The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Wednesday, urged the country’s political leaders and the citizens to protect democracy jealously and uphold its tenets.
Obi, who made the call in a series of tweets on his X handle, charged the leaders to obey the laws governing the state and be accountable to the people.
He noted that democracy is beyond elections, but to fulfill the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution.
“As our dear nation marks Democracy Day today, commemorating 25 years of striving to be a democratic country, the fundamental question for all of us remains; are we truly democratic?
“As we build Nigeria, these tenets shall be the pillars of our true democracy. It is possible.”
The former Anambra State governor lamented that 25 years after the return of civil rule, Nigeria was yet to be truly democratic.
“Let us use the commemoration of June 12 as an occasion to return to a truly democratic nation.
“We achieved that feat on June 12, 1993, by collectively voting for democracy in Nigeria. We must stand in defence of Nigeria’s democracy today,” he added.
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Obi urges Nigerians to defend democracy
Bauchi Civil Service Commission suspends 3 senior officials
The Bauchi State Civil Service Commission has suspended three senior civil servants for alleged serious misconduct, including breach of trust, forgery, and misappropriation.
Their actions were said to have violated Public Service Regulations 0327 (a) and (b).
The suspension of the senior officers was contained in a statement issued to journalists on Wednesday by the Information Officer of the commission, Saleh Umar.
The Bauchi Civil Service Commission suspended the three civil servants during its 21st plenary session held on June 11, 2024.
The suspended officers are Yakubu Muhammad, Chief Accountant Grade Level (GL) 14 with the Ministry of Health; Surajo Shehu Ilela, Principal Executive Officer (Accounts) with the State Treasury Department; and Umar Muhammad Misau, acting Assistant Chief Administrative Officer GL 13 with the Establishment and Servicom Matters Bureau.
According to the statement, Misau’s acting appointment was withdrawn during the plenary, and as a result, he has reverted to his substantive rank of Principal Administrative Officer on GL 12 pending further investigation.
The commission also confirmed the appointment of a substantive state librarian on GL 17 and a director of Engineering Services.
Similarly, in the course of the session, four acting directors and two acting deputy directors of Administration and Human Resources were considered and approved.
The commission also approved the confirmation of two officers as acting Chief Administrative Officer on GL 14 and Principal Administrative Officer on GL 12, respectively.
Bauchi Civil Service Commission suspends 3 senior officials
Group welcomes Police Act Amendment Bill
The National Democratic Front has commended the House of Representatives for considering the bill for an act to amend the Nigeria Police Act 2020.
In a statement issued by its Secretary General, Dr Abdulkadir Musa, the group said the bill was a significant milestone in the quest for a people-friendly policing system in the country.
TVN recalls that the Police Act Amendment Bill recently passed a second reading on the floor of the green chamber.
The bill, among other things, seeks to review the service years of police officers to improve the experience and expertise of the police workforce.
The bill also seeks to reduce the cost of training and recruiting new officers and address the shortage of experienced police personnel.
In the statement, Musa noted that the legislation will not only improve the effectiveness of the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, but will also lead to enhanced overall performance of personnel.
Part of the statement reads: “This amendment bill, which seeks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Nigerian Police Force, is a significant milestone in the quest for a more robust, responsive, and people-friendly policing system in Nigeria.
“The bill’s provisions, which include the extension of police officers’ retirement age and service years, will undoubtedly lead to improved morale, retention of experienced personnel, and enhanced overall performance of the Force.
“We commend the Speaker (Tajudeen Abbas) and Yalleman for their demonstrated commitment to security sector reform and their responsiveness to the yearnings of Nigerians for a more effective and accountable police force.
“This is a testament to their dedication to entrenching a culture of excellence, professionalism, and service delivery in our security agencies.”
The pro-good governance group urged the Senate to concur with the House of Representatives. It also called on President Bola Tinubu to assent to the bill without delay.
