. . . putting the people first@pmlonline peoplesdailyngWednesday, August 24, 2022/ 26 Muharram 1444 AH Vol. 40 No. 058 N200 Prosecute high profile sponsors of electoral offences, INEC boss tells NASS Buhari: We’ll resist any attempt to undermine football dev't in Nigeria Refund N13.3bn to FG account now -Reps ask NEPZA PAGE 6 Fake misinformation,news,worseninginsecurity-Minister PAGE 4 PAGE 3 Analysis: 2023 and the cost of Atiku/Wike’s unending rift PG 17 Editors, SERAP sue Buhari, NBC over shutdown of 53 broadcast stations PAGE 3 FG seals deal with USA to rapatriate $23m Abacha loot It's wrong for North to produce BoTcandidate,presidentialnationalchair,chair-WalidJibrin •It's flagrant breach of Nigerian people's trust -USA UPDATE ON SCHOOL CHILDREN HELD CAPTIVE BETHEL BAPTIST HIGH SCHOOL, KUJAMA DAYS416 >>>PG 7 Bill to address vote buying -Gbajabiamila EFCC kicks, says new body not necessary >>>PG 5 >>>PG 6 PEOPLES DAILY www.peoplesdailyng.com L – R: Ms. Anne-Rachel Inne, Regional Director for Africa, International Telecommunication Union; Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, EVC/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC; Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Mr. Kris Camponi, First Secretary, Head of Prosperity, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom, during the opening ceremony of the ITU-FCDO Roundtable and Technical Workshop which held yesterday 23rd August, 2022 in Abuja.
L-R; Chief of Staff Prof Ibrahim Gambari, SGF Mr. Boss Mustapha, President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare and Chairman of the Committee Alh Ibrahim Galadima during an audience held at the State House yesterday in Abuja.
Kogi central political round table to be onsite, virtual —Organizers
on APC in 2023
The organizers of the 2nd edition of the Roundtable for Political Party Candidates from Kogi Central slated for September 03 in Okene will now be a HYBRID INTERFACE with onsite and virtualThisdiscourse.wascontained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Mohammed Bougei Attah, Coordinator and Hajia Bilqis Ozigi, Secretary. It said the decision to shift from the onsite meeting was informed by the current security challenges across the country as well as the rain season. “The event which will be transmitted live via several media outlets will engage with key stakeholders, including political party candidates, chairmen and chairpersons of parties, traditional rulers, nonstate actors and select members of the public. “It will be hosted on the theme: Social Contract, Political Accountability and Constituency Reporting. “Already, over 40 candidates from six (6) political parties and chairmen have been contacted and mobilized towards the event. The target is to create a platform and common ground for wouldbe representatives to learn and share innovative ways on services delivery to the people. It is also an opportunity to connect the Representatives and the Electorates as a social contract by learning and sharing from the manifestos and mandates.
“To be exact, selling a bank which over N1.2 trillion was used to rescue at an alleged N40 billion is highly ridiculous and scandalous.”
Don’t allow sale of Polaris Bank, rights group urges Buhari
PHOTO; STATE HOUSE effect
“Prof. Adam Ahmed Abere of the National War College, will deliver the keynote address while the Convener and National Coordinator of First National Summit of Political Parties, Dr. Ahmed Badanga and other invited guests will deliver special goodwill messages
“Recall that Emefiele was also allegedly fingered in the ridiculous sale of 104-yearold Union Bank by two-year-old Titan Trust Bank. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should have probed the CBN governor over this allegation which is contrary to Sections 9 and 11 of the CBN ACT 2007 but as usual, the former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, is an untouchable cabinet member of President Muhammadu Buhari.
By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
According to HURIWA, “It is concerning that the so-called sale lacks transparency and is shrouded in so much darkness as no due diligence was not carried out, no tender, no advertisement to create public awareness, nothing, just some kangaroo and arrangee sale.
The statement also called on the apex bank to issue a statement statement on the position of the bank on the matter in order to douse tension among the customers and stakeholders of the Bank.
The Bank through a statement described the report as speculative and deliberately intended to create panic. But a statement of caution released by Tuesday in Abuja by the national coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, criticised the alleged lack of transparency and the shadiness in the reported sale of Polaris Bank allegedly by the CBN. While calling on the President to avoid negative effect of such move against the APC, HURIWA said: “President Buhari should stop the illegal sale of the bank immediately.
By Tobias Lengnan Dapam Acivil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, not to allow plot to sell a Commercial Bank (Polaris Bank) has reported in a section of the media. A news platform had reported that the CBN had allegedly proceeded with the secret sale of the distressed bank. The group said if the Commercial Bank is sold it will not only compound the harsh economy Nigerians were going through but negatively affect the electoral fortune of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 general elections. Although the management of Polaris Bank Limited had debunked reports, describing it as a “fake news report”, urging the public to disregard it.
PAGE 2 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 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 15 Alleged plot to sack Ayu: You’re APC’s attack dogs –Ortom tells Tiv group
The CBN governor has apparently been misinforming the President to approve ridiculous sales just as he wrongly advised the President to approve the sale Exoon Mobil to Seplat and the attendant bank and forth.
“The CBN should be stopped from allegedly selling off banks in the country to cronies and friends as end-of-tenure benefits.”
•Warns of negative
“The event is hosted by Kogi Central CSO Network (KC-Net) in collaboration with Ebira Peoples Association, EPA, Ebira Youth Congress, EYC, Association of Ebira Professionals, AEP and Ebira Resource Academy, ERA. Others include Ebira World Wide, EWW, Positive Impact Initiative, PII and Positive House for Friends, PHF. “NGO Network, a national civil society organization and Ki Izeiza TV will provide technical support.”
PAGE 3PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 N EWS Ag News Editor, Tobias Lengnan Dapam
But the Director, Finance and Administration of NEPZA, Oyesola Oyekunle who appeared for his organisation insisted that the agency was not in any way indebted to the federal government as all revenues generated over time have been paid to government up to Oyekunledate. however contradicted himself when he told the lawmakers that since NEPZA is not fully funded, it remits only 25 percent generated revenue to government and has paid N3.93 billion naira last to government, making it to be up to date in payment between the period under review which is the year 2000 to date. According to the director, the agency operates under a circular issued by the ministry of finance and not stipulated extant financial laws as expected by the committee hence the remittance percentage to government The lawmakers insisted that the N13.3 billion arrived at was calculated based on the 80 percent revenue remittance provisions to government as contained in the financial act and not based on the circular. Consequently, the committee adjourned for a later date to enable NEPZA reconcile their audited documents with that of the committee’s consultants to come up with a common position so as to enable the agency clear off its outstanding debt.
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have instituted a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over the arbitrary use of the NBC Act and broadcasting code to threaten, revoke and shut down 53 broadcast stations in the country for failing to renew their licenses.
By Albert Akota
Photo: Justin Imo-owo
The suit filed on behalf of NGE and SERAP by their lawyer Kolawole Oluwadare, read in part: “The media plays an essential role as a vehicle or instrument for the exercise of freedom of expression and information – in its individual and collective aspects – in a democratic“Indeed,society.”themedia has the task of distributing all variety of information and opinion on matters of general interest.“The public has a right to receive and assess this information and opinion independently. Therefore, the existence of a free, independent, vigorous, pluralistic, and diverse media is essential for the proper functioning of a democraticAccordingsociety.”tothe groups, the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, licensing processes shall seek to promote diversity in broadcasting and that any registration system for the media shall not impose substantive restrictions on the right to freedom of expression.
Defence agreement: Minister advocates quick implementation of MoU with India
Joined in the suit as Defendant is the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr LaiTheMohammed.NBChad last week revoked the licenses of the 53 broadcast stations and threatened to shut down their operations within 24 hours over alleged N2.6 billion debts.
In the suit number FHC/L/ CS/1582/2022 filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Lagos, the NGE and the SERAP asked the court to determine whether section 10(a) of the Third Schedule to the National Broadcasting Act used by NBC to threaten, revoke the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and shut them down is not inconsistent and incompatible with freedom of expression and access to information as contained in the 1999 constitution as amended.Ina statement by the General Secretary of the NGE, Iyobosa Uwugiaren and the Deputy Director, SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, the two groups aked the court for a declaration that section 10(a) of the Third Schedule to the National Broadcasting Act used by the NBC to threaten to revoke the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and to shut down the broadcast stations is unconstitutional and unlawful, as it violates the freedom of expression.”
The House Ad Hoc committee on Unclaimed Government Funds at it hearing yesterday asked the NEPZA to provide copies of validated receipts of financial transactions including it’s remittances to government
NYSC vows to processmobilisationcrediblemaintain By Christiana Ekpa T he House toAuthority,ExportTuesday,CommitteerepresentativesofAd-hoconaskedtheNigerianProcessingZonesNEPZAtorefundtheFederalGovernment coffers, the sum of
Refund N13.3bn to FG account now -Reps ask NEPZA
In the suit, the two groups argued that, “the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties on freedom of expression indicate that this right can be exercised through any medium.”NGE and SERAP also averred, “Effectively, these provisions recognize that every individual has the right to an equal opportunity to receive, seek and impart information through any communication medium without discrimination.”‘’Theuseof NBC Act and the NBC Code in this case would inadmissibly open the door to arbitrariness and would fundamentally restrict the freedom of expression that is an integral part of the public order protected the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party.’’
Defence agreement: Minister advocates quick implementation of MoU with IMinister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi has demanded quick action towards implementing the bilateral military agreements between the governments of Nigeria and India.Magashi made the call during a courtesy call by the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shriv Nuraleedharam in Abuja.The Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Publicity, Mohammad Abdulkadri, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. The minister said that time was of essence towards achieving the desired and improved collaboration to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the areas of equipment. He said more equipment were needed to aid the military in the ongoing fight against banditry, terrorism and piracy. Magashi also called for more collaboration in the areas of capacity building, training and intelligence sharing between the twoEarlier,countries.the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Muraleedharam thanked Magashi for his commitment to sustaining the age-long bilateral military partnership between the twoMuraleedharamcountries. said the relationship between the two countries started since 1958, two years before Nigeria got her independence.Heassured the minister of quick impact and support to drive the mutual agreements between the two countries.(NAN)
The Representative of the FCTA Secretariat,TransportationBarr.Hassan Oluremi (middle), with the National President of SECDAA, Chief Uche Okorie with stakeholders,otherduring the official launch of SECDAA vehicles under the Taxi Recapitalization Scheme, held yesterday in Abuja .
Editors, SERAP sue Buhari, NBC for shutting down 53 broadcast stations N13.3
The National Youth Service Corps said it would not relent in its efforts towards maintaining credible mobilisation process of enlisting only the qualified Prospective Corps Members for National Service.NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Muhammad Kaku Fadah stated this in his address at the opening ceremony of the capacity building workshop for deployment and relocation officers from the 36 State Secretariats of the scheme including the FCT. While speaking on the workshop themed; “Equipping the Deployment and Relocation Officers for Greater Performance”, General Fadah reminded the participants of the nature of their schedule and the need not to only uphold the trust reposed in them, but also strive to be above board in the discharge of their duties. The Director General, who was represented at the workshop by the Director, Information and Communication Technology, Mrs Christy Uba added that the Scheme would not tolerate multiple registrations.
The NGE and SERAP are also seeking an order of interim injunction restraining them, their agents or privies from revoking the licenses of 53 broadcast stations in the country and shutting their down operations, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed contemporaneously in this suit.
billion unremitted revenue funds
The regulatory body of broadcast stations in a statement last week asked the stations “to pay all outstanding license fees on or before August 23, 2022 or shut down by 12am on August 24.”
PAGE 4 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 N EWS
‘’The Nigeria Football Federation, the body charged with the development of our football is directed to own and commence the implementation of this master plan under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.’’ Reviewing the state of the round leather game in the country, President Buhari expressed concern that in the past years, football development has gradually stunted due to the neglect of the core orientation of football administration.Hedescribed the governance structure around Nigeria’s domestic league as weak, adding that standards are conveniently compromised. He, however, expressed delight that these issues and many more have been addressed in the Document. The President therefore, urged the NFF to salvage the domestic league at all levels,‘’Nigeria’ssaying:football development must return to the path of focus on grassroots and youth development and an overall good governance structure around every level of its development. Nigeria now expects results.’’Onthe forthcoming NFF executive election, President Buhari reiterated his earlier communication to the body on the need for a more equitable and democratic representation in the Congress of the NFF. According to him, this will ensure that critical stakeholders are not shut out and the most capable and competent men and women are elected to run the affairs of the Federation.‘’This government has demonstrated political will. It will match it up with making the right laws and investments and work with critical stakeholders.
‘’I thank FIFA for its support and commitment to the development of Nigerian football which has been longstanding. I trust it will partner with Nigeria in its effort to improve the fundamentals of its football development.’’Inhisremarks, the Sports Minister announced that the Buhari administration has disbursed over N15 billion to NFF through budgetary appropriations and Presidential interventions in the last sevenCommendingyears. the President for the attention to football development in the country and laying a solid foundation for the growth of the game, the Minister described the 10-year Masterplan, which took the Ibrahim Galadima led 16-member Committee six months to prepare, as ‘’a world class document.’’ The Minister said the prescriptions set forth in the Football Masterplan, if followed through with the needed will and determination, would set Nigeria’s football on a very sure footing and position it amongst the best in the world. He added that the implementation of the Plan will resolve most issues around the status of the domestication of Nigerian laws, NFF Statutes in line with FIFA Statutes and create room for harmonious relationships in the football value chain of this country.
‘’Achieving this will guarantee desired progress in continental and international competitions.
Nigeria will not take lightly any attempt to inflict injury on its football fortunes,’’ he said.
By Christiana Ekpa
By Egena Sunday Ode President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday hosted the Indian Minister of State for External and Parliamentary Affairs at State House, Abuja, and went down memory lane on his one-year training in the country as a military officer.
It will be recalled that the House of Representatives Committee on finance led by Hon. James Falake probing the proposed sale of Nigeria Independent Power Project (NIPP) had on Monday summoned Abdulazeez to answer questions on why Azura was yet to deliver in accordance with the power purchase agreement why being paid $33 million monthly. Grilled by the committee on why the transmission line has not been completed at the resumed sitting, Abdulazeez said that lack of budgetary allocations was stalling it. He said that they relied on the Benin/ Oshogbo transmission line for operations.Tothisend, the Committee in a bid to get more answers on the $33 million summoned the Ministers of Power and Finance as well as the heads of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).Inhisremarks, the chairman of the committee, Rep. James Faleke expressed dissatisfaction with the power situated in Nigeria after a huge sum was expended, saying that the agencies would be made would be brought to account.
President Buhari, who used the occasion to spell out his expectations from the two-volume report, directed the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to commence its implementation in phases, within the fine lines of relevant sections of the Nigerian laws on sports development and the statutes of the world soccer governing body,‘’ThisFIFA.government is interested in developing a football culture that will accommodate global best practices that will also help the nation to lay a solid foundation for her domestic football, put in place professionally and efficiently run leagues, entrench a consistent and stable football calendar and create a value chain which will boost the sports ecosystem.
The House of Representatives Committee on Finance on Tuesday Summoned the Ministers of Power and Finance as well as the heads of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to appear before it to give answers over Azura 450mw electricity.Thisis just as the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Engr Sule Abdulazeez, said that the non-completion of the power line that would evacuate power to the national grid was whyAzura power Company located in Edo State has not delivered on 450 megawatts. Other agencies invited for more explanations were the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Transmission (NBET), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
the strong relationship between the two countries, President Buhari said the Nigerian Defence Academy was established by Indians, and the two countries have firm relationship economically, politically, and in the area of security. He added that Nigeria and India must continue to build on the longstanding relationship, to the benefit of both countries. Muraleedharan brought greetings from the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, adding that Nigeria and India have robust relations in business, defense, education, and many other areas. He said India as the largest democracy in the world was willing to partner with Nigeria towards successful general elections in 2023.
By Egena Sunday Ode President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja declared that football remains the number one sport in Nigeria and a national asset, insisting that his administration will resist any attempt to undermine its development.ThePresident made the pledge while receiving the 10-year Football Development Masterplan submitted by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare. Describing football as ‘’our passion and a major tool for unity,’’ the President affirmed that it is the responsibility of government to safeguard the sport, which has brought Nigeria many laurels, and ‘’treat it as a national asset.’’ ‘’Indeed, just as I expect and demand a higher standard of patriotism, responsibility and commitment from those charged with the administration of our football, I also urge all stakeholders to work together constructively and patriotically.‘’Wehave seen attempts to disrespect and undermine the institutions supervising our sports. We have seen attempts to subjugate national interest for narrow interest or disrespect the laws of Nigeria.
“We have adjoined this sitting. We will invite NBET, TCN, NERC, Niger Delta Power Commission, ministry of power, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), ministry of finance. “So, we will invite all these agencies and their principals and heads of bureau to appear. We will communicate to them in an appropriate time that is convenient for all of us and a later date”, he said. He asked the TCN MD to present its budget allocation from 2002 and the contract awarded and the certificates by TCN on power transmission line, stressing that if Azura would demand money in dollars from power being generated in the country, Nigeria should also demand money from Azura in dollars for power it is using from the national grid. The committee also asked TCN to make available its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from 2010 including its audit report just as it frowned at the use of IGR without approval.
Buhari hosts Indian Minister at Aso Rock
StateAbuja.yesterdayatIndianaudienceduringMuraleedharanAffairs,andExternalMinisterBuhariMuhammaduPresidentandofStateAffairsParliamentaryH.EV.anwithDelegationtheStatehouse,inPHOTO;House
‘’I know that a lot of work went into putting this 10-Year Masterplan together. I received regular briefings on the work being done and I am happy that our goal has been achieved. I am happy that the Masterplan enjoyed the inputs of a wide range of stakeholders in football.
The Minister, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, is here to take part in the Nigeria-India Business Council, and described Nigeria as “centre of our engagement with Africa.” He also said President Buhari was a “worthy alumnus of our Defence Services College.”
‘’The Masterplan is envisioned to encapsulate functional strategies that would outlast the current administration and firmly place Nigerian football on the path to sustainable growth and development.‘’Mr.President, with your approval, this document will be presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval and future funding, so that the implementation of the short, medium and long term plans can commence as part of the legacies of this elementsshallFootballadministrators,will‘’Thereafter,administration.thisdocumentbehandedovertoourfootballthatistheNigeriaFederation,NFF,whobeexpectedtoimplementkeyofthesereportsinstages.’’
The President recalled the 1973 visit, saying; “it was a very good experience. I think I was a Lt Colonel then, and I spent a year in India. We traveled and met international people from different countries. It became part of my success story in the military.”Tobuttress
‘’I am equally happy that the Nigeria Football 10-Year Masterplan (2022-2032) identified Fifteen (15) Key Areas of challenge and provided practical recommendations to address these fundamental problems that have bedeviled football development in the‘’Thecountry.implementation of the short term and medium term plans should commence.‘’Ibelieve this will signal a positive turning point for our football and a major step forward in our bid to create a conducive environment for its sustainability, viability and profitability.
