President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Thursday in Paris – France said ongoing reforms, starting with removal of fuel subsidy and streamlining of exchange rate, will be sustained for a more competitive economy that attracts Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), urging investors to take advantage of opportunities in Nigeria.

“We are ready for business, prepared to welcome investments,’’ he said, while receiving President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), Prof. Benedict Oramah and President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud–Basso, in separate meetings, on the sidelines of the Summit for New Global Financing Pact.

The President assured the delegation of AfreximBank Executives led by Dr Oramah that the Federal Government will continue to stimulate the economy with policies that support investments in areas of Nigeria’s competitive advantage, particularly agriculture.

“We need reforms for national survival,’’ he added, noting that it would take boldness and courage to reposition the economy, calling for more collaboration to solidify the economy.

“We must stimulate recovery for the growth and prosperity of our people, which will not be far away. Nigeria is ready for global business and our reform is total.

“Nigeria is blessed with human and material resources,’’ President Tinubu told the delegation, who had earlier listed areas of interventions to buoy the economy, like infrastructure, health, energy and agriculture.

The President of AfreximBank commended President Tinubu for the bold steps in removing the fuel subsidy and unification of the exchange rate, assuring the Nigerian leader of the full support of the financial and development institution on the ongoing reforms.

Dr Oramah said the bank was already building the first African Specialist Hospital in Abuja, and Energy Bank, pledging to inject more money into the economy to further build confidence of investors.

In the meeting with the EBRD,  President Tinubu said, “We are challenged in terms of reforms, and we have taken the largest elephant out of the room with removal of fuel subsidy, and multiple exchange rates are equally gone. We are determined to open up the economy for business. Consider us a stakeholder in the Bank.’’

He told the EBRD President that Nigeria’s economy was too large and potent to be ignored, adding, “Ignoring Nigeria will be a peril to the universe.’’

Renaud-Basso said it would be a mistake for the development bank not to invest in Nigeria, after considering six potential economies for investment.

She explained that focus would be on the private sector, especially Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

Dele Alake

Special Adviser to the President

Special Duties, Communication and Strategy

Seven African leaders stunned the world on June 16 and 17, 2023 when they went on a peace mission to warring Ukraine and Russia. The reaction from many in the West was that of contempt; how is it the place of lowly Africa to intervene in a war of Europeans? In fact, Poland tried to scuttle the mission by detaining for 30 hours the aircraft carrying the protection unit of President Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of the delegation.

Its claim was that the security men carried “dangerous goods”(weapons). Did they expect them to carry candies? The protocol all over the world is for the paper work for the weapons to be submitted; but Poland declined. Eventually, the aircraft which also had a dozen journalists on board, could not join Ramaphosa as Hungary barred it from using its airspace. These are clear indications that some Europeans countries do not want peace.

The United States had also tried to scuttle the peace process by its Congress insisting that sanctions be imposed on South Africa for being a member of the Brazil, Russia, India , China and South Africa, BRICS, economic initiative and promising to allow President Vladimir Putin on whom it had imposed unilateral sanctions, to attend the BRICS meeting in South Africa without any consequences.

The reaction of some in Africa was one of self-denigration: how can African leaders think of making peace among Europeans, especially when the Pope, the United Nations and China had failed? Some, in trying to portray the African leaders as jobless busy bodies asked: what is Africa’s business? I will tell you what our business is by retelling a true story.

The European countries in search of territories, and to exploit the world’s human and natural resources went on a voyage to colonise the rest of the world.

As is often the case with the greedy tortoise, they came close to blows, and in 1884, met in Berlin to agree on how they would steal the resources of other peoples without fighting themselves. But greed has no limit, so on July 28, 1914, they commenced an All-European War. Since there were no persons to mediate, the Europeans were left on their own and at the end, 16 million human beings were killed in what they beatified as the First World War.