Group welcomes Police Act Amendment Bill
So This Happened (252) review organised labour request for new minimum wage, others
In this Episode of So this Happened, we review organised labour proposal of a new minimum wage of ₦250,000, rejecting proposals of ₦62,000 and ₦100,000. The government and private sector have agreed on ₦62,000, but labour leaders are awaiting President Bola Tinubu’s consideration of their proposal.
We discussed how a 46-year-old man, Ibrahim Ogunrinde, was arrested for attempted murder in Ogun State. He allegedly posed as a passenger, stabbed the driver, and stole his motorbike, thinking he had killed his rival, who he suspected of having an affair with his wife.
We also reviewed Russia’s alleged coercion of thousands of migrants and foreign students to fight in the war against Ukraine in exchange for visa renewals. According to reports, Russia is threatening to not renew visas unless individuals agree to join the military, and has also been enlisting convicts from prisons.
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Fubara promises to transform education sector
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured the people of the state that his administration will transform the educational system to ensure that parents bring back their children and wards from private to public schools.
Fubara disclosed this while addressing members of the Rivers State Parents Teachers’ Association for All Government Schools during a solidarity visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi.
Represented by the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nweake, Fubara noted that his administration plans to give public schools a facelift, both in terms of infrastructure and content development.
The governor pointed out that government efforts were aimed at reducing the burden on parents who spent a greater percentage of their meagre salaries on school fees to make life better for their children.
He said, “We are going to transform the school system in Rivers State. The school supervision is also going to be made stronger. Many people are forced to take their children to private schools. We will make our schools to be models whereby there will be an osmotic movement from the private schools back to the public schools.
“Many people, the minimum wage is not enough for them, because they have to pay for private schools’ fees. But when we rebuild government schools in terms of infrastructure, and more importantly the content, people will come back from the private schools.
“When that happens, parents will have less to pay, cost of living will become lower and standard of living will become higher and better economy for us”, he noted.
Fubara also frowned at a situation where parents go to schools to harass teachers who discipline their children and wards, saying his administration will not tolerate such a negative trend.
He therefore sued for a symbiotic relationship between parents and teachers to ensure that parents give teachers the needed support to teach their children properly, while teachers, in turn, see their pupils as their children.
He said, “Government is desirous to turn around the fortunes of our schools. Parents, please allow your children to be taught. I hear that some parents go to schools to molest teachers. This administration will not tolerate that. We cannot, in any way, condone indiscipline.
“When you remove discipline from a child’s upbringing, that child cannot be well brought up. So, when you bring your children to school, allow them to be taught.
“And to you teachers, when parents also bring their children, treat them like your children. There should not be any difference between your biological children and other children”, he emphasised.
While maintaining that the state government had carried teachers along, unlike the previous administration, which denied them promotion and failed to assist in the building of their Secretariat, Governor Fubara, admonished parents and teachers to join hands with the government to turn around the school system.
He said, “The Government has done much for teachers. All the teachers are civil servants, and I am the Head of Service. I can say authoritatively that all of us received N100,000.00 each in December 2023, in addition to our salaries. Nigeria Union of Teachers is the body that manages all the teachers in the state. They have a structure they are building somewhere which had stayed there for many years. As we speak, the sum of N250 million has been released to finish that building.
“Before now, the previous administration did not care much about what happens in schools. Teachers were using their money to run schools. It’s no longer so now. Money has been released to the Senior Secondary Schools Board to purchase instructional and educational materials which they will use.
“Teachers, you were not promoted for many years. This Governor came and you were promoted and also paid arrears. To him that much has been given, they say, much is also expected. Let every teacher sit up now. Let every parent try as much as possible to cooperate so that we can achieve set goals,” he said.
Fubara assured that with the rightful support and every person doing his or her part, the government will hand over to our children a state that is better than what it met.
Presenting the address of members of the Parents Teachers’ Association for All Government Schools, the State Chairman, Boma Watson Allison, said the solidarity visit was to congratulate the Governor for his lofty achievements, people-centric programmes and policies in his first year in office.
Allison, who listed the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road, Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road, the Trans-Kalabari Road, Eleme-Old Bori Road, and rehabilitation of RTC as part of the Governor’s achievements, pledged their loyalty and unflinching support to the administration.
