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The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe has said the Senate will summon the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike and the security agencies over insecurity in Abuja.
She stated this while appearing on television on Saturday.
The senator who’s of the Labour Party said, “When the Senate resumes, I plan that the (Senate) FCT committees, specifically me, needs to sit with the two ministers and the security agencies for them to give us their plans concerning security.”
The security chiefs and the FCT minister had met earlier with President Bola Tinubu and a special taskforce was immediately formed to tackle the spake of insecurity in the nation’s capital.
This resulted in the quick rescue of some abducted victims in Bwari and other areas, in which the senator congratulated the security chiefs for their role.
Wike had also been quizzed on his working relationship with the senator and said it’s not his place to include her in his plan.
The minister specifically addressed the security plan for the FCT while visiting Gwagwalada Area Council during the week saying, “The president has asked me to come here today. The other day I was in Bwari and next week I will go to Kwali.
“Security is one thing the president promised Nigerians because his job is to protect lives and property. If we can’t protect lives and property, then we have no reason being in government.”
But the senator insisted that, “It is not that I am hoping. I know he will be summoned. But whether he responds or not is a different matter entirely. But as the chief security officer of the FCT, he should have a plan.
“He should be able to tell us, the committee, and specifically me, that this is the plan for protecting the people of the FCT.
“Between him, the police commissioner, and the head of the DSS, they must have a plan,” senator Kingibe said.
The senator commended the security agencies for waking up to their responsibilities which she said began “when we started to scream. But the truth is, a little bit earlier, I tried to draw their attention.
“And I was told that it was exaggerated and I said it couldn’t be because what I’m telling them, I did not get from social media, I got it from my constituents.
“But I’m glad that everybody, we are now all seem to be on the same page.
“They’re trying to take it all seriously, but a lot more needs to be done. Catching the kidnappers is just the symptom. We need to get to the root cause of what is causing all of this insecurity,” the lawmaker added.
The 36 state governments received a total sum of N72 billion from the federal government in August 2023 to provide palliatives for the people following the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
However, five months after the funds were released, the state governors are yet to account for the money or show any evidence of how it was utilised.
The palliatives were meant to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on the people, especially the vulnerable ones. However, reports suggest that the funds have been largely mismanaged, misappropriated, or diverted by the state governments.
The people are still faced with hardship as they struggle to make ends meet amid high cost of foods and services and rising inflation.
The situation is worse now than it was five months ago when the federal government released the first tranche of the palliatives, worth N72b billion.
The country’s inflation rate is now at 28.9 %, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The lack of transparency as well as improper utilisation of the funds by the state governors has led to widespread criticism from members of the public, who are calling for accountability.
The situation has sparked outrage and demands for action from the federal government to hold the state governors accountable and ensure that the funds are used for the intended purpose.
As the country continues to battle economic hardship, it is imperative that the state governments prioritize the welfare of the people and ensure that the palliatives provided by the federal government and other funds are not misused or diverted. The people deserve to know the truth about the whereabouts of the funds and the actions taken by their elected leaders to alleviate their suffering.
LEADERSHIP had in December 2023 written to the 36 state governments to inquire about the N2 billion they each received from the federal government in August, last year, to help alleviate the economic hardship that most Nigerians were facing due to the removal of fuel subsidy.
As a newspaper, we made the inquiry in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, asking them to provide us with a detailed account of how the money was spent because we were eager to ascertain how the money was spent towards helping those most in need.
But six weeks after, most of the state governments have failed to respond to LEADERSHIP’s inquiry, not even acknowledging the receipt of the letter.
Only four state governments have so far responded.
In Osun State, the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi explained that the N2 billion received by the state was disbursed for food palliatives, transport services and refurbishment of health centres.
Alimi stated that for transparency and in line with Governor Ademola Adeleke’s commitment to meeting the needs of the people, a committee consisting of stakeholders across labour, religious, civil society organisations, student body, market men and women, among others, handled the distribution of food items cross the local governments of the state.
According to him, the distribution at local level and, by extension, the teeming beneficiaries were also handled by stakeholders under local government council monitoring.