450mw Azura Electricity: Reps summon Finance, Power ministers, others
Buhari: We’ll resist any attempt to undermine football devt
“The composition of the national electoral offences commission is very crucial that electoral offences commission must be independent, must be insulated from politics, from partisanship. And I think it was all of these considerations that led to the suggestions made by justice Uwais in his recommendations.“Also,tomakethe point, it is important that the punishments in a law be commensurate with the offence identified. Looking at the electoral offences commission propositions here, it includes that the proposal that says “at least 20 years imprisonment for ballot snatching”, I think that it is overwhelming. Again, “20 years imprisonment for vote buying” that is overwhelming. N40 million as fine; those ones running around, snatching ballot boxes certainly cannot afford N40 million and their sponsors are going to hide and disappear, leaving them to bear the brunt of it. So, we think that the offence should be commensurate with the reality. It will even make a judge to impose that sentence rather than think how unjustly it will be to impose such huge fine or imprisonment on offenders.”
“The bill seeks deterrence for undemocratic forces in our environment. There is no contesting the fact that electoral offences remain a major threat to credible free and fair election. It is sad that these offences including vote buying and ballot box snatching among others are being committed with impunity for the simple reason that the law is blind to them”, she said.
•EFCC
Speaking further, Malami disclosed that both countries arrived at this stage after many negotiation meetings between the representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) and the UK National Crime Agency (NCA). The AGF expressed his gratitude towards the efforts of the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom in ensuring that looted funds recovered are returned to Nigeria not only in this instant case but in other pending cases such as Bayelsa, Galactica, Blue Trust and Saborne assets.
PAGE 5 N EWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
“We welcome the development because we believe it will make a very organised space for no impunity as we observed today and going forward Nigeria will be respected in the comity of nations. We all know the importance of election because how you recruit your leadership is very important to how you get the governance right and because of lack of these kind of laws, perhaps, that is why we are in the situation we are in today. “We are ready to cooperate and ensure that this law is properly enforced. One thing that we find out what, the Commission doesn’t possess the ability to arrest and if we are to depend on the law enforcement agencies that we have today, perhaps, we may need to do a little bit more so that police themselves will be under constrained to do their job to the best of their knowledge and for the interest of theOnnation.hispart, the Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, Clement Nwankwo said that the commission when established should be made independent, asking that the punishments should be made realistic.
However, the bill was rejected by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC whose representative at the hearing, Assistant Commander, Deborah Ademu-Eteh said it would amount to duplication of functions.Inplace of the would-be new body, the commission called for the strengthening of already existing bureaucracies to take care of electoral offences.“The Commission has considered the bill in its entirety and makes the comments and recommendations stated below: “A holistic review of the contents of the proposed bill shows that the offences contained therein in Part IV (Sections 13-32) largely constitute offences that have already been criminalized by extant laws such as the Electoral Act, 2022 (See Sections 114129), The Penal and Criminal Codes, the Independent Corrupt practices and other related offences Act, 2000; The Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment)Act, 2004. Declaring the hearing open, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila represented by his deputy, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase said that the bill will address issue of vote buying.“Itwill be important for instance, for this Public Hearing to discuss some of the pending and unresolved issues on the increased phenomenon of vote buying and disruption of elections through the use of violence by politicians and their supporters, apprehension and prosecution of electoral offenders, improvements to INEC’s electoral processes to enable it further build its capacity and prepare for the next general elections in 2023, etc . He Earliersaidin her welcome address, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Dukku said the bill will tackle undemocratic forces in the electoral system.
•Bill will address vote buying, electoral violence-Gbajabiamila, Gaya, Dukku PLAC kicks, says new body not necessary flagrant breach of the Nigerian people’s trust- USA
“For those who argue that the solution does not lie in expanding the federal bureaucracy by creating a new Commission, we believe that the National Electoral Offences Commission should be seen as an exception. While there are other security agencies that deal with economic and financial crimes, I am yet to hear anyone who, in good conscience, thinks that it is unnecessary to have established the anti-corruption agencies”.Professor Yakubu however made some key observations in the proposed legislation, favouring the creation of tribunals instead of using regular courts which he said were already overburdened.Inhisremarks, the chairman, Senate committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya stated that the offences commission was necessary to tackle issues of vote buying amongst others “The electoral act 2022 was passed and assented to early this year, it has been tested in Osun, Ekiti and gained a lot of commendations not only from electorates but also from the civil societies and also the international communities. However there were still observed issues of malpractices especially during the electioneering processes, the most common being the issue of vote buying and manipulation of electorates.“Theindependent national electoral commission has been criticised for not taking the ‘bull by the horn’ to directly address lingering issues of misconduct during elections. The national assembly deemed it necessary to amend and not over burden INEC by consolidating the passage of the electoral act 2022 with the enactment of the act of Parliament that will address free and post election violence, multiple registration, buying and selling of votes, voter inducement, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, election rigging manipulation of election results e.t.c Also speaking, the chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yabagi Sani also listed the support of the council to the bill.
By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja The Federal Government, through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, SAN, yesterday, signed an agreement with the United States of America(USA) on the return of Mecosta/Sani Mohammed assets, otherwise referred to as Abacha V. Signing the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government, the Minister of Justice said the money was part of the looted stolen funds traced to former Military President, Mohammed Sani Abacha.The United States who was represented by its Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Mary Leonard, said part of the Abacha loot to be returned to the Nigeria is $23,439,724 (Twenty three million, four hundred and thirty mine thousand, seven hundred and twenty four dollars).Inher speech, Leonard said that the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized these funds in response to General Abacha and his associates’ violation of US laws when they laundered these assets through the US and into accounts in the United Kingdom. According to her, these actions were flagrant breach of the Nigerian people’s trust.‘’This agreement is also kind of collaboration that our government must continue in order to right the wrongs committed under the previous regimes, combined with a $311.7m seized and repatriated with the assistance of the Bailiwick of Jersey and the government of Nigeria in 2020. “This repatriation brings to the total amount of funds repatriated in this case by the US to more than $334.7m. As a result of today’s agreement, $23m will be transferred to the Nigerian Government, which through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, will use the funds to continue the construction of three key infrastructural projects located in strategic economic zones throughout the country- The 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the AbujaKano“InRoad.other words, these recovered criminal proceeds, like the $311.7m previously seized and repatriated, will be transformed into visible and impactful representation of the possibilities of government assets that directly improve the lives of average Nigerians.’’ she said.
“Further to the agreement between the parties, the UK High Court granted the NCA a Registration and Recovery Order, dated 28 July 2021 and sealed by the Court on 4th August 2021” the AGF said. Malami disclosed that the forfeited Mecosta/Sani assets were subsequently transferred to the National Crime Agency, which on 7th February 2022, held the sum of twenty three million, four hundred and thirty nine thousand, seven hundred and twenty four United States Dollars ($23,439,724) pending the execution of the asset return agreement agreed between the FRN and the USA. Following the court order, Malami said the FRN and the USA have negotiated and finalized the terms of the asset return agreement.“Itisworthy to note that in line with the terms of this Agreement, Mr President has already approved the funds to be utilized for the on-going Presidential Development Infrastructural Funds (PIDF) projects namely; Abuja-Kano Road, Lagos-lbadan Express Way and the Second Niger Bridge under the supervision of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). “The President’s mandate to my office is to ensure that all international recoveries are transparently invested and monitored by civil society organization to complete these three projects within the agreed timeline” Malami stated. The AGF therefore urged the Government of the United States not to relent in supporting Nigeria’s commitment to the speedy, transparent management of returned assets.
For instance, since the 2015 General Election, 125 cases of electoral offences were filed in various Courts out of which 60 convictions have been secured so far, including the most recent one in Akwa Ibom State. “The Commission would like to see more successful prosecution of offenders, not just ballot box snatchers, falsifiers of election results and vote buyers at polling units but most importantly, their sponsors. We look forward to the day when highly placed sponsors of thuggery, including high-profile figures that seek to benefit from these violations, are arrested and prosecuted. We believe the work of the proposed Commission will help in this regard.”Speaking against the backdrop that the creations of the commission enlarge the federal bureaucracy, INEC allayed the fears of Nigerians, saying it would not.
Prosecute high profile sponsors of electoral offences -INEC boss tells NASS
•loots
By Christiana Ekpa & Lateef Ibrahim Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Tuesday called for the arrest and prosecution of the high profile sponsors of electoral offences.Thechairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu made the case at the public hearing of a “Bill for an Act to Establish the National Electoral Offences Commission and Related Matters 2022”, organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral SupportingMatters.the bill and the creation of the offences commission, Yakubu said INEC was saddled with many other responsibilities that would not allow it prosecute the offenders effectively hence the need for the commission.Hesaid:“It is clear that the reform of our electoral process cannot be complete without effective sanctions on violators of our laws. At present, INEC is saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting electoral offenders under the Electoral Act. This has been very challenging for the Commission.
Malami recalled that since 2016, the FMOJ, the UK NCA and the USDOJ have been working closely with the legal representatives of the FG to finalize litigations related to Abacha linked assets.
$23m Abacha loot: FG signs agreement with USA on Abacha V asset repatriation
PAGE 6 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
draintoHealth:criminalityontasksCommissionerPoliceofficersfightagainstFGcommitsaddressbrain
There was pandemonium when gunmen reportedly invaded Egor Local Government Council’s secretariat on Mela Motel road behind Uselu market in Benin. It was leant that the hoodlums had shot dead a resident of the locality simply identified as Mr. Arigbe before they vent their spleen on a Point of Sale (POS) operator in front of the Secretariat Complex and other businesses on sight. The gunmen stormed the area in a red colour Toyota Camry car on Tuesday morning, shortly after the Council’s workers resumed for the day’s
Kebbi
The Minister of State for Health, Joseph Ekumankama, on Monday reiterated the effort of the Federal Government to address brain drain in the country. Ekumankama who spoke with newsmen while inaugurating various projects at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, Lagos, identified brain drain as the major challenge affecting the health sector currently.TheNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that projects inaugurated by the minister included the Orthopedic and Trauma Centre, Molecular Building Complex and Oxygen gas plant. Others are the Clinical Training Centre, Power House and UltraModern Theatre. He said: “The greatest challenge facing the sector presently is the doctors and nurses leaving the country but I want to rather encourage them to stay back seeing the effort the government is putting. “We can attest to it that the government in the last three years has released 100 per cent of the budget for the health sector. “As a sacrifice, I want to encourage them to stay back and help us revitalise the health sector and we have witnessed that today with what is on ground in this hospital.The minister commended Dr Adedamola Dada, the Medical Director of the hospital, for judiciously using the resources available to further provide infrastructures and services rendered to patients. “If you don’t go around this hospital, you won’t know that they have such facilities and this is because they have been able to utilise the available resources from government judiciously.
The Minister commended NIPR for hosting the summit in order to promote dialogue and national cohesion, especially in view of the myriad of challenges to unity, peace and security facing the country.
“Whenstation.he got there, he meant a young man lying down dead. He took the photograph and evacuated the body to the mortuary for “Investigationpreservation.into that incident is ongoing. Once we are true with the fact we needed to have as a Command, we will make it known to the public
R-L; President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of State External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, H.E V. Muraleedharan, Joint Secretary (C&WA), Mr. Sevala Naik Mude, Director MOS Office, Mr. Chandru and Deputy Head of Mission, Mr VSDL Surendra and Mr.Vipul Mesariya during an audience with Indian Delegation at the State house yesterday in Abuja.
PHOTO; State House
EWS
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said insecurity in some parts of the country is being exacerbated by fake news and misinformation. This was contained in statement signed and issued by Special Assistant to the President (Media)Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi.The Minister made the observation in Abuja yesterday when he represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the Citizens Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security, organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).“This summit couldn’t have come at a better time, with the issues of peace, security and national unity on the front burner of our national discourse. In recent times, in particular, the issues of peace and security have been on the lips of many Nigerians, against the backdrop of rampaging terrorists, bandits and kidnappers. This crisis of insecurity has, unfortunately, been exacerbated by the twin evil of fake news and misinformation,” he said.While citing some examples to clearly illustrate how fake news is fueling apprehension and anxiety in the country, Alhaji Mohammed said on August 10th this year, the Kaduna State Government had to debunk an online report claiming that hundreds of bandits had laid a siege on the Kaduna-Zaria road. He said the widely-circulated fake news even advised travellers not to enter or leave Zaria due to the presence of bandits at Dumbi and Jaji along the Zaria road, adding: “Imagine the apprehension and disruption of plans that this fake news could have caused. Imagine its impact on the security operatives who are doing everything, including paying the ultimate price, to keep us safe?“Also, in April 2022, a drone video showing a group of five men wearing red clothes and cooking inside an unknown forest went viral.Those circulating the video claimed that it was somewhere in Nigeria.Butwhen BBC did a fact-check on the drone video, it discovered that it was not in Nigeria. The video was circulated just to create panic among the citizens and put the society on edge.
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“In June 2022, there were reports of bandits using a helicopter to attack residents in four communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna. The Kaduna state government had to debunk the story by clarifying that the chopper was actually an Air Force helicopter dispatched to repel an attack in the area. Again, imagine the panic that would have been triggered by this fake news,” the Minister said He said he has not been spared by the purveyors of fake news and misinformation, as countless numbers of fake news have been attributed to Mohamedhim.said his ministry is addressing the menace through the National Campaign Against Fake news and Misinformation, a nationwide advocacy campaign, in addition to working with the various social media platforms like Facebook and Google to curtail the spread of fake news andHemisinformation.expressed satisfaction that many CSOs have joined the campaign against fake news and misinformation, while some newspapers have set up factchecking desks to debunk fake news and misinformation.
Fake news, misinformation, exacerbating insecurity -Minister
NAN
“I want to tell the general public in Edo State to remain calm and go about their normal duties as the Commissioner of police in Edo State, CP. Abutu Yaro is battle ready to chase out criminal elements from Edo State”, SP. Nwabuzor assured.
work, and shot sporadically to scare away local Vigilante members in the area. Distraught family members of the slain man, and sympathizers, took Arigbe’s daughter who sustained gunshot injury to undisclosed hospital for urgent medical attention after the hoodlums left the crime scene. Our Correspondent reports that the attack, sent jitters down the spines of residents of the locality and traders at the market scampered for safety to avoid been hit by a ricochet. The spokesman of the Nigeria police Command in Edo State, SP. Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the fatal robbery incident on Mela Motel road. He revealed that the body of the deceased has been evacuated by the police and kept in a morgue for preservation, adding that investigation into the crime is Nwabuzorongoing.whospoke in a telephone interview with our Correspondent, explained that “For the sake of collaboration and synergy among the Divisional police officers, DPOs. The DPO, Ugbowo had to rush down to the scene of crime, otherwise, that is the jurisdiction of Textile Mill road police
Gunmen invade Edo LG secretariat, kill man, rob POS operators
From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Commissioner of Police (CP) Ahmed Magaji Kotangora, has charged all the 26 newly promoted officers to defend the country in fight against criminality. He gave this charge yesterday at the command headquarters while addressing the newly decorated officers who were promoted from the ranks of DSP to SP. He added that thier new ranks is an added responsibility. He added that the command is ready to fish out all the criminals in the state.
“Today, lam one of the truest members of the party who remain in the party since 1998, that never changed to any party, but remained only in PDP, passing through all positions in PDP as follows: PDP unit leader, PDP ward leader. 3.pdp state leader, PDP zonal leader, PDP National Ex Officio member, PDP National deputy financial secretary , PDP National financial secretary, PDP BoT member,, PDP BoT acting secretary , PDP BoT confirmed secretary, PDP acting Chairman and presently BoT Chairman. “I saw yesterday in PDP and today kicking very well in PDP, adding to this I am also today, a member of PDP National caucus, NEC member and member National convention.
Benue: Alia blames PDP for underdevelopment
“The BoT will continue discussing with all other aggrieved members of the party, including those in state, zones,and national. I advise that we should concentrate more on how to win all elective positions in 2023”, he said.
PHOTO; State House
From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Benue State Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has lamented that the 7 years of PDP government has taken the State 21 years backward.Fr.Alia who made the lamentation yesterday during an interface with the State Executive of the party at the Party Secretariat, Makurdi, also decried that all sectors of the state is in complete comatose. He noted that the economy of the state has descended to the lowest degree, promising that 2023 will usher in a new dawn in the fortune of the people.
“It will be a year of renewal. It is going to be a year to harvest good and not for propaganda. I will put an end to politics of propaganda in the State”, he pledged.Theclergyman who received his letter of acknowledgement from the Independent National Electorate Commission, INEC, presented to him by the State
“As a PDP BoT Chairman, I must say the truth and nothing but the truth, no matter anyone’s criticism. I don’t fear any one, but God and true agenda of our party. “I will add that I stand strongly on my toes. I am a true member of pdp since it’s inception in 1998.
Hajiya Alkali Baba who was at the Palace of the paramount ruler of Idoma nation Ochi’Idoma, Agaba-Idu, John Elaigwu Odogbo in Otukpo, Otukpo Local Government Area said “One of my greatest achievements was to revive POWA nationally.”
NDLEA urges speedy trial of drug offenders
The BoT Chairman, in his statement, said, “Based on my earlier statement that PDP cannot produce in North president, national Chairman, BoT Chairman all from the North for 2023 presidential elections. I still maintain my stand on that statement.“PDP is a democratic and national party that caters for all Nigerians. It is not sectional party. It is loved by all Nigerians.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Walid Jibrin has insisted that it is wrong for the presidential candidate, National Chairman and BoT Chairman of the party to come from the Northern part of the country at the detriment of the Southern region. Senator Jibrin said this in a statement yesterday in Abuja. The PDP BoT Chairman maintained that that as a national party, the PDP must be seen to be democratic and cater for the overall interest of all Nigerians. He insisted that PDP as a party loved by all, can not afford to be a sectionalJibrinparty.vowed to continue to stand by truth no matter what anybody may say.
From:Femi Oyelola, Kaduna Agroup under the auspices of Arewa Civil Society group, has commended the award of a crude oil surveillance contract to Chief Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo in the Niger Delta, urging Federal Government to award security of other critical infrastructures like railway lines prone to attacks to him.
From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi Wife of the InspectorGeneral of Police Hajiya Hajara Alkali Baba, has stressed that the welfare of Police Officers ‘ Wives Association remains her topThepriority.IGP’s wife who said this yesterday in Otukpo on commencement of a 5 day visit to Benue State, intimated that since assumption of office, she has initiated and inaugurated skill acquusition center in Rivers State and Imo States.
The Spokesperson of the group, Mallam Aminu Abbas, asserted this during a press conference held in Kaduna yesterday.Reacting to the call made by some individuals, condemning the award of crude oil surveillance contract to Ekpemupolo, the Abbas, said “ there’s nothing wrong if the federal government engage their services to help secure other critical economic infrastructure.”
