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2023: After consultations in UK, Tinubu returns to Nigeria

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February 7, 2022

2023: After consultations in UK, Tinubu returns to Nigeria

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has returned to Nigeria after meeting and consulting in the United Kingdom about his presidential ambitions.

TELEVISION NIGERIAN has learned that the former Lagos State governor, who arrived in Lagos on Sunday, hosted Ade Omole, the party’s leader in the United Kingdom (UK), and the Nigeria Diaspora for Asiwaju (NDA) team in London.

Read Also: As China delays, FG seeks a N5.9tr loan to complete multiple rail projects.

According to AbdulRasaq Danjuma, Mr Omole’s personal assistant, the meetings in London were to consult with the NDA and “critical APC stakeholders” in the UK on Tinubu’s presidential bid in 2023.

Danjuma in a statement said that contrary to media reports, Tinubu was hale and healthy.

‘’Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in good health and excellent spirits.

“He is in good health, hale and hearty. He will be returning to Nigeria within a few days after necessary consultations here in the UK,” he had said.

Read Also: APC youths seek unity, leadership opportunities at the convention

It would be recalled that immediately he travelled out of the country, the rumour mill was agog with the story that Tinubu travelled out of the country to seek medical treatment in the United Kingdom.

But in a swift reaction, Tinubu’s spokesperson, Mr. Tunde Rahman, debunked the rumour, saying his principal was fine and in excellent spirits.

Rahman did explain that the former governor of Lagos State travelled overseas to hold some meetings and further consultations in line with his 2023 presidential ambition, saying the APC chieftain would return to Nigeria the following week.

Rahman had said, “Asiwaju’s trip to the UK (United Kingdom) is not to rest or because of any illness.

“While abroad, Asiwaju is maintaining a vigorous schedule of meetings and consultations on a range of important matters.

Read Also: In Ogun, 30-year-old housewife stabs her husband’s 18-year-old nephew to death over broken mirror.

“Whether at home or abroad, the daily schedule of Asiwaju is vibrant and full. Most people couldn’t sustain his high level of activity. This speaks to his exceptional intellectual energy and his commitment to achievement

“Asiwaju will return to Nigeria next week once this set of meetings and talks abroad is completed.”

In Ogun, 30-year-old housewife stabs her husband’s 18-year-old nephew to death over broken mirror.

Metro

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February 7, 2022

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In Ogun, 30-year-old housewife stabs her husband’s 18-year-old nephew to death over broken mirror.

Cynthia Olukiowu, a 30-year-old housewife, was arrested by men from the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly stabbing her husband’s 18-year-old nephew, Habeeb Aremu, to death.

On Saturday, the suspect, who lived at 2, Apogidonoyo Street, Jafa Agbado, in the state’s Ifo Local Government Area, was apprehended.

Olukiowu was arrested following a distress call received by policemen attached to the Agbado divisional headquarters, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement on Sunday.

Read Also: APC youths seek unity, leadership opportunities at the convention

He said the police were told that his uncle’s wife stabbed a boy in the neck after the deceased allegedly broke a mirror.

Oyeyemi said, “It was revealed that a mirror being used in the house got broken and the deceased was alleged to have broken it.

“It was the allegation that led to a disagreement between the deceased and his uncle’s wife, subsequent upon which the suspect took a kitchen knife and used it to stab the deceased in his neck.

“Upon the distress call, the DPO, Agbado division, CSP Kehinde Kuranga, quickly led his men to the scene, where the suspect was promptly arrested, and the victim, who was in a pool of blood, was rushed to a hospital.

“He was unfortunately confirmed dead by the doctor on duty and his corpse was deposited in the Ifo General Hospital mortuary for an autopsy.”

Read Also: As China delays, FG seeks a N5.9tr loan to complete multiple rail projects.

The PPRO said the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and diligent prosecution.

APC youths seek unity, leadership opportunities at the convention

Politics

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February 7, 2022

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The youths of the All Progressives Congress from the South-South zone have called for unity among party members ahead of the party’s national convention on February 26.

They also demanded that young people be given opportunities to hold positions of leadership in the party and government.

Read Also: I’ll return power to youths – Sani Musa: APC chairmanship

The APC South-South youth leader, Gabriel Iduseri, praised the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee during a zonal youth leadership, sensitization, and capacity building meeting for newly elected youth leaders of the party in Benin City.

Buni’s leadership qualities and activities, he said, contributed to the successful conduct of ward, local government, and state congresses, culminating in the national convention.

He said, “We, the youths of the APC in the South-South zone are ready for the next level the party is going to. We have come together as one family and preaching unity and working together for the progress of the party and the country. We are also clamouring for inclusiveness in the party and in the governance of the country.

