CBN has heightened vigilance against money laundering to further safeguard Nigeria’s financial system. Earlier directives cautioned banks to monitor transactions with Cameroon, Croatia, Vietnam, North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar – nations under increased scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global anti-money laundering watchdog.
By urging proactive scrutiny of the detained suspects, the CBN aims to uphold financial integrity and prevent infiltrations by counterfeit currency operations. The directive demonstrates the CBN’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s financial system from exploitation through robust detection and reporting.
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has unveiled the eight point agenda which the Bola Tinubu-led government hopes to use in transforming the challenging economic environment.
The minister made the disclosure on Friday at a briefing in Abuja.
He said the administration has pointed out eight key priority areas including food security; economic growth; utilizing human resources by focusing on inclusivity, women and youths; focusing on rule of law and anti-corruption among others.
Edun said there would be periodic performance evaluations for the different ministers for Nigerians to see their achievements.
He said, “This is to give you elements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision and his strategy for the economy and his plan to give a better economy and a better life to Nigerians.
“(Tinubu) has pointed out the 8 priority areas where he is going to take Nigeria and his key priorities are to improve the lives of Nigerians by providing food security by ending poverty. His plan for the economy is economic growth job creation, access to capital particularly consumer credit that makes growth affordable to the average Nigerian.
“He is concerned about utilizing our human resources by focusing on inclusivity, women youth, making all have the opportunity to come to the table and contribute to the growth of the economy and the society and likewise by focusing on the society, by focusing on the rule of law and anti-corruption. He intends to create, a safer, a clearer playing field for all.”
On where the country is, Edun said the last time that Nigeria had low inflation, low exchange rate, affordable interest rate and considerable economic growth was ten years ago.
“We all know we are not where we should be. The economy is growing barely above the rate of population growth but it was not always so,” he said.
Edun said during the period of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the country had enough foreign exchange to defend the naira and meet its fiscal obligations.
“What that points to is that we have a situation where if government doesn’t have the money, it needs to facilitate and allow private funding and other sources of funding such as foreign direct investments and domestic investments by Nigerians in all areas,” he said.