Retired police intelligence officer, Nuhu Ribadu was appointed as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) to replace Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd).
Naija News reports that Ribadu was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu initially as a Special Adviser on Security but his position was upgraded yesterday to the NSA.
Meet the new NSA:
Nuhu Ribadu was born in Yola, Adamawa State, on 21 November, 1960.
He attended Aliyu Mustapha Primary School, Yola from 1966 to 1973 and Yelwa Government Secondary School, Yola from 1973-1977. Between 1978 and 1980, Mr Ribadu was at the College of Preliminary Studies, CPS, Yola, for his A-level studies.
In 1980, he gained admission to study law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating in 1983. He graduated from the Nigerian Law School and was called to the bar in 1984. He joined the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) immediately after his national youth service.
Ribadu holds an LLM degree with emphasis on the jurisprudence of corruption in Nigeria from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. In 2008, he was at the Harvard Business School where he did a programme on the strategic management of law enforcement agencies.
Ribadu became a household name in Nigeria and beyond on account of his glorious public service record and personal integrity. A trained lawyer and fearless crime fighter, Ribadu has carved a niche for himself as someone who is patriotic, passionate, honest, courageous and compassionate.
He is the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the government commission tasked with countering corruption and fraud which he literally transformed into one of the most effective and renowned anti-graft agencies in modern history. Yet, his major contribution to the anti-corruption crusade was his selflessness, resilience and exemplary conduct in his spirited fight against the cankerworm.
With uncommon commitment and dedication to duty, Mr Ribadu worked assiduously to clean the Augean stable created by graft and fraud, Premium Times report.
He courageously brought to book hundreds of fraudsters, scores of high profile looters and economic saboteurs in spite of temptation, booby traps and threats to life.
In three years, the EFCC, under his leadership, built the now most celebrated Crimes Training and Research Institute in the West African region. The agency also recorded over 200 criminal convictions under his leadership.
In acknowledgement of these rare achievements, Mr Ribadu was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in March 2007. The African Union (AU) put him on its advisory board on anti-corruption matters; and he was invited to join the advisory board of the Friends of the World Bank/UNODC initiative on Stolen Asset Recovery.
Ribadu is a recipient of several awards as a police officer, prosecutor and chairman of the EFCC. He received the Inspector General of Police Awards in 1997, 1998 and 2000, and the Special Commendation of the President in 2005, for the successful prosecution of several advanced fee fraud cases, banking fraud and sundry economic crimes. He was also specially commended by the Accountant General of the Federation for successfully prosecuting some corrupt public servants in 1999.
Since 2004, notable newspapers and magazines in Nigeria have repeatedly voted Mr Ribadu as Man of the Year, in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a committed crusader against corruption and other related crimes.
In 2008, Ribadu completed the senior executive course of the Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies where he was conferred with the Membership of the National Institute, MNI. In June 2010, Mr Ribadu was awarded the Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) by the Babcock University, Ogun State, in recognition of his “resolute courage” as well as his “fierce stance against corruption in the face of sponsored disgrace and certain death that has resulted into positive changes and global acclaim hitherto considered impossible.”
In 2012, Ribadu left a United Nations assignment in Afghanistan to take up a special inquest into government’s revenue from the oil sector, an assignment he handled with his characteristic passion and dexterity, turning in a report that has since become a reference point on reforming Nigeria’s oil industry.
In his quest for higher call to service, Mr Ribadu has since 2010 been involved in active politics. He was named NSA today, 19 June, 2023, days after he was appointed the security adviser, security, to the president.
The disclosure by the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike that he was poisoned at the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been faulted by Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 PDP presidential candidate.
According to Shaibu, the failure of Wike’s kidney and liver as revealed by the former Governor is a result of excessive alcohol drinking and not food poisoning.
Naija News recalls Wike during a special Thanksgiving service on Sunday organized by his family at the St. Peters Deanery, Rumuepirikom, Obio-Akpor alleged that he was poisoned at the PDP secretariat in 2018, resulting in the failure of his liver and kidney.
He added that he had to be flown out of the country for medical attention in order to save his life.
However, Shaibu disagreed with Wike’s submission, positing rather that the former Governor’s love for alcohol, particularly whiskey is what was responsible for his health challenges.
“Governor Wike has always been open about his intense and indubitable love for whiskey. He even said back in March that he was sipping a 40-year-old whiskey with his friends while watching Atiku and others protesting on TV at 11 am.