He, however, drew the attention of the Governor to some pressing needs of the PTA, including recruitment of teachers, payment of imprest to principals and head teachers, rehabilitation and infrastructural development of schools, and appealed to him to look into the issues to solve them.
Abuja traders decry hike in food prices, seek govt intervention
Some residents and foodstuff traders in the Federal Capital Territory have decried the instability in produce prices as well as the worsening inflation in the country.
The residents and traders voiced their complaints in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr Nduka Ndubisi, a foodstuff trader at Aco AMAC Market, said that the unpredictability of food prices had limited the trade, as they could no longer take large stock.
Ndubisi said, “The prices of most foodstuff items are currently unstable; we cannot even predict the prices anymore. This is tiring and frustrating.’’
A resident of Aco AMAC estate, Mr Victor Azikiwe, said that the rising cost of food items in the market was because of the hike in the price of petrol.
Azikiwe expressed concern that some sell a litre of petrol at N650 while others at N690, thereby affecting the cost of transportation of the goods.
“This contributed to the rise in food prices as the cost of transportation of foodstuffs across the country increased. For instance, Abuja to Ilorin is N18,000 as compared to N7,500 before now,” he said.
Another resident, Sherifat Musa, said that her major concern was how people, especially the Muslims, would cope with the situation during the Eid-El-Kabir celebration.
Musa stressed the need for the authorities to do the needful before things get out of control.
“Our annual celebration is here. How do we buy all we need?
“I am scared of going to the Market because I don’t know what I’ll meet there. It’s scary because the hike in price keeps getting worse,” she said.
On her part, Hajiya Amoke Omole, a tomato and pepper trader at Gosa market, said that the “ups and downs’’ in the price of produce had made most traders wary of the trade.
“We do not even understand the situation; the price of foodstuff has been fluctuating for a while now.
“The price of tomatoes is also fluctuating; last week, we bought a basket-full for as high as N100,000; this week, it is N130,000 per basket which means the price is high and unpredictable.
“Sometimes, when pepper becomes affordable, tomatoes become more expensive, but now everything is on the high side. Pepper is now more expensive than tomatoes,” she said.
A civil servant, Mr Ibrahim Sule, described food as one of the most important basic needs for survival.
Sule said that its availability and accessibility were very important to any nation because its unavailability could lead to civil unrest, untimely death, malnourishment and more.
“Unfortunately, the price of food items in the markets has increased exponentially, daily.
“Nigerians have to spend more money these days before they can afford enough food for themselves and their families and this alone contributed enormously to the increase in food inflation.
“The current situation is beyond explanation. I think we need to pray and seek the face of God for his divine intervention,” he said.
Oluwaseun Soleye, a student at the University of Abuja, said that only God could help in the situation affecting Nigerians and Nigeria as a whole.
Soleye opined that the country was suffering from a form of sin and God needed to forgive, “so we could overcome the issues bedevilling the country”.
“We have to turn to God and seek his forgiveness because what is happening goes beyond human explanation. Imagine noddles (Super pack) of N80 before, is now N400 per one.
“To many of us, life has never been so difficult than what we are going through. Many households cannot afford three meals in a day,” she said.
Mrs Juliana Arome, a food seller, lamented low patronage by customers as a result of the hike in the price of commodities and the low purchasing power of citizens.
Arome revealed that she had reduced the quantity of food she sells to her customers as “everything has gone high”.
She, however, called on the government to salvage the people adding that there was a need for stability in food supply.
“Imagine, Maggi moved from N700 to N1,300 per pack and Spaghetti is N850. We are not making any gain, government please help us, this is too much for us,” she said.
A trader, Mrs Bose Oluwole, who sells groceries and provisions at Wuse market, believed that President Tinubu could address the situation and provide solutions to the disturbing concern.
Oluwole said, “before we used to buy a bag of milk for 5,500, now it is N15,000.
“The loaf of bread that I used to buy from bakers at N600, now sells for N1600 to N2000 because of the high cost of the flour, milk and sugar.