“As chairman of BoT, I have a tenure of 5 years but already spent 4 years six months, having only six months left as per the constitution of our“Therefore,party. I will never accept any unholy criticism by any one. I will remain in PDP until my death. I still maintain that the BoT is eagerly waiting for the report of the Reconciliation committee headed by Governor of Adamawa state and Professor Jerry Gana. Thereafter the BoT will thoroughly discuss it and inform the public accordingly, no more no less.
crudebacksGroup contractsecurityoil to Tompolo
Party Chairman Comrade Austin Agada,dedicated it to those who contested with him at the party primaries, even as he extended the Olive branch to all aggrieved members of the party to sheath their sword and join hands to actualize the goal of redeeming the State from shackles of underdevelopment.
The Commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Gombe State, Mrs Ekaete Egwunwoke has called for accelerated trial of drug offenders in the state. She stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on EgwunwokeTuesday.said that the high number of drug offences in the state required swift and decisive response from all stakeholders.Sheurged the ministry of Justice to collaborate with the court to hasten the conclusion of drug related cases in the courts. Egwunwoke expressed concern over the attitude of members of the public, to the increasing number of drug and substance abuse among youths in theShestate.said the failure to tame the spate of drug and substance abuse in the state, has the potential to become severe with devastating effects on lives and property.Thecommander said that with the current harsh economic situation in the country, some youths have resorted to the consumption of drug to commit crimes.She urged parents and members of the community to remain vigilant and report drug dealers to the relevant authorities for appropriate punishment.Egwunwoke commended Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state for the recent recruitment and training of 500 youths into the state Security, Traffic and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC) and the recruitment of 1,000 Teachers. (NAN) By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
It’s wrong for North to produce presidential candidate, national, BoT Chairmen - Walid Jibrin R-L; President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of State External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, H.E V. Muraleedharan, Joint Secretary (C&WA) Mr. Sevala Naik Mude, Director MOS OfficeMr. Chandru and Deputy Head of Mission, Mr VSDL Surendra an First Secretary Indian High Commission, Mr. Vipul Mesariya during and audience with Indian Delegation at the State house yesterday in Abuja.
PAGE 7PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 CRIME N EWS
IGP’s wivesOfficerswelfareharpswifeonfor
“The demolition was a pure political gang up hatched by the government officials 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.
By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
“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.
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 Officer, 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
“Our client has so far suffered serious emotional trauma, mental stress and damages as a result of the demolition of his house.
“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 officials and part of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Niger Gov wife laments high rate of out -of -school children, drug abuse
Legal Advocacy(PLAC),at the National Assembly yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa
“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, officials, 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.
PAGE 8 NEWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
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.
“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 flagrant 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.
“In fact, one of his domestic staff at the Boys Quarters of the demolished building sustained second degree injuries and is presently hospitalized.
Demolition: Prince Kpokpogiri institutes $50m suit at ICC against FCT Minister, others
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 justification.
“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.
L-R: Chairman Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Sen. Kabiru Gaya; Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase and Chairman House of CollaborationonbyandElectoraltohearingduringMatters,CommitteeRepresentativesonElectoralHon.AishatuDukku,aoneDaypubliconaBillforanActEstablishtheNationalOffencesCommissionforRelatedMatters2022theHouseCommitteeElectoralMattersinwithPolicyand
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. She said 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.
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), flagged -up the training of Master trainers in the state. Speaking at the flaggingoff of the training, the state commissioner for education Alhaji Lawan Yunusa Danzomo who was represented by the permanent secretary in ministry Hajiya Safiya 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.
PAGE 9PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
Lalong wants stiffer action on illegal mining
Benue condemnsPDP call for impeachmentOrtom’s
Personal hygiene, sanitation best preventive measures against malaria —Minister
“Due to the focus on crude oil, not much attention is devoted to the solid minerals theft.He said the situation left illegal miners from within and outside the country to have a field day in ripping off the country and devastating local communities.Hesaid the governor called for deliberate efforts on strengthening unity and progress in Nigeria, while admonishing the exploitation of religion and ethnicity at the detriment of nationhood. He quoted Lalong saying “So much has been done to restore peace in Plateau State which has brought back tourism and investors as well as enhanced the creative industry and sports.”(NAN) G ender revisitsilencedplightthis.becomeandisevenreconciliationwomenthataGSAI,ininsurgenceRemembranceofexhibitionwomenwillKoreanpartnershipinternationalAdvancementStrategyinwithTheCulturalCentreonSaturdayholdtheandpeaceculturalincommemorationtheInternationalDayofofvictimsofandactofterrorismAbuja.TheExecutiveDirectorAdaoraOnyechere,instatementyesterdaysaidovertheyearstheroleofinpeace,mediationandhasdiminishedinatimewhereinsecurityheightenedinthecountrywomenandchildrenhavetheburdenbearersofShefurtherstatedthatthehasleftalotofwomeninpainandsomemiseryasaconsequence of serial attacks in their states and in the communities.
“ It is also estimated that nearly 173million Nigerians are beingHeinfected.notedthat, ”the alarming situation brings along with economic consequences, absence from work by adults and school on the part of children. He said several efforts are being made internationally, nationally and locally to combat the malaria scourge. He added that only recently, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Nigeria End Malaria Council (NEMC) where he mandated it to ensure successful implementation of the Council’s programme that should translate into N2 trillion savings from the estimated economic burden of the disease by 2030.Abdullahi, added that the Ministry is solidly behind the President in achieving the onerous target set for the NEMC which is quite achievable with the right implementation of strategies utilizing collaboration andHepartnership.saidthatthe decision for Nigeria to establish the NEMC is indeed laudable on account of the importance the African Union attaches to it. The Minister, said: “The inauguration of the NEMC coming barely five days to the World Mosquito Day is testament to the fact that the killer Arthropod is the Centre of attraction as Case management of Malaria has proven too be less effective in the control of the hyper endemic disease. Meanwhile, he said control of the adult mosquito bite through the use of InsecticideTreated (Mosquito) Nets is posting some gains, attaining the desired impact is not near and is unfortunately not too reliable strategy.
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Dr Makut Macham, on Monday in Jos, he decried that illegal mining had continued to cause economic and security challenges in the nation . He described the impact of illegal mining as similar to oil bunkering and called for urgent steps to address the menaceMacham. said Lalong expressed concern on the huge loss of solid materials by governments at all levels resulting from illegal mining.
PAGE 10 N EWS PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
“To unveil their talents, crafts and exhibition it some of the amazing works these women have done and also to see through the works of artists their collection on how the journey of survival, the story of our culture and the trajectory of our diversity has been documented using creative arts.“To raise awareness on the role of women , peace and mediation and engage key stakeholders.”Thegender advocate explained that the events will also popularize the need to end all forms of violence against women; bring a sense of understanding to the need for emergency intervention in the area of insecurity in the country as it affects women most. And build a compendium of visual data through the program. “This is is an emergent situation and the need to raise awareness across all social clusters of both national and international is important”, sheThisexplained.event is scheduled to be flagged off by the Korean Cultural Centre and hosted by Gender Strategy Advancement international in partnership with Business day, Nigerian women Arts association, The Skilled Women Initiatives, Alex Reporters, Sparrow Productions, AIT, Arise News and many others.
From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi P eoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Benue State chapter has condemned calls by the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the impeachment of Governor Samuel Ortom. The APC had in a statement last week, accused the Governor of mismanaging finances of the local governments in the State, just as the party also frowned at the inability of the State government to constitute executive arm of the local governments.Reacting,Publicity Secretary of PDP Bemgba Iortyom averred the call was unnecessary.
By Mashe Umaru Gwamna T he Minister of Environment Barr. Mohammade Abdulliahi, said improved personal hygiene and environmental sanitation remain the best preventative measures of Malaria and other infectious vector- borne diseases.The Minister made this known during a press briefing to commemorate world mosquitoes day yesterday in Abuja.Mohammed urged individuals, families and community members to imbibe preventative measures such as “ keeping waste materials and junks away from village squares, huts and rooms”. To guard against insects, he urged them to use wire mesh to reduce mosquito entry into living and bedroom and ensure regular cleaning and removal of waste“Theymaterials.should endeavor to seek assistance of trained environmental health practitioners on the best way of handling mosquitos and other animals disease vectors generally”.Hesaid Nigeria has the world’s highest malaria burden with a reported cases of 51million and 207,000 deaths representing nearly 30% of the total malaria burden in Africa.
Gov. Simon Lalong
“The electioneering period has also set in and the conversation between candidates and the politics have further divided voices into ethno-religious and also reducing the most significant attribute of our nationhood which is our culture, our heritage and our diversity”, she added.The exhibition, according to her, is in honour of the many women and girls excommunicated by the terrorism in the communities, to reignite hope in the hearts of those who remain by rekindling their trust through this exhibition of culture through arts, diversity through exclusive photography works of indigenous women from across theShestates.added that the exhibition will also showcase the works of the vulnerable women and how they have managed to survive through using arts and crafts. According to her, “The objective of this event is to curate a support network for these women in other to enable them,with platforms to showcase theirs works and build partnerships.
Bemgba said Governor Samuel Ortom does not run the local government administrations in Benue State, rather the Executive arm of the state government under his Gleadership.ov.Simon Lalong of Plateau has called for stiffer action against illegal mining in the north and other parts of Nigeria. Lalong made the call at the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Lagos .
Kebbi
Exhibition in honour of women affected by terrorism holds in Abuja
criminalityagainstontasksCommissionerPoliceofficersfight
From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi T he Kebbi State Commissioner of Police (CP) Ahmed Magaji Kotangora, has charged all the 26 newly promoted officers to defend the country in fight against criminality. He gave this charge yesterday at the command headquarters while addressing the newly decorated officers who were promoted from the ranks of DSP to SP. He added that thier new ranks is an added responsibility. He added that the command is ready to fish out all the criminals in the state.
For Greenwald, the ‘impartiality’ formula of ‘here’s-what-both-sides-sayand-I-won’t-resolve-the-conflicts’ and an inability of journalists to openly take a definitive stand on what’s true, often rewards dishonesty on the part of political and corporate officials who know they can rely on ‘objective’ reporters to amplify their falsehoods without challenge In his words, “This suffocating constraint on how reporters are permitted to express themselves produces a selfneutering form of journalism that becomes as ineffectual as it is boring. Worst of all, this model rests on a false conceit. Human beings are not objectivitydriven machines. We all intrinsically perceive and process the world through subjective prisms. What is the value in pretending otherwise?”
By Deoye Falade
Case in point: the ARISE TV exchange between Rufai Oseni and Tundun with Former Minister, Adebayo Shittu on the APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket and other internal drama within the party, Tundun: A lot of people would be buoyed by your confidence… Mr Adebayo Shittu: Why are you attacking my confidence? What is your problem with my confidence �� Tundun stood her ground and maintained that the word “Buoy’ isn’t negative. At a point, said, “Maybe we need a dictionary.”Voiceswent up a few notches but this exchange is all it took for people to say that the guys at Arise TV are unprofessional andIt’sbiased.funny because many people who say this do so without any actual understanding of what journalism ethics are. You can say that they put you off but to say they were unprofessional? Lol. I also noticed that many people think journalists have to be neutral. No, they don’t. What Nigerians qualify as bad journalism is any kind of journalistic conduct that offends their sensibilities and not whether it is based on truth. Essentially, journalists always have to playButnice.where has that gotten us? It’s gotten us to a point where in response to valid questions by journalists, Public Servants respond by asking, “Who is bankrolling you?” It’s gotten us to a point where people value faux-politeness over truth. It’s gotten us to a point where people no longer trust mainstream media. I mean, someone on Twitter reeled off names of a bunch of veterans/retired NTA newscasters as a pointer to the bygone good days of good journalism. Other than the fact that they’re newscasters who largely appeal to people based on their good diction and delivery, those people work for a state-owned broadcasting service. Is politely delivered news propaganda now the standard for good journalism?
Journalists do not have to play nice
American journalist, Glenn Greenwald’s is famous as the Guardian (UK) journalist who reported Edward Snowden’s revelations about the surveillance of citizens by America’s National Security Agency (NSA). In 2013, he left the Guardian and decided to join a new independent journalistic venture financed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. He’s moved on to other things from there, I’m not saying they have to be mean or insult guests but they do not owe public servants niceties when seeking truth and trying to hold them accountable. Why are we eager to label journalists as rude or unprofessional when they refuse to back down when engaging with an interviewee that becomes unnecessarily defensive or combative?
Now, I’m not saying that there’s no room for neutrality. I’d be foolish to say that, especially as someone who has two degrees in communication and years of experience as both a field reporter and editor. However, based on the preceding paragraphs,, there is obviously more than one journalistic approach. I’m also of the opinion that honestly disclosing, rather than hiding one’s subjective values can produce a more honest and trustworthy form of Abovejournalism.all,no journalism – from the most stylistically ‘objective’ to the most brazenly opinionated (like David Hundeyin’s) – has any real value unless it is grounded in facts, evidence, and verifiable data. So, no, journalists do not always have to play nice and they shouldn’t be branded as unprofessional for not doing so. The Watergate Scandal wasn’t uncovered by taking kid gloves into the journalistic ring. Deoye Falade is a Public Affairs Analyst.
Take it easy T he Federal Government has threatened to penalize the BBC over a documentary made by its investigations programme Africa Eye about the so-called bandit warlords of Zamfara. Trust TV also has the threat dangling over its head. Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, alleged the documentary “The Bandit Leaders in Zamfara” glorifies the militants’ actions which have terrorized residents in the state over the years. He said the penalties against BBC would be set by the medium security prison in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), freeing hundreds of inmates. Last week, the government shut down its unity colleges in the FCT because of threatened attacks by terrorists. Their students were in the midst of graduation exams. The increasing attacks by bandits and terrorists are happening not because the government is lax in stopping them. For sure, the military and other security forces are doing their best. The problem simply is that the terrorists are embedded in the journalistsstoppingmaterials.termsbetterthatransomearnAlso,amongcollateralwithouttroopsmakingpopulation,ithardfortoattackincurringdamagecivilians.thebanditsmillionsfromdemandskeepthemsuppliedinofarmsandHowever,from reporting the terror is hardly the right way to stop the criminals. It is true, covering their violent actions gives them unsolicited publicity. But this also helps the government because it is an opportunity to see the faces and hear the voices of terror first hand. The military often complains that it is not getting intelligence from the population in which the terrorists and bandits live. But here is the intelligence offered free of charge. We urge the government to take it and allow journalists to do their legitimate job without let or hindrance.
theyAbuja,attacksLately,attacksseemingjitterylocalsdays,Nigerianswidelystoodthetheand“oftensaidstatement,ofjournalismofareDailyathecommunicatedsanctionsthedirectorpublicCommission.BroadcastingNationalItsaffairshastoldBBCthatwillbetocorporationandlocalnewspaper,Trust,iftheyfoundguiltybreachingthecodeconduct.InatheBBCAfricaEyedealswithcontroversialcomplexsubjects.”Italsosaidstorywasoverwhelminglyinpublicinterestandthatitbyitsjournalism.Thedocumentary,alreadydiscussedamongforthelastseveralhascomeatatimewhenarebecomingincreasinglyoverthegovernment’sinabilitytostopdaringbybanditsandterrorists.theyhavelauncheddeadlyandambushesrightinthecapitalcity.InJuly,attackedahighlyfortified
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While there may be a standard model for journalists to be impartial and this is now generally seen as good journalism, this ‘standard’ has also produced lots of atrocious journalism and some toxic habits that are weakening the profession.
PAGE 11PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 Letter to the Editor “To be reputable,a profitable, innovative products”servicesworldcompanyrelianttechnologicallyandmediaofferingclassand OUR VISIONOUR PEOPLEOUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and deliveringstandardsethicalwhilevalue to our stakeholders” Chief Operating OffiCer /editOr, Hameed m. Bello, PhD Manager, adMinistratiOn Hassan Hammanyaji hEAD, adVert Patrick UGama EDITORIAL
Do people even know that there are different kinds of journalistic approaches? By the looks of it, no. And this is where I’d like to mention that there is such a thing as Adversarial Journalism and someone called Greenwald.American journalist, Glenn Greenwald’s is famous as the Guardian (UK) journalist who reported Edward Snowden’s revelations about the surveillance of citizens by America’s National Security Agency (NSA). In 2013, he left the Guardian and decided to join a new independent journalistic venture financed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. He’s moved on to other things from there, Why am I mentioning this guy? Well, Greenwald is an avid proponent of adversarial journalism. He believes it can hold “the most powerful factions accountable, fearlessly, and without regard to threats or repercussions from the government or corporate factions.”
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In 2018, for instance, Former President Obasanjo in his personal but open letter to President Muhammadu, complained about ‘lice of poor performance in governmentpoverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed-if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality’’ Today, such fears expressed by the Obasanjo cannot be described as unfounded. On the issue of petrol pump price and electricity tariff hike, I recall now with nostalgia that one of the popular demands during the fuel subsidy removal protest in January, 2012, under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration, was that the federal government should take measures to strengthen corporate governance in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as well as in the oil and gas sector as a whole. This is because of the belief that weak structures made it possible for the endemic corruption in the management of both the downstream and upstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.Eight years after such demand was made and Jonathan gone, the three government-owned refineries in the country have not been able to function at full capacity as promised by the present administration for a myriad of reasons that revolve aroundToday,corruption.ifthere is anything that Nigerians wish that the FG should accomplish quickly, it is getting the refineries to function optimally as well as make the NNPC more accountable to the people. As what happened under president Jonathan has become a child’s play when compared with the present happenings in Nigeria’s oil/gas and electricity sectors. Under this condition, the question may be asked; why won’t the youth revolt that Nigeria at independence was tipped by Global economic experts, following a study of its strides, to emerge as the most successful black nation because of its purpose-driven population and with an unbridled hunger to succeed, but today, contrary to that prediction, crawls at the base of the world’s economic pyramid? Why won’t the youths protest in a country that was in the 1960s/70 laced with splendid agriculture, immense natural resources, a fantastic GDR, a strong infrastructure, world class Universities, an awe inspiring telecommunication system, a foremost and far reaching television station, an excellent sport, a vibrant and formidable military, but today, ranks as the world poverty capital stripped of infrastructures? Why can’t the masses revolt in a country that has so many outstanding people in all fields of scholarship, but has for yet to be identified reasons allowed the high standards the British left them to be lowered? This development becomes even more painful when one remembers that presently in the country, going by the national bureau of statistics reports, 27.1 per cent of the nation’s workforce is unemployed, 40.8 per cent of young people aged 15-24 and 30.8 percent of 25-34 years are out of work. If Nigeria’s unemployed youth were its own country, says a report, it would be larger than Tunisia or Belgium. Looking at this legion of challenges, one thing stands out. This piece is of the views that there is something fundamentally wrong with a society that does not give opportunities to its young people even when it is globally noted that youths have in the past rescued societies. However, from what the youths are saying, it appears they have suddenly realized that the Constitution gave sovereignty to the people. That every citizen is expected to hold Government stakeholders to account for the use of the resources entrusted into their care. They have remembered that the outlook is bleak and have decided to use their innovative prowess to change the narrative. Particularly as ‘the failure of the government to improve economic conditions and expand opportunities for its youngest citizens has been worsened by President Muhammadu Buhari who has presided over two recessions.
