The leader of the Biafra Government In-Exile, Simon Ekpa has alleged that there is assassination attempt against him.
Ekpa disclosed this in a statement through his official X handle on Tuesday.
He claimed that a suicide bomber had been allegedly deployed from Abuja and headed for Finland.
He further alleged this was the fifth attempt to take his life amid his struggle for Biafra liberation in recent times.
Ekpa said he was monitoring the situation and assured that Biafra Independence would triumph over any attempt.
“Sending suicide bombers to Finland to attack Simon Ekpa is their last option and they just departed from Abuja airport.
“This is just to inform them that we are monitoring them even from the time they dropped them at the Abuja airport, to their next destination.
“We are waiting for you suicide bomber at the port of entry. Their Finland contact knows already he is in the pot of soup.
“I remain committed to Biafra Independence, this is your 5th attempt, you are now sending terrorists to Europe.
“If you know this man called Simon Ekpa, you will stop sleeping. Let me leave it here. It is not yet time for that”, he claimed.
Biafra: Simon Ekpa alleges assassination attempts
Biafra: Simon Ekpa alleges assassination attempts
FG spends $600m on fuel importation monthly
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has revealed that the country currently spends $600m on fuel importation monthly.
He stated that the high import bill is due to neighbouring countries, up to Central Africa, benefiting from the country’s fuel imports.
The minister stated this during an interview on AIT’s Moneyline programme, which was posted on its Youtube channel on Wednesday.
Edun explained that the situation was the reason President Bola Tinubu removed fuel subsidy, as the country does not know the exact amount of fuel consumed internally.
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics, the country’s petrol import was reduced to an average of one billion litres monthly after President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy on May 29 last year.
He said, “The fuel subsidy was removed May 29, 2023, by Mr President, and at that time, the poorest of 40 per cent was only getting four per cent of the value, and basically, they were not benefitting at all. So it was going to be just a few.
“Another point that I think is important is that nobody knows the consumption in Nigeria of petroleum. We know we spend $600m to import fuel every month but the issue here is that all the neighbouring countries are benefitting.
“So we are buying not for just for Nigeria, we are buying for countries to the east, almost as far as Central Africa. We are buying. We are buying for countries to the North and we are buying for countries to the West. And so we have to ask ourselves as Nigerians, how long do we want to do that for and that is the key issue regarding the issue of petroleum pricing.”
He added that the nation must take a decisive step to tackle step the problem as it impedes it’s economic growth.
Of great importance to the government, Edun said, is the welfare of the people, particularly the vulnerable.
One of the key areas of focus is ensuring food availability and affordability.
Speaking further in the interview, the finance minister clarified that the N570bn fund release to state governments was implemented last year December.
He said, “This actually refers to a reimbursement that they received from December last year onwards and it was a reimbursement I think under the COVID financing protocol but the point is that the states have received more money. They have received more money. Mr President has charged to ensure food production in the states.”
Edun also clarified that the recent decision to raise the maximum borrowing percentage in the Ways and Means from five to 10 per cent does not imply that the Federal Government tends to rely on the Central Bank of Nigeria financing.
He said the government had rather used market instruments to manage its debts.
The minister said, “We have not gone to the central bank to say, please lend the government money to pay its debt, to pay its salaries. That’s Ways and Means. We have not gone. In fact, we have used market instruments to pay down what we owed, and that is a very, very germane aspect of having a strong economy.
“It was raised to 10 per cent, but that doesn’t mean it will be used. It’s there as a fail-safe and just gives that extra flexibility so that if a payment needs to be made and there is a mistiming or gap in when revenue would come in and expenses, we can just draw it down briefly.”
He described the approval by the National Assembly as a fail-safe measure.
The minister added, “Sometimes it just gives that extra flexibility so that if a payment needs to be made and there’s a mistiming, there’s a gap between the time at which the revenue will come in and the expenses needed, you can just draw down briefly.
“So, the aim is to keep within the letter of the law, I think that’s the main point.”
