Men of the Nigerian Navy NNS Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have arrested a Marine Vessel, MV Cecilia, laden with about 350,000 liters of petroleum products suspected to be diesel.
Commander, Operation Delta Safe, OPDS, Real Admiral Olusegun Ferrera, announced this on Wednesday.
Ferrera, who was represented by the maritime component commander of the joint taskforce for south south of the operation Delta Safe, Navy Commodore Adedokun Siyanbade, displayed the vessel to journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
He said the vessel which has not been put in use for two years was converted to a storage tank for illegal refined products.
He said as part of the efforts at optimizing and ensuring that the mandate of the OPDS are actualised, the Commander Joint Taskforce south south of OPDS directed the NNS Pathfinder to conduct a convert operation in the area.
He said they got intelligence that illegality ws going on within the area, adding that the operation which was conducted on 15th of August , 2023, led to the arrest of MV Cecilia.
He said, ” I’m here on behalf of the Commander Joint Taskforce Operation Delta Safe , Real Admiral Olusegun Ferrera. We are here this morning to show you arrest of a vessel that was involved illegalities in this general area.
“As part of the efforts at optimizing and ensuring that the mandate of the OPDS are actualised the Commander Joint Taskforce South south of OPDS directed the NNS Pathfinder base on credible intelligence to conduct a convert operation in this area and the intelligence was based on the fact of illegality going on within this area”
“The operation was conducted yesterday, 15th of August , 2023 and the operation lead to the arrest of MV Cecilia with a vessel that ought to be a service vessel but has been converted to storage tank of illegally refined products suspected to be AGO. The vessel has the capacity all together including the fuel and water capacity of about 350,000 litres.
“The water tanks has been converted as a storage tank for this illegal products and the vessel has not been to sea for the past two years. It was expected to be under maintenance but it’s being used for a different purpose where by people from illegal refinery sites bring their products to this place to discharge whereby other people also come here to purchase the product”
“So, the vessel has been arrested and necessary procedures will be taken in line with extant regulation biding operation Delta Safe operation and I am also to inform you that in Rivers State on Monday two tankers were also arrested the tankers were laden with 30,000 liters of products suspected to be crude oil were also arrested by Joint sector 3 of Operation Delta Safe including land component and water component
“They were caught siphoning crude oil from a dug out pit in Obio general area of Rivers State. So, for this vessel and those tankers as well necessary actions will be taken in line with extant regulation.”
He said the suspects as well as the vessel and products will be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) foe prosecution.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has eventually revealed why he supported President Bola Tinubu to win the last presidential election, saying that he took the decision recognising that it was time to make a strong decision that would reposition the landscape of Nigeria’s democracy now and not at future elections.
Makinde made this known at the opening ceremony and dinner of the ongoing Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) National Executive Retreat 2023 at the Waniq Event Centre, Jericho, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, urging all church leaders and Christians at large to continue to intercede for the leaders of the nation according to the scripture.
Quoting the book of Timothy 2:1-2: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority—that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Governor Makinde urged Nigerians to pray and support the government in power, whether they liked him or not, for the sake of the state and the country.
He also stressed the role of the body of Christ in rebuilding Nigeria, as the Bible has stated the importance of praying for the leaders of the nation.
“As Christians, we can carry out the work God has assigned to us more effectively until we have political stability as a nation. Just as the PFN runs a single term of four years in office, which I am hearing for the first time. I am also a supporter of single-term structures.
As a matter of fact, I didn’t want a second term. I told the fathers of faith that four years is not enough to do everything you want to do, but it is long enough to make an impact and go your way.
But if we get the opportunity to discuss this, I think a five- or six-year single term is good.
“These leaders that God has asked us to pray for are products of who the political parties present to us, and when these leaders have been chosen, we are obligated to pray for them and work with them according to the Book of Timothy 2:1-2.
“Political parties will come and go, but our country remains. We must pray for those in authority. Politics is over; it is time for governance.