Enough Is Enough (EIE) was given $100,000 to disburse as Covid19 Palliative Support with no evidence of disbursement.
By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi
There are countless examples of how government daily disconnects from the people, but perhaps, understandably the first one that comes to mind is their inability to recognize that public order, personal and national security, economic and social programmes and prosperity is not the natural order of things but depends on the ceaseless efforts and attentions from an honest and effective government that the people elect. This piece is not alone in this line of belief.
PAGE 12 OPINION PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
Professor of International Studies and professor of Anthropology at Brown University, Daniel Jordan Smith noted much earlier, that a large proportion of Nigeria’s NGOs of were created in response to the growing availability of donor monies, contributing to the average citizen’s belief that NGOs were somehow linked to a world of “fraud, deceit, andNigeria’scorruption.”mainstream Civil Societies sector are the primary conduit for international assistance focused on democracy, good governance, and human rights promotion in Africa’s most populous nation. It’s strongly advised that the Nigerian government via the levers of legislation of the National Assembly to enforce existing corporate laws, ensuring that all NGOs register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), identify a board of trustees populated by individuals with unblemished records, and submit annual financial reports to the commission – These lacunae are drawbacks that are not strictly adhered to by a large number of NGO’s and CSO’s in the civil society ecosystem.
2023 and voting in anger quagmire
Ibrahim Tanko Salisu is a Public Policy Analyst.
Utomi Jerome-Mario is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), A Lagos-Based Non Governmental Organization (NGO).And could be reached via Jeromeutomi@yahoo.com /08032725374. vacuum of transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s CSO’s space
This old maxim is the basis of the clean hands doctrine and constitutes the meat of this treatise that seeks to thrust a beamlight on the activities of NGO’s and CSO’s in the democratic realm of Nigeria. The core thrust of mainstream civil society organizations (CSO’s) and NonGovernmental Organizations (NGO’s) is to promote human rights, democracy, good governance, and the protection of civil liberties in ecosystems where they operate. Indeed, many of Nigeria’s civil society startups exist precisely because the barrier for entry is so low. Unlike under military rule, today’s newly formed NGOs are relatively free to operate, build relationships, and seek support with international donors. They are also now able to leverage transformative outreach and fundraising tools on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp amongst others. Since 2015, legislators have twice introduced bills to strictly regulate NGOs, even though they are already subject to corporate laws such as the Companies and Allied Matters (CAMA) Act. It claims that some NGOs “solicit funds for selfish motives” and “fund the activities of insurgents,” based on submission(s) of Nigeria’s military agencies much earlier. The House deputy majority leader introduced the first such bill in 2016, but it failed to pass before the legislative session ended in 2019.
The Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Right Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila championed a similar bill in 2019, declaring that NGOs needed stricter regulation because some were aiding the Boko Haram insurgency. This second bill aimed to create a civil society regulatory agency with just four civil society representatives on its nineteen-seat board. Two of those four would be nominated by the National Youth Council of Nigeria. In early 2020, the bill stalled amid sharp criticism from civil society and some legislators, one of who reminded his colleagues how, under military rule, pro-democracy NGOs gave their “blood, sweat and resources to win democracy for the country.” Nevertheless, legislators amended the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) in 2020 to increase state influence over civil society groups, empowering the government to remove trustees from the board of an NGO when, for instance, it deems that doing so is in the “publicMainstreaminterests.”NGOs of all sizes and construct need funds to operate, organize events, conduct training and research, pay staff, and rent office space. Most legitimate NGOs are supported either directly by grants or task-specific contracts from international development agencies and charitable foundations, or indirectly via partnerships with larger NGOs. Many disclose their funding pipeline on their web portal, at their events, or in their annual reports. Most international donors likewise publish details of the projects and organizations they fund. It has been expressed in some quarters that some NGO’s represent a meaningful threat to Nigeria’s democratic development, social cohesion, and long-term stability.
Nigeria’s tax enforcement and anti-corruption agencies should also investigate mainstream NGOs particularly with respect to their sources of funding, tax compliance, and relationships with politically exposed persons. It’s highly imperative for diplomats, donors and development partners, as well as legitimate domestic and international NGOs, also could do more to call out pro-government groups toxic tendencies and exert requisite pressure on their high-level sponsors. Time would tell, if these recommendations are implemented by the parties that operate in these ecosystem.
Some of the grants and the description of the grants does not match the beneficiary NGO/CSO’s scope, from 20082021 Socio-Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP) have been awarded $3,142,167 from one donor, Connected Development Initiative (CODE) was awarded $350,000 by the same donor to Monitor the funds in Kaduna State’s Universal Basic Education Commission, and also International Centre for Investigative Reporting got $1,537,255 from 2016-2021 from the same donor.
The
When millions of people are cheated for too long, restitution becomes not just a costly process but substantial in financial and human terms; inferior education, poor housing, unemployment, poor healthcare facilities-Martin Luther King Jr. It is not only a barefaced truth that Nigeria’s youngest citizens have crawled out of their shells to make a demand that their elected government treat them with dignity and protect their constitutional rights and democratic freedoms, Rather, what is in some ways newsy and apparent is that the youths grouse against the ruling party enjoys the support of well meaning Nigerians of diverse background, profession, religion andIttribe.was a similar feeling that partially explains the recent admonition by Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, during the sixth edition of the annual ‘BRF GABFEST’, held recently in Lagos and had as its theme, ‘What Am I Voting For?’, to advise Nigerians to vote in the 2023 polls based on track‘Emotionsrecord. should not be the primary drive for making choices of quality leaders who will address the challenges of the country. We might wonder how to get candidates to address these issues. One way is to look at what their manifestos present and what their political parties profess. The other way is to attend rallies they organize. I urge you to vote by holding debates and town halls where you put questions to the candidates to test their abilities. “I urge you to vote by looking at what the candidates have done before, this is like asking for the referees during an interview or talking to a previous employer. This is how to recruit an employee. Not by anger.” Indeed, the insight given by the Minister remains credible, and should be encouraged. But beyond this peripheral consideration, there exists torrents of reasons why many young Nigerians who were not of age in 2015 will get the chance to vote for the first time, and those who voted last time out will want to activate their dreams in another call for change; this time for the better. Aside from the fact that the new orientation would be shaped by recent fiscal, sociological, political and communal happenings in the country; coupled with the pockets of ethno-religious upheavals and misgivings from one region against another or powerful personalities against each other, the present movement and ‘youth’s revolt’ is majorly a fight against deformed leadership, resource mismanagement and perennial egotism, and fired by the reality that the oppressed cannot remain oppressed forever. After about eight years of unfulfilled change, the electorate should be excused if they enter 2019 with a new dream on their minds, and head to the polls with a different mentality from what they had in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
By Ibrahim Tanko Salisu
Indeed, while it is relevant for all to take hope in the youths’ capacity to enthrone a nation where we can coexist harmoniously irrespective of tribe or ethnical inclination and truly establish the egalitarian society that we have been deprived of, our leaders must not fail to remember that what the youths currently demands is good governance, and someone to nurture their potential for innovation, creativity, and self-confidence in leadership. Leaders must also recognize that ‘those who lead from the top of the pyramid end up leading only those on top, which is not how development exercise should be carried out’. To win therefore, the youth must be guided by the timehonoured saying that courage faces fear and masters it while cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it. Courageous men never lose their zest for living even though their life situation is restless, but cowardly men overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life, lose the will to live’. This is not the time to show apathy or complacency but a period to work passionately and indefatigably to right the wrong.
Presidential vehicular gift: Another look
Nigeria has a Directorate of Technical Aid Corp which it uses to send professionals to needy African and Caribbean countries of say Medical Doctors, Academics, secondary school teachers, primary school teachers, Agriculturist, etc. No one is complaining about this. This is a good apparatus for soft power Nigerian control and command among African nation states. It is pertinent for the Nigerian state to reeducate its citizenry about its history. Understanding our history will help in addressing this kind of gesture. For example, most if not all the Federal Troops that participated in the Nigerian civil war knew what role the Niger Republic played. The Niger Republic provided troops to the Federal Troops as well as logistics. The records are there with the relevant governmental agencies for everyone to see. But because of the lack of teaching our history, most Nigerians, even the paper educated, did not know this aspect of our history. This presidential vehicular gesture also revives the KanoMaradi rail line brouhaha. This line will connect Nigeria and Niger Republic via rail from Kano to Daura, Katsina, Jibiya, and finally terminate at Dan-Issa in Maradi state of Niger Republic. Unfortunately, most if not all people that raised an eyebrow on this rail line forget that before the mid-1990s, Niger Republic used Nigerian sea ports for their import and exports, thus creating jobs in Nigeria and mostly for Nigerians. Thus, reviving this rail line means reviving that business which Niger Republic handed over to Benin Republic.Anycountry (especially rich countries) that failed to maintain a cordial relation with its neighbors, and provided positive aids to the neighbors, might find herself in political, economic, and or social quagmire that might end up being catastrophic. Thus, as Nigeria is richer than Niger, this kind of aid must be common from Nigeria, as well as been at the appropriate time not late like this one. Abdullahi from Texas, United States via llccoimex@ gmail.com By Olawale Feranmi Globally, this is not the best of times for any economy, particularly Nigeria. The battle against COVID-19 pandemic had barely settled and economies began to struggle to shake off the impact when Russia invaded Ukraine, disrupting world composure. Since February 2022 the world supply chain has been disrupted and prices of goods and services have risen astronomically. Nigeria’s situation is even more complicated as it is challenged locally, and exogenously – insecurity has affected food production, and the Russian- Ukraine war has crippled the global food supply chain. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) hitherto reluctant, believing in the efficacy of its monetary tools has yielded to global reality and in two quick successions, after almost two and half years, jerked up the interest rate from 11.5 to 13 percent in May, and 14 percent in July. Even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic the bank held on for years deploying policies to sustain the economy. Expectedly, the bank’s mandate as provided for in the BOFIA Act 2020 (as amended) has price stability as one of its core responsibilities being an ingredient for sustainable growth. It is also charged with the responsibility of achieving a stable financial system and an efficient payments system. Therefore, whenever there is inflation in the land, as it is currently, the CBN is always home to confront it. The CBN’s stance towards confronting inflation dates back to 2014 when its current governor, Godwin Emefiele, assumed office. Interest rate then was influenced by domestic liquidity conditions and global economic factors such as sharp drop in international crude oil prices, tapering of quantitative easing by the United States Federal Reserves Bank, and dwindling foreign reserves. However, global tensions, and economic recession of 2016, most importantly, provided Nigeria with some lessons and steps needed to be taken to improve the wealth base of the economy. Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Nigeria increased to 455.40 points in June 2022 from 447.20 points in May of 2022. CPI in Nigeria averaged 127.55 points from 1995 until 2022, reaching an all-time high of 455.40 points in JuneConsumerof2022.Price Index is an important economic metric that measures the average change in prices (inflation) paid by consumers over a period for goods and services. The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) posted 18.6 percent inflation rate for the month of June 2022 compared to 17.75 percent in the corresponding month 2021, and ever since inflation has taken flight up north. Prior to Russian invasion of Ukraine, a major distributor in world food supply chain, Nigeria had been battling galloping inflation mainly caused by internal insecurity –such as banditry, kidnapping, crude oil theft, and sabotage of oil pipelines etc., in addition to obvious structural defects, present, and past administrations in the country have failed to address. Unfortunately, Nigerians are blaming the CBN for the economic hardship being experienced in the land. Obvious fiscal deficit, and government inability to arrest insecurity and put in place structures to aid economic development are palpable reason why many felt the CBN’s interventions are defective. Inflation, from the ongoing, has apparently blighted the gains of measures taken by the CBN to bolster the Naira through various programmes and policies in key sectors aimed at diversifying the economy. Measures taken were also to open other sources of revenue to theHowever,country.the fate of the Naira, because of rising inflation has made borrowing become not only expensive but unattractive. Inflation has also engendered general increase in prices of items and other essential commodities making existence more challenging. These, and many more global happenings, may have prompted the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee at its last meeting to jerk up Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 100 basis points (from 13 –14 percent). Nigerians eagerly hope to see how effective the decision would be. My worries: why do the elites continually blame the monetary authority for the economic woes? I can recollect many of the CBN’s Governor admonitions to the government on insecurity, borrowings, fiscal discipline, and economic diversification. The CBN at a time was also accused of biting more than it could chew by practically intervening in every sector of the economy, as nothing worthwhile was coming from the fiscal side to help the economy. Some Nigerians asked whether the Bank had ‘swallowed’ the fiscal authority as the CBN was the only government institution seen to be working in the economy. Many of the Bank’s intervention programmes – the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, MSMEDEF, NIRSAL, CIFI, AGSMEIS, PAIF, among others were not only deployed to put the economy on the path of growth but to create jobs that are stable and sustainable. The Bank at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic rallied the private sector on a rescue mission, code name CACOVID, and their intervention saved the economy from a second economic recession in five years. All these efforts were because of fiscal absence in the critical sector that were supposed to spur growth and create jobs. These elephants in the room seem to be blighting the Emefiele led-CBN achievements, particularly, the intractable insecurity in the country. The inability of the government to arrest the situation, and its economic implication has been colossal. Many companies have relocated while many have closed. Farmers can no longer farm as they have been chased away from their farmlands. This is despite the CBN’s interventions by making credit available to businesses and farmers. Critical stakeholders in the economy had expected the fiscal space to complement the CBN by dealing squarely with insecurity and providing basic infrastructure to grow the economy. Corruption, another big elephant in the room, is waxing unrestrained. The CBN policy of Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) has ensured free flow of credit to the private sector to enable them produce locally and increase capacity to fill the gap occasioned by the ban on certain items by the government. However, contraband goods are still finding their way into the country through the borders. Food inflation is snuffing breath out of Nigerians, and it was high time the government addressed these issues for the benefit and welfare of all. This is because Nigerians are indeed groaning.
Inflation, corruption, and banditry killing the economy
PAGE 13 COMMENT PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
Feranmi writes from Kabba, Kogi state
By Mustspha Maikudi Abdullahi One common saying in international relations is that ‘no country can survive by itself’. There was much hype in the country following the revelation that the Nigerian Federal government bought cars as a gift to the Republic of Niger. This hype is understandable considering the economic situation on the ground in Nigeria. Because there was much hardship to the commoners, this gift is looked upon as a wasted investment. Thus, it is not. Particularly considering what the federal government said the gift was; to help the Republic of Niger in provision of logistics in fight of banditry, kidnappers, and other similar sundry crimes. When Nigeria went to (in the late 1980 to early 1990) Liberia and Sierra Leone, and established civilian administrations in these countries, as well as saving lives and properties, the whole international community was happy and hailing Nigeria. Our domestic public commentators were not left behind in celebrating Nigeria at that time. One cannot understand the logic of their celebration then. Because instabilities in Liberia and Sierra Leone do not have much threat to Nigeria compared to Niger Republic which share a direct land border of more than 1,600 kilometers! Despite this, there are lots of people who see any gesture towards our northern neighbors as wastage! One writer even asked the appropriateness of helping the Niger Republic? While, if he has been living or even visiting Northwestern part of the country, he would have understood that. Particularly when the government categorically said that the vehicles are meant for Niger Republic security; to help Nigeria in the fight against banditry. One pertinent issue with those maligning PMB and Nigerian state in general, are also the ones celebrating and hailing other nations when they dole out either financial support, materials and or other. Thus, why when Nigeria pays that gesture back to a fellow African nation these same people are hostile? Only them can explain in detail to the nation. For example, many Nigerians benefited and are benefitting from various scholarship schemes from the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Korea, People’s Republic of China, Germany, and Russia, etc. Also, showing goodwill is humane. Also, almost all African cultures encourage that. We also need to remember that this kind of gesture at the international arena, is important for a state to control over those countries receiving the gift/aid. This is what is called “soft power” in international relations. With aid to Niger Republic, Nigeria will restrengthen its lost position over its West African neighbors, which was lost since the demise of General Sani Abacha, precisely, in 1999 when the current Republic was enshrined. This aid and the “soft power” Nigeria used to control and command, was what we mostly remember with nostalgia which is no more. One pertinent issue on all this Niger Republic vehicular brouhaha, was the collapse of the Nigerian cardinal foreign policy. Nigerian foreign policy used to be Africa centered, but that no more due to some reasons which nobody likes to explain. But whoever is paying attention to the conspiracy theories of insecurity in Northeastern and Northwestern parts of Nigeria, might be adding to the puzzle and or seeing the bigger picture of why. Because Nigeria. This brings one to the issue of leadership strategy. It was the military regimes that built Nigerian foreign policy and centered it towards Africa, not just for African solidarity, but for strategic reasons. If that foreign policy was maintained, the current insecurity the country is facing, particularly from the North, wouldn’t be with such magnitude. Because most of these our neighbors are more than willing to do our jobs for us before we ever asked them at that time. The military regimes rely on that foreign policy knowing that either a state enemy or non-state actors willing to wage a guerrilla war on a state, must use that states’ neighbor(s) (particular the land border, where they come in execute their devilish act and return), this is exactly what is happening with Boko Haram, Banditry, Kidnappers etc. Even for a foreign state to act against another one, it needs the assistance of neighboring states to be attacked. Thus, the need for “soft power”. The wailers of this gesture by PMB claimed that Nigeria wasted lots of money while the money is badly needed at home. These same wailers never complained when Nigeria spent millions of dollars in draining Nigeria of the little brains left for the country and sending them to other African and Caribbean countries in the name of “solidarity”. These wailers never utter a single word, rather, they keep praising the policy day and night because they are the beneficiary.
“In Jos, you have tomatoes, we make ketchup in Trinidad, we can get tomatoes from Jos to export,” De Landro said. Amb. Tunde Mustapha, Director Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, congratulated Trinidad and Tobago on the economic achievements it has recorded it the past 60 years. Mustapha, who spoke on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said that Nigeria was committed to strengthening its relations with Trinidad and Tobago. “Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago share very warm and cordial relations dating back to the time of independence and our two countries have been able to solidify these cultural affinities over time.
“The two countries also share common principles of peaceful, coexistence, non-aggression and noninterference in the internal affairs of other nations,” Mustapha said. NAN reports that the occasion was graced by members of the diplomatic community and representatives of some ministries, department and agencies. (NAN)
The sector commander also said that movement of people from rural areas to the cities, who wanted to enjoy some social facilities not in the villages also had adverse effects on the roads. He added that some of these people came to the cities in the morning and went back in the evening, transiting through the roads. He, therefore, advocated for effective logistics that could sustain massive sensitisation and enlightenment of commercial drivers at their various motor parks.
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FRSC attributes high rate of RTCs to drivers’ quest to regain lost hours
The Niger Delta people, they maintaned, have suffered in silence from the hardship deriving from the advice of interim committee promoters The new board being called for, according to them, is needed to assure the nine states interests in the region’s developmentAccordingprocess.tothem ’Fundamental to the forensic audit report is the question of implementation.“Theevidence so far is that the Federal Government is not rising to the occasion admirably”, they said.