Despite the Europeans proclaiming that the First World War was a “War to end all wars”, they were back at another endless slaughter from September 1939. This time, some 85 million human beings were killed. They christened this slaughter, the Second World War. In each of these wars, genocide was a side menu. In the first, Armenians were the main victims, while in the second it was six million Jews. In all these, innocent Africans, Asians and Latin Americans were killed as they were forced to fight for both sides.

So today, with the same countries engaged in another slaughter, is it logical for anybody to ask what the concern of Africa is?

 If the senseless war in Ukraine were not brought to a quick and peaceful end as the African leaders are trying to do, is anybody in doubt that all humanity would be affected and that part of the war would also be fought on African soil as it happened in the Second World War?

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday told the African leaders that he is not interested in peace and is confident of resolving issues militarily, is anyone fooled that his faith is in the decimated Ukrainian armed forces? Is anybody in doubt that the war in Ukraine is an international one with the military from various countries, including America, Asia and Europe, engaged? Are we to pretend that since those armies are not fighting under their countries’ flags, then they are not on the battle field?

Did those querying the business of Africa in pushing for peace, listen to Putin when the African peace ambassadors asked him if the Russian nuclear weapons recently deployed to Belarus would be used? He had retorted that in case of a “threat to the Russian statehood” they would be used. He emphasised: “In that case, we will certainly use all the means that the Russian state has. There should be no doubt about that.” So, is Africa to do nothing in the face of a possible Third World War in which nuclear weapons will be used or do people think all these is a joke?

Those who argue that Africa has no business initiating peace in Ukraine are like occupants of a multiple storey building who claim that it is not their business if an occupant on the ground floor decides to blow up his flat.

Some scoff that the African leaders returned home empty handed. Such people do not seem to understand that a peace process is not a quick fix; once it is not going to be an imposition, it is often a marathon race. An African saying goes: an elder that listens to only one side of a story to pass judgement is a wicked elder. So the African leaders have gone to Kyiv and Moscow, listened to the combatants, poked them for response and watched their body language. A wise step the African leaders also took was to ensure their team includes friends of the warriors and their allies who might be beating the drums to which they are so energetically dancing. It is a known fact that South Africa is not opposed to Russia; Egypt is an ally of the United States and Senegal strives to be in the good books of France.

Again, there are those who argue that we have not been able to settle African conflicts like the senseless one in Sudan. True, but that does not mean we cannot strive for peace in Ukraine as we are also doing in Sudan. By the way, who praised Africa for the peace process in Ethiopia?

Then, there are those who query why the African countries went on the peace mission rather than the African Union, AU. To me, it is not on all issues we must wait for the bureaucracy of the AU to agree before an action can commence. In any case, how do they know the AU was unaware of the peace mission? How do they know the delegation did not get the nod of the AU before setting out?

I wish the African peacemakers: Presidents Ramaphosa, Macky Sall of Senegal, Comoros’ Azali Assoumani and Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly of Egypt and the envoys from Congo-Brazzaville and Uganda, success. Africans cannot just sit back and watch the Europeans engage in another mutual slaughter or ignite a Third World War.

Before grappling with the subject matter of this column today, I feel encouraged to get readers acquainted, if they are not already, with certain universally applicable concepts and perspectives of law. They are Natural law, Positive law, Judicial activism and the Separation of powers.They provide a meaningful backdrop to the surveillance of the rule of law in Nigeria 

According to my sources, ‘the theory of natural law believes that our civil laws should be based on morality, ethics, and what is inherently correct; that laws should reflect moral reasoning and should be based on moral order.This is in contrast to what is called “positive law” which holds that there is no connection between law and moral order’.

Proponents of judicial activism are persuaded ‘that the courts can and should go beyond the applicable law to consider broader societal implications of its decisions.The specific decisions that are activist are controversial political issues’. 

‘Separation of powers is the division of the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of government among separate and independent bodies

The purpose is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances’.

