Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo said the European Union Observer Mission (EUOM) 2023 general elections report can not delegitimize the government of President Bola Tinubu.
Keyamo stated this in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Monday.
Recall that the EUOM, in its report less than a week ago, pointed out some flaws in the general election and made recommendations to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
But, the EU’s report has been greeted with reactions and backlash from some Nigerians, including Keyamo.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, stated that there is no election worldwide without irregularities.
He explained that the issue is whether the supposed irregularities affected the election outcome.
According to him, the EU’s report is not a document that tells who won or lost an election.
Keyamo, a spokesperson for the defunct Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, noted that only the Judiciary can legitimize or delegitimize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
He stated, “It is only a forensic examination of the entire process by the judiciary that can determine the extent to which the supposed ‘irregularities’ affected the outcome of the elections. And there are legal rules already laid down to achieve this.
“The EU report is NOT (and cannot be) a document that tells you who won or lost an election. It only reports the ‘irregularities’ noticed and recommends improvement in future elections.
“Therefore, all the hoopla over that EU report is neither here nor there when it comes to legitimizing or delegitimizing the government of the day. That power or responsibility belongs to the Judiciary,” he said.
Recall INEC had declared Tinubu, the winner of the presidential election.
However, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party are currently at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, challenging the victory of Tinubu.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday told the new, Service Chiefs, the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, that they should work as a team and deliver on the mandate given to them.
This is as the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has assured the President and the entire Nigerians that the security agencies will accomplish the objective of securing the country, establish peace and stability.
President Tinubu had his maiden meeting which held behind closed doors with the NSA, the Service Chiefs and the acting IGP on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the NSA, Mallam Ribadu, said that the President directed them to work as a team and deliver on their mandate.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, he said, “We’re here to thank Mr President for the opportunity he gave us to serve our country and to serve his own government. We also pledged our loyalty to him, Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We believe the choice he made is the right one, the correct one, and we know what he wants for this country. We’re going to work tirelessly to ensure that we accomplish that objective of securing our country, establishing peace, stability and let’s get our lives back.
“He gave us the assurance that he’s with us hundred percent. He told us that we must work as a team and that there’s work to be done, he’ll expect us to deliver and we’re grateful for the opportunity. That’s why we are here.”
Asked what will be the starting point of the new security heads, Mallam said, “Where we are today and you can see already things are improving in our country. If you see the record of crimes and activities of criminals are going down, it will continue to go down. We’ll secure this place.
“Nigerians have seen the quality of the people that are given opportunity, they are probably some of the best we have and they are not going to fail you, they’ll certainly deliver. Thank you very much.”
Apart from the NSA, others in attendance were the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and the Acting IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.
…Refuses To Assess Government Performance
Leader of pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has refused to recognize the administration of President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the government as non-existent.
Adebanjo spoke during an Arise TV interview monitored by THE WHISTLER refusing to comment on the performance of Tinubu about a month after he was sworn in as president.
The Afenifere leader held that the presidential elections have not been concluded with the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
He said, “Afenifere’s stance for now is not to comment on Tinubu’s administration because we believe that the elections is not completed yet, it’s still in progress, that is why we are in court, so commenting on someone who is there and who we don’t believe should be there until the final decision of the court will be probative and reprobative.
“We are not talking about his ability, we are talking about the process of his getting there, which is flawed. How can you build something on nothing, he is enjoying a lacuna, nothing is settled until it’s finally settled, that’s our stance.
“I refuse to comment on somebody that is not existing yet until the final arbiter of the court, our party may be wrong but that is our own stance. I cant recognize him in an office that I believe don’t exist. Even if the court decides, we can still express opinions. The stance of Afenifere is that we want a free, fair and credible election and that’s what we are questioning. Even if he’s doing well, does that absolve the way he got there?” Adebanjo queried.
He added that the election of Tinubu was antithetical to the principle of power rotation, “Go and read why we support Obi, its not a question of his (Tinubu) ability or capability, its because a significant section of the country has been shortchanged, we are not paying lip service to a united Nigeria and that cannot be changed by any theory. So nothing is existing yet.”
Meanwhile, Adebanjo also clarified that Afenifere is not a socio-cultural organization, “We are a political party, called Action Group. We are a political party with a definite identity.”
