The 33 council chairmen in Oyo State have dumped the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) over the Supreme Court’s judgment granting financial autonomy to local government across the country.

The chairmen, in a communique signed by all the chairmen, unanimously declared their unalloyed support for Governor Seyi Makinde.

ALGON’s Public Relation Officer in the state, Ibrahim Akintayo, described the chairmen’s stand as solidarity to Governor Makinde’s recent stand on local government autonomy as ruled by the apex court.

They attributed their unequivocal loyalty to Makinde for his exemplary leadership and unrivalled achievements since his assumption to office.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Oyo State’s governor had during a meeting with some stakeholders after the court ruling, constituted committees to review apex court’s ruling on local government autonomy.

“I called this meeting because I felt that even though we have not seen the Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court, we have to be proactive and discuss the decision of the Supreme Court as it concerns financial autonomy of the local government councils because I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we all swore to uphold.

“The law is the law, and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to the court. But it behooves on us to look for our own home-grown solutions that can ensure that we have transparency and that our people do not suffer. This is because when two elephants are fighting, it is the grass that will suffer,” the governor had stated.

Makinde’s stand on the Supreme Court ruling had however received mixed reactions from the public with some supporting his stance and others criticising the governor.

According to a communique, the decision to move to a new association was arrived at due to the need to protect and provide for the people in their various local government areas.

It also said that the intended association for local government executive chairmen will be registered under the relevant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Part of the communique read: “At the general meeting of ALL the Local Government Councils of Oyo State, held on Saturday 3rd August 2024 at Ibadan, it was voluntarily agreed and resolved as follows:

“That in order to inter alia protect the interest of our people, we should forthwith form an umbrella association. Such organisation will be registered under the relevant Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its membership shall be institutional-represented by the chairmen of respective local government councils.

“That the association shall remain committed to the democratic ideas of the system of Local Government as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

“Furthermore, the association shall ensure the delivery of the real development in local councils in the overall interest of our people at the local level.”

An American woman who went to India a decade ago to study yoga and meditation has claimed she survived without food and water for 40 days after being shackled to a tree by her former husband.

U.S. citizen Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found starving and emaciated on Saturday by a local shepherd in a remote forest in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra about 25 miles from Goa, according to reports.

The shepherd broke an iron chain that was used to secure her to the tree. Police said she was severely dehydrated and unable to speak.

Officers said Kumar met and married an Indian man while studying yoga in Tamil Nadu, the same province in southeast India where Kamala Harris’ grandfather comes from. The couple reportedly fell out and the ex-husband has now been charged with attempted murder.

According to the Indian Express, the police case is based on a letter written by the American woman, who has not yet talked about her ordeal.

“Injection for extreme psychosis which causes severe locked jaw and inability to drink any water. Need intravenous food… 40 days without food in forest—husband tied me to a tree in a forest and said I would die there,” the note read.

Police are said to be skeptical that Kumar could have survived for 40 days without food or water.

“When we discovered her, she was seriously dehydrated. It appears that she was stuck there for a minimum of 48 hours. Although she was mute,” said Amol Chavan, an inspector at Sawantwadi Police Station.

Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was married to a man from Tamil Nadu, the same region in South India where Kamala Harris' mother is from

“She is currently not in a position to talk. We are trying to get more details about her background,” said Saurabh Agarwal, superintendent of police in Sindhudurg, the area where she was found.

Kumar had her U.S. passport with her when she was found along with various personal belongings, including an identity card with a Tamil Nadu address. She is said to be out of danger but suffering from psychiatric issues.

Police said she had been living in India for at least 10 years and that her visa had expired.

Hoodlums have invaded a Living Faith Church in Daura local government area of Katsina State, looting about 205 chairs, musical instruments, and other valuable items worth millions of naira.

The attacks took place in the wake of #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests on Thursday with attendant violent clashes between hoodlums and security operatives.

The pastor in charge of the church, David Jato, disclosed this to LEADERSHIP, lamenting that they couldn’t hold Sunday service in the auditorium of the church because the hoodlums went away with everything inside the church building during the protests.

Pastor Jato explained, “We have two security men working in the church, one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00am, the hoodlums just diverted to the church, many of them in Keke NAPEP (Tricycle), and broke the doors and classes and penetrated the church auditorium.

