The new Governor of Abia, Dr Alex Otti, on Monday, said his administration will within the next month, launch a N10 billion Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises financing scheme in the state.
He made this known during his inaugural speech as the fifth executive Governor of Abia, at the Umuahia Township Stadium.
Otti said that the fund is aimed at tackling the challenge of youth unemployment, which “keeps me awake most nights because I know how industrious our youths are.”
The renowned economist said that the scheme would comprise conditional business grants and low-interest loans to support relevant enterprises.
He said that the detailed modalities for accessing these funds would be made public soon.
“It is my projection that a minimum of 20,000 MSMEs shall benefit from this fund over the next two years and shall in turn generate at least 100,000 direct jobs and another 200,000 indirect employments in the state,” he said.
The renowned economist said that his administration would partner with commercial banks, local and international development agencies, venture capitalists and independent investors.
According to him, we shall target MSMEs in high-impact areas such as ICT, agriculture, small-scale manufacturing, fashion, leatherworks, and other areas where the state has a strong comparative advantage.
He said that his administration would also leverage some of the major reforms in the power sector to provide structural support in the form of steady electricity access for those entrepreneurs.
“Our administration shall also make sure that the major obstacles to business success such as poor road networks, over-taxation and restricted access to local and global markets are timeously dealt with,” he said.
The former bank chief promised that he would in the next one week, announce the setting up of the most suitable administrative and investment vehicles to drive the social and economic rejuvenation of Aba.
He said that he had mandated the leadership of one of the most notable construction companies in the country to carry out a preliminary assessment of some critical portions of Aba roads.
“Beyond working to retain the city’s status as a leading trade destination in Nigeria and across West Africa; we shall also do whatever is necessary to see that Aba’s manufacturing base is restored,” Otti said. (NAN)
The Director of Strategic Communications of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Momodu, on Monday, insisted that the February 25 presidential election, which produced President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, was manipulated.
In a statement tagged, “I stand on rule of law,” issued a few hours after Tinubu’s inauguration as Nigeria’s 16th President, Momodu insisted that the judiciary still had to decide the authentic winner of the poll.
Momodu said he would stand by and not abandon the presidential candidate of his party, Atiku Abubakar, for any gains.
The PDP stalwart said, “My position on the state of our country, Nigeria, is simple and straightforward. I’m a loyal member of the PDP who owes absolute allegiance to Nigeria and its rule of law. My political party, the PDP and others, passionately hold the view that the last presidential election was savagely manipulated by the ruling party APC and the cases are already in courts.
“Nothing will make me abandon my party on the altar of convenience and profit. Win or lose, I will continue to stand on this principle without any malice or prejudice against those who think otherwise. Democracy is a game of choice and I’m resolutely standing by our candidate, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who has taken the honorable and peaceful step of going to court to seek redress. This is the only way we can deepen our hard-earned democracy. Sacrifice is not always convenient but painful.”
He commended those who took the initiative of challenging the electoral outcome in court, saying, “I salute and respect the Wazirin Adamawa and others like my dear friend and brother, former Governor Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, for promoting the best tenets of democracy in Nigeria and I’m willing to encourage them rather than discourage their onerous quests.”
Last week, the suit filed by the PDP seeking the disqualification of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on grounds of alleged double registration, was dismissed by the Supreme Court which ruled that the party lacked the locus to institute the suit in the first instance.
Atiku and Obi both turned down invitations extended to them by Tinubu to attend his inauguration ceremony, citing different reasons, not unrelated to the fact that they are in court to challenge the process that brought him to power.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied media reports alleging that its operatives prevented the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials from entering their Lagos office.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson of the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said it is not true but that the Service is only occupying its facility where it is carrying out its official and statutory responsibility.
He reiterated that there is no controversy over the building at No 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, as insinuated by the media.
He noted that the NSO headquarters was where the SSS/DSS started.
Meanwhile, the service assured that there is no rivalry with EFCC and that both are great partners working for the good of the nation.
Media tycoon and founding Chairman, Daar Communications Limited, Raymond Dokpesi, is dead.