The statement signed by the Chairman of Niger Delta Front (NDF), Chief John Harry, suggested that if Buhari cared so much about developing the region and making the government wide-ranging, he should quickly constitute a new board for the commission. It added, ‘’The Niger Delta people have suffered in silence from the hardship deriving from the advice of interim committee promoters’’
EWS
PAGE 14 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
“We wish to commend the government of Trinidad and Tobago for the giant strides it has achieved in bringing economic prosperity to its people. “Trinidad and Tobago has been classified by the World Bank as a high-income country with the highest capital income in the region, after the U.S and Canada.“Nigeria is committed to strengthening the ties and bonds with Trinidad and Tobago and there are many areas for cooperation in the economic sphere that need to be explored as both countries are oil producing nations.
“The trade has diminished over the years, we were exporting bitumen to Nigeria. What we are doing now is to get agriculture produce. “We have small yams, but in Nigeria you have yams as big as my legs. I tell people that the sweetest pineapples I have eaten is in Nigeria.
Trinidad and Tobago to expand trade relations with Nigeria – Envoy Mr Wendell De Landro, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to Nigeria, has said that his southern American country is ready to expand trade with Nigeria. De Landro made this known on Monday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 60th independence anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the year-long celebration has as its theme and hashtagAccording#Together60.toDeLandro, Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria share similarities in rich culture, natural resources which can be properly harnessed and traded for mutual benefits. He also lamented the diminishing trade relations between the two countries that enjoyed strong bilateral relations which dated back 60 years from when Trinidad and Tobago got independence from Britain.“Culture is one. Another thing is that we have our gas development.
The leaders commended the Federal Government for the forensic audit, the advantage being that the people of the region has been galvanized into lending full support to President Buhari in his campaign to curtail corruption in the region’s development agency. According to them, ‘’Three issues likely to have negative effects on government plans for the region are the personnel audit, delay in constituting a new board and moves to put in place another interim committee to run the commission’’Theydescribed the ploy to constitute another interim committee as impractical and’Itunnecessary.isamatter of sorrow and regret to see a man or woman betray his region and people. The proposed interim committee will not only make NDDC a weak but scrappy agency’’, they said.
“Between those five major roads that transit Bauchi, all other neighbouring states don’t have it very smooth and very good like the road network.“Inview of this, some drivers believe that any lost hours from the neighbouring states they pass through could be regained when they enter Bauchi roads,” he said.
“Right now, Nigeria is flaring probably half to three-quarters of an LNG train … Nigeria has six trains and is working on the seventh. We (Trinidad and Tobago) has four. “We are using our gas, our LNG and we sell. Nigeria is doing that but they can do much more by harnessing the flared gas.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Bauchi command on Tuesday attributed the high rate of Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) in the state to drivers’ quest to regain lost hours.Mr Yusuf Abdullahi, State Sector Commander of the corps, made this known on Tuesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria . Abdullahi explained that commercial drivers within the state tried to regain their lost hours in other states as soon as they got into the state. He added that the drivers’ action was also due to the good road network in the state, noting that five major federal roads ran across the state.
“There’s mass pressure on the roads in SomebodyNigeria.will carry his motorcycle, travel over a 100 Kilometres and come back on the same day because they want to enjoy some things in the city that are not in the village.
“For that, there is need for improved care when we use the road but who is to do that?Itis our duty to do thorough enlightenment but what does it take? it takes more than what we think is available.”(NAN)
Specifically, the leaders referred disdainfully to individuals and groups urging Buhari not to constitute the commission’s board. In their words, ‘’In order to avoid a repetition of our recent past experience whereby government engaged in all sorts of interim strategies, the commission’s board should be constituted’’ The leaders expressively proclaimed sympathy for the workers, describing the proposed personnel audit as a moment of total‘’Foraberration.purposes of implementing the personnel audit, the agenda will present enormous problems’’, they said. The statement called for rapid departure from past concepts.
The leaders commended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana for his largeness of vision. They also applauded NDDC Sole Administrator, Mr Effiong Akwa for playing his part creditably. The statement underscored the people’s unexpected qualities of endurance, the fear of dismissal and Umana’s energy, knowledge and dedication to public service.
‘’We must act, and act quickly. We have to plan our way out from this mud hole and that must be done by the Commission’s board’’ they maintaned.
“I know for a fact that there is gas flaring in Nigeria and that is a sacrilege to me. “And that is why when I came in 2018, I spoke to the Nigerian Gas Association about it, to show Nigeria what we can do about it.
Niger Delta leaders task Buhari, Umana on NDDC Board
Photo: Justin Imo-owo
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja Notable leaders in the Niger Delta have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to accept the need for a new board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Niger Delta leaders maintained that if Buhari cared so much about developing the region and making the government wide-ranging, he should quickly constitute a new board for the commission.Theleaders, in a statement in Port Harcourt, urged the President not to dally with the Niger Delta problem.
R-L: Executive Director / CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Dr. Ezra Yakuzak, Director Corporate Services NEPC, Mrs Uduak Etokowoh, Director International Export NEPC,, Mr. Babatunde Faleke and the Director National Export Office NEPC, Mrs Estelle Igwe, during the presentation of the NEPC half year 2022 progress report, yesterday in Abuja.
By Musa Baba Adamu Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has debunked a report alleging that he is pushing for the removal of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, even as he said the Tiv Youth Council is an attack dogs hired by the ruling All Progressive
“APC which is engulfed in a series of crises in Benue State ranging from its fraudulent nomination of a governorship candidate to the impasse of a running mate lacks the moral high ground to comment on the affairs of PDP.
L R: INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Dukku and Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, during a one Day public hearing on a Bill for an Act to Establish the National Electoral Offences Commission and for Related Matters 2022 by the House Committee on Electoral Matters in Collaboration with Policy and inNationalAdvocacy(PLAC),atLegaltheAssemblyyesterdayAbuja.Photo:MahmudIsa Congress (APC) to malign him. Recall that a group, ‘Tiv Youth Council’ had in a statement on Monday alleged that the Governor, alongside other PDP leaders, is plotting to unseat the Ayu, following the crisis rocking the main opposition party. Reacting to the report, Ortom in a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity, Terver Akase, alleged that the state’s chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was responsible for the allegation. According to the statement, Tiv Youth Council, which issued the release, does not exist, alleging that they were hired by the APC to play the role of attack dog. Akase said Governor Samuel Ortom has no problem with the PDP National Chairman, Senator Ayu, stressing that the party is already working to resolve the issues of concern within its fold and won’t be needing the input of APC. The statement reads, “The APC youth group in question insults people for a living. Theirs is a perfidious political enterprise that thrives on blackmail, mischief, and the stirring of acrimony for survival.
Alleged plot to sack Ayu: You’re APC’s attack dogs – Ortom tells Tiv group
“Launching media attacks on Governor Ortom has become an obsession of sorts for the APC. “We urge members of the public to regard the utterances of the group as empty rantings only aimed at securing their next meal ticket”.
Painted taxi drivers in Abuja have endorsed the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Mubarak Tijjani for senate ahead of the February 2023 senatorial election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
By Christiana Ekpa Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has asserted that his sacrifices, particularly with regards to expenses on security in a bid to ensure that citizens are safe and secured would be more appreciated after his tenure, adding that no amount of money could be quantified to human lives. The governor made this assertion on Tuesday in Abuja, saying “When I assumed office, I studied the environment, although I knew about the challenges before contesting office as the governor but it’s a different ballgame when you step into the office and you have to begin to learn on the job”. Governor Bello revealed that his first port of call was to bring on board the leaders of security agencies in the state in a plan to establish synergy and intelligence sharing having discovered that security agencies were working at cross”Wepurposes.alsoput up some basic infrastructures and gadgets while identifying some of the elements that affected the citizens, he noted”, he said. The governor said despite being bordered by 10 states, his administration has continued to synergize with all its neighbours adding that at the very beginning of his administration he requested President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the security chiefs to support him in tackling insecurity Bello said “I have never been helpless as a governor over insecurity matters because I hold it as a responsibility to guarantee the security and safety of our citizens. I have no interest hence even if it is my brother that was caught in the act of criminality, I will deal decisively with such a person”. The governor claimed he was ready to step on toes as long as it guarantees the protection of the lives of citizens, stressing that despite the numerous issues in the country, decisive and effective leadership was required to flush out bad eggs in the system.
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
PAGE 15PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
“As we earlier stated, the opposition party in the state is out to divert attention from the myriad of problems facing it with numerous court cases trailing their controversial nomination process.
FCT Senate: Taxi drivers endorse NNPP candidate, Mubarak Tijjani Security: Kogi people appreciatewill me when I leave office – Governor Bello
“Their attempt to portray Governor Ortom as one who fights other illustrious Benue sons is such a lame-duck and nauseating reasoning. The Governor as an effective team player has supported and is still supporting many Benue people to grow and occupy high positions in society.
President of the drivers’ union which operates under the Painted Abuja Taxi Nigeria Limited, Comrade Shehu Shugaba Yaradua expressed confidence that Tijjani would protect the interest of the union if voted into office. He said the union would mobilize over 8000 members in its database to campaign and ensure the victory of NNPP in the FCT senatorial poll.Yaradua decried the attitude of past and incumbent FCT senators who sought the union’s support while seeking for votes and abandoned it when elected, stating that it was the reason its members defected from their various political parties including the All Progressives Congress which he belonged to join the New Nigeria People’s Party for a breath of fresh air and dividends of democracy which had eluded them since 1999 Nigeria returned to civil rule. He said the major problems facing painted taxi drivers in Abuja were double taxation where each of the six Area Councils would demand payment of daily operational ticket, and demanded a unified daily ticket to enable members drive freely from one Area Council to the other; and abolition of restricted areas including Presidential Villa, National Assembly, government offices and private estates which deprived them of conveying passengers there, while unpainted cars used for taxi that were not registered with government for that purpose had access to those Responding,places.Mubarak Tijjani assured the union of effective representation that would address all their challenges and provide enabling environment for their business to strive. He said the issues of double taxation and restricted areas of operation would be solved if he won the senatorial seat. The NNPP candidate also promised to ensure that all cars used for taxi in Abuja were painted including Uber and Bolt cars, and belonged to Painted Taxi Drivers Nigeria Limited under the union’s leadership. He urged them to obtain their NNPP membership and INEC permanent voters cards as first step for a new Nigeria citizens desired and deserved. He also enjoined politicians to imbibe issues-based campaign and eschew violence in all its ramifications which has impeded the nation’s democratic process. Tijjani urged the electoral umpire to provide a level playing field for all the political parties and their candidates participating in the election, stating that the mandate of the electorate is sacrosanct and must be respected as power belongs to the people. The NNPP candidate commended the commission for introducing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) designed to replace the Smart Card Readers for verification and authentication as part of improved voter accreditation process and uploading of Polling Units results on INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day, adding that the electronic transmission of results has fostered public confidence in the electoral process.
“He believes in human capital development and redefining Benue State’s place in the national politics of our country. We expect APC to face their mountain of internal wranglings which have led to their failure to field a governorship candidate for the 2023 elections in Benue“APCState.ought to be worried more about the fact that their party is in disarray in Benue State as can be seen in the mass defection of their members into PDP, including serving members of the State House of “GovernorAssembly.Ortom is not responsible for the collapse of APC in Benue State. He was not the one who advised the leader of APC in the state, Senator George Akume to take the party as his personal property.“The Governor also did not advise Senator Akume to refuse to conduct primary elections thereby throwing the party into unending crisis. Governor Ortom also did not advise Senator Akume to impose a governorship candidate and running mate on the APC.
“Under the leadership of Governor Ortom, PDP conducted transparent and credible primaries. With 35 Governorship and many other aspirants for National and State Assemblies seats, the Governor effectively coordinated the party and it has remained strong and united, without any form of litigation.
POLITICS
While APC would field Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, LP would have Peter Obi as its flag bearer during the poll.
The state chairman of APC in Osun State, Gboyega Famodun in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Kola Olabisi, told the state chapter of the PDP that the symbiotic relationship between the INEC and the OSSIEC is not a master and servant type but mainly advisory in status.He stated that it is absurd and unheard of for a body of supposed learned men under the aegis of the PDP to dictate to the INEC to refuse the OSSIEC the lawful official privileges required to function effectively for its creation.
APC, PDP disagree over Osun LG election
By Musa Baba Adamu Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has dared other 2023 flag bearers who fault his statistics about Nigeria.The former Anambra governor spoke on Tuesday when he and the national leadership of the LP received Valentine Ozigbo. Ozigbo, a business mogul, was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2021 Anambra governorship election. Obi accused opponents and their supporters of picking holes in his figures without presenting their own side of arguments. The ex-bank chief insists that data and information are important during political campaigns and in governance. “Nigeria’s total export in 2021 Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola right) inaugurating the Ministerial special Taskforce in the Monitoring and Evaluation of Nigerian Expatriate Quota Administration in Nigeria, held yesterday in Abuja .
There was a disagreement between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday over the proposed Local Government election in Osun State. The crossfire was triggered by an announcement by the Chairman of Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Segun Oladitan last week that the local government council election would be held on October 15. The PDP on Tuesday told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to make available the updated voters register to the OSSIEC for the purpose of the proposed local government poll.
Osun Assembly passes environmental protection bill 2022 into law
APC big mistake Nigerians must not repeat in 2023 – Datti Baba-Ahmed
The Osun State House of Assembly has passed the Osun State Environmental Protection Bill 2022 into Law. This is as the Osun State University Teaching Hospital Establishment Bill 2022 passed through the First Reading on the floor of the House. The motion for the passage of the Osun Environmental Protection Bill 2022 was moved by Kunle Akande, the House Deputy Majority Leader and seconded by Adrulllai Adegbile, representing Ola-Oluwa State Constituency respectively.Moving the motion for the presentation of the Osun State University Teaching Hospital Bill 2022, the House Deputy Majority Leader noted that the passage of the bill into law would give legal backing to the teaching hospital and its mode of Akandeadministration.alsonotedthat the establishment of the teaching hospital would enhance the quality of training and research and the affordability of health care and palliatives.
NBA: Tinubu won’t bury Shettima – Adamu Garba justifying APC candidate's absence
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
“Do we need to educate the PDP handlers that in a decent and real democratic society, the court is always there to adjudicate on any constitutional matter?”Famodun concluded that PDP requesting INEC not to make update the voter’s register available for OSSIEC for local government elections is reckless, misleading, diversionary and unlawful and should be disregarded in its entirety.
He said “If the statement credited to the Osun PDP that the INEC should deny the OSSIEC the updated voters register is anything to go by, it is suggestive of the fact that the PDP is sponsoring, oiling and encouraging an avoidable heating up of the polity in the state.
Photo: Justin Imo-owo
T
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi spoke at the event, but Tinubu was absent. was N18.9trillion. When people fault my figures, I tell them and other candidates to present theirs. “Brazil is among the five biggest producers of food globally. They have developed agriculture, they are feeding themselves and exporting.“People asked me how do we get the naira strong against the dollar. My answer remains moving Nigeria from consumption to production. “What will give dollars is production, Nigeria is not a producing country. It is not natural resources or space that will generate money, it is the production capacity of theObipeople.”further lamented Nigeria’s security challenges, disclosing that he had companies in Kano and regularly visited the locations. “I used to drive to Kano, all over the country. But today, you really cannot do that because of the level of insecurity.“Wewant to change that; we want to stop politics of sharing money, stealing and sending children to schools abroad”, he said.
Nigeria elections: Peter Obi dares other 2023 presidential candidates
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
PAGE 16 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
he All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu was absent yesterday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 62ndTinubuconference.sent his running mate, Kashim Shettima, to represent him at the event held in Eko Atlantic Hotel in LagosHisState.absence has invoked anger from some Nigerians who faulted his absence from the event that took place in hisReactingcity. to the backlash, a former APC presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, said Tinubu sent his running mate to show inclusive leadership. In a tweet, Garba said Tinubu has shown that he would not run a megalomaniac leadership. Garba said the APC presidential candidate has no plan to “bury” Kashim to be everywhere. He wrote: “Tinubu absent, Tinubu absent. You guys don’t understand the true meaning of inclusive leadership. “Unlike others, Tinubu clearly shows that he’s not planning to be a megalomaniac leader who should bury his Vice just to be everywhere, he trusts @KashimSM to deliver. No vacuum at all.”
By Christiana Ekpa
In a letter credited to PDP legal adviser, Hashim Abioye, INEC was also advised to stay aloof from the proposed local government election. Abioye noted that the insistence of the OSSIEC Chairman in going ahead with conducting the local government poll in the State despite various warnings from concerned citizens of Osun State was in contravention of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022. “The Provision of the Electoral Act, 2022 Section 28 thereof is that no election can hold until and unless a notice of such election is given “not later than 360 days” before the said election and in Section 29 of the same Act, list of candidates must be published “not later than 180 days”. The APC in a reaction to the letter on Tuesday said the PDP lacks the power or authority to dictate to an independent body like the state electoral body which derives its creation and existence from the Electoral Act 2022.
By Christiana Ekpa
The Labour Party (LP) presidential running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has cautioned Nigerians against voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain power in 2023. Baba-Ahmed said Nigerians should not repeat the “big mistake” of voting APC in 2023.He lamented that the ruling party lacks the willpower to address the numerous challenges bedevilling Nigeria. Appearing on television programme, Baba-Ahmed said “We will expand the recruitment process with an expansion of the police needed. 2015 was a mistake that should never be allowed to repeat itself again.“There is absolutely no will on the part of the federal government to tackle the insecurity bedeviling the country considering its failure to deliver on its campaign promises.”
“I know, for instance, that when conflicts arise out of genuine concerns about having an inclusive political process, it signposts the viability of that process and, more importantly, the eagerness of stakeholders to be active participants in the success of such process.
“You cannot ignore decision of a committee you set up yourself and expect people to be happy. We expect Atiku to do more but we are not seeing that . “Wike is a pillar in the party. Currently, nobody in the party has contributed more for the party to move forward than Wike .
“As leaders and stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party, the simmering agitations in our party are a reflection of our credential as a democratic party.