He also said the welfare of Nigerians remained a key priority for the current administration, particularly ensuring food availability and affordability.
Edun said, “There is a concerted effort to ensure that we have homegrown food available. In the short term, apart from what is being distributed from reserves, there is a window that has been opened for importation because the commitment of Mr President is to drive down those prices now and make food available now.”
He assured all that the measure would not undermine local farmers, as importation would only be permitted after exhausting local supplies.
He said, “So, one of the conditions for this importation will be that everything available locally in the markets or with the millers and so forth has been taken up. We will have auditors that will check that.”
He said these interventions seek to reduce inflation, stabilise exchange rates, and lower interest rates, thereby creating a conducive environment for investment and job creation.
Maresca laments Chelsea’s ‘habit of conceding goals’ after Madrid loss
Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca has lamented his team’s habit of conceding too many goals.
Maresca, who joined the team at the end of last season, stated this following Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in a preseason friendly on Wednesday morning.
The Blues were beaten by a young Real Madrid side in Charlotte, in the final match of their United States tour.
First-half goals from Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz were enough for Madrid despite Noni Madueke’s header as the Blues again looked vulnerable at the back.
Chelsea have conceded 12 goals across five pre-season games in America, going 4-0 down in two of those matches and winning just one.
Read Also: OFFICIAL: Chelsea appoint Enzo Maresca as manager
“One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high,” said Maresca.
“We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit from last year, or years ago, I don’t know.
“We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage.
“Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully we can solve it very soon.”
Chelsea next face Inter Milan in their final friendly at Stamford Bridge on Sunday before their Premier League opener at home against champions Manchester City on 18 August.
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Dangote Refinery to sell remaining NNPC 12.7% stake – Fitch
The Dangote Refinery is planning to sell a 12.7 per cent stake in 2024 for loan servicing, Fitch Ratings, a credit rating agency says in a report released on Monday.
Fitch recalled that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had earlier planned to acquire a 20 per cent stake in the refinery.
However, the rating agency indicated that the decision of the national oil firm not to exercise its option of acquiring an additional 12.75 per cent as of June 2024 may impact the group’s ability to service loans.
In 2021, the NNPC acquired a 7.25 per cent stake in the refinery for $1.0bn, with an option to purchase the remaining 12.75 per cent stake by June 2024. But the national oil firm has since reneged on its decision.
“Since the option has not been exercised, the group plans to divest a 12.75 per cent stake in DORC in 2024.
“The group intends to service its significant syndicated loan maturing in August 2024 from the equity divestment. However, timely divestment and meeting the imminent maturity are highly uncertain in our view,” Fitch said.
It could be recalled that the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, opened up in July that the NNPC has only a 7.2 per cent stake in the refinery and not 20 per cent as most Nigerians used to think.
“The agreement was actually 20 per cent which we had with NNPC, and they did not pay the balance of the money up till last year; then we gave them another extension up till June (2024), and they said that they would remain where they have already paid, which is 7.2 per cent. So NNPC owns only 7.2 per cent, not 20 per cent.” Dangote stated.
NNPC confirmed this, saying it decided not to invest further in the refinery.
“NNPC Limited periodically assesses its investment portfolio to ensure alignment with the company’s strategic goals.
“The decision to cap its equity participation at the paid-up sum was made and communicated to Dangote Refinery several months ago,” the NNPC said in a statement by its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, called for an independent audit of why the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited capped its investment in the Dangote Petroleum Refinery at 7.2 per cent instead of the planned 20 per cent.
“Did the Nigerian government not tell us it borrowed $3.3bn from Afriexim-Bank to take a stake in the Dangote refinery?” Ezekwesili asked, calling on President Bola Tinubu to immediately launch an independent audit of the Dangote refinery-NNPC transaction to offer the public the true state of play.
EndBadGovernance: Politicians using protest to blackmail Tinubu – Adamu Garba
A former All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has said some politicians are sponsoring the EndBadGovernance protest to blackmail President Bola Tinubu.