“We all know that the journey of the APC in the last four years has been a bit difficult with divergent interests but here we are standing together again, ready to carry on and change the narratives of our zone.

Read Also: As China delays, FG seeks a N5.9tr loan to complete multiple rail projects.

“There is nothing that is as strong as a united house, a united party, and a united zone. My message to the leaders of APC in the South-South zone is that they need to be united in their political approach because a divided house cannot achieve anything meaningful, just as nothing good can come out of a war-torn zone.”

As China delays, FG seeks a N5.9tr loan to complete multiple rail projects.

Business

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February 7, 2022

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As China delays, FG seeks a N5.9tr loan to complete multiple rail projects.

Because China has been slow to release funds for Nigeria, the federal government is turning to the British market, where it hopes to raise at least $14.4 billion (roughly N5.993 trillion) for multiple rail projects.

Standard Chartered Bank has already agreed to provide a $3.02 billion (N1,256 trillion) loan to fund rail projects, according to reports. There are signs that such a move could reduce the country’s reliance on Chinese loans.

Read Also: Buhari sent messages of congratulations to Amaechi, Danu

Nigeria is seeking $14.4bn loans for the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line as well as the Kano to Maradi (Niger) rail project, Amaechi told Bloomberg in June last year.

According to the Director General of the Debt management office (DMO), Patience Oniha, loans from China to Nigeria were largely concessional with no collateral. As of September 30, 2021, Chinese loans in Nigeria stood at $3.59bn, representing only 9.4 per cent of Nigeria’s total foreign debt stock of $37.9bn.

“Nigeria’s total debt stock as at of September 30 was 37.9 billion dollars, this figure comprised the external debt stock of the Federal Government, 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory,” Oniha stated.

According to a Reuters report, Nigeria has approached Standard Chartered Bank (STAN.L) for funding of two rail projects. The Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi said this is after delays from Chinese lenders.

President Muhammadu Buhari has made upgrading transport networks and improving outdated power grids the pillar of his administration, with a view to boosting agriculture and other non-oil industries to cut dependence on dwindling crude revenues. But funding has been a major constraint.

Its parliament last year approved several billions of dollars in project-tied loans from the Chinese and other international lenders but funds have yet to materialize.

Read Also: 2023: Igbo women assure Yahaya Bello of 25m votes, plan biggest rally in Abuja

“We are actually waiting for the Chinese to give us the loan we applied for and they kept delaying us,” he told reporters in Abuja. “Will we wait for them forever? The answer is no.”

Nigeria has been negotiating a mix of loans from Chinese and European lenders to fund railway projects in the country.

In June 2021, Amaechi said Standard Chartered had agreed to fund $3.02 billion for the ongoing Port Harcourt-to-Maiduguri railway project. He also said at the time that Credit Suisse was expected to fund the Kano-to-Maradi line, which will connect northern states Kano, Jigawa and Katsina.

“We have gone to Standard Chartered Bank. They have not done financial closure but they have approved some level of funding for Kano-Maradi,” the minister said.

Nigeria’s poor transport and power networks have stymied economic growth for decades, holding back the distribution of wealth in Africa’s biggest economy where 40% of people live below the national poverty line.

Amaechi said the cabinet approved $187.7 million for contractors that will supervise the three or four rail projects in the works.

Read Also: In Kaduna, terrorists kidnap Catholic priest, murder his aide

Also speaking, an expert on infrastructure planning, Okoli Ochuwa, stated that the move by Nigeria to turn to other multilateral donors was a laudable one.

“Although as it is, China loans are no cause for alarm yet in Nigeria, however, if we continue to depend on them, we may have no alternative. So I believe it is a good move for Nigeria to seek other infrastructure financing means. It should even look inwards in Nigeria for private partnerships. As long as the government respects agreements, there are ready investors,” said Ochuwa.

I’m contesting for the House of Reps seat in 2023 to expose politicians’ lies—Obaseki’s former aide

Politics

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February 7, 2022

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I’m contesting for the House of Reps seat in 2023 to expose politicians’ lies—Obaseki’s former aide

Andrew Momodu, a former aide to Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, has stated that his desire to educate Edo citizens about the complexities of democracy and politics motivated him to run for a House of Representative seat in the upcoming general elections.

Momodu, who served as Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Security and Public Order in the past, announced this in a statement issued on Sunday in Benin, the state capital.

The aspirant, who wants to represent Etsako Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, also boasted that he would lead Edo State Contingent victorious members back to the National Assembly in 2023 after their victories.

Read Also: COVID-19 Infection Caused Psychological Trauma in Me – FCT Minister

According to him, he was in the race to the Federal House of Representatives in 2023 to deliver the people of Etsako federal constituency from political enslavement and misrepresentation.

