. . . putting the people frst@pmlonline peoplesdailyngWednesday, September 7, 2022/ 10 Safar 1444 AH Vol. 40 No. 068 N200 INEC2023: to display comprehensive voters register across 774 LGs EFCC arrests club owner, 21 others in Ibadan Kogi Bank Robbery: Two killed, scores hospitalized in Ankpa PAGE 4 Yahaya Bello launches free healthcare for Kogi indigenes, releases take-off fund PAGE 8 PAGE 6 Police arrest 30 suspects after death of 3 cult members in Benue PG 6 Police, FBI arrest notorious arms dealer in Niger PAGE 2 FG disbands NSCDC anti-vandal teams, road blocks nationwide How Nigeria, Poland can have a win-win relationship —Buhari UPDATE ON SCHOOL CHILDREN HELD CAPTIVE BETHEL BAPTIST HIGH SCHOOL, KUJAMA DAYS430 >>>PG 3 Begins validation of revised framework on IDPs' voting >>>PG 5 >>>PG 5 PEOPLES DAILY www.peoplesdailyng.com Courtesy visit from the Nigerian Ambassador to Jamaica/Nigeria’s Permanent Representative on the International Seabed Authority, H.E. Maureen Tamuno, and her team (Ag. Director, National Boundary Commission, Nurudeen Abba and Commander Abdulsalam Mohammed of the Hydrographic Survey Department, Nigerian Navy).
From Yakubu Mustapha Minna Niger State Police Command tactical team based at Dikko junction in collaboration with FIB squad, during a sting operation at Dikko arrested one Umar Shehu of Bakori, Funtua local government of Katsina State. This was contained in a statement issued by the Niger State PPRO, DSP Wasiu Abiodun. He said that the suspect was arrested at Dikko Junction, Gurara local council based on a credible intelligence. He was identifed and suspected as a notorious arms dealer who supplies arms/ ammunition to different bandits’ camps in Katsina, Kaduna and Niger States respectively.Heconfessed to have supplied arms and ammunition to bandits in Madaki forest Katsina, Ganai camp in Maidaro forest Kaduna and a syndicate member terrorizing Kwamba/ Maje area of Suleja during interrogation. He confessed further to have purchased arms from Abdulmani of Taraba State who was neutralized in Kaduna by FIB squad early thisHeyear.claimed that he got one hundred thousand naira from every 500 ammunition he delivered to any bandit’s camp.
accountable.NigeriaWomentheaccountabilitysupportspiritualculturehasProtectionANon-governmentalOrganization,Women’sRightsAdvancementandalternatives,WRAPAcalledonreligiousandleaderstousemoralandappealtoguideandtheuseofpracticalsocialmeasurestocheckmenaceofviolenceagainstandGirls(VAWG),inandholditsperpetratorsThisissequeltoaresearch fnding organized by the group, which indicated that 85 percent of women and girls experience one form of violence ranging from physical, economic,.
Police, FIB arrest notorious arms dealer in Niger
Psychological to sexual.
including functions of councelling and arbiteration relating to family life,” she said. Justice Fati also appealed for support to survivors of violence in.private and public spaces by strengthening their ability to speak out, seek help and access justice in order to achieve zero tolerance to Violence Against Women and girls and its consequences.“Thesupport offered by palaces, mosques and churches often fll the gaps in the needs of Survivors violence” She said the Dialogue was designed to provide an avenue for sincere conversations to correct perceptions and mis representation that allow narratives justifying some forms of violence against women and girls in different social settings. She commended the Ford Foundation and the Bayero University Kano Center for Islamic Civilization and Interfaith Dialoque, CICID for supporting the event.
Professor Aisha Abdul-Ismail spoke on the intersection of Social Norms VAWG, Reverend Mike Akinboboye spoke on VAWG Accountability and Communities, while Dr. Mansur Isa Yelwa and Engr Basheer Adamu delved on Consensus actions to reduce prevalence and encourage actionable consequences and Migration strategies for VAWG respectively.
PAGE 2 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 N EWS CONTENTS The Peoples Daily wants to hear from you with any news and pictures you think we should publish. You can send your news and pictures pictures@peoplesdailyng.comadverts@peoplesdailyng.comto:contact@peoplesdailyng.com Phones for News: 0802443209908142929046 WE WANT TO FROMHEARYOU News 2-10, 14 Editorial 11 Op.Ed 12-13 Politics 15-17 Health 18 Business 19-20 Feature 21 World News 22 Africa News 23 World News 24 Environment 25 Feature 26 Sports 30-31 Back Page 32 Page 4 2023: disownsOrganizationCampaignAtikuDiasporagroupseekingtoraisefunds
Violence against women: Group urges religious, culture leaders to check menace
The founder of WRAPA, Justice Fati Abubarka made the call at a one day National Dialogue with 100 Inter-Faith and Culture Leaders with the theme “ Moving from Rehtorics to Action, held at Tahir Guest Place, Kano state. She said the call became important because Religious and Traditional Leaders and Institutions are deeply rooted at all sociial levels in all communities.“Theycommand respect, trust and loyalty enabling them to excercise acceptable albeit limited sanctions for social deviations by members in their domain or congregation,
Photo: Mahmud Isa
L-R: Team Leader, DAI-EUSOGN II, Mr. Ruoolf Elbling, Country Director International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), Mr. Seray Jah, IFES Regional Director Africa, Mrs. Clara Cole and Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, during a stakeholders validation meetings for the 2022¹revised framework and regulations for voting by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), yesterday in Abuja.
From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The National Coordinator, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Dr Nse Akpan, says the prevalence of the diseases in Nigeria was dropping gradually. He said this in Abuja while speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the NTDs Master Plan Development Workshop (20222026).According to him, in some states, some of these diseases had been eliminated completely while in some others had been interrupted.TheNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NTDs are composed of approximately 20 diseases affecting people living in sub-tropical environments where access to proper sanitation and healthcare was limited. They impact approximately 1.6 billion people in 149 countries around the world; affecting those who live in poverty and have limited access to adequate healthcare, clean water and sanitation facilities.
Uber N1.7mstealingallegedlydockeddriverforcar
The the brief signing ceremony took place during the State Visit of President Andrezej Duda of Poland, the frst by a Polish leader to Nigeria since the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries in 1961. Addressing a joint press conference with the visiting Head of State, President Buhari said Nigeria is gratifed by the existing fruitful cooperation with Poland in the felds of maritime, education and defence.
‘‘We also appreciate greatly the opportunity given to some of our nationals to remain in Poland to continue with their studies.
How Nigeria, Poland can have a win-win relationship —Buhari
“If you look at the data, we just have eight years to achieve that and yes we have started.
The Federal Government, alongside other partners and collaborators, was working to reduce the burden. “The country needs to sit down, develop a plan on how to tackle these diseases in the country.“WHO gave us a mandate that the country needs to work towards eliminating these tropical diseases between now and 2030.
‘‘What was pivotal in our conversation today both in our tete-a-tete as well as the plenary session was how to provide food and energy security. ‘‘It is important to us to strengthen the relations between Poland and Nigeria and the MOU we have signed is very important for the future of both nations on food security,’’ the Polish president said through an interpreter. On energy security, he lauded the delivery of liquefed natural gas to Poland from Nigeria, as well as shipments of crude oil. ‘‘We want to further this cooperation and we want to increase the supplies from Nigeria to Poland and by this way we want to contribute to the development of economic cooperation between the two countries,’’ he said. President Duda noted that Nigeria and Poland have enjoyed excellent bilateral relations in the last 60 years, buoyed at the people-to-people level with the presence of many Nigerians at Polish higher institutions of learning as well as the input of Polish engineers and scientists in the building of infrastructure in Nigeria.
L-R: Member board of NNPC Limited Chief Pius Akinyelure, Minister of State Petroleum Resources Chief Timipre Sylva, Chief Executive Offcer Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Mr Farouk Ahmed and another board member of NNPC Limited Mallam Mohammmed Lawal, at the NNPC Limited pavilion, at the ongoing Gastech Conference, in Fiera Milan, on Tuesday On agriculture, which is one of the priority areas of the Nigerian government, the President said cooperation in this area will be a win-win for the two countries, especially in the context of global food insecurity occasioned by the confict in Ukraine. He noted that in view of the numerous global challenges, Nigeria would like to develop new mechanisms for cooperation including regular strategic dialogues and political consultations to cover not only bilateral relations but also to address regional and international issues.‘‘Our cooperation in education has a long history and we wish to encourage the extension of that cooperation to the sharing of knowledge and experience between our educational institutions in areas such as science and technology as well as Information and Communication Technology, in order to help drive innovation in our countries in this competitive global knowledge economy,’’ the Nigerian leader said. Describing the two-day visit of the Polish President as signifcant, underscoring the cordial relations that exist between both countries, President Buhari commended the efforts of the Government of Poland in providing assistance to the large number of refugees feeing the confict in Ukraine, including a signifcant number of Nigerians.‘‘Ialso wish to express our sincere gratitude for the kind and generous support extended during our government’s evacuation of our feeing nationals.
“Hopefully, with this new plan that is coming up and with all the stakeholders we should be able to achieve at least 80 per cent elimination,’’he said. Akpan said the plan would be ready and disseminated soon.
‘‘As regards trade relations, we would like to see an increase in the level of trade, as it remains relatively low in spite of the long period of relations between our two countries,’’ he said. The Nigerian leader welcomed the hosting of a Dialogue that will bring together various members of the business sectors of Nigeria and Poland, during the State Visit, adding that it is an excellent initiative to increase the level of trade between both countries.
By Egena Sunday Ode Nigeria and Poland on Tuesday in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Agriculture, while pledging their willingness to enlarge the felds of economic cooperation in the energy and manufacturing sectors.
PAGE 3PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 N EWS Ag News Editor, Tobias Lengnan Dapam
He also confrmed that out of the about 20 different NTDs known worldwide, Nigeria was facing 15 of them with each having its ownSpeakingburden.about the nature of the diseases, he said that they were called neglected because they mostly affected the low income earners and poor people and so tended to be neglected and ignored.Apan said: “It is eating deep and these diseases have impacted a lot on the economic situation of the “Youcountry.will look at people going out with some deformities because of these diseases and sometimes they do not even know it and attribute it to witches and wizards in the village.” Akpan said that some of the diseases include schistosomiasis which deals with worms, elephantiasis, river blindness, trachoma and intestinal worm among others.
Duda said Nigeria was the only African country Poland has signed an agreement of strategic dialogue with, which includes the MoU on agriculture cooperation.
The WHO NTDs Focal Point for Nigeria, Dr Suleiman Aliyu, advocated for a holistic document that would encompass all the issues and probable solutions to enable the nation achieve its goal by 2030.Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Water and Sanitation Offcer, Mr Job Ominyi, assured of the organisation’s commitment to support Nigeria in the fght against NTDs. He also assured of prompt distribution of drugs for the treatment of the diseases as they come into HighpointNigeria.ofthe workshop was award given to seven awardees comprising of state governments, individuals and organisations that were enabling the elimination of NTDs in Nigeria.(NAN)
NTDs cause illness, death, disability and disfgurement, resulting in stigma, social exclusion, school absenteeism and lost productivity. This made the World Health Organisation (WHO) to come up with a road map for its elimination by 2030.Akpan said that though Nigeria still has a high burden of the diseases due to unsafe health, sanitation and water practices.
A37- year-old Uber driver, Chukwuemeka Benjamin, on Tuesday appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos for allegedly stealing a Toyota Camry worth N1.7 million.Benjamin who resides at Olatinji Street, Ojota, Lagos is charged with conspiracy and theft.He pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Thepolice.prosecutor, Insp Donjour Perezi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on Aug. 2, at Olatunji street, Ojota,AccordingLagos. to him, the defendant conspired to steal a Toyota Camry car with registration No. SMK 03 WC valued N1.7 million and belonging to Chief Olubiyi Afolarin. He said that the defendant who collected the car on hire purchase from the complainant, claimed to have parked the vehicle in front of his compound on Aug. 1, at around 8:30 p.m. “He came out to clean the car by 4:30 am to resume work only to fnd it missing,” Perezi said. The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 287 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. The Magistrate, Mrs M.O Tanimola granted him bail in the sum of N300, 000 with two sureties in like sum. She ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed while one of them should be a blood relative of the defendant. Ariyo also ordered that the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.Sheadjourned the case until Oct. 14, for mention. (NAN)
Neglected Tropical Diseases declining in Nigeria -Coordinator
Dinner Event for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Presidential Election Campaign 2023” and, apparently, is being sent to potential donors and members of the general public inviting donations to the presidential campaign of our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in exchange for unfettered access to Atiku Abubakar, among other promises.
Price increase:
The AACO expressly declared that it has not been mandated or authorized the said group, in any way whatsoever, to represent the candidate or his campaign in any matter whatsoever.
From Adama John, Lokoja Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has fagged off access to free healthcare services for indigenes of the state.
PAGE 4 N EWS
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
A total of 15,000 instant benefciaries under the scheme, tagged, ‘Bello Care’, were unveiled in Lokoja. The program, which is being operated under the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency, is aimed at providing quality healthcare services to pregnant women, children under the age of 5, People with Disabilities and persons above the age of 65.
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his campaign organisation have disowned themselves from a group which called itself “the Atiku Abubakar Business Supporters in Diaspora” and it’s activitiesThe Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organization (AACO) similarly distanced it’s self from from a letter written by the Campaign Coordinator/ President of the said group , being sent to potential donors and members of the general public inviting donations to the presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar, in exchange for unfettered access to Atiku Abubakar, among other promises.Astatement yesterday from the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation (AACO) notifed the public that the aforementioned Atiku Abubakar Business Supporters in Diaspora (AABSID) is not in any way affliated or related to Atiku Abubakar and the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation.
The Competition and Consumer Protection (CCP) tribunal sitting in Abuja, has dismissed a suit challenging the price increase by MultiChoice Nigeria Limited.Multichoice owns satellite television services, DStv and GOtv, a popular subscription-based television in Nigeria. In its judgement, the tribunal dismissed the suit for lacking merit. Festus Onifade, a legal practitioner had sued the company on behalf of himself and the coalition of Nigerian consumers. While MultiChoice Nigeria Limited is the frst defendant, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is the second Onifaderespondent.askedthe tribunal to restrain the frm from hiking subscription fees for its services and other products on April 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated and fled on March 29.
the duringbenefciariestheoffcial launch of Bello Care at Glass House, Kogi State House,GovernmentTuesday.
The statement by AACO reads, “The attention of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation (AACO) has been drawn to an undated letter issued under the authority of a “Campaign Coordinator/ President” of a group calling itself the Atiku Abubakar Business Supporters in Diaspora (AABSID).“Thisletter is titled “Fundraising
PackageHealthPresentingYahayaGovernorBelloaInsurancetooneof
2023: Atiku Campaign Organization disowns Diaspora group seeking to raise funds
“The Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation hereby notifes the general public, particularly Nigerians in the Diaspora as well as corporate organisations within and outside Nigeria, that the Atiku Abubakar Business Supporters in Diaspora (AABSID) is a body/organisation unknown to our candidate, and neither he nor the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation has authorised any such fundraising event to be held on his behalf nor on behalf of his Campaign Organisation.“Thegeneral public is hereby notifed that the aforementioned Atiku Abubakar Business Supporters in Diaspora (AABSID) is not in any way affliated or related to Atiku Abubakar and the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, and has not been mandated or authorised in any way whatsoever to represent the candidate or his campaign in any matter whatsoever.“Inline with the foregoing, any person or organisation dealing with the aforementioned Atiku Abubakar Business Supporters in Diaspora (AABSID) and/or its Campaign Coordinator/President or indeed with any other organization for the purposes of raising funds for our presidential candidate does so at their own risk and responsibility”, it said.
Tribunal dismisses suit against MultiChoice Yahaya Bello launches free healthcare for Kogi indigenes, releases take-off fund
While Delivering his address, the Executive Secretary of the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Kunle Aledare, thanked the Governor for making Healthcare a core thematic area of the New Direction Government.Aledaredescribed the Bello Care initiative as one that complements the Federal Government Health Initiative. He added that 38,000 people had been enrolled across the 21LGAs in the state.TheExecutive Secretary thanked the Governor for releasing funds to the tune of N108 million for the takeoff of the Health Insurance Program as well as approving Two Toyota Hilux operational vehicles to monitor the Bello Care program. In His Speech, Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Usman Zekeri, said that the most vulnerable group does not have access to quality Healthcare, owing to ignorance and poverty.The Health Commissioner said that in partnership with the Federal Government, over 70million counterpart fund had also been paid to access the Federal Government’s HealthZekeriInitiative.added that the giant strides of Gov. Bello in the Health sector made it possible to implement the Bello Care program. He sighted the building of ultramodern hospitals in various parts of the state including the Central Hospital, Okene as a way of turning Kogi State to a Medico Tourism Centre. He added that plans were underway to capture state civil servants and students of tertiary institutions in the Health insurance program.While speaking at the event, Gov. Bello disclosed that a sum of N108million had already been released as a take-off fund for the program as well as N70million counterpart fund paid to the Federal Government.Bellosaid, “In Kogi here, Health is second in our thematic area. Without heath, there can be no wealth. The initiative underlines the importance we place on health and we are not stopping at health alone. Bello Care is not limited to health alone, it spreads to education and security.”
The Governor gave the assurance that the Bello Care program would not die after his administration and he would make sure that whoever takes over from him would continue from wherever he stops. “We have paid 100% for this program and we will not smile at anyone that tries to proft from the program because it belongs to the vulnerables.“Among others, the Bello Cares scheme is expected to cover general consultations (treatment of diseases such as Malaria, Typhoid Fever); antenatal care, deliveries, post-natal care, paedriatrics and surgeries, among others.In a related development, Governor Yahaya Bello signed four bills into law at a ceremony in the EXCO Hall of Government House. In a remarks before signing the bill, the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, RT. Hon. Matthew Kolawole commended the Governor for his very effective security architecture in the State. He assured the Governor of the commitment of the State House of Assembly to make laws for the development of the state. The bills signed into law are: a bill to provide for the establishment of Kogi State Sanitation and Waste Management Board; a bill to provide for the movement of Agricultural Produce within Kogi State and Other Matters connected therewith; a bill to provide for regulation of outdoor structure for the display of signage and advertisement and a bill to provide for the repeal and re-enactment of hotel and tourism board edict of 1995, establishing the Kogi state Hotel and Tourism Board and other matters connected therewith.While signing the bills into law, Governor Yahaya Bello assured the people of the state of the readiness of his administration to implement all the laws judiciously .
Speaking yesterday during an emergency security meeting with state commandants, the CG said the decision was necessary to come up with a more solid team that will police the pipelines and prevent oil theft.Audi, said there was need for the Corps hard earned integrity to beHesustained.assured that the antivandal units of the corps would be reconstituted in due course. Audi said, “ As you already know, we set up various panels to investigate the various allegations of oil theft aided by our offcers and we have received reports . For now, If you must reorganise a unit, you have to frst and foremost dissolve the department to enable us inject in freshRecently,blood.”aviral CCTV video captured some personnel of the Corps allegedly extorting money from an Independent Petroleum Marketer in Rivers State. Audi said, “Enough is enough. “I will make scapegoats out of these bad elements within the system to serve as deterrent to others like them, if what is seen in that video is correct. “I have given the Investigative committee only one week to authenticate the video and submit their report which we shall act on with immediate alacrity.”
FG disbands NSCDC anti-vandal teams, road blocks nationwide L-R: Members of Seminar Committee CIBN FCT Branch Emmanuel Mogbolu FCIB; Hannah Aina FCIB; Joseph Okunato FCIB; Larai Binta Hassan ACIB, and Aliyu Yusuf FCIB, during the Workshop on Collateral Registry/Moveable Asset-Based Lending held in Abuja yesterday
The NSCDC boss, Abubakar Audi, said the disbandment was ordered by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
PAGE 5 N EWS
Worried by incessant oil theft in the Niger/ Delta region, the federal government has ordered the immediate dissolution of all anti- vandal squad of the Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps( NSCDC).
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja Ahead of next year’s general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has assured Nigerians that it will soon display the comprehensive voter’s register in all the 8,809 Wards and 774 Local Government Areas/Area Councils nationwide as envisaged in Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act The2022.INEC Chairman, Prof MahmoodYakubu made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja at a workshop on the validation of the revised framework and regulations for voting by internally displaced persons (IDPs) held at the Sheraton hotel in Abuja. The disclosure by Yakubu was in response to an accusation by a section of the civil society organisations, which claimed that the commission has failed to display the voters’ register as provided by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022. The INEC Chairman emphatically declared that the claim by the civil society organisations is incorrect. The Commission, according to him, had displayed the register three times: 24th – 30th September 2021 (First Quarter), 24th – 30th December 2021 (Second Quarter) and 26th March – 1st April 2022 (Third Quarter). Prof Yakubu explained that the date for the display of the comprehensive voter’s register will be announced as soon the Commission completes the ongoing Automated Biometric Identifcation System (ABIS) to weed out all double/multiple as well as ineligible registrants. This register, according to him, will integrate fresh voters registered under the last continuous voter’s register (CVR) exercise to the existing register of over 84 million voters. In the words of Prof Yakubu, “We wish to assure Nigerians that the Commission will display the comprehensive register in all the 8,809 Wards and 774 Local Government Areas/Area Councils nationwide as envisaged in Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.“This will integrate fresh voters registered under the last CVR exercise to the existing register of over 84 million voters. “The date will be announced as soon the Commission completes the ongoing Automated Biometric Identifcation System (ABIS) to weed out all double/multiple as well as ineligible registrants. “We appeal to some of our friends in civil society to be guided accordingly”, he explained. Going down the memory lane, the INEC Chairman said, “What the Commission displayed for claims and objections in our Local Government Area offces nationwide for a period of one week, from 15th – 21st August 2022, was not the entire register of voters but the list of fresh registrants at the end of the Fourth and last quarter of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise covering the period from 11th April – 31st July 2022. claims by civil societies effort on validation of revised framework on IDPs’ voting
•Faults
2023: INEC to display comprehensive voter’s register across 774 LGs soon, says Yakubu
•Begins
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
“This has been the practice for several“Earlier,years. the Commission had displayed the register three times: 24th – 30th September 2021 (First Quarter), 24th – 30th December 2021 (Second Quarter) and 26th March – 1st April 2022 (Third Quarter). “A comprehensive schedule of the CVR exercise and the display of the register was shared with stakeholders at our quarterly meeting just before the inception of the exercise in June last year”, he stated.Speaking on the yesterday’s revised framework and regulations for voting by internally displaced persons (IDPs), the INEC Chairman that the idea is to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is left out of the electoral process on account of displacement, disability or other circumstances that may limit citizens’ participation in the electoral process. He said, “Today, (yesterday), the same policy has been revised and is being presented to stakeholders for review and validation in preparation for the 2023 General Election. “The idea is to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is left out of the electoral process on account of displacement, disability or other circumstances that may limit citizens’ participation in the electoral“Whatprocess.is presented to stakeholders today (yesterday) has taken into consideration several developments since the last review and validation exercise in 2018.“First, is the increased number of IDPs as a result of widespread insecurity“Secondly,nationwide.to incorporate not only the displaced citizens arising from armed conficts but also natural emergencies such as fooding. “Thirdly, to align the framework with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, specifcally Section 24(1) which empowers the Commission to ensure that, as far as practicable, no Nigerian is disenfranchised on account of displacement by emergency situations.“Finally, to align the framework with the national policy on internally displaced persons 2021”, he revealed. Prof Yakubu restated that INEC’s commitment to its mission to serve as an independent and effective Electoral Management Body committed to the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria is not in doubt as it ensures that persons displaced as a result of emergency are not disenfranchised.Hecommended the efforts on voting rights of Internally Displaced Persons wish them success in carrying out their objectives.TheINEC Chairman similarly expressed the commission’s appreciation to developmentitspartners for the continuous encouragement and support as well as all stakeholders for their presence.