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, nullified the expulsion of former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over alleged anti-party activities.
Justice James Omotosho, in a judgement, held that Nnamani was not given fair hearing in accordance with the PDP’s constitution.
Justice Omotosho said that going by the Article 57 of the Constitution of the PDP, it was only the National Executive Council (NEC) that can convene a disciplinary committee as against the National Working Committee (NWC), which took the decision.
The judge said that the constitution of the party stipulated that it was the NEC that was vested with the power to take disciplinary action against any erring member who is a governor, deputy governor and a serving member of the National Assembly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nnamani, who represented Enugu East Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, lost his re-election bid to a Labour Party candidate, Kelvin Chukwu, in the Feb. 25 poll.
The PDP NWC, at its 566th meeting, had expelled the former senator on Feb. 10 for allegations bordering on anti-party activities.
He was initially suspended on Jan. 20 before he was subsequently expelled.
Nnamani was alleged to have campaigned for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, against the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
NAN reports that Tinubu was declared the winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling the highest votes and was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on May 29.
But Nnamani, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/163/23 filed on Feb. 6, had sued the INEC, PDP national chairman and the NWC as 1st to 3rd respondents over alleged breach of his fundamental rights to fair hearing.
In the originating summons, the plaintiff asked the court to determine whether he could be suspended without giving him the constitutional right to fair hearing.
He wanted the court to determine having regard to the provisions of Article 57 of the party, the decision of the NWC suspending him on Jan. 20 was not null and void.
He, therefore, prayed the court to declare that by virtue of the party’s constitution, the respondents did not validly conduct a disciplinary measure against him before his suspension.
Nnamani argued that besides being a serving senator, he was a two term governor of Enugu State.
He said that he was neither notified of any complaint against him nor afforded opportunity to fair hearing.
But the respondents, in a counter affidavit and a preliminary objection, sought an order dismissing the suit.
They argued that Nnamani campaigned for another political party while being a member of the PDP.
They said contrary to his argument, the party had the power to suspend him having being found to engage in anti-party activities.
They further argued that the issues bordered on the internal affairs of the party which the court lacked the jurisdiction to determine.
Justice Omotosho said that though the Supreme Court held that the issue of party membership, etc, was within the party’s jurisdiction and a no-go area to the courts, he said Section 46(2) of the 1999 Constitution vested the power on the court to hear alleged breach of person’s rights
He cited previous cases to back his decision.
“This court will not dabble into the internal affairs of party but will restrict itself to whether the fundamental right of the plaintiff has been breached,” he said.
He said though these rights are not absolute, they are entrenched in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, and that the African Charter on Peoples Rights also makes provisions for fundamental rights.
The judge agreed that a member of a political party must abide by its rules and regulation, having freely submitted himself to its rules, he however said that the court would only interfer where the party had violated its own rules and regulation.
He observed that Articles 4 and 5 of the PDP gave provisions for fair hearing to erring members.
According to him, fair hearing is giving equal opportunity to parties and where fair hearing has been done, a party cannot complain.
“But the complaint of the plaintiff is that he was not giving fair hearing,” he said, in accordance with Article 57 of the party’s constitution.
“The law is clear that specific provisions override general provisions,” he said.
He said the available fact before the court was that the NWC, at its 566th meeting, considered all the allegations against Nnamani and approved his suspension for one month.
Besides, the judge also observed that it was the NWC that expelled him on Feb. 10 in a press release.
Omotosho, who said that this was a gross violation of the party’s constitution, held that this had rendered all the actions null and avoid.
He said the court was convinced that the plaintiff had been able to establish his case against the respondents.
Justice Omotosho consequently gave an order nullifying the decision of the PDP NWC that was taken on Feb. 10, expelling the ex-lawmaker.(NAN)
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, nullified the expulsion of former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over alleged anti-party activities.
Justice James Omotosho, in a judgement, held that Nnamani was not given fair hearing in accordance with the PDP’s constitution.
Justice Omotosho said that going by the Article 57 of the Constitution of the PDP, it was only the National Executive Council (NEC) that can convene a disciplinary committee as against the National Working Committee (NWC), which took the decision.