“Governor Wike has also been seen drinking and dancing in videos, including one he did with former Governor Rochas Okorocha. If Wike was indeed poisoned and his organs failed, he ought to be a teetotaller by now and reduce his drinking.
“I am not a medical doctor, but it is general knowledge that excessive alcohol consumption leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, digestive problems; and cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus, voice box, liver, colon and rectum,” he said.
Shaibu called on Wike to stop blaming food poisoning but accept his love for alcohol is responsible for his organ failure including his hoarse voice.
“Other ailments associated with excessive drinking include: weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick; learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor sexual performance. Wike should look inwards. Let us assume that he was poisoned by food. Was his hoarse and husky voice also caused by food poisoning?” Atiku’s aide submitted.
Sokoto governor, Ahmad Aliyu has disguised himself and visited the State Specialist Hospital to ascertain the quality of services provided to residents.
The governor’s press secretary Abubakar Bawa in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the governor’s decision to visit the facility unannounced follow a series of concerns raised by Sokoto residents over poor service delivery.
The statement added that other concerns that forced the governor to visit the hospital were dilapidated structures, erratic power supply, shortage of staff, and lack of functional medical equipment, among others.
The governor visited the hospital in a tricycle to get first-hand information from its workers.
“I was surprised with what I saw during my visit to the hospital, which lasted for four hours; it afforded me the opportunity to see things for myself,” Mr Aliyu explained.
“Patients and their relatives are subjected to all kinds of hazardous situations owing to the dirty environment and lack of functional equipment in the medical facility.”
The Sokoto governor added, “Patient relatives rely solely on their personal alternative source of power due to the erratic electricity supply in the hospital. Therefore, I have directed the management of the hospital to see me for further discussion on how to remedy the situation.”
The poor state of things at the hospital may not be unconnected with the inability of past administrations to release the monthly allocations due to the hospital.
Sierra Leone’s Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) and the Political Party Registration Commission (PPRC) held a joint peace meeting in Freetown on Monday 19th June to address complaints by the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) against the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) and security forces, ahead of the 24th June presidential and parliamentary elections.
At the meeting attended by senior officials of the four bodies, as well as top national security figures, diplomats and Election Observers from ECOWAS, AU, Commonwealth, and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, APC’s deputy leader Dr Richard Konteh, alongside other party officials, listed the party’s areas of complaint to include the ECSL’s Voters Register, Results management system, District level certification and Early voting.
The APC officials claimed that there were duplication of names and under-age voters in the Register, with the majority from the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party’s (SLPP) strongholds, while in some cases the Register only had “the voters’ names and photographs without identification numbers or other details.”
Consequently, the APC “demands an audit of the Voters Register by an independent firm.”
The party also questioned the “eligibility of (ECSL) Commissioners,” and further complained about “violence against APC candidates and supporters, including its presidential candidate and running mate,” as well as attacks on the party’s offices.
In his response, the ECSL Chair Mohammed Konneh said most of the issues raised by the APC had been addressed in the past and appealed for understanding to enable the electoral process to proceed.
He disclosed that the Commission received on Monday the ballot papers for the elections after a delay of the cargo flight from South Africa.
In their interventions, the ICPNC Chair Rev. Shodankeh Johnson and his PPRC counterpart Abdulai Bangura appealed for restraint, but at the same time called for “frank and honest dialogue” for amicable reconciliation and resolution of the issues.
After a closed-door session, Rev Johnson announced that a smaller group of representatives of the four bodies should continue the peace meeting on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS’ Long-Term Observers were deployed to Sierra Leone’s 16 districts on Monday, with those in urban Freetown attending a Police-Media Dialogue on Elections organised by the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG).
Issues covered at the meeting included Police-Media Relations, Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration on Election Coverage, Police Preparations toward ensuring peaceful elections; Election Coverage: Rights and Responsibilities of Journalists and Ensuring Journalists’ Safety and Security during Elections.
At a separate meeting, the ECOWAS Observers were briefed by officials of the MRCG, Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and the Independent Media Commission (IMC) on the country’s media landscape, ownership, regulation, the status of media freedom, the impact of social media and cybercrimes, and the role of the media in national elections.
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has called for a lasting partnership with the National Productivity Centre (NPC) towards the implementation of the Performance Management System in order to promote employees’ accountability in the area of delivery of service.
