The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch (OPWP) has destroyed the terrorist logistics base at Yadi Forest in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

This is contained in a statement by the deputy director, public relations and information, NAF, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Ali said the operation was executed following credible intelligence indicating huge presence of terrorists and their weapons cache in the Yadi Forest.

He said the intensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance confirmed the consistent presence of terrorists and their motorcycles at the location.

According to him, additional intelligence revealed that the logistics base belonged to the notorious terrorist kingpin, Kadade Gurgu, a close ally of Dogo Gide.

He added that available intelligence at the disposal of the NAF revealed that Kadage Gurgu had been providing shelter for notorious terrorist kingpins following the aggressive military operations in Sokoto and Zamfara States.

Mr Ali said the air component dispatched an aircraft, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the target.

According to him, the target area initially appeared uninhabited but as the aircraft approached, some of the terrorists were seen emerging from under the shrubbery and running away from the area.

“Subsequently, the targets were engaged, recording successful hits on the logistics facility, which was engulfed in flames with thick black smoke seen.

“Reports from independent sources, including local informants around the general area, later confirmed that the logistics base was totally destroyed and scores of terrorists were killed as a result of the attack.

“The NAF, in collaboration with surface forces, will continue to dominate the battlespace through extensive situational awareness, constant patrols, and targeted interdiction of bandits’ safe havens within its area of responsibility and neighbouring states.

“This aims to decimate and flush out terrorism and criminal activities within the North-West and North-Central region,” he said.

(NAN)

The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, has asserted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had even more opportunities to fix the country’s challenges while he was in power but failed to do so.

Amadi asserted this while responding to a post on social media where a netizen [Gen_Buhar] alleged that Senator Rasheed Ladoja was illegally removed as Oyo State governor in 2006 for refusing to release N15 million out of the state’s monthly security vote to Lamidi Adedibu.

In a video clip he shared, Gen_Buhar captioned: “Jan 2006: Sen Ladoja was illegally removed for refusing to give N15m of the state’s N65m then monthly security vote to Adedibu.

“Obasanjo who now has solution to every problem Nigeria is facing was the President who gave Adedibu govt backing but because we are a people of very short memory, he’s being worshipped today.

“Obasanjo was also angry with him for standing against his failed 3rd term agenda.”

Responding, Amadi wrote on X: “Terrible. Obasanjo had opportunity more than any other person to change Nigeria. But he failed to achieve it because of personal moral failings.”

Watch the video clip below:

Seventeen state governors have established committees to implement the new ₦70,000minimum wage for workers across Nigeria.

The states taking action include Ogun, Ekiti, Sokoto, Kebbi, Osun, Enugu, Borno, Zamfara, Kogi, Kwara, Gombe, Kano, Taraba, Delta, Rivers, Jigawa, and Abia.

Naija News reports that this comes as the Federal Government began paying the new minimum wage to its 1.2 million workers last Thursday.

According to the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, civil servants will receive the new minimum wage starting from September.

In addition, Edo, Lagos, and Adamawa states have already begun payment, while Anambra state has pledged to implement the new wage by October.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Adamawa, Emmanuel Fashe, confirmed that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri started paying the new wage as early as August, ahead of the Federal Government and other states.

Fashe, speaking to The PUNCH on Sunday, revealed that within three weeks of President Bola Tinubu signing the new minimum wage bill into law in July, the Adamawa State government began implementing the payments in August.

Fashe explained that local government workers in Adamawa began receiving the new wage in September, following updates to the August payroll.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra has also announced that his state will start paying the ₦70,000 minimum wage from October 2024.

He made this known during a meeting with public school principals and headteachers, promising further reforms in education, including refunds for school fees already paid.

Governor Soludo said, “From next month, we hope to start paying the new minimum wage of ₦70,000. Also, from next week, a free education policy will be available to senior students in all public schools in Anambra. Students in senior classes who have already paid their ₦5,000 fees for this term should be refunded and we promise to do more in human development.”

However, an NLC official speaking with The PUNCH, cautioned against celebrating this development, pointing out that the value of the ₦70,000 wage has already been diminished by rising costs.