The judge said that the constitution of the party stipulated that it was the NEC that was vested with the power to take disciplinary action against any erring member who is a governor, deputy governor and a serving member of the National Assembly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nnamani, who represented Enugu East Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, lost his re-election bid to a Labour Party candidate, Kelvin Chukwu, in the Feb. 25 poll.
The PDP NWC, at its 566th meeting, had expelled the former senator on Feb. 10 for allegations bordering on anti-party activities.
He was initially suspended on Jan. 20 before he was subsequently expelled.
Nnamani was alleged to have campaigned for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, against the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
NAN reports that Tinubu was declared the winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling the highest votes and was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on May 29.
But Nnamani, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/163/23 filed on Feb. 6, had sued the INEC, PDP national chairman and the NWC as 1st to 3rd respondents over alleged breach of his fundamental rights to fair hearing.
In the originating summons, the plaintiff asked the court to determine whether he could be suspended without giving him the constitutional right to fair hearing.
He wanted the court to determine having regard to the provisions of Article 57 of the party, the decision of the NWC suspending him on Jan. 20 was not null and void.
He, therefore, prayed the court to declare that by virtue of the party’s constitution, the respondents did not validly conduct a disciplinary measure against him before his suspension.
Nnamani argued that besides being a serving senator, he was a two term governor of Enugu State.
He said that he was neither notified of any complaint against him nor afforded opportunity to fair hearing.
But the respondents, in a counter affidavit and a preliminary objection, sought an order dismissing the suit.
They argued that Nnamani campaigned for another political party while being a member of the PDP.
They said contrary to his argument, the party had the power to suspend him having being found to engage in anti-party activities.
They further argued that the issues bordered on the internal affairs of the party which the court lacked the jurisdiction to determine.
Justice Omotosho said that though the Supreme Court held that the issue of party membership, etc, was within the party’s jurisdiction and a no-go area to the courts, he said Section 46(2) of the 1999 Constitution vested the power on the court to hear alleged breach of person’s rights
He cited previous cases to back his decision.
“This court will not dabble into the internal affairs of party but will restrict itself to whether the fundamental right of the plaintiff has been breached,” he said.
He said though these rights are not absolute, they are entrenched in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, and that the African Charter on Peoples Rights also makes provisions for fundamental rights.
The judge agreed that a member of a political party must abide by its rules and regulation, having freely submitted himself to its rules, he however said that the court would only interfer where the party had violated its own rules and regulation.
He observed that Articles 4 and 5 of the PDP gave provisions for fair hearing to erring members.
According to him, fair hearing is giving equal opportunity to parties and where fair hearing has been done, a party cannot complain.
“But the complaint of the plaintiff is that he was not giving fair hearing,” he said, in accordance with Article 57 of the party’s constitution.
“The law is clear that specific provisions override general provisions,” he said.
He said the available fact before the court was that the NWC, at its 566th meeting, considered all the allegations against Nnamani and approved his suspension for one month.
Besides, the judge also observed that it was the NWC that expelled him on Feb. 10 in a press release.
Omotosho, who said that this was a gross violation of the party’s constitution, held that this had rendered all the actions null and avoid.
He said the court was convinced that the plaintiff had been able to establish his case against the respondents.
Justice Omotosho consequently gave an order nullifying the decision of the PDP NWC that was taken on Feb. 10, expelling the ex-lawmaker.
(NAN)
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reappointed Mr. Gboyega Akosile, as his Chief Press Secretary (CPS).
The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
The appointment according to the Head of Service takes immediate effect.
Before his reappointment, Akosile had served as the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu during his first term. He was also the Media Adviser to the Governor since the inception of the second term of Babajide Sanwo-Olu's administration on May 29, 2023.
Signed
Hakeem Muri-Okunola
Head of Service
Lagos State Government.
Prices of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol have reportedly been reduced at some private depots.
Naija News gathered that the Secretary, Abuja-Suleja, of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mohammed Shuaibu made the revelation to The Punch.
According to him, the cost of fuel is set to come down in the coming weeks, given that more marketers including the independent markets would soon join the importation of the product.
He confirmed that some private depot owners were already cutting down the cost of the commodity, lower than the rate being sold by the NNPCL.
According to him, IPMAN was ready to compete with the NNPCL and major marketers to force down the cost of petrol nationwide.