She made the appeal yesterday, in Abuja, while receiving the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) from the Director General, NPC, Dr. Raji Mustapha in recognition of her contributions to the growth and development of the Federal Civil Service.
She expressed happiness in becoming the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation at a time when the system was ready for change, stressing on the importance of working together with the NPC on the ongoing implementation of PMS, which she termed as a big task that would instill a culture of productivity and allow a worker to access his work based on given targets, away from the norm of workers getting promoted without working for it.
She expressed joy that the NPC was working towards linking productivity with wages, adding that it would help in measuring workers who really deserve salary increment so as to curb the continuous clamour for increment without commensurate work to show for it. The HoS indicated the willingness of her office to assist in the needed areas.
Speaking earlier at the award ceremony, Mustapha praised efforts of the HoS in bringing creativity to bear on the Service.
He similarly hinted the HoS of the ongoing plan by the centre to come up with a Productivity Wage Link System, aimed at linking the productivity of workers with their wages, adding that it is at a completion stage and that a report would be sent to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), when completed.
While presenting the award to Dr. Yemi-Esan, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms. Kachallom Daju, lauded her for initiating laudable reforms in the Service.
[Thisday]
The Director, Media and Publicity of the defunct Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, has said the appointment of new Service Chiefs by President Bola Tinubu was not based on nepotism.
He made this clarification on Monday through his official Twitter handle.
Recall that Tinubu sacked all service chiefs on Monday and appointed their replacements.
Reacting to claims of nepotism, Onanuga stated that Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff, is from South East – Enugu, and Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye, Chief of Defense Intelligence, hails from South South – Obudu, Cross River State.
He said the appointments spread across the major geo-political zones in the country.
“Here is a breakdown of the state/region of service chiefs 1 Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (North-Adamawa), 2. Maj. Gen. C.G Musa Chief of Defence Staff (North-Southern Kaduna), 3. Maj.Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja Chief of Army Staff (South West), 4. Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla Chief of Naval Staff (South East-Enugu), 5. AVM H.B Abubakar Chief of Air Staff (North), 6. DIG Kayode Egbetokun Acting Inspector-General of Police (South West), 7. Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence (South-South- Obudu Cross River State). For those accusing the Tinubu government of nepotism, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, is from Igbo Eze North LGA of Enugu State. The Chief of Intelligence is from Cross River. Critics should try to dig for information before rushing to judgment”, he wrote.
[DailyPost]
President Bola Tinubu on Monday took steps to stop ship owners from withdrawing their vessels over what they see as excessive bank charges.
Reports had suggested that at least two ship-owners said they were keeping their vessels away from Nigeria after a series of multimillion-dollar tax bills were sent out, seeking to recover back unpaid duties from 2010 to 2019.
The Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Zacheus Adedeji, led government officials in an interactive session with shipping stakeholders at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he warned that Nigeria cannot afford not to have vessels move in and out of the country.
Speaking to correspondents after the meeting, he allayed the fears of the stakeholders within the oil and gas sector, spelling out the agreement reached to avert vessel withdrawal so as not to disrupt the flow of products.
He said the problem arose from the demand notice to the vessel owners issued in accordance with extant tax laws to make their remittances.
The presidential aide assured that a technical committee has been set up to resolve the issues in contention.
He noted that no vessel would be arrested or detained as the committee works to reconcile the back taxes.
Adedeji, however, warned that Nigeria would not succumb to blackmail as its laws must be obeyed.
He stated: “So, we have agreed to resolve this issue. And what is the issue? There was a demand notice, which was issued to the vessel owners or chattered, as it were, which is in accordance with the Nigerian tax law, that they should remit the tax deal to them for the last ten years and that there were concerns about the timing of compliance or afraid of the enforcement.
“So, we’ve now resolved within ourselves to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, just to make sure that we don’t affect the flow of the products, in and outside the country.
“We also made it clear that Nigeria will not accept any blackmail by defaulters who are not complying with our laws. We have laws, and the laws must be respected and obeyed.
“However, we will not detain or arrest any defaulting ship or vessel because this is what is causing panic.
“We’ve sent them demand notice, and then they’ve also come, and the agreement is that we should give them time. So, we’ve agreed to set up a technical committee to resolve these issues.