Well, if we don’t like those in authority, we have another opportunity in another four years to vote again. But in order to accomplish that, we must start now by joining the political parties.
We cannot become politicians when all the politics has been done.
“I made a conscious effort to join politics because I asked myself, Yes, I can pray, but prayers without work will not bring the result.
We have to make a move, and if we choose to allow the ripraps to keep taking those decisions for us, then those decisions are binding on all of us,” he added.
Reacting to the reactions of his position and perhaps those of the G5 governors at the last election, Governor Makinde said, “We cannot be waiting every four years before we get involved in politics and expect a different result.”
“Fathers of faith came to me and said that they have an issue with the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and I responded to them that they will have me if they tell me the structure of their preference.
Let’s take a step back. A party that I belong to chose a Muslim colleague of mine and former governor of Delta Christian as his running mate.
“I said, okay, this is very similar to where we have come from in the past eight years. It is even slightly lower because, for the past eight years, I was a Muslim and a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, and we have moved to a Muslim and a Christian who is not a pastor.
I asked them to tell me, collectively as the body of Christ, the benefit.
“I told them if they cannot tell me what we gained in clear terms, then let us go back and make our own chapter of demand.
What is the vision that we have for the body of Christ within the Nigerian Federation? If we keep doing the same thing every four years, we will be forced to choose from among those we have presented and make decisions based on several facts.
So, we must change our approach now, not when it is a year until the election, but from today,” he said.
In his remarks, the national president of PFN, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, noted that the retreat with the theme “Going from Strength to Strength”, came at a critical time in the history of the nation, urging Nigerians now to focus more on the peace, stability, and progress of the nation as the era of elections is over.
He revealed that the Christian body experienced hot pressure during the last election but that the body stood its ground not to pitch tents with any political party, hence encouraging the over 6.5 million Pentecostals across the country to vote their conscience and promote peace in the nation.
Wale Oke, who also underscored that the 3-day retreat was to mark his second year in office as the president of PFN as well as to refocus and gather renewed strength for the next meaningful half, commended Governor Makinde’s constant effort in promoting gospel in Oyo State and prayed along with other top clerics for the governor’s refreshed strength and wisdom to move the state to a greater height.
‘The Rain That Beat Okafor Will Still Beat Obinna’ – Dino Melaye Warns Those Leaving PDP For APC
AdminThe Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November governorship election in Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye has cautioned politicians against decamping from one party to another.
Specifically, Melaye sent his warning to those leaving the Peoples Democratic Party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Going philosophical, Melaye urged them to be wise as “the same rain that beat Okafor will still beat Obinna.”
In his words via Twitter, “Those decamping from PDP to APC listen, the rain that beat Okafor will still beat Obinna. It’s just a matter of time. Be wise….SDM”
In a matter of weeks from the present moment, Nigerian citizens, primarily those employed in civil service, are poised to receive a Survival wage granted by the federal government. As per available information, this Survival wage aims to be distributed in order to mitigate the impact of the removal of fuel subsidies. The disclosure of this development was made by Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, April 15th.
From the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja – Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has disclosed that efforts are actively underway to ensure that Nigerians receive essential support packages as negotiations continue regarding the minimum wage.
As reported by Premium Times, Abbas conveyed this statement in Abuja on Tuesday, July 15th, during the National Policy Dialogue on Corruption, Social Norms, and Behavioral Change in Nigeria. This event was organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation. Represented by Hon Oluwole Oke of Osun State, the Speaker expressed:
“The situation where a significant portion of the population’s take-home pay is insufficient to cover their basic needs fosters various forms of corruption. This is precisely why the House of Representatives is deeply committed to the ongoing revision of the country’s minimum wage. On this occasion, the House is dedicated to ensuring that Nigerians receive a sustenance wage that can adequately support them.”
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has said it may have to suspend the foreign aspect of its scholarship program for academic staff as it is having difficulties paying foreign tuition fees and stipends.
