Salihu Lukman, the former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has delivered a scathing critique of the party’s failure to fulfill its campaign promises, stating that they have “done badly” in meeting their commitments on security, economic stability, and anti-corruption.
In an interview with Arise TV on Monday, Lukman expressed his disappointment and frustration with the party’s performance, saying: “I admit that in terms of meeting up with our campaign promises, we have done badly, no doubt about it. And what are those campaign promises? Issues of security, the economy, fighting corruption. We have done badly, and people are free to reach the conclusion whether or not APC is worse than PDP.”
Lukman’s comments come after his resignation from the party, citing the need for a new leadership that departs from the practices of the previous administration.
According to Lukman, he had hoped that the new leadership would learn from the mistakes of the past, but unfortunately, they have continued in the same vein.
Read also: Tension in Rivers as LG chairmen’s tenures expire, youths storm secretariats
One of the most contentious decisions made by President Tinubu, according to Lukman, was the immediate declaration of the end of the petroleum subsidy without planning and preparation. This, according to him, has led to a significant deterioration in living conditions, with no plan in place to respond to the challenges that have arisen.
Lukman also criticized the government’s spending priorities, allocating a massive 15 trillion naira to the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway while neglecting urgent needs in education and health.
He said that the allocation for education is insufficient to address the critical issue of out-of-school children, which currently stands at 10 million in the North.
The former APC vice chairman warned that the party’s continuation of “business as usual” might lead to a worse situation, and by the end of the year, people might be forced to support any leader out of anger and frustration, potentially electing a worse successor to President Tinubu.
Lukman’s comments highlight the deep-seated frustrations within the APC and the need for a new approach to address the country’s challenges. His critique echoes the sentiments of many Nigerians who feel that the party has failed to deliver on its promises and that a new direction is needed to tackle the country’s pressing issues.
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Former APC chieftain, Lukman slams party’s poor performance on campaign promises
Ekiti community seeks speedy passage of agric college bil
The people of Ise Ekiti in the Ise/Orun Local Government area of Ekiti State have appealed to the House of Representatives to expedite action on the passage of the bill for the establishment of a college of agriculture in their community.
The traditional ruler, the Arinjale of Ise Ekiti, Oba Adetunji Ajayi, said establishing an agricultural institution in the community, which he said is endowed with vast fertile land for diverse cash and food crops would contribute largely to addressing food insecurity in the country.
According to a statement by the National Chairman, Ise-Ekiti Development Foundation, Elder Tunji Falana, made available in Ado Ekiti on Monday, Oba Ajayi, spoke recently in his presentation before the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions in Nigeria.
Ajayi, a former University of Lagos don, who described himself as a farmer, said, “We are talking of food security, this is an inward-looking approach solution to the economic problem of Nigeria which President Bola Tinubu is trying to do. Ise Ekiti is readily available to join hands with the Federal Government to provide inward solution to the problem we are having.
“We know about a lot of rice production going on in the North, but we want it to be done across Nigeria and Ise Ekiti will be readily available to cooperate with the Federal Government in terms of cocoa production, cassava etc. We have land readily available. These are among the reasons we appeal to the House to give our bill a special and accelerated hearing.
“Ise Ekiti is not here alone, but in conjunction with Ekiti State Government. We have a forest reserve that is gazetted, that the government is controlling. The government has approved and given us the go-ahead to locate this Federal College of Agriculture beside the forest reserve.
“We have nothing less than 100,000 hectares of land for that. I want to assure the Federal Ministry of Agriculture that the land is free from encumbrances. Our people are ready, we are only waiting for you,” the monarch said.
An Ise Ekiti indigene and Emeritus Professor Philip Adetiloye, in his presentation, said, “Ise Ekiti has potential for agriculture. A veritable way to lift agriculture is for the FG to provide the College of Agriculture where we can train students and farmers, provide research and also extension to farmers to make sure that Ekiti State can produce meaningfully to ensure food security, employment and job creation in Nigeria”.
He said, “We (Ise Ekiti) need the federal College of Agriculture where we can train experts. The number of farmers is dwindling because we are ageing. Our fathers were farmers, but as they are dying, the lands are being abandoned, and production is going down.