“They packed everything inside the church auditorium, including the wall digital clock, musical instruments, pupit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, and a desktop computer at the reception, as well as a scoreboard where the accountant usually kept church documents. They scattered everything.”

He added that three churches were targeted but the hoodlums only succeeded in invading the Living Faith Church and Deeper Life Church, but couldn’t force themselves into the Anglican Church because of the strong iron protector at the gate.

“We’ve informed the police and the Army about it, and the police told us yesterday that they have made some arrests.

“I’m surprised by this attack; when we are thinking about ending bad governance, which now escalated to the invasion of churches, it is something that everyone should seriously condemn. It is not food that we store in the House of God. It is a place of worship. Why is it only church? The government should come to the reality they are serving humanity, and God will judge us all, whether political or religious leaders.

“My prayer to the perpetrators is that they should repent from what they are doing because for you to enter church, a place of worship, is wrong and you know you are not fighting man, they should seek for repentance. I know God is forgiving and He will forgive them,” he added.

Similarly, the former state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN), Very Rev. Nelson Onyekachuku, whose church is named ‘Power of Resurrection’, was also affected in Katsina town, where the hoodlums vandalised the church windows, but they couldn’t enter because of the iron protectors of the church.

He, however, condemned the action in total, adding that the hoodlums should not add pain to the church, even as he called on the government to change its policy and address the grievances of the people and always ensure to protect the church whenever such an incident happens.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Sadiq Abubakar, was yet to repond to the message sent to him at the time of filing this report. However, LEADERSHIP observed heavy deployment of security personnel around churches across the state on Sunday to ensure hitch-free Sunday worship.

Hoodlums on Sunday morning chased #EndBadGovernance protesters who gathered around the Gani Fawehinmi Park in the Ojota area of Lagos State.

At 10:30 am, a major disagreement played out amongst the organisers of the protest in Ojota.

A lawyer, who simply identified as JP, came to address the protesters to leave the protest grounds, on the basis that President Bola Tinubu has addressed the nation.

But another group led by 70-year-old Adegboyega Adeniji of Peace Action Transformation insisted on remaining on the protest ground until further notice.

The police stepped in to speak to the small group of protesters to leave. 

Shortly after the police addressed the protesters, a group, the protesters claimed, was sponsored, came from the other side of the road to disperse them.

By 11:30 am, the hoodlums returned, chasing all the protesters in Ojota away. The police have since occupied the protest grounds.

Before they were chased away from the area, the protesters chanted solidarity songs, shortly after President Bola Tinubu’s address to the nation.

The protesters said the President has not addressed core issues raised by them despite touching on efforts by his administration.

Security agents had on Sunday morning barred the protesters from holding a procession beyond the designated ground at Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota.

The protesters had complied without argument and returned to the designated point.

The nationwide protests against hunger and economic hardship entered Day 4 on Sunday. From the first till the third day, policemen dispersed protesters using tear gas, even as civil society organisations condemned the action of the police.

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar in a strongly worded response to the killings of unarmed protesters across the country has reported President Bola Tinubu to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court or ICC and asked them to immediately monitor the situation in order to step in.

This followed actions of armed policemen alongside operatives of the DSS, who on Saturday opened fire on innocent protesters in Abuja killing an innocent teenager, who was not partaking in the hunger strike in Kubwa while a police man was accused of pointing a gun at another teenage boy in the same place.

Also, security agencies stormed the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday to force out unarmed protesters from the stadium shooting live bullets at them, shattering a car of one of the journalists from Premium Times.

Journalists were also shot at as were protesters, forcing them to run for cover.

Similarly, there were ugly scenes in Kano where police opened fire on unarmed protesters forcing them to scamper for safety.

All across the country, there have been tales of woes as the protest which began on Thursday entered the third day in a bloody fashion.

Journalists have been hounded, tear gassed, kicked and bundled into police vehicles to unknown locations in places like Calabar, Cross River State, Yobe, Delta, Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Adamawa, Lagos, Rivers in what human rights groups such as Amnesty International, HURIWA, religious groups have condemned as amounting to use of excessive force.

Atiku “vehemently condemned” what he called “heinous act of using live ammunition” on citizens peacefully protesting against bad governance.

Eyewitnesses and video evidence showed police in full battle gear descending on unarmed protesters including women with babies in places like Plateau where a nursing mother was reportedly arrested.