The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono, who made this known at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Engagement on Emerging Issues with the TETFund Intervention in Abuja on Wednesday blamed the development on the scarcity of forex and inadequate allocation of funds.
Echono said since the Fund’s allocation was barely enough to service programs under its Tertiary Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS), the fund was considering suspending foreign scholarships while also considering an upward review of local scholarships. He said the Fund is also discouraging beneficiary institutions from initiating new Benchwork programs.
Scholars absconding
Aside from the funding and forex issue, Echono said there are also issues of scholars not returning to serve their bonds at their home institutions upon completion of their programs.
- “In fact, the challenge of scholars absconding has undermined and complicated the TSAS program and brought it under intense scrutiny. It is for these and other reasons that this engagement was organized. We need to address these challenges and find solutions to ensure the effective and smooth implementation of our scholarship programs,” he said.
The executive secretary noted that the fund recently signed several MoUs with some prestigious institutions overseas that include universities in Malaysia, India, Brazil, France, and the United States to boost and enhance the TSAS program in the future.
Focus on in-country training
Also speaking at the meeting, the former Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Peter Okebukola, called for a monitoring and implementation system to ensure that the academic calendars of universities were adhered to.
Okebukola who spoke on TSAS, emerging issues, and possible solutions, called for reduced TETFund overseas scholarships while encouraging in-country training in TETFund-strengthened PG programs.
He said that rather than continuously spending a lot of funds on foreign training, local universities should be provided with state-of-the-art facilities while carrying out accreditation of postgraduate programs.
- “In offering solutions to these challenges, there is a need to offer TETFund support to top-rate lecturers from overseas universities to come to Nigeria to join local PG training by Nigerian professors. We must send professors (of at least 10 years standing) for capacity building to top-rate overseas universities in carefully selected programs in return to bolster doctoral education and supervision,” he said.
Similarly, the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki emphasized the need to develop new strategies for funding while ensuring sensitivity to the evolving challenging dynamics through qualitative funding. Maiyaki advised the fund to revamp its monitoring mechanism for quality assurance to have a better return on investment in its projects.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Committee on TETFund, Mrs Miriam Onuoha said in making essential infrastructure available in tertiary institutions, there was a need to ensure inclusivity, especially with Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWD).
Captain Ibrahim Traore has been appointed as the president of Burkina Faso, according to an official statement, after the country's second coup in less than nine months.
Traore has been appointed as "Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces", according to Wednesday's official statement read out on national TV by spokesperson Captain Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho.
On Tuesday, Traore said he will respect a democratic transition timeline agreed upon between his predecessor and the West Africa regional bloc.
The comments followed a meeting with an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation sent to meet the junta that took power last week in the second coup to hit the West African country this year.
Traore said Burkina Faso would "respect the dynamic compromise" agreed with ECOWAS in July to restore constitutional order in 24 months.
He also said the country would honour its international commitments, particularly regarding the protection of human rights, and would collaborate with ECOWAS evaluation mechanisms.
The ECOWAS mediator who headed the delegation, former Niger president Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday said he was satisfied with the exchanges.
Coup and countercoup
Traore led the coup that ousted military leader Paul-Henri Damiba, who had seized power in a previous coup in January and promised ECOWAS to restore civilian rule by July 2024.
Both takeovers were spurred by frustrations over growing insecurity caused by a rampant militant insurgency that began in neighbouring Mali in 2012 and spread to other countries south of the Sahara Desert.
Thousands have been killed in raids on rural communities and millions have been forced to flee.
Days before the coup unfolded, 27 soldiers and 10 civilians were killed in an attack on a supply convoy in northern Burkina Faso, the army said in an updated assessment of the aftermath on Wednesday.
It added that 29 people had been injured — mainly soldiers — and three people were still missing. An Al Qaeda branch claimed the attack.