His death was confirmed in a statement on Monday by his son and Chairman of Daar Communications, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr.
Here are 10 things to know about late Dokpesi
1. He was Born on October 25, 1951.
2. The media tycoon had his early schooling with Loyola College Ibadan and proceeded to Immaculate Conception College in Benin City for his secondary school education. For tertiary education, Dokpesi attended the University of Benin before travelling abroad for Masters and doctorate degrees in Wyzsza Szokta Morska Gdynia and University of Gdansk Sopot in Poland.
3. He worked in Nigerian Ports Authority as Marine Office Cadet in 1969
4. Dokpesi was the first person to get license for private radio broadcast in Nigeria with Raypower 100.5FM. His television station, Africa Independent Television, was the first African broadcast station to transmit to the USA.
5. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Gongola State Government from October to December 1983 and subsequently the Managing Director of African Ocean Line Limited from 1984-1988.
6. He also worked with different government parastatals including the Federal Ministry of Transport and Aviation as the Head of the Water Transport Division on Secondment from Nigerian Ports Plc between 1978-1983.
7. In 2008, Dokpesi was conferred with a National Honour of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR).
8. He established the first indigenous shipping line in Nigeria
9. He contracted COVID-19 and survived the global pandemic.
The new governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, popularly known as Abba Gida-Gida, after his inauguration yesterday issued several executive orders believed to have heralded several probes of his immediate predecessor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
In his inaugural speech, the governor ordered the security agencies in the state to immediately take over all public properties sold by Ganduje’s administration.
“I am announcing, today, that all these public places and assets that were immorally plundered and sold by the Ganduje administration should be taken over by law enforcement agencies, led by the Police, the DSS, Civil Defense, and Hisbah pending the final decision of government,” he said.
Some of the properties the governor was referring to include “lands in and around schools, religious and cultural sites, hospitals and clinics, graveyards and green areas, and along the city wall of Kano”, as well as other landed properties and assets belonging to Kano State within and outside the state to their cronies and agents.”
He said judicial commission of inquiry would be empaneled in the coming days “to ensure that all perpetrators and those that aided and abetted them are brought to justice.”
He also ordered that “all political appointees heading government MDAs and companies are hereby relieved of their appointment with immediate effect.
“Similarly, all boards of MDAs, companies and institutions of higher learning are hereby dissolved with immediate effect,” he added.
He said all the actions he would be taking in the next few days were targeted towards resetting the state and repositioning it on the path of honour and dignity, respect and responsibility, as well as on the path of progress and prosperity.
Earlier, during the handover ceremony, the new governor berated his predecessor for delegating his (Ganduje) Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, to make the handover of government, a move the new governor described as “disappointing” and a departure from the established democratic process of handing over of government.
In the report read by the outgoing SSG, Ganduje said in the eight years he held reign, the state government received a cumulative of N1.2trillion and also had a cumulative expenditure of N1.2trillion while leaving behind a total debt profile of over N241bn.
He, however, said the state government left behind some funds through some of its agency including about N740m in the Kano Energy and Hydro Power project and about N703m in the Kano Energy and Hydropower Operational.
But Yusuf said it was disheartening that Ganduje left a debt profile of over N241bn for the incoming administration, saying this would be probed accordingly.
“It is so disheartening that the government left a debt profile of over N241billion for us. Where are we going to source the money the IGR they talk about is nothing to write home about.
“The money they realized through Kano Internal Revenue Service was nothing to write home about. Why the use of so many consultants? Just like rain conduit for the resources of people Kano State. We are going to look at it. I am not satisfied!
“I pray Almighty Allah reward him (Ganduje) according to what he did for the state. We are not here to steal money, we are not here to grab their lands. We are here to work and by the grace of Allah, we will achieve all we set out to achieve within the next four years,” the governor said.
Sets up task force against phone snatching, another for sanitation
The governor also announced the formation of a taskforce to tackle the menace of phone snatching and other violent crimes perpetrated on the streets of the state.
“We are aware that one of the major factors that fuels these criminal activities is the consumption of illicit drugs.