Now to the column proper- beginning with the rave of the moment, namely, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa. He confessed:

“Mr. Chairman, I must say that okay, to round off, since that is what you want me to do, I will do that and I must thank particularly my wife whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office and she has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment and extended her help to my colleagues.”“I know – I look at faces in this chamber whom have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal and I am sure…”

In a left handed salute and acknowledgement, Nigerians owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa for laying bare before the public glare, what we have always suspected of the Nigerian judiciary. We now know for certain that the culture of rampant corruption in the Nigerian judiciary is alive and kicking, thanks to the loving husband of the former president of the Nigerian court of appeal.. 

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the law in Nigeria and the ultimate destination for all cases before the lower courts. As such, the apex court is the personification of the Nigerian judiciary, in its entirety. Hence it is from its conduct that we draw the exemplars of the culture to which Mr Bulkachuwa speaks. 

First, on the last governorship election in Imo state in 2019, the Supreme Court rules:

“It is thereby ordered that the appellant votes from 388 Polling Units unlawfully excluded from the appellant vote declared shall be added and that the first respondent, Emeka Ihedioha, was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the said election.”

Responding to this judgement, here was fellow Supreme Court Justice Chima Nweze:

“The decision of the Supreme Court in the instant matter will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come. This court has a duty of redeeming its image. It is against this background that the finality of the court cannot extinguish the right of any person. This Court has powers to over rule itself and can revisit any decision not in accordance with justice,”

In tandem, we learnt from another source that ‘Professor Ben Nwabueze accused the Supreme Court of playing a discreditable part in manufacturing a jurisprudence of electoral impunity, lamenting the failure by the Court to appreciate that the question of who should rule Nigeria is not one to be decided by a perverse and narrow legalism, by the technicalities of the rules of evidence, practice, and procedure and by considerations of.expediency.”

Second, is the Supreme court judgement on the eligibility of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senator Godswill Akpabio to contest, simultaneously, for the presidency and the Senate haven taking no part in the APC primaries: Delivering the unanimous judgement of its five-member panel led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Supreme Court held that the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal were wrong to have assumed jurisdiction in the suit because the issue of candidate nomination lies squarely with political parties.

The explicit implication of the judgement of the Supreme court here is that regardless of how the party candidate emerged, with or without participation in party primaries, such a candidate is eligible to contest. It also found no offence in contesting for two electoral officers at one and the same time.

Another instance is the upturning of the conviction of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu: “The trial court found him guilty of corruption in December 2019 and was sentenced to 12 years in jail. But in one of a series of questionable judgements given by the Supreme Court, his jail time was nullified on technical grounds: that the judge who jailed him was ineligible to handle the trial having been elevated to the Court of Appeal’s bench as of the time he concluded the case”.

There will always be bad eggs in any institution or organ of government including the Judiciary. In any functional society however, such bad eggs are the exception and not the rule. A situation of crisis therefore arises where the bad eggs become the rule rather than the exception. In this latter instance, what you then have amounts to institutional subversion. 

At its maturation, this phenomenon is characterised as state capture- which refers to the way ‘formal procedures (such as laws and social norms) and government bureaucracy are manipulated by government officials, state-backed companies, private companies or private individuals, so as to influence state policies and laws in their favour’ 

It is within this concept of state capture that we can best locate the crisis of the judiciary. The other organs of government namely the legislative and the executive are, of course, equally implicated. What we then have is a systemic crisis in which none of the organs can be meaningfully isolated for remedial action.This is presently the case with Nigeria. The argument is that given the near criminal capture of all the arms of government, it is unrealistic to assume that the judiciary will not follow suit.

Nonetheless there are several dimensions to the crisis of the Nigerian judiciary. The crisis (of the judiciary) is the crisis of the Nigerian constitution, especially in regard of overcentralisation of power at the centre. Lord Acton aptly admonished that power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Today, the most destabilising factor in Nigerian politics is the take no prisoners pursuit of the Nigerian presidency by contending factions of a self-destructive power elite.