In Benue State, the commissioner for information culture and tourism, Mathew Abo, disclosed that out of the N5 billion proposed as palliatives to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on Benue citizens, the state government has been able to access only N2 billion.
The commissioner who disclosed this in his office during an interview with our correspondent explained that the Benue State Government had distributed the N2bn received as follows: registration of WAEC and NECO examinations for graduating students in all government approved secondary schools across the state for the 2023/2024 academic year which is ongoing; provision of intensive computer and ICT training for 10,000 youth of the state to enable them acquire jobs within and outside the state, with training ongoing; provision of grants to 5,000 women in the state based on revised social register of the women cooperatives, etc.
Meanwhile, Kwara State government has so far received N2bn, being the first tranche of the N4bn of the federal government palliative, the chief press secretary to the state governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, revealed.
He said: “With that, the government purchased and distributed at least 250,000 10kg bags of rice across the state. This was done through a nonpartisan committee headed by a commissioner of police and peopled by community and religious leaders.”Similarly, the government received N1bn worth of maize from the CBN. This is not free. This maize was then distributed to the general public, especially (poultry) farmers, at 50% subsidised rate.
On its part, the Delta State government said rice was distributed to the people from the local government level down to the community level. It said the aged, people living with disabilities and the vulnerable households were all captured.
According to the secretary to the state government, Dr Kingsley Emu, the 696 bags of rice were distributed along the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) wards, comprising 20 wards in each of the 25 local government areas of the state.
He said farmers were advised not to pay money to anybody for the palliatives, saying that all genuine farmers received their share of maize and fertilisers without hitches.
However, Sir Festus Ahon, chief press secretary to the governor of Delta state said the palliative from the federal government to states was a repayable loan and not a grant as being speculated in some quarters.
According to him, there was a distribution model by the state palliative committee which, in its wisdom, set up a subcommittee made up of local government coordinators, traditional rulers or their representatives, and representatives of faith groups, among others.
On whether the state would get a loan to further continue the palliative, he said the state didn’t go for the loan in the first instance.
“The federal government gave all the states, and Delta is not contemplating asking for a loan from the federal government. Just for the record, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has not borrowed since he came on board on May 29,” Ahon disclosed.
Three suspects have been taken into custody by men from the Edo State Police Command for allegedly stealing two cars during a state church campaign.
The state commissioner of police, Funsho Adeboye, paraded the suspects with other suspected criminals over the weekend. He claimed the suspects were apprehended after tracking down the stolen phone and the cars that one of the suspects had given as a gift to a female acquaintance.
The suspects are Augustine Ikponmwoba (62), Roland Ibizugbe (63), and Blessing Joseph (36).
According to Adeboye, Joy Mordi and Peter Abiwo told the police that they had parked their N3.5 million Toyota Camry cars with the license plates MUS 791GA and USL 93AM at Garrick Memorial Ground in order to attend a crusade. However, when the crusade came to an end, they realized that their cars had been stolen from their parking spot.
Naija News reports that he said that over the course of the inquiry, one of the phones from Mordi’s car was found on a female suspect named Joseph.
During questioning, the suspect admitted to the police that she had received the phone from her male acquaintance Ikponmwoba 62.
“Ikponmwoba’s arrest led the police to Ibizugbe. The suspects have confessed to the crime and will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded,” he said.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is to supply fuel to about 150,000 retail outlets operated by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria following a meeting between the management of the refinery and executives of IPMAN.
Last week Monday, The PUNCH exclusively reported that IPMAN had scheduled a meeting with the management of Dangote refinery as regards the supply of products to independent marketers.
When contacted on Friday evening to confirm if the meeting was held, the President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, stated that the association had finally met with the management of the refinery, adding that the latter agreed to supply products to the over 30,000 members of IPMAN.
This came as it was further gathered that the regulator of the downstream oil sector was currently examining the refined products from the refinery before the facility would be given approval to dispense fuel to the market.
Recall that seven major oil marketers in Nigeria had registered with the refinery for the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products produced by the $20bn plant.