Garba said the politicians were using the protest to prove to Tinubu that they have the key to peace and chaos in Nigeria.
He, however, warned that no politician would be allowed to succeed in using the protest to get political gains from the president.
Posting on X, Adamu wrote: “Nobody. I mean nobody should be allowed to blackmail the President. No political opportunist should be allowed to use the ongoing sponsored riots to corner the President to their political gains.
“The sponsors of the riots should be held accountable and not rewarded.
“The President is the commander in chief of the armed forces and he is the sole representative of the Nigerian Sovereign Authority.
“Blackmailing the President would amount to blackmailing the whole country into submission to the demands of a few disgruntled elements. They should not succeed.
“Granted there are genuine peaceful protesters and they have full right to their protest. It is their constitutional right and they should be protected by the authorities as they protest.
“However, some wrong headed politicians, some biased politicians think that they will use the riots they are sponsoring to prove to the President that they have the keys to peace and chaos in Nigeria. No they don’t.
“The only institution with the keys to peace and stability, the one that should have the full control of state instruments of violence like army, police, DSS, etc is the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Tinubu. And that should be protected and enforced.”
EndBadGovernance: Politicians using protest to blackmail Tinubu – Adamu Garba
Nigerian Army arrest officer who gunned down 16-year-old protester in Kaduna
The Nigerian Army has confirmed the arrest of its personnel who gunned down a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed during the ongoing EndBadGovernance protest in Kaduna State.
TVN reports that the young boy was killed on Tuesday when the troops of the Nigerian army stormed the Samaru community in Zaria to despers the protesters.
The security operatives were enforcing a curfew earlier imposed on the ancient city by the Kaduna State Government.
Confirming the incident, the NA in a statement issued on Tuesday night by its spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu said the officer responsible for the incident has been arrested.
The statement reads, “on 6 August 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tires on the road and pelting stones on security personnel.
“The troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the State Government.
“On arrival at the scene, the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking the troops prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed.
“The soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation as at the time of this report”.
Nigerian Army arrest officer who gunned down 16-year-old protester in Kaduna
EndBadGovernance: Group demands release of Michael Lennin, others
A group, Save-Public-Education-Campaign, Nigeria, SPEC, has demanded the unconditional release of Comrade Michael Lennin and other activists arrested alongside him amid the ongoing nationwide EndBadGovernance protests.
The group alleged that Lennin, an educational Rights Activist and others were abducted by security agencies on Monday, 5th August, 2024.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the convener, Comrade Vivian Bello, he condemned the incident in strong terms.
The statement reads in part” The Save Public-Education-Campaign, Nigeria, SPEC has condemned in strong terms the abduction of Michael Lennin, an educational rights activist in the wee hours of Monday, the 5th of August.
“Lennin is a very committed and patriotic citizen who has vigorously championed the cause of access to education for youths and the masses of Nigeria.
“He is the national coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign, (ERC), a sister organization with which SPEC collaborates closely, in its works.
“Lennin has been actively involved in coordinating the peaceful Mass Protest in Abuja, going on to demand an end to bad governance in the country.
“Information reaching Save-Public-Education-Campaign, Nigeria, showed that Michael Lennin along with two other activists, Mosiu Sodiq and Sankara, were abducted in a gestapo manner from their abode by these security operatives, taken away and have since remained incommunicado.
“The Save-Public-Education-Campaign, hereby demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Lennin and the other activists arrested alongside him.
“Lennin and his co-activists have not committed any offence and this brazen abduction and illegal detention represent yet another sad phase of state-sponsored repression against civic space.”
The group demanded that the detainees be released or charged to court if there is any case against them.
EndBadGovernance: Group demands release of Michael Lennin, others
Oil probe: Coalition hails Speaker, Abbas for disbanding Ugochinyere-led adhoc committee
A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, in the oil and gas sector, on Tuesday, applauded the Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, for dissolving the House joint ad hoc committee on Downstream and Midstream Petroleum.