“As traders, we are tired; we just sit under the sun getting nothing and we pay for shop and shade in the market,” she lamented.
NAN
G7 leaders to unblock $50bn for Ukraine end of 2024- France
Group of Seven leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with $50 billion via the use of frozen Russian assets by the end of the year, the French presidency said on Wednesday.
“We have an agreement,” a presidency official said, ahead of a G7 summit in Italy on Thursday that will focus on backing Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion.
G7 leaders had aimed to agree on a deal on using the profits from the interest on 300 billion euros ($325 billion) of frozen Russian central bank assets to help Kyiv, using the profits as collateral for a loan of up to $50 billion.
US President Joe Biden is to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday during the G7 summit in Puglia, Italy.
“Originally this was an American initiative,” the French presidency official said, adding that in theory the loan to Ukraine would be repaid with “the proceeds from the frozen Russian assets”.
“But if for some reason or another, if the Russian assets are unfrozen or the proceeds from the Russian assets are not enough to finance the loan, then we’ll have to consider how to share the load” of the loan, the source said.
AFP
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FRSC threatens prosecution as 25 passengers rescued from Enugu-Onitsha highway multiple crashes
The Federal Road Safety Corps has said 25 individuals were rescued from a road accident on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway at Ugwu Onyeama, which occurred on Tuesday.
The agency also said of the “29 individuals involved in the collision, 10 sustained various injuries, while tragically, four lost their lives.”
The Corps Marshal, FRSC Shehu Mohammed, in a statement signed by the corps spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, on Wednesday ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident and swift legal action against the responsible driver.
Initial reports suggested that excessive speeding was the root cause of the crash, involving a total of seven vehicles.
‘The Federal Road Safety Corps has rescued 25 road traffic crash victims alive from the avoidable road traffic crash that occurred at Ugwu Onyeama on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway on June 11 2024 at 19:00hrs; as Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed directs full investigation and speedy prosecution of the driver responsible for the fatal crash.
‘The preliminary crash investigation report revealed that the crash which was caused by a speed violation involved 7 vehicles comprising of a black Toyota Matrix bearing the following registration details ENU742NL, a white Suzuki Hijet mini bus ENU982XY, a Custom Toyota Highlander jeep JRV247HK, and a blue Toyota Corolla with registration number UWN16AP.
‘Others are; a Toyota Rav 4, a Red Mack Tanker and a Mazda vehicle,” the statement read in part.
‘Of the 29 individuals involved in the collision, 10 sustained various injuries, while tragically, four lost their lives.
‘The injured victims received urgent medical attention at the orthopaedic hospital in Enugu, while the deceased was respectfully taken to the Park Lane hospital morgue.’
The spokesperson said, ‘Meanwhile, FRSC emergency rescue teams deployed to carry out rescue operations reported that the crash involved a total of 29 people comprising 20 male adults and nine female adults. Of the number, 10 victims comprising eight male adults and two females sustained different degrees of injuries.
“Unfortunately, four victims were killed as a result of the crash. The FRSC investigation report indicates that of the four fatalities recorded, two victims were killed on the spot while the remaining two died in the hospital.
“The injured victims were rescued to orthopaedic hospital, Enugu while the dead bodies have been deposited in Park Lane hospital morgue.”
Mohammed reiterated the FRSC’s unwavering commitment to holding those responsible for road accidents accountable.
He called upon the judiciary, transport unions, and other stakeholders to collaborate to ensure prompt and effective prosecution of traffic offenders.
‘Expectedly, as a result, that the Corps Marshal had earlier emphasised the need for the maximum penalty for these drivers, Mohammed reaffirmed the position of the Corps on deepening its ongoing prosecution of drivers who by their actions cause road traffic crashes in Nigeria, noting that the driver responsible for the Ugwu Onyeama crash will not be spared.
‘As such, he called on the Judiciary, leadership of transport unions and other relevant stakeholders in the road transportation sector to join hands with the Corps towards restoring sanity through speedy and effective prosecution of traffic violators, especially those who cause crashes on our roads,” Ogungbemide noted.
