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3,623 cholera cases, 103 deaths recorded in 34 states – NCDC

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3,623 cholera cases, 103 deaths recorded in 34 states – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, on Tuesday, said it has recorded 3,623 suspected Cholera cases and 103 deaths across 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of July 15, 2024.

The Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, stated that the current outbreak had spread to 187 local government areas, with a cumulative case fatality rate of 2.8 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Idris noted that the predominant age affected was five years old, while males account for 52 per cent of cases and females account for the rest.

He, however, said there was a 5.6 per cent decline in the number of cases in this reporting week (8th -14th July) as compared to the preceding week.

“As of July 15, 2024, we have recorded 3,623 suspected cases and, unfortunately, 103 deaths across 34 states plus the Federal Capital Territory and 187 Local Government Areas, with a cumulative case fatality rate of 2.8 per cent since the beginning of the year. The predominant age affected is 5 years old while males account for 52 per centof cases and females account for the rest.

“Furthermore, there was a 5.6 per cent decline in the number of cases in this reporting week (8th -14th July) as compared to the preceding week. We also recorded a drop in the case fatality rate from 2.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent. Definitely, there is a decline in case fatality rate from week 24 when the spike started to the present week. Whereas ongoing current efforts at the national and some state levels might have been yielding some results and are largely responsible for the decline being reported, however, given the trend from previous years, we know it is not Uhuru yet.

“The trend analysis from previous outbreaks shows the peak of the outbreak usually coincides with the peak of the rainy season, which is still some weeks ahead. Also, some of the northern traditional hotspot states have been reporting fewer number of cases, which may be connected with the delayed onset of the rainy season in this part of the country,” he said.

He added that although almost all the states in Nigeria had reported cases of cholera, there appeared to be an underreporting of the situation as required data from the states were not coming in real-time as expected, given the trend in previous years.

“This is largely due to inadequate resources to support surveillance and disease detection activities at the subnational level.

“Additionally this may likely be further complicated by the effect of political undertone for reporting cholera, which some see as a stigma or disease proxy indicator for the inability of the affected communities/persons to have access to potable water and other basic amenities of life,” he noted.

He said in addition to the ongoing outbreak of cholera the country is facing, there is a significant increase in the reported incidence of other epidemic-prone diseases such as Yellow fever, Lassa fever, meningitis, among others.

Idris emphasised that the Federal Government, through the NCDC, had been actively responding to the cholera outbreak, which has had a significant impact on the health and well-being of our country.

How residents foiled Lagos bizman’s abduction in pharmacy – Manager

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How residents foiled Lagos bizman’s abduction in pharmacy – Manager

The Manager of Navo Pharmacy on Ogundele Street, Oko Oba, Orile Agege area of Lagos State has recounted the moment residents prevented some gunmen from abducting his boss at the store on Monday night.

According Metro gathered that there was pandemonium in the area when four gun and cutlass-wielding men, after robbing the store, also attempted to abduct the owner, identified as Samuel Oshanugor, in his car.

A resident in the area, James Alade, who witnessed the attack, told our correspondent that the culprits came on bikes, gained access to the pharmacy around 10 pm and forcefully took cash and phones.

“The gunmen dragged the owner from the shop into his car that was parked outside, but the tyres got stuck in a bad portion of the road when they tried driving the car away,” Alade told our correspondent late Monday.

The pharmacy manager, Lawrence Olawale, in the early hours of Tuesday, said he had closed and was going home on Monday night when he was called that some thieves were robbing his boss, who was the only one left in the shop as of that time.

The manager said he ran back towards the store and raised the alarm alongside other residents.

“When I got close, I saw them reversing the car forcefully, they warned me that if I came close, they would shoot me. I just had to step back a little and screamed and people on the street were already aware, so everybody started shouting ‘Thief!’. Two of them had guns and others held cutlasses.

“When the Acura car got stuck, we observed that they couldn’t drive it out, so people who were aware of the development were already closing in on the suspects, but we could not get so close to the armed men because of their weapons.

“But people began throwing stones and bottles at them. Three of them eventually fled while the fourth person who was monitoring the people’s movement was overpowered by the men in the area,” Olawale said.

He added that the three others climbed the fence and fled. “All the money we made, they took it, they took my boss’ three phones. They were going to drive him away, it was an attempted kidnap,” the manager told According Metro in a telephone interview.