“We need a young crop of experts who will be farm managers and who will be farmers to manage these resources,” he said.
Earlier, the House of Representatives member representing Ekiti South West, Ikere and Ise/Orun Federal Constituency, Adeniyi Ojuawo, welcomed his constituents into the National Assembly and stressed the need for the college of agriculture to be sited in the community.
The IDC Chairman, Falana, who lauded the presentations of the indigenes before the House Committee, also appreciated Ise Ekiti’s sons and daughters in attendance including a prince in the kingdom, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye
Kaduna Gov approves reconstruction of collapsed bridge
The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani has ordered the immediate reconstruction of the Zonkwa-Madakiya bridge linking several communities and Kafanchan town, the headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Executive Chairman of Zango Kataf Local Government Area, in Kaduna, Yabo Ephraim, disclosed this on Monday in a press statement issued to newsmen.
Recall that According reported that gully erosion cut off the Tsoriang bridge posing a serious challenge for commuters along the Zonkwa Madakiya road linking several communities and Kafanchan town, the headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area of the state.
Ephraim, said,” The Kaduna state governor has made a commitment to ensure that the Tsoriyamg collapsed bridge is rebuilt to allow commuters free access and to ease hardship posed by the collapse of the bridge.
“The Executive Governor committed some stakeholders and political associates of the Council Chairman of Zangon Kataf Local Government Council, appealed to the Executive Governor on the need to rebuild the collapsed bridge to address its negative impact.
“The Chairman further appealed to the affected communities and commuters to be calm and exercise more patience as there is a profound commitment on the part of the governor to rebuild the bridge.
“I equally want to use the opportunity to thank the Executive Governor for the positive response and to particularly thank the distinguished senator representing Kaduna-South, Senator Sunday Katung for appealing to the Executive Governor,” Ephraim averred
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One year under me, Rivers rated high in performance index — Fubara boasts
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed excitement at an independent assessment carried out by some online media platforms that rated the State high in terms of projects delivery by first-time governors in Nigeria.
The governor said though he is not given to media hype, his performance in service and projects’ delivery, is in the public domain, visible to everybody, as life-changing strides of his administration.
Fubara spoke during the Sallah solidarity visit by a delegation led by the Vice President General and Chairman, Association of South-South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, Alhaji Nasir Awhelebe Uhor, to Government House in Port Harcourt on Monday.
Uhor is also chairman of the Rivers State Council for Islamic Affairs
This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nelson Chukwudi, and sent to newsmen,
The governor said most people have continued to talk about the modest achievements that the administration has achieved in one year, which are being celebrated because they are genuine development efforts.
He said, “As a matter of fact, I am not a social media person, but I am aware of the fact that first-term governors when they rated them on Twitter and all social media platforms, Rivers State was ranked number one.
“We are not talking about a 2-kilometre road project. We are not talking about building one primary school. We are talking about life-changing projects, and that is why you don’t need to argue with anybody about what we have done. We don’t need to beat our drums because what we have done is there for the world to see.”
Fubara emphasized the grace of God that is at work, enabling his administration to steady governance, and assured that the mark of development will leave Rivers State better.
He said, “It is a difficult system but one with God is one with the majority. So, when you have God around, you need to fear nothing. They will plan, they will gather, but their gathering, at the end of the day, will be to your own glory.
“So, I can say boldly that God has been very faithful to us against the expectations of a lot of people. He’s been guiding us, holding us forth, and we can boldly beat our chest to say: so far, we have shown that we are a responsible government.
“We have shown that we mean well for Rivers people. We have shown that this is not just a government that merely wants to control: it is a government resolved to give everybody opportunity, a government that allows you to feel free, and operate within the laws. That is the only way we can move from where we are to a higher pedestal.”
Fubara stated that his administration will continue to do everything possible to promote coexistence among all residents despite their religious inclinations while accommodating each other.
He noted the complaints surrounding the issues of the section Muslims bury their dead within the Port Harcourt cemetery, and request to be allowed to build a mosque within the Rivers State University premises for their worshippers will investigate to get at the true position before taking decisions.
However, he said, “But that of the state worship centre, we will do something about it immediately. We are doing it because the only way for us to control and reduce crime is when we have comfortable places where the word of God is preached to people who go and listen to learn.