By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
“We look forward to your contributions to enable us enrich and fnalise this important document ahead of the forthcoming 2023 General Election”, he said.
Police Public Relations’Officer SP Catherine Anene who confirmed this to newsmen yesterday, said the suspects will be brought to the State Police headquarters, Makurdi.Itwas gathered that on Monday, three persons were feared dead in two days bloody supremacy clash between rival cult gangs in parts of the town. The clash also had several persons injured, even as it was learnt that the quick intervention of the Gboko Local Government Council Chairman, Mr. Issac Mton who in collaboration with security agencies brought the situation under control. An eye witness who pleaded anonymity, said that the fight between the gang was triggered by a misunderstanding between members of the cult groups who took up arms against each other.
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja P residential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party Atiku Abubakar has appointed the Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Mr. Charles Aniagwu as one of his spokesmen for the 2023 presidential campaign This was confirmed in a press statement signed yesterday by Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe in Abuja. The statement pointed out that Aniagwu’s appointment takes immediate effect, with the responsibility, among others, to keep the electorate up to speed with happenings in the presidential campaign. Aniagwu is a veteran broadcaster with over two decades experience in the media“Heindustry.joinsother appointees who had been announced earlier as spokespersons to the campaign”, the statement said. By Egena Sunday Ode P resident Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the new Prime Minister of Britain, Liz Truss, on her assumption of new position of leadership.Astatement by the Special Adviser to the the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said Buhari rejoiced with the former Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, whose antecedents in government, politics and diplomacy will further shape and strengthen relations with Nigeria and other nations. He affrmed that the shared ties between Nigeria and Britain remains strong, positive and mutually benefcial, while working with Prime Minister Liz Truss to deepen that relationship in the interest of both countries, the statement noted.It added that President Buhari appreciated the warmth and friendliness of the immediate past Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, wishing him the best in his future endeavours.
Ankpa Bank Robbery: Two killed, scores hospitalized
From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Buhari congratulates British Prime Minister, Liz Truss arrest 30 suspects after death of 3 cult members in Benue strike:
Police
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
By Austin Alfa, Lokoja For almost one and half hours on Tuesday, Ankpa, headquarters of Ankpa local government area of Kogi State was under siege as robbers had a feld day.
Sources informed our correspondent in Lokoja, seat of power of Kogi State, that the robbers arrived the town in three cars including buses, while others were on motorbikes. It was gathered that they entered the local government headquarters through the eastern fank, blocked all exit routes where two boys from Ochinobi axis were fallen by stray bullet, including a mad woman.
Photo: Justin Imo-owo
PAGE 6 N EWS
A t least 30 persons have been arrested in Gboko local government area of Benue State following the killing of three persons.
everyone.Okenemade
Sources further revealed that the police station in the town was attacked by the robbers, numbering about 20, on their way to UBA and Zenith banks with heavy gunshots.
APC spokesmancampaignAniagwuCharlesAtikugroundfndwantschieftainFGtocommonappoints
R--L: Former Minister of Youth and Sport / Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chieftain , Barr. Solomon Dalung, SDP Presidential Candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, National Publicity Secretary, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) Mr. Ken Robinson and the Delta State Chapter Vice Chairman of PANDEF, Prince Malkpobi Okareme, addressing journalist after the PANDEF Leaders consultative meeting with the presidential Candidate of the SDP on his agenda for Nigeria, held yesterday in Abuja.
“After robbing banks for about an hour, they drove violently but steadily through the town out of Ankpa with unending gunshots,” the source said. They left Ankpa through Okpo, Olamaboro local government area road, but no one knows their destination as the shots were too heavy for the police to curtail. At the time of going to press, most Ankpa residents were still hiding for fear of stray bullet as they do not know if the attack had ended.
By Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Founder of KAONISM Movement, Dr. Khalifa Abdulrahman Okene, has called on the Federal Government and the leaders of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to find a common ground to resolving theHestrike.added that, the 6-7 months strike action has negatively affected students, which in turn has ripple effect on the call during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja.
ASUU
The Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, has lauded the gallant performance of the military in the onslaught against criminal elements in the six geopolitical zones of the country. This is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Mohammad Abdulkadri, Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity. Abdulkadir said that Magashi spoke at the Joint World Press Conference held at the Radio House Abuja on Monday. He also said that the press conference was done together with the minister’s counterparts in the Ministries of Police Affairs, Interior and Information and Culture. Magashi said that the troops of Operation Hardin Kai in the North East had gallantly denied ISWAP and the Boko Haram Terrorists freedom of co-ordinated attacks as they continued to suffer huge casualties, depletion and depression. The minister, whose briefng covered Military Operations across the six geo-political zones, said that the criminal elements had been substantially degraded and defeated in the last four weeks.He said this was in compliance with the directive of the Commander-in- Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President MuhammaduAbdulkadirBuhari.saidthat within the period under review, 66 suspected terrorists were neutralised, alongside the ISWAP commander, Madu Chaka and 20 others. He added that 55 others were arrested, while 52 civilians regained their freedom from captivity.Magashi further said that the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara in the North West zone had also given a good account of themselves by clearing the doubts of the bandits and kidnappers. He assured Buhari and Nigerians of the total commitment of the military to the defence of the nation’s territorial integrity alongside other security forces. The minister was quoted as outlining similar operational successes recorded in the North Central, South East, South South and South West. He thanked the C-in-C for the strong backings that the Armed Forces of Nigeria continued to enjoy even in the current participation in the Peace Support Operation in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.Onhispart, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi said the Police Force had been repositioned and reequipped.Dingyadi added that the force was resolute to effectively change the narratives in all the states of the federation towards keeping the country safe and secured. Dingiyadi buttressed the successes recorded in various parts of the country including Borno state with 248 weapons recovered.Also, 181 suspects were arrested in Delta, and 40 suspects arrested in Niger, among several others in the last four weeks.
Similarly, the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola warned criminal elements to keep off the Correctional Centers across the country or they would not live to tell the story of any dastard acts. He advised Nigerians not to obstruct the operations of the Federal Fire Service in responding to the outbreak of fre emergencies. While acknowledging the support by the military and sister agencies in a joint operational environment the interior minister assured, ”never again would jail break be repeated.”
“The importance of proper registration of vehicles cannot be overemphasised, it helps in the area of security.
ADei-Dei Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ordered that a 20-year-old scavenger, Ali Ibrahim, should be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service in Suleja for allegedly stealing church property.The police charged Ibrahim, whose address was not provided, with criminal trespass and theft. Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to the offenceThe Judge, Sulyman Ola, adjourned the case until Nov. 15, for hearing.Earlier, the Prosecutor, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Mr Ayo Dele of The Redeem Church, New Birth Assembly, located in Dawaki, Abuja, reported the matter at the Dawaki Police Station on Aug. 26 Ogada said that the complainant claimed that on the said date he found the church was forcefully opened, and a 5.5 KVA generator, a 40-inches LG plasma television and a keyboard wereHestolen.also told the court that a student mattress and other valuables, whose values were yet to be ascertained, were also stolen. Ogada said that on Aug. 29, the defendant was arrested and brought to station, and during police interrogation, he confessed to have stolen the items from a church. He said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 348 and 288 of Penal Code. (NAN)
The Egbede unit of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Oyo State, has handed over a stolen vehicle to its owner, one year after it was recovered.
Photo: Justin Imoowo
A17-year-old teenage boy, Olamilekan Adebanjo, was on Tuesday arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for alleged burglary and stealing of valuables. The defendant, whose address was not provided, is standing trial on a two-count charge of burglary and stealing.He,however, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Ejiro Kubeinje. The prosecutor, DSP Kehinde Ajayi, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on Aug. 19, at 4p.m., at No. 13, Lawanson Street, off Kayode Street Onipanu, Lagos State. He alleged that Adebanjo, burgled a house belonging to one Mr OlusegunAccordingAbiodun.to the prosecutor, the defendant stole one MP3, wrist watch, perfume, earring and two laptops worth N250,000. He said that the offences contravened sections 307 and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.Kubeinje granted the defendant bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety in like sum. She adjourned the case until Oct. 25 for trial. (NAN)
Court
churchallegedscavengerremandsfortheftofproperty
“If a vehicle owner commits an offence and we are able to get the number, we can trace the person through the information on our “WeNVIS.have used the system to recover many stolen vehicles and FRSC will not relent in ensuring that vehicle owners do the right thing,” Kareem said.(NAN)
allegeddockedTeenagerforburglary
He added that arsonists, vandals and other criminals would pay with their Meanwhile,lives.the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that while the country may not be there yet, the military had succeeded and still succeeded in crushing the criminal elements.This,he said, was in accordance with the directive of Buhari to the Security Forces.
He appealed to Nigerians to see security as the business of everyone and thanked the media for carrying out their watchdog roles in nation building and nationalAccordingdefence.to Abdulkadri, the conference was attended by the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Defence, Dr Abubakar Kana, and that of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore. Others, he said, were the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Leo Irabor, the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Jere, his Federal Fire Service counterpart, Mr Abdulganiyu Jaji, as well as top Chief Executives of Agencies, Parastatals and Media. (NAN)
Defence minister lauds military’s gallantry as more terrorists lay down arms
The minister said what could have overwhelmed and consumed other nations of the world was what Nigeria was going through in terms of huge security challenges. Mohammed said, ”yet, the country remains standing and resolute to end terrorism, banditry and other forms of crimes.”
PAGE 7 CRIME N EWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
The unit recovered the car with registration number, Lagos FST 855 GL at Osengere area on Ife-Ibadan expressway on Sept. 17, 2021, but was unable to contact the owner of the Opel Safran car. The Unit Commander, Akeem Kareem, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Ibadan that the owner of the vehicle had switched off the phone line with which he registered the car. He said that a patrol team found the car parked on the road, causing obstruction to other road users and had to be removed and towed to the FRSC offce for investigation. “The vehicle has been in our offce since then. “We tried to contact the owner through the information gotten from our National Vehicle Identifcation System, but his phone contact was not going through.“However, just of recent, we were able to get the owner who said that he had problem with his SIM card, which took him a long time to retrieve, hence the reason we were unable to reach him.“The owner said he had concluded that the car would not be found, because the person he gave the vehicle to had also disappeared and could not be located,” Kareem said. According to him, the man has provided necessary proof of ownership and the vehicle will be released to him after completion of relevant documentation.
FRSC Hands Over Recovered Stolen Vehicle, One Year After L-R: Vice Chancellor, Federal University Dutse Jigawa State, Prof. Mohammed Sabo Abdulkarim ProCancellor / Chairman, Governing Council, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Sen. Telly Gyado, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University Lafa, Prof. Shehu Abdulrahman and the Vice Chancellor Federal University Lokoja, Prof. olayemi Durotimi Akinwumi, during the meeting between the Minister of Education with Pro and Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities on the ongoing ASUU strike, held yesterday in Abuja.
The FRSC unit commander advised Nigerians to ensure proper registration of their vehicles.Hesaid that FRSC’s National Vehicle Identifcation System (NVIS) had helped in retrieving a lot of stolen vehicles and tackled other security issues. ”People should cooperate with us, many people are still using vehicles and motorcycles without number plates and any vehicle or motorcycle caught, will be impounded and the owner made to do the needful.
Demolition: Prince Kpokpogiri institute $50m suit at ICC against FCT Minister, others Gov wife laments high rate of out -of -school children, drug abuse
Niger
By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja An Abuja based businessman, Prince Joseph Kpokpogri has instituted a $50m Right Suit against the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Managing Director/Chief Executive Offcer, Federal Housing Authority, at the International Criminal Court, The Hague.Other Respondents mentioned in the suit are Mukhtar Galadima (Acting Director, Department of Development Control), and Abuja Metropolitan Management Council. In the complaint, Kpokoogri submitted that the defendants committed heinous crimes against him by illegally, arbitrarily and forcefully demolishing his house located at Guzape hills, FCT Abuja. He maintained that the demolition claimed other assets worth over N2.5bn with the intent to persecute, torture and render him homeless. In regards to the above, Kpokpogiri is demanding among others, an order “That the ICC Prosecutor compels Muhammad Bello, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and learningaddressmovesSUBEB,JigawaPLANEtopoor
From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse
The Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), incollaboration with Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), fagged -up the training of Master trainers in the state. Speaking at the faggingoff of the training, the state commissioner for education Alhaji Lawan Yunusa Danzomo who was represented by the permanent secretary in ministry Hajiya Safya Muhammad said, the training aimed at improving learning skills for pupils at primary one to three. She explained that, about 80 participants will be train as state master trainers, whom will stepdown the training to head teachers and teachers across 27 local government in the state. According to her, the training will be in a simple way for easy understanding to the participants and to boost their learning foundation skills at basic level. She then commended PLANE for partnering with Jigawa State in improving learning skills adding that Jigawa SUBEB will continue to collaborate with PLANE for better education at grassroots level. While making his remarks at the venue, the chairman Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Alhaji Muhammad Ayuba Hadeja called on participants to pay attention to learn the skills and expand it to other teachers at down level.
Mukhtar Galadima upon conviction under the Rome Statute to jointly pay the sum of $50,000,000 (Fifty Million US Dollars) as compensation to cover cost of our client’s house (inclusive of assets) which was demolished as well as the emotional trauma, mental stress, torture and homelessness he has been suffering from Saturday, 14th May, 2022 till date. The Complainant submitted that the demolition of his house by agents acting on the instructions of Muhammad Bello, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Mukhtar Galadima was “actuated by malice and has no semblance of any legal justifcation. “The demolition was a pure political gang up hatched by the government offcials to evacuate the Complainant from Abuja for reasons best known to them. Further in the suit dated August 17, 2022, Kpokoogri, through his counsel, Anna Ikwuta, posited that the arbitrary demolition of her client’s house by agents of Muhammad Bello, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Mukhtar Galadima without following due process constituted gross violation of internationally recognized elements of the right to adequate housing. “Our client has so far suffered serious emotional trauma, mental stress and damages as a result of the demolition of his house. “In fact, one of his domestic staff at the Boys Quarters of the demolished building sustained second degree injuries and is presently hospitalized.
“That the ICC Prosecutor obtain International Arrest Warrant for Muhammad Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa and Mukhtar Usman Galadima in accordance with Articles 58 (1) (a), 58 (1) (b) (i), 58 (1) (b) (ii) and 58 (1) (b) (iii) and proceed to arrest the Accused from Nigeria so they can face their trial in The Hague, Netherlands for Crimes Against Humanity.“Thatthe ICC Prosecutor invites our client to The Hague, Netherlands for purposes of tendering more sensitive documents and giving oral testimony concerning his ordeal on Saturday, 14th May, 2022 as masterminded by Muhammad Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa and Mukhtar Usman Galadima. “That the ICC Prosecutor compels Muhammad Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa and Mukhtar Usman Galadima after paying compensation as prayed in paragraph (e) above to tender public apology to our client through Cable News Network, Inc. (CNN), one international magazine as well as three Nigerian newspapers with wide readership.“Thatthe ICC Prosecutor upon conviction of Muhammad Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa and Mukhtar Usman Galadima facilitates the process of barring them from all territories of the United Kingdom, United States of America and United Arab Emirates for the next ten years to serve as deterrence to other criminally-minded citizens of Nigeria. In addition, Kpokpogiri submitted that the actions of the accused persons are not only criminal but “widespread” and “systematic” within the meaning of Article 7 (1) of the Rome Statute. Therefore, the accused have committed numerous “Crimes Against Humanity” in fagrant violation of Articles 5 (1) (b), 7 (1) (a), 7 (1) (b) and 7 (1) (f) of the Rome“WeStatute.respectfully conclude that this Criminal Complaint by itself constitutes “a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation” under Article 15 (3) of the Rome Statute. “We verily believe that the International Criminal Court being the last hope of common citizens of the world will swiftly offer an arena for investigation and hearing of this case for the sake of justice. Finally, we implore you to open an investigation into this Criminal Complaint and issue a public statement to that effect as same contains facts and evidence susceptible to analysis” Kpokpogiri demanded.Meanwhile, Prince Kpokpogiri on Tuesday visited the demolished property at Guzape, Abuja. Speaking to newsmen at the demolished site, Kpokpogiri called on the Federal Government to set up a committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the total demolition of his house despite a subsisting interim order made by Justice Agbaza of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on July 7, 2022.Justice Agbaza had made an interim order upon an ex parte application moved on behalf of Kpokpogri by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, restraining the defendants either by themselves, agents, offcials, privies, all those purporting to have derived title from them or other persons howsoever called from trespassing on or further trespassing on, demolishing, or further demolishing the property known as Plots 203 and 204, 27 Road, Gusape District, Apo Estate, Abuja, covered by letters of allocation issued by the Federal Housing Authority with Ref. No. FHA/ BD/ES/APO/P.203 and Ref. No. FHA/BD/ES/APO/P.204 or from evicting the occupants of the said property or in any way interfering with the plaintiff’s exclusive right of possession of the said property pending the determination of the motion on notice.
L-R: Head Department,Commuication’sofÀbuja Original Inhabitants JustinheldÀbujapromotionforprojectonAOIYEOMakeri,Leader,GarkiAOIYEO,The(AOIYEO),EmpowermentYouthsOganisationBlessingMoses,OrganisationManagerComradeBitrusandtheFCTYouthHon.IbrahimduringthepressconferencetheOrganisation’supdatesandcallcollaborationontheoftherightsofOriginalInhabitants,inAbuja.Photo:Imo-owo
“As such, the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari may never prosecute them for any reason” IkwutaConsequently,declared. he is praying the ICC Prosecutor on his own accord under Article 15 (1) of the Rome Statute, to open a preliminary investigation into the allegations made herein against Muhammad Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa and Mukhtar Usman Galadima.“That the ICC Prosecutor also formally “submits to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC a request for authorization of an investigation” of Muhammad Musa Bello, Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa and Mukhtar Usman Galadima under Article 15 (3) of the Rome Statute.
“It is our submission that the situation at hand deserves the urgent intervention of the ICC Prosecutor on the ground that Muhammad Bello, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Mukhtar Galadima are serving government offcials and part of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
PAGE 8 NEWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
“It is therefore necessary for the International Community to come in aid of our client by ensuring that the persons who demolished his house are brought to book without delay” Ikwuta stated.
From Yakubu Mustapha Minna W ife of the Niger State Governor, Dr Amina Abubakar Sani Bello has said that out of 13.2 million out of school children in Nigeria according to UNICEF, the North is leading with alarming rate of 69% assured of changing the narrative.Shemade the disclosure at the stakeholders workshop on the implementation of At Risk Children Programme (ARC-P) in Minna.Shesaid in 2017, Niger state was the highest in the youth substance abuse in the north central as the major causes of violence and restiveness in the state.Dr Amina Bello assured the commitment of the state government to the full implementation of the program, adding that ARC-P will provide basic protection for the children and young vulnerable children who couldn’t had the basic education.TheSpecial Adviser to the President on Special Interventions, Hajiya Maryam Uwais said that the program was aimed at impacting and supporting young Nigerians that couldn’t have basic education to take ownership of their lives. Uwais urged the state government to provide the required data of the beneficiaries, noting that the program will be built on seven pillars to include; skills acquisition, sports, renewable energy, security and agriculture among others.
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri gave the charge in Yola weekend at the inauguration of new executive members of Adamawa state Muslim Council and presentation of the Islamic Calendar for year 1444 (AH), explaining that development can not be ascertained without peace and harmony.
The Director said analysts were needed to discuss, share information and analyse as they work through a problem or trying to understand a threat. She said no agency or center had the capacity to collaborate with any organisation in the defense of data and systems against adversarial activity, adding that a distributed approach should be taken to a diverse and agile threat. “We need analysts to talk to each other, sharing information and analysis as they are working through a problem or trying to understand a threat.
termforbegscommunityMadaSulesecond
EFCC has arrested one Sunday Adepoju, owner of the popular De Rock Club in Ibadan and 21 others over alleged internet-related fraud. Its spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren stated in Ibadan on Monday that the suspects were arrested at the club located on the popular Ring Road in Ibadan during an intelligencedrivenAlsooperation.arrested were a couple Aladenusi Ayodeji and Aladenusi Sadiat (a.k.a Bonnie andOthers,Clyde). according to the EFCC spokesman were Ajuwon Ibrahim, Ogunniyi Stephen, Bolaji Quadri, Olajire Olamilekan, Ojo Kolapo, Kajero Sodiq, Kareem Abiodun, Bolaji Toheeb, Banjo Toyin and Clement Adeseye. Also arrested were Babalola Samuel, Opeyemi Omoyemi, Okesanya Matthew, Kareem Damilola, Aledegbe Qodir, Akindele Solomon, Adewopo John, Iyiola Ridwan and OlabosindeUwujarenAdesola.added that one of the suspects, a graduate of Industrial Chemistry of Olabisi Onabanjo University, AgoIwoye in Ogun, runs Helpline Foundation and Special Service Global Trust Ltd., in Ibadan. He stated that the 36-yearold graduate was arrested with a 2020 model Range Rover HSE Sports Utility Vehicle. Uwujaren added that the suspects were arrested after series of surveillance and intelligence on their alleged criminal activities. He listed items recovered from them to include fve cars, laptops, mobile phones, and incriminating documents suggesting false pretences. The suspects would be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded, Uwujaren stated. (NAN)
She said: “As we are here to discuss today, PPPs are not just nice to have, they are the solution to protect critical infrastructure worldwide.“Thefocus of the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center is threefold: frst and foremost, creating a forum to build a more comprehensive picture of the cyber threat “Protectinglandscape.smallto mediumsized and large companies that produce critical technologies for the U.S. military, which we call the Defense Industrial Base, against nation-state threats. “And directly countering maligned infuence on emerging technology standards such as 5G, 6G, and cloud security.” She, however, said that PPP should not be about seeking the mechanism or the platform for sharing, but should always be about its outcome that drives the format for the most successful collaboration.“Itisnever about the mechanism or the platform for sharing in PPP. It should always be about the outcome that drives the format for the most successful collaboration.“Atthe federal level, a collaborative approach is the cornerstone of our efforts. “We leverage on the unique authorities of federal, civilian, law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies, and further integrate their operations. “At the operational level, we have found that the secret to collaboration between the U.S. Government and the private sector is empowering the art of conversation,” she said.
