...says Governors, Tinubu arbitrariness will fuel distrust
The erstwhile national Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has explained why he resigned as a member of the party national working Committee on Wednesday.
Lukman in a statement entitled, “Resignation from APC NWC: Explanatory Note,” insisted that the forum of governors on the platform of the party, the Progressives Governors Forum, is becoming too high-handed and overbearing for the progress of the ruling party.
Lukman also expressed strong reservations about the dominant thinking in the party where whatever is attributed to President Bola Tinubu on party matters is taken as the law without recourse to the provisions of the APC Constitution.
He stressed that move by the Progressive Governors Forum fueled by buy-in of President Tinubu to impose former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as national chairman, leaving the North Central politically stranded could create distrust and ultimately party break up.
His statement reads in part: “Sadly, the turn of events in the last 10 days since the resignation of Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore suggests to the contrary. Members of the NWC were left in suspense. A meeting of NWC with PGF scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, 2023 was cancelled without any explanation. Suddenly, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, in his capacity as Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) converted himself into a receiver manager for the party and begin to act almost as the party’s NWC. Speculation about nomination of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as nominee of Governors and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu then started and became stronger each day. Efforts to highlight legal and moral issues which should require a rethink was simply ignored. The dominant view among leaders is that once President Asiwaju Tinubu has decided on an issue, we should just simply work for its success even with all the legal and moral questions.
“Maybe at this point, we should publicly state both the legal and moral questions. The legal question is straightforward. Article 31.5(i) of the APC constitution dealing with what to do when there is vacancy clearly stipulate that ‘in the case of a National/Zonal Officer, the State Executive Committee shall propose a replacement to the State Congress and Zonal Executive Committee for endorsement. Thereafter, the name shall be sent to the National Working Committee, which shall be forward same to the National Executive Committee for approval.’ No section of the APC constitution gives anyone, including President Asiwaju Tinubu the power to act in any contrary way. Therefore, if this provision of the APC constitution is to be respected, the Nasarawa State Executive Committee of the APC, which is where Sen. Adamu comes from, should have the right to propose replacement, which should be endorsed by the State Congress and the Zonal Executive Committee. Following which the name shall be forwarded to the NWC for onward transmission to NEC and approval.
“Related to this is the fact that negotiations for leadership of the National Assembly ceded the position of National Chairman of the party to North Central. For whatever reasons, to proceed to act arbitrarily and move the position of National Chairman to North West will be unfair and unjust. It simply amounts to taking the people of North Central for granted. Just imagine if the South West where President Asiwaju Tinubu comes from is to be treated by any leader of Nigeria that way. The related moral question is the choice of Dr. Ganduje. Sincerely, it simply means that we don’t attach any importance to the party if with all the corruption allegations against Dr. Ganduje, we find him about the only one in the North West to be recommended. Perhaps, it needs to be stated without fear of any contradiction, if leaders of the North West are asked to nominate five people for consideration to serve in the capacity of National Chairman of APC, I am confident, Dr. Ganduje will not be one of the five nominees.
“If Osun State is debating possible replacement of Sen. Omisore for the position of National Secretary of APC in line with provisions of our party’s constitution, why is Nasarawa State not treated in the same way? Why the double standards? I wish I can pretend to be dumb and blind on these issues. Unfortunately, I cannot. Painful as it is, I want to appeal to President Asiwaju Tinubu and all our leaders to resist the temptations that would project our party and our leaders as champions of illegality and repression. I hold the strong conviction that President Asiwaju Tinubu will not only succeed but lead Nigeria to a new era of unconstrained democratic development. As members of APC, we must provide the critical support to President Asiwaju Tinubu such that rule of law in all its ramifications will define his tenure for the next four years. Achieving that would require unwavering commitment to build the APC to develop every needed capacity to function as the regulatory authority holding every leader of the party, including President Asiwaju Tinubu accountable.