“If Atiku was not going to honour the decision of the committee, he should have called Wike earlier and informed him. He didn’t do that. You can’t do things anyhow and expect us to be happy”, Ortom said. But a former National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has cautioned Governor Wike to stop threatening those working for the presidential aspiration of Atiku, telling him, expressly, that he (Wike) is notSecondusGod is believed to be among those mobilizing for the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Rivers State.While reacting to the governor’s threat at Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday to crush anyone working with him (Secondus) in the build up to the 2023 general elections, Secondus said that he (Wike) does not have power to crush anybody, adding, “only God canItcrush”.isgenerally believed that Wike was instrumental to the removal of Secondus as the National Chairman of PDP. A pressure group within the Peoples Democratic Party, the PDP Frontliners, has harped on the need for a quick positive action aimed at resolving the seemingly intractable frictions between Atiku and Wike, warning, sternly, that if prolonged, the current situation will make Atiku to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
PAGE 17 Politics In Depth PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
On his part, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Senator Walid Jibrin has appeared to all the parties involved in the crisis to allow the reconciliation committee set up on the matter to resolve it. Senator Jibrin, in a recent statement personally signed by him in Abuja, pointed out that what is happening within the main opposition party in the country should not be seen as a problem but a misunderstanding within the party. He advised that at this period leading to the 2023 elections, all efforts should concentrated on how to win all positions to be contested and seriously adhere to the provision of the party constitution. According to the BoT Chairman, “I wish to call on all members of PDP and all Nigerians to remain calm never create bad blood and confusion on the state of our party.“All efforts are on ground to reconcile the differences between Wike ,the party and the presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku“WhatAbubakar.ishappening now should never be categorized as a problem but misunderstanding within the party. “At this period leading to the 2023 elections, we should concentrate on how to win all positions to be contested and seriously adhere to the provision of the party
“One of the characteristic attributes of democracy that I admire a lot is that it is a system with an intrinsic asset of crisis management.“Itbecomes even interesting that perhaps the most noteworthy outcome of a democratic process is the greater possibility of conflict generation.
“Whatever our agitations are, I believe it is borne out of a collective concern for the growth of our party and the country. “Therefore, I don’t see a divided house in the PDP. I see an opportunity for us to come together stronger and united. “As a presidential candidate of the PDP, I shall ensure that I do my all to bring the party together under a formidable umbrella”, he said. With few months to the 2023 general elections in the country, it remains to be seen how quick the crisis threatening to affect the chances of the PDP and its presidential candidate is amicably, effectively and convincingly settled.
Atiku /Wike
The Benue State Governor, Dr Ortom had, earlier while featuring on another programme on Arise television station days back, similarly confirmed that all is not well with the OrtomPDP.said then, “You cannot ignore decision of a committee you set up yourself and expect people to be happy”.
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja Time, they say, is a great healer of wounds. Regardless of how hot a matter is, with time, it either cools down or gets to boiling point, and could explode. However, the political crisis between the the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyeson Wike seems to be defying this long tested logic of time. To say that the crisis between Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyeson Wike is festering is an understatement. Rather than thaw, the crisis has been assuming worrisome political dimension day after day. This is particularly so, when the seemingly unending and intractable friction between the duo of Atiku and Wike is viewed against the 2023 general elections and the danger/implication of such for the leading opposition party and its supporters.
The pressure group, in a statement signed by Hussein Mohammed, Moses Abidemi and Dan Okafor who are its President, Secretary and Publicity Secretary respectively, noted that some party leaders’ deceitful disposition is unduly prolonging “needless frictions within the party and increasing the likelihood of its losing 2023 presidential elections”. The PDP Frontliners, while maintaining that a stitch in time saves nine; added “the sooner we resolve our differences and come together towards claiming genuine victory in 2023, the better it would be for PDP and the entire people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who are now tired of the burdens of unprecedented unemployment, inflation, insecurity, and other woes that the ruling party has brought in place of its utopian promises of 2015”.
Continuing, the Governor said, “I was among the 17- member committee set up by Atiku and 14 of us in the committee said the person (the PDP presidential running mate) should be Wike. Unfortunately , Atiku picked Okowa, that is his wisdom .
“Therefore, I don’t see a divided house in the PDP. I see an opportunity for us to come together stronger and united
It therefore called for immediate positive action from the party’s presidential candidate, Rivers state Governor, and party leaders across the nation. That positive action may, however, have begun from the closed doors meeting called by a former Minister of Information and chieftain of the PDP, Professor Jerry Gana in Abuja, recently, between the two political combatants and their supporters, which culminated in the setting up of a reconciliation committee which members werefromdrawnboth sides (Atiku and Wike) saddled with the responsibility of finding amicable ways of resolving the various contending and vexing issues. A source privy to the meeting said, “The meeting was a very cordial one. Both parties have resolved to let peace reign and put everything that had happened in the past behind them”.
“ Whatever our agitations are, I believe it is borne out of a collective concern for the growth of our party and the country.
2023 and the cost of Atiku/Wike’s unending rift
“So, a remarkable lesson that I have learned in politics is that in some instances, conflicts are healthy realities.
“Myconstitution.strongadvice is for us to give strong support to the present reconciliation committee set up to resolve all issues”, he said.Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate has however described the simmering crisis in the party as a reflection of its credential as a democratic party. Atiku, in a statement few days ago in Abuja, pledged that as a presidential candidate of the PDP, he will ensure he brings the party together under a formidable umbrella. The PDP presidential candidate pointed out that whatever the agitations are, such are borne out of a collective concern for the growth of the party and the Statingcountry.that he didn’t see a divided house in the PDP, Atiku said that what he is seeing is an opportunity to come together stronger and united. The party, he advised, must not lose focus of the bigger purpose of rescuing the country from the hardship that fellow Nigerians continue to endure under the rulingAccordingparty. to him, when the PDP gets better, the hopes in Nigerians gets even higher that rescue is imminent. Atiku, in his statement, said, “When PDP gets better, the hope is higher that Nigeria’s rescue is near.
The crisis began shortly after the PDP presidential primaries held at the velodrome wing of the National Stadium, Abuja, during which Atiku emerged the party’s presidential flag bearer with Governor Wike coming second. After the emergence of Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate, the next task was to pick a vice presidential running mate for him. Thereafter, Atiku set up a 17-member committee, headed by the Governor of Benue State, Dr Sam Ortom, which was saddled with the responsibility of helping to choose a suitable running mate for him. Majority of the members of the committee, it was gathered, resolved that Wike should be the rightful person to step into that shoe. Butt Atiku didn’t go with the choice of the committee. Rather, the former Vice President settled for the Governor of Delta State and Medical Doctor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. Ever since that choice by Atiku, things have never been the same. Most loyalists to Wike, including some of the PDP Governors and other party chieftains are unhappy that he (Atiku) did not deem it fit to visit him (Wike) several days after the party’s presidential primaries, whereas he (Atiku), barely 24 hours after the primaries, visited another contestant and Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who stepped down for him shortly before the PDP presidential primaries as well as directed his (Tambuwal’s) to vote for Atiku. Wike’s supporters saw the development as a spite. They equally believed that the National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu was partial and taking side with Atiku from his comments and body language before, during and after the presidential primaries.Astaunch loyalist of Wike, Senator Olaka Nwogu lent credence to this belief on Monday morning when he openly accused Dr Ayu of partiality, stressing that he (the National Chairman) has not demonstrated that he is a father to all. Speaking on a Channels’ Television current affairs personality programme, “Sunrise”, Senator Nwogu questioned the rationale behind Ayu singling out and referring to Tambuwal as the hero of the PDP presidential primaries held on May 28, this year, despite the various efforts by others to make the primaries a success.
FG bans use of foreign models, voice-over artists in Nigerian adverts FG to digitise records, automate workflow for effective collaboration among MDAs
PAGE 18 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 when some people came and said we must give the maintenance to local“Whatcompanies.isimportant in aviation is safety and security and we will ensure we give the maintenance to competent people, best known in the Mohammedworld.” noted that the new terminal was not built to replace the terminal one of the airport — but to complement it.
The federal government has banned the use of foreign models and voice-over artists for advertisements targeted at Nigerians.Olalekan Fadolapo, directorgeneral of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), disclosed this in a statement on Monday. Fadolapo said the new policy will take effect from October 1, 2022.He said the move was aimed at promoting local content and talents, and increasing economic growth.“In line with the federal government’s policy of developing local talent, inclusive economic growth and the need to take necessary steps and actions aimed at growing the Nigerian advertising industry, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), being the apex advertising, advertisement and marketing communications’ regulatory agency of the federal government, has in accordance with its statutory mandates, responsibilities and powers as conveyed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria R-L: Director, General National DevelopmentTechnologyInformationAgency (NITDA), Dr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, one of the Author, Zeenat Sambo, Minister andwrittenEconomyBuildingpresentation,Gyem,otherYa’UPromotion,ImagePantami,Prof.DigitalCommunicationsofandEconomy,IsaAliIbrahimChairman,MarchantsDr.SuleSuleandtheAuthor,FomduringtheBooktitled;asaferDigitalinNigeria,byFomGyemZeenatSambo,at the Minister’s Office on Monday in Abuja.
From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja The federal government says it is working to digitise public service before the end of the first quarter of 2023.Ibiene Roberts, permanent secretary, ministry of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, disclosed this in Abuja.Roberts, while presenting the Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) to George Akume, minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, said the procedure was in line with the directives of the head of the civil service of the federation (HoCSF) to ministries departments and agencies (MDA). SOP is a step-by-step instruction that acts as a guideline for an employee’s work processes and best describes the activities necessary to complete tasks in a particular schedule.“AllMDAs are to formally document and present the SOPs developed in their respective MDAs in hardcopies for ease of reference,” she said.
“The office of the HoCSF in readiness for the process automation in the civil service deployed SOP replication team to core MDAs.”“Itis an aspect of the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) with the mandate to digitise records and automate workflow to achieve an overall improvement in information sharing and collaboration across the MDAs.
“That is why we were told that you could check in at one terminal and board at the other, so there is a handshake between the two terminals,” he added.
“Ongoing campaigns are permitted to run out their terms, however, subsequent applications for re-validation for continued exposure of such materials will not be granted by the advertising standards panel (ASP). “Advertisers, advertisement agencies, media houses, advertising community and the general public are hereby enjoined to take note.”
“When employees follow the SOP for a particular job, they produce a product that is consistent and predictable.”
FG: We’ll prioritise optimal security, maintenance at new Lagos airport terminal
Photo: Mahmud Isa
“The terminal two project started in 2013 and was completed by the present administration in 2022 under a bilateral agreement with the People’s Republic of China.”The minister also said over 10,000 direct and indirect job opportunities had been created at the new terminal. He said the structure, replicated in Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Enugu and Kano airports, is a testament to the achievements of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in infrastructure development. According to Mohammed, the Buhari-led administration’s commitment to infrastructure development covering roads, bridges, rail, dams and sea ports; was“Nounprecedented.administration in the history of Nigeria has done this much, especially at a time of scarcity of resources,” he said. He said the facilities and fittings in the airport offered a new experience, especially in terms of aesthetics, comfort, free trolley services, hotel and premium lounges, friendly customer services and free wireless fidelity (WiFi).“I must confess it was an exhilarating experience comparable to what obtains anywhere in the world,’’ he said.
Roberts further said the ministry has responsibility to cascade the development of SOPs in the agencies under its direct supervision for operation. While receiving the documents, Akume appreciated the effort of Folashade YemiEsan, HoCSF, in changing the narratives of work culture in the federal civil service. “The transformative initiatives of this present administration are crucial to relieving the challenges faced by the civil servants in the discharge of their duties,” Akume said.
Mohammed also said the terminal had the capacity to process 14 million passengers per annum.President Muhammadu Buhari, in March, inaugurated the new terminal at the Lagos airport. It is built on a landmass of approximately 56,000 square metres, and it has 66 check-in counters, five baggage collection carousels, 16 immigration desks at arrival, 28 immigration desks at departure.Italsohas two food courts, four premium lounges, 22 guest rooms and a spa, 16 airline ticketing offices, visa on arrival, port health facility, as well as a praying area, among others.
From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja
The federal government says it will prioritised optimal maintenance at the newly built terminal two of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, made this known on Monday while inspecting the facility in Lagos. The minister and journalists were conducted round the project by Rabiu Yadudu, managing director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Speaking during the facility tour, Mohammed said the maintenance of the facility, as well as safety and security will be contracted to competent organisations.“Icanassure you that the issue of maintenance, even up to the cleaning of the airport, has been taken up at a very serious level,” Mohammed said. “As a matter of fact, we refused to compromise at the beginning Act No. 23 of 2022, bans the use of foreign models and voice-over artists on any advertisement targeted or exposed on the Nigerian advertising space with effect from 1st October 2022,” the statement reads. “All advertisements, advertising and marketing communications materials are to make use of only Nigerian models and voice-over artists.
“It works two ways — one is the direct stealing of the oil and then being processed at the illegal refineries and also taken out from the pipelines,” he said.
Kyari spoke during an interview aired on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Monday.There had been calls by stakeholders in the industry to accommodate artisanal refineries to eradicate soot pollution.ButKyari noted that modular refineries should be encouraged instead of illegal refining.
The Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has collaborated with the Edo government to boost productivity of smallholder farmers in the state. Speaking during a stakeholders workshop on access to land intervention, Chucks Ofulue, PIND’s advocacy manager, said the event was based on the theme “Value proposition for sustainable arable land in Edo state”. The programme, which had in attendance farmers associations in the state, focused on the need to increase food production and boost the economy of rural farmers in Edo.
state and in other areas particularly in realising our long term, thirty years plan in agricultural policies and in moving on with policies generally.
“We have identified arable land for smallholder farmers as a problem within the state and we are trying to collaborate with the state government to alleviate that problem and to ensure that smallholder farmers have access to arable land to increase productivity and then increase theirAlso,income.”Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, permanent secretary, ministry of agriculture, highlighted the importance of smallholder farmers’ contribution to the agricultural“Smallholdersectors.farming can be an effective way to increase food production in rural areas. Smallholder agriculture is a way for poor rural people to feed themselves and their neighbours,” Aikhuomobhogbe said.
“That’s why there are licences given out for modular refineries, and they can produce up to 1,000 barrels to 20,000 barrels per day (bpd). Refining is a science of its own. The cooking pots you are seeing are not refineries in any sense,” he said.“There’s simply no way you can convert these cooking pots to legal refineries. It’s not possible. But modular refineries can be constructed and the NNPCL has a framework for supporting those who want to do modular refineries.”
The house of representatives committee on finance has summoned Sule Abdulaziz, managing director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), over the Azura power plant agreement. The committee, chaired by James Faleke, issued the summon on Monday during an investigative hearing into proposed sales of the National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP) by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
“The 450 megawatts are expected to be generated at any time. If Azura is on, it should give you 460 megawatts,” he said. But reacting, Faleke argued that the epileptic power supply was a violation of the agreement signed.Faleke pointed out that what was contained in the document provided was 1.7 kilowatts as against the 2 kilowatts presented by the“Nigeriansteam. are willing to set up industries. But there is no power. But yet they have paid huge sums of money. This is just an issue; not witch-hunting. It is not about TCN but Nigeria,” the chairman said.
Kyari cannotrefineriesartisanalsaysbe
“The production that could have come on the table and that is why we are currently on the average of 1.4 million barrels of oil.
“It is also a way of generating income and stimulating vibrant rural economies, creating new opportunities for young rural people so that the poor rural people of today can become rural entrepreneurs of tomorrow in Nigeria
Ofulue, who represented Tunji Idowu, the executive director, expressed optimism that legislation should be put in place and enforced for the smooth operation to access land.
Stakeholders also called for more access to arable land to boost productivity, particularly among smallholder farmers.
“What happens is that whenever you have such massive infractions, we shut down our facilities and therefore, this is opportunity loss. “The production that could have come on the table and that is why we are currently on the average of 1.4 million barrels of oil.
PIND partners Edo government to boost productivity of smallholder farmers
“So, all the questions I have for TCN, I will have to reserve for your MD. There are questions that this committee will like to ask when the MD is seated.
“We are partnering with Edo
The NNPC boss said Nigeria loses 700,000 bpd to crude oil theft and production shut-ins.
Speaking on optimisation of the plant, Eje said Azura is unable to meet the target of generating 450MW as provided in the deal, adding that there is a justification for not doing Responding,that.Faleke said other power plants like Egbin with generating capacity of 1,320MW and Transcorp power plant with generating capacity of 920MW, do not have a call options agreement (PCOA).“Egbin power station is the largest with 1,320 megawatts. It is private. We did not sign takeor-pay with them. This is where I am going. If we have Egbin power station that is generating the highest into the national grid –1,320, and we also have Transcorp with about 650 megawatts and we did not sign take-or-pay with Transcorp, and I am sure we have others, what we are trying to bring out is that what is so special about Azura? Not only that it is special, but just two or three people sat down and committed Nigerians to it. We will get there,” he said. “This document you gave us, there is no month that they have met 450MW. “If I understand your earlier statement, can you say that they have not produced up to 450 that was signed and they have justification for not producing up to that? In that case, would you say as a Nigerian that they have violated the agreement we signed?”Consequently, Abdulaziz was asked to appear on Tuesday to answer questions on the pull call options agreement (PCOA). Under the PCOA deal, Nigeria is obligated to pay between $30 million and $33 million monthly to Azura for power generated, whether TCN transmits it or not through the national grid.
Reps panel summons TCN MD over controversial Azura power deal
Victor Adewumi, executive director, Transmission Service Provider (TSP), and Edmond Eje, director, market operations, TCN, appeared before the committee. The panel, however, said it was not satisfied with the account of both officials on the issue. The committee also resolved to hire the services of a consultant to dissect documents presented by the officials of TCN. Last week, the committee queried the “take or pay deal” reached with investors on the power plant when the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) appeared before it. In his presentation, Adewumi said Azura, which is located in Edo state, was structured to produce 450 megawatts of electricity. Adewumi added that Azura had historically produced “accumulatively 1,755.9 megawatts”.
MahmudyesterdayyesterdayNationalhearingtheSoyinkaandIbrahimcommittee,membersUyimefunds,onAdhoc,HouseL-R:ChairmanofReps,CommitteeunclaimedHon.Edem,oftheHon.ShabaHon.OlatunjiduringinvestigativeatAssembly,inAbujaphoto:Isa
“What we want to achieve is to ensure that the government can legislate on the propositions that will come out from the committee; because if you don’t legislate on it, you can’t enforce and that is what we are hoping for,” he said.
“Whatever position we find ourselves, we are just opportune among 200 million Nigerians.”
PAGE 19PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 BU$IN€SS
From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says the country can not legalise artisanal refineries.Artisanal oil refining is small-scale crude oil processing or subsistent distillation of petroleum that is often outside the boundaries of state law.
From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja
And then the third R is the release of oil from the US and other western countries’ strategic emergency stockpiles of oil to offset what they expected to be big drops in supply from Russia as sanctions tightened on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine,” said Derek Brower, the Financial Times U.S. Energy Editor, said in an interview by the newspaper.Asenior economist at SPM Professionals, Paul Alaje, said the continuing fall in crude oil prices comes with serious implications for Nigeria, as it will continue to impact on the country’s revenue.“Aswe speak now, close to 80 per cent of our crude is stolen and the little that we get, we are seeing that the prices are going down. So what it means for us is more loss of revenue and how do we survive it means we have to go back to the debt market to collect more money that we perhaps have to struggle to pay back. It is not a good thing for us at all,” he said.The volatility is expected to continue in the months ahead.
The women who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in different communities of the council, said that demand for the products had increased and so had the prices.
“Although this is a profitable business for me irrespective, I however, urge the government to bring down the prices of cooking fuels, so that Nigerians can at least enjoy something.” (NAN)
Some women in Bwari Area Council of the FCT have complained of the rise in cost of firewood and charcoal, attributing it to the hike in price of cooking gas.
