In Aso Villa in Abuja. The appointment of mandate secretaries for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has brought smiles to certain people’s faces, thanks to President Bola Tinubu. The presidency’s office released a statement on Tuesday, September 5, revealing this.
On the precise day that it had been 100 days since he had reclaimed the presidency, President Tinubu made the appointment.
About 24 hours later, it was also revealed that President Tinubu had accepted the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to fly to New Delhi, India, in order to attend the G-20 leaders’ conference.
Below is a list of the eight new appointments: Bitrus L. Garki is the Area Council Services Secretariat’s secretary. Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat Secretary Lawan Kolo Geidam Secretary of Education Danlami Ihayyo and Secretary of Health and Human Services Adedolapo A. Fasawe Salman Dako is the Legal Services Secretariat’s secretary. Economic Planning, Revenue Generation, and PPP Secretary Chinedum Elechi Uboku Secretary of the Transportation Secretariat Tom Nyah Social Development Secretariat Secretary Muntari Abdulkadir
Breaking: Jubilation Erupts As President Tinubu Makes 8 Appointments
Breaking: Protesters storm presidential election tribunal
At the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, dozens of protesters have descended.
Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and Peter Obi (Labour Party) brought suits against Tinubu (APC) before the tribunal, and it is currently rendering its decision.
the site was heavily guarded as political heavyweights arrived.
But judging by the fact that they were seen carrying placards with diverse inscriptions, protesters appeared to have bucked the tight security before the tribunal.
An inscription on one of the banners, held by a woman wearing a hijab, said, “Asiwaju on your mandate we stand.”
In a same vein, eccentric entertainer Charly Boy has urged Peter Obi’s followers to seize Abuja while the tribunal issues its ruling on the 2023 presidential election.
INEC begins PVC collection in Kogi, Bayelsa, Imo
Before the governorship elections on November 11 in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has resumed collecting Permanent Voter Cards PVCs in those states.
Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, made this revelation in a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja.
He stated, “As part of our ongoing preparations for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in the states of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi, the Commission has approved the resumption of the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for registered voters who were unable to do so before the exercise was suspended on February 5, 2023, in advance of the previous general election. The current activity exclusively pertains to the three States where the Saturday, November 11, 2023, governorship elections will take place.
“All of our Local Government area offices in the three States—eight in Bayelsa, twenty-seven in Imo, and twenty-one in Kogi—will have PVCs accessible for pickup. The Commission has also established additional designated centers with a significant volume of uncollected PVCs. The Resident Electoral Commissioners in the three States will provide information on all centers.
He claims that for a period of four weeks, from September 11 through October 9, 2023, the Commission has set aside weekdays (Monday through Friday) from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm for the collection of PVCs.
Two resident electoral commissioners (RECs) have been transferred to other States in the interim.
In light of the upcoming off-cycle governorship election, Mr. Obo Effanga, the REC for Edo State, takes over in Bayelsa State, according to Olumekun, while Professor Ayobami Salami relocates from Ekiti State to Lagos.
Following the expiration of the terms of the former occupants of the offices, the two States are among those without RECs.
The Commission urges all political parties and candidates to behave peacefully and to refrain from saying or doing anything that could disrupt the peace while running for office.
PENGASSAN threatens total shutdown over sale of NAOC, Eni Nigeria
… says 3000 native workers will lose their jobs.
In response to the reported sale of Eni Nigeria and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited to O and O Plc, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has threatened to evict all of its members from field and office sites.
Eyong Survival, the Branch Chairman of Agip Group PENGASSAN in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, gave the notification during a speech on Tuesday.
He scoffed at Oando’s purchase of all of the shares of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited from Eni Nigeria and at Eni Nigeria’s outright selling of its 20% equity stake in the NAOC JV to O and O without consulting or alerting the union.
When news of the sale of NAOC JV assets to O and O became public, he said the union held a meeting with the company’s management, but the managing director apparently denied that such a scheme existed.
The sale of NAOC JV, Survival mourned, will force many of its members into the labor market given the difficult economic climate the nation is currently experiencing.