“Whether we like it or not, it is not a mistake when you see churches. It is not a mistake when you see a lot of mosques. It helps to reduce crime because when people go to worship centres, they listen to the word, and the fear of God comes.
“Some evil actions are curtailed compared to when you are not even hearing anything, and what is available to you is just the opportunity to commit a crime only. So, we will make sure that we create a very conducive place for your worship because we know that in the end, it is going to be a win-win for our State.”
Fubara advised the Muslim faithful to continue to obey the law and work harmoniously with other residents, assuring that the State Government will continue to support them.
In his speech, the leader and Vice President General of Rivers State Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Nasir Awhelebe Uhor, said they were excited at the commitment of the Governor to promote freedom of worship and fully implement inclusive policies.
Uhor restated the resolve of Muslims in Rivers State not to align with efforts that will truncate governance and the good policies to drive the development agenda of the Governor Fubara-led administration.
Dalung slams Tinubu’s call for sacrifice as ‘mockery’ of suffering masses
A former minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has slammed the Tinubu-led government for its call for sacrifice, labeling it a mockery of the suffering masses.
In a post on his X.com on Monday Dalung argued that if Tinubu is genuinely committed to the nation’s prosperity, he should start by making sacrifices himself, beginning with his “jumbo-sized” government.
Dalung criticized the president’s disconnect from social reality, saying he is out of touch with the hardships faced by Nigerians.
He wrote, “I listened to #officialABAT calling on Nigerians again to sacrifice, love, and believe in the country. Could this be mockery of the suffering of the masses, or he genuinely believe in what he was saying?
“If President Tinubu is sincere about what he’s saying, then it’s confirmation that his government is under siege by the notorious cabal.
“The president’s body language betrayed him completely from the social reality. He is in his own world distinct from the hardships confronting Nigerians.
“From my analysis of the speech, Nigeria is on auto pilot dangerous navigating turbulence.
“Does President Tinubu knows that Nigerians are suffering? Certainly not, his reckless economic policies, wasteful expenditures, plundering of resources, insensitivity to plights of citizens, boastful and egoistic squndering of goodwill, adoption of corruption and nepotism as state policies are the characteristics of this ignoble regime.
Sacrifice should begin with #officialABAT and his jumbo size government, then Nigerians can take him serious, but for now it’s mere rhetorics and propaganda.”
Tension in Rivers as LG chairmen’s tenures expire, youths storm secretariats
Rivers State is on edge as the tenure of local government chairmen expires today, June 17, at midnight, with the chairmen refusing to leave office despite Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s warnings.
The chairmen, under the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), are relying on a controversial law passed by the State House of Assembly, which extends their tenure by six months.
State ALGON Chairman, Allwell Ihunda, who is also the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, insisted, “The law by the House of Assembly empowers us to remain in office.” However, Governor Fubara has maintained that the law is illegal and has warned the chairmen against taking any action that could disrupt the state’s peace.
Youths in Degema and Asari-Toru Local Government Areas have taken matters into their own hands, occupying council secretariats and demanding the chairmen’s exit. The youths, who were seen singing war songs and chanting, “He is a failure. You must go!” have vowed to remain until Wednesday, daring the chairmen to return to the secretariat.
Read also: Shehu Sani insists some ENDSARS protesters still in police detention
In Degema, the youths locked the entrance to the secretariat and mounted a barricade in front of the gate, while in Asari-Toru, hundreds of youths stormed the council headquarters, occupying the facility and blocking the road leading to the entrance.
The situation is tense, with a heavy security presence in Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor LGAs. Over six police patrol vans were stationed in front of the shut secretariat entrance, manned by fierce-looking security operatives. However, movements of people are not restricted.
Outgoing Eleme LGA Chairman, Obarilomate Ollor, has warned those trying to remove him from office, saying, “Let me tell you, the local government is not a community town hall or students union secretariat. That is a government facility. So stay away from there except the law permits you to go there.”
The stalemate continues, with the potential for further unrest as the chairmen refuse to budge and the youths maintain their occupation of the secretariats. The situation remains volatile, with the state government and the chairmen locked in a power struggle that could have far-reaching consequences.