The joint committee, headed by Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere (Imo) and Rep. Henry Okojie (Edo), was disbanded Monday morning, via a statement signed by the Spokespersons of the House, Rep. Akin Rotimi Jnr.
Until now, the committee was tasked with investigation of alleged importation of adulterated petroleum products, the non-availability of crude oil for domestic refineries, and other critical energy security issues.
But since inauguration, the committee has been enmeshed with controversies which culminated into serious divisions amongst the members of the 10th House, with some calling for the head of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, and Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, while others called for impartial probe and warned colleagues against being partisan.
In a press statement on Tuesday, the Coalition for Energy Transformation, Integrity and Transparency, CETIT, made up of over 28 leading CSOs in the industry, said Speaker Abbas has written his name in the “golden book of the National Assembly”, by rising to save the institution of the international embarrassment that was looming.
The statement was jointly signed by Engr. Godknows Joseph, Comrade Ayoola Daramola and Barr. Musa Akilu.
The Coalition bemoaned the perceived “partisanship of the joint committee”.
They noted that “it was also wrong for members of the House to preemptively take positions even before the probe could be done and concluded. This was going to set the entire House of Representatives on fire and it was of great danger to the institution of the National Assembly, so revered”.
They contended that, “under normal circumstances, the House Members should have been patriotic enough to place national interest above their personal interests, but everyone seemed to be speaking or acting according to what his or her interest was, while the committee was also perceived to be pursuing vendetta and the whole essence was defeated ab initio”.
“But for the swift intervention and the nationalistic approach of His Excellency, RT. Hon. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the whole thing would have snowballed into anarchy and the entire National Assembly institution would have been brought to international embarrassment, while the meat of the matter would have been left untouched, and the original intent why the committee was set up would have been defeated.
“The decision of the Speaker was timely. We had met at the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and came to agreement to officially address the press on Tuesday and unearth what we felt about the joint committee and some members of the House and why the leadership of the House must, as a matter of urgent national importance, purge the House of such Committee and allow fresh and professional panel to handle the investigation. Failure to do this, we were going to mobilize thousands of our members in Abuja to occupy the National Assembly anytime the committee sits.
“But we woke up this morning, to the good news that the pragmatic and visionary Speaker Abbas, has disbanded the Committee. The Coalition and the entire Nigerians are grateful for this.
“The Speaker has written his name in the golden book of the National Assembly, and this goes a long way to reaffirm that Nigerians can trust the 10th House. It portrays a House that has integrity. The 10th House is indeed the People’s House”, the Coalition added.
While charging the Speaker to constitute a panel made up of neutral and impeccable members, that would handle the probe with transparency and with unbiased minds, the Coalition pledged total support for the yet to be constituted committee and the Abbas-led House, saying, Nigeria would be great under him.
Oil probe: Coalition hails Speaker, Abbas for disbanding Ugochinyere-led adhoc committee
Tom Cruise touted for ‘dystopian’ Olympics closing ceremony
With Tom Cruise widely predicted to engage in a death-defying stunt on the roof of the Stade de France, Sunday’s Paris Olympics closing ceremony promises a memorable passing of the five rings flag to Los Angeles.
Two weeks after the unprecedented complexity of the opening ceremony along the River Seine, there are big expectations for the show to wrap up the Games.
The closing ceremony will be a much shorter affair and will take place — in more traditional fashion — at France’s national stadium.
Artistic director Thomas Jolly has revealed it will combine “wonder” with “dystopia”, suggesting some darker elements than the joyful and impertinent tone of the opening ceremony that drew a record audience of more than a billion worldwide.
Offering a sneak peak to journalists recently, Jolly said he saw the Games as a “fragile monument” and wanted to imagine what would happen if they “disappeared and someone was rebuilding them in a distant future”.
One sequence features “travellers from another space-time who arrive on Earth and discover vestiges from the history of the Olympics”, with acrobats restoring the famous five rings of the Games.