He claims that “The Managing Director of Eni Nigeria, Mr. Fabrizio Bolondi, invited the workforce to a meeting on the 4th of September, 2023, and callously informed us that Eni has sold its 20% equity share in NAOC JV, consisting of OML 60, 61, 62, and 63, covering portions of Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Imo States to Oando Nigeria Limited, transferring all her assets and liabilities to O and O,
“It is crucial to emphasize that the Union, who serves as the workers’ representation, was not informed beforehand that the sales deal would begin.
In a meeting with the management on July 12, 2023, the union asked Eni Nigeria management if they had any plans to sell the NAOC JV assets to O and O or any other company. The managing director vehemently denied having any plans to sell the JV assets.
He said, “Instead, the MD delivered presentations on planned injections of IPP phase 2 generated power into the national grid, as well as potential government conversion of OPL 245 to OML.
“Over 3000 indigenous workers may be forced into the labor market as a result of the news of the sale of NAOC JV assets to OANDO, as the specifics of their sales transaction were not disclosed.
The heartless declaration made by the MD of Eni Nigeria has caused a lot of NAOC employees to suddenly experience certain health issues.
“The union’s position is that Eni Management must follow the law. Until an appropriate deal is achieved with Eni Nigeria and AGIP Group PENGASSAN, the Union has ordered a complete withdrawal of all of its members from all offices and field locations of the firm.
“By that withdrawal move, gas supply to Indoranma has been impacted, daily oil production on 30,000 nbbls of crude oil has been discontinued, about 10mscf of LNG gas to NLNG has been cut off, and approximately 350MW of Okpai IPP electricity has been shut down to the national grid.”
Furthermore, Survival claimed that the management had evacuated all Italian expatriates from field areas before the unexpected news of the NAOC JV sale.
Breaking: Kwankwaso’s Camp Reacts After NNPP fired Ex-Presidential Candidate, Reveals Next Step
FCT Abuja – On Tuesday, September 5, Ladipo Johnson, a supporter of Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s (NNPP) presidential candidate, expressed disapproval over rumors that the former governor of Kano state had been kicked out of the party by a section. According to Johnson, the NNPP’s national auditor, Major Agbo’s side, which ousted Kwankwaso, lacks the authority to reinstate the former governor.
He promised that Kwankwaso’s camp would soon be having a press conference to address the matter.
“Expel who? These people are no longer our people. They are out of the party and cannot speak on behalf of the party. Let them form their own party or go to court. It is as simple as that. There are so many important things to worry about in this country. “How can they expel Kwankwaso? Someone whose relationship with the National Working Committee is intact here at the national headquarters in Abuja? We will soon be having a press conference to address this matter.
Rep. Committee looking into ecological funds excludes journalists
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the use of environmental funding provided to the National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGGW) forbade journalists from covering its meeting.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the committee, led by Representative Ismaila Dabo, accused the agency of spending N81. 2 billion to plant 21 million trees across 11 states on August 31.
During the committee meeting on Tuesday, the Director General of NAGGW, Dr. Yusuf Bukar, was scheduled to address the accusation.
Nevertheless, Mr. Edem Bassey, the committee clerk, instructed the reporters who showed up to cover the meeting to leave the room.
The investigation hearing was not meant to be covered by the media, according to Bassey, who claimed that the committee’s chairman had ordered that.
I wrote to you regarding the first sitting that you covered, and to the best of my knowledge, this Committee did not request another coverage in a letter. So the problem is resolved.
You are aware of the procedures in place; I am required to inform either you or the chairman; I haven’t done so, and the reason is that I wasn’t briefed to do so, he said.
He said that for the time being, “we do not need media coverage,” and that the committee has the same freedom to manage its proceedings as the House does.
Breaking: ‘Our Protest Against Jonathan’s Subsidy Removal In 2012 Was Politics’ – Fayemi
The protest that followed the removal of fuel subsidies in 2012 during President Goodluck Jonathan’s government was mostly motivated by political concerns, according to former governor of Ekiti state Kayode Fayemi.
Fayemi made this statement while addressing at a national dialogue held in Abuja to commemorate the 60th birthday of Professor Udenta Udenta, who founded the Alliance for Democracy and served as its founding national secretary.
Jonathan, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of education, a former minister of aviation, and others attended the session.
According to TheNigerian, on January 1, 2012, President Jonathan announced the termination of the fuel subsidy and increased the price of gasoline at the pump from N65 per litre to N141.