[AFP]
About 40 Senegalese migrants were rescued on Monday aboard a canoe off Cape Verde, but several others died, Cape Verdean and Senegalese authorities said on Tuesday.
The fate of dozens more is unknown, with Cape Verdean police and Senegalese Foreign Affairs reporting on testimonies that there were around 100 occupiers departing from Senegal.
Thirty-eight people, including a Bissau-Guinean, were rescued off Cape Verde aboard a canoe carrying Senegalese nationals, the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released on Tuesday evening and confirming information in from Cape Verde.
According to the testimonies of the survivors, the boat left the locality of Fass Boye (west), on the Senegalese coast, on July 10 "with 101 passengers on board", said the ministry, without further information.
Previously, various Cape Verdean officials had reported about forty survivors and several dead people found in the boat. Cape Verdean police, in a statement posted on their Facebook page, reported information gathered at the time of the rescue on Monday that around 100 passengers had departed on the West African coast.
The boat was spotted about 150 nautical miles (277 km) from the Cape Verdean island of Sal on Monday by a Spanish fishing vessel which alerted Cape Verdean authorities, police said.
A health services official in Sal, Jose Rui Moreira, reported 38 survivors, seven of whom required hospitalization. The forensic institute said it had received the remains of seven people.
All the competent services have been activated to assist the survivors, the police said.
"We must open our arms and welcome the living and bury the dead with dignity," said Health Minister Filomena Goncalves, quoted by the Inforpress news agency.
The Senegalese ministry, "in conjunction with the competent Cape Verdean authorities, has made the necessary arrangements for (the) repatriation (of Senegalese nationals) as soon as possible", he said.
About 90 migrants from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone had already been rescued in Cape Verdean waters in mid-January.
An Atlantic archipelago located a few hundred kilometers from the West African coast, Cape Verde is on the maritime migratory route taken each year by thousands of Africans fleeing poverty or war for Europe, despite the dangerousness of the journey which cost the lives of hundreds of them.
They travel aboard modest boats or motorized canoes provided by smugglers who pay for the trip. Many land in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago, and gateway to Europe.
[africanews]
The development bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries closed the auction for its first South African rand bonds on Tuesday, as it comes under pressure to boost its local currency fundraising and lending.
The New Development Bank's (NDB) two bonds, a 1 billion rand ($52.3 million) five-year note and a 500 million rand three-year note, attracted 2.67 billion rand of bids in total, according to auction results shared by two investors with Reuters.
South Africa's finance minister said that the NDB, which was founded to give the BRICS members - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - more control of development financing, was not doing enough local currency lending, in an interview with Reuters ahead of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next week.
The NDB did not respond to a request for comment on the bond auction.
Chief Financial Officer Leslie Maasdorp told Reuters in a recent interview that the bank aims to increase local currency lending, most of which has so far been in the Chinese yuan, from about 22% to 30% by 2026, but that there were limits to de-dollarisation.
The South African bond market has struggled in recent years to attract new issuers to match growing demand from domestic investors looking for quality credit assets.
NDB's three-year rand bond was priced at a floating rate of 95 basis points (bps) above the three-month Johannesburg Interbank Average Rate (Jibar), while the five year was priced at Jibar +105 bps.
The most recent comparable South African government bonds were a 4.5-year bond priced at Jibar +90 bps and a seven year priced at Jibar +120 bps, said Raphi Rootshtain, a portfolio manager at Sasfin Wealth.
"It is interesting to note that most of the underlying lending activities in South Africa are to State Owned Companies (SOEs)," Rootshtain said. "So effectively the NDB will become the new proxy funding vehicle for SOEs which should come with additional risk."
The bond sale was arranged by Standard Bank, which declined to comment, and Absa Bank.
The sale "had... 94% of bids being within or lower than price guidance and the issuance rates representing the tightest spreads achieved by a non-government issuer in 2023," said Kumeshen Naidoo, head of debt capital markets at Absa.