The statement read, “I am in the race to win. I am in the race as a response to the call to service by the Etsako people. I am in the race to provide leadership to my people. I join the race to the National Assembly to enable me to expose the black box of politics and revealed inconvenient truth against the convenient lie that has been used to mislead and misrule our people.

“We are tired of representatives who begged Etsako constituents to bear with the Federal Government. A representative that ought to articulate the aspirations and pains of the people to the government for intervention has rather turned the other way.

Read Also: In Kaduna, terrorists kidnap Catholic priest, murder his aide

“The duty of representative is not to lament with the people but to bring the people out of lamentation. I am in the race to bridge the gap and provide job opportunities to our people, deploy legislative influence through zonal intervention projects to develop our communities, and attract federal presence across our land.”

In Kaduna, terrorists kidnap Catholic priest, murder his aide

Metro

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February 7, 2022

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In Kaduna, terrorists kidnap Catholic priest, murder his aide

Terrorists attacked Ikulu Fari, a Catholic parish in Chawai, Kaduna State’s Kauru Local Government Area, on Sunday night.

During the attack, the terrorists kidnapped the parish priest, Rev Fr Joseph Shekari, and killed an unidentified cook working in the parish house.
When the marauders stormed the place at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, the cook was killed.

Details will be provided later…

Read also: COVID-19 Infection Caused Psychological Trauma in Me – FCT Minister

Breaking: APC youth leader dies in a ghastly car accident.

Breaking News

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February 7, 2022

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Breaking: APC youth leader dies in a ghastly car accident.

Kola Bello, a youth leader for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Iseyin, Oke-Ogun, Oyo state, has died.

Bello died in a car accident on the Ibadan-Iseyin road over the weekend while returning home from the APC’s ‘Southwest Progressive Youth Festival’ in Ibadan, according to TELEVISION NIGERIA.

His body has been deposited in a state morgue.

On the social networking site Facebook, people have been mourning. “ANOTHER SAD LOSS,” wrote Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in response to Bello’s death.

It took me time to accept that my brother and young friend,Kolawole Bello is gone the way of all mortals.We grew up under the same roof at Oke Alafia in Iseyin while I schooled at the Anwar Ul Islam High School. His father,the legendary G.A.Bello was our English Language teacher. Kola was a chip of the old bloc. A patriot always brimming with ideas to improve the society. He loved his hometown Iseyin like very few does and was an Oke Ogun irredentist and a politician of the progressive hue.

Read Also: Wike: PDP Can Only Support Candidate That Will Unite Nigeria – 2023 Presidency

Hardworking,ebullient and forthright,he was the ideas man in any gathering he found himself; social,cultural,religious or political. It is a shame that such a devoted,committed and patriotic Ambassador was denied the opportunity to represent the people of Iseyin again and again and again until he breathed his last. As it is said, Nigeria kills its brightest stars. The circumstance of his death is more painful because Kola had survived a near fatal accident on the same Ibadan-Iseyin road many years back.

I pray that God holds mama ,his young wife and children and siblings. May God forgive his sins and grant him eternal life. Adieu ,my dear brother.”

Similarly, Shina Peller, the lawmaker representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency in Oyo State at the House of Representatives, wrote: “My heart is heavy; my mood is gloomy, my voice is weak, my eyes are swollen. It is a mourning moment for me as I lost my Legislative Aide (LA), Comrade Kola Bello, to a fatal accident on his way from Ibadan to Iseyin yesterday. We buried him today in Iseyin.

Kola Bello wasn’t just my LA, he’s my brother, and his immense contributions to my political activities, right from the campaign period preceding 2019 general elections till when he exited the world, remains valuable to me.

Read Also: Wike: PDP Can Only Support Candidate That Will Unite Nigeria – 2023 Presidency

Kola Bello is an illustrious son of Iseyin, political icon and grassroots mobilizer who would always agitate for, initiate and support every course that will boost the development of Iseyin and the Oke Ogun region as a whole. Without doubt, he will be greatly missed by me, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oke-Ogun indigenes and residents at large. I pray that his soul finds peace with God, and that God consoles us all. Amen. Adieu my brother, Kola Bello.”

Dapo Lam Adesina, a colleague of Peller’s, wrote: “This is yet another tragedy.”

You were a rising star, but only God knows the best for you.

We will continue to fly the flag.

“You will be greatly missed.”

Kola Bello, rest in peace.”

COVID-19 Infection Caused Psychological Trauma in Me – FCT Minister

Covid-19

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February 7, 2022

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COVID-19 Infection Caused Psychological Trauma in Me – FCT Minister

Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has recounted his three-week ordeal after being diagnosed with COVID-19 on December 31, 2021.

“I thank God Almighty that I received the first and second doses of the COVID vaccine, because I tested positive for COVID-19 on December 31, 2021, and despite being told it was mild, I know what I went through.”