“The technical committee will comprise the regulator, which is NUPRC, NMDRA, NNPC, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Presidency, in the Office of Chief of Staff, SA Energy and SA Revenue, and the Secretariat will be the Federal Inland Revenue.
“The technical committee will look at the concerns and reconcile the back taxes and set a process that will ensure compliance going forward.
“So, we’ve agreed to give the parties three months to come to the conclusion, and we will also give a grace period of six months, when we will not enforce any of these laws, just to allow for reconciliation.
“In essence, no vessel or ship will be detained or delayed. So, we give this six months break for them so that they can reconcile with this technical committee that we set up.
“Nigeria, as you know, is open for business, and we are business-friendly, as you’ve seen from what we’re doing and what we will do.
“So, we are open, but that is not to say that anybody will take advantage of the country. We have the law, and the law must be respected.”
Meanwhile, six companies have received approval to import petroleum products in the month of July.
The Managing Director of Nigeria Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDRA), Farouk Ahmed, revealed this to correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.
He said apart from the six, several companies applied for permits to import petroleum in due course.
Ahmed also debunked the insinuation that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had given approval to the Dangote Group to import petroleum, saying that the company has no power to give such approval.
The Managing Director stated: “There are several companies that applied for a fuel importation permit. So, you can apply for importation to get access to the port. And by the way, we are open to all those who are interested in importing.
“We have guidelines which are not very stringent because we’re trying to encourage importation.
“There are six companies who said they want to import fuel in July. Of course, all the others may import in December, November, or anytime but for those who expressed interest to bring in fuel in July, there were six of them as of this morning.
“The beauty of it is that there are interests which means that they have been able to have access to foreign exchange in order to import.
“Now, as we go along, of course, we’ll be briefing you on the progress or the achievements so far, but the important thing is that NNPC has 30 days of fuel sufficiency, so we do not anticipate any gap in supply or in distribution.”
[Tribune]
Palm Oil imports from Malaysia – a top global producer to Nigeria have surged by 353 per cent in the first four months of 2023 despite local players ramping up production, data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council shows.
The Nigeria’s palm oil import from Malaysia increased to 92,961 metric tons (MT) between January-April 2023, from 20,513 MT in the corresponding period of 2022, indicating a 72,448 MT increase.
In 2022, the country imported 227,035 MT of palm oil from Malaysia.
Despite moves by the government, in listing crude palm oil alongside other 40 items restricted from forex access, and closing the Nigerian borders, oil palm imports into the country are still on the rise owing to the huge demand-supply gap, according to experts.
“Nigeria’s oil palm imports from Malaysia will continue to increase for the time being because our investment in the industry is still very insignificant,” managing director, Palmtrade and Commodities Development Nigeria Ltd, Henry Olatujoye, said according to reports by BusinessDay.
“We estimated that our local/domestic consumption is averaging 2.4 million tons in a year, and our first-class developers – Okomu, Presco, and others, do not annually produce up to 800,000 tons.
[Leadership]
Federal Government, on Monday, confirmed that it had commenced the implementation of the payment of 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax on Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel.
Officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and Federal Inland Revenue Service confirmed this in Abuja, stressing that AGO was not exempted from the payment of VAT based on the VAT Modification Order 2021.
The development was, however, condemned by Nigerians, who pointed out that citizens were still trying to adjust to the hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, not knowing that plans had been perfected to further raise payments for diesel.
When asked by our correspondent if the NCS was now collecting 7.5 per cent VAT on the imports of AGO, the spokesperson for the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, replied, “Yes.”
He continued, “If you ask me whether Customs collects 7.5 per cent VAT on AGO, I will tell you yes and I’ll give you the reasons. There’s what we call VAT Modification Order 2021, which exempts petroleum products of Harmonised System Codes.
“But the HS Codes for Petroleum products that are exempted from paying VAT are those in the region of 2709.00.00.00 – 2710.19.12.00. The HS Codes are what we use to classify commodities. But AGO is classified under HS Code 2710.19.21.00, which is not exempted from the payment of VAT. Now, this is based on the VAT Modification Order 2021.”
An official of the FIRS, Tobi Wojuola, also confirmed the development, stressing that it was the position of the VAT Modification Order.
“The position of the VAT Modification Order 2021 is that VAT is chargeable on diesel,” he told our correspondent in Abuja.