It will reportedly feature more than 100 dancers, circus artists and other performers, with the promise of aerial displays, giant sets and spectacular lighting.
– Destination Hollywood –
The opening ceremony featured some huge stars including Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Aya Nakamura, but some big celebrities are also expected Sunday.
Cruise has been at several Olympic events and the most daredevil of Hollywood stars would be a natural connection between Paris and the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
US media have reported that Cruise has been preparing a spectacular stunt to pick up the Olympic flag and transfer it to LA, with video sequences already filmed on both sides of the Atlantic.
There have been no shortage of Hollywood stars in attendance for the Games who might also play a role, including Snoop Dogg, Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling and Sharon Stone.
There are unconfirmed rumours that Beyonce — a fervent supporter of the US team on social media — may perform.
Two of France’s biggest musical exports — Air and Phoenix — are already lined up to play, according to Le Parisien newspaper.
Organisers will be anxious to avoid a repeat of the controversy sparked by the opening ceremony, which featured drag queens in a sequence that some Christians and conservatives thought mocked the Biblical story of The Last Supper.
Organisers insisted it was a reference to Greek gods> But Jolly and other members of the team have since been victims of social media harassment, triggering police investigations and condemnation from French President Emmanuel Macron.
AFP
Food Sufficiency: Southern Governors’ Forum to promote regional trade – Abiodun
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun on Thursday said southern states have decided to promote inter-state and inter-region trade to foster food security and sufficiency.
The governor also disclosed that Ogun State has decided to establish Farmers’ Markets across the state to ensure food security.
He spoke when he received in audience the newly constituted Governing Council of the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Ayorinde Olabomi.
Governor Abiodun, who is the chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum (SGF), said that Southern States have no reason not to promote trade among themselves with fertile land and human capacity in the region.
“As a matter of fact, me and my colleagues in the Southern part of Nigeria have met and have said that we have no reason not to promote inter-state or inter-region trade.
“There is no reason why someone from the South East or South South is not buying yam or tomatoes from somebody in the South West. There is no reason why someone from the South West is not buying rice from Ebonyi.
“We should be able to attain food security and sufficiency within our region because we have the human capacity and the necessary arable land. There is nothing we do not have to ensure we achieve this objective,” he said.
Governor Abiodun said that the Farmers’ Market would be located at strategic locations across the state, inluding Asero in Abeokuta and Ogere along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
He also said plans have been concluded to move the Kara cattle market from its present location to Ogere, where the cattle merchants can have access to a good atmosphere.
He continued: “Our Ministry of Agriculture is working on establishing a few things, one of which is the Farmers Market at strategic locations across the state, and I think this is another initiative we can collaborate.
“One will be at Asero in Abeokuta. One will be somewhere around Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which is around the Ogere area, which we have also designated as our livestock and animal husbandry area.
“We are proposing to move the Kara market to somewhere along there where we have land, and we can provide them with additional land for expansion.
“We believe that with the number of small holder farmers we have in Ogun State, it will be an advantage to them if we have the farmers’ market located in strategic places.”
The Governor noted that his administration sees agriculture as a way of providing food security, create employment and generate revenue, adding that the Federal University of Agriculture should be at the forefront of championing food security, as the purpose for which it was established.
He also promised to collaborate with the institution in some ways, including cassava production, even as he promised that the Iyana-Camp to Alabata road is already under the radar of his administration.
Earlier, Oba Ayorinde Olabomi, while describing Governor Abiodun as one of the best Governors in the country, called for collaboration with the state government at a time when people were clamouring for food.
The royal father further said that the institution is poised to contribute it’s quota to ensure food security in the country, urging the state government to take advantage of the several training programmes, research and development that the institution has to offer.
The Pro-Chancellor appealed to GovernorAbiodun to assist the institution by reconstructing the Iyana-Camp to Alabata road, which had been destroyed as a result of activities of trucks.
Food Sufficiency: Southern Governors’ Forum to promote regional trade – Abiodun