The report stated that dealers under the aegis of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria confirmed on Sunday that with the registration, they would commence the distribution of fuel produced from the facility once the commercial terms were sorted.
The seven major marketers include 11 Plc, Conoil Plc, Ardova Plc, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, OVH Energy Marketing Limited, Total Nigeria Plc and NNPC Retail.
Similarly, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria had also stated that PETROAN was engaging the management of the multi-billion dollar refinery for the supply of products from the facility.
On January 12, 2024, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced that it had commenced the production of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, and JetA1 also known as aviation fuel.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting between IPMAN and the Dangote refinery during a conversation with our correspondent on Friday, the association’s president said the management of the plant would be supplying products to the 150,000 stations of IPMAN nationwide.
“The meeting went well, so right now we are just expecting their reply in terms of products that they are going to give us. They have agreed to dispense products to IPMAN members,” Maigandi stated.
Asked to state the number of oil marketers that are members of IPMAN, he replied, “We have 30,000 members as of our last census, which was done two years ago. And they agreed to supply products to us. Also, our retail outlets are 150,000 stations across the country.”
Probed further to tell whether every member and station of IPMAN would be able to get supply from Dangote, Maigandi said, “What he (Dangote) is producing is for Nigeria’s consumption. He can supply Nigeria and can export some of the products.
“It is not a small refinery. It is a very big refinery. I was there to see things for myself and it is a massive refinery.”
When told that Dangote promised to get the products to the market in January, and whether this was realistic based, the IPMAN President stated that there was hope.
“There is hope since they have started production. Immediately when they finish production, the next thing is to sell. I can confirm this because I was there myself. And I know immediately he gets approval to sell, he can start selling at any time.
“So it is not a small project. It is a very good thing for Nigeria. They are to start with aviation fuel and diesel. You know that independent petroleum marketers also buy diesel.
“Therefore by God’s grace, our 30,000 members are ready to buy and distribute across the 150,000 retail outlets nationwide. So anywhere you go you will see fuel. The issue of scarcity of fuel will be no more once he (Dangote) starts,” Maigandi stated.
On whether IPMAN discussed pricing with the management of the refinery, he said, “No we didn’t discuss the price, but all that we know is that the price is going to be a little bit lower than what we have been selling.”
The Dangote refinery, located in Lagos, has so far received six million barrels of crude oil at its two SPMs located 25km from the shore. The first crude delivery was done on December 12, 2023, and the 6th cargo was delivered on January 8, 2024.
The refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications, according to the firm.
“The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources emission/effluent norms, employing state-of-the-art technology,” the company had stated in a statement.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Project, a subsidiary of Dangote Industries Limited, is a 650,000 barrels per day crude oil refinery, located in Dangote Industries Free Zone, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is an industrial plant that transforms crude oil into various usable petroleum products such as diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and kerosene.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery with a capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day covers an area of approximately 2,635 hectares in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.
Regulators examine products
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources said the regulator of the downstream oil sector had been visiting the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to carry out the processes required to issue regulatory approvals before the release of diesel and aviation fuel into the market.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had stated on Friday that the products would be released to the market after regulatory approvals.
“We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals. This is a big day for Nigeria.
“We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. This is a game changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project,” Dangote had stated.
When asked whether the regulatory approvals had been issued to the facility to release products into the market, an official of the petroleum ministry replied in the negative.
The official, who pleaded not to be named due to lack of authorisation, was, however, quick to state that the process was ongoing, as officials from the NMDPRA had been visiting the plant.
“There is no licence yet. But it is in the process because the licence is not just issued like that. There are things that should be done and these things must be completed, and they (regulatory officials) are there right now as we speak.
“The issuance of a licence goes through a process. So we have to go through that process. But it is said that the products are to be in the market before the end of this month and so before it comes to market, it is expected that they would have issued it,” the source stated.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Dangote refinery in May 2023. The facility missed its crude oil refining target a number of times due to the non-supply of crude to the plant by oil producers.