Atiku described the situation as “utterly intolerable” which he said is “reminiscent of the dark days of military dictatorship.”

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP noted that it is crucial to remind the government and security agencies of their paramount duty to ensure a safe and secure environment where citizens can exercise their right to protest without fear.

“When security forces open fire on innocent protesters,” he said “they do nothing but exacerbate tensions, transforming peaceful demonstrations into chaos.

“I refuse to believe that inciting violence is the intention of our authorities,” Atiku stated.

He urged “the international community, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, to closely monitor the situation in Nigeria and hold its leadership and security apparatus accountable.”

He reaffirmed his “counsel to protesters to steadfastly exercise their right to peaceful protest and reject any form of violence.”

Those engaging in looting and the destruction of public and private property he said must be isolated and prosecuted according to the law.

By indulging in such acts, Atiku said they undermine the legitimate protests and play into the hands of those who oppose their right to protest.

President Tinubu, the former vice president said “must demonstrate true leadership by immediately addressing and implementing the demands of the Nigerian people.”

Amid the ongoing excessive use of force, the president has announced he would be making a national address on Sunday morning.

…CNG Initiative To Save Nigeria N2tn Monthly Import Bill On Petrol, Diesel

The Executive Order signed by President Bola Tinubu to unlock the potentials of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is beginning to yield results as two Foreign Direct Investments worth over $500m have been signed.

The President revealed the figure on Sunday in his ‘State of Nation’ address after hunger led to a nationwide protest with a major theme: #Endbadgovernance.

The Presidential Executive Order on Oil and Gas Reforms is aimed largely at improving the investment climate and positioning Nigeria as the preferred investment destination for the Oil and Gas sector in Africa.

The three Executive Orders, which became effective 28th February 2024, are the Oil and Gas Companies (Tax Incentives, Exemption, Remission, etc.) Order, 2024; Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance Requirements, 2024; and Presidential Directive on Reduction of Petroleum Sector Contracting Costs and Timelines, 2024.

Nigeria is endowed with large oil and gas resources and Executive Order aligns with the transformational leadership of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari who had conceived the idea of monetising Nigeria’s huge gas resources through various gas projects.

The target of the Executive Order is to unlock up to $10bn fresh investments in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

This is expected to come through fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, midstream and deepwater oil and gas.

The Executive Order streamlines contracting processes, procedures, and timelines from 36 months to six months and also ensured that local content requirements are implemented without impeding investments or the cost competitiveness of oil and gas projects

Speaking on Sunday on the impact of the initiative, Tinubu said the once-declining oil and gas industry is experiencing a resurgence on the back of the reforms he announced to address the gaps in the Petroleum Industry Act.

Specifically, he sald the nation has seen an increase in oil production to 1.61million barrels per day, and the gas assets are receiving the attention they deserve.

He said, “Our once-declining oil and gas industry is experiencing a resurgence on the back of the reforms I announced in May 2024 to address the gaps in the Petroleum Industry Act. Last month, we increased our oil production to 1.61million barrels per day, and our gas assets are receiving the attention they deserve.

“Investors are coming back, and we have already seen two Foreign Direct Investments signed of over half a billion dollars since then.”

To address the challenge created by the removal of petrol subsidy, the president said his administration has launched the Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (CNG) to power transportation economy and bring costs down.

This, he added, will save Nigeria over N2tn a month spent to import PMS and AGO and free up resources for more investment in healthcare and education.

He said, ” To this end, we will be distributing a million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicles that transport people and goods and who currently consume 80 per cent of the imported PMS and AGO.

“We have started the distribution of conversion kits and setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 per cent and help to curb inflation.”

Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, has called for dialogue and an immediate end to the nationwide protests that have rocked the nation since Thursday.

Tinubu, who said his administration is ready to listen to and address the concerns of protesters, affirmed that he has heard their calls “loud and clear”.

“I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity,” he affirmed in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday morning on the #EndBadGovernance protests.

He said the country requires all hands on deck and needs all citizens, regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping its common destiny.

The 10-day planned protest, which began on Thursday, primarily against the rising cost of living and hunger, deteriorated into violence, destruction of property and loss of lives in many parts of the nation.

At least 17 persons were reported dead in the “days of rage” protests.

Bennett Igweh, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, has said his men were not responsible for the death of a teenager in the Kubwa area of the FCT.