“Perhaps, it is important to clarify that this is not in anyway questioning the authority of President Asiwaju Tinubu as the moral leader of the party. Being the moral leader of the party doesn’t give him the power of exercising statutory functions of organs of the party or unilaterally changing provisions of the party’s constitution. It will amount to setting President Asiwaju Tinubu for failure in the worse possible way to proceed to encourage him to act in a manner that is illegal and immoral. If the scheming to have Dr. Ganduje emerge as the next National Chairman of APC succeeds with all the legal and moral questions, as a party, we would have set the stage for the destruction of our party and God forbids, we would have laid the foundation that will make President Asiwaju Tinubu and all our elected representatives unpopular. God in his infinite mercy will guide President Asiwaju Tinubu and all our leaders to return our great party APC to constitutional order and its founding vision.”
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists wreaking Nigeria’s north east state of Borno have killed 21 herders.
The herders were beheaded in the Kukawa axis of the beleaguered state, Guardian reports.
The herdsmen were killed on Tuesday for allegedly encroaching on the terrorists’ hideouts with their cattle.
A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed, yesterday, in Maiduguri that ISWAP fighters recently placed a ban on fishing, farming and grazing in their hideouts.
According to him, the terrorists also accused the herders of spying on them for the Nigerian military and other security agencies in the region.
On how the herders were killed, he said: “The terrorists did not fire any gunshot; they quietly used machetes to behead the 21 herdsmen.”
The terrorists also rustled an unspecified number of cattle into their settlements at the Kukawa-Doro-Kalla axis.
Also, the terrorists in seven-gun trucks intercepted another set of Fulani herdsmen in the Kukawa axis and killed six for the same reason.
A military source in Maiduguri said the herdsmen were killed after they were warned not to graze their cattle on the banned axis of Kukawa, adding that survivors were able to recover four bodies.
The military source told The Guardian that the terrorists also abducted seven Fulani herdsmen in Monguno on Monday and demanded N40 million ransom.
In another development, police in Katsina have confirmed the abduction of 14 persons at Modogora community, Batsari Local Council.
The abductees were working on a farm on Tuesday about 9.30a.m. when the armed terrorists stormed the farm on motorcycles.
According to sources, the bandits ferried the abductees, including women and children, into a forest near the community.
It’s gathered that the incident was one of four such attacks in separate communities within the council, same day.
The five attacks led to the abduction of about 40 persons, mostly farmers, locals say.
A source familiar with the incident said the other four attacks were carried out on farmlands at Dan Tsuntsu, Nahuta, Salihan Dadare and Zamfarawa communities on Tuesday morning
A passenger identified as Ogheneochuko David aboard Lagos – Abuja flight was on Wednesday July 26, 2023 arrested by aviation security personnel for allegedly taking another passenger’s laptop from his bag in the overhead cabin.
Spokesperson of Ibom Air and General Manager, Marketing and Communication, Aniekan Essienette disclosed in a statement.
According to Essienette, the owner of the laptop, who suspected the movement of Mr. David, within the aircraft, decided to check where his laptop was kept and immediately realized the item was no longer there.
He raised the alarm by notifying the crew members accordingly.
A search was immediately instituted, which led to about half an hour delay, and the laptop was found with Mr. David.
He was immediately offloaded and handed over to the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) for further investigation, who then handed him over to the Police for further investigation.
Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, has submitted the list of his commissioner-nominees for scrutiny by the state House of Assembly.
The list, seen by our correspondent on Friday, was signed by the secretary to the state government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia.
They include Barr Lloyd I. Ekweremadu, son of former deputy Senate president Ike Ekweremadu. Versatile broadcaster Ala Eze Aka is among the nominees.
Others are Prince Lawrence Eze, Sir Okey Ogbodo, Barr Kingsley Ude, Professor Ndubueze Mbah, Mrs Ngozi Eni, Professor Sam Ugwu, Pharmacist Chika Ugwoke, Professor Emmanuel I. Obi, Ben Ugochi Madueke, Engr Gerrald Otiji, Nathaniel Urama, Dr Malachy Agbo
and Adaoro Chukwu.
Onyia, while noting that the list was not yet completed, appealed for a speedy consideration.
“While this may not be the exhaustive list, I’m optimistic that this request will receive your usual expeditious consideration,” he said.