In its zero sum dimensions, “the premium on political power became so exceedingly high that political contestants regarded victory at elections as a matter of life and death struggle” The judiciary is thereby co-opted and subverted to become the hired gun of desperate unscrupulous politicians. From this subversion at the national level, those at the subordinate levels have duly taken a cue.

Of equal significance is the utility of the unintended consequence of federalism. There is the profitable coincidence that federalism is, at once, the cure prescribed by the wholistic systemic crisis diagnosis of the entire Nigeria sickness and of a judiciary gone rogue.There is however the caveat that this ascriptive role (of federalism) is Nigeria specific. Taming a criminally implicated judiciary is not a generic role of federalism 

We have come to learn that the institutional subversion of the judiciary has largely emanated from its power of adjudication over the eligibility of who should contest and who should not contest elections; who wins and who loses elections especially at the governorship and presidential election levels. 

The overcentralisation of powers at the centre has precipitated and fuelled a desperation that is subversive of any legal and moral norm in the pursuit of its acquisition. Being the final arbiter of formal political conflicts, it is inevitable that the judiciary will become the major casualty of this anomaly. It then follows that any countervailing measure such as devolution and decentralisation of power will commensurately diminish the incentive to subvert the institutional integrity of the judiciary. 

There is the saying that all politics is local and by dint of the same logic, it can be validly argued that all development challenges are local. For development to take root, it has to be localised and owned by the beneficiary local population especially in a polity that is defined by large scale diversities and disparities. This self-prescriptive decentralisation and devolution of powers is the philosophy behind the Nigerian federalism. It was true in 1960 as it is true today.

Even if we did not have the crisis of the judiciary in mind, whenever the case is made for the restoration of federalism, it is now clear that this constitutional remedy has the potential to tame the monster. Without the murderous desperation to acquire the presidency, it is improbable that there would be a judiciary buyer of the sale of the inducement to subvert the course of justice.

Another dimension to the ailment is the immanent threat of facistic encroachment where presidents begin to arrogate to themselves the arbitrary privilege to determine what constitutes the boundaries of legitimate judicial intervention and

pronouncements.The proper recourse for any president who is not satisfied with the conduct of the judiciary is the national judicial council. The president has no power in the constitution to appropriate and arrogate such leviathan sovereignty to himself.  

In this tendency to take liberty for license we need look

no further than the exemplified pronouncements of Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu. Said Buhari “Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position on this issue in this regard and it is now a matter of judicial recognition that; where national security and public interest are threatened or there is a likelihood of their being threatened, the individual rights of those allegedly responsible must take second place, in favour of the greater good of society.” In similar fashion, Tinubu threatened that “It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary, illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated.”. 

To recap, the problem of Nigeria is a near systemic collapse which must to be addressed as such if the country would survive. Pending the acceptance of this prescription, all attempts at isolating the sporadic and episodic manifestations for remedial initiatives will end up in self-defeating smokes and mirrors. 

Imo State Government has been given a one month ultimatum to fully implement the White paper that indicted the immediate past Senator that represented Imo West, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, of looting more than N130 billion from the state’s coffers while he was Governor.

At a world press conference in Owerri Wednesday, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Sincere Concern Organization Inc, regretted that the non-implementation of the White paper has emboldened the former Governor to attempt to return to Government through a proxy.

The Director General of the Organization, Mrs Foluke Olabimbe Lemechi, said the group was saddened that two years after the publication of the White paper which indicted the former Governor of wide spread looting, the Government was foot dragging on the issue.

It noted that Okorocha has taken advantage of that lacuna to now plot on how to sponsor a candidate for the November Governorship election in Imo State so as to escape justice.

It declared: “We don’t want the victims of Okorocha’s brigandage and open robbery to die before the emperor is brought to justice. We don’t want to wait until Okorocha succeeds in installing a stooge as Governor to continue the looting spree before he is stopped.”

The group disclosed that if at the expiration of the one month ultimatum, the Imo State Government has not moved against Okorocha to return the stolen money and assets, it would mobilize the youths to act through lawful means.