An official of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Bello Ahmed, described how he and other residents aided the arrest of one of the suspects.

Bello, who said they had already heard of a robbery at a particular place, said they were relaxing at a spot when the suspect dashed out from nowhere barefooted and they began questioning him as he looked suspicious.

“The suspect passed by us. As he passed, he tried to mislead us by saying some robbers raided the pharmacy. He added that the robbers also hijacked an Okada he boarded, but out of curiousity, the two of us grabbed him by the trousers and dragged him.

“By the time we took him to the scene of the robbery, the CCTV camera confirmed him as one of the robbers and he finally confessed,” Bello told According Metro.

Bello said the culprits brought guns to the scene and made away with phones and cash.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, was yet to respond to calls and messages sent to his line as of the time of filing this report.

But the Station Officer, Abattoir Police Station, Ofem Bassey, who spoke with According Metro on Tuesday said an investigation was ongoing into the matter.

“Investigation is still ongoing. We want to see if we can get the fleeing suspects,” he said.

He said the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department at Panti, adding, “We have been on an intensive patrol in the area.”

In June, the Lagos State Police Command rescued some Fouani brothers and two others who were abducted by gunmen.

According to Hundeyin, the brothers identified as Abbas Fouani, Youssef Fouani, and Amtal Fouani, who were abducted on June 14 around 6pm in Lagos were rescued days later in Orugbo Iddo by men of the Marine Police.

One of the brothers is the Managing Director of Fouani Nigeria Limited which specialises in electronics and is the sole distributor of LG, Hisense, and Maxi products in Nigeria.

Fayose governed poorly, impoverished Ekiti LG workers – NULGE

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Fayose governed poorly, impoverished Ekiti LG workers – NULGE

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Ekiti State branch, on Tuesday, lambasted former Governor Ayodele Fayose over his attack on LG workers following the Supreme Court’s judgment upholding LG’s financial autonomy.

The Ekiti NULGE President, Oluseyi Olatunde, said Fayose lacked ideas about the working of the LGs and deliberately impoverished Ekiti council workers when he held sway as governor.

The NULGE President was reacting to Fayose’s comment on LG autonomy during a television interview.

Fayose, while expressing opposition to the Supreme Court judgment that granted autonomy to the LGs in the country, alleged that most council officials did not take their work seriously.

Fayose stated, “Go to the council on Wednesday or Friday, and you will not find 10 per cent of the staff of the local government in the office. They don’t come. My name is Ayo Fayose and I want them to dispute this.

“They don’t come to work. When you make moves to bring them to book, both NULGE and all leaders of the local government will go and beg the governor. They will be telling you, we will not vote for you. This is the way we operate at the local government.

“The state is more effective in administrative performance than the local government. At the local government, everybody comes to collect money. Even people have left some states. They live somewhere else and money just hit their accounts.”

But reacting on Tuesday, the Ekiti NULGE President described Fayose’s claim as mischievous, saying, “The statement is not the true picture of local government practice in Nigeria and in Ekiti State in particular.”

“It is a mere fallacy cooked up by Fayose and his like who are opposed to the realities of the local government autonomy.”

NULGE called on Fayose to withdraw the statement and tender an unreserved apology to the council workers.

“We call on Fayose to humbly withdraw the vexatious statement and tender unreserved apology to the council workers who he had discredited, blackmailed and portrayed in bad light in the eyes of right thinking public.

“Council workers in Ekiti State are very productive and this is evident in the various developmental progress made so far by all the councils, including the Local Council Development Areas created in the state.

“The leadership of NULGE is not surprised at the negative outburst of Fayose who, during his time as governor of Ekiti State, ran the councils like his private business and reduced the office of the council chairman to that of a puppet.

“Not that alone, he impoverished local government workers through his obnoxious policy of using three federal allocations to pay a month’s salary, which resulted in unpaid salaries accumulating in arrears of nine months, despite the huge bailout funds the state received from the Federal Government.

“In no way did Fayose use the funds to bail local government workers out of the huge financial mess he plunged us into. We are grateful to President Bola Tinubu, the judiciary and well-meaning Nigerians who fought for the local government autonomy,” he said.

Olatunde said the response to Fayose’s criticism was to set the records straight and dissuade members of the public from being fed with wrong information.