The Adamawa state Government has charged religious leaders to inculcate the virtues of love and tolerance with a view to promote peaceful coexistence among their followers.
coexistenceonreligiousGovtAdamawachargesleaderspeaceful
EFCC arrests club owner, 21 others in Ibadan
Represented by the Secretary to the state Government (SSG),Bashir Ahmed,Fintiri maintained that the religious bodies have been a formidable force which government use in reaching out to teeming citizens for support and cooperation in actualisation of good governance.
PPP, solution to protecting critical infrastructure worldwide says U.S. NSA Centre R--L: Hon. Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijiani Aliyu presenting the book, “Àbuja the Evolution and Development of the Federal Capital Territory”, written by Dr. jumai Ahmadu to the Premier of Antario, Dung Ford, during the just centreinvestmentheldinvestmentCanadianconcludedNigeriaExpo,intheAntarioandtradeOITC
“That is when we discover new things, talk about alternatives analysis, and build the best mitigation guidance for all. “No single agency or center has the capacity or the authority to collaborate with every organisation necessary to defend our data and systems against adversarial“Instead,activity.we must take a network and distributed approach to a diverse and agile threat,” Morgan said. (NAN)
From Gambo Ahmed Lafa Mada community of panda development area in Karu local government council of Nasarawa state have declared their support to the administration of governor Abdullahi sule ‘s continuity in 2023 general elections. Spokesman of the community Mr Luka Maichibi Abdul stated this on Tuesday during a stakeholders meeting in Jemage Mada in preparatory to the general elections.He maintained that the governor deserves second tenure in order to enable him accomplish developmental projects.
Fintiri expressed gratitude to the Muslim council for launching the Islamic calendar for year 1444, noting that its importance can never be over emphasised as it regulate religious activities such as times for prayer and dates in Islamic teachings. He also suggested to the council to ensure thorough adherence to the Islamic calendar by Islamiya schools and Mosque management committees so that the up coming generations can adapt it.
From Umar Dankano,Yola
The United States National Security Agency’s (NSA) Cyber Command Centre, says Public-Private Partnership (PPP), is the solution to protecting critical infrastructure worldwide.
PAGE 9 NEWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Ms. Morgan Adamski, U.S. Director of NSA’s Cybersecurity Command Center, said this during a three-week Cybersecurity Virtual Reporting Tour, on Tuesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ongoing program was organised by Foreign Press Centers (FPC). Morgan, who spoke on the brief titled: “The Pivotal Importance of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Cooperation in Strengthening Security”, said that the focus of the centre was in threefold.Shesaid the threefold includes creating a forum to build a more comprehensive picture of the cyber threat landscape, protecting small to medium-sized and large companies that produce critical technologies for the U.S. military. Morgan stated the last fold to be directly countering maligned infuence on emerging technology standards such as ffth generation, sixth generation and cloud security, accordingly.
‘ Those nominated for honour are singled out for such recognition due to their enormous contributions and selfess service to humanity over the years’, the university don further stressed.
From: Lucky Akra, Lagos
Sambo commission’s 3 patrol boats, 32 seater ferry Committee chair on Electoral Matters lauds INEC on IDPs voting
“In all truth, the overarching guiding principle for the IDP framework by the Commission is a demonstration of commitment to inclusivity which is consistent with the avoidance of discrimination in our electoral process. “INEC’s commitment to its mission to serve as an independent and effective Electoral Management Body committed to the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria is not in doubt as it ensures that persons displaced as a result of emergency are not outandInternallyyour“Oncedisenfranchised.again,IcommendeffortsonvotingrightsofDisplacedPersonswishyousuccessincarryingyourobjectives”,thefederal lawmaker said. Also speaking at the ceremony, theCountry Director for the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES). Seray Jah, assured that his organization remained willing and ready to support the Commission in the successful implementation of the Framework and Regulations for Voting by IDPs. He said “INEC should be assured of our readiness to continually partner with the Commission in achieving its mission of serving as an independent and effective Election Management Body committed to conducting free, fair, and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria”.
T he Minister boatsboatscommissionedMu’azuTransportation,ofJajiSambohasthreepatroland32-seaterferrytoenhanceoperational effciency as well as encourage water transportation at the National Inland Waterways Authority Area Offce in Port Harcourt.
Gombe Chamber of Commerce President, Infnity Trust Mortgage MD, others bag varsity awards
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This was contained in a press release by the Director, Press and Public Relations Offcer to the Minister, Eric Ojiekwe.Thestatement said the Minister who was the former Managing Director of the Agency disclosed that while he was at the helm of affairs there, he did not only maintain the amount of revenue set by his predecessors, but surpassed it. “ When I came here, a lot of people were wondering if we are going to succeed. But I did not only sustain the level of revenue that was sustained by my predecessors, but I even surpassed them,” he said.
communityglassesscreening,freeclubRotaryofferseyetoFCT
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja The Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Jibril Dukku has applauded the efforts of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, towards ensuring the voting rights of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the country, in the forthcoming general elections.
Furthermore, the Minister observed that Nigeria is blessed in that regard as 28 States of the Federation can be accessed by water, hence the need to develop the sector.
President of Gombe Chamber of Commerce, Hon. Bello Mohammed ;the managing Director of Infnity Trust Mortgage Bank Mr Sunday Olumorin and the Group Executive Director of UTM Off shore Nigeria Limited,Mr Terene Atareri are among Nigerian industrialists that have won the Prowess University honorary doctorate degree award to be conferred in Lagos next week. “Their nomination without mincing words is anchored principally on their outstanding Leadership qualities.They have been able to show high level integrity, transparency and accountability in service delivery’, Professor Prince Eze Nwuaba stated in a statement.
The Hon Minister commended the Managing Director NIWA, Dr. George Moghalu, for the giant strides attained and said his tenure has moved the Authority from level 5 to Level 9”. He described inland water ways transportation as the cheapest and safest means of moving goods and persons.
Five Rotary Clubs in Abuja on Monday conducted free eye screening, distributed eye glasses and treated eye related problems to residents of Dakin-biu Community, Utako in the FCT. Dr Goddy Nnadi, District Governor, Rotary District 9123 said the gesture was part of their services to add value of life and wellbeing of local communities. Nandi also expressed appreciation to the community for the land donated to build a health care center for the community. He added that the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) had made commitment towards ensuring the proposed health care center was fully managed and equipped. He encouraged Nigerians to join rotary club as their contribution and actions would help the socioeconomic development of the country. Mr Bruno Iwu, President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Utako and leader in the outreach project, said the exercise was in commemoration of the United Nations International Day of Charity. Iwu, said the organisation was providing free eye screening, treatment, eye glasses and hospital referral for those who cannot afford it. Other partner Clubs involved in the eye care outreach are; Rotary Club of Abuja CBD, Rotary Club of Abuja Sapphire, Rotary of Abuja Crystals and Rotary Club of Abuja Jabi. Mr Max Amuchie, President, Rotary Club of Abuja, Central Business District, said the club also carried out health talks, sensitisation exercise and checking of blood pressure for the community members. Amuchie expressed satisfaction over the exercise which he said would have positive impact on the health of the people.
Framework and Regulations for by IDPs, held in Abuja on Tuesday.Dukku, in her goodwill message, noted that the policy document proposed by INEC to guide the conduct of IDPs voting operations and bring the IDP communities into the voting population, is worth applauding and deserves support from all. She harped on the need to also improve on the framework and the Regulations and Guidelines for Voting by Internally Displaced Persons which will drive IDP voting operations for the 2023 GeneralAccordingElections.toher, “the policy document proposed by INEC to guide the conduct of IDP voting operations and bring the IDP communities into the voting net stakeholders. is worth applauding and support from“Thereall is need to also improve on the framework and the Regulations and Guidelines for Voting by Internally Displaced Persons which will drive IDP voting operations for the 2023 general elections. “The Commission should draw lessons from the 2015 and 2019 experience and efforts made and also consult with other knowledge holders at state and national levels, and also in consideration of International best practice. “That will ensure that the framework document and the Regulations and Guidelines, are grounded on practical realities.
The wife of the executive governor of Kwara state and founder of Ajike People’s Support Centre, Her Excellency Amb. Dr Mrs Olufolake Abdulrazaq who also made the list for the honour. Lead Consultant and CEO of PEEKSGREY GROUP, Remi Olukoya and managing Director/ CEO of Maison Hills Properties Limited, Ms Anwuli Walters Okeke who will bag honorary doctorate degree award in Real Estate Development. Two council administrators in Lagos state including Hon.Hammed Tijani of Ojokoro LCDA and that of Bariga LCDA, Hon. Kolade Alabi David are among the honorees. According to the African Representative of the Prowess University in Africa, Professor Prince Eze C Nwuaba, “ Amb Dr Mrs Olufolake Abdulrazaq,a former minister/Head, Consular Education and Welfare Section, Nigeria High Commission, London has remained a beacon of hope for the people of KWARA state through the creation of Ajike Peoples Centre, an NGO she uses to reach out to the needy across theHestate.”..further said, “ over the years,she has always been a strong campaigner committed to tackling threatening challenges affecting the safety and development of women,youth and the needy. We recognise her positive contributions to the victims of gender-based violence, sexual abuse and rape who have no access to support and counselling”. The program which is powered by Leadtimes Africa magazine in conjunction with the Institute of Arts Management and Professional Studies (IAMPS),the body that coordinates the activities of Prowess University, Delaware, USA in Africa will also honour the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly,Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa for his loyalty and distinctive leadership and service to Accordinghumanity.toapress statement credited to Professor Buba S Mshelia, Advisory Board Chairman of Leadtimes Africa magazine and Professor Prince Eze C.Nwuaba,the Registrar of IAMPS and African Representative of Prowess University, Delaware USA, prominent Nigerians who have excelled in their professional calling will be conferred upon with honorary doctorate degrees of Prowess University, Delaware USA; while others will as well be inducted as fellow of Chartered Institute of Arts Professional and Fellow of International Institute of Strategies Development (FIISD) respectively’.
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
The theme of this year’s edition is titled: Promoting Religious and ethnic Co- existence in Africa through Good governance in Leadership- Pathway to Sustainable growth and development in Nigeria. Other notable nominees include Obiajulu Olabisi Ugboh,one of the TVC producers-Your View; Surv. Akinyemi Oluwatosin Augustine who is listed for environmental science; The two council administrator’s of Ojokoro and Bariga LCDA are well known as grass mobilisers with strong passion for their people.They are very friendly to their people touching their lives in various ways that has led to sustainable growth and development, the statement added.Their transparent leadership qualities is not negotiate,hence their nomination, Prof.Eze further stressed.EngrApostle Aderemi Awode, CEO of Chemstar Group of Companies; and Mr Felix King Eiremiokhae,CEO of Oracle Experience LTD including Dr Emmanuel King ,CEO of Adron Homes & Properties are among the awardees.
Hon Dukku made the commendation at a stakeholder validation meeting for the Revised
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Chief
Listen to el-Rufai
The Court of Appeal will commence proceedings on the case on September 2, 2022. All eyes are on the judiciary and the judges who will preside over the case, because the case is similar to that, which led to Zamfara APC losing all elected seats in the state to the PDP in 2019. The case also has a 2020 antecedent in the governorship position in Bayelsa state which affrmed PDP as the winner against the APC. Another is the Supreme Court nullifcation of November 6, 2021, APC primaries that produced Andy Uba as the party’s governorship candidate. The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a fve-member panel of Justices, held that the gubernatorial primary election that produced Uba was conducted in breach of guidelines that were set by the APC.
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And, all eyes are on the Court of Appeal Judges that will preside over Wazir’s case against the conduct of the Adamawa PDP Gubernatorial primary elections, to do justice to the case. Rule Number 3.1 of the National Judicial Council, states that - ‘A Judicial Offcer should be true and faithful to the Constitution and the Law, uphold the course of justice by abiding with provisions of Constitution and the Law and should acquire and maintain professional competence.
“ The ceremony was attended by various residentsmembersAnsaruandwitnessedbyofthearea.Afterthemaritalrites
EDITORIAL
The Adamawa PDP Legal Tussle
An intriguing aspect of the crisis is the political implications for Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election, who is from Adamawa state. This implies that Atiku is facing two crises — one on the home front and the other, at the national level — from the Governor Nyesom Wike’s ‘distraction’. Many legal experts believe Wazir’s case has merit, and this may be why the Federal High Court’s only option is to claim no jurisdiction over the case. Section 84(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) are explicit on the disqualifcation of a candidate or an aspirant. Furthermore, the frst article in the PDP electoral guidelines for the gubernatorial primary election says – “in Compliance with section 84(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, the qualifcation and disqualifcation criteria shall only be as stated in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Article 4 said: The decision of the National Executive Committee of the party on all primary election matters shall be fnal and binding. And, Article 5 section (f) of the same guidelines also stated that: “Only aspirants cleared by the Gubernatorial Screening Committee or whose appeal the Gubernatorial Screening Appeal Panel has upheld shall be qualifed to participate in the primary election as contained in the fnal list of cleared aspirants.
Governor Nasir el Rufai of Kaduna state is not one to keep quiet in the face of imminent danger. And because he is a governor and a member of the ruling party’s inner caucus his alarm registers instantly. Late July, El Rufai warned that “terrorists are consolidating their grip on communities in Kaduna state”, forming “a parallel government” and setting up “a permanent operational base.” In a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor said the overexercisingauthority,”parallelandcommunitiesterroristsdescribedBokobroke2012Birninshort,Ansaru,belongingterrorists,toformovedtoGwariinwhentheyawayfromHaram.Hehowtheoverranformed“agoverningcontrolsocialand economic activities and dispensation of justice.ElRufai noted that in the countdown to next year’s general elections, the group had promulgated a law banning residents from partisan politics. “The insurgents enacted a law, banning all forms of political activity or campaigning ahead of the 2023 elections, especially in Madobiya and Kazage villages.” He said, “According to actionable intelligence, members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Musulmina Fi’biladis Sudan (aka Ansaru) are hibernating in Kuyello district of Birnin Gwari LGA, which recently conducted a nuptial ceremony during which they married two yet-to-beidentifed female residents of Kuyello village. The ceremony was attended by various Ansaru members and witnessed by residents of the area. After the marital rites, insurgents in attendance reportedly conveyed the brides to the dreaded Kuduru forest in the same Rufai,toBuharijustnation.confrontingsecurityBuhariwithcorrespondenceconfidentialRufai’smemoThedistrict.”JulywaselsecondPresidentonthedirechallengetheIn2016,ayearaftercamepower,elhimself elected governor for the frst time, warned the president that he was losing the battle against terrorists. This is not politicking because the two men are in the same governing All Progressives Congress (APC). It is why the president must listen to el Rufai and do the needful in the fght against terror. He is at the tail end of his presidency but he still has time to do something to write his name in gold. His information Minister Lai Mohammed, last weekend, said the reign of terror was over. True or not, time will tell.
All eyes are on the legal tussle surrounding the May 25th, 2022, Gubernatorial Primary Election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State, which produced Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as the winner — Politicalunopposed.punditsare observing how the PDP will come out of this thorny issue, while legal experts are watching how the judiciary will steer itself from controversy in handling the case. The latest of intra-party legal skirmishes in Nigeria, the case is similar to many legal tussles that led to the nullifcation of countless secondary and primary elections in Nigeria, because the political parties wrongfully disqualifed aspirants or refused to adhere to their own guidelines, the electoral act or the Constitution.Anaspirant for the Adamawa PDP— 2023 gubernatorial ticket, Ambassador Mohammed Jameel Wazir, a 2014 contestant for the same position and a former chief protocol offcer to former president Goodluck Jonathan, has approached the Federal High Court Abuja, to challenge his exclusion from the May 25th, 2022, Adamawa PDP Gubernatorial primary election. Waziri was reportedly disqualifed in Bauchi by the Gubernatorial Primaries Screening Committee chaired by Abubakar Sadiq on the premises that the committee has ‘instructions from the party Headquarters not to clear him.’ The aspirant was issued neither a disqualifcation nor qualifcation certifcate in Bauchi, in contravention of the party’s rules which gives disqualifed candidates the fair chance to appeal before the Appeal Panel. Above notwithstanding, the aspirant submitted a petition to the 12-man appeal panel in Abuja. He was appropriately rescreened by the panel, which cleared him to contest the primaries. Still, the National Working Committee (NWC) denied the aspirant the right to contest the gubernatorial primary election, because it was reported that, the NWC said, the party need to enhance the chances of the incumbent governor. But why did the party go ahead to sell nomination & expression forms to its members? The party is prepared for the consequence of its actions? Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja has ruled that his court lacks jurisdiction on the case brought by Ambassador Waziri against the PDP, over the former’s unlawful disqualifcation from the May 25th, 2022 primaries. The Judge further said- ‘It’s a family affair’. But if a son feels his father has cheated him, or a wife feels her husband has cheated on her, didn’t they have the right to seek justice from the courts of law?
PAGE 11 Letter to the Editor “To be reputable,a proftable, innovative products”servicesworldcompanyrelianttechnologicallyandmediaofferingclassand
The law, they say, is blind!
Equally, on August 29, 2022, The Court of Appeal in Abuja reinstated Sheriff Oborevwori as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the PDP in Delta State, who was disqualifed by a Federal High Court. Political parties should learn to respect their own laws and that of the country.
Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, 08036070980, zaymohd@yahoo.com
Unfortunately, reports, videos, and images of young Nigerian children in dilapidated buildings are replete on the internet (nairaland.com and lindaikeji’sblog. com).
–Dr. Umeri is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs, Kansas, USA.
PAGE 12 OPINION
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
These images are disturbing: children sitting on the bare foor to learn, leaking roofs, fooded classrooms, overcrowded classrooms, and broken-down sewages. With the poverty rate in Nigeria, more than half of the population would require the public-school education for their children and wards. Many of these people and families cannot afford Nigeria’s high cost of private education. If there were no public education system in Nigeria, some of us would never have gotten any form of education. The education was not perfect in my time, but it was good. We could stand side-by-side with our counterparts who attended private schools and still pulled our weights. Unfortunately, that is not the situation today; the knowledge gap keeps widening. As all the political parties campaign to the Nigerian people in the coming months, show us your plans concerning the educational system. There is no gainsaying that the education sector needs a total overhaul. If we are truly serious about the future of our nation, then we must do something about the “public education system in Nigeria.” Education is a human right; every child deserves education irrespective of their parents’ social-economic status. In straightforward terms, outline your education plan, not just at the infrastructure level but also at the human capacity part of it. Some of the school buildings are inhabitable, and new structures should be constructed. Children should never sit on the foor to learn, they deserve some dignity. Chairs and tables should be made for them to sit and write on. We need to increase access to training for our teachers, and they should have the skills and tools they need to do their jobs well. The schools that prepare teachers (Colleges of Education and Teachers Training Colleges) should be adequately funded and the best hands recruited. Compensation-wise, the teachers are some of the lowest paid in Nigeria (salaryexplorer. com). Our teachers should be paid “livable wages” at the barest minimum. Conduct a market-based analysis to pay the teachers the “comparable worth” of their job. I am a concerned Nigerian; I know that education provided me with the voice and the platform that I have today. All my educational experiences in Nigeria were through the public school system. At the higher education level, I was fortunate to attend a public/federal university (University of Nigeria) which was considered one of the best of my time. Therefore, I speak and write as someone who “beneftted” from the public school system in Nigeria. I am a product of the public education system in Nigeria. Many of us (Nigerians living at home and in the diaspora), went through the Nigerian public school system. It shows that we did something right at some point as a country. How many parents can confdently send their children to a public primary and secondary school today? I dare say it is the people who do not have the economic means. If they had a choice, they probably wouldDearnot.politicians, local government councilors and chairpersons, elected governors, and members of the House of Representatives and Senate, this is your opportunity to courageously do right by the people you profess to represent. This is the time to do the right thing. We are a prosperous nation with the resources and human capacity to turn the education sector around. We call on leaders with the political will to deliver the desired outcomes for our country. I desire that good and accessible education in Nigeria will not only be for the rich and a select few, but it will indeed be for all.
By Etim Etim In faraway Washington, DC over the weekend, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo propounded new ideas on how best to bring developing nations to contribute adequately to the course of global net-zero emissions targets, facilitate energy access and development of African countries. Speaking at a lecture on a just and equitable energy transition for Africa at the Center for Global Development, the VP proposed a DebtFor-Climate (DFC) Swap deal in which ‘’bilateral or multilateral debt is forgiven by creditors in exchange for a commitment by the debtor to use the outstanding debt service payments for national climate action programs.’’“Typically, the creditor country or institution agrees to forgive part of a debt, if the debtor country would pay the avoided debt service payment in a local currency into an escrow or any other transparent fund and the funds must then be used for agreed climate projects in the debtor country,” Prof Osinbajo stated. Justifying the rationale behind such a debt swap deal, the Vice President submitted that the commitment to it would “increase the fscal space for climate-related investments and reduce the debt burden for participating developing countries. For the creditor the swap can be made to count as a component of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).’’ Osinbajo reasons that “there are of course signifcant policy actions necessary to make this acceptable and sustainable.’’Theimmediate implication of the VP’s Debt-forClimate swap idea is that it would essentially lead to the cancellation of billions of Nigeria’s foreign debts over time. Nigeria’s foreign debt is about $40 billion.
