The Economic Community of West African States Commission has expressed concern over the ongoing protests in Nigeria, lamenting reports of violence, fatalities, and property destruction.

It, therefore, urged protesters to heed the call for dialogue.

The commission extended condolences to the families of those who have died and expressed sympathy with the Nigerian government and its people over the losses incurred.

In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, ECOWAS emphasised the right of citizens to peaceful protests as enshrined in the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.

“The ECOWAS Commission has been closely monitoring the ongoing protests by citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and deeply regrets reports of violence in the course of the protests and the unfortunate death of some protesters as well as alleged looting and destruction of public and private properties.

“The commission extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathizes with the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the losses.

“The ECOWAS Commission recognises the right of citizens to peaceful protests, as guaranteed by the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended,” the statement read in part.

The commission also welcomed the recent State of the Nation address by President Bola Tinubu on August 4, 2024.

ECOWAS urged protesters and all stakeholders to heed the President’s call for inclusive dialogue to address grievances and ensure peace and security in Nigeria and the wider ECOWAS region.

“The Commission welcomes the State of the Nation address of August 4, 2024 by President Bola Tinubu and urges the protesters and all stakeholders to heed the President’s call for inclusive dialogue for the resolution of all grievances and the preservation of peace and security in Nigeria and the ECOWAS region at large,” it added.

The hunger protests in Nigeria took a violent turn, resulting in numerous deaths, the burning of properties, and a significant disruption of business activities.

Several major highways were blocked, exacerbating the situation.

The #EndBadGovernance protests, which have gained momentum in major cities such as Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Niger, Kebbi, Abuja, and other northern towns, were marked by escalating violence.

In some instances, security officials’ actions were the catalyst for the violence, while in other cases, it has been driven by overzealous protesters or counter-protesters.

In a national broadcast on Sunday, Tinubu pleaded with the organisers of the nationwide protest to suspend the action as it had gone violent in some states with the attendant loss of lives and destruction of property.

The queues at filling stations for Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, may subside this week as PMS loading has resumed in Lagos depots.

Our correspondent reported on Saturday that the depot owners decided not to open for business because of the hunger protest that started on Thursday. Truck owners and drivers were also afraid of possible attacks while transporting fuel.

Oil marketers had also explained on Monday that the reappearance of queues at filling stations in many states was because of the halt in the supply of petroleum products by dealers in a bid to avert losing their assets due to the ongoing nationwide hunger protests.

Many states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, witnessed varying degrees of queues about two weeks ago, which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited blamed on a “hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.”

While the company and stakeholders worked together to tackle the challenge, the nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship commenced on Thursday, August 1, 2024, disrupting petrol supply again and causing the reappearance of queues in some states.

However, reliable sources at the depots told our correspondent on Monday that some trucks were loaded on Sunday and Monday to supply petrol across the country.

Officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and other government agencies were reportedly at the depots to supervise the process.

It was learned that more fuel vessels berthed at the weekend and some depots were supplied.

“There were activities today in some depots that took fuel during the ongoing protest,” a source said.

Another official told our correspondent, “NMDPRA and other officials have been on duty since Thursday when the protest started, just that depots are being careful of  the security of trucks and drivers on the road.”

The official added that the seemingly low protest across the country, especially in Lagos, had been boosting loading since Sunday.

The source said the queues in filling stations may start easing off from Monday, though not as it is supposed to be.

He, however, noted that the pump price of a litre of petrol might still be high till next week when supply would have been further boosted.

The PUNCH observed that many filling stations in the cities had not opened for business since the commencement of the hunger protest. Many Nigerians also decided to sit at home over fear of violence.

Many petrol depots were dry last week Sunday, leading to fuel scarcity and attendant queues in Lagos, Ogun, parts of Abuja, Niger, and some other states across the country.

It was noticed that black marketers took advantage of the situation, selling the product for as high as N1,300/litre and N1,500/litre in parts of Lagos and Ogun states.

NNPC had explained that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT was a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.

The NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, had stated that the company was “working round the clock with all stakeholders to resolve the situation and restore normalcy in the operations.”

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted N50m bail each to two students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and Resign Regal Academy, Timothy  Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho, who allegedly hacked MTN Nigeria Communication computers and stole airtime and data valued at N1.9bn.