It, however, started receiving crude oil batches of one million barrels each in December 2023 and got the 6th batch of one million barrels of crude this month. Officials at the plant had explained that the refinery required six million barrels of crude to commence production.
A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has insisted that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remains expelled from the party.
The faction added that Buba Galadima, as well as the entire membership of the old National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu, has also been expelled.
The position of the faction was contained in a statement on Saturday, by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Dr. Temitope Aluko.
He further called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop dealing with the affected persons, update its records and recognize the expulsion of the affected persons.
“Once again, may we use this public space to remind the INEC, through its chairman, that we have requested the urgent need to update their records of the National Executive Committee of the NNPP.
“It is instructive to indicate herein that the constitution of the NNPP is supreme and binding on all members, without prejudice to the overarching Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.
“With the nation’s Constitution being the unquestionable ground norm, every other establishment in Nigeria derives its powers of establishment and operations from the said Constitution,” Aluko said.
He added that INEC does not have the power to meddle in the internal affairs of a party as such powers are not constitutionally granted to the electoral body.
“However, INEC does not have powers to meddle in the internal administration and management of political parties.
“Otherwise, it will be equivalent to an avoidable breach of the constitutional rights of Nigerians to associate freely.
“What we try to put across herein is simple and unambiguous.
“The extant powers of the board members of the NNPP about resolution of the party’s internal matters are very clear.
“The board has powers to call to order, any member who acts contrary to its norms,” he said.
The BOT chairman submitted that the unceremonious exit of the NNPP’s former National Chairman, Prof. Rufai Alkali, Prof. Angwe Samuel, and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, among others, were pointers that all was not well with the internal administration of the party.
He accused the former NNPP NWC members of corruption, high-handedness, lack of transparency, and accountability.
“All these avoidable acts of gross misconduct led to the invitation of the concerned persons by the Board of Trustees for explanation but they refused to provide answers to the queries.
“Indeed, the board had to invoke its inherent powers by calling them all to order and decisively expelling them.
“The action of the board, having subsequently been ratified by the General Assembly of the Party, has been communicated to the Chairman of INEC, and the commission duly acknowledged the same and pledged to update its records.
“The surprising and very embarrassing thing today is that INEC is still dealing with the expelled members of the party.
“This is aside from the fact that this matter is pending before a Federal High Court, with INEC duly served and notified,” Aluko said.
Aspirants hoping to clinch the Labour Party (LP) ticket for the September 21 Edo State governorship polls have rejected the N30 million charged by the party for expression of interest and nomination forms.
This was made known by one of the aspirants, Dr Egbe Omorodion, who told newsmen in Benin on Sunday that all the governorship aspirants want a reduced fee and have scheduled a meeting for Monday, to take a stand on the matter.
According to him, if the Labour Party could reduce the fees for Imo State to N15m, then the same should be done for Edo State.
Naija News recalls the party had announced that interested aspirants in the party’s ticket for Edo State would pay N30 million for nomination and expression of interest forms. The party also fixed February 22 for the conduct of the primary election.
But according to Omorodion, the fee is outrageous and the party leadership should consider a reduction of the amount.
“I, as an aspirant, am saying that this amount is outrageously ridiculous.
“I see the move as a strategy to stifle the voices of those who joined LP with a genuine desire to serve the Edo people.
“If the party’s leadership reduced the fee to N15 million for the Imo election, why can’t it do the same for the Edo election?”
“My appeal is that I don’t think my voice and those of others who believe in my project should be muted by this huge amount.
“A good number of aspirants and supporters may become disgruntled and may just take a walk if the party leadership refuses to budge,” he said.
Omorodion, who is the LP Chairman, UK chapter, said edo State could be robbed of imminently qualified persons if the fee is not reduced.
He added, “Edo people may be denied the opportunity of my dream and desires to take the state to the next level.”
“Yes, other aspirants are also dissatisfied with the fee. We will be meeting on Monday.
“Hopefully, we will be able to come up with a position on the matter.”
In a bid to achieve year 2024 revenue target and improve its performance, Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS), has digitalised the minimum tax payment process.