* Etim is a journalist and author By Mercy Ogbonne Umeri
The education we have vs. the education we deserve
Osinbajo’s Debt-for-Climate novel idea
The Vice President also proposed the greater participation of African countries in the Global Carbon Market while exploring fnancing options for energy transition. He reasons that there is a need to take a comprehensive approach in working jointly towards common goals, including the market and environmental opportunities presented by the fnancing of clean energy assets in growing energy markets. “In addition to conventional capital fows both from public and private sources, it is also essential that Africa can participate more fully in the global carbon fnance market. Currently, direct carbon pricing systems through carbon taxes have largely been concentrated in high and middle-income countries. However, carbon markets can play a signifcant role in catalyzing sustainable energy deployment by directing private capital into climate action, improving global energy security, providing diversifed incentive structures, especially in developing countries, and providing an impetus for clean energy markets when the price economics looks less compelling – as is the caseIttoday.”isimportant that developed countries support Africa to develop into a global supplier of carbon credits, ranging from bio-diversity to energy-based credits, which would be a leap forward in aligning carbon pricing and related policy around achieving a just transition. I commend the Vice President for the profundity of his thoughts. The acuity and depth of his suggestions speak to Prof Osinbajo’s intellect and capacity to understand the major issues of our time. It is regrettable that none of our presidential candidates preparing for elections next year has a good understanding of this issue. Over the last seven years, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has differentiated himself as a thought leader, a man of great ideas and ideals. I call on the Nigerian government to make the Debt-forClimate Swap a major policy thrust of our diplomacy. We should endeavour to make it an item on the agenda of every international gathering: AU Summit, UN General Assembly and the World Bank/IMF Meetings.
According to the WHO, Climate change is impacting human lives and health in a variety of ways. It threatens the essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter – and has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone. The direct damage costs to health are estimated to be between US$ 2–4 billion per year by 2030. Greenhouse gas emissions that result from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels are major contributors to both climate change and air pollution. Many policies and individual measures, such as transport, food and energy use choices, have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce major health co-benefts, particularly by abating air pollution. The phase out of polluting energy systems, for example, or the promotion of public transportation and active movement, could both lower carbon emissions and cut the burden of household and ambient air pollution, which cause seven million premature deaths per year. Areas with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries – will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond; and that’s why Prof Osinbajo’s proposal is innovative, important and requires urgent attention from the global community.
I t is common knowledge that education as a public good in Nigeria is bereft with so many challenges. The government cannot provide the necessary infrastructure to cater to her teeming population, alongside the dilapidated infrastructural/ facilities challenge. The student/teacher ratio in our public schools is beyond unimaginable proportions. There is low access to university education, outdated curriculum, nonfunctional or nonexistent libraries, lack of funding for research, and the issue of continuous strikes in our higher education system. There is a shortage in the needed knowledge, skills, and competencies of our teachers because of the broken-down educational system and the capacity of our colleges of education to churn out qualifed teachers. These challenges make it impossible for learning to happen indeed. Education has become an expensive good in Nigeria. The ordinary person cannot afford the exorbitant school fees from private school providers. Education, which should be a right for all Nigerians, is no longer so. This education malady needs to be addressed if education will continue to create a more sustainable future and create a sense of global responsibility to communities. Nigeria allocates about 7 percent of its national budget to education, as opposed to the 15 to 20 percent recommended by United Nations Educational, Scientifc and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (Abdulmajeed et al., 2020; Aluede et al., 2012; Hussain, 2020; The United Nations Educational Scientifc and Cultural Organization, 2020, Umeri, 2021). At the point of writing this essay, the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) had been in one of its most extended strikes ever. ASUU is the body of all the academic staff in “most” Nigerian universities. According to a 2022 Punch report by Deborah Tolu- Kolawole, ASUU had embarked on 16 strikes in 23 years. It has always been a tug of war between the association and the federal government of Nigeria. The main issue they claim is that the federal government of Nigeria failed to implement some of the agreements with ASUU over the years. As a result, millions of our youths are at home, with no end in sight to when they will return to the classroom. This is just the higher institution side of the story.
The public primary and secondary schools are nothing to write home about. First, the research on early childhood education tells us that how a country caters to early childhood education determines the future economic prosperity of that nation. Secondly, the intervention of early childhood education has the potential to ameliorate poverty, especially for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Sims and Brettig, 2018).
As we count down to the general elections next year, political events that will shape the outcome of the polls are unfolding and making headline news. It is the same story around the world – especially when the political season sets in. The “January 6” hearings in the United States are helping to confrm what we always knew about Donald Trump: a bad loser. When he won the elections and assumed offce as president, he amplifed the division within the United States from his bully pulpit and created two Americas. Since then, he has not been able to tweet because he used the micro-blogging site to spread hate speech and Ultimately,falsehood.political power belongs to the people. Americans denied Trump a second term although he ignorantly claimed he was rigged out of the White House. A second term in offce for Trump would have been disastrous for America and the rest of the world. We must never forget that politics is a game of numbers and voters will always go along with campaign issues that will make their lives better. In the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson knew he was living in self-denial. Even when it became crystal clear that his time was up as prime minister, he was still bluffng. Johnson, in his wildest imagination, thought he still had the magic wand and he could charm his way as usual with the Brits, but he was clearly mistaken. His score card was not good enough Whereas he was popular as a Brexiteer, he is now quitting offce in disgrace. After mass resignations from his cabinet hit him like a bolt out of the blue, the Tories lost confdence in his leadership and he was forced to resign. The message was loud and clear: enough was enough; it was time to go and move out of No 10 Downing Street. Conservative MPs are working on his replacement which has narrowed down to two candidates – Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt. The new prime minister will be announced on September 5. After the frst round of voting, six candidates – this included 42-years old Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch who scored 40 votes – were still in the race. I concede that our democracy – when compared to what we have in the United States and United Kingdom – is still workin-progress but it is our collective responsibility to make it work. Whether Kemi Badenock would have had a similar opportunity to become president of Nigeria is doubtful but her scathing message to Nigerian politicians is food for thought. “Nigerian politicians,” she alleged, “use public money as their private piggy-bank.” This is an old story and common knowledge but it was important she highlightedBadenockit. went on to say that socialism in Nigeria is synonymous with “poverty and broken dreams”. For once, let us be honest with ourselves and answer this simple question: what has changed since 1999 in terms of the quality of life of Nigerians? Perhaps the answer to this intriguing question will allow us make some sense out of the raging controversy of the MuslimMuslim ticket announced by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
PAGE 13 COMMENT
After what appeared to be a long wait arising from widespread consultations, Tinubu picked Senator Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno state, as his running mate. Since the announcement, the impression has been created that Tinubu has committed an unpardonable sin. In branding, controversy creates news and news helps to build brands but this may not have been Tinubu’s idea of brand building. Well, that is only one side of the story. If we check who is making the loudest noise in this matter, it is Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and a strong ally of the APC presidential candidate. Is he still an ally? Lawal, in a memo, condemned the choice of Shettima, describing the Muslim-Muslim ticket as “disastrous” for Nigeria. But the same Lawal was chairman of the committee that recommended 11 possible running mates that included Senator Shettima and to the best of my knowledge, he has not denied being a member of the committee. Shettima actually topped the list. What Asiwaju did was to adopt the committee’s recommendation and announced Shettima as his running mate. So why is Lawal crying more than the bereaved? This is why politicians can never be trusted and Lawal’s betrayal and cunning behaviour are at the heart of Kemi Badenoch’s portrayal of Nigerian politicians as “bad, selfsh, dishonest and greedy” people. Indeed, there are 18 political parties with presidential candidates and running mates and voters should exercise their freedom of choice. As far as I’m concerned, we should not split hairs over this Understandably,matter.the Christian community is pissed off by the Muslim-Muslin ticket because it is diffcult to convince them that Asiwaju Tinubu or the committee that made the recommendation could not fnd a suitable Christian candidate from the northern region. Abdullahi Adamu, APC chairman, is also not helping matters. He announced in Daura recently that the choice was “God’s will” without any explanation. Why bring God into the matter? Did God direct Tinubu to pick Shettima? His comment was not reassuring and he should have allowed for more introspection, knowing fully well that the Christian community is angry at this time. It is comforting that we still have about seven months to the general elections and I have no doubt in my mind that most of the critical issues would be straightened out before then. Going forward, the strategy should be that of persuasion to achieve mutual understanding and inclusiveness. As a multicultural society with different faiths, the incoming administration cannot afford to undermine any group or region because they all have interests to protect. However, these varying interests have to be aggregated and properly aligned to make the task of nation building easy. The point must also be made that politicians map out their territories so easily for one reason: enlightened self-interest. I doubt if there’s any politician who does not have an interest to protect; this is why they lobby, negotiate and engage in horse trading. I’m sure you will agree with me that when politicians come together for their usual rendezvous, the colour and scent of money does not discriminate between Moslems and Christians. They end up patting each other on the back and smile to their banks. Everyone has an interest to protect. US President, Joe Biden, is in Saudi Arabia and he announced to the world that he is there to “protect US interests”. In international diplomacy, we are always reminded that there are no permanent friends or enemies; what exists is only “permanent interests”. Don’t be deceived by politicians who jump from one party to the other; it is all about individual interests and survival. In marketing management, such moves are called “strategic positioning”. Unfortunately, the story is always about “sharing” the national cake, only a few talk about “baking” the cake. Now that our economy is in bad shape, there’s really nothing to share anymore.
Falsehood, which in the business of real politicking is a legitimate tool, comes in handy to infate the disillusion of the unlearned.
This however is where education comes to the rescue.
By Boluwaji Davids
It would be unfair to say Asiwaju Tinubu did not consult widely before making his choice of running mate. For those who know Tinubu, apart from being an experienced politician, he is a strong leader who is ready to make diffcult choices. Nigeria needs a strong leader at this time; it is what some people call “benevolent dictatorship”. Braimah is a public relations strategist and publisher/ editor-in-chief of Naija Times (https://ntm.ng)
By Ehi Braimah
Deception, through sky high promises that they have no intention of keeping comes in handy too. In the end, because the political class has already turned the people’s eyes away from the need for competence, and have subtly redefned competence itself, they fnd no compelling reason to acquire it. Thus, the people may end up with a clueless government that produces poor governance or no governance at all.
Education by design is aimed at the development of the individual – emotionally, intellectually, psychologically and spiritually, the essence of which is to equip the individual for a wholesome life. His development through impartful education enhances his maturity and his capacity to discharge his social and career responsibilities. This also makes him a competent citizen who by reason of his sound education, understand his civic duties and the implications of his political choices. This way, he becomes a responsible member of the society who actively contribute to the progress of the society –socially, economically and politically. Boluwaji Davids is a Public Affairs Analyst.
If there is any single point upon which political thinkers and philosophers are agreed, it’s the very notion that democracy as a system of administering governance is imperfect. Democracy has it’s faults and loopholes. As an idealistic conception, it comes short of the very idealistic prognosis upon which it is based when tested against the hard face of reality. As a human invention, democracy is bound to be imperfect. Tomas Masaryk tied it together by saying “democracy has its faults, because people have their faults. Like teacher, like pupil.” Democracy in its idealistic romanticism couldn’t have accurately factored in all possible human responses, which in all practical sense, are innumerable. This in itself exposes a gapping hole. Thus, as a system of administering governance, democracy is bound to roll through glitches which will dilute the very ideal it seeks to establish. In the end, democracy is only the best among the rest, not necessarily a perfect option on its own. This is more accurately put together by Winston Churchill when he said “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the other options that have been tried”. The ideal of a government within democracy is also no less troublesome. Thomas Paine once opined that “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” Government provides a continuous conundrum which indicts the reasons for its very existence. It has within its own chamber, a peculiar danger that hurts and soothes at will, a raging contradiction. Government so often live at variance with its reason for existence, sometimes interfering against rights it exist to protect. Ayn Rand refects on this, noting that “potentially, a government is the most dangerous threat to man’s rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims.” So often, government is nothing but an unwelcome inference. This must have informed Henry David Thoreau submission that “that government is best that governs the least”.In Athens – the place where it all began, democracy was at best experimental, and had ferce competition from other system of government, particularly oligarchy and timocracy. It was there that the inherent weaknesses of democracy began to appear to early thinkers. The philosophical elites of course only saw democracy as a last resort in the absence of more credible alternatives. Socrates, and later Plato, thus had a window of opportunity to both access and critique democracy in its formative stages through direct observation. The shortcomings were clear: the illiteracy of the electorate and the unwillingness of the wise to participate. While the Athenian democracy is as a matter of fact very different from the democracy we know today, it still was the cradle of modern democratic civilization. Moreover, many of the weaknesses highlighted by Socrates and Plato are still refected in our modern democracy. Democracy simply has no sure safeguards against incompetency. Socrates was quick to highlight how the dullest could attain a position of authority within a democracy, stressing that democracy does not guarantee that the most competent will lead. He was himself trialled and executed by what Plato describes as an incompetent jury. Plato, a student of Socrates was no less critical of democracy. In Athenian democracy, not all men met the criteria required to vote, and of course, women couldn’t vote too. In Plato’s pursuit of what the ideal nation should be, he made an elaborate exposition on what constitute the human being, his emotions and intellect. In his fnal analysis, he divided his hypothetical republic into different classes and contends that each man ought to take an occupation in the area of his most obvious talents. In his ideal nation, he envisioned the concept of “philosopher kings”. In line with his earlier submission, he argued that only those who seek after wisdom, who have demonstrated competence in the art of governance should be allowed to lead. It was this group (that sought after wisdom) that he described as philosophers, and stressed further that until they are allowed to lead (become philosopher king), the republic cannot become perfect. In effect, democracy must consistently allow the best and most competent to lead before it can attain perfection. His other predictions turned prophecy on how a tyrant could emerge within a democracy has come to fulflment time and again throughout the course of human history. Central to all these criticism is the proven incompetence of the people at selecting competent leaders. Not only is democracy faulty, the people are no less faulty. By appealingto their immediate emotional needs, a skilled politician can woo the electorate to get him elected regardless of his competence for the job he is vying for. In many cases, by offering instant gratifcation through an enthralling oration, the people become spellbound and charmed into serving his desires. And because the majority are easily entangled in an emotional cobweb and bought over at little price, the politician is able to have his way with minimal fuse. This way, the people shortchange their long-term wellbeing for a trifing peanut in the name of exercising their democratic rights. Moreover, this establishes a trend of incompetence and ineptitude, which diffuse into the mainstream political culture of a people. With time, the awareness of the need for competence in governance will be replaced by a gradual acceptance of a subnormal reality. The politician too, having successfully turned the abnormal into the new norm, expends no efforts at acquiring competence in the art of leading. On the contrary, they pay particular attention to fne tunning their oratory and persuasion skills. Over time, they perfect a winning formula that is proven with accuracy, the summing point of which is to weigh the people’s biases and sentiments, and to meet their needs by every means necessary.
Political patronage and enlightened self-interest Democracy, education and duty of the educated
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Dr Audi reiterated that, it is unfortunate and highly disgraceful for any offcer of the law who ought to be custodian of Integrity, truth and justice to be seen negotiating and extorting money from the citizens they are meant to protect. He further explained that, the Corps will adopt its internal disciplinary mechanism to address the situation and bring the perpetrators to book. “The Corps has in place internal disciplinary mechanism that usually regulate the conducts of personnel and anybody found wanting will be dealt with accordingly.“Theterms of reference of the Investigative panel is to conduct a forensic examination of the trending video without prejudice, with a view to identifying those captured by the camera.
Following the viral CCTV captured video of exploitation subsequent to a publication by an online media about some personnel of the Corps allegedly exposed while extorting money from an Independent Petroleum Marketer in Rivers State, the Corps has set up an Investigative/Disciplinary Panel to deal with the situation.
“They are also to recommend commensurate punitive action for the Infringement committed in accordance with Public Service Rules. “The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps will never tolerate any acts or conducts capable of jeopardizing public interest as well as its mandate of safeguarding all Critical National Assets and Infrastructure in the country.
Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Mrs Lydia Adewumi. Abdulkareem disclosed that on commencement of the exportation of the product, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the institution would greatly improve. He revealed that the Department of Chemistry was anchoring the project, which sought to improve the quality and shelf-life of the Heproduct.said that the university was open to collaboration with the RMRDC to improve the value chain of agricultural products. The V-C stated that every agricultural product should be processed to the end point. According to him, Nigerian universities should work on ways to develop products from farm produce that cannot be preserved.
A statement issued yesterday by NSCDC spokesperson, Olusola Odumosu said the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, said “this is going to be the last time any member of this service will be involved in such heinous crime, enough is enough.
“The Corps is out leading the fght against Oil theft and illegal oil bunkering and some bad eggs within the service are out there sabotaging our efforts, giving us bad name and image.
“Any offcer caught in violation of the Corps Standard Operating Procedure and Code of Ethics would be decisively dealt with irrespective of rank, status or nativity”, the CG assured. He reaffrm the Corps’ commitment to salvaging the nation from economic saboteurs carting away the nation’s crude oil and other Petroleum products.
“Only last week, i read the ‘Riot Act’ to all heads of Anti-vandal unit in the Niger Delta region, this time around, i will make sure that anyone dragging our name in the mud is shown the way out. “I have given the Investigative committee only one week to authenticate the video and submit their report which we shall act on with immediate alacrity.
“Only few days ago we commissioned 8 gunboats in Portharcourt, Rivers State, to wage a full scale war against oil theft and illegal bunkering and we will not be deterred from protecting our commonwealth and improving government’s revenue in this sector”, he said.
NSCDC sets up panel to investigate extortion video
President Muhammadu Buhari receives the Polish President H.E Andrzej Duda during a State visit at the Presidential Villa, yesterday in Abuja., PHOTO; State House
“I will make scapegoats out of these bad elements within the system to serve as deterrent to others like them, if what is seen in that video is correct.
By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The Management of the University of Ilorin has disclosed that the institution was set to begin the exportation of multi-purpose Shea butter very soon. Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, the Vice Chancellor of the University, disclosed this on Monday at a meeting with the Kwara Coordinator of the Raw
2023: Kogi Central CSOs interface with candidates
PAGE 14 N EWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Shea butter is a seed fat that comes from the shea tree, found in East and West tropical Africa.The shea butter comes from two oily kernels within the shea tree seed. After the kernel is removed from the seed, it is grounded into a powder and boiled in water. The butter then rises to the top of the water and becomes solid. Shea butter works like an emollient, which helps soften and smoothen dry skin. It also contains substances that can reduce skin swelling and help treat conditions associated with skin swelling such as eczema. (NAN)
From Yakubu Mustapha Minna
Chairman, Minna Depot chapter of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Alhaji Adamu Erena has disassociated his chapter from the ongoing Northern Petroleum Marketers 3 day warning strike over unpaid bridging claims. Erena in an interview in Minna described as factional marketers strike that can not get the desired results. He said that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation NNPC is indebted to the markers through Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) to the sum of over N600 billion, adding that the strike was not well planned to get the desired outcome. The chairman lamented over the inability of the NNPC and federal government to refne PMS in the country and the imported refned product are being sold to the private depots in the country at unoffcial price. Erena challenged the federal government to immediately remove the petroleum subsidy before the forthcoming general elections.
Minna Depot not part of IPMAN —Chairstrike
By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
Meanwhike, Adewumi explained that the Council was an agency of the Federal Government, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. She noted that the agency was vested with the mandate to promote the development and utilisation of Nigeria’s industrial raw materials, while reiterating support for the institution in its efforts to promote development of the country.
Varsity ready to export shea butter -VC
Over 50 participants converged on Okene, on September 3 to interface with political party candidates from Kogi Central senatorial zone of Kogi State. Participants drawn from the political parties, traditional institutions, civil society organizations and media, met in a hybrid event. The programme hosted by Kogi Central CSO Network, a coalition of NGOs and civil society organizations operating in the zone, had Ebira Peoples Association, EPA, Ebira Resource Academy, ERA, Ebira World Wide, EWW and Positive Impact Initiative, PII. Others include Ebira Youth Congress, EYC, Association of Ebira Professionals, AEP Ki Izeiza TV and NGO Network, a national nonproft organization working for the public, private and the non-for-proft sector. Anchored by Sir Mohammed Bougei Attah, a seasoned civil society activist and current Africa Regional Coordinator for the World Association of NGOs, the event had prominent sons and daughters of the zone in attendance. They include Dr. Godwin Oyibo, the President General of EPA, Alh. Sken Ogu who participated virtually from California and Hajia Amina Ozavize Salaudeen. Speakers at the Roundtable include; Dr. Ahmed Badanga, Convener of Conference of all Political Parties in Nigeria and Hajia Rakiya Yusuf of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Abel Barnabas, Dr Rabiu Mohammed and Mr. Yakubu Usman, lecturers at the Federal College of Education, Okene.
By Musa Baba Adamu Former National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-South, Emmanuel Ogidi, has said the crisis within the PDP is borne out of Governor Nyesom Wike’s disappointment from losing the primaries.Ogidi who disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, said the PDP crisis was an outcome of Wike not winning the party’s presidential primaries. “What is happening with Governor Wike is natural; he is human, blood fows in his vein. “You know, he was so sure he was going to win that primaries because he had dreamt of it and worked so hard, and he believed what he has for Nigeria and Nigerians was genuine. When he didn’t get it, frustration set in. “What I mean by that is that when you have the desire to deliver on something and you weren’t given the opportunity, it is frustrating.
By Abubakar Yunusa
One of the results of frustration is the transfer of aggression”, he said. He said the PDP’s fag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, has the experience to manage Wike “Atiku Abubakar has said he is a unifer. He is trying very hard to unify the party, but you expect that people will try to pull us back; it is natural.“His excellency Atiku Abubakar is very experienced, so all so the leadership of the party. He understands what is going on. Therefore we must be very careful.
APC strikegroundtoKhalifachieftain,callsFGfndcommononASUU
The frontline pro-democracy think tank, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has warned that rising insecurity, misinformation, money politics, religion and ethnic narratives may undermine the credibility of the 2023Theelection.report titled ‘Nigeria’s presidential polls: A SWOT Analysis’ raised concerns over the safety of election personnel, voters and election materials, as well as the hurdles posed by threats such as kidnapping, violence, banditry, insurgency and communal clashes. The report, which was signed by the Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, rated the legal framework in place for the elections as robust and laudable. It however, noted that the conduct of political actors would be critical if the benefts of such framework were to be enjoyed across the board.Thereport pointed that the Electoral Act 2022 has elicited prospects that could redefne elections in Nigeria. It also report further noted that with political campaigns looming in the coming weeks, key governance issues, such as insecurity would be a factor in the political calculations for the leading candidates as they traverse the country.
You know Atiku Abubakar is an elder statesman, he is the leader of the party, he has shown maturity but he is human”, he added. Recall that PDP has been embroiled in political crisis since after its primaries, with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and Atiku Abubakar at the centre of it.
PDP Crisis: Atiku experienced to manage Wike’s frustration – PDP chieftain, Ogidi 2023: APC party
“At the same time, the secessionist agitations in the southeast could reduce turnout, which may not favour either the Labour Party fag bearer Peter Obi or People’s Democratic Party candidate Abubakar Atiku.