Justice Akintayo Aluko granted them bail after hearing two separate bail applications filed by the defendants.

In addition to the bail sum, Aluko ordered the defendants to provide two sureties each, one of whom must be a civil servant in the federal or Lagos State employment, who must be grade level 14 and above.

He said that the second surety must be a landed property owner within the jurisdiction of the court, provide evidence of ownership, and must swear to an affidavit of means.

In the case of the civil servant, they must produce a reference letter of their place of work, and a letter of last promotion, while the defendants must submit two recent passport photographs to the court registrar.

Aluko ordered that the prosecution should verify all documents submitted by the sureties including their residential addresses.

The court further ordered that the defendants be remanded in the  Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions. 

Oluwabukola and Odemerho were arraigned on July 30, 2024, by the Police Special Fraud Unit.

They are facing four counts bordering on conspiracy, unauthorised access into the company’s web-based platform known as Application Programming Interface and unlawful conversion, preferred against them by the police.

The police prosecution counsel, Justine Enang, told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences with others now at large.

Enang told the court that Oluwabukola and Odemerho, said to be students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, respectively, committed the offences sometime between January and April 2024, in Lagos and Edo states.

He said that the duo allegedly hacked into the MTN web-based platform known as Application Programming Interface, and stole N1.9bn worth of airtime and data.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 27(1)(b); 6(2) and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 as amended in 2024, but punishable under Section 8(2) of the same Act.

He added that the offences also contravened Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention And Prohibition) Act, 2022, punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand them in the custody of a correctional centre till the determination of the charge.

But, the defence lawyer informed the court that he had filed two applications for bail and the same had been served on the prosecutor.

In response, the prosecutor confirmed being served with the bail applications but told the court that he was served while the proceedings were going on.

He asked the court for a short date to enable him to study the applications and respond to them.

Consequently, Justice Aluko adjourned the case till August 5, 2024, for a hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.

The Federal Government has concluded plans to sell a 50kg bag of rice at N40,000 to public servants with a view to alleviating the food crisis in the nation and its effects on Nigerians.

This was disclosed in a letter from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, which was signed by the Director of Human Resources of the Ministry, Jaiyesimi Abimbola.

The letter said all interested staff members were to complete a Google form on the OHCSF website and submit it to the director of human resources for endorsement.

It noted that payment for and the distribution of the rice would be coordinated by designated offices while the chairman, Joint Union Council of the ministry, would serve as an observer for transparency reasons in the course of the exercise.

“As part of the Federal Government’s efforts to alleviate the current food crisis in the country and its effects on the general population, I am directed to inform you that 50kg bags of rice will be sold at a subsidised rate of N40,000 only per bag to interested public servants in Abuja.

“For effective implementation, all interested staff are required to complete a Google form on the OHCSF website, https://www.ohcsf.gov.ng, print, and submit same to the Director, HR, for endorsement.

“Payment for and distribution of the rice will be coordinated by designated officials while the chairman, Joint Union Council of the Ministry is required to serve as an observer during the period of the exercise for the purpose of transparency.

“I am to add that each staff is only entitled to purchase one bag. Two or more staff may also jointly pay for a bag for sharing among themselves.

“Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of staff in your respective Departments/Units for information and guidance.”

The Federal Government had recently said it had created centres across the country where Nigerians could purchase 50kg bags of rice for N40,000.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, said the initiative was one of several initiatives by the Tinubu administration to ease living conditions for citizens.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has decried the manner in which President Bola Tinubu removed fuel subsidies.

He said the haphazard and unilateral removal of subsidy engendered galloping inflation that plunged the citizens into severe economic hardship.

He stated that the present administration should have first taken into account the hardship the subsidy removal could cause people and how to cushion it.

Speaking in an interview with Financial Times, Obasanjo said subsidy has been restored and the Tinubu government is currently subsidising petrol.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Not just wake up one morning and say you removed the subsidy. Because of inflation, the subsidy that we have removed is not gone. It has come back,” the former President stressed.

He said there must be investor confidence in Nigeria, adding, “You have to go from transactional economy to transformational economy.”

Obasanjo expressed concern over youths’ restiveness caused by unemployment, fearing that Nigeria might be sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

“Our youth are restive. And they are restive because they have no skill. They have no empowerment. They have no employment. We are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder. And my prayer is that we will do the right thing before it’s too late,” he warned.