The ruling provoked widespread protests, known as “Occupy Nigeria” in the nation’s largest cities. After more than a week of demonstrations, the price was later changed to N97.
Jonathan received harsh criticism for the fuel price adjustment, particularly from APC leaders who were then in various opposition parties, such as the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressives Congress, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and APGA.
Fayemi criticized Nigeria’s democracy, calling it a “winners take all” system, and asserted that the country cannot overcome its current problems unless it adopts proportional representation, in which the winners and losers in elections divide the spoils equally.
He claimed that it had been during Jonathan’s leadership that Nigeria had last seen economic growth.
He said: “Today I read Olusegun Obasanjo’s interview in The Cable, and I agree with him that our liberal democracy has to be reviewed. We must abandon the political alternatives. I believe that’s where we’re heading soon.
“What we need is alternative politics, and by alternative politics, in my opinion, you can’t win with 35% of the vote and take 100%. No, it won’t work! In order for the party that supposedly received 21% of the vote to control 21% of the government, proportional representation must be considered. Political rivalry creates resentment and divisiveness.
“All of the political parties in the nation agreed, and they even said in their platform that subsidies must be eliminated. We all agreed that subsidies must be eliminated. The truth, Sir, is that it’s all politics, but we in ACN at the time, in 2012, knew it.
“So, by stopping all of these, we must make sure that everyone is an important stakeholder. Put the manifestos of the PDP, APC, and Labour Party on the table and choose the program’s pilots from all the parties, Fayemi continued.
Presidential Tribunal Judgement: PDP prayed to God for favorable ruling before presidential tribunal’s anticipated decision
On Tuesday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prayed to God for a favorable ruling before the presidential tribunal’s anticipated decision on Wednesday, September 6.
PDP, which observed a day of fasting and prayer in the party’s national secretariat chapel, was confident that, just as God restored all that David had lost during the war with the Amalekite in the Old Testament Bible, the party would win back its mandate before the tribunal on Wednesday.
The PDP Christian Religion Body 2023 Chairman and former governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna, told reporters shortly after the sermon at the prayer session that he believes God will give the party victory at the Tribunal.
Despite not expecting to lose, he added that whatever the result, it should be in a fashion that does not threaten Nigeria’s peace and unity. He said, “Let the will of God prevail wherever the judgment goes.”
The former governor of Adamawa State stated during the speech that the PDP will regain its mandate and that God will enable the party to regain all that it has lost.
According to Harauna, who based his argument on First Samuel 30: 1–8, the PDP would make up the ground it lost in the previous presidential election just as God enabled David to recoup all of his losses to the Amalekite.
He pointed out the parallels between what happened during the announcement of the presidential election around four in the morning and what happened to David during the conflict.
God will enable the PDP to regain its mandate, according to Haruna, just as He did in the time of Amalekite and David. The party will be able to regroup and bring its members together through the work of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus Christ has the power to bring about restoration. We’re working to get everything back.
David sought after God, who gave him guidance, and he was able to reclaim everything that had been taken from him. PDP will recoup the lost items. We must make amends with God.
“We’ll put this country in its proper place. Nothing can be lost that cannot be found again if we place it in God’s capable hands.
Chinwe Nnorom, the PDP’s director of publicity and the coordinator of PDP Christian Religion Body 2023, claimed that the party has been praying and fasting for a long time, and that it is not a coincidence that this prayer is different because the party is asking God’s face for a favorable ruling on Wednesday.
Breaking: FG, TUC Agree to Resolve Labour Issues in Two Weeks
The Federal Government and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have reached an understanding that the government will have two weeks to resolve some of the TUC’s complaints.
A meeting between the TUC’s leadership, led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo, and the Minister of Labor and Employment, Solomon Lalong, reportedly led to the agreement.
The following issues need to be rectified in the next two weeks:
pay increase for federal employees to offset the impact of increased poverty among them.
Workers in the public and commercial sectors who meet a particular threshold are free from paying taxes.
establishing the framework necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the palliatives proclaimed by the federal government for the states and the FCT.
describing how to get the N70 billion that has been suggested as funding for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME).
The meeting would reconvene for additional discussion after two weeks, the Minister announced. He continued by saying that the parties were aware that some of the problems needed to be resolved right away, while others would take a lot of time.
The TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, said the two-week deadline was appropriate since it would allow the government enough time to fix the problems. He said that at the start of the conference, the TUC leadership had pushed for a one-week deadline for the resolution of the contentious problems, but had to change their minds after considering the limitations of the government.
The Minister had earlier urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to postpone its two-day warning strike that was scheduled to begin on September 5 because doing so would undermine the progress the government had already made in securing a better future for Nigerian citizens and workers.
He encouraged the NLC’s leadership to give the government some time to address the issues expressed in a comprehensive manner. The Minister reminded Nigerian employees that their support and understanding will never be taken for granted by the government.
The TUC has also urged its members to observe the law during the two-week period and maintain composure. The Congress declared that it will keep interacting with the administration to make sure that its demands were met.
In a news statement announcing the development, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture states:
POST RELEASE
TUC AND FG AGREE ON A TWO WEEK TIMEFRAME TO RESOLVE SOME LABOR ISSUES
The Federal Government and the Nigerian Trade Union Congress (TUC) have agreed to give the government two weeks to resolve some of the Congress’s complaints.
Solomon Lalong, the minister of labor and employment, made this announcement in Abuja following a meeting with the president of the Trade Union Congress and other top TUC officials.
The Minister called the conference in an effort to settle disagreements between the TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress and to avoid an impending warning strike by organized labor.
The concerns that have a two-week deadline for settlement, according to Lalong, include tax exemption for a specific amount of workers in both the public and private sectors, as well as wage awards for federal civil servants to mitigate the impact of their rising poverty.
Other items on the two-week agenda include establishing the modalities for accessing the N70 billion proposed for the funding of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), among others, and putting in place the frameworks necessary to ensure effective implementation of the palliatives declared by the Federal Government for the states and the FCT.
After the two weeks, the meeting will resume for additional discussion, the minister announced. She also noted that the parties recognized that some of the issues were urgent while others would take a considerable amount of time to settle.
Lalong claims that during this two-week period of calm, the parties also agreed that there would be no strikes “while we are undertaking deliberations and also working towards attaining some of these objectives.”
The TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, said the two-week deadline was appropriate since it would allow the government enough time to fix the problems.
The TUC leadership had first pushed for a one-week deadline for the resolution of the issues under contention, but had to change course after considering the limits placed on it by the government, he revealed, adding, “We also need to be pragmatic.”
According to Osifo, their demands, which were outlined in a communique earlier released by the Congress, include ending the standoff between the Lagos State Government and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), as well as increasing the amount designated for palliative care because the N5 billion allotted per state is insufficient to lessen Nigerians’ suffering.
The Minister had earlier urged the Nigeria Labour Congress to postpone its planned two-day warning strike scheduled for September 5 and 6, as such action would be detrimental to the progress the government had already made in securing a better future for Nigerian citizens and workers.
In order to address the issues mentioned comprehensively, he pleaded with the NLC leadership to give the government some time.
The Minister reminded Nigerian employees that their support and understanding will never be taken for granted by the government.
Director of Press and Public Relations Olajide Oshundun, September 5, 2023
National blackout is likely as electricity workers in Abuja, Osogbo, other cities join NLC strike
The National Union of Electricity Employees’ decision to join the warning strike announced by the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday has caused power outages in Abuja, Osogbo, and other states.
Other states on Tuesday also had extended power disruptions, with no explanation from the distribution providers.
NLC claims the strike is in retaliation for President Bola Tinubu’s elimination of fuel subsidies on May 29 and its detrimental effects.
Checks show that several Osogbo Region Transmission Company of Nigeria employees were barred from the building.
Additionally, while some Osogbo commercial bank branches were closed to customers, others were open for business.
The state capital’s Old Garage, Ola-Iya, and Oke Fia Areas also had security presence.
Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company’s head office in Osogbo, however, had a sealed entrance and a staff member who spoke on the condition of anonymity claimed that the employees had also joined the warning strike.
The removal of fuel subsidies and the government’s lack of clear plans to mitigate the effects of the removal and lessen the hardship it has caused have angered some electricity workers at the Osogbo Region Transmission Company of Nigeria. They expressed concern that there may be a disruption in power supply as a result of the strike.
Sodiq Adewale, the group’s state chairman, claimed that because his union is an affiliate of the NLC, its members cooperated with the order to put down their tools.