“Religion is likely to feature prominently in debates following the APC’s decision to contest the presidency with a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Renewed youth engagement in politics, a feature of the voter registration period, could also be transformative and favour Obi. “Money will continue to play a huge role in determining who emerges the winner if the presidential primaries and recent gubernatorial elections offer any lesson. “Finally, online campaigns will be more fercely fought than ever, with attacks aimed at boosting candidates, attacking opponents and undermining INEC likely to be accentuated in social media in the run-up to, during and even after voting,” the report noted in part.
By Abubakar Yunusa Achieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Founder of KAONISM Movement, Khalifa Abdulrahman Okene, has called on Federal Government and the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to fnd a common ground to resolve the strike.He said the 6-7 months strike action has negatively affected students, which in turn has a ripple effect on Nigeria as a Nation. Khalifa Okene made the call during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, where he maintained that education, especially tertiary education, and all of its activities plays a vital role in nation building and as well a top index to the nation’sSpeakinggrowth.further, the APC chieftain insisted that such interruption in the education sector can results to students engaging in social vices and it is as well undermining efforts at developing the nation’s human resources.
L-R: Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Shuaibu Belgore; Comptroller General, National Correctional Center, Halilu Nababa, during an investigative on the Terrorist Attack on Kuje Nigerian Correctional Centre, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.
chieftain resigns from the
Photo: Mahmud Isa
“The northwest, the hot button issue of security of lives and property would have an impact on the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Tinubu.
PAGE 15PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 CDD pinpoints insecurity, money politics as risk factors ahead of 2023 polls
In the same vein, Khalifa Okene advised Nigerians to consider the myriads of problems confronting the country education sector and choose leaders that can confront them, irrespective of religion or creed. This, he said the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the APC presidential fagbearer in the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election would restore Nigeria’s lost glory globally, address issues bordering the education sector, and unite all major interests and ethnic groups, which have lost faith in present-day Nigeria. He stated that only Tinubu has what it takes to present a lasting resolution to the protracted strike action and differences between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.He appealed that Federal Government should please be concerned about the students at home for the past 6-7 months and fnd solutions to the strike for students to resume back to schools. Speaking on issues bordering State Policing, he said the idea might be counter productive as each state is structured with a commissioner of police.His words: “I still believe that the center police force is okay for all of us. But, let them be well equipped. It is already in itself decentralised. As a state, you have a commissioner of police, you have your own police. Commissioner of Police is like a state police for you; he is working on your state’s and advising you on security. If all these are well equipped, what is the problem? What are we agitating for? What are you restructuring?
By Christiana Ekpa Adeyeri Stephen Kunle, a House of Representatives aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Akoko South West/South East federal constituency, Ondo State, on Tuesday announced his resignation from the ruling party. Kunle made the announcement in a letter of resignation, insisting his decision was carefully considered. At the time of this report, he was yet to announce his new party. “After carefully musing and given to introspection on my exit from the APC, the afterglow gave me further impetus to tender my resignation letter as a bonafde member of our great party, and for proper documentation in line with the party guideline and as enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria,” he said. In his letter, he expressed immense gratitude to the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the State Party Chairman of APC for the privilege to be a member of the party.
The report further added that citizens’ access to electoral infrastructure would remain constant throughout the campaign and during the voting period, especially for those displaced internally by confict. On the character and composition of INEC and the implications for the polls, the report recalls that INEC chairman, Prof Mahmud Yakubu, is the frst Chair of the Election Management Body to be appointed for a second term in the country’s history.
2023: Support for Tinubu will increase when campaign starts – SWAGA
Taking to his verifed twitter handle to congratulate Ruto, Obi wrote: “I congratulate Kenyan VP @ WilliamsRuto on the Supreme Court verdict upholding his victory in the Presidential elections. He has achieved a great feat and victory, both at the polls and in the courts.”
So, if we are looking at all these, what more do you need to sell your product as the best presidential material for the country? You will see all these coming to the fore as we begin the campaigns.
PAGE 16 POLITICS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, against false accusations against it.
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has said the victory of Kenyan President-elect, William Ruto, at the nation’s Supreme Court holds vital lessons of hope and courage to Nigerians. Obi disclosed this while congratulating Ruto over the affrmation of his victory by the nation’s Supreme Court as the winner of the presidential election held last month.
“The work is 50 percent done by virtue of track records of the person that we are bringing to Nigerians.
By Christiana Ekpa
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Let me say categorically that by the time we bring Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to your doorsteps, you will be left with no choice but to join the moving train.” Also speaking on Tinubu’s chances in the Northern parts of the country, Oladele said, “I believe that the North will support a Nigerian that is worthy. Asiwaju Tinubu is that Nigerian that is worthy at this point in time. That is why everywhere he goes, he has been“Showaccepted”.me any other presidential candidate that has more acceptability than Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and I will show you a virgin in a maternity ward.”
APC asks PDP chair, Ayu to focus on resolving Wike/Atiku impasse not gossip
POSN in the letter signed by its Lawyers, Emeka Kalu Esq and Ephraim Shihio Esq, also seeks explanation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on alleged mass dumping of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs ) in some cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt andTheKano.letter reads in part, “We have received credible reports from our members resident near Bourdillion part of Ikoyi, Lagos a particular polling unit is sited disturbingly close to the personal residence of one of the major contestants in the forthcoming presidential elections slated for February 25th, 2023, making them highly apprehensive of their ability to vote freely on any election“Theirday.fears are not without foundation judging from events of the past elections where political thugs and social miscreants loyal to the cause of the presidential candidate had sought to undermine peaceful voting process via violent intimidation in a bid to stop voters from voting for candidates of their choice, even when the suspected candidate was not a direct contestant in previous elections. On alleged mass dumping of PVCs in Lagos , Port Harcourt etc, the group said, “in the last few weeks, various disturbing viral videos on social media platforms, notably Facebook and Twitter, showed thousands of permanent voters’ cards of eligible Nigerians being exhumed from gutters and refuse dumps in major cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, Rivers State etc , on daily basis, showing the names, pictures and other confdential information owners of the mutilated cards. “We fnd such disturbing viral videos extremely worrying and politically demotivating taking into cognisance the arduous rigorous process the average Nigerian faces in an attempt to comply with the registration demands prescribed by your agency, only to be fushed away, mutilated and destroyed in such a wicked, callous and dehumanizing manner by supposed staff working under your offce for whatever selfsh motives that may have actuated their horrible actions”.
Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary, issued a cautionary statement on Tuesday.Ayu, a former Senate President, and Minister, had strongly denied saying Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike could not father a child.
By Musa Baba Adamu
“By this verdict, it is a double victory in Kenya, for the national democracy and the integrity of the judiciary. The recent political events in Kenya that saw Ruto to victory, hold vital lessons of hope and courage to Nigerians, who are frmly focused on taking back their nation from the old order, for good”, he said. exploits as governor for eight years? “Even the stint he had in the Senate is remarkable enough to earn a copious mention in the news.
Kenya: Your victory gives hope, courage to Nigerians – Obi tells Ruto
Morka said rather than distract himself in search of an illusory scapegoat, Ayu, and the PDP should concentrate on fnding an anchor to slow the party’s rudderless drift.
The group further requested that all INEC offcials found to have manifestly connived and colluded with anti-democratic elements in the country should face the prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others. POSN demanded for the creation of “practical and verifable platforms where registered voters denied their rights to ownership/possessions of PVCs could ventilate their complaints and have same expeditiously remedied via the issuance of PVCs to them without delay.”
The South-West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA’23) has said many Nigerians will join the train of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, when the campaign for the 2023 general elections starts in earnest on September 28. Otunba Bosun Oladele, SWAGA National Secretary, said Tinubu’s track records, academic and professional qualifcations, and achievements during his tenure as Lagos state governor are already a good marketing tool for him to Nigerians even before the campaign starts. He said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a brand that can sell himself. All you need to do is to go online, pick up journals and newspapers, you will see his past achievements and track records. Are you talking about as a person individually, academics, professional background or his (L-R): All Progressives Congress National Woman Leader, Dr. Beta Edu; a national Offcer of the party, the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Emir of Hadeja, HRH Adamu Abubakar Maje; DirectorGeneral of Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation & Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong; Governor Abubakar Badaru; his deputy, Umar Namadi Danmodi; Deputy National Chairman, South, Emma Nnekwu andformr EFCC Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, during Asiwaju Tinubu’s visit to the state to commiserate with the government and people over the recent fooding which killed 51 persons and destroyed valuable properties...Tuesday
Recall that Ruto was declared the winner of the just concluded presidential election in the East African country. But Raila Odinga, Ruto’s rival, rejected the results alleging irregularities and went to court to contest the result. However, Kenyan Supreme Court, in its unanimous judgment, dismissed the petition against Ruto’s electoral victory.
The APC said Ayu alleged that the party’s other mischievous persons were planting such stories in the media and stoking the feud between him and Wike. Ayu, according to Morka, is deep in quicksand and swinging wildly in search of third parties to blame for the internal combustion in the party he leads. The spokesman noted that with such an escapist mindset, it is not diffcult to see why the meltdown in the PDP has proved intractable on his watch. The ruling party said, unlike the opposition, it does not “plant stories” and does not meddle in the internal affairs of other“Thatparties.is an area of extreme and unrivaled competence of the PDP. In any event, the PDP is unraveling unstoppably and needs no help from the outside.”
By Musa Baba Adamu Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), has requested for relocation of voting unit closely situated at the Bourdillion residence Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos.Thegroup in a letter submitted to the electoral body and dated August 30, 2022, said the polling unit in question was more or less within the premises of the APC presidential candidate with attendant undue advantage for him as electorates who may want to vote against him, will feel threatened.
Peter Obi’s supporters seek relocation of polling units close to Tinubu’s residence
The APC wondered why the PDP “that has proved incapable of governing itself”, would seek to govern a country as important as Nigeria. “After 16 years of ruthless misgovernance and crass failure to reform and reposition itself, quite frankly, the PDP stands morally disqualifed from asking Nigerians for their votes in the next general election.”Thestatement added that the APC will remain focused in search of new ways of improving the quality of life of the people and working to convince them to renew its mandate in 2023.
According to him, no progress can be achieved in Nigeria until Nigerians do away with tribal and religious sentiments, stressing that tribe and religion do not form good governance.
POLITICS
“Nigeria can regain her political problem if all these old brigades are pushed out of the system.
He lamented that those troubling the country are in the same clique, and they will never allow the country to have peace because of their selfish interest.
“We want to strongly, and irrevocably disassociate ourselves from the claims of the former Deputy Governor, Sule Katagum.
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi S takeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, have reaffrmed their confdence in the gubernatorial candidacy of the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Sampson Ogah, following the litigations surrounding the outcome of the parallel gubernatorial primaries held by the party leadership in the state ahead of the 2023 elections.APC conducted parallel gubernatorial primaries on the 26th day of May 2022 in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, wherein two governorship candidates emerged. The candidates are the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Sampson Ogah and the former Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Board, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, Ikechi Emenike. Both candidates are already in court seeking judicial interpretation on the authenticity of the conducted exercise. However, while speaking during an enlarged meeting of the Abia APC stakeholders at the State party secretariat in Umuahia, on the backdrops of the litigations at the weekend, a former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Stanley Ohazuruka, asked party members to be focused since they are founding members of the party. He confded that the party will emerge stronger in the decision of the court of competent jurisdictions on the suit challenging the eligibility and authenticity of the candidacy of the Abia factional leader of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Ikechi Emenike. He urged APC members across the state to remain undeterred and dedicated in their genuine efforts to provide the dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of the Abia electorates.
“The same South-Westerners are the people craving southern Presidency because one of their own, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emerged the presidential candidate of APC,” Bakare said.
While speaking to journàlists on Tuesday in Gusau, the state capital, Bakare said Nigeria had never witnessed so much insecurity and the economic downturn as the degree being experienced across the country. adding that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had failed Nigerians.
By Musa Baba Adamu
APC stakeholders debunk rumour of former Gov Abubakar’s defection to PDP
On his part, a former member of the federal house of representatives from Abia State, Nze Chiekwe Esiaga, reiterated the resolve of the state party leadership under Chief Golden Wabara to always uphold democratic principles and expressed optimism that the party will emerge stronger after the adjudication of the suits necessitated by the outcome of the concluded primaries. He harped on the urgent need for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to close ranks and work towards the success of the party in the coming elections in Abia State as soon as the court resolves all core and fundamental issues
“Atiku and Tinubu have assumed positions in the country, and they are still stubborn political grasshoppers and do not want to relinquish power to the youths.
“The South-Western part of Nigeria brought the entire security and economic problems that the country is facing now because the South-Western states voted for APC in the 2015 presidential election.
Abia APC crisis: Chieftains hopeful guber primary litigation favours Uche Ogah Southwest contributed to Nigeria problems by voting APC in 2015 –Ahmed Bakare that necessitated the current internal crisis ravaging the party. Also baring his minds on the court litigations and the preparedness of the All Progressives Congress for the 2023 general election in Abia, the State Chairman of the party, Golden Nwagbara restated the commitment of the party leadership to deepen internal democracy and uphold genuine democratic principle in its political development. He reiterated that the state party leadership stood on its earlier position on the outcome of the May 26 Gubernatorial primaries conducted in the state and democratically elected the ex-minister of state for mines and steel development, and further berated the alleged move by disgruntled party members to thwart the collective will of the majority of APC members in the state by awarding unmerited victory to political desperados who were rejected by teeming partyNwagbaramembers.vowed that the party will leave nothing to chance in surmounting stumbling blocks in the wheel of progress of the party and especially its chances of emerging victorious in the 2023 elections and other future elections in the state. The chairman admonished members to remain resolute and dedicated to upholding democratic ideologies on which the All Progressives Congress was founded, and reassured them that victory is theirs.
Following the defection of former Bauchi Deputy Governor, Sule Katagum, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have debunked allegations that former Bauchi Governor, Mohammed Abubakar has followed suit. It said political jobbers and scavengers orchestrated the allegations to demean the former governor.Political appointees of former Governor Mohammad Abubakar, led by Isa Matori, while speaking at the APC Next Level Offce in Bauchi, on Tuesday, stated that “his excellency Mohammed Abubakar is still a member of the APC and has neither denounced nor defected to the PDP as stated in a radio programme of the former Deputy Governor on the 27th of July, 2022.” He said that the attention of the party was drawn to a statement and footage from Bauchi, Azare, and Darazo under a purported committee featuring Katagum as the convener and a number of few persons who once served in the regime of “ThoughAbubakar.weare not holding brief for the former Governor, but as APC members who had similarly worked with his Excellency, M.A.Abubakar as Governor, we feel duty bound to react to the false claims therein and caution faithful party members to stand against that and any machination by political jobbers and scavengers to demean the former Governor. “His Excellency M.A Abubakar, as we all know, is still a member of the APC. As a reputable lawyer, undoubtedly submissive to the party’s constitution and other relevant statute documents regulating behaviour and conducts of members, the former Governor is not the type that would reduce himself to antiparty behaviour and life similar to that of a political jobber or a scavenger. Therefore, the former Deputy Governor and his cohorts on such dishonourable political voyage must not continue with the task they are doing for PDP but must work at destroying the party that brought them to political limelight from oblivion.
By Musa Baba Adamu A public commentator in Zamfara State, Alhaji Ahmed Bakare, has said the Southwest must take some blame for the security and economic crisis Nigeria is passing through.
“How soon has the former Deputy Governor forgotten the way APC was robbed of its victory in the last 2019 general elections by PDP? Has he forgotten how silly the former Governor was ridiculed and insulted during the last general elections by the present government of PDP by their characteristic manner of reckless and unguided utterances of perceived political opponents.
“Nigerians will never forgive themselves in 2023 if they make the costly mistake of retaining these old brigades,” he added.Speaking on the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, Bakare noted that tribalism, not religion, has been Nigeria’s problem.*
PAGE 17
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi Danmodi (l); All AbdullahiChairman,CongressProgressivesNationalSenatorAdamu; and the party’s properties...TuesdayandwhichovergovernmenttoTinubuBadaruGovernorLalongStateOrganisationShettimaGeneralBolaCandidate,PresidentialAsiwajuTinubu,Director-ofTinubu/Campaign&PlateauGovernorSimonandJigawaStateAbubakarwhenAsiwajuvisitedthestatecommiseratewiththeandpeopletherecentfoodingkilled51personsdestroyedvaluable
As party members who worked relentlessly with the former Governor Mohammed Abubakar and added value to governance during his time, we shall remain in the APC. That is the spirit of APC, which his Excellency M.A Abubakar preached and is still living with.”
Telecom operators want ‘permanent’ suspension of 5% excise duty
“All production of agricultural commodities must be protected and made safe for consumption. The board will embark on checks, especially on commodities produced in the state,” he explained. “We need to create a Cross River brand of quality management system according to International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), of 90012015 merchantstheaddedThestandards.”boarddirector-generalthatNigeriansdeservedbest,andproducersandmustensurethat whatever they took to market was safe for the people.
Cross River cautions Palm Oil dealers against adulteration
implication is that Investors will be willing to put more money into the industry,” Mr OludeThesaid.Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the government’s decision showed its commitment to operators and consumers’ concerns and broadband penetration. “We are pleased about it, it shows that the government is committed to broadband penetration. “What it will do, it showed to the investors that the government is sensitive to the concerns of consumers of telecom services.“And this had further boosted investors’ and consumers’ confdence in the government and policy makers. It is a frst step in the right direction,” he added.
Cross River’s Commodity and Quality Control Board has warned palm oil dealers in the state to refrain from adulterating the product, citing its effect on human health. Ogbiji Nyiam, directorgeneral of the board, gave the warning during a meeting with the dealers on Tuesday in Calabar.According to him, the dealers have been using dangerous chemicals hazardous to human health in colouring the oil to deceive members of the public. Mr Nyiam warned the dealers to stop such action immediately, stressing that the board would begin checks on the products.
PAGE 18 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke who stated that at the 20232025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper, MTEF/FSP interactive session with the House of Representatives Committee on Finance in Abuja Tuesday, expressed his pleasure at the various efforts
From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja T he Management of the Securities and Exchange Commission has been commended has been commended on decisive steps taken in ensuring that it attains fiscal sustainability.
NASS commends SEC on fscal sustainability
Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has asked the federal government to make permanent its suspension of the fve per cent excise duty charge on telecom facilities. The Executive Secretary of ATCON, Ajibola Olude, gave the commendation in an interview in Abuja, saying investors would be willing to put more money into the “Forindustry.meit is a good development and the Minister should be commended. It is a temporal measure. We hope that it stays suspended.“With the announcement, telecommunications operators will have to go back to the status quo. The
Danlami Saleh, the chairman of the Association of Oil Merchants in Cross River, commended the board and promised that the traders would cooperate to make oil safe for human consumption.
“Only the president has the powers to regulate or fx prices of goods and services under stipulated circumstances which do not apply in this instance,” it held.Furthermore, the tribunal said the claimants failed to show evidence or establish how they suffered “psychological trauma, hardship or violation of their human rights” as a result of the price“Hehike.failed to show evidence of hardship suffered by consumers,” it added. The tribunal also ruled that the 1st defendant (MultiChoice) cannot be punished because the 2nd defendant (FCCPC) did not inform or invite them to defend theItpetition.alsosaid that the FCCPC took appropriate steps to investigate and address the issues raised in the petition except for price hike because it is “beyond the mandate of the commission”.Although the reliefs of the claimant failed, the tribunal ordered the FCCPC to expedite its investigation into the petition and confrm if MultiChoice operates a pay-as-you-go system in South Africa. It asked FCCPC to submit its fndings within six months.
“The average daily truck out for 2022 is 62.95 million litres per day. This is from an actual truck. Based on our projection for 2023-2025, we are projecting a 3.2 percent increase in the gross domestic product (GDP),” he said.
“I cannot speculate on that. All the depots operating in Nigeria are discharging products. If 1000 are discharging, it means that it.”
Abubakar Yunusa ACompetition and Consumer Protection (CCP) tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit challenging the price increase by MultiChoice Nigeria Limited. MultiChoice owns satellite television services, DStv and GOtv — popular subscriptionbased platforms in Nigeria. Delivering judgment on Tuesday, a three-member panel of the tribunal, dismissed the suit for lacking merit. Festus Onifade, a legal practitioner, had sued the company on behalf of himself and the coalition of Nigerians consumers.WhileMultiChoice Nigeria Limited is the frst defendant, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is the secondOnifaderespondent.askedthe tribunal to restrain the frm from hiking subscription fees for its services and other products on April 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated and fled on March 29.However, the price increase has since taken effect. Onifade said he had lodged a petition at the FCCPC in May and June 2020 when MultiChoice planned an increase on its tariff in the same year. He said recycled content and pay-as-you-use were also raised apart from tariff hikes. The legal practitioner said he approached the tribunal after the FCCPC failed to take action on the However,petition.the tribunal led by Thomas Okosun held that “the price increase is valid.” The tribunal held that the claimant failed to establish that MultiChoice abused its dominant position in the market.Italso held that only the president has the power to regulate or fx the prices of goods and services.
Customs intercepts explosivemaking chemicals in Ogun
Tribunal dismisses suit challenging DStv, GOtv subscription price hike
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Ejibunu said 41 pieces of military camoufage bags were also seized. “It is instructive to emphasise that such importation raises concerns about national security,” he said. “This is because it is a chemical used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and could cause danger to life and property.“Allowing things like this chemical into the society uncontrollably could create serious security challenges for the country because carbide is highly fammable, reactive and can cause explosion hazards when mixed with other chemicals and exposed to water or moisture. It forms fammable acetylene gas that could be used to endanger lives by lawless persons.“This is aside from other health hazards, the chemical on exposure can irritate the mouth, nose, and throat if not properly handled. Inhaling calcium carbide can irritate the lungs.”He said that owing to its composition and to prevent security challenges, the importation of calcium carbide is controlled by the offce of the national security adviser (NSA). “Higher exposures may cause a build-up of fuid in the lungs and could lead to emergency medical situations. Its importation is, therefore, strictly controlled by the offce of the national security adviser (NSA),” he added.
On the average expected open price, today’s subsidy still reigns, but we expect that deregulation will come at a point. Based on an average — if deregulated, the price of petroleum will be about N272 per “However,litre. from 2023-2024, we project that the open market price will go to as high as N443 per litre. And this is based on changes in the dollar rate and the Ukraine war that is going on. “For 2025, our projection for the price of PMS is N250, based on the hope that the dollar would have stabilised and the Ukraine war would have ended.” When asked to comment on the discrepancies of petrol consumption fgures of 62 and 98 million litres by the Nigeria Customs Service and the NNPC, respectively, Adeniyi insisted on the authority’s fgure. “Quite a number of statistics or people giving out all sorts of fgures. Major information comes from the defunct Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). What we gave you is what is obtainable as the actual truck out. When we say truck-out, we mean from the depot to the retail outlets. I don’t know where other fgures may be coming out,” Adeniyi added.
