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Tinubu Hosts Three West African Presidents

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Tinubu Hosts Three West African Presidents

At the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now holding meetings with the leaders of three West African nations.

Patrice Talon of the Benin Republic, Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, and Mohammed Bazoum of the Niger Republic are the three.

President Tinubu greeted the three presidents who arrived at the State House sequentially at around noon on the forecourt of his office.

Although the meeting’s topic is unknown, it is said that the focus of the discussions with their host, who is now the Chairman of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will be on economies.

President Tinubu attended the fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union (AU) in Nairobi, Kenya, and flew back to Abuja Monday night.

Breaking: NNPCL Further Increases Fuel Pump Price [DETAILS]

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Breaking: NNPCL Further Increases Fuel Pump Price [DETAILS]

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has raised the price of gasoline, also referred to as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), at the pump from N537 to N617 per litre.

According to TelevisionNigerian, the price hike, which became effective on Tuesday, is the second one to occur in a span of less than two months.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) raised the price of gasoline from N195 per litre to N537 per litre in May, one day after President Bola Tinubu was sworn into office.

These price hikes are a direct result of the removal of the fuel subsidy by the federal government led by Tinubu.

According to the information obtained by this newspaper, the increase can already be seen at NNPC filling stations in Abuja, and it is expected that other stations will soon follow suit.

Just on fuel subsidies, Nigeria spent 3.6 quadrillion naira during the first half of the year 2023. If payments for fuel subsidies are stopped, the Federal Government estimates that the nation will save close to N6.7 trillion.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative estimates that over the course of the past 13 years, Nigeria has spent a total of N13.7 trillion on fuel subsidies.

APC: Kyari emerges acting chairman as leadership crisis rocks party

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APC: Kyari emerges acting chairman as leadership crisis rocks party

Abubakar Kyari, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) deputy national chairman for the north, has taken over as the party’s acting national chairman.

The change coincides with unconfirmed reports that Abdullahi Adamu, the party’s national chairman, has resigned.

As Adamu and National Secretary Iyiola Omisore, who was also rumoured to have resigned, have not confirmed the development, the party has been rocked by a leadership crisis.

The deputy national chairman from the corresponding zone takes over the position in an acting capacity when a national chairman resigns, in accordance with the party constitution.

In the midst of increased security, Kyari led a group of NWC members into a meeting at the APC’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Read Also: National Chairman APC, Adamu, National Secretary, Omisore Reportedly Resigns

Those who accompanied Kyari into the meeting include the Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, National Vice Chairman (North-East), Salihu Mustapha, National Vice Chairman (North Central), Muazu Bawa, National Vice Chairman (South-West), Isaacs Kekemeke, National Vice Chairman (South-East) Ejoroma Arodiogu, and Deputy National Secretary, Festus Fuanter.

Born on January 15, 1960, in Borno State, Kyari is the son of the late Brigadier Abba Kyari, a former military administrator of the defunct North Central from 1967 to 1975.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1986 from the University of Tennessee Martin, in the United States, followed by a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in 1989.

Kyari’s political journey began in 1998 when he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives under the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

Subsequently, he served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, representing the defunct All Peoples Party (APP). He also held the position of Commissioner in Borno State from 2003 to 2005 and 2007 to 2011.

In 2015, Kyari was elected as a Senator representing Borno North on the APC platform, and he was re-elected in 2019. In 2022, he assumed the role of Deputy National Chairman before being appointed as the acting National Chairman.

APC yet confirm Adamu’s resignation
While there have been reports about Abdullahi Adamu’s alleged resignation, the party’s spokesperson, Felix Morka, has not confirmed this.

However, several newspapers have cited reasons for Adamu’s resignation, including funds misappropriation and a cold war between him and President Bola Tinubu, who chairs the party’s National Executive Council (NEC).

TheCable reported that a vote of no confidence was expected to be passed against Adamu and the party’s Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, by NWC members today, Monday, July 17.

There are also reports that Adamu and Omisore would be sacked by the Tinubu-led NEC at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 19. The reported mismanagement of the N32 billion raised from the sale of forms for the 2023 general election was cited as one of the reasons for Adamu’s troubles.

According to TheCable, only N7 billion remains in the party’s account, raising concerns about the alleged misappropriation of funds. Additionally, the newspaper reported that the zonal, state, and ward levels of the party were not aware of the proceeds from the form sales, which were supposed to be shared among them.