The Chairman of OGIRS, Mr. Olugbenga Olaleye, while charging participants at a training session, organised for Tax Office Managers and Officers in the Minimum Tax Unit in Abeokuta, said digitisation of all tax transactions in the state would assist the agency to capture more taxpayers and appropriately assess them, in order to improve revenue generation.
Mr. Olaleye, according to Mrs. Abolanle Ogunlami, Head Information Unit, OGIRS, noted that minimum tax was one area of taxation with the greatest challenge, in terms of data gathering, saying embracing digitisation would ensure a seamless process.
While appreciating the staff for their performance in the previous year, the Chairman enjoined them to put in more effort, be more focused and ready to work as a team, to achieve and surpass the year 2024 revenue target.
Earlier, the Director of Field Operations, Mr. Hezekiah Sobayo, said the training was organised to put participants through the process of digitally harnessing the potential in minimum tax for improved revenue performance.
One of the participants at the training, Mrs. Sobayo Kotoye, described the initiative as a welcome idea that would not only improve revenue but enhance their performance as Tax Officers.
Also present at the training were Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Information and Technology, Mr. Ayodele Bush, Directors, Tax Office Managers and heads of the informal sector across the state.
Software giant, Microsoft, has reported a breach on its system by Russian government-backed hackers known as Midnight Blizzard, with a warning that all organizations now face risks from well-resourced nation-state threat actors.
The company disclosed this in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.
Microsoft disclosed that the hackers gained access to some of its corporate email accounts, including members of its senior leadership team and employees in its cybersecurity, legal, and other functions. It said the attackers were able to exfiltrate some emails and attached documents from its system.
According to Microsoft, the hackers who gained access to its system from late November 2023 until they were discovered on January 12, 2024, were targeting information relating to them on Microsoft’s system.
The filling
Providing the details of the attack in the SEC filing, Microsoft said:
- “The Microsoft security team detected a nation-state attack on our corporate systems on January 12, 2024, and immediately activated our response process to investigate, disrupt malicious activity, mitigate the attack, and deny the threat actor further access.
- Microsoft has identified the threat actor as Midnight Blizzard, the Russian state-sponsored actor also known as Nobelium. As part of our ongoing commitment to responsible transparency as recently affirmed in our Secure Future Initiative (SFI), we are sharing this update.
- “Beginning in late November 2023, the threat actor used a password spray attack to compromise a legacy non-production test tenant account and gain a foothold, and then used the account’s permissions to access a very small percentage of Microsoft corporate email accounts, including members of our senior leadership team and employees in our cybersecurity, legal, and other functions, and exfiltrated some emails and attached documents.
Microsoft added that its investigation indicates the attackers were initially targeting email accounts for information related to Midnight Blizzard itself.
The company said it was in the process of notifying employees whose email was accessed.
Customers not affected
The company, however, noted that the attack was not the result of a vulnerability in its products or services as customers were not affected. According to Microsoft, to date, there is no evidence that the threat actor had any access to customer environments, production systems, source code, or AI systems. Microsoft said it would notify its customers if any action is required.
- “This attack does highlight the continued risk posed to all organizations from well-resourced nation-state threat actors like Midnight Blizzard.
- “As we said late last year when we announced Secure Future Initiative (SFI), given the reality of threat actors that are resourced and funded by nation states, we are shifting the balance we need to strike between security and business risk – the traditional sort of calculus is simply no longer sufficient.
- “For Microsoft, this incident has highlighted the urgent need to move even faster. We will act immediately to apply our current security standards to Microsoft-owned legacy systems and internal business processes, even when these changes might disrupt existing business processes,” the company stated.
Microsoft said this would likely cause some level of disruption while it adapts to this new reality, but it is a necessary step, and only the first of several we would be taking to embrace this philosophy.
[Nairametrics]
The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has urged Nigerians to report anyone seen with live ammunition to curb arms proliferation in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement shared on Sunday on his official X account.
Sharing a picture of live ammunition, Adejobi said, “These are live ammunition, called “èpà” or “groundnuts” in the street.
“They are deadly, not to be seen with anyone except security agents. Statutory security agents, no other ones.