“We used that to project the daily truck out for 2023-2025.
T he Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has intercepted 20 drums of calcium carbide in Ogun state. Hussein Ejibunu, acting customs area controller, federal operations unit (FOU), zone A, Lagos state, said the drums of calcium carbide were smuggled into the country from neighbouring countries. He said calcium carbide is a chemical used in manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and could cause security challenges if not controlled.
PAGE 19 BU$IN€SS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 NMDPRA says 62.95m litres of petrol supplied daily in 2022, NNPC’scontradictsfgures
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says the average daily truck out for 2022 is 62.95 million litres per Adebayoday. Adeniyi, head of fnance and account, NMDPRA, disclosed this on Monday while appearing before the house of representatives committee on fnance considering the 20232025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy PaperLast(MTEF/FSP).week,the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) said citizens consume about 60 million litres of petrolAdeniyidaily. said NMDPRA had projected an average of N443, N272 and N250 per litre for petrol in the next three years.
Speaking at the presentation, the Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs and Empowerment, Faith Opuene, said the gesture was borne out of the need to encourage female and young entrepreneurs across the state.
Mrs Opuene said the initiative was to assist small business owners who hailed from the state to grow and expand their existing businesses. She explained that the benefciaries comprised two persons, a man and a woman from each of the 105 political wards from the eight local government areas of Bayelsa. She added that the gesture was in fulflment of a pledge by governor Douye Diri to support 210 small business operators monthly until the end of his tenure.“The economy of our state is not within our reach; because ours is a civil service state and the SMEs space is dominated by people from outside Bayelsa who drive our economy. She explained that the empowerment scheme was done by a seven-member committee, put in place to ensure that no benefciary draws the cash more than once.Mrs Opuene said that the biometrics of the benefciaries were taken before the disbursement to check multiple payments. She advised the benefciaries to deploy the funds into their businesses, adding that there were plans to monitor their performance and that only those who grew their businesses would beneft from such future plans. Joye Newman, a petty trader from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa applauded the governor for the gesture and advised would-be benefciaries to wait for their due dates to beneft from the empowerment. A total of 1,260 benefciaries drawn from the 105 wards across eight local government areas have so far benefted from the scheme which commenced in February.(NAN)
A statement signed by the Assistant General Secretary of the association, Lagos/Ogun Zonal Council, Temple Iworima, on Monday, said it would no longer allow electricity distribution companies and generating companies, to take advantage of Nigerians. “We wish to use this medium to reiterate that, we are prepared to use our labour and sweat to liberate the sector and the country from the clutches of these ‘Hustlers’ in the Power Sector”, the statement read in part.
PAGE 20 BU$IN€SS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja T he Trade Union Congress (TUC) has asked the federal government and relevant agencies to deploy technology to tackle oil theft. Festus Osifo, president, Trade Union Congress (TUC), said this during a media briefing in Lagos on Monday.
Osifo called for the use of drone technology to carry out pipeline surveillance.Hesuggested that instead of placing soldiers who would compromise, “you can have a multi-layer and a sophisticated control room where you monitor these activities, and you can respond swiftly if there is a suspicious activity”.
The Bayelsa Government on Monday disbursed a cash grant of N84 million to 420 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) operators who are indigenes of the state. Each of the benefciaries got a cash grant of N200,000. The disbursements were for the months of June and July.
Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja Electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees have sworn to liberate the country from what it described as the “clutches of the hustlers” in the power sector, just as it described the privatisation process as a “charade”.
It added, “Since privatisation in 2013, electricity workers under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees have been in the fore-front of speaking out on behalf of the Nigerian people. “It is an undeniable truth that the Power Sector privatisation has not added value to the lives of the ordinary Nigerians. The entire exercise which could be described as a charade has not brought any meaningful impact/ improvement of the Sector, rather, it has led the Nation to a huge setback”. According to the statement, the infrastructural of the new owners in the power sector has almost gone comatose, while the socio-economic status of the average worker in the sector has continued to decline amidst prevailing harsh economic conditions.
Osifo said companies operating in the Niger Delta are shutting down production because “some of them will pump in 50,000 barrels and at the end of the day, they will get like 2000 or 3000 barrels”. “I listened to the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) recently as he stated that there is total collusion. The collusion is total, both from the community, those outside the communities, both from stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, the security personnel sent to man the pipelines,” Osifo“Sosaid.that is why when it is reported that about 400,000 barrels are lost. It is not actually because the entire barrels are stolen but because most of the companies have decided to shut down their operations in those large areas. “So it is a fundamental problem. We should stop talking now, we should start acting. Those whose responsibility is to solve the problem should go to the field and use technology to solve the problem. “It is not about coming to the media and starting making inciting statements. Those are not really necessary. Because the problem we have had is you have the chief of army staff sitting somewhere in Abuja and giving press statements. “But what are the machinery put in place to ensure that those junior officers that are posted to the creeks in the Niger Delta are doing the work they are posted there to do? Those are the things they should be telling us. And those are the things we want to hear.” He also called on the federal government to implement stiffer penalties to punish culprits involved in crude oil theft, adding that it would serve as a disincentive to others intending to engage in the act and restore sanity to the oil sector.
TUC asks relevant agencies to tackle oil theft with technology
Bayelsa govt disburses N84 million grant to 420 SMEs
withthreatenElectricityPrivatisation:workersshowdownDisCos,GenCos
The union said since the privatisation of the power sector in October 2013, the sector had remained dormant and has failed to add value to the lives of the Nigerian citizens.
AEIG, stakeholders tackle SGBV in Kurudu community
In furtherance to its effort at addressing Sexual and GenderBased Violence (SGBV), Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls (AEIG) have joined forces with other stakeholders to streamline action plan on tackling the menace in Kurudu community, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the FCT. In particular, AEIG and the stakeholders consisting of representatives of human rights, security and paramilitary agencies agreed to support Kurudu traditional rulers with resources, intensive sensitisation intervention needed to tackle the menace.AEIG Executive Director, Mrs Abiodun Essiet disclosed this yesterday, during an interactive meeting on Community scorecard on community response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
“I’m telling my people (traditional leaders) that they should go to villages and towns within Kurudu, and share with others the knowledge that have acquired on the SGBV, so as to effectively mitigate the menace”. On her part, a youth representative, Kuyembo Blessing, said they were engaged in the sensitisation programme for the past two weeks. Kuyembo, said the main challenges facing young people in the community are issues of abuse of privacy fueling stigmatisation, handling and referral of SGBV cases when reported.
PAGE 21 METRO PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
“We are happy with the effort of the initiative, because what they have brought to us is real, and by the grace of God, things are beginning to change.
“There is also plan to rehabilitates this hospital, you can see is looking old, rehabilitation was done may be much longer, so will ensure that we do something very soon.
Healthcare: FCTA sets
“But, from what we have seen so far, the condition of the hospital is not bad as been portrayed. We have entered all the wards, the toilets are clean, there is water, electricity supply, staff are there and the few people we asked said they were satisfed with the services offered to them but there is room for an improvement”, he explained.
The burial of founder of Divine Women of Purpose Association (DWOPA), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), late Dr. Ijeoma Juliajane Chikezie has been fxed for this weekend, in Imo state. Late Dr. Chikezie who died at the age of 62, after a protracted illness in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, started her circular career as a school teacher in Lagos state, and counselor in Imo state school system. She was an evangelist, marriage counselor, life coach, author of many books, wife to Pastor Charles Chikezie, mother andShegrandmother.hadquitthe school system and joined the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as Counseling and Rehabilitation Offcer and served in many states of Nigeria.Fromchildhood, Dr. Ijeoma showed a very strong affnity for the word and kingdom principles. All her relationships and engagements were laced with what she calls the hearts of Jesus. Her ministry, under the auspices of an NGO she founded and called Divine Women of Purpose Association (DWOPA) has greatly impacted in the life of women and girls, through skill training, counseling, entrepreneurial training and empowerment thus restoring their confdence and self worth, and making them to become meaningful contributors to the economy of their families and the largeBornsociety.in 1960 to parents who were notable (a school principal and a women leader), young Ijeoma quickly embraced education, discipline and hardwork as salient ingredients for success in life and attainment of objectives. She fnished secondary education with a result that remains outstanding in the school till date. At NCE level she posted overall result of distinction and made a frst class result at the university of Nigeria, Nsukka. Seeking further academic laurels, she obtained her masters degree from the University of Lagos and doctorate from the University of Abuja in Guidance Counseling.Sheis a Hallelujah health minister, a graduate of Dunamis school of ministry and a recipient of several certifcates from assorted trainings such as the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) organized by the US department of justice and leadership/ administration from the administrative staff college of Nigeria.
“So the number of patients that are accessing service in this facility are far higher than the number expected.
By Stanley Onyekwere
Kujerehabilitatetohospital be referred to the appropriate authorities for necessary action.
FCT.(AMAC),AreaofKuruduyesterdayViolenceandresponsecommunityscorecardoninteractiveduringstakeholdersanmeetingCommunityontoSexualGender-Based(SGBV),incommunityAbujaMunicipalCouncilinthe
“When we are reporting a case to the community head, we feel it will not actually be handled or A cross section of
“The youth should be vigilant and security conscious and dress decently, so as not to make ourselves vulnerable to perpetrators of SGBV”, she stated.
By Stanley Onyekwere
“This is a small facility that was built for a smaller population. Population explosion in FCT is unprecedented because of so many factors that we all know.
The FCT Administration has revealed plans to rehabilitate Kuje General Hospital to improve infrastructure and enhance healthcare service delivery in theDirector-Generalhospital. of the FCT Hospital Management Board, Dr Mohammed Kawu, made the disclosure shortly after inspecting all facilities in the hospital, on Tuesday in Kuje AreaKawuCouncil.stated that the board was working assiduously with the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Human Services Secretariat, the Permanent Secretary and the Minister of State to reform services in all general hospitals in the territory. He also said that the FCT Administration at the higher level was thinking of building bigger hospitals, to ensure that there was more than one hospital in each Area Council.
By Stanley Onyekwere
DWOPA Founder due for burial in Imo (SGBV), in Kurudu community. She noted that the SGBV scorecard analysis, revealed the areas the Community needs improvement and help; in terms of privacy knowledge and handling of SGBV cases in the community. According to her: “This is a community scorecard on community response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), and we are really happy with the response of the community to SGBV“Weissues.are taking traditional rulers as service providers, and we are assessing their response and handling cases of SGBV, and the youth and women were divided into three groups; to score how their response is SGBV, and also the services they receive from them.“Our project is focused on strengthening the FCT traditional justice system to handle SGBV. So with this programme now, we have agreed as members and leaders of the community in Kurudu community under AMAC, on the actions to include intensive sensitisation and intervention that we need to take. “So, together with all the resources like the NAPTIP, Police, NSCDC, human rights representatives and our organisation, AEIG at their disposal, to support the community in addressing issue of SGBV”.Similarly, District Head of Kurudu,Chief Ezra Gomna, decried that recently, the SGBV cases are coming up more, because of the fact that schools are on break and universities are on strike for months.Gomna adds:”So this issue (SGBV) is rising, we are having more than 32 cases now, but with this assistance, we are taking action to tackle the matter, and the numbers are coming down.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith told the BBC’s World At One that he had been offered a job in Ms Truss’s cabinet but turned it down in favour of staying on the backbenches.
Tuesday’s move follows a decision last week by EU foreign ministers, when they agreed in principle to suspend the existing visa agreement with Moscow.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted to say that the visa agreement should be suspended as there “can be no business as usual” with Russia.
new
Boris Johnson urges Tories to get behind Liz Truss in farewell speech
minister at Balmoral Ukraine war: Russians to pay €45 more to enter EU under new rules PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
The European Union is proposing to make it more expensive and harder for Russian citizens to get visas. Russians wanting to enter the EU will face a lengthier application process and see fees rise from €35 (£30; $34) to €80 (£69; $79).This should continue as long as Moscow wages its war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU Commission said. More than a million Russians have travelled to EU countries since the invasion of Ukraine in February.
Queen met
His downfall as Tory leader and prime minister was sealed following a ministerial mutiny in July, triggered by the dramatic resignation of then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid. Mr Johnson resisted calls to quit - including from his newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi - for 48 hours, until it became clear that he had lost the confdence of his party and his position was untenable.OnceMr Johnson resigned as Tory leader, party members took part in a ballot to replace him and elected Mr Truss, who beat her rival Mr Sunak with 57% of the vote.Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson had left a legacy of “scandal” and urged his successor to fund a freeze on energy bills by adopting the party’s plan for a windfall tax on gas and oil companies.LiberalDemocrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for a “genuine freeze” of energy bills as opposed to “the loan system that it’s rumoured that Liz Truss wants”. And SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said a general election should be held because Ms Truss appeared to be making policy proposals she does not have an electoral mandate to implement.
As Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie head to Balmoral, there’s time to unpick some of the words he chose to use to mark his departure.Therewas an extensive assembly of what he saw as his greatest hits: the coronavirus vaccine programme, Brexit and support for Ukraine among them. And then there were those references to the future: one wrapped in the imagery of space exploration; the other in classicist comparison.WillMr Johnson really “splash down invisibly in a remote corner of the Pacifc”? Err… no. Every syllable Mr Johnson utters, out loud or in print, will magnetically allure the cameras, microphones and reporters; it has been his greatest skill throughout his career: commanding attention.
Ms Truss and Mr Johnson have made the 500-mile trip to Balmoral separately to have their audiences with the Queen and complete the ceremonial transition of power.Traditionally, the handover of power is done at Buckingham Palace, but the Queen - who has been suffering from mobility issues - decided to conduct the leadership succession from her Balmoral retreat. The Queen will invite Ms Truss - as the leader of the largest party in Parliament - to form a government, making her the monarch’s 15th prime minister. She will then head back to London to deliver her frst speech as prime minister, which is expected to take place outside 10 Downing Street - weather permitting. Beyond that, Ms Truss will fnalise appointments to top jobs in her cabinet before facing MPs for the frst time at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. Those predicted to join her cabinet include Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor, former leadership rival Suella Braverman as home secretary, and James Cleverly as foreignHomesecretary.Secretary Priti Patel and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries have stepped down as senior ministers, with other members of Mr Johnson’s team expected to follow. Meanwhile, Ms Truss has started flling key advisory positions and reorganising how her Downing Street team will work.
In short, Mr Johnson is leaving offce but won’t leave the stage. We’ll hear from himMragain.Johnson’s premiership was marred by a string of controversies that gradually cranked up political pressure and discontent within his own party. In June this year, Mr Johnson won a vote of no confdence in his leadership, but even then many Tory MPs remained resolved to turf him out of offce.
PAGE 22 international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.comworld news
Margaritis Schinas, an EU Commission vice-president, said Russia had “completely undermined” the trust on which the existing EU-Russia visa agreement was based. Under that agreement, Russians had for 15 years enjoyed a streamlined process for getting EU visas.
“I’ll be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacifc,” he said. He then likened himself to Cincinnatus, a Roman statesman and military leader who battled against an invasion before returning to his farm. Some classics scholars pointed out Cincinnatus came out of retirement for a second term as leader of Rome. Mr Johnson has not said publicly said what he will do after leaving offce but there is speculation that he will remain as an MP for his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.Hisformer adviser Will Walden told the BBC’s World At One he did not believe Mr Johnson would return to frontline politics. “That is for two reasons - I don’t think the Tory Party is used to going back in time... but more than anything, he needs to earn some money and he needs to move on,” he said. Mr Walden suggested Mr Johnson was dropping hints he could return because he wanted to “rewrite the narrative... suggesting he still has a role to play and has been hard done by is part of that narrative”.
The her prime
The plan had been seen as a compromise, with Ukraine and some EU member states calling for a blanket ban - but others like France and Germany opposed to going that far.Some EU countries bordering Russia had already begun to tighten border controls.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week admitted that the EU decision would make life more diffcult for Russian travellers, calling the proposal “another ridiculous decision in a series of ongoing absurdities”.Separately, the EU Commission is proposing that the member states refuse to recognise Russian passports issued in occupied“RussiansUkraine.should not have easy access to the European Union and travelling to the EU as a tourist is not a human right,” said EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson.Source: BBC Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged Conservatives to get behind his successor Liz Truss during a “tough time”, in his farewell speech.Mr Johnson has met the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where he tendered his resignation as PM. Ms Truss has been formally appointed by the British monarch, before making her frst speech as prime minister. The UK’s third female prime minister will announce her cabinet later. Her victory in the Tory leadership contest on Monday marked the end of Mr Johnson’s turbulent premiership, less than three years after the Conservatives won a landslide in the 2019 general election. In the face of a mounting economic crisis, Mr Johnson’s successor has promised immediate action to deal with soaring energy prices, as well as tax cuts aimed at staving off a recession. Her plan, due on Thursday, is expected to include a freeze on energy bills worth billions of pounds, but the details of that policy are yet to be announced. Simon Clarke, who backed Ms Truss for the leadership and is tipped to become levelling up secretary, told the BBC he was anticipating “a major intervention” on energy bills. He said energy “will be the government’s most immediate priority upon entering offce” and insisted the commitments Ms Truss made during the campaign on tax “still absolutely stand”. In his speech, Mr Johnson alluded to the ominous challenges Ms Truss will inherit when she takes offce, acknowledging that this was “a tough time for the economy”. “This is a tough time for families up and down the country,” Mr Johnson said in front of No 10 Downing Street. “We can and we will get through it and we will come out stronger the other side.” In a pointed plea to his Conservative colleagues following a fractious party leadership race, Mr Johnson said “it’s time for politics to be over, folks”. “It’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team and her programme and deliver for the people of this country,” he said.Paying tribute to his colleagues in government, Mr Johnson said they were the people who “got Brexit done”, delivered “the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe”, and “organised those prompt supply of weapons to Ukraine”. Refecting on the future of his career, Mr Johnson compared himself to “one of those booster rockets” that “has fulflled its function”.
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Among those seeking refuge were 650 Ethiopian former peacekeepers - mostly of Tigrayan ethnicity. They refused to return home for fear of persecution. Nearly 250 of them were granted refugee status - but the UNHCR told the BBC that it does not have information on the rest.
The national prosecuting authority gave the former president the green light to pursue the private prosecution against Mr Downer in June after it declined to prosecute him for allegedly leaking Mr Zuma’s medical records to the media. Attempts made to recruit refugees for Ethiopia civil war - UN
Offcials say the visit will focus on fostering stronger economic and security ties.
The UN has said it doesn’t know the whereabouts of hundreds of Ethiopian former peacekeepers. They had sought asylum in neighbouring Sudan after refusing to return home at the end of their mission.
PAGE 23 N ews F rom A F ric A abuse”, saying her employer told her she was “bought” and “anything” could be done to her. Ms Chepkemoi’s mother said she was “very grateful” for her daughter’s return, adding that the 24 year old was in a “critical condition”.“Iwashelpless, I thank everyone who has facilitated the return of Diana home alive,” Clara Cherotich said. Photos of the former university student shared on social media over the weekend showed Ms Chepkemoi looking listless and emaciated, far from her radiant self before she left the country in June last year. This led to her family as well as Kenyans on social media campaigning for her release. Her local MP, Brighton Yegon, who was among the group at the airport, said he would table a motion in parliament banning workforce export to Saudi Arabia. On Monday, the Kenyan embassy in Riyadh said in a statement that following the outcry, Ms Chepkemoi was picked from her employer’s house and rushed to a toplevel hospital for a check-up. She was later discharged and referred to a specialised hospital for a further diagnosis where she was given a clean bill of health. “The only difference is that I got the courage to speak out. It’s a shame being told that there is nothing your government can do,” Ms Chepkemoi told reporters.
By Ochiaka Ugwu
One MP said the concert was a “breeding ground for sexual immorality”.StateMinister for Tourism Martin Magara however defended the event describing it as a hub for tourism. He said more than 8,000 foreign tourists had already booked tickets for the Parliamentaryevent.speaker Anita Among said parliament would not allow the promotion of tourism at the expense of children.
Polish president in Nigeria at start of Africa tour Polish President Andrzej Duda is in Nigeria as he begins a threeday visit to Africa.
event said he was now well vast with space science and would want to be an astronauts given his exposure occasioned by the event. Maurice said he realized that Space Technology was vital for national development andTochitransformation.Akwatu, a tutor in Army Day Secondary School, Abuja who said that Chinese Embassy had greatly impacted on Nigerian society said the event had equipped her more on understanding of Space Technology and promised to replicate what she has learnt in her school.Director, Centre for China Studies (CCS) Abuja, Charles Onunaiju who attended the programme as one of the parents said the event was a new frontier opened up by China to promote China, Africa Aerospace Cooperation within the framework of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
He said the cooperation will move further given the fact that the space was vital in developing key technologies for human advancement, informing that there were a whole range of opportunities in the offering.
Mistreated Kenyan returns from Saudi Arabia
The ministry of ethics had given permission for the festival to take place on grounds that no children were allowed in and that noone goes to the venue naked. Nyege Nyege has been a big draw for music fans in the region and beyond, it showcases various artists from across the continent along with those in the diaspora.
Nigerians thank China for organizing “Talk With Taikonauts”
In 2021 a report submitted by the foreign affairs ministry indicated that 89 Kenyans, the majority of them domestic workers, died in Saudi Arabia.
Last week the Bloomberg news agency cited a top Tigrayan offcial claiming that hundreds of former peacekeepers had entered western Tigray - it was presumed to join the fghting. One ribbon snip and the bridge collapses At frst sight it looks as if the bridge was being held up by a ceremonial ribbon.
Now the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, says that earlier this year they received “credible reports” that there were efforts to recruit soldiers - sometimes forcefully - among those refugees.
The video footage reveals that the concrete had snapped in the middle and the broken bridge then made a V-shape as parts of it lay in theSource;river. BBC
The impact of the war in Ukraine and migration are some of the issues he is expected to raise. The Polish president is also expected to address the worsening global food and energy crisis - which he is expected to say has been fuelled by the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of ethnic Tigrayans have crossed the border to seek refuge in neighbouring Sudan since the civil war broke out in November 2020.
One simple scissor snip at the opening ceremony and the whole thing
In 2018, it was cancelled on grounds that it was promoting promiscuity but it was allowed it to proceed later after a public outcry.