($1 = 19.1206 rand)
[Reuters]
he African Union has rejected the use of force in Niger after a contentious 10-hour meeting of its peace and security council, Le Monde reported Wednesday, citing several diplomats who were present.
The decision, which is expected to be formally announced later Wednesday, will boost the military junta that deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on January 26 and makes a military intervention by Niger’s West African neighbors less likely.
The ECOWAS regional bloc voted last week to prepare a “standby force” to restore constitutional democracy in Niger, and the group’s military chiefs are set to meet Thursday and Friday in Accra, Ghana, for initial planning.
When A.U.’s peace and security council met Monday over whether to endorse the ECOWAS force, sources described the meeting as "tense," "endless," and "more than ten hours," Le Monde said.
While rejecting military action, the council voted to suspend Niger from the African Union.
[Themessenger]
Nigeriens call for mass recruitment of volunteers as the junta faces possible regional invasion
AdminNigeriens are preparing for a possible invasion by countries in the region, three weeks after mutinous soldiers ousted the nation’s democratically elected president.
Residents in the capital, Niamey, are calling for the mass recruitment of volunteers to assist the army in the face of a growing threat by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, which says it will use military force if the junta doesn't reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS has activated a “standby force" to restore order in Niger after the junta ignored a deadline to release and reinstate Bazoum.
The initiative, spearhead by a group of locals in Niamey, aims to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers from across the country to register for the Volunteers for the Defense of Niger. The group would fight, assist with medical care, and provide technical and engineering logistics among other functions, in case the junta needs help, Amsarou Bako, one of the founders, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
"It’s an eventuality. We need to be ready whenever it happens," he said. The recruitment drive will launch Saturday in Niamey as well as in cities where invasion forces might enter, such as near the borders with Nigeria and Benin, two countries that have said they would participate in an intervention. Anyone over 18 years old can register and the list will be given to the junta to call upon people if needed, said Bako. The junta is not involved but is aware of the initiative, he said.
Regional tensions are deepening as the standoff between Niger and ECOWAS shows no signs of defusing, despite signals from both sides that they are open to resolving the crisis peacefully. Last week the junta said it was open to dialogue with ECOWAS after rebuffing the bloc's multiple efforts at talks, but shortly afterwards charged Bazoum with “high treason” and recalled its ambassador from neighboring Ivory Coast.
ECOWAS defense chiefs are expected to meet this week for the first time since the bloc announced the deployment of the “standby” force. It’s unclear when or if the force will invade, but it would probably include several thousand troops and would have devastating consequences, conflict experts say.
“A military intervention with no end in sight risks triggering a regional war, with catastrophic consequences for the vast Sahel that is already plagued by insecurity, displacement and poverty,” said Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence company.
Niger was seen as one of the last democratic countries in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, and a partner for Western nations in the effort to beat back growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. France, the former colonial ruler of Niger, and the United States have approximately 2,500 military personnel in the region that train Niger's military and, in the case of France, conduct joint operations.
Since the coup, France and the U.S. have suspended military operations and jihadi attacks are increasing. At least 17 soldiers were killed and nearly two dozen wounded in an ambush by extremists in the Tillaberi region, said the Ministry of Defense on state television on Tuesday. The attack occurred Tuesday afternoon when a military detachment was traveling between Boni and Torodi villages. The wounded were evacuated to Niamey.
It was the first major attack against Niger’s army in six months and is a worrying sign of potential escalation, said Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a think tank.
“What we are witnessing today is both jihadi warring factions, the Islamic State group and (al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), marking their territory because of the security void caused by the coup. This definitely should be seen in the context of the ongoing war between the two groups,” he said.
Analysts say the longer the coup drags on, the less likely an intervention will occur as the junta cements its grip on power, likely forcing the international community to accept the status quo.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday there was still room for diplomacy to return the country to constitutional rule and said the U.S. supported ECOWAS’ dialogue efforts, including its contingency plans.