“We, initially, did not want to respond to the statement made by Fayose, but for the necessity to set records straight and dissuade members of the public from being fed with fallacious information that may put local government workers in a bad light.

“The assertion that council workers don’t go to work is false and should be disregarded. Council workers have been delivering optimal services at their respective councils, and where there are shortages of facilities or equipment to work with, workers in such situations are often redeployed to other beats,” the NULGE President said.

FG panel report reveals reasons for Plateau school collapse

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FG panel report reveals reasons for Plateau school collapse

The investigative panel set up by the Federal Government on the collapsed two-storey school building in Jos, Plateau State, has released a preliminary report on the sad incident.

The two-storey building housing Saint Academy, located at the Busa Buji community in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state, collapsed on Friday at about 8:30 am, claimed 22 persons and left about 154 trapped persons who were evacuated to various hospitals.

Addressing journalists in Jos, on Tuesday, the Director General of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Prof Samson Duna, said the report of the panel, headed by Prof O.F. Job of the Building Department at the University of Jos, revealed that the physical observation of the building looked distressed while weak materials were used for the building.

He said the report also depicted that the quality of the concrete used to construct the two-storey building was in doubt, as there was no boundary between the concrete and the steel reinforcement.

The report also said the slab reinforcement anchorage provided for the structure was inadequate.

“The committee has commenced its investigation. Preliminary investigation revealed that the physical observation of the building looks distressed.

“The quality of concrete is in doubt because there was no boundary between the concrete and the steel reinforcement. The slab reinforcement anchorage provided was inadequate. The sizes of the footing (foundation) provided were lesser than the required number (1200 mm X 1200mm)

“A comprehensive report on the investigation will be presented after the investigation,” he said.

Prof Duna enjoined the government and other professional bodies in the construction industry to insist on integrity tests on all distressed buildings, especially those around the collapsed building site.

He said the country had continued to experience building collapse because there had been no regular inspections and penalties for non-compliance.

He said from the available records on building collapse incidents across the country, no one had been sanctioned for negligence.

The Director General of NBRRI suggested collaboration among stakeholders, including government agencies, professionals, and the public, to share knowledge and global best practices

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabi, on Tuesday, however, advised the Plateau State government to ensure that the laws governing town planning were reinforced, to forestall a recurrence of the tragic incident.

Akpabio, during a courtesy call on him by the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, who was accompanied by some traditional rulers, commiserated with the delegation and called for stricter enforcement on town planning.

“We want to condole you on the building collapse. Such a horrific sight and the structure was not even built during your tenure. What it means is that you have to take steps to reinforce the town planning laws and take a lot of interest in the building industry.

“No sentiments attached. No matter whose ox is gored, if somebody does not follow the rules, if somebody erects a building on a passage for stream water, once the foundation is questioned, such building should be brought down.”

“We know what has happened in the past. It is as if the high and mighty in society should construct a building, nobody would want to touch the building out of respect for them.

“We will continue to mourn the demise of those children. The entire country is very sad. So, on behalf of the 10th Senate, please accept our condolences. We are with you in this period of mourning,” he said.

Mutfwang said he and his entourage were at that National Assembly to participate in the public hearing on the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2024.

The bill is expected to upgrade the Mining and Geoscience Institute to a full-fledged university and the governor expressed the hope that his state would be the host for the institution.

Man sentenced to death, accomplice 14 years for killing twins

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Man sentenced to death, accomplice 14 years for killing twins

A High Court sitting at Asaba, the Delta State capital, has sentenced one Onuwa Ijie to death while his accomplice, Nwanozie Uzor, bagged 14 years imprisonment for murder and conspiracy to murder twin boys, Chidalu and Chigozie Agwunobi.

The court presided over by Justice Onome Marshal Umukoro sentenced the two over the murder of the seven-year-old boys.

The prosecution conducted by a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Paula Akpoguma, in proof of the case called five witnesses.

The sixth witness, 15-year-old Iweka Ajie, a younger brother to one of the defendants who came to testify via video link but at the last minute out of fear, refused to adopt his deposition on oath.

The court held that the testimony of the other five witnesses proved the case against the two defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The prosecution stated that tragedy struck the family of Olise Agwunobi of Oko-Ogbele Community on March 5, 2020 when their seven- year-old twin boys were lured by the defendants to a bush and proceeded to cut off their penis, eyes, tongues and hands which they hurriedly took to a native doctor at Aguleri in Anambra State.