He submitted that “The sector has been deregulated and, of course, if you have the power you will go and import. It is not going to be only the major marketers, independent marketers are also picking interest and there will be competition
“And, of course, I know that sooner than later, the price of petrol will be forced down, particularly once the products from marketers start hitting the country from next week. This is because market forces will now determine the price.
“It is not going to be solely imported by NNPCL again, for instance, this week, the private depots reduced their prices, different from what NNPCL is selling. So there is a reduction lower than what NNPC is selling.
“With time there will be healthy competition. We know major marketers are expecting products in weeks and we will compete with them when our products start coming. This will further reduce petrol prices.
“People are lamenting. The price was raised by over three times its previous cost, coupled with the economic crisis in the country. So the patronage has been very, very poor.”
Recall that last month, the Chief Executive, of Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, said some newly licensed importers of petrol were expecting their cargoes in July.
“The market is open already, we have to follow the regulations. So we have rolled out user-friendly policies. Some of them (marketers) have already started putting their applications in place. This is because we don’t want to create a gap.
“NNPCL is slowing down on their importation, so we have to have someone who is closing up on that gap that NNPCL is creating in order not to have a shortage in the country.
“But NNPCL is also monitoring the replacements that they have. We agreed that NNPCL will continue to import until such a time when we have a critical mass of other importers,” Ahmed had stated in Abuja.
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has issued a stern warning that individuals found guilty of forging its discharge or exemption certificates could face imprisonment, fines, or both as penalties.
The Director of Legal Services, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, delivered this message during the 2023 Legal Officers’ Capacity Building Training held in Abuja.
The training centred around the theme “The Role of the Legal Officer in the Defence of the Public Service in Nigeria.” Ibrahim emphasized that all the infractions related to the NYSC Act should be well-known. “The infractions are many, like forging the NYSC certificates,” he stated.
Ibrahim further explained that some individuals who are required to participate in the youth service fail to do so, while others abandon the service before completion. These actions are in direct violation of the NYSC Act, which clearly outlines the appropriate measures to be taken in such cases.
The Director of Legal Services also highlighted instances where individuals attempt to attend orientation camps with forged documents. Once caught, they are arrested by the police and face prosecution. While there are ongoing cases related to such offences, the exact number of incidents cannot be determined at this time.
“The punishment, first of all, is to arrest them. The police will now charge them to court, and it is now left for the courts to decide if it is imprisonment or fine,” Ibrahim explained. He further added that the court has the discretion to determine the length of imprisonment, ranging from two years to three years, or the option of a fine, or both.
Regarding the involvement of Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) in these infractions, Ibrahim stated that if such institutions submit names of unqualified corps members, they are considered guilty and will be taken to court. The court, in its discretion, will determine the appropriate punishment for the institutions involved.
However, Ibrahim clarified that delisting the institutions is not the immediate action taken. The institutions are still allowed to submit the names of their intending corps members for mobilization. He expressed concern about the rising frequency of such infractions, which continue to occur on a daily basis.
The primary objective of the training, according to Ibrahim, was to ensure that members of the public have a clear understanding of the provisions of the NYSC Act. He emphasized the importance of promoting compliance and educating individuals about their rights and responsibilities.
Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, the Director-General of NYSC, conveyed his policy thrust of enhancing capacity building to stimulate efficiency and higher corporate performance within the scheme. Represented by Ibrahim, he stated that the training aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of legal officers in the defence of the Public Service in Nigeria.
Ahmed acknowledged the significant contributions of the Legal Unit in providing quality legal advice to the NYSC management and effectively handling cases involving the scheme in various courts. He expressed confidence that the training would further strengthen the values of the scheme and contribute to the professional growth of legal officers.
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control(NAFDAC) has refuted the claim that semolina contains plastic materials adding that scientific analysis of the food product showed that the woman’s claim in a video is not true.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye in a statement on Monday said the attention of the Agency has been drawn to a social media video showing a woman washing Golden Penny Semovita in a sieve using cold water.
“The woman claimed that the residue she got after sieving was plastic. A similar video was shown in 2020 and that led to a Press Release similar to this.”
“Upon receiving the alerts from various quarters in the community in 2020, the Director General immediately gave a directive to conduct emergency post-marketing analysis using different brands of Semolina.”