The new U.S. ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, is expected to arrive in Niamey at the end of the week, according to a U.S. official. The United States hasn’t had an ambassador in the country for nearly two years. Some Sahel experts say this has left Washington with less access to key players and information.
“The U.S is in a difficult situation with no good choices,” said Michael Shurkin, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of global programs at 14 North Strategies, an Africa-focused risk advisory. “It either sticks to a principled position and pushes for democracy while alienating the junta and risk pushing it into Russia’s arms, or we give up on principle and work with the junta in the hope of salvaging a productive working relationship."
While regional and western countries scramble for how to respond, many Nigeriens are convinced they'll soon be invaded. The country of some 25 million people is one of the poorest in the world and residents are hoping the new regime will set the nation on a new path. In Niamey Wednesday, eager locals said they'd do what it took to defend the country.
“My children and I love these soldiers and I invite young people to join the army and develop our country and our villages," said Amadou Hawa, a Niamey resident who lives in a shanty town on the side of the road.
The details of Niger's volunteer force are still vague, but similar initiatives in neighboring countries have yielded mixed results. Volunteer fighters in Burkina Faso, recruited to help the army battle its jihadi insurgency, have been accused by rights groups and locals of committing atrocities against civilians.
Bako, one of the heads of the group organizing Nigerien volunteers, said Niger's situation is different.
“The (volunteers in Burkina Faso) are fighting the Burkinabe who took weapons against their own brothers ... The difference with us is our people will fight against an intrusion,” he said.
[Yahoo News]
More...
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered a 100-per cent salary raise as the government sharply raised the fuel prices, according to local media.
The salary increase, covering state employees, retirees, and military personnel, is the ninth since 2011 when the Syrian war broke out, NAN reports.
The country’s economy has since been mired in an economic crisis.
Prior to the decision, the monthly salary of civil servants had been between around 10 and 25 U.S. dollars, depending on the Syrian pound’s street value.
On Tuesday, the Syrian Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection raised the prices of diesel fuel for transportation and bakeries by about 180 per cent, and normal-octane gasoline by about 165 per cent.
The hike in fuel prices caused a state of chaos on the streets as many bus drivers refused to work on Wednesday.
The price hike also led to a disruption in food prices, which have gone up between 30 and 100 per cent.
[DailyPost]
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka said the party may go extinct if reforms are not made at the earliest possible time.
He stated that the party lost some of its strongholds to the Labour Party (LP) in the last election.
He made this known while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
He said, “The PDP in itself is a government that was in power for 16 years. Its instinct is that of a government party and not that of an opposition party, and it has taken us eight years now to begin to realise.
“We are smelling the coffee that it’s not four years and we are back or we are coming back the next day.
“Now, we are beginning to see that PDP itself needs to be reformed. It needs to renew and reimagine itself to be able to begin to play the role of opposition, knowing full well that we have a politician as president.
“If PDP doesn’t get its act together, it will be an extinct party. So, we need to wake up, smell the coffee, find the kind of leadership that will represent us in an opposition atmosphere, and begin to do the work of the opposition.
“We must do the work of mobilization and imbibe the work of technology.
“[The] last four years have taught us a bitter lesson that a young party can come up and take away PDP strongholds in an election cycle.”
[Vanguard]
Barring any last-minute changes, President Bola Tinubu would on Monday, 21st August 2023, swear-in Ministers into his cabinet.
A former national director of publicity for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lanre Issa-Onilu gave the hint on Wednesday during an interview appearance on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme.
According to him, President Tinubu is taking his time before inaugurating the Ministers because he is carrying out some restructurings before they resume work.
He however added that the President is set to swear in his Ministers on Monday.
“…On Monday, they are going to be inaugurated. We have ministries, the president may have his ideas on how the ministries should work.
“…The bottom line is that there will be this exercise on Monday.”