In a letter from the NCS to some of its personnel, on the matter, with reference: NCS/T&T/T/899/217/VOL.I, sighted in Abuja, and dated June 8, 2023, the service made it clear that VAT must be paid on diesel.
The letter was signed by the Assistant Comptroller-General (Tariff and Trade), Mba Musa, on behalf of the Deputy Comptroller-General (Taritf and Trade).
[It read in part, “I am directed to forward a letter from Federal Inland Revenue Service on the above subject matter. The VAT Modification order 2021 only exempts petroleum products of HS codes 2709.00.00.00 – 2710.19.12.00 from payment of VAT. AGO or diesel falls classifiable under HS Code 2710.19.21.00 and is not exempted from paying VAT.
“Subsequent upon the above, all future importations of the product should assess and pay VAT at the point of entry into the country. Also note that AGO or diesel are not exempted from destination inspection or import guidelines and as such are expected to process Form M and PAAR as well as make declarations appropriately in the NICIS II system.
“A copy of the letter from FIRS is attached for your information. Take note and be guided accordingly, please.”
Nigerians groan:
Nigerians lamented the effects of the introduction of the 7.5 per cent Value-Added Tax on the price of diesel.
This comes barely a month after President Bola Tinubu removed the subsidy on petrol during his inaugural speech on May 29, raising the price of PMS from N188 to about N580 in different states of the federation.
Recall that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, announced that the Finance Act 2020 raised the previous five per cent VAT of the country to 7.5 per cent on commodities including automobile gas oil and it was implemented on February 20, 2020.
But the VAT-exempt items include honey, bread, cereals, cooking oils, culinary herbs, fish, flour, starch, fruits, meat, poultry, milk, nuts, pulses, roots, salt, vegetables, water, sanitary pads, tampons, tertiary, secondary, primary and nursery tuition.
While other commodities have been VAT-compliant, diesel was not until recently.
However, the new development has hit Nigerians hard, as many have called for an utmost review of it, especially because of the recent removal of fuel subsidies.
A Twitter user, Ingawa said, “That means for every litre of AGO you will buy, you have to pay 7.5 per cent VAT of the pump price. For example; If one litre of AGO is N650 at the filling station, then you have to pay an additional N48.75 being payment for 7.5 per cent VAT. The total price per litre will be N698.75 per litre.”
Another user, Angry Non-Nigerian, said, “When Tinubu said ‘widen the tax net, you people thought he was joking. The only thing that man knows is tax, tax and tax. As Lagosians.”
One Oyo said, “The Citizens will be the main IGR for this government. There is no single move to cut the cost of government from the Senate to the House to other departments.
“They went to education first by trying to add tuition fees, now 7.5 per cent VAT on PMS. Everything directly to the common man.”
[Punch]
The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Monday alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to provide the documents they asked for.
Obi and the LP are petitioners in the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023 challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.
Respondents are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The LP and Obi told the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that due to INEC’s failure to provide the documents demanded they would be unable to go on with their case.
Counsel to LP, Jubrin Okutepa, told the court that all the documents his client asked for from INEC were not provided.
“We are bringing this to your notice for your intervention because we have done everything humanly possible.
“This afternoon, INEC released a few IreV reports from Lagos and Gombe.
“These documents were certified since May 29. We have severally written letters detailing the documents we needed in the proof of our petition.
“We have paid for most of these documents,” he said
Okutepa also informed the court that it appears that INEC was deliberately delaying proceedings.
Council for INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud told the court that he received a letter dated May 15 from the petitioners and has not received any other letter after that.
“All the documents that the subpoenaed witnesses are tendering were provided by INEC. We never denied the petitioners any document.
I am a senior counsel and know the importance of this matter. They should stop this lamentation,” he said.
Counsel to Tinubu and Shettima, Wole Olanipakun, also promised to ensure that a meeting between senior counsels holds to address the issues raised.
The court urged them to come to a better understanding so that the proceeding could go on smoothly.
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Drug War: Over 6.3million kg of drugs seized, 31,000 Arrested, 5,147 Convicted In 29months – Marwa
AdminChairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has disclosed that the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking has yielded significant results in the last 29 months with the arrest of 31,675 drug offenders, 5,147 of them prosecuted and convicted while over 6.3million kilograms of assorted drugs were seized within the same period.