“I am, today, announcing the formation of a Special Joint Taskforce to prevent phone snatching and other street crimes comprising of teams of law enforcement agencies and mobile courts that would work together to clear our streets of these criminals and bring all of them to justice swiftly.
“The Kano State Reformatory Institute, Kiru will be reopened soonest for the purposes of rehabilitating drug addicts,” he added.
Daily Trust reports that immediately after the inauguration, the governor visited the institute and met with the staff on ground to prepare them for the works ahead.
He also announced the immediate set up of a Taskforce on Refuse Disposal, Evacuation of Drainages and Streets Cleaning (Operation Nazafa) comprising yet-to-be unveiled different stakeholder groups.
“In the coming days, I will officially launch a state-wide campaign with self-help groups to drive the operation. In the next few weeks all the dumps will be cleared, all our streets will be clean, all our drainages will be desilted and a sustainable system of maintaining the cleanness and clearing the dumps will be in place,” he said.
To drive the campaign to keep Kano clean, he announced that from June 1, all vehicles plying the roads of the state must have a dustbin in them, and all businesses – including shops and stalls – should also have dustbin for collecting and proper disposal of wastes and refuse.
… Vows to reopen Doguwa’s murder case,
The governor vowed to reopen the case of murder against the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa.
The immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice of the state, Musa Lawan, had, last week, announced that the state government had resolved to drop all charges bothering on murder and arson earlier preferred against Doguwa.
Doguwa was earlier arrested, arraigned and remanded for allegedly ordering and taking part in the alleged killing of about 15 persons during the February 25 Presidential/National Assembly Election in Tudunwada, one of the two local government areas that make up his Doguwa/Tudunwada federal constituency. He has vehemently denied this allegation.
Yusuf said he would review the case as well as other electoral offences perpetrated during the past eight years of the administration of his predecessor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“We shall investigate all cases of political violence that led to loss of lives and properties across the State in the last eight years.
“The infamous case of Alhassan Ado Doguwa, who allegedly sponsored the maiming and murder of over 15 innocent souls in Tudun Wada Local Government will be pursued to its logical conclusion,” he said.
He added that “The numerous victims of the Ganduje campaign of violence, using thugs that were being intoxicated with drugs will not be left unchecked.”
“In order to prevent future occurrence, a judicial Commission of Inquiry will be put in place to ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice and the families of the victims of political thuggery are also entitle to justice,” he said.
Yusuf also said his administration will pursue the case of Dadiyata, a member of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, who was kidnapped and last heard of five years ago.
Local and international attention was focused on the swearing-in of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of Nigeria.
Kashim Shettima’s swearing-in at the Eagles Square, Abuja, also drew attention.
But across 28 states in the federation, 28 individuals took their oath of office as governors of their respective states.
Among those 28 individuals, ten old governors were reelected for terms.
The new governors
Nasir Idris (Kebbi ), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), and Umar Namadi (Jigawa).
Others are Dikko Radda (Katsina), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Siminialayi Fubara (Rivers), Alex Otti (Abia), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Abba Kabir (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
Ten returning governors
Governors who won a second term in office are Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara).
Naija News reports that 16 governors were elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ten governors, while Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have one each.
[NaijaNews]
THE UK Government has congratulated President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima on their inauguration.
According to a statement , King Charles III expressed his “warmest congratulations” and wish to send Tinubu every possible good wish as you assume the many responsibilities of your office.
Helen Grant, the UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Trade to Nigeria and Girls’ Education, also said, “My priority is to strengthen our bilateral trade and investment partnership, to the mutual benefit of our two great nations, and I look forward to working alongside the new administration to further that goal.”
See the full statement below:
UK Government congratulates President Tinubu and VP Shettima on their inauguration
29/05/2023 – The UK Government congratulates Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima on their inauguration as the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a message to President Tinubu, His Majesty King Charles III said:
“Dear Mr. President,
I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to you on your inauguration as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to send you every possible good wish as you assume the many responsibilities of your office.
As Commonwealth partners with a deep bond, I look forward to building an even stronger friendship between our countries during your Presidency.