The official questioned why the new wage implementation was backdated to July instead of May, as stipulated in the 2019 Minimum Wage Act, which states the new wage should take effect immediately after the old one expires.

“The truth is this, we should not be romanticizing people who are lawbreakers. People who are lawbreakers should not be romanticised. If the Federal Government says they want to start paying, I don’t think it is something that should be celebrated. What is it that they want to start paying? ₦70,000 that has already been eroded by the actions and policies of the government?

“If you look at the price of PMS (petrol) from the time the minimum wage was signed into law and now, you could see that you could see the deliberate actions of the government to erode the minimum wage.

“A bag of rice now is almost ₦88,000 or thereabouts. And then it means we are saying we have a minimum wage that cannot buy a bag of rice is a shameful minimum wage. So it’s a starvation wage,” he stated.

In Imo State, the NLC Chairman, Uche Chigamezu, expressed optimism, stating that discussions with the government on the new wage would begin shortly.

Similarly, Nasarawa State is ready to implement the new wage, with Governor Abdullahi Sule committed to emulating the Federal Government’s steps.

Ogun State is awaiting a committee’s report on the new wage implementation, while Ekiti State has a committee in place, though further details remain undisclosed.

Ondo State has declared readiness to pay the new wage, though Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa emphasized the need to domesticate the law and structure its implementation.

Osun State is also in the process of developing the modalities for wage implementation, having extended palliatives for workers and reduced workdays to ease transportation costs.

Delta and Bayelsa states have not yet finalized their plans, with Delta waiting for a minimum wage chart, and Bayelsa yet to set up a committee.

In Benue, despite promises from Governor Hyacinth Alia, the state has yet to establish an implementation committee, and Sokoto and Kebbi states are working on the process to pay the new wage soon.

The governments of Enugu, Zamfara, and Kogi have also taken steps, forming committees to oversee the new minimum wage rollout.

Kwara State has set up a committee to work on consequential adjustments, though no payments have been made yet. Gombe State is waiting for a consequential adjustment table from the Federal Government, and in Kaduna, NLC Chairman Suleiman Ayuba confirmed that negotiations for the new wage are yet to begin.

In Kano, the state government is awaiting the report of its advisory committee, which will be submitted after the Independence Day celebrations.

Meanwhile, Taraba State has also formed a committee led by the State Head of Service to handle the wage implementation process.

Frmer director-general of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has urged Nigerians to count their blessings as the nation marks its 64th Independence Anniversary on Oct. 1.

Mr Okechukwu, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made this statement on Sunday during an interview with journalists in Enugu.

He stated that the occasion called for sober reflection, notwithstanding the prevailing socioeconomic realities in the country.

According to him, despite the economic challenges, Nigerians still have much to celebrate.

“I was five years old by Independence in 1960; and it is good when we introspectively look inward and count our blessings.

“Among such blessings is a united country; a burgeoning population dotted especially with youth’s demographic advantage, more universities, tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools, more hospitals, roads, and railways, among others.

“I honestly thank Almighty God,” he said.

Mr Okechukwu noted that Nigeria was on the threshold of an era when “policies of public interest and common good will triumph over selfish policies of planlessness.”

He described Nigerians as good followers, adding that, in no distant time, things would change for the better.

“My take, with due respect to our leaders, is that our previous leaderships had good intentions but lacked the political will to commit class suicide.

“For without class suicide, how can leadership utilize our abundant human and material resources to lift millions out of poverty and effectively ignite Nigeria’s rapid revitalisation?” he asked rhetorically.

The federal government had declared Tuesday, Oct. 1, a public holiday to mark the nation’s 64th Independence Day anniversary.

The government also urged Nigerians to meditate, pray, and, if possible, fast for the turnaround of the nation’s fortunes.

(NAN)

A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo state, Gbogi Emmanuel, has resigned his membership of the party. 

Mr Emmanuel tendered his resignation letter on Saturday, citing that the ruling party under President Bola Tinubu has now become a “weapon of poverty.” 