“One of the defendants had earlier gone to the school of the twin children to take them but was turned down by the school teacher, one Mrs Emelda Ogugua Ezekwude,” she said.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro stated that after carefully evaluating the evidence presented before him, the prosecution had discharged the burden of proof as the first defendant from his confessional statement was the person who sowed the seed of committing human rituals in the mind of the second defendant by giving the phone number of one Chukwudi  Edemuzor who was alleged to be searching for twins to kill for money.

The court maintained that the law is settled that the testimony of an Investigating Police Officer was not hearsay evidence and the court could rely on it.

Speaking with journalists after the Judgment on Tuesday, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Paula Akpoguma, thanked the court for upholding the course of justice, “reaffirming that the judicial system works.”

Police foil attempt to raze Delta INEC office

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Police foil attempt to raze Delta INEC office

Operatives of Delta State Police Command, on Tuesday, thwarted efforts by some unidentified youths to destroy an area office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Warri.

The According gathered that the young men, armed with weapons and containers filled with substance suspected to be fuel, chanted war songs and made moves to force their way into the local INEC premises while its officials were out for delineation of electoral units and wards, in compliance with a Supreme Court judgment.

Worried by the development, a concerned passer-by reportedly contacted the police, who responded swiftly to the call and chased the hoodlums away from the INEC office.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident.

Political sources hinted that while the Warri indigenous Urhobo and their Ijaw counterparts were in support of the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on the delineation of electoral units and wards in the Warri federal constituency, the Itsekiri were alleged to have opposed the exercise.

INEC officials had last Wednesday visited Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State for the commencement of the wards/units’ delineation.

The commission’s officials visited Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and began a fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency.

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US promises timely delivery of attack helicopters to Nigeria

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US promises timely delivery of attack helicopters to Nigeria

The Nigerian Air Force said, on Tuesday, that it has the assurance of the American government for the timely delivery of the attack helicopters ordered by Nigeria.

In a statement on Tuesday, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Edward Gabkwet, said the assurance was given when the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Sayo Olatunde, met with US officials and Bell Textron Company.

According to Gabkwet, the first Programme Management Review meeting was to discuss the progress made so far on the supply of the AH-1Z attack helicopters to the NAF.

He said, “The Nigerian Air Force has been assured that the delivery dates for the AH-1Z attack helicopters purchased by the Federal Government remain on track.

“The five-day meeting, which began earlier today 16 July 2024 at NAF headquarters, majorly aims at reviewing the progress made so far regarding the manufacture of the aircraft, ensuring a smooth transition as well as providing technical guidance to the NAF.

“This collaboration demonstrates the assurance and strong partnership between Nigeria and the US in enhancing the country’s air power capabilities.”

Speaking during the meeting, Air Vice Marshal Olatunde noted that the PMR meeting underscored the impending delivery of the AH-1Z attack helicopters to boost NAF’s close air support and ground attack capabilities while also enhancing its modernisation efforts.

He also stated that the AH-1Z Helicopters, when inducted into the NAF Order of Battle, would surely bolster its firepower and operational capabilities, particularly in counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

Speaking earlier, the US Government AH-1Z Programme Management Office team leader, Mr Kevin Stone, noted that the collaboration between the NAF and the US military was a testament to their shared commitment to regional stability, peace and security.

He added that the successful implementation of PMR was expected to have a significant impact on Nigeria’s ability to tackle security challenges and ensure the safety of its citizens.

The US Department of Defence had in December confirmed the sale of the 12 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and other arms to Nigeria.

According to a report on the US Defence website,  the helicopters were expected to be completed in June 2024.

It partly read, ‘’This modification increases the ceiling for the production and delivery of an additional 32 H-1 tech refresh mission computers in support of the AH-1Z aircraft for the government of Nigeria. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah (55%); Baltimore, Maryland (25%); and Woodland Hills, California (20%), and is expected to be completed in June 2024.  No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued”.

But a statement on Tuesday by the NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Edward Gabkwet, said the US government officials gave an assurance that the delivery date for the helicopters was on track.

Edo residents count losses after flood sweeps through community

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Edo residents count losses after flood sweeps through community

Residents of Lawani Street in Igarra, Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State are counting their losses after the heavy flood that swept through the community on Monday, July 8.