The UK delegation at the inauguration in Abuja today is headed by the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria and Special Envoy on Girls’ Education, The Rt Hon Helen Grant OBE MP and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery CMG.
Helen Grant OBE, The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Trade to Nigeria and Girls’ Education said:
“My priority is to strengthen our bilateral trade and investment partnership, to the mutual benefit of our two great nations, and I look forward to working alongside the new administration to further that goal.
In this, the land of my father, I hold a great affection for its people, and my work in ensuring every girl gets 12 years of quality education will also remain at the top of my Nigerian agenda.”
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery said:
“The UK hopes to work with the new administration as we support a more prosperous and resilient Nigeria, and strengthen our partnership on trade, development, and security.”
[NaijaTimes]
Ifeanyi Okowa, the immediate past governor of Delta, has addressed his fallout with James Ibori, former governor of the state.
Okowa and Ibori have been at loggerheads since the Delta Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in 2022.
Ibori had supported David Edevbie, a commissioner of finance in his administration, while Okowa threw his weight behind Sheriff Oborevwori, former speaker of the state house of assembly.
Oborevwori eventually won the primary and subsequently triumphed in the governorship election. He was sworn into office on Monday.
Okowa said Ibori’s insistence on backing Edevbie resulted in a disagreement between them.
Ifeanyi Okowa and David Edevbie
‘I WAS SURPRISED AND DECEIVED’
Speaking with journalists on Sunday, Okowa opened up on why he opposed Ibori’s choice and resolved to pitch his tent with Oborevwori.
Okowa said Edevbie had tricked him into believing he would respect the Delta PDP zoning provision ahead of the governorship election in 2015.
The immediate past Delta governor said he shared his reservation about Edevbie with Ibori — but the latter was unmoved.
Okowa and Edevbie were commissioners in the Ibori administration.
“I don’t like to talk about it but obviously there’s no doubt that we didn’t work together,” Okowa said.
“We went into the primaries not agreeing on the same candidate, we talked about it but he(Ibori) did not want to shift ground on his candidate. That’s the truth and I did not agree with that candidate for basic reasons which I made clear enough to him and also to his own candidate.
“I did not hide it. Till tomorrow, I speak about it in truth not because I thought I was a god that needed to install somebody. David Edevbie is my friend. We were with the former governor in his tenure together as commissioners, but in 2014, when it became obvious that it was the turn of the Delta North — Delta Central and Delta South had had their turns — I heard that David was going to run and he was indicating interest.
“I went from Abuja with three of my friends to visit him in Lagos — and I said ‘David, please, it’s only fair, I know that there are so many people competing but I’m coming to you as a friend. It will not be fair if you run. Governor James Ibori has been there, Governor Uduaghan has been there, it’s obviously the turn of the Delta North; why don’t you allow us to have our space so that we can all be said to be part of the state? Thereafter, we can all work for you to become governor’.
“And at the end, he said ‘I will not run anymore, I will support you’. I thanked him and left back to Abuja.”
Okowa, who was a senator at the time, said Edevbie went against his word and was holding secret meetings with stakeholders, strategising on how to become governor.
“And then suddenly, next thing we heard was that they had endorsed David but this same David had committed himself to me,” he added.
“So we went into the race, a very tough race but God enabled me to win.”
Ifeanyi Okowa and James Ibori
‘EDEVBIE CAN’T ENJOY ZONING HE NEVER SUPPORTED’
Although Okowa appointed Edevbie as a commissioner in his cabinet, he said the latter still proceeded with his plans on how to become the next governor.
“In the second year, I started hearing that he was holding meetings in Lagos and other places where they were already prepping him to be governor without anybody discussing with me,” Okowa said.
The PDP vice-presidential candidate noted that although the zoning rules meant the governorship seat, in 2023, would go to Delta Central — Edevbie’s zone — he was adamant that the former commissioner would not be a beneficiary.
“In the first instance, he did not want the zoning to Delta North, so if the zoning was going to continue, he’s my friend but he shouldn’t be the one to benefit from the zoning he did not want,” Okowa said.