It was also gathered Adamu’s bid to seek refuge with the party’s state chairmen failed.

“By the APC constitution, the proceeds were supposed to be shared with the zonal, state and ward levels of the party, and they were not in the know. So there was no way they were going to support him.”

He was said to have been advised by the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum, Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, to resign following the development.

Premium Times reported that Adamu submitted his resignation to the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Sunday night.

Adamu in March 2022 emerged APC chairman by consensus following his endorsement by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Before the presidential primaries of the APC, he declared former Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party, a move seen as a bid to stop Tinubu, the eventual winner of the primary election.

Adamu’s squabble with Tinubu did not stop after the swearing in of the later as president. He recently opposed the list of the principal officers of the party announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, as endorsed by Tinubu.

Adamu refuses to comment on resignation reports
Daily Trust reported that when contacted on Monday, July 17, Adamu said he would not comment on the matter until Tinubu returns from the African Union (AU) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. Tinubu travelled for the meeting on Saturday and is expected back later on Monday.

“I won’t talk about the issue because the President is away,” Adamu said when contacted on the phone.

Omisore has not resigned – Lawyer
Meanwhile, Omisore’s lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, has debunked reports of the resignation of the APC secretary.

Ajulo stated that it was unlikely for both Adamu and Omisore to vacate their offices simultaneously, describing the resignation rumors surrounding Omisore as baseless and unfounded.

He confirmed that Omisore would attend the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) scheduled for that day.

Ajule told newsmen that any decision to resign would be a personal one and not a result of external pressure, stating that Omisore was proud of Tinubu’s government and the confidence the President has in the party.
He further highlighted Omisore’s commitment to stabilising the political space and ensuring the satisfaction of those who contributed to Tinubu’s emergence as President.

“Why must he resign? He is the National Secretary of the winning party that has just ushered in the new government of President Bola Tinubu.

“He is proud of what the President is doing and the party enjoys the confidence of the President, vice versa

“What he is doing now is to stabilise the political space and ensure that those who worked for the emergence of President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian people are happy with the government,” Ajulo said.

National Chairman APC, Adamu, National Secretary, Omisore Reportedly Resigns

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National Chairman APC, Adamu, National Secretary, Omisore Reportedly Resigns
The party’s National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, also allegedly followed the decision of his principal.

Since the party’s contested presidential election victory on February 25, 2023, Adamu has been facing multiple challenges.

Main opposition parties, along with their candidates, including Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are disputing the election results.

Leading figures within the APC have been calling for Adamu’s and Omisore’s resignations.

Insiders in the APC and the Presidency, speaking anonymously, confirmed to Prime Business Africa on Sunday night that Adamu stepped down at the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Adamu, whose tenure has been marked by conflict, had organized a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting for Monday, July 17, as a prelude to Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings set for July 18 and 19. It is now unclear what will become of these meetings.

Previously, these same meetings were postponed from last week to July 17, 18, and 19 due to internal disputes and intra-party politics.

Sources said the NWC and the President had no clear agenda for these meetings, leading to their postponement. This lack of direction is allegedly due to Adamu.

Reports also indicate a unanimous agreement within the NWC supporting the mandatory resignations of both the National Chairman and his Secretary.

Additionally, there is purported discontent over alleged ambiguity in the party’s 2022 account audit, which was reportedly “concluded and submitted without any of the members reviewing it.”

Over 60 Lawyers urge court to jail DSS DG for allegedly disobeying release of Emefiele order

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Over 60 Lawyers urge court to jail DSS DG for allegedly disobeying release of Emefiele order

About 60 constitutional and human rights lawyers from Abuja stormed the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday to begin proceedings to send Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Mr. Yusuf Bichi, to prison for allegedly violating numerous court orders and judgements ordering the release of former Central Bank Governor (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele from custody.

In particular, the group of lawyers headed by Mr. Maxwell Opara and Mr. Ahmed Tijani are requesting that the court imprison the DSS DG until he absolves himself of the contempt.

In their motion filed before the court for the issuing of Form 48 and Form 49, which are the forms to commence proceedings to commit a contemnor to prison, the lawyers said by the judgments and orders of Justice M. A. Hassan, Justice Hamza Muazu and Justice Bello Kawu, the DG DSS ought to have released Emefiele from detention.