Nigeria, the acclaimed giant of Africa, was conspicuously absent yesterday, as African leaders gathered in St Petersburg, Russia, to discuss ways Nuclear power can help solve the continent’s perennial energy crisis.
However, representatives of other countries present, unanimously agreed that the continent has a better option in nuclear energy against the prevalent hydro power source, to light up Africa again.
They also agreed that the continent needs regional co-operation to pursue aggressive reformation of their different power sectors with nuclear energy.
The positions were taken at a session: “Nuclear technologies for the development of African continent” at the ongoing Russia-Africa Economic Forum in St Petersburg Russia.
Panelists to the session who reached the conclusion, included Alexey Likhachev, Director General, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM; Ibrahim Uwizeye, Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mining of the Republic of Burundi; Doto Mashaka Biteko, Minister of Minerals of Tanzania; Zhemu Soda, Minister of Energy and Power Development of Zimbabwe; Amged El-Wakeel, Chairman of the Board, Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt; Fidele Ndahayo, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Atomic Energy Board; and Princess Mthombeni, Founder, Africa4Nuclear; Nuclear Communication and Technology Specialist of South Africa.
Asked why Nigeeia was not invited to such important discussion, considering the country’s precarious energy situation, organisers of the event said the relevant agencies did not just respond to the call.
The leaders took turns to present their levels of power efficiency and x-rayed how nuclear energy can engender wealth creation, energy efficiency, technology sovereignty and advanced medicine.
According to El Wakeel, Nuclear energy has helped Egypt in many ways including clean water, health, Agriculture and electricity even as the country still needs to further advance its economy, using the technology.
Cross River State House of Assembly, on Thursday, passed a vote of confidence on the Speaker, Elvert Ayambem, after he was expelled on Monday the University of Calabar, UNICAL, following poor performance.
Ayambem, who was elected Speaker of the Assembly in June, was studying Economics in the Faculty of Social Sciences.
However, he was withdrawn alongside 637 others for below average Cumulative Grades Aggregates, CGPA.
His withdrawal has resonated across the state with some persons insinuating that his removal from the school might not be unconnected with his victory over Hilary Bisong, son of the Vice Chancellor who contested against him for the position.
Vice-Chancellor reacts
Speaking on Wednesday, Professor Flourence Obi, the Vice Chancellor, said she is not aware of the status of the Speaker as a student of the school and that she was simply obeying National Universities Commission, NUC, guidelines on the average performance of every student.
Smarting from the sack of their Speaker from the university and public perception of his abilities, the state legislature passed a vote of confidence on him during a plenary.
The motion was moved by the Deputy Speaker, Sylvester Agabi, on behalf of the legislators.
Agabi pointed out that within its 33 days in office, the 10th Assembly had passed over 10 motions, taken about five matters of public interest, carried out oversight functions on several sectors, adding that some bills have passed second reading.
He attributed these successes to the able leadership of the Speaker whom he described as the “people’s Speaker”.
The motion was seconded by the Deputy Leader of the House and member representing Abi constituency, Davies Etta, who also extolled the qualities of the Speaker.
Reacting, the Speaker said his emergence as Speaker was an act of God and promised to lead the Assembly with love and commitment.
Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala has revealed her dad is not happy with her celebration in Nigeria’s 3-2 win against Australia.
Oshoala came on as a second-half substitute to score Nigeria’s third goal of the game.
In the heat of the moment, she pulled off her jersey to create an ‘iconic’ image, which has now gone viral across the world.
The image has also generated some reactions from football fans.
The Barcelona Femeni forward, who is a Muslim, took to her Instagram page to reveal her dad was not happy with her choice of celebration.
“My dad is definitely not happy with my choice of celebration but then again, Life is a collection of MOMENTS. #Alhamdulillah #Grateful #Moments”
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Bandits on Wednesday abducted at least 23 women in a forest near Damaga community in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Daily Trust gathered.
The women including young ladies went into the forest to fetch firewood when they were intercepted by a gang of armed men on motorbikes. The criminals then herded them to their enclaves inside the forest.