“I’m careful in what I do so it will be difficult for me to support someone outside Delta Central but my only mindset is that somebody who did not believe in the zoning cannot be the one to benefit from it and I made it clear to the former governor.”
Okowa said Ibori met with him a few days before the primary election to reach a compromise on a fresh candidate — but he noted that it was too little, too late.
“I told him it would be difficult to withdraw support from my candidate. I don’t do things like that,” Okowa said.
Oborevwori defeated Ovie Omo-Agege, the APC candidate and former deputy speaker of the house of representatives, to clinch the governorship seat.
[TheCable]
The downstream end of the Nigerian petroleum industry has gone into a frenzy as operators respond to the immediate removal of subsidy on petrol with a sharp hike in pump price just as consumers crowded to the petrol stations.
Commercial transporters have also hiked their trip fares across the country in response to the developments.
On his inaugural speech yesterday, the new president, Bola Tinubu, had stated that “petroleum subsidy is gone”.
Checks by Vanguard in Lagos showed that some marketers responded by increasing their prices by about 100 percent to N370 from N185 per litre.
However, few other stations especially the major marketers, sold between N195 and N220 per litre across Lagos and Abuja.
Our findings also showed that some of the petrol stations operators simply shut their filling stations, thus leading to the emergence of long queues.
This is even as depot owners shut their operations, arguing that further clarification was needed to guide activities on the implementation of the new order.
In Abuja, long queues re-emerged at petrol stations as motorists reacted to the removal of subsidy on petrol.
Transporters hike fares
Meanwhile, commuters were seen stranded at various bus stops waiting to board commercial bus which may have been trapped in the frenzy that greeted the petrol subsidy removal.
Few of the buses that were on the road for business hiked the fares between 50 and 100 per cent over fear of impending scarcity.
One of the motorists, wearing a long face, who spoke with this reporter at one of the fuel stations selling petrol, lamented, “Why would Tinubu start on this note to punish the already depressed, impoverished Nigerians inflicted by the out-gone administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This is absolutely unfair to Nigerians. When I heard that Tinubu has directed the removal of oil subsidy, I had to rush down here to fill my tank and some jerry cans for my power generating set.”
Also, Mr John Akinloye, a motorist along the Agege area, said, “I was not surprised to see queues at the fuel stations after the announcement. I just pray this sad and unfortunate development will not last so as not to put suffering masses in another round of economic and mental torture.
“I have been at the fuel station for over an hour, and am yet to get to the fuel pump point. Even the fuel attendants are not willing to sell more than N3,000 per buyer. If you want to buy N4,000 they are refusing.”
At Conoil and Adova Petroleum stations located in Karu area of the nation’s capital, long queues were observed with stations selling at N195 per litre.
At petrol stations operated by independent marketers, pump price was hiked to between N315 and N370 per litre with the topmost price range recorded in other parts of the country outside Lagos and Abuja.
The situation, it was gathered might worsen in the coming days as workers and business owners return to work today after the holiday declared for the inauguration of the new president.
Meanwhile, most stakeholders who spoke to Vanguard on the development believed that the subsidy removal was a right step.
Fuel subsidy removal , long overdue — MD, 11 Plc
Immediate past chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, who doubles as the Managing Director, 11PLC, Adetunji Oyebanji, said: “This is a welcome development. The country is bleeding every day and we are getting to a stage where if we are not careful all our revenue will be going into world-serving debt and going into the subsidy, which means we have no money left to do any other thing to pay salaries.
“The people kicking against this interest will end up suffering even more. The amount of money spent on this subsidy has been documented in so many different foray, different places, people have talked about it over the years and to make matters worse a lot of it is going towards subsiding other companies in Africa, hence it has to go.”
Oyebanji, who noted that the fuel subsidy removal was long overdue, said: “I have been an advocate of the removal of fuel subsidy because it is not benefiting the ordinary man but rather the elite who drive cars. So, I was pleased with the planned removal.”