LP chairman accuses INEC of mismanaging 2023 elections
The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of mismanaging the 2023 general elections.
This was just as a former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr Sam Amadi, called for a probe into how the electoral umpire spent the N400bn released for the conduct of the poll.
Addressing a gathering of party faithful during a programme to celebrate Democracy Day in Abuja on Wednesday, Abure expressed disappointment with how INEC conducted the presidential poll where the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, was declared the winner.
The LP chair also called for a holistic approach to the ongoing electoral reforms to ensure people are abreast of recent developments.
He said, “This reminded us that there is a similarity between the military regime of 1993 that annulled the general elections and the 2023 election which INEC mismanaged.
“One of the cardinal strong points to prepare the Labour Party again for the 2027 general elections is to ensure a holistic approach to electoral reform to ensure that the party followers are well-educated.”
Amadi, a guest lecturer at the event, appealed to the 10th National Assembly to investigate the role played by INEC at the 2023 general election.
The former NERC chairman also noted that the probe cannot be completed without the electoral body explaining to Nigerians and the international community to account for why the outcome of the 2023 poll failed to meet expectations despite budgeting N400bn from taxpayers’ money for the exercise.
“Nigerians and indeed the National Assembly should be courageous enough to probe INEC expenditure during the 2023 general elections. They also explain the failure of the INEC server during the Presidential election with all the money given to them.
“It is appalling that no one spoke about the huge amount of money given Mahmood Yakubu and all the INEC commissioners to prosecute a failed election because the Supreme Court has to step in to determine the result of elections,” he stated.
Amadi urged lawmakers involved in the ongoing electoral reform to reject the inconsistency of allowing the presidency to decide who will become the INEC Chairman.
According to him, such privilege gives room for election rigging before the votes are cast.
He said, “What is imminent here is that they may have already positioned party members as INEC commissioners against 2027 where they would work and declare the results in favour of the Presidency that appointed them.
“To this end, opposition parties should work together to win the war on electoral reform. It is time for you to decide whether to be the vanguard of change or not and set up a system that can win elections. This is because politics is not a game of possibility. If we are determined, we will win.
“I think it is an error for any political party to go into an election without strengthening its process. You must take a review of your past, your mistakes and opportunities and weigh options with training of staff and support for the electoral reform, things will positively work out.”
Also speaking, the Leader of the LP Reps caucus, Victor Oghene, promised that the electoral reform, which has passed the second reading at the lower chamber would ensure the bill is passed into law and early enough against the 2027 general elections.
The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress Political Commission, Martins Egbanubi, on the other hand, dismissed speculation that there is division in the Party.
“We don’t have two factional leaders and there can never be. So the Labour Party remains united and strong,” he assured.
In March 2024, According Online reported that Abure said the present challenges facing Nigeria as a nation should not be entirely blamed on leaders, stating that the crop of the current followership was also culpable.
He said the situation of the country was the result of the choices made by Nigerians during the last general elections.
Abure stated this in Lagos while speaking to newsmen in the wake of the Court of Appeal judgment reversing his sacking as the LP National Chairman.
‘He is not a superhuman,’ Presidency reacts to Tinubu’s slip at Democracy Day parade
The presidency has reacted to an incident involving President Bola Tinubu during the Democracy Day event in Abuja.
The president missed a step while climbing the parade vehicle to inspect the military guard at Eagle Square, Abuja, on Wednesday.
He, however, regained his balance and continued with the day’s activities.
The incident elicited reactions on social media.
In a statement in Abuja, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President, Bayo Onanuga, reminded Nigerians that his principal was not superhuman.
He wrote: “President Tinubu is not a Superman. He is human like all of us. President Biden has had several slips in the last three years. Even the younger Barack Obama slipped while President,” the presidential aide wrote on his X handle.
“Political leaders are human. Slipping should not detract from the import of the Democracy Day celebration.
“President Tinubu is not a Superman. He is human like all of us. President Biden has had several slips in the last three years. Even the younger Barack Obama slipped while President. Political leaders are human. Slipping should not detract from the import of Democracy Day.”
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