In the affidavit in support of the application, the consortium deposed to the fact Justice M. A. Hassan restrained the respondents in that suit, particularly, the State Security Service from arresting, detaining, or interrogating Emefiele for offences connected to terrorism financing, money laundering, round tripping, financial crimes of national security dimension, etc.

It is their deposition that despite the clear and positive orders of Justice Hassan, the DSS still went ahead to arrest and detain Emefiele and has so detained him for well over a month while shopping for evidence which does not exist.

Addressing newsmen shortly after filing their processes at the registry of the court, Opara said that the group will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion and ensure that the DSS DG is sent to prison so as to serve as a deterrent to other heads of security agencies and top government officials that contempt of court and gross abuse of their offices for personal vendetta will no longer be tolerated.

Meanwhile, the lawyers have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately relieve Bichi of his appointment as DG SSS for having obviously misled the president that Emefiele had committed heinous crimes against the state only for him to now file a charge of possession of a validly registered pump action rifle against him.

“Is it not clear enough to Nigerians that the SSS is persecuting Mr. Emefiele if after holding him for 5 weeks they can only file a ridiculous charge of possessing a validly registered pump action gun?” Opara asked.

According to him, “If possessing a validly registered pump action gun is a crime worthy of being held in perpetuity, what has the SSS done to the person threatening Nigerians from a particular section of the country with an assault rifle? This clearly shows the travail of Mr. Emefiele is more for political reasons than for any other.”

He concluded by questioning that assuming there was no valid court order, since the DSS had been unable to find any evidence against Emefiele, he was entitled to his release and how much more now that three different courts have ordered his release, the DSS is still holding him in unlawful detention and violating all his rights, hence the reason why the consortium will ensure Bichi ends up being committed to prison.

Kane totally committed to Tottenham, says coach

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Kane totally committed to Tottenham, says coach

As rumours about the future of the England captain grow, new Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou stated on Monday that Harry Kane was “totally committed” to his plans for the north London club.

In the final year of his six-year deal with Spurs, Kane is being aggressively courted by Bayern Munich.

Postecoglou said his initial conversations with Kane had been instructive, unfazed by the uncertainty before the English Premier League season begins next month.

“I had a good chat with Harry… nothing earth-shattering or defining,” he said before Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against West Ham in Perth on Tuesday.

“Me and Harry were perfectly aligned in… we want to see a successful team this year.

“He’s here and while he’s here, he’s totally committed to what we’re doing.”

Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness added to the tug-of-war for the 29-year-old’s services by telling journalists on Saturday Kane’s “mind is made up” to switch to the Bundesliga champions.

“No one has spoken to me from Munich,” Postecoglou said.

“If other clubs want to talk about our contracted players, that’s more of an issue for them than us.

“There are a lot of people that know Harry better than me but he’s not going to get fazed by anything.”

Kane headlines Tottenham’s 31-man squad for their pre-season tour to Perth, Bangkok and Singapore.

But captain Hugo Lloris is a notable absentee, with the goalkeeper granted permission to skip the trip as he seeks opportunities elsewhere.

“I had a good chat with him and left it up to him whether he wanted to come along,” Postecoglou said.

“I think he deserves that respect to garner the direction of his own future… because of his standing.”

The no-nonsense Postecoglou’s first game in charge of Tottenham will be in Australia, to where his family emigrated from Greece when he was five.

“Could have gone anywhere in the world and ended up… back in Australia, which is great,” he said of the game against West Ham, which is set to attract a crowd of more than 50,000 at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

“Chuffed to bits that this is going to be our first official game.”

Having unleashed a swashbuckling style in his previous roles in Australia, Greece, Japan and, most recently, Scottish club Celtic, Postecoglou promised a similar attacking approach in his most high-profile job to date.

“Nothing has really changed in the way I do things,” he said.

“What I do try and envisage is the team playing a certain way. That’s what drives me.

“I want the team to play football that is exciting for the fans and ultimately brings success.”