The group said: “If after the expiration of the ultimatum, Okorocha has not returned the money or he is not in jail, we shall take lawful steps to ensure that justice is served so that would be Public Office holders would not think that it is a norm to steal from the public purse and go scot free.”

The NGO which commended the State Government for recovering the KO Mbadiwe University and Palm Garden Estate from Okorocha, however urged it to do more in the interest of Imo people.

It recalled that the Commission of Inquiry which was set up by the government of Hon Emeka Ihedioha had indicted Okorocha of looting more than N130b through phoney contract awards while he and his family appropriated Government and private lands to themselves.

The group feared that the non-prosecution and possible jailing of the former Governor was responsible for his current grandstanding of planning to install a stooge as Governor.

“We are saddened that those who looted the assets and money of the state are still walking free and even planning to return to power to finally bury the State through corruption,” it lamented.

The Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has ordered Governor Peter Mbah to appear before it today.

The order was sequel to an application made by the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, through its counsel, Alex Amujiogo.

Candidate of the PRP, Christopher Agu, is in court seeking to upturn the declaration of Peter Mbah as the winner of the March 18 governorship election conducted in the state.

He is also claiming that Mbah was not qualified to contest the election, having allegedly forged his National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, discharge certificate, among other issues.

At the resumed hearing, the PRP’s counsel, Amujiogo told the tribunal that Mbah was supposed to be in court as a subpoenaed witness.

He, however, said from the affidavit deposed to by the bailiff of the Tribunal, it had been difficult to serve Mbah the summon.

Amujiogo then moved an application, urging the Tribunal to grant a substituted service of the summon on Mbah through his counsel.

Although the application was opposed by the three respondents, the INEC, Mbah as well as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, because it was supposed to come by way of motion, supported by an affidavit during a pre-trial session, they were overruled by the Tribunal.

Chairman of the Panel, Justice K. M. Akano ordered that the subpoena be served on Mbah through his counsel and that he should appear before the Tribunal tomorrow,(today) June 23, 2023.

Earlier, the PRP guber candidate during the election, Agu, had also testified before the Tribunal as PW2.

An official of the NYSC from the National Secretariat, Abuja, Aliu Muhammed, who also appeared on behalf of the Director-General of the Corps, tendered an affidavit to the Tribunal, declaring that an order of a Federal High Abuja, was inhibiting them from tendering the disclaimer the Corps made against Mbah’s certificate.

The PRP lawyer, Amujiogo told journalists after the Tribunal’s sitting that “our PW2 (Christopher Agu) has already testified before the Tribunal and he has given a clearer picture, the synopsis of what transpired during the election, and we are urging the Tribunal to set aside the purported result in favour of Peter Mbah, the governor.

“We had an issue of a subpoena against Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, in which the Tribunal is urging him to appear before it to clarify certain issues against him, based on his NYSC certificate and other matters.

“Surprisingly, he was not in the Tribunal today and the bailiff informed the Tribunal that he is evading service, he cannot find him, and the security cannot allow him to serve Mbah the subpoena.

“Then, the Tribunal in its wisdom, after I have applied, has now permitted the bailiff or myself, to now serve Mbah through his counsel, for him to appear before the Tribunal tomorrow, being 23rd of June, 2023, and clarify certain issues against him before the Tribunal and we have already served him the said subpoena through his lawyer, Ik Onuoma today in court.

“So he must obey the summon of the Tribunal by appearing in person tomorrow, Friday.”

NYSC DG to appear before tribunal

Similarly, Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, will appear before the Enugu tribunal.

In a Tweet by the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Dogara will appear before the tribunal over Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah’s alleged fake discharged certificate.

In February 2023, NYSC issued a letter signed by Ibrahim Muhammad, the scheme’s director of certifications, that the certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps.

Mbah sued NYSC for what he described as conspiracy, deceit, and misrepresentation of facts and demanded N20 billion compensation.