The post Tension in Rivers as LG chairmen’s tenures expire, youths storm secretariats appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Sallah: Obasanjo visits Oluremi Tinubu
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, visited the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on the occasion of the Sallah celebration.
The spokesperson to the first lady, Busola Kukoyi, made this known in a post alongside a photo of both leaders via her X handle on Monday.
Kukoyi said the former president came on the visit to felicitate with the wife of the President in Lagos.
She wrote: “Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the First Lady of the Federal of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu after receiving the Former President who came felicitating on the Sallah Celebration on Monday 17th June.”
Obasanjo had on May 27 knocked the Tinubu administration over the poor implementation of the removal of the fuel subsidy as well as the floating of the naira.
The former President said though the policies were necessary, they were wrongly implemented.
According to a statement made available to journalists on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo also condemned Nigeria’s approach to the coup in the Republic of Niger.
He was said to have spoken in Abuja at the weekend at a colloquium tagged: “Nigeria’s Development: Navigating the Way Out of the Current Economic Crisis and Insecurity.”
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500-level student found dead outside Ondo varsity campus
A student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Modupe Ayandare, was found dead outside the campus of the university on Monday.
Ayandare, who was a 500 level of the Department of Agronomy of the institution, was found hung beside the church she attended, located off the campus of the state-owned institution.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the institution’s Students Union Government, Olaogbebikan Noble, in a statement, said all hands were on deck to unravel the cause of the incident.
The statement read, “We express in strong terms our dissatisfaction and agony concerning the death of one of our students, Ayandare Modupe.A 500L student of the Department of Agronomy (Agronomy Departmental President).
“According to the report, the deceased was said to have committed suicide in the early hours of today, around 4 am, after they finished vigil in her church. The incident happened beside the church she attended around the Spotless Vlla.
“The law enforcement agency has been informed already, and all hands are on the desk in getting to the root of the situation. Rest assured that justice will be served, and the law enforcement agency will do a thorough investigation. Should you have any information to supply regarding the incident that happened, kindly reach out to the Students’ Union. Stay tuned for further updates as further investigations are underway.”
The state police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident, said the command was working to unravel the cause of the incident.
In a related event which occurred in January 2023, a 300-level student of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Olona Oluwapelumi, committed suicide at his residence in the Aule Area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The deceased, who was popularly called ‘Black’, was said to be in the Department of Industrial Design at the university. He was said to have hung himself in his room outside the campus.
A source in the school stated that the deceased’s friends went to his room and discovered it was locked. After several calls without response, the door was broken, and he was found dead.
France to reduce military presence in West, Central Africa
France is planning to reduce its military presence in West and Central Africa to around 600 troops in line with President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to limit the French military footprint in the region, three sources told AFP.
In February 2023, Macron announced a “noticeable reduction” of French troop presence in Africa, as anti-French sentiment is running high in some former colonies and countries like Russia are vying for greater influence.
According to a plan under discussion with African partners, France is planning to drastically reduce its so-called “pre-positioned” forces in Africa.
According to two sources close to the government and a military source, France will keep only around 100 troops in Gabon in Central Africa, down from 350 today, and around 100 in Senegal, in West Africa, down from 350.
Paris plans to keep around 100 troops in Ivory Coast on the southern coast of West Africa, down from 600 troops today, and around 300 personnel in Chad in north-central Africa, down from 1,000 now.
The reduced presence could be periodically expanded based on the needs of local partners, the three sources said. Contacted by AFP, the French General Staff declined to comment.
Until two years ago, in addition to around 1,600 forces pre-deployed in West Africa and Gabon, France had over 5,000 troops in the Sahel region of Africa as part of the Barkhane anti-jihadist operation.
But it has been gradually pushed out by the juntas that came to power in Mali in 2021, in Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023.
All three countries have now concluded security agreements with Russia, which has been seeking to expand its footprint on the continent.
Chad, ruled by Mahamat Idriss Deby, the son of Idriss Deby Itno who was president for over 30 years, is the last Sahel country to host French soldiers.
– ‘Reduce visible presence’ –
Landlocked Chad is surrounded by the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger host Russian paramilitary forces resulting from the reorganisation of the Wagner group, whose founder Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash last August.
In February, Macron tasked former minister Jean-Marie Bockel with working out the new modalities of the French military presence with African partners.