The abduction came two days after seven soldiers and 22 farmers were killed in a gunfight between the troops and armed men near Kangon Garucci community in Maru Local Government Area of the state.
“We have just finished a headcount of those who managed to escape and return to the community and we have found out that 23 of our women are with the bandits. They have yet to contact families to demand for ransom,” said a resident, Ayuba Damaga.
In a similar development, at least 10 construction workers were kidnapped by armed men from their residential houses in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the state.
“The armed men invaded low cost houses at the outskirts of the town around 12am on Wednesday and abducted the staff of a construction company. They were later driven out of the town after hours of a gunfight with security operatives,” Aliyu Mafara told Daily Trust.
When contacted the spokesman of the state police command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, said he would get the details later.
“We had a meeting with DPOs and tactical commanders, so please give me some times I will get back to you later,” he said. However, he had yet to get back as of the time of filing the report.
President Bola Tinubu has said he is not oblivious of the fact that Nigerians are experiencing pain and suffering at the moment following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
President Tinubu said he understands that the rise in the prices of commodities and the cost of living have made things more difficult for Nigerians.
The Nigerian leader stated this on Thursday while receiving All Progressives Congress (APC) national youth leaders from across the country at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu said he feels the pains of citizens and assured them that the hardships of the moment will give way to a more “prosperous, equitable and inclusive economy.”
He said: “I make my pledge to the country that no decision will be difficult for this administration to take for the prosperity and unity of this country. Economic reforms could be slow. Be patient a little more.
“I can assure you that I understand the pains you are going through. It is not easy to get out of the monster of over 40 years called fuel subsidy.”
The president told the youths that his administration would include them in governance, and decision-making processes.
Tinubu added that the federal government would do everything necessary to widen the net in order to accommodate more women and youths.
He said this would be done by “liaising with our lending institutions to give micro-loans at a very low-interest rate for economic activities among the citizens”.
Also speaking at the meeting, the APC National Youth leader, Dayo Israel, told the president that the youths had come to congratulate him on the party’s victory at the polls.
Israel said they also came to seek inclusion in the appointments into the dissolved boards and agencies of government.
A Nigerian doctor based in the United Kingdom has lost custody of his 16-year-old son to the government after flogging him with a belt.
This was revealed by a child rights advocate known as pepstalk1 on her Instagram page on Wednesday.
She narrated that the Nigerian doctor flogged his son after he caught him and his friends invited over to study together watching an inappropriate video.
His friends reportedly informed the police and told them that while the father was beating his son with a belt, the doctor repeatedly said, “Is this how you want to become a doctor?”
She said, “Two friends of a Nigerian doctor’s son two months ago came over to the doctor’s residence to sleep over and study in preparation for their General Certificate of Secondary Education examination.
“At 3 am in the night, the doctor tip-toed into the boy’s room and caught them watching an improper video, the father got angry with his son and beat him with a belt in front of his friends.
“The two friends ran out of the scene to call the police and they came over and took the boy away. The case was later held in court and during the session, the friends said that they heard the father saying that “Is this how you want to become a doctor” while beating his son?
“The boy also said that his father was always beating him to study the subject that he doesn’t want and his father want him to study medicine at the university.
“The court later ruled that the doctor’s 16-year-old son be taken into custody care and can no longer go back to his father’s house.”
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Former senator, Shehu Sani, has described the ministerial nomination of the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, by President Bola Tinubu, as a tragedy.
Naija News reported that Tinubu on Thursday finally submitted the list of his 28 ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Speaking on the development in an interview on Arise TV, Sani said it is saddening that El-Rufai is given another opportunity to serve the country, considering all he has done and said during his administration in Kaduna state.
According to the Senator, Tinubu rewarded those who betrayed their party and principal, but it was not the best time to please and appease former governors.
He noted that the list falls short of Nigerians’ expectations considering the time taken to reales the list, stressing that the ministerial list was a big disappointment.
Shehu Sani added that President Tinubu must prioritize pleasing Nigerians because the eight years of the past administration were a complete waste.