Call to cancel Uganda popular festival over immorality
Mr Zuma contends that the publication of his medical records violated sections of the law. The publication of his medical condition followed his release on medical parole after he was imprisoned in July last year.
The festival, which would be marking its seventh edition, has often attracted controversy.
Thecollapsed.newconcrete footbridge over a small river in part of the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo was backed by benefactor Hurlaine Badila. Having wielded the scissors, she is seen on video desperately holding on to the jacket collar of another dignitary to avoid falling into the water. On the widely shared footage, cheers can be heard turning into shouts of concern as people rush forward to rescue those who were stuck.It is not clear if anyone was seriously hurt.
The UNHCR says it relayed it’s “strong concerns” to the Sudanese authorities and there were improvements.
Former SA president sues over privacy violation South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has launched a private prosecution against senior state prosecutor Billy Downer as well as a journalist. This is in connection to media house News24 publishing information related to Mr Zuma’s medical condition last year. Mr Downer is the lead prosecutor in the corruption case against the former president related to the purchase of arms for South Africa.
Shafu Maryam of Government Day Secondary School Dutse, Abuja said she was inspired by the woman astronaut and would like to become one. She said that China has proven to be a worthy friend of Nigeria by organizing this event that had exposed her to space technology. It could be recalled that the chosen teenagers from Nigerian schools had an opportunity to ask questions to Chinese taikonauts in space station, and the taikonauts answered their questions intelligently and to the admiration of all.
Cultural Counselor, Embassy of People’s Republic in China in Nigeria and Director, China Cultural Centre, Mr. Li Xuda (Centre) fanked by other participants during the event.Participants at the Nigerian venue of “Talk With Taikonauts”, an event hosted by Embassy of China focusing on China’s Tiangong space station and China-Africa aerospace cooperation had appreciated China Embassy for organizing the event which gave them the ample opportunity of interacting with China Taikonauts and exposing them to space technology.Whilethe African Union secretariat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia served as the main venue, Nigeria and other seven African countries hosted sub locations for the event that further enhanced China, Africa Aerospace Cooperation. Speaking after the event, a participant, Leon Onunaiju of Funtaj International School in Abuja who asked the astronauts on what they do at their spare time while in space thanked China Embassy for putting up the programme saying that it has changed his worldview on how the outer space operates and importance of spaceLeontechnology.alsostated that the programme offered him a good opportunity of knowing that China, Africa Aerospace Cooperation is a reality that will certainly take Africa to space in no distance time. Also speaking, Alichukwu Munachi Maurice of the Army Day Secondary School, Abuja who also appreciated Chinese Embassy for for the AKenyan woman whose story of cruelty at the hands of an employer in Saudi Arabia had angered many has arrived backDianahome. Chepkemoi had an emotional reunion with her family and supporters on Tuesday afternoon at the main airport in the capital, Nairobi.
“I left Kenya to go to Saudi Arabia with the hope of getting a better life. Mine is just a tip of the iceberg, people are suffering…. I am pleading with the government to do something, help them, they are suffering,” she toldShereporters.added that she faced “psychological The Ugandan parliament has directed that the Nyege Nyege festival, an annual popular music concert, scheduled to take place in nine days’ time in the city of Jinja, east of the capital, Kampala, should be cancelled.
Mr Duda held talks with President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital,AccordingAbuja. to local media a deal on agriculture was signed. It’s the frst visit by a Polish president to Nigeria.
President Duda is also scheduled to visit Ivory Coast on Wednesday and Senegal on Thursday.
The justice ministry said Goren’s attempt was thwarted by the Shin Bet security service and that no classified material was revealed.
PAGE 24 N ews F rom A si A
Abu Aqla’s family said they were “not surprised” that the IDF was trying to obscure the truth and avoid responsibility for her killing.
Abu Aqla was shot in the head while covering an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank A senior IDF offcial said on Monday that there was a high probability that she was shot “by mistake by an IDF soldier, and of course he didn’t identify her as a journalist”. He also revealed investigators had spoken to the soldier involved: “He told us what he did; and if he did it, it was done by mistake.”
Earlier this year, her family called for full accountability, including a criminal investigation. Her brother Tony told the BBC in July that she was “assassinated by extrajudicial killing, and we simply need someone to be held accountable”.
The US described her death as the result of “tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation”, adding that it found “no reason to believe” that the shooting was intentional.
Israel defence minister’s cleaner jailed for trying to spy for Iran-linked hackers Shireen Abu Aqla: Israel says ‘high probability’ soldier killed reporter
Source: BBC
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had completed several internal probes.
The Israeli military has concluded there is a “high probability” that one of its soldiers killed the PalestinianAmerican journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. The veteran Al Jazeera correspondent was shot in the head while covering a raid in the occupied West Bank in May. It is the closest the military has come to admitting responsibility. The military’s top legal offcer has also ruled out a criminal investigation of the soldiers involved, effectively ending the probe into the case.
Questions were quickly raised about the IDF’s internal probe. In the hours after her death Israeli offcials publicly circulated speculation which wrongly implied specifc Palestinian gunmen could have shot her, including video from Jenin camp from a different location to her killing.
In May, dozens of Congressional lawmakers signed a letter to the FBI and the state department demanding a probe by American law enforcement agencies.
A n Israeli court has jailed a former housekeeper for Defence Minister Benny Gantz who attempted to pass information to an Iran-linked hacking group.
The military’s account of how she was killed has been the subject of bitter recriminations. Eyewitnesses and Palestinian offcials reported she was shot by Israeli troops - a fnding later backed by the United Nations and multiple press investigations of the evidence. A US review also found it was “likely” that Israeli soldiers fred the fatal bullet.
The initial indictment released last November alleged that Goren reached out to Black Shadow on Telegram after reading Israeli media reports about its hacking attempts.
To prove that he worked for Mr Gantz he sent photographs of items in the minister’s home, including his desk, computer, a safe and tax records, it said.
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Aqla was widely admired for her coverage from the region
• Family rejects US report on Shireen Abu Aqla death • Shireen Abu Aqla: Face and voice of war and peace Abu Aqla arrived in Jenin refugee camp on 11 May to report on an Israeli army raid which had seen gun battles break out between soldiers and Palestinian militants. She was wearing a helmet and blue fak jacket marked with the word “press”.
The lack of a criminal investigation will anger Palestinians and will come as a further blow to Abu Aqla’s family.
“I want to emphasise the fghting environment that these soldiers were under. They were confned in a protected vehicle with multi-dimensional fre from every direction,” the offcial said.
Responding to the IDF announcement they said: “It’s obvious to anyone that Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes. However, we remain deeply hurt, frustrated, and disappointed.” Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups have long criticised the IDF’s mechanism for internal investigations, arguing that it grants soldiers near total impunity when it comes to prosecution in cases of harming Palestinians.
Omri Goren, 38, was sentenced to three years in prison under a plea deal that saw prosecutors drop espionage charges.The Israeli justice ministry said Goren told Black Shadow hackers he could send information on Mr Gantz and put malware on his computer in exchange for money. But he denied knowingly attempting to spy for Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy. “[He] is not a spy and this isn’t a spying scandal,” his lawyers were quoted by the Times of Israel as saying after Tuesday’s sentencing hearing. “This is about a man who found himself entangled in debt and identified a security breach,” they added. Goren reportedly told investigators that he had planned to trick the hackers into giving him money without handing over any information.
However, video evidence from the moment Abu Aqla was shot does not back the claim of militant gunfre in the spot that journalists and bystanders had gathered. Israeli troops were believed to be 200m (656ft) away, and the footage shows repeated fre for several minutes towards the area where the journalists were walking.
The US state department put pressure on the Palestinians to release the bullet. That took place in July, but the US administration said a forensic analysis conducted by “independent examiners” could not reach a defnitive conclusion because the bullet was too badly damaged. The US also said a review of the Israeli and Palestinian probes by the US security coordinator concluded that “gunfre from IDF positions was likely responsible for the death of Shireen Abu Aqla.”
Asked by the BBC about the footage, the senior IDF offcial said soldiers were under fre and could not see what was happening from inside their jeep, adding they could not see the journalists gathered.
However, the Shin Bet did face questions about how Goren was allowed to work for the defence minister when he had previously been sentenced to prison on four occasions, including for armed robbery. The agency later acknowledged “procedural failures” in the way that he was vetted and said protocols had been tightened in response.
The 51-year-old correspondent was admired by Palestinians and the wider Arab world for three decades of coverage from the region. Her killing gained global attention and became a symbol of the often underreported dangers faced by civilians during Israeli military incursions.
The IDF had been intensifying its search, arrest and punitive home demolition raids in the West Bank after a wave of attacks carried out by Palestinians and Arab Israelis on the streets of Israel which killed 18 people. Some of the perpetrators came from Jenin. An Israeli offcer was shot dead in Jenin later in May. Israeli offcials, including then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, initially claimed Abu Aqla was probably shot by Palestinian gunmen.Aspressure grew for a transparent investigation, the IDF later said that fre from Israeli soldiers was one of two “possibilities” accounting for her death, the other being fre from Palestinian militants.
Meanwhile, the IDF accused Palestinian offcials of obstructing an inquiry, demanding they hand over the bullet which it said could determine if their troops had fred the fatal shot. The Palestinians in turn said the Israelis could not be trusted. A Palestinian Authority inquiry based on an autopsy and their examination of the bullet found that “the only source of fring was by the [Israeli] occupation forces with the aim to Therekill”.were growing calls for the US administration to become involved.
PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Speaking of this phenomenon, Mr Elhouderi described the ministry, and other state institutions, as a “cash cow”. When Mr Elhouderi was frst interrogated about two weeks into his ordeal, his interrogator kept telling him that he was lucky.
The overthrow of Muammar Gaddaf in 2011 had raised hopes of a better life in Libya Walid Elhouderi (R) is seen with his brother and cousins following his release
PEOPLES DAILY SEPTEMBERWEDNESDAY,,7,2022 26 Feature
Inside
ALibyan civil servant has given a harrowing account of how he was detained by the intelligence services and accused of espionage, writes Carolyn Lamboley.On1 October 2020, Walid Elhouderi was called in to act as an interpreter at a meeting with several ambassadors in the Libyan capital,AfterTripoli.itended, he recalls walking the Congolese ambassador back to his car to see him off and then returning to the meeting room to collect his belongings. “That’s where I found four people waiting for me. They roughed me up. They slapped me. They held a gun to my stomach, and they abducted me. After that, I was disappeared. I didn’t even know where I was,” Mr Elhouderi says. The four men, in plain clothes, had been sent by the intelligence services and, Walid says, he was taken to one of Tripoli’s secret prisons, sometimes administered by the militia groups who control many parts of the capital.
“He told me: ‘You know you really are very lucky. Sufyan is dead, we killed him… But you, you’re lucky. At frst, we wanted to send you a hit squad.’ “This was after two weeks of torture, with my eyes blindfolded the whole time. And that’s how the interrogation started. It was the frst time anyone had spoken to me in two weeks.” In many ways, Mr Elhouderi’s interrogator - who was bluffng about Mr Mrabet - was right. He was Inlucky.early 2020, the year that he was detained, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that it had received “dozens of reports of enforced disappearances and torture of civilians, including, but not limited to, civil society activists, journalists, migrants, and state offcials” by militias in the previousSource:year.BBC Libya’s secret jail: ‘Being alive is a miracle’
The phenomenon of enforced disappearances has been widely documented by the United Nations in the wake of the 2011 revolution, which resulted in the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddaf, and plunged the country into“Forchaos.47 days, no-one knew where I was,” Mr Elhouderi says. The days and weeks that followed were a vortex: he was accused of trying to obtain defence secrets, placed in solitary confnement, transferred to another location, tortured and stripped of any semblance of life as he knew it. “They deprived me of water for three days straight and would come beat me on my back three times a day. They didn’t ask any questions, nothing,” Mr Elhouderi recalls. After about two weeks, Mr Elhouderi was fnally brought in for interrogation, and the beatings mostly stopped. He was brought before a prosecutor, and a month later, in mid-November 2020, he was transferred with one of his colleagues - who had also been detained - to the al-Rweimi state prison in Tripoli’s Ain Zara district. “The day we went to that prison, it was like: ‘Wow, we’re free. Even though we’re in a prison, at least we’re in a Before,system.’”theymight as well have been “nowhere”, he says. “We didn’t know that we were going to spend another 13 months in that facility.” At the time he was detained, Mr Elhouderi had been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ department of interpretation and translation for just a few months. A high-fying civil servant with a background in IT and human rights, he had recently been nominated as the head of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department, a promotion that would end up costing him far more than it was Initially,worth.Mr Elhouderi was accused of “breaching the ministry’s secret information system”. News outlets announced he had been placed in custody in mid-October 2020, relaying a statement from the offce of the Attorney General which said he had been arrested by the intelligence services. He and his co-defendant Sufyan Mrabet, an employee in the ministry’s ICT department, were subsequently accused of “using means of telecommunications with the intent of obtaining defence secrets”. Walid was accused of installing several matrices on the ministry’s server that were linked to a server in France, where his father wasTheambassador.FrenchMinistry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the case.Mr Mrabet was detained around the same time as Mr Elhouderi and, like him, was released in January 2022 - after an ordeal lasting about 15 months.MrElhouderi describes what happened as a “conspiracy”, accusing the then-ICT director, a man he says has powerful connections in Tripoli, of being behind the “deceitful” charges - an attempt, he says, to prevent him from taking over as head of ICT, a position which comes with a number of benefts that can trickle down to one’s Ultimately,entourage.aftermonths of lobbying from his family, his lawyers and the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL), which Mr Elhouderi used to volunteer for, the court concluded that the charges “were not based on facts and law but were [the result] of a mere quarrel between coworkers”.Theacquittal also states that Mr Elhouderi and Mr Mrabet were made to give confessions under duress, were subjected to “physical and psychological coercion” and were “abducted without anyone knowing where they were, pushing their families to contact the offce of the attorney general and fle a missing persons report”. It also says that a doctor who saw Mr Elhouderi found he “had multiple injuries, specifcally bruises on the torso, which all happened over the same period of time and were caused by a blunt tool or steel rod”. The Libyan foreign ministry, the offce of the attorney general and the former ICT director did not respond to repeated requests for comment.Whathappened to Mr Elhouderi and Mr Mrabet is more than just a story about a petty rivalry between bureaucrats.It’satestament to a rampant culture of corruption and impunity in a state that’s largely ceded power to the arbitrariness of personal interests and the infuence of militias.InAugust 2022, Libya’s Audit Bureau said it had monitored “violations” with regards to consular and diplomatic appointments within the ministry, highlighting the nomination of individuals from “outside the foreign affairs sector”. It issued a set of recommendations, including “ceasing to expand the amount of postings” abroad.
PEOPLES DAILY SEPTEMBERWEDNESDAY,,7,2022 25Property
Travelling time within the metropolis is better, that is what infrastructure does to facilitate growth and development,” said Fashola.
Buhari who was represented at the occasion by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Issa Pantami observed that his administration has given priority to infrastructure development starting from road, to rail line and broadband development.
The Minister revealed that Kano State has been at the forefront when it comes to issues relating to compensation on “Right of Way” during road construction by the Federal Government in the state, adding that the state government usually takes it upon itself and resolves compensation issues despite the fact that the law allows that the acquiring authority is the one obliged to pay“Whencompensation.wehave issues relating to compensation for “Right of Way”, Kano State Government has stepped forward to say that land is a state matter.Kano State Government will solve the compensation matter within Kano State and resolve it. It is a good example which other states are expected to commend and emulate because by law land is a sub national and state matter. The Law describes that the acquiring authority is the one obliged to pay compensation,” said Fashola.Fashola
He added that the GombeKaltungo Road Project had created jobs directly and indirectly as well as provided social economic benefts to the people.TheMinister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the Director Highways North East in the Ministry, Engineer Celestine Shausu disclosed that the road is the sixth to be commissioned in the second phase of highway projects completion and commisioning. He said,” This is the second phase of project completion and handover our country will be witnessing as we progress further in this season of completion and impact which started in the last quarter of 2021,” said Fashola.
By Mashe Umaru Gwamna Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has commended the government and people of Kano State on their commitment towards road infrastructure development in the state.Astatement signed and by signed and issued by Director (Press and Public Relations)Blessing LereAdams.Fashola gave the commendation when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje,at Government House Kano, during the 28th National Council Meeting on Works which held in Kano . Fashola said that the Kano state government has made huge investment in road infrastructure development stressing how diffcult it was to get to Kano during his frst trip to Kano as a minister when the new government of Kano state came on board in 2015 at the peak of construction work but the result has become manifest and travel time within the metropolis has drastically reduced.
FG urges contractors to complete road projects before tenure ends
Federal government has urged contractors across the country handling on going road projects on completion before its tenure ends.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Bashir Alkali who was represented by Engineer Amos Thomas stated that the Buhari led administration is focused on the completion of several on going road infrastructure projects to stimulate economic development, job creation and promotion of local content. He added that government is also committed to linking the major arterial roads to refneries, ports, tertiary institutions and high volume commercial centres with a view to reducing travel times, vehicle maintenance costs, safety and security of commuters. In his goodwill message, the Emir of Arko, His Royal Highness Alhaji Umar Atiku expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the construction of the road project.He urged the people of the state to continue to support the Federal and State government and maintain peace and tranquility in the state by being law abiding.
Buhari handovers 66.10Km Gombe, Kaltungo Road Fashola commends Kano state on road infrastructural devtment
The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Umar Ibrahim EL –Yakubu stated this while inspecting the Dualization of Kano – Maiduguri Road Section 1, covering Kano –Wudil – Shuarin awarded to Messrs Dantata and Sawoe Construction Co, Nigeria Limited since 2006.
President Muhammad Buhari has commissioned and handover 66 .10Km Gombe, Kaltungo Road at Kumo Town, Gombe State. A statement signed and by signed and issued by Director (Press and Public Relations)Blessing LereAdams.President
This was contained in statement signed and issued by Director (Press and Public Relations) Blessing LereAdams.El-Yakubu said that on the part of government, it will continue to push and support speedy completion and commissioning of all roads nearing completion before the end of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.“Onourpart, we will continue to push you to ensure quick delivery. We want to be able to commission this project before the end of this year. I don’t know why you are mentioning next year.” “We don’t have many months left to commission this project, and I am sure putting in the right resources after the rainy season , you will be able to meet up,” he said. The Minister noted that all road contracts are being awarded to competent and capable contractors and so there is no reason why you can’t deliver on time as funding which might be the challenge has been addressed by the Government of President Muhammdu Buhari by providing alternative funding schemes apart from the yearly budgetary allocation. “You have I suppose the capacity and competence to do the job. I believe you can do better so you need to challenge yourself but if you hadn’t the competence and the capacity, that’s a different thing but you do. So it is a matter of harnessing those potentials and leveraging on the resources at your disposal,” he said EL-Yakub also disclosed that the project has taken too long but the commitment of the present administration to deliver on road infrastructure because of the recognition of its importance to lives and livelihood in job creation and national development, the road needs to be completed and delivered. “We want to complete this project, it has taken too long, Nigerians have been patient but thank God for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has commitment to delivering road infrastructure because of the recognition of what it does to lives and livelihood of Nigerians. You know every side of it creates job and we need those jobs both direct and indirect,” he said. The Minister admonished all contractors to be engaging the youths more especially the graduates to be given proper training on construction sites for them to have practical knowledge of what they studied in the universities and higher institutions in order to ensure competent personnels and technicians in the construction
The Minister recalled the completion of Efon Alaaye - Erinmo Iwaraja road in Ekiti, Isoko Ring Road Section II covering AviaraUzere in Delta State, Phase II of Hadejia - Nguru Road covering Kirikasama - Nguru in Jigawa State, Nguru - Gashua- Bayamari Road in Yobe State and Lafa - Obi AweTunga Road in Nassarawa State that were completed in the last quarter of 2021 which he described as major investments in road transport infrastructure that serve as drivers for economic growth and prosperity. The Minister said these completed roads are viable assets in proof of what the country’s resources are invested in.
Also speaking, Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya praised the Federal Government for the completion of the Kaltungo-Gombe RoadYahayaProject.observed that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing had successfully completed several roads to ensure that road users have a rewarding travelling experience.
By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The State Government then, was at the peak of construction work but the result has become manifest.
“I extend my commendation to your government for the commitment you have made in improving infrastructure of Nigeria by the investment you made in infrastructure in Kano State. I know how diffcult it was in my frst trip here when you took offce in 2015.
publicly acknowledged the partnership Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has had by working with Kano State Government which he said has been very strategic and helpful to the mandate of the Ministry as directed by Mr.President. “I just wish to publicly acknowledge the partnership that we have beneftted as a ministry by working with you personally and working with your government that it has been very very strategic and helpful to our mandate by Mr. President,” Fashola said. He added that the Federal Government is not competing with any state government, adding that it is the responsibility of federal government to support every state government to achieve its developmental objectives as conceived by the state government. “We are not competing with any state; after all we are the federal government. Our responsibility is to support every state to achieve its developmental objectives as conceived by the state government,” saidFasholaFashola. thanked Kano State Governor for responding quickly when requested to acquire land to build a housing estate was made. He also disclosed that coincidentally Kano State has the highest number of the Ministry’s projects in the country that it is not only by distance but also by budget and cost. He mentioned the Kano –Maiduguri road that ends in kano, the Abuja – kaduna – Kano road, the Kano- Katsina road among others that the state is blessed with and it is strategic for the development of our country.The Minister expressed his heart felt gratitude to Kano State Government for accepting to play host to this year’s 28th National Council on Works.
industry.Headded that more Nigerians should be allowed to participate in construction companies be it foreign or Nigerian owned. He appreciated the contractor for the work done so far and encouraged them to increase their pace and achieve more before the end of the year. Briefng the Minister of State earlier on the scope of work, the Engineer Representative on site, Engr. Hanish Kolayoka Sarjius explained that the 207.73 km road project was awarded in 2006 but has a set back because of lack of fund but since the project was placed under SUKUK, there has been an appreciable work done on the road. He added that the fyovers 1 and 2 and river bridges 1, 2, and 3 have been completed and so the overall percentage completion work to date is 69.57% with a time lapse of 103.83%.TheProject Manager of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited, Engr. Roy Hunushi appreciated the Federal Government for awarding the contract to them, saying that the project would be delivered and that they were working in line with the laid down procedures.Herequested for the release of fund to enable them deliver the project ask scheduled though the rainy season has delayed the pace of work on site.
R:L-Representative of the Federal Controller of Works Gombe State, Engr. Babayo Saidu, representative of the Minister of Works and Housing, Engineer Celestine Shausu, Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, representative of Mr. President, Communications and Digital Economy Minister, Professor Issa Pantami, Emir of Arko, H.R.H Alhaji Umar Atiku and others at the commissioning of the road project.