“The Agency investigated this claim by conducting appropriate analytical testing in her internationally accredited laboratories. The results showed that there was no plastic or any similar harmful contaminants in Golden Penny Semovita.”
“It contained the expected components plus the required Vitamin A. NAFDAC, therefore, wishes to inform the general public that the claim in the social media video assertions is misleading.”
“The alleged Golden Penny Semovita is a brand of semolina, a very popular flour made from wheat and consumed in several parts of the world. Semolina contains mainly water, carbohydrates and about 13% of gluten-forming proteins.”
“Gluten is made up of two classes of proteins – glutenin and gliadin, which upon addition of water combine to form gluten, a protein that gives nutritive value and imparts other characteristic properties to the product.”
“Glutenin normally gives a bread dough the ability to rise during baking while gliadin gives it the viscous and elastic (viscoelastic) properties, or it simply makes it extensible and elastic.”
“This latter property is the rubbery/plastic-like appearance that was exhibited in the said video. Semolina has no plastic content in it; it only exhibits viscous and elastic properties. The rubbery-like material that was observed in the video after many washings with water is the gluten that formed after the gluten-forming proteins get mixed with water.”
“Golden Penny Semovita is manufactured by Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc., a registered company which has been granted marketing authorization by NAFDAC to manufacture the product and offer it for sale in Nigeria.”
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed that banks’ total assets from April 2022 to April 2023 rose by N16.65 representing a 25.88 per cent adding that Industry credit also increased by N4.54 trillion during the period under review.
The Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, CBN, Aisha Ahmad, and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN, Adeola Adenikinju disclosed this in their personal statements at the CBN MPC meeting held in May.
They added that Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) ratio declined to 4.4 per cent in April 2023 from 4.5 per cent in March 2022, which is further below the regulatory benchmark of 5 per cent.
According to Adenikinju, “Total Assets of the banking industry grew by N16.65 trillion or 25.88 per cent between April 2022 and April 2023. Industry credit increased by N4.54 trillion or 17.40 per cent between end April 2022 and end-April 2023. Gross credit has been on an upward trajectory since 2019. Total industry deposits increased by N8.84 trillion or 21.4 per cent between the end of April 2022 and April 2023.”
He added that the stress tests conducted on the industry show that it can weather the major risks and vulnerabilities in the system.
He noted that the financial soundness indicators remain positive and that the banking system remains strong, sound, and resilient.
“The capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 12.8 per cent in April 2023, still within the prudential requirement of between 10 per cent – 15 per cent. Non-performing loans (NPLs) ratio declined from 4.5 per cent in March 2023 to 4.4 per cent in April 2023.
“Liquidity ratio (LR) rose to 45.3 per cent in April 2023, from 43.8 per cent in March 2023. This is above the minimum 30 per cent recommended by the prudential requirement, ”he said.
However, he warned that cost to operating income declined marginally from 70.6 per cent to 70.5 per cent between March and April 2023 urging it be addressed as in other climes, “the ratio is 23.5 per cent in Turkey, 50.6 per cent in Brazil, 41.0 per cent in Malaysia, 62.0 per cent in South Africa, 43.2 per cent in Angola, 35.2 per cent in Egypt, Kenya is 45.2 per cent and Ghana, 46.1 per cent.”
On her part, Ahmad stated: “Industry credit increased by N4.54 trillion between end-April 2022 and 2023 with significant portions of the credit granted to output elastic sectors (manufacturing, general commerce, agriculture, information, and communication), and has been in an upward trajectory since 2019, yet the monthly trend in credit growth declined from 1.31per cent in March 2023 to 0.05 per cent in April 2023. Lending rates also remain high in response to the contractionary monetary policy stance. These developments point to the importance of balanced actions in the pursuit of the price stability mandate.
“Industry soundness indicators also remain strong as of April 2023, with capital adequacy ratio at 12.8 per cent, non-performing loans ratio at 4.4 per cent from 5.3 per cent in April 2022 and liquidity ratio at 45.3 per cent above the 30.0 per cent minimum even as credit to the real sector continued to grow.”
She also added that stress test results showed that industry solvency and liquidity positions could withstand mild to moderate shocks in the short to medium term.
“Nonetheless, the sector must continue to build adequate capital buffers – ongoing implementation of the Basel III capital standards (which prescribes additional capital buffers) are relevant in this regard,” she added.