“If you see them with any friend or civilian, please expose him or her. We need to collectively curb the proliferation of arms and ammunition in Nigeria.”
Recall that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade on Thursday paraded 34 suspects of crimes including armed robbery, stealing, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms one month into office.
In what Fayoade called a mark of his achievements since taking office, the police commissioner listed no fewer than 14 cases cracked and a recovery of a total of 16 firearms including a toy pistol, 72 live cartridges, 75 live ammunition, one expended cartridge and one pistol magazine.
The police also recovered six axes, four daggers, one digger, five cutlasses, two vehicles, one POS Machine, fake registration plates and various charms.
[Punch]
Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has urged Nigerian youths seeking relocation from the country to consider opportunities they have in Nigeria and stay back.
In an interview with Arise TV, the former Rivers State Governor claimed that there are juicy opportunities back in Nigeria that those seeking greener pastures in other countries may not have.
According to him, there are possibilities of someone to suddenly emerge as a leader in the country.
He said, “I’ve always discouraged the people who want to leave the country. I say, if you want a 9 to 5, yes you can always get that when you leave the country, but you can never get the opportunity we have in Nigeria.
“You can just wake up one day, you become a minister and you can just wake up one day and you become a governor. It just happens. So, if you are looking for opportunities, please stay back in Nigeria but if you are looking for a 9 to 5, then you can go.”
The former presidential aspirant also blamed the country’s economy for the ravaging crimes in Nigeria.
According to him, the Nigerian economy is too small and cannot accommodate everybody, leading to robbery and other crimes.
“If all of us start working in Shell now, there would be no time to go and rob or kill because you leave at 6am and by the time you come back at 6pm, you will be tired, so, my advice to them is to get your degree if you can and if you can’t, well, I am lucky”, he added.
[DailyPost]
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One Nnamdi Agu has been arrested for purportedly fabricating his own abduction to deceive his relatives.
In a statement released on Saturday evening, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, refuted claims suggesting the occurrence of a kidnapping incident at the River Park Estate, Lugbe.
According to her, no individual was abducted within the estate, firmly asserting that Nnamdi orchestrated his own kidnapping as a means to defraud his brother, who happens to be a resident of the aforementioned estate.
The statement reads, “The FCT Police Command is aware of the news making rounds about an alleged kidnapping incident at River Park estate on Saturday and wishes to state that contrary to reports, nobody was kidnapped in River Park Estate.
“One Nnamdi Agu ‘m’ of Games Village only faked his own kidnap in an attempt to defraud his brother who lives within the said Estate.
“The suspect is currently in police custody undergoing interrogation.
“While an investigation is still ongoing, further development would be communicated to the public.”
A former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has disclosed that the only financial benefit he receives from the government is N577,000 monthly pension as a former governor of Lagos State.
He also said that he is not receiving billions of naira from the federal government as speculated by some Nigerians, after serving eight years as the minister.
Fashola said this on Saturday while appearing as a guest on Arise TV programme, “Perspectives.”
When asked if there were financial benefits accrued to him as a former public servant, he said, “The benefit I get I think is N577,000 monthly pension from Lagos State. That’s all I get.
“So, in spite of all the stories that we got several billions of money (after leaving office), I’ve come out to deny that repeatedly. Well I don’t know how long it lasts, but all I know is that I get N577,000 per month consistently.”
When asked if there were other benefits from the federal government, he said “no.”
Responding to a question on if he could advise current public office holders, the former Lagos governor said he was not in the position to issue advice but admonished that they “should remain true and authentic” in their duties.
In September 2023, Fashola said he did not need to hold office for serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I do not need a title to serve: the president can only appoint at least one minister, for example, from each state in which he has done that,” Fashola had said.
[DailyPost]
United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Molly Phee has given an insight into what Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will discuss with President Bola Tinubu in Nigeria next week.
Phee spoke at a teleconference.
The Secretary is also visiting Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire and Angola.
He said the internal security challenges in Nigeria will be a major talking point between Blinken and Tinubu.
The U.S., he said, has had a longstanding security partnership with Nigeria, which has been battered by ISIS-WA, Boko Haram and bandits.