In his words, “With the nomination I have seen with the one which represents Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai is a tragedy that such a man is given an opportunity to serve this country again with all that he has done and said in office, and I don’t think that if President Tinubu means well.
“This is not the best time to please and appease former governors. It is the best time to appease Nigerians and to bring in competent hands that will deliver. As far as I am concerned, that list, to some extent, is a big disappointment, and it has not been able to meet the expectations of the people considering the time taken for those names to come out.
“I think the best thing for the president to do at this time is to know that the eight years of the last administration was a complete waste, and this is an opportunity for him to prove that he has the vision, the competence and the capacity to lead this country to a higher level than the way he met it. But with the kind of people he has now brought in close to him, I think there is going to be a problem.
“From what I know, there are people who were brought in because they betrayed their party, principal, and this is the time to composite them, and that should not be with a serious national position as this.”
Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has called on the authorities of federal universities across the country to suspend the increase in fees which the schools recently implemented.
In a statement issued by Tayo Soyemi on behalf of Falana and Falana Chambers on Thursday, the lawyer called on the schools to suspend the increase especially because of the financial effect that the recent fuel subsidy removal has had on Nigerians.
The statement read in part, “Since the federal government has not lifted the 1975 policy which abolished the payment of tuition fees in federal tertiary institutions, the federal universities lack the power to impose astronomical tuition fees on students.”
“The payment of school fees in junior secondary schools is illegal as Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act and Section 15 of the Child’s Rights Act have imposed a legal obligation on the federal and state governments to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child from primary to junior secondary level.
“We have noted that the governments have not taken cognizance of the plight of physically challenged people in the implementation of the new education policy. It is pertinent to point out that it is illegal to collect school fees from physically challenged students.”
Federal Universities across the country have already increased their fees for new and returning students, some of them by as much as 400%, which has led to a public outcry among Nigerians. Members of the House Of Reps had moved against the strike, urging the FG to suspend the fee increments.
The effort yielded no positive result, however, as the fee hikes have already been implemented by respective universities.
Mohammed Bello el-Rufai, the son of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and some children of former governors have been appointed as the Chairpersons of various standing committees of the House of Representatives.
Naija News reports that some of the children of former governors are first-timers in the lower chamber
Recall that the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced the constitution of 134 standing committees in the Green Chamber during the plenary session on Thursday.
A critical look at the list released by the Speaker shows that five children of former governors are among the lawmakers named to chair the various committees.
– Suenu Ibori (PDP) — Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) Committee
– Mohammed Bello el-Rufai (APC) — Banking Regulation Committee
– Adegboyega Adefarati (APC) — Labour, Employment and Productivity Committee
– Olamiju Akala (APC) — Youth in Parliament Committee
– Olumide Osoba (APC) — Justice Committee
Below are the names of the children of former governors.
Mohammed Bello- El-Rufai – son of former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Suenu Ibori – daughter of former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.
Adegboyega Adefarati – son of the late former governor of Ondo state, Adebayo Adefarati.
Olamiju Akala – son of the late former governor of Oyo state, Adebayo Akala.
Olumide Osoba – son of the former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba.
MaxAir Limited has said that its aircraft has been trapped in the Niger Republic in the wake of the unrest in the country.
The situation follows the military coup which took place on Wednesday ousting democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.
Since the military coup, the country has witnessed severe unrest. The Nigerian airline said its aircraft has been temporarily trapped in Niamey.
MaxAir revealed that the incident occurred while dropping the last group of Niger pilgrims
MaxAir said, “One of our aircraft has been temporarily trapped in Niamey, Niger, after successfully dropping off the last group of Niger pilgrims. The safety of our crew and staff on board is assured, and we are actively seeking approval to depart as soon as possible.
“The situation is a result of ongoing unrest in the country. Our management team is in constant communication with local authorities and is working diligently to resolve the matter promptly.
“We extend our gratitude for the patience and understanding of our passengers and their families during this time. Updates will be provided regularly as the situation progresses.”
The airline said it prioritizes safety and remains committed to the well-being of its passengers and crew.