NYSC DG Cautions Corps Members Against Seeking Unnecessary Redeployment

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NYSC DG Cautions Corps Members Against Seeking Unnecessary Redeployment

After the orientation exercise, the 2023 Batch B Stream I Corps members have been advised not to look for redeployment but rather to work towards a better future no matter where they may find themselves.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Director General, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, gave the advice on Sunday while speaking to Corps members of the 2023 Batch B Stream I at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp along Mani Road in Katsina.

“Don’t rely on any white collar jobs as they are not readily available. Learn from the skills acquired at the camp through the SAED programme to become self-reliant after the service year”.

The NYSC boss recalled his personal ordeal while going for service, saying that himself and his daddy “had gone to the service headquarters to seek for redeployment, but were challenged by an official and today I have achieved my dream target and become a soldier.”

He, therefore, advised them to accept their postings to the state in good faith and get prepared to face the challenges ahead and be ready to achieve their dreams.

 

HEDA Writes ICPC, Calls For Investigation, Prosecution Of Malami

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HEDA Writes ICPC, Calls For Investigation, Prosecution Of Malami

A leading anti-corruption organisation, Human and Environmental Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), has demanded that the Independent Corrupt Practises and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) conduct a thorough, immediate, and urgent investigation into the tenure of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, in light of numerous allegations of corruption and abuse of office.

In a four-page petition document signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, and copied to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the anti-corruption group decried the lack of investigation or report of any by the anti-corruption agencies of those allegations as conveyed by media reports and documentary evidence as it goes to the root of breakdown of law and order and total disregard for the rule of law while Malami served as Minister of Justice.

HEDA, citing a few of several corruption allegations against Abubakar Malami, mentioned 10 alleged corrupt practices connected to his name, which includes distribution of 30 car gifts worth over N1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira) to his supporters in Kebbi State. The car gifts widely reported by PremiumTimes on May 2, 2022, included 14 Mercedes Benz, eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux and four Lexus LX and the beneficiaries were social media influencers, executive members of Malami’s foundation and women support groups.

“Illegal auctioning of sea vessels holding crude oil seized by the Federal Government, violating Section 31(2) and (4) of the EFCC Act 2004 and assuming the role conferred on the Economic and Financial Crime Commission as reported by The Cable Newspaper on July 13, 2020.

“Alleged duplicity of payment of $16.9 million fees to two friends as new lawyers for the recovery of the loot traced to a former Nigerian Head of State, Sanni Abacha, after a Swiss lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, hired and fully paid by the previous government to help in the recovery had completed his brief as reported by PremiumTimes on April 10, 2018. it was alleged that Malami undertook the action with the intention for kickback from the deal.

“Allegedly seeking the withdrawal of cases against Bello Adoke, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Abubakar Aliyu and others involved in the Malabu scandal through his letters to former President Muhammadu Buhari, on the ground of lack of significant evidence to prove allegations of sharp practices against prominent players in OPL 245 oil deal, as reported by PremiumTimes on February 18, 2018.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has recovered the sum of $78million from this case and his office instituted cases on behalf of Nigeria in Italy and the United Kingdom against the same suspects.
Malami has finally confessed to a conflict of interest in his recent book, “Traversing the Thorny Terrain of Nigeria’s Justice Sector; my Travails and triumphs” (page 30) that “…..Muhammad Bello Adoke, former Attorney-General, gifted some books, an office desk and chairs while setting up my new office. Though a friend to my principal, Adoke and I had developed a direct relationship and because of how frequently I was in court, Adoke gave me files to handle….”. This personal and conflicted relationship with Adoke was never disclosed while pretending to discharge his official functions over the matter.”

FG To Unveil New Programme To Tackle Banditry In North-West

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FG To Unveil New Programme To Tackle Banditry In North-West

When visiting the Kano State Government House on Sunday, Vice President Kashim Shetima revealed this to the media.

The Vice President, who had earlier honoured the Emir of Bichi, claimed that only kinetic and non-kinetic methods could end the unrest in the region of the North West.

 

After President Bola Tinubu told the recently appointed service chiefs that there was work to be done, the development occurred less than two weeks later.

Following their appointment on June 19, 2023, the new security chiefs and the national security adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, met with Tinubu on July 3 for the first time.

The President assured the service chiefs of his unwavering support, according to the NSA, who spoke with State House Correspondents.

Ribadu, who said the service chiefs, on their part, pledged their loyalty to the President and Nigerians, also underlined their commitment to work tirelessly to secure the country.