He explained that the party has made life miserable for the people, stressing that it was evident in the economic hardship in the country. 

“More so, APC is now considered as a weapon of poverty and misery for the masses evident in the economic hardship that plagues the land.

“I hold the firm belief that politics is not only about winning elections, it is about bringing succour and dividends of democracy to the people we represent,” Mr Emmanuel said in the letter. 

In the copy of the letter addressed to the APC Chairman of Ward 6, Akoko South West Local Government, the party chieftain said the ruling party also failed to uphold the true tenets of democracy and disregarded loyalty among members. 

According to Mr Emmanuel, the decision to exit the APC was well thought-out, especially after wide consultations with his family and political associates in Akoko land. 

“My decision stems from failure of the party to continue to uphold the true tenets and principles of democracy which include fairness, equity, impartiality, rewards for loyalty and bringing dividends of democracy to the masses.”

He noted that the party now has a new practice of “rob Peter to pay Paul” and described the primary that produced Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor and governorship candidate of the APC, as “shabby and shoddy.”

Efforts to reach Ade Adetimehin, the chairman of the APC in the state, for his reactions on the telephone did not yield results.

A text message sent to his official line was still pending as of press time. 

Mr Emmanuel’s resignation from the party is coming few days after a chieftain of the party in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, decried the hardship Nigerians are facing amid the high cost of staple foods in the country. 

Mr Igbokwe, who took to his social media page, lamented how the price of rice and other grains have skyrocketed under the present administration in the country. 

The party chieftain had always been a strong ally of Mr Tinubu and joined his campaign during the presidential election.

President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, 30th September, swore in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

Kekere-Ekun was sworn in as the 23rd CJN at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Senate last Wednesday, confirmed Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the highest-ranking justice of the Supreme Court, as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

She received confirmation following a rigorous two-hour question-and-answer session with senators.

She had been serving in this role on an acting basis since August, when Justice Olukayode Ariwoola retired from the post.

Her confirmation follows a request to the lawmakers by President Tinubu.

Speaking during her screening, Kekere-Ekun, vowed to ensure that petitions are dealt with speedily to foster integrity within the judiciary.

Justice Kekere-Ekun, a 1974 Queens College Alumnus and a Life Bencher, pledged to do her best and uphold the integrity of the judiciary, the rule of law and defend the Constitution of Nigeria.

She also advocated for better legislation to boost the country’s autonomy, while highlighting the need to limit the volume of cases that terminates at the Supreme Court.

She specifically recommended that all cases related to elections conclude at the Court of Appeal.

She believed that improving behaviour during elections is crucial to eliminate the necessity of constantly going to court.

The World Bank says it has approved three new financing totalling $1.57 billion to support Nigeria.

The Washington-based organisation announced in a statement on Monday.

The international lender said the approved funds will support the federal government in strengthening human capital through better health for women, children and adolescents.

World Bank also said the approved projects would also help build resilience to the effects of climate change such as floods and drought through improving dam safety and irrigation.

“The World Bank has today approved three operations for a total of $1.57 billion to support the government of Nigeria in strengthening human capital through better health for women, children and adolescents and building resilience to the effects of climate change such as floods and droughts through improving dam safety and irrigation,” World Bank said.

“The new financing includes $500 million for addressing governance issues that constrain the delivery of education and health (HOPE-GOV), $570 million for the Primary Healthcare Provision Strengthening Program (HOPE-PHC) and $500 million for the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project (SPIN). 

“The HOPE-GOV and HOPE-PHC programs combined will support the government of Nigeria to improve service delivery in the basic education and primary healthcare sectors which are critical towards improving Nigeria’s human capital outcomes.

“The SPIN project will support improvement of dams’ safety and management of water resources for hydropower and irrigation in selected areas of Nigeria.”

According to the international lender, the HOPE-GOV programme will support Nigeria to address underlying governance weaknesses in the systems and procedures of government in two key human development sectors.

“It will particularly focus on critical cross-cutting challenges and enabling factors related to both financial and human resource management in basic education and primary healthcare sectors,” the World Bank said.