Speaking as a guest on Arise TV in May, the NYSC DG said he had met with Mbah and was frank with him, informing him the certificate is not from the scheme.

“This case is in court, and I may not want to say much but let me tell you the issue you are talking about. The person came to the NYSC for verification, and he was told the certificate is not issued from us.”

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total sum of N786.161 billion to the federal, state and Local Governments.

It represented their share from the May 2023 Federation Account Revenue, according to the communiqué issued at the end of the FAAC meeting in Abuja, yesterday.

The meeting was chaired by the new Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, according to the Director, Press and Public Relations, Mr. Bawa Mokwa.

The N786.161 billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N519.545 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N251.607 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) of N14.370 billion, and Exchange Difference revenue of N0.639 billion.

A total of N38.238 billion was deducted as cost of collection, usually paid to the revenue generating agencies, while statutory transfers took another N163.193 billion.

The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was $473,754.57.

The communiqué indicated that from the total distributable revenue of N786.161 billion; the Federal Government received N301.889 billion, the State Governments received N265.875 billion and the Local Government Councils received N195.541 billion.

A total of N22.855 billion was shared to the oil producing tates as 13% derivation revenue.

Gross statutory revenue of N701.787 billion was received for the month of May 2023. This was higher than the sum of N497.463 billion received in the previous month by N204.324 billion.

From the N519.545 billion distributable statutory revenue, the Federal Government received N261.686 billion, the State Governments received N132.731 billion and the Local Government Councils received N102.330 billion. The sum of N22.798 billion was shared to the relevant States as 13% derivation revenue.

For the month of May 2023, the gross revenue available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) was N270.197 billion.

This was higher than the N217.743 billion available in the month of April 2023 by N52.454 billion.

The Federal Government received N37.741 billion, the State Governments received N125.804 billion and the Local Government Councils received N88.062 billion from the N251.607 billion distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue.

The N14.370 billion Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) was shared as follows: the Federal Government received N2.155 billion, the State Governments received N7.185 billion and the Local Government Councils received N5.030 billion.

From the N0.639 billion Exchange Difference revenue, the Federal Government received N0.307 billion, the State Governments received N0.156 billion, the Local Government Councils received N0.119 billion and the sum of N0.057 billion was shared to the relevant States as 13 percent mineral revenue.

The naira yesterday depreciated N765.13 per dollar in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window.

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for the window rose to N765.13 per dollar from N763.17 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating N1.96 depreciation for the naira.

Similarly, the naira depreciated by N14 in the parallel market yesterday.

Vanguard findings from black market traders showed that the exchange rate for the market rose to N772 per dollar from N758 per dollar on Wednesday.

Thursday’s transaction volume was an improvement from below $90 million turnover recorded at the window on Wednesday.

The naira also weakened against the British Pound Sterling (GBP) to N980/GBP at the close of business on Thursday.

The I&E window was activated in June 2017, and represents the broader forex market, where dollars sourced from autonomous sources are traded between Authorised Dealers, Clients and the CBN.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a warning about potential attacks on worship and recreational centres during the upcoming Eid Kabir celebrations.

The warning comes after the discovery of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in a joint operation conducted by the DSS, the Nigerian Army, and the Police.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the DSS, urged vigilance from operators of public spaces, such as shopping malls.

According to the DSS statement, there have been reports suggesting plans to attack these places of gathering before and during the Eid festivities. The discovery of IEDs further validates these concerns.

“Operators and patrons of public places including markets, malls, etc are advised to be watchful and report any suspicious movements and persons to the relevant security agencies,” the statement read.

The DSS, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and Police, has been conducting operations in Nasarawa and Kogi States.

In June 19, 2023, they arrested Abubakar Muhammad, a suspected gunrunner, along the Abuja- Keffi Expressway in Keffi LGA of Nasarawa State.

The team confiscated several items, including ammunition, IEDs, cash, and a Volkswagen Golf vehicle.