We cannot borrow to pay fuel subsidy — EnergyHub
Similarly, the Lead Promoter, EnergyHub Nigeria, Prof. Felix Amieyeofori, said: “This is a welcome development for the oil and gas industry. We support it because it is only benefiting the elites. Government should direct the subsidy to other strategic economic programmes. We cannot borrow to pay subsidy.”
Fuel subsidy, cheap way of making money — OGSPAN
But National President, Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria, Mazi Colman Obasi, who described fuel subsidy as a cheap way of making money, said: “We have heard that before. It is said that’s easier said than done. Anything that would remove cheap money can be resisted. Fuel subsidy is one of such cheap monies. I have read the speech it sounds nice. I cannot remember the last inaugural presidential speech that the promises and hopes were implemented the way it was spoken in the history of Nigeria. Let us wait and see.”
[Vanguard]
Following announcement by President Bola Tinubu that fuel subsidy has been removed, fuel marketers have increased the pump price of petrol to N305/ltr forcing many consumers into panic buying.
Our findings also showed that some of the petrol stations operators simply shut their filling stations, thus leading to the emergence of long queues.
Findings showed that some of the petrol stations operators simply shut their filling stations, thus leading to the emergence of long queues.
Investigation revealed that some marketers responded by increasing their prices by about 100 percent to N370 from N185 per litre.
Recall that in his inaugural speech on Monday May 29, the new president, Bola Tinubu, had stated that “petroleum subsidy is gone”.
Meanwhile, commuters were seen stranded at various bus stops waiting to board commercial buses which may have been trapped in the frenzy that greeted the petrol subsidy removal.
Few of the buses that were on the road for business hiked the fares between 50 and 100 per cent over fear of impending scarcity.
Mr. John Akinloye, a motorist along the Agege area, said, “I was not surprised to see queues at the fuel stations after the announcement. I just pray this sad and unfortunate development will not last so as not to put suffering masses in another round of economic and mental torture.
“I have been at the fuel station for over an hour, and am yet to get to the fuel pump point. Even the fuel attendants are not willing to sell more than N3,000 per buyer. If you want to buy N4,000 they are refusing.”
At petrol stations operated by independent marketers, pump price was hiked to between N315 and N370 per litre with the topmost price range recorded in other parts of the country outside Lagos and Abuja.
The situation, it was gathered, might worsen in the coming days as workers and business owners return to work today after the holiday declared for the inauguration of the new president.
Immediate past chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, who doubles as the Managing Director, 11PLC, Adetunji Oyebanji, said: “This is a welcome development. The country is bleeding every day and we are getting to a stage where if we are not careful all our revenue will be going into world-serving debt and going into the subsidy, which means we have no money left to do any other thing to pay salaries.
Similarly, the Lead Promoter, EnergyHub Nigeria, Prof. Felix Amieyeofori, said: “This is a welcome development for the oil and gas industry. We support it because it is only benefiting the elites. Government should direct the subsidy to other strategic economic programmes. We cannot borrow to pay subsidies.”
[NationalDaily]
More...
Dele Momodu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) director of strategic communications, asserted on Monday that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was the result of a fraudulent presidential election on February 25.
Momodu claimed that the judiciary still needed to determine the legitimate winner of the election in a statement titled “I stand on rule of law,” which was released a few hours after Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th president.
Momodu declared that he would support Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential nominee, and would not do so for personal gain.
He said, “My position on the state of our country, Nigeria, is simple and straightforward. I’m a loyal member of the PDP who owes absolute allegiance to Nigeria and its rule of law. My political party, the PDP and others, passionately hold the view that the last presidential election was savagely manipulated by the ruling party APC and the cases are already in courts.
“Nothing will make me abandon my party on the altar of convenience and profit. Win or lose, I will continue to stand on this principle without any malice or prejudice against those who think otherwise. Democracy is a game of choice and I’m resolutely standing by our candidate, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who has taken the honorable and peaceful step of going to court to seek redress. This is the only way we can deepen our hard-earned democracy. Sacrifice is not always convenient but painful.”
[RipplesNigeria]
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has urged the newly sworn-in President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to empower traditional rulers in the country with more constitutional roles in tackling issues of security management and conflict resolutions.