Marwa stated this in Abuja on Monday 19th June at a joint press briefing with the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, to flag off weeklong activities marking the 2023 World Drug Day, which is an annual event “to mobilise resources, align policies, and inspire organisations, communities, and nations to work in a particular direction to effectively tackle the challenges of illicit substances in society.”
According to the NDLEA boss, “This year’s theme, “People First: Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention,” is in furtherance of the whole-of-society approach to taming the drug scourge.
This theme is especially pertinent to the Nigerian situation at the moment. In the past two and half years, we have strengthened our law enforcement efforts to cut down on the supply of drugs in society.
In 29 months, we have arrested 31, 675 drug offenders, including 35 barons; successfully prosecuted and got convicted 5,147 of them, and over 11,000 other cases still pending in court, while 23,725 drug users had been counselled and rehabilitated, majority of them through brief interventions.
At least 6.3 million kilograms of various illicit substances have been recovered in response to our efforts to sweep up drugs and shut down the distribution channels. We have destroyed 852.142 hectares of cannabis farms and dismantled three clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. I can assure you that even as we speak, NDLEA agents are busy with interdiction activities somewhere.”
He said drug supply reduction is however only one of the components of the equation. “Another crucial component is drug demand reduction, which operationally means prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
It should go without saying that we must strike a balance between these two crucial components if we are to achieve our desired utopia of a drug-free society.
“NDLEA has made significant investments in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation over the last two years.
“The doors of our rehabilitation facilities are open at all times. In the last 29 months, we have acquired a few more rehab centres, given to us as donations, while we have also obtained the federal government’s approval for the construction of regional model rehabs. More private treatment facilities are also cooperating with NDLEA. To cap it all, NDLEA went above and beyond to invest in a toll-free, round-the-clock call centre that provides teletherapy.
“In summary, we have prioritised treatment, while our WADA advocacy initiative has taken a life of its own with our Commands, Formations and partnering civil society organisations taking sensitisation lectures and campaigns to schools, communities, worship places and many more across the country everyday.
“In addition, we have also produced TV Commercials and Radio Jingles in different languages being broadcast on various platforms. This is simply aimed at prevention, by sensitising the people and equipping them with facts about drugs to enable them take the right decisions against substance abuse”, Marwa who was represented at the event by the Agency Secretary, Shadrach Haruna added.
He charged the society to drop the stigmatization that discourages drug users from seeking treatment, a development that has serious socio-economic repercussions for individuals and their families.
“Stigmatisation and discrimination make recovery and reintegration difficult for drug-dependent users who submit themselves to treatment. And the prevalence of such an attitude is counterproductive to the effort, time, and resources invested by governments, institutions, and corporate bodies working to contain the drug problem.
“This is what the year’s theme is about. We must rid ourselves of any bias against those who are drug-dependent to be able to support, expedite, and make permanent their recovery. The theme will serve as an impetus for us to make a collective effort to break down these invincible but formidable social barriers that undermine the attainment of the goal of a drug-free society.”
He expressed appreciation of the partnership between NDLEA, NGOs, development partners, and the various groups, institutions, and relevant professionals in society, including media professionals, who have been very supportive of the renewed war on drugs.
“I want to thank the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), especially for its unquantified support that has contributed to the rapid evolution of NDLEA. In the same vein, we are thankful to the European Union (EU) and the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, France, India and Germany, who have all boosted our capacity to cope with the demands of our mandate.”
“To celebrate this year’s World Drug Day, we have a line-up of activities for the week, some of which will be conducted in partnership with our stakeholders like the UNODC and MTN Foundation. Some of the events are educational, like the essay and the quiz competitions. We have days set aside for events like the Walk Against Drugs, NGO activities, and a campaign to raise awareness among young people who are not in school. The grand finale will be the ceremony at the State House on Monday, June 26”, he added.
In his remarks at the media briefing, UNODC Country Rep, Oliver Stolpe emphasized the “benefits of international cooperation in criminal justice matters with a specific target of dismantling trafficking networks involved in this terrible trade”, adding that “long overdue is the need to make sure that the public and primary health care providers are better prepared to take basic drug counseling needs, knowing how to deal with people suffering from drug use disorders.”
He commended NDLEA for the successes recorded so far recorded in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.
The Federal Government, on Monday, said six new companies have received approval to import petroleum products into Nigeria.
The Managing Director of Nigeria Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDRA), Farouk Ahmed made this disclosure to state correspondents at the Presidential Villa.