Read Also: Niger Delta Group Vows To Mobilise Youths For Protest Over NDDC Board

“I was quarantined in my home for three weeks, despite not being hospitalized, because I tested positive twice after taking the medication.”

“It was the third time I’d received a negative response. If I had not taken the first and second doses, probably what has happened to many of my dear ones would have happened to me.

“I tell you, even the mildness of the disease was something else because it hits you in many directions.

“When I had it, no matter how strong I felt during the day, for about 15, 20 minutes around 6pm, when I’m seated, I just drop asleep and then after 15 minutes, I’m able to turn up again.

Read Also: In January, Lassa Fever claimed lives of 40 Nigerians – NCDC

“This is aside of the sore throat, the headaches and all the weakness you get, especially in your joints. I had to change my course of medicine after the first 10 days.”

“For three weeks, I was not productive. I didn’t go out of the house, I never had a chance to do my work and the multiplier effect was tremendous because even now, I’m just trying to cope, to clear all those files that I was not able to handle when I was under quarantine.”

The Minister thanked the Federal Government for ensuring the availability of the vaccines for Nigerians, advising residents of the Federal Capital Territory to get vaccinated because the vaccines save lives.

“I tell you, from the figures I get from our Public Health Department, a hundred percent of the deaths that we experienced in the FCT during the last few weeks as a result of COVID-19 were from those who were not vaccinated. So, the thing is that for those that are vaccinated, chances are that their cases will be mild, like my own case.

“So, my message to us is let us all get vaccinated. For those who have been vaccinated for the first and second dose, I advise them to go for the booster.

“I will take all the recommended shots because I don’t want to go through what I went through again.”

Read Also: 2023: Igbo women assure Yahaya Bello of 25m votes, plan biggest rally in Abuja

The Secretary for Health and Human Services of the FCTA, Dr. Abubakar Tafida said that a total of 433,000 people in the FCT have taken the first dose and 286,000 have had the second dose and so far, about 12,000 have taken the booster shot.

Dr. Tafida said that since the 30^th of November when he assumed office as the Secretary for Health, a total of 16 deaths had occurred as a result of COVID-19 and none of the victims had been vaccinated.

In January, Lassa Fever claimed lives of 40 Nigerians – NCDC

News

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February 7, 2022

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In January, Lassa Fever claimed lives of 40 Nigerians – NCDC

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Lassa fever outbreak claimed the lives of 40 people in January.

The centre said in a situation report on Sunday that the 40 deaths represented a 19.0 percent lower case fatality rate (CFR) than the CFR for the same period in 2021, which was 22.2 percent.

Read Also: Igbo Group To Mobilise 25m Votes For Yahaya Bello: 2023

A total of 211 confirmed cases of the disease were recorded out of 981 suspected cases, according to the report. According to the NCDC, at least one confirmed case had been reported in 14 states across 43 local government areas.

“Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states account for 82 percent of all confirmed cases.”
In the fourth week of January, no new healthcare workers were affected, according to the center.

Read Also: 2023: Igbo women assure Yahaya Bello of 25m votes, plan biggest rally in Abuja

It said: “the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi sectoral Emergency Coordination Centre (EOC) was activated to coordinate response activities at all levels.”

I’ll return power to youths – Sani Musa: APC chairmanship

Politics

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February 6, 2022

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I’ll return power to youths – Sani Musa: APC chairmanship

All Progressives Congress(APC) national chairmanship aspirant Senator Sani Musa has assured he would return power to youths and ensure internal democracy, if elected.

He spoke at the weekend in Abuja, adding he would transform the APC into a self-sustaining and independent corporate entity.

According to him: “I want to make the Nigerian youths own Nigerian politics. The time has come for a total overhaul of the political system.

“What I would do differently is to initiate a kind of new order in the APC, the first thing I would do as National Chairman is to bring the party to constitutionality.

“All the things happening today are because people are not following the rules and due process.
“If today I am the leader of APC I should be looking at faces. I should be able to look you in the eye and tell you the truth. I should be saying you are mine or that you are not mine. Equity, justice and fairness should be the watchword.”

He added: “Political parties are supposed to groom leaders but are we grooming leaders in our various parties?

Read also: 2023: Igbo women assure Yahaya Bello of 25m votes, plan biggest rally in Abuja

“Most of the political parties today instead of grooming leaders will wait until the election and then they would groom thugs and thereby making our youths irrelevant.
“I want to make the youths own the Nigerian politics. The time has come, if countries that are more democratic can give their political space to everyone why can’t we do the same thing.

“Why are we always putting burdens on our governors and elected officials to bring money to fund the party?

“That the party is broke. Political parties when you make viable entities should be able to stand on their own. They should be able to be self-sustaining.”