Nigeria’s sensation Favour Ofili has taken a significant step toward her Olympic dream by qualifying for the women’s 200m final at Paris 2024. Ofili finished second in her heat with a season’s best of 22.05s, just behind Julien Alfred, who won the race with a time of 21.98s.

The 21-year-old athlete, who hails from Delta State, was determined to showcase her talents at the Games despite not being registered for the women’s 100m by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) officials.

With her qualification, Ofili becomes the first Nigerian woman to reach the 200m final in 28 years. The last time a Nigerian made it to the final in this event was in Atlanta 1996, when Mary Onyali won a bronze medal—a year before Ofili was even born.

In other news, wrestler Blessing Oborududu lost her semi-final match against Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan in the women’s freestyle 68kg category with a score of 3-1. The 35-year-old Nigerian had a challenging start to the Games, conceding two points in the first three minutes against Canada’s Linda Morais. However, she made a remarkable comeback, scoring six unanswered points to secure an 8-2 victory and advance to the competition’s penultimate round. Oborududu then defeated France’s Koumba Larroque 6-2 in a fiercely contested quarterfinal bout, overcoming an early deficit to secure her spot in the semi-finals.

Nigerian magnate and industrial powerhouse, Aliko Dangote, has stormed back to the pinnacle of Africa’s rich list, reclaiming his title as the continent’s wealthiest man on the Bloomberg billionaire index, mere days after ceding it to South African tycoon, Johann Rupert.

In a dramatic turn of fortunes, Bloomberg reports that Dangote’s immense wealth surged by a staggering $144 million in just 24 hours, bringing his total fortune to a colossal $13.7 billion as of Monday, August 5, 2024.

This phenomenal rise enabled Dangote to overthrow Rupert, who had briefly snatched the crown over the weekend.

Johann Rupert, who enjoyed a fleeting moment of glory, saw his net worth shrink by a whopping $334 million in the same 24-hour period, reducing his riches to $13.3 billion.

Tunde Ednut, others react as protesters hijack police tank, cruise around with it -VIDEO
This financial bloodbath has demoted Johann Rupert to the position of the 155th richest individual globally, marking a significant tumble from his short-lived reign.

Aliko Dangote’s triumphant return to supremacy has not only reestablished him as Africa’s undisputed financial juggernaut but also catapulted him up the global rankings, leapfrogging from 156th to 149th on Bloomberg’s index of the world’s wealthiest.

This meteoric rise means Dangote has surged ahead of seven influential billionaires, reasserting his dominance on the global stage.

For Johann Rupert, the fall is both swift and stinging, as he now finds himself edged out by his Nigerian rival, slipping to the 155th spot among the planet’s wealth elite.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Mustapha, on Monday, said those flying Russian flags in Nigeria have committed a treasonable offence.

Mustapha while speaking with newsmen after an emergency security session with President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock, vowed that the law would catch up with such people.

He warned those calling for a coup, adding that the military has accepted democracy and regime change would never be allowed.

Mustapha said, “We wanted to brief Mr President on the situation on ground and we know that since the riot has started all the security agencies you can see all of us together. Initially, when the riot started they said it was a peaceful one but we have realised that there are individuals that are willing to take advantage of it to cause mayhem. And we can see clearly what has happened since it has commenced. Criminals have taken over, a lot of looting taking place, stealing and all sorts happening.

“And besides, all of us have seen it where foreign flags have been flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria, and that is totally unacceptable. We are warning in clear terms and the President has also said we should convey this, that we will not accept anybody, any individual flying any foreign flag in Nigeria. That is treasonable offence, and it will be viewed and treated as such. So nobody shall allow himself to be used by any individual.

“Also the issue of coups, Nigeria is a sovereign nation, Nigeria is a democratic nation all security agencies are here to defend democracy and ensure that democracy continues to strive. We will not accept anyone pushing or taking any action, seemingly or for whatever reason to want to push for any change of government. Democracy is what we stand for democracy is what will continue to defend.

“For those of them flying flags and if you’ll see a lot of them are kids being pushed to do that. We’re following up with those ones are sponsoring them. Those are pushing them because you know, the flies were also made. We have identified those areas and we are going to take serious action against that.