The Osun monarch made the call in a congratulatory message to Tinubu Monday, through his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare.
In his message, the Ooni expressed hope in Tinubu’s administration, noting that it will be characterised by transformational economic growth, adequate security, and progress.
He said: “We trust that your administration will be marked by good governance characterized by transformational economic growth, adequate security, and progress for all Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora.”
Speaking further, the monarch tasked the President to tap into his wealth of experience in moving the nation forward.
“We also trust that you will leverage your wealth of experience as a man of progressive action in mobilising resources and managing diverse interests to unify Nigeria across political, ethnic and religious lines”, he noted.
In the area of security management and conflict resolution, Oba Ogunwusi advised Tinubu to empower traditional rulers with more constitutional roles.
He said, “The traditional rulers in this country are the closest to the people as there is nobody in Nigeria who is not a subject of a particular traditional ruler.
“This is why it is important for the government to empower us with more strategic constitutional roles, especially in the area of security management and conflict resolutions,” Ooni said.
[Punch]
The governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah has appointed Professor Chidiebere Onyia as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
The appointment was announced in a statement personally signed by the governor on Monday and released to the press by his media office.
Until his appointment, Prof. Onyia was the Managing Director of the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Facility. He was also the Lead strategy advisor for the Federal Government of Nigeria, World Bank Group Power Sector Recovery Programme, and has over the years rendered services to different international organizations and countries, among them the United Nations, Germany and Russia.
Prof. Onyia is a visiting Professor of Education at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, a former visiting Professor at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and serves on the Governing Council of two private Nigerian universities.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Masters of Business Administration degree and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. He also had a post-doctoral scholarship in Education Policy from the Ivy League Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.
Prof. Onyia, with over 25 years of experiences in leadership, innovation, strategy, institutional reforms and research, has received numerous international and national awards and accolades for leadership excellence and for his outstanding contributions to the education sector. He is well published and a certified educational consultant, researcher, presenter, mentor and author of many books.
Prof. Onyia was a member of the Transition Committee, the technical committee that developed an actionable plan for the Peter Mbah administration, based on his manifesto and social contract with the people of Enugu State.
[Sun]
The Labour Party (LP) has described the inaugural speech delivered by President Bola Tinubu as a celebration of lies and deceit, stressing that Nigerians know that they were robbed at the last presidential election.
In a statement by the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party expressed sadness at the declaration of the last election as fair by President Tinubu, noting it considers “this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute bringandry unleashed on them”.
LP noted that “The Labour Party is disappointed with the inaugural speech made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today which clearly exposed the shallowness and policy incongruity that his administration, while it lasts, is hoping to bequeath Nigerians.
“First, the President described “the election that brought him to power as tough but fairly won”. He also said that today was the proudest day of his life.
“However, we consider that speech as defective in many ways. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua, recall, on the inauguration of his government, did state that the election that brought him to power was flawed and imperfect but he promised that he was going to fix the electoral system.
“But today, Nigerians were aghast with the boldness and glee with which Tinubu declared his election as fair.
“We consider this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute bringandry unleashed on them.
“Nigerians will not forget in a hurry that instruction by the then-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tinubu to “grab power and run with it”, a directive that was effected on the February 25 election day.
“What was witnessed today was a celebration of lies and deceit, and that explains why the streets are like graveyards with no pomp and pageantry usually associated with a major feat like what we had today.
“Again, Labour Party, while campaigning told Nigerians that if given the privilege to preside, we will among other things change our economy from consumption to production and we will provided tangible ways we can achieve that policy.
“But listening to President Tinubu today reading a speech believed to have been penned by his team, it became obvious that we are returning to the 2015 era where we had great expectations but without any means achieving them.
“In the last eight years, Nigerians were constantly fed with the narratives that the previous government of the PDP brought economic and political calamity upon the nation.
“In all those years, the Buhari government made little or no effort to improve upon these challenges. Nigeria is again about to be confronted with a similar scenario if not a worse scenario.
“APC ruined this nation and we must not allow a worse situation again. We must wake up to our roles of holding accountable those in positions of authority.”