“We can never get away, though, from peace and security issues. So, when we are in Cote d’Ivoire, we’ll talk about the situation in the Sahel and coastal West Africa.
“As many of you know, Nigeria is dealing with a lot of internal security challenges. And Angola has played a really important role in trying to address and reduce the tensions in the eastern Congo.
“So those will also be topics I expect we’ll discuss,” Phee said.
The talks in Nigeria, he said, will also include artificial intelligence, an African seat on the Security Council, and Security Council reform.
“So, there’s a lot to discuss, a lot of work we do together on the continent and globally, and that’s going to be the focus of the trip,” Phee said.
He added that the visit was a follow-up to last year’s U.S Africa Leaders Summit.
Phee said: “It’s in part a follow-up to the very successful U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that we held in December 2022.
“The Secretary wants to go to the continent and demonstrate and assess the follow-up that the United States has undertaken to implement the commitments and topics we discussed during the summit.
“So, we’ll be looking at issues like our economic partnership, how are we promoting the development of commercial ties?
“We’ll be looking at our longstanding health partnership. We’re looking at areas that really excite the Secretary, particularly in food security.
“We’ll be, of course, sort of furbishing our diplomatic constant engagement on so many issues, not only on the continent but in the global conversation.
“So, there’s a lot to do to show where we are, what we’ve done, and where we’re going.
“We think this trip will hopefully be very positive. A lot of times, the news out of Africa is negative.
“I think it can highlight the great capacity of the African people, particularly the youth.
“It can show really forward-looking types of engagements – for example, our partnership with Angola in outer space.
“And I think it will demonstrate the advances that Africans have made that will contribute to the continued progress on the continent.”
On the military bombing in Kaduna, Phee said: “I wouldn’t call it an attack. The Nigerians have admitted it was an operational error that tragically killed people in Kaduna State.
“I think the Secretary will definitely talk about that with the president.
“The president and the leadership of Nigeria went to Kaduna State. They acted with transparency, immediately acknowledged the horrific accident.
“They set up a reparation process and a transparent investigation. So, they have, I think, responded to that tragedy in a constructive way that will contribute to rebuilding confidence of the Nigerian people and the security services.
“And these issues of how to protect civilians when doing complex operations in a fraught security environment, which Nigeria is dealing with, the importance of promoting and protecting human rights, including religious freedom, and, again, sort of the best practices of accountability and transparency, are part of our ongoing dialogue with the government and with the security services.
“We host – we are hosting this week a Nigerian delegation led by the national security adviser, and we hosted about four hours of discussions here at the State Department yesterday, and that was a running theme throughout the day.
“So, I’m certain the Secretary will talk about it when he sees the president and the foreign minister.”
[TheNation]
A survivor of the explosion which occurred in Ibadan, on Tuesday, Mr Abiola AbduIsalam, said he jumped from a storey building on Dejo Oyelese Street, Adeyi Avenue, Ibadan, where the explosion happened, to save his life.
AbduIsalam spoke with Sunday PUNCH at one of the wards of the University College Hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Recounting his experience, he said, “If I can recollect, I was inside Harrington Hotel around the area where the explosion occurred. So, immediately I heard the bang, I had to jump from the first floor of the building where I was with my friends.
“After I had landed the on the ground while still conscious, I tried to stand up and walk but I couldn’t, and it was then I noticed I had a fracture on one of my legs.
“While alone in that state for about three minutes, my friends who had escaped through the staircase, which I couldn’t easily locate because of panic caused by the explosion, searched around and found me still conscious, and swiftly brought me to this ward.”
In another development, Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, on Saturday, condemned the Tuesday explosion in Ibadan.
Adams urged Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to bring the culprits responsible for the explosion to book.
Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, described the incident as very unfortunate, and advised the government to unravel the perpetrators and bring them to book.
In another development, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, visited the University College Hospital, Ibadan, on Saturday to empathise with victims of Tuesday’s massive explosion in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister and members of UCH management, led by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo toured the hospital to assess the impact of the explosion.
[Punch]