“The President is clear on his instructions for us not to accept anyone that wants to disrupt the peace and tranquility of Nigeria. And we are all standing here together to show Nigerians that we’re working closely, we are working together with synergy to ensure that there’s still peace and tranquility in Nigeria that we have assured Mr. President.

“We’ve said that clearly that the military is going to step in when it is out of hand and you can see that for people supervising elements to push individuals to carry Russian flags in Nigeria, Nigeria sovereignty, that is crossing the red line and we will not accept that. And those ones who have done that will go in for the books and they want to be prosecuted.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that those benefiting from the lucrative business of fuel importation will make every effort to frustrate Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Obasanjo described Dangote Refinery as something that should encourage both Nigerians and non-Nigerians.

He stated this in the wake of allegations by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, that some ‘mafias’ were making efforts to frustrate the $20bn refinery.

It was gathered on Monday that the multi-billion dollar refinery and other domestic refineries had yet to purchase crude oil in naira based on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Speaking during an interview with Financial Times, Obasanjo opined that the cabals benefitting from oil importation do not want to let go of their source of living.

He said, “Aliko’s investment in a refinery, if it goes well, should encourage both Nigerians and non-Nigerians to invest in Nigeria.

“If those who are selling or supplying refined products for Nigeria feel that they will lose the lucrative opportunity, they will also make every effort to get him frustrated.”

Speaking further, the former nation’s leader disclosed that Nigeria made a deadly mistake by putting all its eggs in what he called one basket of oil, ignoring gas and agriculture.

“I believe we made a very, very deadly mistake. We put all our eggs in one basket of oil. We even ignored gas. We were flaring gas, which is a very important commodity

“We ignored agriculture, which should have been the centrepiece of our economic development,” he said.

He recalled how he persuaded Shell to run the country’s refineries but the International Oil Company refused, saying there was too much corruption in the sector.

“When I was President, I invited Shell and I said, look, come and take equity participation and run our refineries for us. They refused. They said our refineries have not been well maintained.

“We have brought amateurs rather than bringing professionals. They said there’s too much corruption with the way our refinery is run and maintained. And they didn’t want to get involved in such a mess,” he explained.

Amit Mehta, a United States (US) judge, has ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain monopoly on online searches and related advertising.

On Oct 20, 2020, the US department of justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to stop Google from unlawfully maintaining monopolies through anticompetitive and exclusionary practices in the search and search advertising markets and to remedy the competitive harms.

The department of justice alleged that Google is the monopoly gatekeeper to the internet for billions of users and countless advertisers worldwide.

It said for years, Google has accounted for almost 90 percent of all search queries in the US and has used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in search and search advertising.  

The department also alleged that Google’s anticompetitive practices have had harmful effects on competition and consumers.

In a blog post responding to the lawsuit, Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, presented the company’s defence against the department’s allegations.

Walker said users choose Google willingly, not because they are compelled to or unable to find other options.

“Today’s lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed,” Walker wrote.

“People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.

“This lawsuit would do nothing to help consumers. To the contrary, it would artificially prop up lower-quality search alternatives, raise phone prices, and make it harder for people to get the search services they want to use.”

According to BBC News, in his ruling on Monday, Mehta said Google paid billions to secure its position as the default search engine on smartphones and browsers.

“Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Mehta said.

The ruling comes after a 10-week trial in Washington DC, in which prosecutors accused Google of spending billions of dollars annually to Apple, Samsung, Mozilla and others to be pre-installed as the default search engine across platforms.

The US said Google pays more than $10 billion a year for that privilege, securing its access to a steady stream of user data that helped maintain its hold on the market.

Prosecutors said doing so meant other companies did not have the opportunity or resources to meaningfully compete.

The judge concluded that being the default search engine is “extremely valuable real estate” for Google.

“Even if a new entrant were positioned from a quality standpoint to bid for the default when an agreement expires, such a firm could compete only if it were prepared to pay partners upwards of billions of dollars in revenue share,” the judge said.

While the judge has not decided on penalties for Google, the publication said the US government has asked for “structural relief” — which in theory, could mean the break-up of the company.

Also, Reuters reported Alphabet, the parent company of Google, plans to appeal against the ruling.

Another case against Google over its advertising technology is scheduled for trial in September.