PAGE 20 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 BU$IN€SS
“So now, buying a bag of charcoal and gathering firewood while returning from the farm has been a bit more effective for us. We manage that better,” Mrs Bature said.Hannah Dangana, a supplier of charcoal in the area, told NAN that the situation was not different in most households in the community. She said that Nigerians were turning to the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking due to the hike in the price of cooking gas. Ms Dangana explained that the women may suffer the health implications from cooking with firewood but added that the old tradition remained the cheapest means of cooking for them. “Many women in the communities cannot do without firewood and charcoal because that is the only cheap source of cooking they “Especiallyhave.with the scarcity and soaring cost of clean cooking fuels like gas, electricity and kerosene.
Similarly, Auta Bature, a wife and mother of five in the Sabon-gari area of the council, said that she initially used a kerosene stove to cook but could not afford it any longer because of the cost. According to her, a litre of kerosene now sells for N900 and she would need up to five litres to cook for her large family.“This will not even take us up to two weeks because the kerosene they sell these days easily evaporates; I don’t know why it doesn’t last.
“Even those of us who supply have our challenges bringing them down here to sell, because we spend so much on transportation and levies. “The challenges are increasing with no option for Nigerians.
Crude oil prices continued to fall on Monday, raising more concerns for Nigeria at a time the country faces severe revenue problem. The prices fell more than 1 per cent, ending three days of gains. Brent crude futures for October settlement declined $1.58, or 1.6 per cent, to $95.14 a barrel by 0640 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for September delivery, due to expire on Monday, were down $1.70, or 1.9 per cent, at $89.07 a barrel. The more active October contract was at $88.92, down $1.52, or 1.7 per cent. Both Brent and WTI climbed for a third straight day on Friday, but fell about 1.5 per cent for the week on a stronger dollar and demand fears, ” ReutersPricesreported.ofcrude oil rose over the past six months after the United States and its allies sanctioned Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. In March, the prices hit $130 a barrel, the highest since July 2008. However, the prices have in recent weeks been falling amid fears of recession in the U.S., increased supply of oil by OPEC and Russia to other countries and the release of reserves by western countries.
Help us, firewood, charcoal, kerosene, cooking gas becoming unaffordable, women cry out
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“Nothing is easy for us now. Sometimes you cannot even get charcoal easily, except you book from the suppliers or wholesalers before the product arrives because the demand is becoming high. “If only the relevant authorities can just look into the fuel situation in the country and bring an ease to it, or else, it is already affecting us at the grassroot, there’s nothing else to turn to.”
“If the U.S. goes into recession, that will hurt demand for oil and the biggest petroleum market in the world. If China emerges from the Covid lockdowns with a much healthier economy and more thirst for oil, that will lift demand from the second biggest petroleum market in the world,” Mr Brower of the FT said. L-R; Minister of Sports and
Oil fall continues complicating Nigeria’s revenue problems
“It’s really about 3 R’s, I would say, recession, fierce recession. Recessions tend to kill oil demand growth. Russia, the notion that Russian production was going to collapse has not materialised.
Phoebe Ishaku, a resident of Piyawe community, and a mother of four, said that she used firewood and sometimes charcoal-fueled stove to cook but could not get an alternative due to the hike in prices of all cooking fuels. She said that firewood and charcoal were a cheaper means of cooking and more accessible compared with kerosene and cooking gas but the hike in price had made them difficult to access. She urged the government to help women cope with the situation, by making cooking fuel affordable. “We have women who sell firewood here for as low N100 for a few pieces at the beginning of 2022 but I tell you now, you can only get four tiny or three big pieces for “EarlierN200.inthe year, I bought a bag of charcoal for N2,500, now that same bag is N3,800.“Thisis because most people have resorted to cooking with these products, as alternatives to cooking gas and kerosene-fueled stoves, since both products have become expensive.
“There was a time government and some concerned NGOs were trying to encourage the use of cooking gas and discourage local cooking fuel because of the health implications and deforestation related“Now,issues.the situation is further made worse by the recent scarcity and soaring prices of cooking gas, which has pushed many households back to the forest in search of firewood and use of charcoal.
By Stanley Onyekwere The Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr. Olusade Adesola has expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari over release and distribution of food items to people of Ondo State. Adesola, who made the gratitude while presenting 30 tones of Garri to the State Government for onward distribution to the people, on behalf of the President, in Akure on Monday, commended him for his love and care for Nigerians, in general and Ondo people, in particular. He explained that the release of food items from strategic reserves was part of government efforts to alleviate hardship occasioned by high cost of food items and scarcity in the country. His words: “We are here to deliver a message of His Excellency, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, to the good people of Ondo“TheState.essence of this visit is to demonstrate in clear terms, the concern of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the people of Nigeria in general and the people of Ondo State, in particular”. According to the Permanent Secretary, the nation-wide food distribution to Nigerians was a response to needs assessment which indicated a growing concern on scarcity and high prices of food items thus making the Federal Government to direct the release of food materials from strategic reserves for distribution to States of the Federation through Principal Government Officials. Adesola explaining that the 30 tones, which is about 1, 200 bags of garri, would go a long way in providing reasonable food for the poor, added that it was an indication that the Buhari-led government cared and showed concern about the welfare of Nigerians.
He recalled that government has been implementing various peoplefriendly and social intervention programmes such as; N-Cares, Traders Money, Farmer Money and Conditional Cash Transfer, among others, which the people of Ondo State have also benefited from. He disclosed that while about 150 Ondo people have benefited from the conditional cash transfer programme, about 200 youths from the State are also beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme, among others. Revealing that government would also release more food items from its reserves to the people, Adesola noted that the administration has shown that it is not only during electioneering campaigns that such gesture is extended to the people.
Speaking during the training at the weekend, Jiba, who was represented by his Senior
By Stanley Onyekwere Member, Representing Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC)/Bwari Federal Constituency, Hon. Micah Y. Jiba has facilitated the training of youth and women on acquisition of entrepreneurial ideas and knowledge on how to be self-reliant in the society In particular, over 180 beneficiaries selected from various communities of the 12 Wards in AMAC took part in the training, which is one of the Lawmaker’s series training for youth and women, aimed at empowering them with different entrepreneurial skills, in order to improve their economic wellbeing.
“ We also discovered that every single one whose house are close to this road corridor are blocking their windows so that people cannot come into their houses, many are increasing their fences so that criminals cannot jump in.
By Stanley Onyekwere In continuation with its cleanup exercise, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) yesterday demolished illegal shanties of suspected criminal elements, alongside some restaurants, car wash mart in Gwarinpa District, of Abuja. Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who led the team lamented that the administration is concern about the way people spend hard earned money to build illegal structures on road corridors. He said: “This is part of our ongoing cleanup in Gwarinpa district, there is so much illegalities, ungoverned space, inappropriate development, criminal hideouts and activities in the“Andarea.this is part of reclaiming road 69 and we are discovering more and more things we have never seen. Nobody would ever believe people are living here.
“ Where would people build large structures without any approval and spend so much money,it is very painful here but we need to keep Abuja clean and safe for everyone. The Minister has given a matching order to go and do our jobs and we must go out daily to do this”.
On her part, FCT Women leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Benny Enoch, who commended the lawmaker for the initiative, noted that some people especially those in rural areas lack capacity to do business, but with the exposure to the training, their situation will improve when they go back to their various homes. She therefore advised the trainees especially the women to ensure that they judiciously use the little knowledge and token afforded them to help establish themselves in viable business within their domains. One of the beneficiaries, Bitrus Ruth, from Karu Ward, expressed excitement for the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and acquire capacity to think outside the box and start a business. She also expressed hope that the training would help improve livelihoods of the beneficiaries, even as she stressed the need for more widows of empowerment opportunities for more youth in the FCT.
The Permanent Secretary also paid a courtesy call on Speaker of the State House of Assembly, RT. Hon. Bamidele David Oleleyelogun who also praised him for making the stateHeproud.was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Mrs. Clara Adesola, Special Assistant to the FCT Minister of State on Social Development Services, Mrs. Ayoade Simisola, and his Technical Assistant, Mr. Adewuyi Francis.
Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, who received the items on behalf of the State, expressed gratitude to President Buhari, FCT Minister and the Permanent Secretary, and pledged that the items would be distributed to the right persons.
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PAGE 21PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 METRO
“Previously, we offer training on soap making, pomade and disinfectants amongst others, but this time, we focused on capacity building. So, this training would give the beneficiaries more ideas and knowledge on how to manage what he or she is doing. “After training, we used to give certain amount of money to help them start up little business, this depend on the available resources in our disposal”.
Adesola expresses gratitude to Buhari on food distribution to citizens Legislative Aide,Mahmud Mohammed, explained that the drive behind the initiative is towards helping beneficiaries to understand how to manage oneself and develop ability to deal with any situation, especially if one is already engaged in one business or the other. He said: “Apart from the Ward representatives, we also engage some women organisations and unions to be part of this training, so that they would be useful to themselves and others, as they can serve as resource persons in the organisations they belonged to, which would go a long way in improving the economy status of individuals and the society at large.“This time around, we are engaging women and youth in AMAC, which is one of the area councils that constitute the Constituency. This is the 5th edition in the Council, we have already done that in Bwari as well.
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AMAC: Jiba facilitates capacity building for 180 youth, women
“This will definitely get to the intended beneficiaries. It will go along way to support some of the families that need it in the State”. He appreciated the Permanent Secretary for delivering the items personally, describing him as an “Illustrious son of Ondo State who is representing the state well. We are indeed proud of you.”
However, reacting to the development, Bashiru Yahaya, one of the persons hitherto living in one of the dismantled shanties in the area, who expressed shock, decried that, they are less privileged and it is poverty that made him erect a shanty.According to him: “It was condition that made us to build shanties. It is because of poverty,we are not happy leaving here”.
Russia has accused Ukrainian special services of killing the daughter of one of Vladimir Putin’s allies in a car bombing near Moscow at the weekend. Journalist Darya Dugina, aged 29, died on Saturday when a vehicle she was driving exploded near Russia’s capital.Her prominent ultra-nationalist father, Alexander Dugin, said to be close to Mr Putin, may have been the intended target of the attack. Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the explosion. But Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday it had solved the case and said that Ukraine was directly responsible. The FSB told Russian media that a Ukrainian woman had moved to Russia in July alongside her young daughter - but that she was in fact a Ukrainian special services contractor. The woman, it said, rented an apartment in the same building as Ms Dugina for a month, preparing for the attack. In that time, she allegedly followed the journalist through Moscow in a Mini Cooper - for which she used three different licence plates. The suspect then escaped to Estonia after the explosion, the FSB said. An adviser to Ukraine’s President Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the FSB’s version of events was “Russian propaganda” from “a fictional world”. The FSB later released video of the accused’s car entering Russia, security footage of her entering what is said to be Ms Dugina’s building, and leaving Russia.Ms Dugina and her father were attending a festival near Moscow on Saturday evening where Mr Dugin, a philosopher, gave a lecture. They had reportedly intended to leave in the same car, but changed their plans at the last Investigatorsminute. said explosives had been planted underneath the Toyota Land Cruiser Ms Dugina was driving. Video from the scene posted online appeared to show a shaken Mr Dugin watching emergency services attend the burning vehicle. A family friend, Konstantin Malofeev, published a statement on behalf of Mr Dugin which branded his daughter’s killing “a terrorist act by the Ukrainian Nazi regime”. He was referencing the unfounded yet oft-repeated claim by Russian leadership of a powerful Nazi presence inside Ukraine - one of the main reasons put forward for the invasion. “My daughter Darya Dugina was brutally murdered in front of me,” the statement on Telegram read. “She was a beautiful Orthodox woman, patriot, war reporter, an expert for central TV and “Wephilosopher.”onlyneed our victory. My daughter sacrificed her young woman’s life to its altar. So please, achieve it!” President Putin personally paid tribute to Ms Dugina in a statement from the Kremlin on Monday. and called her death “a vile, cruel crime”. Speculation rife in Russia On Monday morning, the Time Will Tell programme on Russian state TV paid tribute to Darya, a regular guest. “She died for the idea of the ‘Russian World,’” said presenter Olesya Losyeva. One studio guest suggested the response would be “holy fury” and the programme showed a photograph of mortar shells, apparently belonging to pro-Russian forces in Ukraine, one of which had “This is for Darya!” scrawled on the side. If Ms Dugina’s killing was meant to intimidate Russia, bellowed several of the guests, “it will have the opposite effect”.Analyst Yekaterina Shulman says the outpouring of anger amongst proKremlin commentators in response to the car bomb attack appears suspicious: “The reaction… was immediate. It looks as if they were waiting for something like this to happen.”
In a statement released Sunday evening, Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory said the officer involved in the incident is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.“Thecity of Mulberry and the Mulberry police department takes these investigations very seriously,” Ms Gregory said. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Sunday night on Twitter that the “incident in Crawford County will be investigated pursuant to the video evidence and the request of the prosecuting attorney”.
Earlier this month, Ms Marin was dubbed the "coolest prime minister in the world" by German news outlet Bild.Who is Sanna Marin?
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has tested negative for drugs, the government says, after she was seen dancing, singing and drinking at a recent party. Ms Marin, 36, agreed to take the test on Friday to allay concerns about her Shebehaviour.saysshe has never taken drugs and denies doing anything illegal at the party, but says she drank alcohol. A leaked video shows her partying with friends including a Finnish popstar.Agovernment statement (in Finnish) said "no drugs were found" in the test. It added that the prime minister had paid the costs of the test herself.Special adviser Iida Vallin, quoted by AFP news agency, said Ms Marin's urine sample had been tested for cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis and opioids.Following the release of the videos, Ms Marin faced criticism from several politicians, with one opposition party leader demanding she take a drug test. At a news conference held last week, reporters questioned whether the prime minister, who has been in power since December 2019, would have been able to make snap governmental decisions if necessary. She defended herself, saying her ability to function was "really good", and said she had never used drugs, even as a teenager.
Three Arkansas law enforcement officers have been suspended after a video emerged showing a suspect being pinned to the ground and repeatedly beaten. One of the officers repeatedly punches the man in the head and even bashes his head against the pavement. Another officer repeatedly knees the man in the back. Both are dressed in the uniform of the Crawford County Sheriff’s office. A police officer restrains the man on the ground while this takes place.As he is being beaten, the man covers his head with his hands and appears to be trying to roll up into a ball to protect himself.
• She comes from a modest background. Her parents split up when she was young, and in her early years her mother raised her alone In 2015, she spoke about the stigma she encountered when her mother was in a same-sex relationship After studying at the University of Tampere and serving in local government, she was elected to Finland's parliament in 2015, aged 29
• In 2019, aged 34, Sanna Marin became the world's youngest prime minister after she was chosen by her party to succeed former leader Antti Rinne
PAGE 22 international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.comworld news PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
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At one time the world's youngest head of government - a title currently held by Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic - Ms Marin makes no secret of partying, and has often been photographed at music festivals. Last year she apologised for going clubbing after coming into close contact with a Covid-19 case.
Arkansas: Three officers suspended after video shows beating
Ms Dugina was a regular guest on Russian television news
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Darya Dugina: Ukraine killed Putin ally’s daughter, Russia says Marin:Sanna Finland PM's drugs videoafternegativetestparty
One officer responds with an expletive while another orders her to get in her car. The person who posted the video online said her sister witnessed the altercation in the town of Mulberry. State police identified the man who was arrested as 27-year-old Randall Worcester. Mr Worcester was accused of making threats in a shop on Sunday morning. Police said that when officers confronted him, he pushed a deputy to the ground and punched the back of his head, leading to the arrest seen in the video. The suspect was taken to hospital and faces terroristic threatening, resisting arrest and other assault charges, police said. On Sunday evening, Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said two county deputies will be suspended while Arkansas state police and his office carry out separate investigations into what happened.“Ihold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter,” Mr Damante said.
The video has been viewed millions of times on social media and sparked outrage. One Twitter user alluded to the case of George Floyd, a black man who was murdered in police custody in 2020, leading to worldwide protests. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter A woman who is not seen in the video can be heard saying: “Don’t beat him! He needs his medicine!”
Source: BBC
The final official number of valid votes was 14.2m (and even if you add spoiled votes, you would get only around 14.3 million ballots cast), so Mr Odinga’s legal team is claiming that “the commission is unable to account for over 250,000 votes that were cast in the election excluding voters who voted manually.” Mr Odinga’s sums are correct. However, he’s using a figure (65.4%) that Mr Chebukati shortly afterwards corrected to 64.6% - a figure which much more accurately reflects the actual voter turnout.SoMr Odinga can argue that the election commissioner initially made a mistake, but this was quickly corrected by Mr Chebukati on the same day. The final official figure, once all the votes were tallied and verified, was 64.8% Were there discrepancies at the local level?
Kenya election: Raila Odinga challenges William Ruto win in Supreme Court
Kenya election: What’s the basis for Raila Odinga’s challenge?
Defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga with his running mate, Martha Karua was manipulated to ensure that Mr Ruto crossed the 50%-plus-one-vote threshold to avoid a second-round run-off. Neither Mr Ruto nor Mr Chebukati have responded to the allegations.
The seven judges at the Supreme Court will have 14 days to make a ruling. Crowds of Mr Odinga’s supporters sang and chanted outside the court in a suburb of the capital, Nairobi, as the presidential candidate arrived to deliver the document, along with dozens of boxes of evidence. His legal petition, one of nine handed over, described the alleged attempt to alter the final result as “premeditated, unlawful and criminal”.Italso:•Calls
• Argues that he did not have the right to announce a result without the backing of the other commissioners • Alleges he was involved in the plan to “secure a fraudulent result” Says the plan was carried out with Mr Ruto’s knowledge but does not provide evidence to back this up Raises questions about the tallying process• Says there is evidence that the results from some polling stations were altered Argues that the voter turnout figure Raila Odinga, the losing presidential candidate in Kenya’s recent elections, has filed a legal challenge to the result, in which William Ruto was declared the winner. We’ve been looking into aspects of the legal case Mr Odinga has presented. Did the chief of the election commission act improperly?Akeypart of Raila Odinga’s case hinges on the role of the chair of the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati.MrOdinga says he should not have announced William Ruto as the winner without the agreement of a majority of the commission, and thus “usurped” their role. We know that four of the seven commissioners did not support the announcement of the result. But there are different interpretations of Mr Chebukati’s powers. Some experts say that under the constitution, he alone is empowered to announce the outcome of the presidential poll, acting as the returning officer for that vote. They also point to the fact that he has a legal obligation to do so within seven days of the date of the election. Mr Chebukati announced the results on 15 August, six days after the vote. However, others argue that under Kenya’s election rules, Mr Chebukati can only announce what the commission itself has “tallied and verified”. Mr Odinga argues this did not happen because of the disagreement amongst the commission members. This is a point that the Supreme Court will have to resolve. Is Mr Odinga correct about voter turnout discrepancies?MrOdinga’s legal complaint also highlights what he says are inconsistencies in the official number of people who voted and the percentage given by the election officials for the overall turnout.Mr Chebukati had initially announced a turnout of 65.4%. Mr Odinga says this turnout figure would mean 14.5m voters must have cast their ballots,
Source; BBC
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Speaking after handing the petition over to the Supreme Court, Mr Odinga said “corruption cartels” were undermining democracy, but did not specify who he meant. This was the fifth time that the 77 year old had run for president. Previously he had been the opposition candidate, but this time he was backed by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta. For the third time in a row he has gone to court to get an outcome overturned. In 2017, the veteran politician successfully challenged the result of that year’s presidential election, which he lost to Mr Kenyatta, and the Supreme Court ordered a re-run. The case highlighted logistical issues in the way the results were collated. However, in 2013 his challenge was dismissed.Thistime the IEBC tried to make the results process as transparent as possible by publishing the polling station tallies as soon as they were available. The independent Elections Observation Group did its own tally and said its estimates were consistent with what the electoral commission published.