In a viral video, a man claimed that police, while dispersing protesters, shot dead a teenager in the Kubwa area.

However, the FCT command spokesperson , Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Saturday said police officers deployed to the area were not given lethal arms that could kill.

She said, “In response to the video footage making the rounds alleging the killing of a yet-to-be-identified teenager by police operatives in Kubwa by Zenith Bank while protesting on August 3, 2024, the FCT police command hereby debunks the allegations, stating that its operatives are not responsible for the killing of the teenager, as the operatives deployed to the axis were not issued lethal arms but only with anti-riot equipment not capable of occasioning the death of the teenager.”

Angered by the incident, she said the CP ordered an investigation into the matter to establish the cause of the teenager’s death.

Adeh said, “In light of the rather infuriated incident, the commissioner of police has ordered that an immediate investigation be conducted to ascertain the remote cause of death of the deceased, calling on well-meaning residents to provide the command with necessary information to aid the investigation.

“While expressing profound condolences to the family of the bereaved, he assures the family and public of swift justice, as effort is ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators of the unfortunate incident.

“Also, the command is aware of the antics of mischief makers who may want to exploit the current situation in the country to spread false information with the aim at misleading and causing apprehension in the populace; it therefore calls on residents to shun such misinformation, as the command is committed to ensuring the security and safety of all and sundry.”

Two alleged fraudsters who are believed to be involved in high-value fraud schemes have been apprehended in Okwu Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA of Abia, while attempting to defraud another victim.

The suspects, who claimed to be indigenes of Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA of Abia State, were apprehended by Okwu community youths in Olokoro and their operational motorcycle was also seized.

The two men, Uche Harrison, 42, and Lucky Nwohu, who refused to disclose his age, were apprehended by youths of Okwu who were carrying out an environmental sanitation exercise at the village’s market square on Saturday when the suspects rode into the community on their bike.

An indigene of Okwu who spoke to DAILY POST about the incident said: “On sighting the strange faces moving around the village, some villagers indicated interest in knowing who they were, but they took to their heels, making the youths raise an alarm that evil men have entered the community.

”But they later ran out of luck when their motorcycle suddenly went off at the market square, where the youths were doing sanitation work and they were eventually apprehended.”

He added that the two suspects initially claimed that they came from Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North, to Okwu Olokoro to look for a canteen to eat but after being interrogated by the youths, the suspects confessed that their occupation was to use tricks to collect money from people.

Upon further interrogation, the suspected fraudsters revealed how they duped one of their victims, Mrs Okwuchi Ihezie, from Ihete Uboma, Imo State.

Meanwhile, the female victim, Mrs Okwuchi Ohezie, who was duped of N350,000 two months ago, stormed Okwu Olokoro on hearing that the suspects had been apprehended by the youths.

The Imo woman told the youths how the suspects sold a fake business idea to her before duping her of her hard-earned money.

The suspects were later handed over to the Zone 9 Command of the Nigerian Police, Umuahia, by the Chairman of Okwu community, Mr Bartholomew Nwaeze, who warned criminals to stay away from Okwu Olokoro.

In a decisive move against ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests, President Bola Tinubu has firmly rejected calls to reinstate the fuel subsidy.

Addressing the nation in a broadcast on Sunday morning, President Tinubu acknowledged that removing the subsidy was a painful decision but deemed it necessary for the nation’s economic health. He stated that the subsidy had become a severe impediment to Nigeria’s economic development.

“The removal of the fuel subsidy was crucial because it was choking our economic growth and progress,” Tinubu said. He emphasized that the move was essential to eliminate economic distortions and improve national prosperity.

The President reassured the public that law enforcement agencies would continue to protect innocent lives and property responsibly. “Our democracy thrives when every Nigerian’s constitutional rights are upheld,” he added.

Tinubu outlined his vision for Nigeria as a just and prosperous nation where democratic governance ensures peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihoods. He criticized the long-standing economic issues that have hindered growth, explaining that temporary fixes were no longer viable.

The President described the subsidy and multiple foreign exchange systems as burdens on the economy, benefiting smugglers and foreign entities at the expense of Nigerian citizens. He justified the tough decisions as necessary to address decades of economic mismanagement.

“I take full responsibility for these decisions. However, my commitment remains steadfast towards delivering effective and transparent governance,” Tinubu affirmed.