On his part, the Deputy Governor, Economic Policy Directorate, Dr. Kingsley Obiora stated: “The continuous decline in NPL was attributable to write-offs, restructuring of facilities, Global Standing Instruction (GSI) and sound credit risk management. Consequently, total gross credit increased by N4.54 trillion, representing an increase of 19.71 per cent between the end of April 2022 and the end of April 2023, from N26.10 trillion to N30.64 trillion, due to the increase in the industry funding base, the CBN’s directive on Loan-to-Deposit Ratio (LDR), and business strategy and competition. The credit growth was largely recorded in key sectors of the economy, including oil and gas, manufacturing, general commerce, and government.”
The management of Innoson Automobile Company has finally broken silence on the N3 million scholarship awarded to Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme, saying the scholarship will stand if the latter found to be innocent of the allegation by JAMB of result manipulation.
Mr Cornel Osigwe, Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Group, stated this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Onitsha.
NAN reports that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), had accused Ejikeme of using a software to manipulate her score to 362 as against 249.
According to Osigwe, it is strange to hear from JAMB that Ejikeme manipulated her result.
“It is strange to us because we did our independent verification and found out that Mmesoma Ejikeme actually scored 362, when we printed her result.
“When it was claimed that she was the highest, we waited for JAMB to come and clarify it, but they did not and the media was publishing that she was the highest.
“We also waited to see if there was going to be a counter claim, but since there was no counter claim, we awarded her the scholarship as the highest scorer.
“On Sunday, it was reported that JAMB claimed that she manipulated her result. We are doing our independent investigation as we speak to know if she actually manipulated her result or the fault was from JAMB.
“If we find out that the girl actually manipulated her result for obvious reasons, we will withdraw the scholarship.
“But if we find out that the mistake was actually from JAMB; that they were the ones that awarded her the score, or probably did a review and found out that her actual score was 249, then our scholarship will still stand.”
More...
•Buhari submits nominee for Katsina
•Tinubu wades into choice of candidate from Kano
A list of ministerial nominees to be appointed by President Bola Tinubu is ready, Sun-Tribune can report authoritatively.
The list, according to top sources in power corridors, is the first batch and will be sent to the Senate this week. The list of other nominees will follow after.
The president is required to appoint a minister each from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to assist him to run the government.
Immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, appointed 44 ministers with some states getting two ministers.
Sunday Tribune gathered that the first batch is made up of technocrats in line with the desire of President Tinubu to get the economy running as quickly as possible.
Investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed that some serving senators from the North and the South are on the list.
“The president wants a Federal Executive Council that is performance-driven and has consequently head-hunted some highly competent technocrats to assist him in achieving his Renewed Hope Agenda upon which Nigerians voted for him.
“The president is aware of the need to depart from the old order in the appointment of ministers. He has demonstrated it in Lagos State that he is a talent spotter. Rest assured he is assembling a crack team to confront the problems in the country, said one of the sources contacted by Sunday Tribune.
It was gathered that a former Chief Executive Officer of a commercial bank from the South-West who joined partisan politics in 2020 is one of the technocrats on the list.
The person, a Fellow of Chartered Accountant (FCA) is being touted as the technocrat to be saddled with manning the Ministry of Finance where his core competence will fit in.
Sources confided in Sunday Tribune that the president has waded into the choice of nominee from Kano State as a result of the face-off between the immediate past governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Tinubu, it was learnt, gave Buhari the honour of presenting a nominee from Katsina State. The former president is said to have sent a name to his successor.
As part of the demonstration of his determination to begin the rebuilding of the economy immediately, it was gathered that the Senate will receive the first batch this week.
Apart from the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who may have been penciled in as the nominee from the state, some of his colleagues in the G-5 camp may make the list.
It was gathered that those who lost their senatorial bids and could not install successors in their states might be considered for appointments.
“The president is taking time to select those he believes will add value and move the country forward, particularly on the economic front.
“The first batch of the list is ready,” Sunday Tribune was told by a source which added that “the list will be finalised at a meeting with the president today [Monday].”
The Presidential Petition Election Court has adjourned to Tuesday, July 4, the hearing of the defence filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The court on June 23 fixed Monday, July 3 for respondents to open their case in defence of the petition filed by aggrieved parties challenging the outcome of the February 25 election wherein Bola Tinubu emerged as the president.