“The program will increase availability and effectiveness of financing for basic education and primary healthcare service delivery, enhance transparency and accountability of financing and improve recruitment, deployment and performance management of basic education teachers and primary healthcare workers by federal, state, and local governments.

“In support of the government’s newly launched reforms in the health sector, under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, the HOPE-PHC project will improve the quality and utilization of core reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services to substantially reduce maternal and under five mortality and to improve the resilience of the health system— benefiting 40 million people, especially vulnerable populations.”

The World Bank also said the HOPE-PHC project is financed by a concessional $500 million International Development Association (IDA) credit and an additional $70 million in grant financing from the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF).

“The GFF support includes $11 million from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and $12.5 million from the Children’s Investment Foundation Fund (CIFF) through joint financing with the GFF to help close the financing gap for primary and community healthcare and maternal newborn care at hospital-level, while also supporting government efforts to ensure sustainable financing for family planning commodities,” World Bank said.

“The SPIN Program will help Nigeria to protect citizens from floods and drought through enhanced dam safety and operations. The project will further support the provision of new and improved irrigation and drainage services over an area of 40,000 hectares. 

“This will help up to 950,000 people that includes households, farmers, and livestock breeders to directly benefit from more reliable, climate-resilient, and efficient irrigation, water supply and increased agricultural productivity through improved irrigation water management. 

“Through the SPIN project, the government will develop a master plan for hydropower and a structured public private partnership transaction for a hydropower project.”

FUND WILL ADDRESS DIFFICULTIES FACED BY WOMEN, GIRLS 

Commenting on the development, Ndiamé Diop, World Bank country director for Nigeria, said the new financing for human capital and primary healthcare will help to address the complex difficulties faced by Nigerians, especially women and girls around access and quality of services.

“Effective investment in the health and education of Nigerians today is central to increasing their future employment opportunities, productivity, and earnings, while reducing poverty of the most vulnerable,” Diop said.

“The SPIN program is timely and will protect Nigerians from floods and droughts in the areas where it will be implemented, while enabling an increase in hydropower generation.”

He also said the World Bank is ready to work with the federal government and other stakeholders to deliver the programmes.

Diop added that the direct positive impact of the project on people and livelihoods is enormous.

The National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, weekend, said no fewer than 40 companies in the sub-sector of the economy have shut down in the last three years due to economic instability in Nigeria.

The outgoing President of the Union, Babatunde Olatunji, who disclosed this, also criticized President Bola Tinubu for removing petrol subsidy, describing it as a contributing factor to the country’s economic woes.

Olatunji spoke during the 7th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the association, held in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Speaking on the theme ‘Leading the Union in an Era of Economic Instability’, Olatunji said: “As of today, no fewer than 40 companies have closed down within the past three years due to economic instability.

“The hasty removal of fuel subsidy without considering measures to cushion its potential negative effects has been the starting point of the current economic challenges.

“The removal of the fuel subsidy should have been a gradual process, implemented in phases, rather than an outright removal without taking into account the feelings of the masses.”

Olatunji stressed that a top-down approach to decision-making could only lead to dissent, suggesting that decisions in a democracy should be made from the bottom-up to reflect the interests of the people better.
He urged the Federal Government to drastically reduce the high cost of governance, address insecurity, fix refineries, strengthen the modern railway system, and revamp the power sector to better serve the needs of the populace.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products’ Employers Federation, CANMPEF, Femi Oke, warned that the negative trend would only worsen the already high unemployment rate in the country and urged Tinubu to address the issue urgently before the situation deteriorates further.

Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag stated that his team must learn from the humiliating 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and focus on self-improvement.

A third defeat in United’s first six league games of the new campaign has left the Red Devils down in 11th and time is surely running out for the Dutchman.

“But we definitely have to learn and make things better. We have to get better in the pressing, and better on the ball because there were situations where we could have played better to find the spare man or play over the press to keep the ball and play from there,” Ten Hag said in the post-match interview.

“We didn’t do that and that’s disappointing,”  he said.

“I don’t want to talk about progress after such a defeat. We have to deal with this, show resilience, but don’t talk about in this moment today about progress.