Those screened, confirmed, and expected to be sworn in on Monday are:
1. ABUBAKAR KYARI BORNO STATE
2. ABUBAKAR MOMOH EDO STATE
3. NYESOM WIKE RIVERS STATE
4. PROF. JOSEPH UTSEV BENUE STATE
5. JOHN ENO CROSS RIVER STATE
6. BELLO MOHAMMED SOKOTO STATE
7. MOHAMMED BADARU ABUBAKAR JIGAWA STATE
8. YUSUF MAITAMA TUGGAR BAUCHI STATE
9. UJU KEN OHANEYE ANAMBRA STATE
10. OLUBUNMI TUNJI OJO ONDO STATE
11. NKEIRUKA ONYEJEOCHA ABIA STATE
12. BETTA EDU CROSS RIVER STATE
13. IMAAN SULEIMAN NASARAWA STATE
14. DAVID UMAHI EBONYI STATE
15. ADEBAYO OLAWALE EDUN OGUN STATE
16. AHMED MUSA DANGIWA KATSINA STATE
17. UCHE NNAJI ENUGU STATE
18. DELE ALAKE EKITI STATE
19. WAHEED ADEBAYO ADELABU OYO STATE
20. MUHAMMAD IDRIS NIGER STATE
21. PROF. ALI PATE BAUCHI STATE
22. DR DORIS UZOKA IMO STATE
23. LATEEF FAGBEMI (SAN) KWARA STATE
24. EKPERIKPE EKPO AKWA IBOM STATE
25. HANNATU MUSAWA KATSINA STATE
26. IBRAHIM GEIDAM YOBE STATE
27. ALIYU SABI ABDULLAHI NIGER STATE
28. HEINEKEN LOKPOBIRI BAYELSA STATE
29. ALKALI AHMED SA’EED GOMBE STATE
30. DR. YUSUF TANKO SUNUNU KEBBI STATE
31. ATIKU BAGUDU KEBBI STATE
32. BELLO MATAWALLE ZAMFARA STATE
33. ADEGBOYEGA OYETOLA OSUN STATE
34. SIMON BAKO LALONG PLATEAU STATE
35. ABDULLAHI TIJJANI GWARZO KANO STATE
36. BOSUN TIJJANI OGUN STATE
37. DR MARIYA MAHMOUD KANO STATE
38. DR ISIYAKA SALAKO OGUN STATE
39. DR TUNJI ALAUSA LAGOS STATE
40. LOLA ADE JOHN LAGOS STATE
41. PROF. TAHIR MAMMAN ADAMAWA STATE
42. ZEPHANIAH JISSALO F.C.T
43. UBA MAIGARI AHMADU TARABA STATE
44. SHUAIBU ABUBAKAR AUDU KOGI STATE
45. FESTUS KEYAMO (SAN) DELTA STATE
Ex-APC chair Adams Oshiomhole says there is nothing worse than the terrible economic situation President Bola Tinubu inherited from former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The government inherited a terrible economic situation. Everyone knows it,” Mr Oshiomhole stated on Channels TV Tuesday.
Lamenting that Mr Buhari plunged Nigeria into huge debt, Mr Oshiomhole noted that “nothing can be worse” than what Mr Tinubu inherited from his predecessor.
Mr Tinubu’s “government inherited an economy in which our total national revenue was barely enough to serve our debt burden. Spending 96 per cent, which is to say every N100 Nigeria earns, 96 kobo (sic) is going to repay debt.”
“So you have only four kobo left to pay all the salaries. Nothing can be worse. But they came determined that they will do business unusual to arrest the drift and stabilise the economy,” the former Edo governor added.
Mr Buhari ruled the country for eight years, from 2015 to 2023, which critics described as some of the worst years under democratic rule in Nigeria.
Under his regime, Nigeria’s debt hit N46 trillion.
Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo condemned the borrowing spree of Mr Buhari, saying accumulating debt for future generations is “foolish” and “criminal.”