Farouk stated that apart from the approved six, several companies applied for permit to import petroleum in due course.
Ahmed also debunked insinuation that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had given approval to Dangote Group to import petroleum, saying that the company has no powers to give such approval.
The managing director further noted that there are several companies that applied for fuel importation permit and anyone can apply for importation to get access to the port as the authority is open to all those interested in importing.
Ahmed said, “There are six companies who said they want to import fuel in July. Of course, all the others may import in December in November, or anytime but those who expressed interest to bring in fuel in July there were six of them as of this morning.
“The beauty of it is that there are interests which means that they have been able to have access to foreign exchange in order to import.
“Now, as we go along, of course, we’ll be briefing you on the progress or the achievements so far, but the important thing is that NNPC has 30 days fuel sufficiency, so we do not anticipate any gap in supply or in distribution.”
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has taken steps to stop ship owners from withdrawing their vessels over what they see as excessive back charges.
The Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Zacchaeus Adedeji, who led government officials in an interactive session with shipping stakeholders at the State House, warned that Nigeria cannot afford not to have vessels move in and out of the country.
Reports had suggested that at least two ship owners said they were keeping their vessels away from Nigeria after a series of multimillion dollar tax bills were sent out, seeking to recover back unpaid duties from 2010 to 2019.
Briefing State House correspondents after a meeting today with stakeholders, Adedeji allayed fears within the oil and gas sector, spelling out the agreement reached to avert vessel withdrawal so as not to disrupt the flow of products.
The presidential aide assured that a technical committee has been set up to resolve the issues in contention.
Former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has reacted after President Bola Tinubu approved the immediate retirement of all service chiefs and the inspector-general of police.
Naija News earlier reported that the president also approved the replacement of the comptroller-general of customs.
According to a statement signed by George Akume, secretary-general of the federation, their retirement is with immediate effect.
Reacting to the latest development, Reno Omokri in a post via his social media page, said Tinbu has exhibited the type of courage that has been missing in Aso Rock.
According to him, such action will prompt the military and security services to sit up in their responsibilities.
While applauding the former governor of Lagos State, Reno said he has consigned the 8 years of the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, to the dustbin.
He, however, urged Tinubu to include the southeast in his appointment, irrespective of not getting their votes during the election.
He wrote: “Hurricane Tinubu strikes again. In one fell swoop, he has demonstrated that he is the Commander-in-Chief. This is the type of courage that has been missing in Aso Rock. Now our military and security services will sit up. What a man! Talk about hitting the ground running. No ambiguity about who is in charge.
“In three weeks, he has consigned Buhari’s eight years into the dustbin of history. Well done! Bravo. No matter your shortcomings (and you do have them), no objective observer can deny that you have exceeded everybody’s expectations.
“The only thing I will appeal to the President to do is to find a way to reflect the Southeast commensurately to their population, and not according to the votes they gave him, in his security architecture and government. Inclusion will reduce agitation. That aside, let me add that this is the leadership that Awolowo would have given if Nigeria had given him the chance. I doff my heart to the President.
“Funny enough, President Tinubu is acting the way we expected a former General to act. Unfortunately, the former General we had acted even below what we expected from an inexperienced civilian.”
Former Aviation Minister and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing new security chiefs.
Naija News reports that Tinubu, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, announced new Service Chiefs and Inspector-General of Police.
Reacting in a post on Twitter, Fani-Kayode described the security chiefs appointment as the greatest and boldest move by Tinubu.
He noted that with the appointments Nigeria now has security heads that will fight terror and restore sanity.
He wrote: “Greatest & boldest move so far! We now have Service Chiefs, military commanders and an NSA that will fight terror and restore sanity to our land.
“Congrats to all those appointed including the new IGP. Kudos to our President for putting together a formidable security team.”
The newly appointed Officers are: Mallam Nuhu Ribadu National Security Adviser.
Maj. Gen. C.G Musa Chief of Defence Staff.
Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja Chief of Army Staff.
Rear Admirral E. A Ogalla Chief of Naval Staff.
AVM H.B Abubakar Chief of Air Staff.
DIG Kayode Egbetokun Acting Inspector-General of Police.
Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence.
Tinubu also approved the appointment of Adeniyi Bashir Adewale as the Ag. Comptroller General of Customs.
It is to be noted that the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Customs are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.