His conclusions are expected in July.
In May, Bockel told the Senate that France wanted to “reduce its visible presence, but maintain logistical, human and material access to these countries while reinforcing our action in response to their aspirations”.
The French army plans to set up a Paris-based command dedicated to Africa this summer, two sources told AFP.
The French army is not ruling out “pooling” its bases with Americans or European partners, the chief of staff of France’s armed forces, General Thierry Burkhard, has said.
According to Burkhard, the tighter new structure will make it possible to maintain relations with local military authorities, “gather intelligence” and “pursue operational partnerships”, among other tasks.
Instead of combat missions, French soldiers will essentially provide training and capabilities to partner countries, at their request.
In Ivory Coast, one of France’s strongest allies in West Africa, the reduction in military personnel has already begun, with the number of troops now at 600 from 900 several months ago.
In Senegal, France’s military presence is also shrinking.
The country’s new left-wing pan-Africanist president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has insisted on the importance of his nation’s sovereignty.
In May, Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the country’s wish to determine its path was “incompatible with the entrenched presence of foreign military bases”. But he did not call into question bilateral defence agreements.
The French base in Djibouti, which is home to 1,500 French troops, will not be affected by the downsizing.
France wants to retain a foothold in the small country located at the mouth of the Red Sea, on the western shore of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, through which around 40 per cent of international trade passes.
AFP
US gov pardons 175,000 convicts
The governor of the US state of Maryland issued a mass pardon of drug offences on Monday, in a far-reaching move forgiving 175,000 low-level marijuana convictions across multiple decades.
Democrat Wes Moore said his act — “the most sweeping state-level pardon” in American history — was aimed at addressing social and economic injustices disproportionately impacting tens of thousands of Black people.
Moore, the eastern state’s first Black governor, said he intended to right the “decades of harm” wrought by drug policy that had disproportionately targeted African Americans, depriving them of access to housing, education and employment.
Nearly half of all state drug arrests during the early 2000s were for cannabis, he said, with Black Marylanders three times more likely to be detained over cannabis-related charges than white residents.
And while the state’s population of six million is 33 per cent Black, more than 70 per cent of Maryland’s male incarcerated population is Black.
“Today, we take a big step enacting the kinds of policies that can reverse the harm of the past and to help us to work together to build a brighter future,” Moore said as he signed the pardons into law in a ceremony in the capital Annapolis.
“This is a big deal. This is a really big deal.”
He said the scope of the pardons — affecting some 100,000 people — amounted to a “sweeping and unapologetic” executive action by officials looking to erase criminal justice inequities as more states nationwide ease marijuana laws.
After a state-wide referendum, Maryland legalized cannabis for adults and retail sales of the drug in 2023.
The governor said the pardons would extend to anyone with a misdemeanour conviction for possession of marijuana or paraphernalia.
‘Modern day shackles’
“The data shows the deeply rooted bias in drug-related arrests and sentencing. Cannabis convictions for hundreds of thousands of people here in Maryland were Scarlet Letters, modern day shackles,” added Maryland’s Attorney General Anthony Brown.
“This morning, I can almost hear the clanging of those shackles falling to the floor.”
The pardons will not result in anyone being released from jail, the governor’s office said.
The action was cheered by criminal justice reform activists including Jason Ortiz, director of strategic initiatives for the Last Prisoner Project, who recounted being arrested at 16 for cannabis possession.
“I was thrown out of school, denied access to my high school education, ripped from my family and my friends, and had to endure two years of isolation for a simple cannabis possession charge,” he said.
“The Last Prisoner Project applauds Governor Moore (and) his administration’s actions to rectify the historic racial disparities caused by cannabis prohibition… Today is literally the most powerful day in cannabis justice history for the entire nation. That’s an incredible thing.”
Heather Warnken, executive director at the Center for Criminal Justice Reform at the University of Baltimore Law School, called the action a “win for thousands of Marylanders getting a fresh start,” but also a victory for the legitimacy of the justice system itself.
“We have a lot of work to do, but for this moment here today, we celebrate this first step,” she said.
“We celebrate the justice and dignity and restoration that it represents and, filled with that momentum, tomorrow, we keep forging ahead.”
AFP