During a visit to the community on Tuesday, a widow, Mrs. Theresa Moses, who also runs poultry in her residence, told According Metro that the effect of the flood had left her devastated following her difficulty in paying back the N3.5m loan she invested in her business.

She said most of her birds were dead, a part of her fence was damaged and her foodstuff and other items were destroyed in her house.

She said, “On July 8, I left my home around 11 am to the neighbouring community where I do business. My children had also left home while my tenant was also not around.

“When it was about to rain, someone called to inform me that it seemed that the rain would be severe. I told the person that my house was fenced and I wasn’t afraid of being flooded.

“After a while, another person called to tell me that the flood had destroyed part of my fence and water had entered my house where I also have a poultry. I then rushed home to discover that my poultry and the house were submerged.

“I met people trying to save some birds. All the broilers on the floor were swept away by the flood. The cage was locked and the ones inside were trapped and some died. I have about 620 birds  but I am left with 140 now.

“My house is not on the flood part and the small river behind my house is far away. I couldn’t say if it overflowed its banks because I wasn’t home. Water was also coming down the hill behind my house. The entire Lawani was flooded.

She said she invested her funds but to make the business grow, she took a loan of N3.5m from a thrift society to which she belonged, noting that she needed to pay back the loan monthly and this might be difficult to do.

“With the fence destroyed, the whole house is open and security is now a concern. I can say we are lucky not to be in the house on that day. Our foodstuff and some other household items were also destroyed.

“The entire Igarra has never seen anything like this before”, she added.

Another resident whose three-bedroom bungalow was submerged in the flood, Olatunde Adelemo, said he lost all his properties, including important documents to the flood.

“The flood took my family unaware as we never expected it on that fateful day. The last we experienced such a thing was in 2013.

“I lost all my property to the flood  including electrical appliances like a Plasma television. I lost an Android phone while my two phones also got damaged. I have been trying to repair my phone since that day but no luck.

“My vital documents were also destroyed and I don’t know if they could be recovered. It is a bad experience and it will be difficult to recover from this loss.

“I don’t believe the government can render any assistance. Do we even have a government? The last time it happened in 2013, they took my name and promised to help but after waiting for several hours in the government office, I was told the computer wiped out my name.

“Things like these are used for political gains. It is only God who can help in this situation.

A trader who sells food items in a store in the area said she lost over N1m to the flood. Salami stated that she was not at her store when the area became flooded but her goods were destroyed when she came the next day.

“I lost over a N1m to the flood. I sell foodstuff like rice, Semovita, spaghetti, seasoning and salt. I was away when the flood took over the area and I was not able to open the store on that day.

So, when I came back the following day, I had lost 16 bags of rice, three cartons of spaghetti, salt and seasonings. Some residents who felt they could still eat the spaghetti took them away because it wasn’t possible to sell them

“The house where my store is located was also flooded and I am sure they must have lost household items to the flood too.

“I can say I am only coping by the Grace of God as this loss is a big one to overcome. I hope the government will come to our aid soon.

The state Commissioner for Public Safety and Security, Kingsley Uwagbale, while sympathising with the victims, urged the residents to leave flood paths, adding that the government was doing all it could to help the victims.

He said, “Some floods have been recorded in the state. The governor declared the EOC opened on Saturday. We were all out to tell residents to leave the flood path. Flood is not what anybody can fight. The best thing is to leave the path.

“When a flood comes, it moves away naturally but when the houses block its path, it becomes a problem.

“The government will still come to the aid of those who have been affected. We won’t leave them just because we have warned them to leave the flood path .

“We have set up Local Emergency Management Committee to identify the issue and report back to us in the ministry so we can offer additional help if needed.”

He promised that the state emergency management authority would be in Akoko Edo from Monday next week to help and guide the victims.

Sanctions loom for non-performing power agencies, minister declares

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Sanctions loom for non-performing power agencies, minister declares

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Tuesday, declared that sanctions would be imposed on any agency or director that fails to meet corporate expectations in the power sector.

This warning was given during a meeting where performance contracts were signed with various agencies in the sector in Abuja on Tuesday.

A performance-based contract is a type of contract that ties payment to specific performance metrics or outcomes, ensuring that contractors are paid based on their actual performance.

PBCs are commonly used in situations where desired outcomes are clearly defined and contractors have control over delivery.