By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Buhari disclosed that FG has embarked on the National Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure Backbone PhaseAlso2. about 400 Million US dollars has been planned for the project which will commence from Abuja to BornoHeState.said that his administration has given approval for the construction of the rail line from Borno to Rivers State, adding that the rail line was an area that lacked attention before the advent of this administration.
PAGE 28 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
At
As part of its efforts to empower Nigerian youths in the game of football, a high rising football club in Abuja, Paul E Football Club has formally unveiled its Women team. The team according to the Chairman and Chief Executive Offcer of the club Somtochukwu Chikebebe is aimed at removing the girl child from the street and empowering them using the game of football. He said that girls who are within the the ages of 15 to 18 years will be encouraged to combine the game with their education to ensure that they are properly positioned for the future.He said that the team will be professionally managed alongside the male team that are already participating in the NLO Division 2 League. He promised to ensure that the team participates in various developmental programs within the country and outside. “this is the major reason why we have brought in quality hands in Women Football to thinker the team. We have Jumbo Lastborn as the Head coach, National U.17 Assistant coach Adanna Nwaneri and National U20 Assistant coach Bilikisu Tijani as the Assistants. Ngozi Ezeh will be Team Manager of the team” he concluded.
By Albert Akota
Sports PAGE 29DAILYPEOPLES sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 >>>PG32PG30PG30NFF Blames Falconets U-20 World Cup elimination on poor offciating
By Uche Nnorom, Makurdi V ice Chairman, Lobi Stars FC,Makurdi Mr. Dominic Iorfa has frowned at the attitude of staff who embarked on protest last weekend. It could be recalled that some staff mostly coaches, carried placards to Government House, demanding payment of owedDuringsalaries.ameeting held at the mainbowl of the Aper Aku Stadium yesterday, Iorfa who doubles as the Chief Executive Offcer, CEO of the club, said after the protest,he called the chairman of the team, Engr. Benson Abounu (Deputy Governor) and then conveyed a meeting of all aggrieved staff asking them to present their letter of appointment. He regretted that most of those who protested refused adamantly and deliberately to attend the meeting, even as they mutilated their letters of appintment. Iorfa particularly decried over the manner one of the media offcer (name withheld)who spearheaded the protest, had in a text message to him, acknowledged the payment of his salary uptil August. However, three others said to be coaches of the feeder teams who attended the meeting with their letters of appointment, claimed that they are been owed between fve and six months, maintaining that no letter of disengagement was ever served to them.But Secretary of the Club Mr. Saawuan Terhemen read a letter dated 20th April, 2022 terminating the appintment of staff on assumption of the Iorfa administration, Saddened by development in the club, Principal Special Assistant to Governor Samuel Ortom on Sports and Youth Affairs, a former Super Eagles coach Chief Godwin Uwua lauded the chairman for rescuing the team from relegation. He said ‘It is unfortunate what is happening in the club at a time when it should focus on recruitment of quality players for the next season. I urge Lobi VC fres back Protesters, vows to terminate appointment of staff fail to attend meeting
Paul E Football Club unveils women team
However, the Fighters grew in strength and resurgency in the second period to the dismay of their established opponents. Through determination and classis tactical manoeuvring, the Fighters clawed back into the match with mesmerizing display. From 17-10 down in the frst period, they narrowed the scoreline to 29-27 in the fnal whistle to the utmost relief of the Minna based opponents. In his post match reaction, Coach Abdullahi Jibrin said the result was disappointing but added that Niger United’s experience came handy in the latter stage of the “Itgamewas a disappointing result for us. The boys deserve a draw in this match but our opponents hand the upper hand in the closing stages due to experience.
Students from fve boys’ schools and fve girls’ schools in the Nsukka zone attended the event. The boys’ schools are; St Theresa’s College, Nsukka High School, Urban Boys Secondary School Nsukka and Community Secondary School Nru. The girls’ schools are; St Cyprian’s Girls Secondary School, St Cyprian’s Special School, Urban Girls Secondary School and Queen of the Rosary Secondary School Nsukka. Also in attendance were two mixed schools - Community Secondary School, Isienu and Government Technical College. At the end of the training event, more than one hundred badminton rackets, shuttlecocks and nets were donated to representatives of the schools that attended this training event. Medals were also presented to some of the students that excelled in the demonstration games. More than forty participants attended the event
“We keep growing along in the competition and will continue to push ahead,’ he said.
It is the frst training event that is jointly held by the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and CSED Initiative, as part of the two years’ grassroots badminton development programme that was signed in April 2022. The goal of the two-day training event is to build the capacity of the games masters/mistresses at the grassroots level and to provide Nigerian children/youths with access to learn the basic skills and technicalities that is required to develop their talent in badminton.
Flourish Sabastine stopped inside the box but referee waved it aside
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
PAGE 30 S P R T
NFF Blames Falconets U-20 World Cup elimination on poor offciating
In the 15th minute, Sabastine again pulled away and let fy, but the ball was tipped away by impressive goal-tender Claire DinklaOn the half-hour, Nigeria nearly got the leveller that their endeavour deserved when Deborah Abiodun seized the ball as the Dutch defence fell into confusion, but her own dipping shot from 25 metres rocked the crossbar and was then tipped away from the head of Chiamaka Okwuchukwu. Only three minutes later, the defcit doubled against Nigeria, when the Dutch broke through the right once more, and with captain Oluwatosin Demehin and Omowumi Oshobukola in a fumble, Ziva Henry bundled the ball past SubstituteOyono.JoyJerry came close to pulling one back when her head met the ball from Rofat Imuran’s cross in the 62nd minute, but the ball foated away. Sabastine, forever unstoppable, was hacked severally in the Dutch penalty area as she darted in whenever she had the ball, but Araya saw no reason to award a penalty kick to Nigeria.The federation further noted that “In the second minute of added time, a Dutch defender handled the ball in the box as Nigeria poured forward. But after consulting the Video Assistant Referee, Araya overturned her own decision to award a penalty kick.”The “defeat meant elimination for a team that had won all three group phase matches, scoring fve goals and conceding only one.”
The Abuja boys ha e this recorded a draw, win and a loss in their there games so far. They drew against Benue Buffaloes, won Nasarawa Ambassador 30-21 before their narrow defeat on Monday.PovertyFighters will continue their fairytale show at the ongoing 3rd edition of the North-Central Handball Championship on Tuesday with a clash against Plateau Vipers by 7:30amMeanwhile, the Managing Director, Poverty Fighters Handball Club, Abuja, Motivator Suleiman Yunusa has lauded the team’s performance at the ongoing championship in Makurdi, Benue State. The club, established in January 2022, made their offcial competitive debut on Saturday when they took on Prudent Energy Handball Premier League side, Benue Buffaloes in the opening match of the championship.Althoughthey drew the match 20-20, they defeated Nasarawa Ambassador 30-21 on Tuesday and narrowly lost 29-27 against another Premier League side, Niger United. The team’s performances have cut the attentions of the stakeholders in the tournament with many believing that the club is established for future greatness. In an interview in Abuja on Monday, Motivator Suleiman Yunusa said he was not surprised with the attitude and performances of the players adding that the club is established to bring a new face to handball
South-East Badminton in collaboration with Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative recently held a two-day badminton clinic at St Theresa’s College Nsukka ( Enugu State). The grassroots outreach training was coordinated by the Badminton Federation of Nigeria zonal representative in the South East, Obiageli Edoga Solaja, and some badminton coaches in the Nsukka zone.The clinic had in attendance students from 10 secondary schools and 12 games masters and mistresses from secondary schools in the Nsukka zone of Enugu State.
“I want to frst and foremost commend the players and technical crew for the great job they are doing there in the competition.
CSED, South-East
Badminton zone hold training in Enugu Poverty Fighters Handball Club being addressed by their offcial Poverty Fighters lose narrowly to Niger United in North-Central Handball Championship classic
poor fnishing, hard luck and dodgy offciating by Costa Rican offcial Marianela Araya saw the Nigeria U20 girls bow out of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup with a two-goal defeat by The Netherlands in their quarterfnal match in Alajuela,” NFF said.“Flourish Sabastine, who scored Nigeria’s three-point winner against France in the opening match of Group C, was cynically stopped in the Dutch’s box in the 7th minute, but just as she did all night, Araya looked away unimpressed,” the NFF said. Four minutes later, the Dutch were ahead, when Zera Hulswit rammed a perfect dipping shot beyond Omini Oyono as the conquerors of USA pulled away on the counter-attack.
By Amaechi Agbo Abuja-based handball club and debutants in the ongoing 3rd edition of NorthCentral Handball Championship, Poverty Fighters on Monday morning showed gallantry and stoicism as they lost narrowly to Prudent Energy Handball Premier League side, Niger United on Minna, Niger State In a match watched by a handful of spectators and offcials in Makurdi, Benue State, the Poverty Fighters lost the grip of the game, out of respect though, in the frst period with a score of 17-10.
By Amaechi Agbo The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has blamed the exit of Nigeria’s female U-20 football team, the Falconets from the ongoing 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica on “litany of factors” including bad refereeing and poor fnishing The Falconets who were optimistic of a semi-fnal berth succumbed to a two frst-half goals by the Europeans and got their already fourishing campaign punctured. In a release after the match signed by its head of communication, Ademola Olajire, the federation noted that poor fnishing, hard luck as well as unfavorable decisions by the Costa Rican offcial Marianela Araya saw the Nigeria U-20 bow out of the tournament “A litany of factors, including
The Qatar World Cup opening match and ceremony slated to hold at the Al Bayt Stadium has been brought forward a day following a unanimous decision taken by FIFA. The 2022 Qatar World Cup will now get under way a day earlier than originally scheduled with the host nation facing Ecuador in the opening match on Sunday, November 20. The frst match of the tournament between host country Qatar and Ecuador will kick off the tournament on 20 November; against the initial 21st while Senegal will now face the Netherlands at 7pm (4pm UK time) on 21TheNovemberchange is in line with the long-standing tradition of opening matches involving hosts or reigning champions.AFIFA statement released on Thursday said: “The decision followed an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a thorough consultation process and an agreement with key stakeholders and the host country.
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
“The release period, as previously decided and as governed by the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, will remain unchanged, beginning on 14 November 2022.
Mark Igoche hails Team Nigeria on Commonwealth Games feat
“In addition, FIFA will seek to address any issues arising from this change in a case-by-case basis.” “The president of FIFA and also the presidents of the six FIFA confederations, and they have decided unanimously that, instead of the World Cup starting on Monday November 21 with the game between Senegal and Holland, the tournament is going to start the day before. “Sunday November 20, the frst game is going to be at 7pm between the hosts Qatar and Ecuador and we’re also going to have the opening ceremony before that game. “It seemed a bit of a strange decision that the World Cup was due to start with a game between Senegal and Holland, and we weren’t going to have the opening ceremony until Qatar played later that day. “Of course it’s very controversial that the World Cup is being held in the middle of the season, as far as European football is concerned, but FIFA are saying a normal World Cup takes 32 days but this World Cup was originally going to take 28 days.“Now it’s going to take 29 days so it is still going to be a shorter World Cup. The other point to make is that this was a unanimous decision. Ecuador were playing the frst game but the South American federation were in favour of it. “Holland’s game is now not going to be the frst game but UEFA are in favour of this change as well. We kind of knew it was going to happen yesterday but people are still going to be unhappy about the World Cup being held in winter.”
The President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation NBBF, Mr. Mark Igoche has hailed the wonderful feat achieved by team Nigeria in the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom The Basketball administrator saluted the tenacity and doggedness displayed by the athletes, while commending the coaches for their technical knowhow which led Nigeria to fnish strong.Mark in a statement on Monday in Abuja, commended offcials of the sports ministry led by the Mr. Sunday Dare; and also, the Engr. Habul Gumel led Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for their leadership expertise displayed before, and during the Queen’s game. “As a sports lover, let me commend the athletes who represented Nigeria at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom. I salute the tenacity and doggedness of the athletes, and not also forgetting the coaches, whose technical knowledge made Nigeria fnish strong. “The leadership expertise of the sports ministry led by Mr. Sunday Dare, and also not forgetting the Nigeria Olympic Committee led by Engr.Habul Gumel,” he said. He urged all dports administrators in the country to set as priority, grassroot development; which according to him, remains the panacea to end the dearth of talents in Nigeria.
N420 million from CAF next year
World football governing body FIFA has announced a new date for the opening match of the 2022 World Cup holding in Qatar later this year
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NFF President, Amaju Pinnick
“The CAF Executive Committee (“EXCO”) took a decision to launch the CAF Africa Super League in August 2022. This League will offcially kick-off in August 2023. “We announced on 3 July 2022 that the total prize money of the CAF Africa Super League will be USD 100 million, with the winner receiving USD 11.5 million.“We intend paying each Member Association USD 1 million per annum from the CAF Africa Super League funds. “We also intend allocating USD 50 million to CAF from these funds for Youth and Women’s football development and for all its other competitions to ensure that they are globally competitive,” he said.On the importance of the ASL, Mr Motsepe said it would change the face of football in Africa “We are excited about the CAF Africa Super League and are confdent that it will change the face and competitiveness of CAF and African football. “The Africa Super League is one of the most exciting developments in the history of African football and the objective in terms of what we are trying to achieve is very clear, number one is to make sure African club football is world class and competes with the best in the world. This about the future of African football, this is about African taking charge of its future.”
Enyimba International FC is the only Nigerian side that will participate in the maiden edition of the Africa Super League next year.
Africa Super League: NFF to tarn
FIFA changes opening date of 2022 Qatar World Cup
FIFA World Cup displayed.
“Ticket holders will be duly notifed by email that the relevant matches have been rescheduled and their tickets will remain valid irrespective of the new date/time.
By Amaechi Agbo Nigeria Football Federation, NFF will earn a minimum of one million dollars (a minimum of ₦420, 000, 000 as per CBN current rate) from the Confederation of Africa Football, CAF in 2023 The money which is part of the $100 million meant for the development of football, will be shared among the 54-member associations of CAF during theCAFyear President, Patrice Motsepe who disclosed this on Wednesday, said the money would be part of $100 million USD to be shared from the accruing fnancial benefts of the Africa Super League, ASL which takes off next year. Speaking during the launching of the ASL in Tanzania, Mostepe said the continent’s football umpire is committed to the development of football.
SPACESALEFOR
It was expected but Cameron Smith’s departure to LIV Golf remains a sickening blow to the PGA Tour and those seeking to preserve the sport’s status quo. The Australian’s defection is the most signifcant since Dustin Johnson’s springtime change of heart.Having pledged his future to the established circuit, the American was swayed by LIV’s millions in time for their opening event in June. This prompted the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed to also abandon the preeminent tour in men’sButgolf.Johnson is 38 and has not won since collecting his second major at the 2020 Masters. DeChambeau and Koepka have been beset by debilitating injuries and Reed’s form and popularity are in decline.European recruits such as Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia are well past their prime. Paul Casey, in his mid-40s with a dodgy back, decided to cash in while he Smithcould.is different. The Australian is 29 and number two in the world. He is at the height of his powers.The Queenslander is popular with fans; a modest, down-toearth fgure with endearing larrikin qualities and a game of a quality that is only very sparingly conferred by golfng gods. How the PGA Tour would have loved to have celebrate fully its newly incentivised calendar at its opening event next year. But it cannot.Itwill be a Tournament of Champions without its defending champion, even though the Hawaii event is now worth $15m (£12.9m). Smith, who shot a record-breaking 34-under-par to take that title this year, will instead be living the LIV life. Golf: Cameron Smith’s blowdeliversdefectionasickeningtothePGATour
people will appreciate me when I leave offce –Governor Bello In one way or the other! DAN GAYE WEDNESDAY COLUMN USSIJU MEDANERBy justme4justice@yahoo.cominfo@medaner.com, LATEST SPORTS Peter Obi: Duplicity of the ‘Obidient Movement’ PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 PEOPLES DAILY www.peoplesdailyng.com
Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano offce: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Offce: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234 814 292 9046. Cell: +234 802 443 2099; 803 7007 759. e-mail: contact@peoplesdailyng.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141 0806 564 8620 BUSINESS: 0704 385 9705 NEWS: 0814 292 9046 LAGOS: 08074420617
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Peter Obi comes across as some lie being sold to ignorant citizens who are desperate for some dream change. Every current reality and antecedents of the man suggests one thing: a man that should never be trusted. This is a man who claims the 2023 election is not about tribe, nor about religion but about the people, yet his only winning strategy is to weaponise divisiveness along the very lines of religion and tribe, creating an emotionally biased narrative and followership on the precipice of national insecurity. At a critical time when it is more important and benefcial for the nation to dissociate politics from religion given its divisive power overtime, we see a presidential candidate directly fanning the embers of religiously dictated election campaigns. Intentionally and tactically setting the people against one another and against other contesting candidates on the basis of religion. Touring churches and allowing his foot soldiers and online urchins to intensify and magnify his visits to drive home the point that 2023 is indeed a religious war. He came around presenting himself as the messiah, the new breed politician who is set to correct the wrong doings of the past and of the past leaders. But then, is he the progressive politician he claims to be? Is he different from the lot, as his social media onslaught projects? Was he not part of the old system, all the way from 1999 that bastardised the national system? Obi is playing on our common intelligence, tipping our emotions to his advantage; he knows Nigerians want some miraculous change and is taking full advantage of that. How is he different; the same Peter Obi who was in APGA for ten years, left for PDP and spent eight years, and was part of the Jonathan government for three years, a vice presidential candidate under PDP to Atiku Abubakar. How comes he is a new brand? Where did the saint nomenclature come from? Is he not the case of the old wine in a newHowskin?is he different from the old wigs who battered the country and become wealthy on the blood of millions of citizens right to the resources of their states and nation. Is he not the same man who prides himself on investing the state resources in companies where he and his family enjoy huge vested interest without caring about the legality and sensibility of the same in a nation where it is clearly stated otherwise and constitutionally. Is he not the same man who has a serious explanation over his suspected offshore hidden investment to avoid tax payment as was clearly alleged in the scandalous Pandora paper? He goes about castigating the country and the government for being over dependent on imported goods; yet he was a governor for eight years and has been a businessman all along but has never directly established a producing entity beside beer producing companies. Peter Obi is a specialist in importing fnished goods into the country, which as we all know, is a forex-gulping venture; of course, that represents over 99 percent of his businesses in theThecountry.same Obi who presided over Anambra and publicly declared that education is not for the poor, simultaneously increased school fees in the state in 2006 and again in 2012. In 2006, he not only increased the fees across primaries and secondary schools, but also mandated payment of three terms at once. By that policy, students and pupils from lessprivileged homes were forced to drop out of school across the state. In 2012, his administration, maintaining that ‘education is not for the poor’ mantra increased the frst year school fees of the state university, ANSU to N119,000 and N129,000 respectively for non-professional and professional courses respectively and ultimately to N230,000.Underthe same Peter Obi government, despite the state benefting hugely from the Paris Debt Refund, constant state allocations and IGR, and shared in Excess Crude Funds, Obi held on to the Anambra State LGAs FAAC allocations for the entire eight years of his administration, refused to pay the state civil servants’ minimum wage claiming that the same state he is helping to invest its excess fund is broke and cannot afford to pay. During his tenure, the healthcare workers were on strike for about ten months straight, schools closed down for months and he refused to budge from his position to negotiate.TheAnambra state of today is the perfect testament of Obi’s capacity to govern a state. While Lagos was metamorphosing on a regular basis to a more prolifc settlement, and taking an auspicious space in international recognition as a developed state, Anambra remains a glorifed state of businessmen without good roads, and streets littered with thugs. Summarily, even the city of Onitsha is little more than a glorifed village with a huge population.Wasn’the a tribal candidate? They told us it is not about a tribe; but here is Obi that ensures the entire Igbo stick to his candidacy and are threatening others not to even mention the name of any other candidate or attempt to campaign for them in their enclaves. His candidacy has become an IPOB agenda; not once has he openly or subtly condemned the activity of the IPOB elements and the havoc they’re wreaking on the region, nor the Monday-Monday sit-at-home of the proscribed group in the South-east. Why? Because they are much a needed ingredient of his campaign strategy. His home state and region is in a great turmoil yet he goes about fantasising a greater Nigeria without ever referencing where he comes from and where he ought to have experimented his capacity to make Nigeria great. It is time more Nigerians especially the naive “Obedients” see through the veil, the tribal and religious bigot that is packaged for them as a saviour. What, till date, would be his excuse for not having said anything about the killings going on in the Southeast, the gruesome murders of Hausas and Fulanis by the IPOB and ESN elements? He becomes very outspoken when the killings in the North-east are brought to the table. When he was the governor of Anambra state, he literally dismissed the killings and displacement of Hausa traders in public with the sarcasm of “tell your people to stop killing our brothers in your states.” A man that cannot protect the few non-indigenes, as minorities under his custody as a governor but apparently delighted at their plights, how can he protect all of us as a president of a federation? It is perfectly on record how, as the governor of Anambra state between 2007 and 2014, Peter Obi created a disturbing and divisively dangerous exploitation of the system using religion. Without hiding his religious bigotry, he drew a line between the Catholic and the Anglican in Anambra state during his tenure; his government was packed full with members of his faith, Catholic; in fact, the only condition for getting an appointment during his tenure was membership of the Catholic faith. We all remember how he anointed another Catholic to succeed him and turn the election into a dirty referendum on religious power and dominance, a very dangerous trend for the state. It is the same man now frolicking with other church denominations he always considered outsiders in his days of executive power. Obi, the celebrated youth at 60 is the worst packaged lie of the century. Obi, the election is not about money; Obi, the I will not give ‘shishi,’ but the same Obi faces suspicion of using money to buy off the presidential ticket of the Labour Party, settled off other contestants and is now charging $250 minimum and a $5000 upward for executives per seat to attend his meetings with Nigerians in diaspora. A man who does not give shishi, what would he need the shishi he is collecting to do? Peter Obi is a businessman, and right now, business is good. By the time the election is over, he would have loaded his purse at the expense of the irrational and misguided Obidients. I remember again to ask, was Obi involved or not in the sharing of Dasuki money before the 2015 election? I heard he supervised the process in the Southeast as a staunch PDP stakeholder for the Jonathan election! And again, he was with Atiku in 2019 as the latter’s Vicepresidential candidate and Saint Obi confdently supervised the vote buying. We started from the people are my structure, but I guarantee all Nigerians, Obi is busy raising money now to build the structure he really needed for the Eventually,election. he will be manifested as the lie he has been.
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!
. . . putting the people frst
LIV