Report: 43 million Nigerians are excluded from Buhari’s cash transfer

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Report: 43 million Nigerians are excluded from Buhari’s cash transfer

Since its implementation in 2016, the Federal Government’s N5,000 monthly cash transfer has not reached no less than 42.69 million low-income Nigerians.

Only 19.4% of Nigerians benefited from the programme, according to information provided by the World Bank in the June 2023 edition of the Nigeria Development Update.

Only about 40.21 million Nigerians received benefits from the cash transfer programme, despite the country’s estimated population of 207.25 million (according to estimates from the World Bank).

The Washington-based bank noted that about 40 per cent of Nigerians (82.9 million people) lived on less than the national poverty line at the end of 2022.

On the poverty rate, the bank said, “The majority of Nigerians are either poor or economically insecure, just one shock away from falling into poverty. About 40 per cent of Nigerians—82.9 million people— lived on less than the national poverty line in 2018/19.13. An additional one quarter of the population—some 52.6 million people—were economically insecure, at high risk of falling into poverty. The overall poverty situation since then is unlikely to have improved given that GDP per capita has declined since 2019.”

Based on the poverty rate, it meant that 42.69 million poor people did not benefit from the Federal Government’s cash transfer programmme.

Despite the exclusion, the lending bank noted that an additional four million Nigerians became poor between January and May this year due to rising inflation.

With the recent fuel subsidy removal, it had been projected that about 7.1 million poor Nigerians would become poor if the Federal Government failed to compensate or provide palliatives for them.

This had further underscored the need for urgent assistance, especially to the poor and vulnerable in the country.

Nigeria underspends

The World Bank has said that the Nigerian government is not spending enough to address the issue of poverty and protect Nigerians.

In its NDU report, the bank stated, “Despite being exposed to frequent recent shocks, the majority of the population lacks protection to adequately cope with shocks financially. In 2021, Nigeria spent only 0.7 percent of its GDP on social safety nets. This is much lower than the average for SubSaharan Africa and lower-middle-income countries of 1.2 percent and the global average of 1.5 percent.

“Consequently, only 19.4 per cent of Nigerians benefitted from any safety nets programme, compared with 25 per cent regionally and 41 per cent globally. Even among those covered, benefit levels remain insufficient to keep households out of poverty. Thus, Nigeria needs to rapidly and comprehensively expand the coverage and adequacy of its social protection programmes to allow households to cope better with inevitable future shocks.”

The bank further noted that Nigeria had the capacity and infrastructure to deliver the necessary assistance needed.

It stated, “Nigeria has the capacity and the infrastructure to deliver immediate assistance at scale. In recent years, Nigeria has invested in building a robust safety nets delivery system that can provide immediate assistance to a large number of households. This includes the development of social registries that can be used to select households for support and a robust payment system that can deliver cash transfers in a safe, secure, and reliable manner.”

Call for Expansion
There have been calls for the expansion of the social safety net to cover more poor people.

In this regard, the World Bank said, “Building on earlier progress in expanding social protection to the poor and vulnerable, the government can leverage the phasing out of the petrol subsidy to establish a new social compact with Nigerians.

“Establishing a redistribution mechanism that uses a portion of the fiscal savings to protect lower-income households could minimise the negative impact on consumer welfare while still yielding a large net gain in government revenues.

“To build public support for phasing out the subsidy, and as part of a wider process of building trust, the government could propose a compact with Nigerian citizens that directly links the phased-out subsidy to compensatory cash transfers. It could publicize this compact (cash transfer amounts, eligibility criteria, transfer mechanisms, etc.), enabling the media and civil society to monitor compliance.”

Experts agree with the World Bank in not just expanding the coverage but making it more transparent.

The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu, said that the government needed to be transparent and make the database accessible to everyone for easy confirmation.

He said, “The government must have a register, and that register should be in public domain. It should be broken into states, local governments, districts, so that people can actually go to that register and confirm the genuineness of the people in the register.

“This way, you have genuine people who are in need in that register, So, it is just about the level of transparency and openness that the government has regarding the register.”

A former President of the National Accountants of Nigeria, Dr Sam Nzekwe, also stressed the need for accurate data to ensure that genuine poor people are the major beneficiaries.

“It is very important that we have open data,” he said.

 

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