These contracts specify key performance indicators or metrics to measure performance and tie payment to achieving those metrics.

Nigeria has adopted this measure in the civil service to ensure optimum performance of its civil servants.

According to the Minister, “We will not wait until the end of the year or end of the quarter before we start assessing ourselves. We need to get involved in the works on how you are progressing to achieve your final targets for the quarter.”

When asked about the sanctions, the Adelabu replied, “Just like the performance delivery is top-down, reward will also be top-down on achievement. Then, sanctions too, will be top-down. Depending on the sanctions that Mr. President is going to mete out to a non-performing minister and a non-performing council, we will determine the sanctions that will be met out to everybody involved here.”

This move is aimed at ensuring that all agencies in the power sector deliver on their targets and contribute to the overall achievement of the ministry’s goals. The Minister expressed confidence that the signing of the performance contracts will compel each agency to deliver on their targets.

The power sector is a critical sector in the country, and the Minister’s warning is seen as a step in the right direction to ensure that the sector achieves its full potential. With sanctions looming for non-performing agencies, it is expected that all agencies will put in their best efforts to deliver on their targets.

Reps invite CDS, defence minister over ‘ungoverned spaces’

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Reps invite CDS, defence minister over ‘ungoverned spaces’

The House of Representatives Committee on Defence, will on Monday, July 23, 2024, meet with the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru and the Chief of Defence Staff,  Gen Christopher Musa, to ascertain how the military intends to go about the directive by President Bola Tinubu for the military to cover ‘ungoverned spaces’ being occupied by criminals.

The Chairman of the Committee, Babajimi Benson, who disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday while briefing a handful of journalists in his office, said the President gave the charge as part of measures to address the challenges of food security in the country.

He said: “If there is food security, insecurity will go down. So, the army should take possession of their land. Let’s say they have one million hectares somewhere, there is not going to be insecurity in that area because it is going to be manned by the military.

“We are taking the initiative on Monday next week. We are inviting the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff to come and explain to us how they want to transform Mr President’s directives into reality. Let the Armed Forces who protect us be involved in this. Let them cultivate the vast land before them.”

Benson, who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, said when he received “reports from my military people,  they told us that there are a lot of ungovernable spaces, areas where no single government presence exists.

“It now behooves the people to be wise in choosing people that administer them because if you do that, this is a game changer in my opinion. I think it is a game changer that can be catalytic for Nigeria’s development.”

He commended President Tinubu for championing local government autonomy.

“This will help in addressing insecurity in the country as security starts from the grassroots and with the autonomy, local government council chairmen will have more funds to develop their areas and secure lives as well as properties.

“Financial autonomy granted to local governments would spur development and close ungoverned spaces which induced insecurity.

“I give super kudos to the President of Nigeria for ensuring that there is local government autonomy because security starts from the grassroots. So, if you empower a local government to have full receipt of their monthly applications, they don’t have immunity like the governors and people are aware that now, the shackles are broken. I don’t think there will be any stretch or space in Nigeria that will not be governable.”

For the umpteenth time, the lawmaker, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, urged the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to immediately halt the unfair business practices against Air Peace, Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited and other business concerns from unhealthy practices by their foreign competitors.

“I moved a motion on this recently and my intention was to ensure that there is fairness, justice and good conscience in doing business in Nigeria.

“It will be very unfair if there are conspiracies by foreign companies to undermine Nigerian companies. What we frowned on is these companies coming together to offer predatory prices that are below the market rates in order to edge out Nigerian own enterprises.

“These companies don’t do these things in their own countries. If we don’t check it, It can stifle Nigerian businesses by reducing their prices and then,  they jack up their prices.

“It is speculated that this happened recently against Air Peace. At some points, tickets from Lagos to London were selling as high as N4m. All of a sudden, a local company came in and all these companies just dropped prices lower than what Air Peace was offering.

“We spoke about Dangote, there is also a need to investigate what happened because if Dangote Refinery is the reason for this non-sale of crude oil, is this not part of a predatory way of ensuring that Nigeria keeps importing and Dangote refinery is left out?

“The FCCPC should also be watchful of this and make sure that if there is a gang-up to stifle Nigeria,  they should quickly step into it or do an investigative hearing in order for the world to be aware that Nigeria is informed about predatory pricing strategies.”

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