“We just focus now on Porto. We will close this game down, deal with it, and then we move on.

Tottenham showed they were the better side as they made a flying start when Brennan Johnson tapped in from Micky Van de Ven’s storming run after three minutes.

Ten Hag speaking on his side’s lacklustre performance in every aspect of the game said, “It’s a bad start to the game. Tottenham were dominant, we couldn’t get the right press and we also made many mistakes in possession.

“But we could have come back into the game and I think the red card changed the game.”

On the first half performance: “It was no good. It’s not possible for a player from the back can dribble through the whole team and then bring a cross in.

“The press was no good in the first half, but we concede some counter-attacks after we countered and we had some bad decision-making. We had a lot of space.”

“We then lost a little bit of confidence and we were also poor in possession. We can do better there and all the players know this.”

When asked about the referee’s decision to award a red card for Bruno Fernades’cynical tackle, the United boss said

“I don’t think it’s a red card.”

United face daunting trips to Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa on league duty next weekend before a two-week international break that clubs often use to implement managerial change.

The travelling support taunted Ten Hag with chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” during the second half.

United’s new football leadership team handed the Dutchman an extension to his contract less than three months ago.

How quickly they backtrack on that decision now appears a matter of time.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has approved construction of a modern psychiatric hospital in Obi Akpor Local Government Area.

Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), his estranged godfather is from Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor.

Both Wike and Fubara have been at crossroads over the control of Rivers State, with the minister accusing the governor of turning his back against those who helped him to the top.

Speaking at a reception organized for him by a group, the Ijaw Peoples Assembly, in Port Harcourt, on Saturday, Wike boasted that when the time comes, he would teach Fubara and his supporters a big lesson in the state.

He said: “Imagine in Rivers they are contemplating of APP. It is not about money. Money does not move. You can have all the money but if there is no capacity there is no capacity.

“All the things you see are people envious of our growth. We have defeated them severally and if opportunity comes again, we will defeat them We have not started politics, when the time comes, we will play politics. Our job is politics. Tell them to keep their party ready. We will teach them what is called politics.”

But responding at the Inter-denominational Church Thanksgiving Service organised as part of activities marking the 64th Independence Day Celebration of Nigeria at St. Paul’s Cathedral of the Anglican Communion at Garrison Junction, Port Harcourt, on Sunday, Fubara said what he did in one year outweighed the performance of his opponents in 8 years.

“They even say, they don’t know what we are doing. Let me remind them, it is Fubara that signed the paper to borrow from Zenith Bank the N200billion for the construction of the Port Harcourt Ring Road. So, it is my project. It is Fubara that awarded the Trans-Kalabari Road that they couldn’t do. They did only a bridge from Krakrama, but I am the one doing it: the complete span, and it is N225billion. I didn’t borrow.

“It is this same Fubara that is building a General Hospital, which I also included a Psychiatric Hospital because they will need it very soon. So, tell them that what I did in one year is what they did in 8 years. It is only empty container that makes noise. If God has given you opportunity, eat your plantain and keep quiet. God will continue to give us the strength to do the best for our people, without fear.

“Very soon, you will see what we are doing. It is not about doing roads to your business interest. I don’t have any business interest. Whatever I am doing, I am doing it for the people of Rivers State. We will not take any decision that we cannot defend. We won’t be part of anything that will bring any form of disgrace to our dear State. This State is important to us. It is the only thing that we have.

“It is the beautiful pride. That is why they are struggling, coupled with the improvement in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) we have done. That is why they are struggling, we know. But, do it with modesty, you don’t need to destroy the house.”

Fubara said if his opponents continue to deride the grace of God on his life, they will continue to struggle for public recognition or approval.

He said his policy in office is not to embark on “mere jamboree” of groundbreaking for projects but assured that any project started will be inaugurated and actually put to public use.

“So, please, I will beg everyone of you, God has given us this opportunity, we must safeguard it. They are the ones looking for a way to destroy it.

“They didn’t believe we will get to this point, and I can tell you I had a reason for inviting all the candidates for the local government election for this service.”