According to the schedule, the electoral commission was billed to advance their argument against the petition filed by the Labour Party and its presidential election, Peter Obi on Monday morning.
During Monday’s proceedings, counsel for INEC, A.B Mahmoud, SAN, informed the court that the commission had billed three witnesses to give their testimony in aid of their defence.
However, he said that the witness who was scheduled to testify was unavoidably absent from the court.
He thereafter sought that the matter be moved to the next day.
The PEPC headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani heeded the request following the agreement of other parties in the case.
Three aggrieved parties and their candidates are challenging the outcome of the presidential election in court.
The petitioners are the LP and Obi; the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the Allied Peoples Movement.
Following, the parties, together with their candidates in separate petitions dragged the electoral commission, the president, his Vice – Kassim Shetima and their party, the APC to court.
They had closed their case on June 23, leaving the stage for respondents in the matter to table their defence before the court.
[Punch]
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said that 13 intending pilgrims from Nigeria lost their lives while performing the just concluded Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Head of the Medical Team of NAHCON, Dr. Usman Galadima, disclosed this to journalists Monday during the post Arafat briefing in Makkah with the Hajj stakeholders.
He said: “Seven of the victims died before Arafat, six died post Arafat (four in Arafat, two in Mina).
“Three of the dead victims were from the private tour operators, while two each were from Kaduna and Osun States.
“Plateau, Borno, Yobe, FCT, Benue and Lagos States recorded one death each.
“The post Arafat figure for this year is higher than the combined figures of 2022 (two) and 2018 (two).
“The figure is the same as that of 2019, while it is higher than the post Arafat figures of 2016 and 2017 when three deaths were recorded each.”
According to him, a total of 25,722 pilgrims were treated by the medical team throughout the post-Arafat period out of which the men were 10,454 and women were 15,268.
“There were 93 emergency cases out of which there were seven heat strokes, 22 severe malaria, seven DM emergencies and five psychiatric cases.
“There were also three reported cases of chicken pox, which the doctor said were all taken out of Mina to the hospital in Makkah to avoid contagion,” he stated.
Galadima also reported that two cases of deliveries by pregnant women, one on the roadside and another one in one of the NAHCON medical facilities.
He advised that elderly pilgrims should stop going to Jamarat, while all pilgrims should use the train service to access the place.
He added that medical screening at state levels should be scaled up to stop medically unfit pilgrims from coming for Hajj.
[ThisDay]
Within one week, Mayowa Adesina staggeringly watched the fuel expenses for the generator in his barbershop soar, the highest-ever jump since he entered the haircut business over 15 years ago.
“I’ve never bought fuel and paid N10,000 [$13] before. Now I buy it and it lasts for three days,” says Mr Adeshina, a barber in Festac Town, Lagos.
On the day he assumed office as Nigeria’s 16th president on 29 May, Mr Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy, a decision that saw the price of petrol jump three-fold across the country. In Lagos, the price of one litre rose from N180 to about N500. Outside Lagos, it costs even higher.
Mr Tinubu, who sacked the Central Bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefiele, also called for the unification of the country’s multiple exchange rates. While the move was widely lauded by economists, it has caused prices to skyrocket.
Several universities and other higher institutions across the country had increased their tuition by as much as 100 per cent.
Within one week, Mayowa Adesina staggeringly watched the fuel expenses for the generator in his barbershop soar, the highest-ever jump since he entered the haircut business over 15 years ago.
“I’ve never bought fuel and paid N10,000 [$13] before. Now I buy it and it lasts for three days,” says Mr Adeshina, a barber in Festac Town, Lagos.
On the day he assumed office as Nigeria’s 16th president on 29 May, Mr Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy, a decision that saw the price of petrol jump three-fold across the country. In Lagos, the price of one litre rose from N180 to about N500. Outside Lagos, it costs even higher.
Mr Tinubu, who sacked the Central Bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefiele, also called for the unification of the country’s multiple exchange rates. While the move was widely lauded by economists, it has caused prices to skyrocket.
Several universities and other higher institutions across the country had increased their tuition by as much as 100 per cent.
Read the full report here.
[Premium Times]