In another operation on June 22, 2023, in Ejule, Ofu LGA of Kogi State, the team encountered Kabir Bala, a notorious gang leader and one-time jailbreaker.

Although Bala was neutralized during a gunfight, his gang members managed to escape.

The operation resulted in the recovery of an AK47 rifle, locally fabricated weapons, phones, and charms.

The DSS reassured the public of its commitment to partnering with other security agencies in executing proactive measures to prevent criminal activities.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Thursday, asked the federal government to shelve its plans to increase electricity tariff by 40%.

NLC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said; “The plan to increase electricity tariff by 40% by July 1st is both insensitive and callous and reflects an organised indifference to the well-being of consumers, especially, the poor ones.

“The massive increase is explained away as a response to the over 100 per cent increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit (pms).”

The organised labour, further stated; “Details reveal a movement in inflation from 16.9% to 22.41 (threatening to needle 30), and a shift in exchange rate from N441 to N750.

“We believe not even these figures are a justification for this reckless proposed tariff increase.

“The issue of capacity to pay and quality of service delivery are not only germane but superior to any rationalisation by market logic.

“The service providers in spite of sundry support have not been able to meet the threshold of 5000 megawatts.”

Ajaero went on to say, “There have been surreptitious increases without notice in violation of statutes.The inherent risk in the new regime of tariff is that there is no control, implying that by August, consumers will pay new rates.

“The other risk is that by the time other product or service-rendering entities come up with their new prices or rates, the ordinary person would have been compacted into dust.

“We would want to advise apostles of the Market who have called NLC all sorts of names to check their conscience.

“The rate at which they are going is highly combative and combustible. With contemplation of payment of school fees in tertiary institutions and increases in privately-owned ones in addition to other costs/tariffs on the way, life in Nigeria could truly be Hobbesian.

“The market economies which the Market Fundamentalists seek to emulate, have in place socio-economic safeguards which we do not have.

“In light of this, our advice is that this proposed tariff hike should be shelved for our collective safety.”

…Confers Honorary Degree On Fashola, Fayemi, Gbajabiamila, 5 Others

Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, announced a cash reward of N10 million for Ojo Aminat Yusuf, the best graduating student of the Lagos State University.

Sanwo-Olu made the announcement during the school’s 26th convocation ceremony for the awards of diplomas, first degrees, PGD, MSc, professors, PhD, Conferment of honorary foctorate degrees and others.

The event also marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of LASU.

Yusuf who graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.00 (First Class Honours), is the first to do so in the history of the school.

The governor said he would give Yusuf N5 million from his personal pocket, while another N5 million would be given to her by the state government.

“I’ll be giving her a token donation of N5 million. My state government will give her additional donation of N5 million,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Meanwhile, speaking to journalists, Yusuf, said the events of the past few days had motivated her to share in brief her story, in a bid to inspire many others who are in similar situation as she was and are striving towards excellence.

She said: ”I called for financial support only under compelling circumstances, after I have exhausted all options.

“As a result, I experienced some serious financial constraints during my two plus four years stay at LASU.

“In 200 Level, second semester, just because I needed to get a browsing phone and get trained in computer skills, I saved up about 90 per cent of my feeding allowance.”

According to Yusuf, for most part of her days as an undergraduate, she lived in the university premises, because she had no hostel, and going home everyday would have been absolutely inconvenient for her.

“I remember fantasising about achieving a remarkable feat in this prestigious university.

“I first did Diploma in Law programme, which runs for two years, in which students are taught compulsory law courses, with a view to offering direct entry admission to top class students.

“I studied really hard and prayed so fervently towards achieving excellence; I graduated from the programme with a CGPA of 4.98 and this was the best in my set.

“The possibility of graduating with such grade motivated the yearning to graduate with a perfect CGPA at the undergraduate level,” she said.

Other highlight of the event was the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees on former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola; Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; former Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, First Lady of Lagos, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, among others.