An independent monitoring organisation said the commission’s final result was in line with its own However,projection.fourof the seven electoral commissioners refused to endorse the outcome, alleging that the way the final results were tallied was “opaque”.
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Raila Odinga, who came second in Kenya’s presidential election, has gone to court to challenge the result, describing it as “fraudulent”.Inascathing 70-page legal argument, he alleges there was a pre-planned effort to alter the Accordingoutcome. to the electoral commission, Mr Odinga took 48.8% of the vote, losing to William Ruto’s 50.5%.
PAGE 23PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 N ews F rom A F ric A based on the total number of registered voters.
On election day, voters were not just electing a new president. They were also voting for governors, senators, MPs, women’s representatives and members of county assemblies. Mr Odinga says there were unexplained discrepancies in the total number of votes cast for different positions in the same areas. For example, in Kirinyaga County in central Kenya, he says some 23,000 people more people voted for the president than for the governor, according to unverified media reports. In some areas, Odinga’s team claims the votes for the president were actually lower than than those for other posts, which they says “is a practically improbable scenario.” Variations in the numbers of spoilt ballots might account for some of the difference. Also, prisoners are only allowed to vote for the president - and not for other positions. There may well turn out to be significant discrepancies, but at this stage it’s not possible to identify these with any certainty as not all the data is available from the election commission.
UN Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet wrote a letter to Guinea’s leader, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, highlighting what she called large numbers of arrests of protesters as well as some of their deaths. Ms Bachelet wants Guinea’s government to investigate alleged violence at the hands of security forces during the protests, free those arrested and re-institute the opposition coalition called the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC).Dissolving the group “constitutes a major violation of freedom of association and public gathering,” the AFP news agency quotes Ms Bachelet as saying. Guinea saw a military takeover in September 2021, which led to Col Doumbouya taking over as head of Conservationstate. body welcomes fall in Africa rhino poaching A leading conservation body has welcomed a fall in rhino poaching in Africa, but says it remains a grave threat to their survival. The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that from a peak of one rhino in 20 being killed in 2015, the number being killed fell to about one in 50 last year - with covid-related lockdowns helping to limit poaching. It said anti-poaching policies must be kept up to protect populations of both black and white rhinos - particularly in South Africa, home to most of the continent’s rhinos.
UN warns Guinea over human rights - AFP The UN has expressed “deep concern” about the state of human rights in Guinea after the country’s ruling junta dissolved an opposition group and clamped down on recent protests, the AFP news agency reports.
A week ago, there were chaotic scenes at the national tallying centre moments before the final result of the 9 August poll was about to be read out. Some of Mr Odinga’s political allies stormed the stage and scuffles broke out. Two electoral commissioners were injured and four others left the compound to hold a press conference to denounce the outcome. Nevertheless, Mr Chebukati proceeded with the announcement and handed Mr Ruto the certificate confirming that he was the winner. The election commission head said he had defied threats to perform his duty of announcing results according to the will of the people, while Mr Ruto hailed him as a “hero”. Last week, Mr Ruto said he would respect the court process, which is part of the country’s electoral law. “I’m a democrat. I believe in the rule of law. I respect our institutions,” he told journalists.
Supporters of Raila Odinga gathered outside the court ahead of the legal petition being filed
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati “rogue”
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Source: BBC
R escuers looking for survivors after a Shia Muslim shrine in Iraq partially collapsed have found three more bodies, bringing the number of dead to seven. Four women and a child were among those killed when a landslide struck the Qattarat al-Imam Ali on Saturday, the General Civil Defence Directorate said. Another three children have been rescued and taken to hospital. An earth mound next to the shrine, 28km (17 miles) west of Karbala, is believed to have collapsed due to high humidity.“Themountain had been collecting water and, unfortunately, nobody had noticed,” said Daifallah Naim, a nurse with the Popular Mobilisation, a paramilitary force dominated by Shia militias.The landslide hit the roof of the Qattarat al-Imam Ali, which then collapsed on top of Shia pilgrims inside.
The charismatic politician was elected prime minister in 2018, but fell out with Pakistan’s powerful army towards the end of his tenure. After a series of defections, he lost his majority in parliament. Political win could lead to civil unrest
“We are continuing the search for other victims,” civil defence spokesman Jawdat Abdelrahman told AFP news agency on Monday morning. Witnesses had reported that the body of another woman was still under the rubble, he added. On Sunday, President Barham Saleh praised the rescuers as heroes and expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. Influential Shia cleric Moqtada alSadr also offered his condolences, but he warned that there were “suspicions of corruption” surrounding the incident.Hecalled on the government to order an “immediate and serious investigation in order to reveal the truth so that corruption does not reach mosques and places of worship, as it has affected state institutions and ministries”, the state-owned Iraqi News Agency reported. The shrine contains a spring where Shia believe the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet Muhammad’s son-inlaw and cousin, and his army stopped to drink from while on their way to a battle in 657.
The so-called Imran Khan versus the government fight is coming to a head. As tensions continue to rise, there are concerns within the coalition government that the terrorism charges against the former prime minister have the potential to not only create political instability but also to lead to civil unrest. Some within the government worry this is too high a price to pay.
‘Robin Hood’ of Delhi arrested amid claims of 160 crimes
The bodies of four women, two men and a child have been recovered from the rubble
Islamabad’s High Court approved the three-day protective bail, but directed him towards an anti-terrorism court saying it was the appropriate forum to address the issue. The case comes at a time of heightened tension between Pakistan’s government and Mr Khan, who was ousted from power in April in a no-confidence vote. Since then, the former leader has toured the country to deliver a series of fiery speeches calling for fresh elections and fiercely criticising both the government and the army. Despite his ousting, Imran Khan continues to count on the support of many Pakistani voters. Last month, his PTI party stunned rivals by taking control of a crucial provincial assembly in Punjab, defeating the PML-N party in what was expected to be an easy win for them.Many saw July’s by-election victory as a signal of Mr Khan’s continued popularity at the ballot box - and a foretaste of what could happen if the early elections that he is seeking were to be held.
Imran Khan: Pakistan police charge ex-PM under terrorism act
Hundreds of the former prime minister’s supporters gathered outside his home in Islamabad after news of the investigation broke. Draped in the flags of Mr Khan’s party, they have camped out at the gate of his hilltop residence of Bani Gala, chanting and singing in support of the former leader. It is not known if he is at home, and he is yet to address the latest charge. Mr Khan’s political allies warned on Monday that arresting the ousted leader would be crossing a “red line”. “If Imran Khan is arrested... we will take over Islamabad,” tweeted a former minister in Mr Khan’s cabinet, Ali Amin Gandapur.
It’s one of a handful of times the new government has been divided over their stance on Mr Khan, government insiders have told the BBC. Since being ousted in April, the cricketer-turned-politician has been vocal in his criticism of the government as well as the military - accusing them of a political witch hunt.Here’s where the concern comes in, though: Mr Khan has a huge support basein the hundreds of thousands - and when you speak to his followers, they’ll tell you he is being persecuted, a victim of a corrupt system. There has been no proof of this political witch hunt, but that hasn’t stopped party loyalists from believing it.
Aman dubbed the “Robin Hood” of Delhi, who is alleged to have led a gang of 25 merry men, has been arrested in India. Wasim Akram and his outfit robbed wealthy homes, stealing cash and jewellery and giving some money to the poor, police in the capital said. Unlike the Disney version, Mr Akram and his band are alleged to have kept much of their gains for themselves. The force claimed Mr Akram, also known as Lambu (Lofty) committed 160 crimesincluding attempted murder and rape. Police said a special cell had been set up to catch the 27 year old, who they finally nabbed on Friday after four months of tailing him. They accused him of firing on them during a previous arrest attempt in June. They said he was carrying a pistol with three live cartridges in it when he was arrested.The “notorious absconding history sheeter” - an Indian English term meaning a habitual criminal - would frequently change his hideouts across several Indian states, the force said in a statement. It continued that because he gave to the poor, Akram received support from local communities who would tip him off about the movements of the police, allowing him to evade them for so long.
PAGE 24 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022
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Iraq shrine collapse: Seven bodies pulled from rubble after landslide
Pakistan’s police have charged the country’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, under anti-terror laws. Their investigation comes after he accused the police and judiciary of detaining and torturing a close aide. Mr Khan’s supporters gathered outside his house vowing to “take over” if he was arrested. However, he has now been granted pre-arrest bail until Thursday. Since being ousted from power in April, Mr Khan has been a vocal critic of the government and the country’s army. Police announced the charges after the cricketer-turned-politician accused authorities of torturing his close aide, who is himself being detained under sedition charges. Officials accused Mr Khan of breaching the country’s anti-terrorism act for allegedly making threats against the state officials.
ews
The Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces Foundation (REMENAFF) has established Zamfara State chapter with a view to drive all necessary assistance to doorsteps of both retired army and families of those who lost their lives during services to the nation. This was disclosed by the Zamfara State Coordinator ‘Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces Foundation’ (REMENAFF), Mohammed Sani Mohammed in a press briefing in Gusau the state capital on Mohammed,Sunday.told
He said this was because, beyond being the custodians of traditions of the people, God had placed it on them to unite the people.“So, working closely with our royal fathers will definitely help us in solving the problems of insecurity that we are faced with in our nation today.
Mafab: NCC granted us five-month extension on 5G rollout
need
Gov. Ifeanyi Olannye of Delta and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Nigeria is in dire need of leaders who will see the various parts of the country as one united nation.Okowa stated this on Monday when he receive the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, and His Royal Majesty, Dr. Benjamin Ikenchukwu, Keagborekuzi I, the Dein of Agbor Kingdom at Government House, Asaba. He said that the nation was in dire need of leaders who would see the strength in the nation’s diversity rather than using it to
“We are truly very excited that you found time to be in Delta to pay a condolence visit to our brother, Prince Nduka Obaigbena and also visit the Olu of Warri on his first coronation anniversary.
ZamfarachapterestablishesAssociationArmyin
“I welcome you on behalf of the government and people of Delta State and I want to thank God that you truly found time to visit us.
He said the visit of the Kano monarch to Delta was the kind of relationship that would help unite and bring peace to the nation and called on Nigerians to see themselves as brothers, irrespective of the diversity.
KADCHMA presents 500 health insurance cards to beneficiaries
Journalists that the association has established the new chapter in Zamfara to join other states of the federation including Abuja. He said it has the sole aim of ensuring welfare of the Nigerian army as well as ensuring quick release of entitlements for the retired ones.
“It is recognition that when you do something good people will motivate you. We gave this recognition to Hon Monrovia for believing in the scheme that the government has just put“up.We are using this opportunity to get others”. Abubakar Yunusa Abuja Mafab Communications Limited, a telecommunication company, said it has been issued a fivemonths extension for its 5G network rollout by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Gov. Ifeanyi Olannye
From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau
PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 NEWS divide the country.
“This visit is to develop the special relationship that exists between Kano and Delta states. Be rest assured of our support and prayers of success in your political career.“Let us believe in ourselves and be honest with each other and if we take that into consideration, we all know that the differences between us are less than what we share together.Bayero said talks of disunity in our nation today was something Nigerians can sit and discuss because it had been done before withHesuccess.expressed the belief that as a traditional institution, the government could not be blamed for everything because everyone had roles to play. He said with the right leadership, things would get better for the country. On 2023 campaigns, the traditional ruler urged politicians to encourage their followers to be of good behaviour while urging the people to go for what was good in the interest of the nation. (NAN)
We bridge-builders to unite Nigeria – Okowa
“This is actually the kind of relationship we look forward to in our nation, Nigeria. A relationship that builds bridges across this nation and makes us realise that we are one people in this nation. “We are very thankful for this visit because there is a need to build this bond of unity and we must truly thank you for the roles you have played in our nation because, I know that you are a very very influential royal father in this nation,” he said. He called for the harnessing of the experience and wisdom of traditional rulers in the country by creating statutory roles for them in view of their contributions to the growth and development of society. Okowa said the royal fathers needed to be assigned greater roles in the governance of Nigeria because they played very important roles in keeping the people closely knitHetogether.saidif Nigerians were to find solutions to the challenges at the moment, “we definitely need to have a working pact with royal fathers in this nation”.
Earlier, the Emir, Ado Bayero, said his visit was to cement the agelong relationship between Kano and Delta State.
Retired
“It is a pleasure for me to be in Delta. This is a special visit and we pray God will continue to guide and bless you as Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
From:Femi Oyelola, Kaduna T he Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) yesterday distributed 500 health insurance cards to beneficiaries in theThestate.Director General of the Scheme, Abubakar Hassan said the beneficiaries were drawn from Kaduna South Federal Constituency, courtesy of the lawmaker representing the constituency at the Lower Chamber Muktar Morovia. Hassan said the lawmaker enrolled 500 beneficiaries from his Constituency. He advised the beneficiaries to make use of the cards by going to their selected health facilities to access health services and to also keep it safe. He said the scheme has decided to recognize the lawmaker with an award for his enrollment into the scheme. “ We are recognizing him for the good job he has done.
In December 2021, after 11 rounds of bidding that lasted for eight hours, Mafab and MTN Nigeria emerged as the two successful winners of the 3.5gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria. The commission further confirmed that the two companies fully paid $273.6 million each for the 5G spectrum licence. In line with the conditions of the 5G licence, the licencees were expected to commence rollout of 5G services effective from August 24, 2022. But in a recent statement, Mafab said it has been issued a five- month extension following the delays in receiving its unified operational license (USAL) and numbering plan, which did not happen until the end of July. “We are fully committed to bringing the benefits of 5G services to Nigerians and deploying a network that will drive economic development with increased broadband capabilities nationwide,” Musbahu Bashir, chairman, Mafab Communications Limited, was quoted as saying.“Ihave no doubt that the service will help deliver improvements in the fields of education, business, smart cities and entertainment.“Thegoalremains to launch before the 5-month extension period and we will be sharing more information in the nearThefuture.”company said that the 5G network would offer Nigerians higher data speed, improved reliability and availability. It added that with 5G, Nigerians would be able to achieve more with broadband and increase the nation’s broadband penetration, quality of service and capabilities.
“We look forward to a Nigeria in which we continue to see our nation as ours,” he said. The governor said unfortunately, there were many voices that tended to divide Nigerians, and expressed the hope that in the next few years, the narrative would change. Okowa said he believed in the unity of the nation, saying Nigeria was stronger being together. “When we begin to realise this, l am sure that we will build a much better country. It is our hope that our royal fathers will take up the challenge to begin to build the voices of hope. The PDP running mate expressed the belief that these problems could be addressed, though It might take time, yet Nigerians must agree to collectively workHetogether.expressed concern over the continued Accasemic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, saying that it portends grave danger for the educational development of the country.“We are now beginning to hear that JAMB and the Universities are likely to face issues because of the over six months ASUU strike. The governor said if the strike extended into the seventh month, the implication was that those that would ordinarily have been admitted, would not find space in the Universities because the old students needed to move up for the new ones to come in.
On Mondays, Bamenda becomes a “ghost town” with the roads empty and markets closed - part of a civil economic disobedience campaign dating back to before the armed struggle. These days, residents who dare ignore the lockdown order are either shot dead or see their shops go up in smoke.The military and police also disappear from the streets, so that they do not become soft targets for separatists fighters who have a strong presence in the city. The separatists even ordered the closure of all schools four years ago as part of their campaign. A few have bravely remain open, but children do not dare wear uniforms. The military enforces a curfew virtually every night in the city, resulting in many of its restaurants, bars and clubs - once reputed to be the best in Cameroon - going out of business, not helped by the nowerratic electricity supply.
Once a thriving city in Cameroon, Bamenda has been ripped of its soul by the five-year war between English-speaking secessionists and the mainly French-speaking government.Bamenda is all but dead. Only the coffin trade is booming. Bodies are dumped regularly all over the city - in mortuaries, on streets and in rivers.Council workers pick them up and give them a pauper’s burial.
You talk to someone today and tomorrow they are gone.”
And after a night of shooting, residents have to make several calls and listen out for traffic to check the situation is safe before venturing out. Even so, gunfire has become so common in Bamenda during the day that people no longer immediately flee at the sound.
Cameroon’s Bamenda, where only the coffin trade is booming
“Coffins that used to sell for a million CFA francs [about $1,500, £1,270] are out of commission because nobody can afford them. Most people can only afford coffins for 50,000 CFA francs,” says an attendee at a funeral parlour. The regular funerals for young men and boys are a brutal reminder of the conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions of NorthWest and South-West. In just five years, that conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, while forcing more than one million to flee to French-speaking areas and a further 80,000 to take refuge in next-door Nigeria. The war has its roots in grievances that date back to the end of colonialism, when Britishcontrolled territory was unified with French areas to create what is nowManyCameroon. English-speaking Cameroonians have felt marginalised ever since and have opposed what they see as attempts by the government - dominated by the French-speaking majorityto force them to give up their way of life, including their language, history and education and legal systems.
Tensions boiled over in 2016 when tens of thousands of people in Bamenda and other Englishspeaking areas embarked on a series of protests against the use of French in their schools and courts, as well as the failure to publish government documents in English, even though it is an official language.Withthe government ordering the security forces to crackdown on the protests rather than entering into talks to resolve their grievances, young men took up arms the following year to demand the independent state of Ambazonia, as they call the two English-speaking regions. Now, military vehiclesincluding those with mounted machine-guns - constantly crisscrossResidentsBamenda.say soldiers raid homes, make arrests, burn markets and even display the bodies of their victims, including commanders of militias, at major intersections to warn residents against joining the separatist fighters. Government forces have also suffered heavy losses in the conflict, with the bodies of fallen soldiers removed from the military’s mortuary in the capital, Yaoundé, every Thursday and Friday. Widows wail in front of the long lines of coffins draped in the Cameroonian flag, before the soldiers are buried amid the pomp and ceremony that mark military funerals. Separatist fighters have also gained notoriety for atrocities against civilians, including beheadings and the torturing of women whom they denounce for “betraying the struggle”, calling them “black legs” - a term regularly bandied about now. They circulate videos of these atrocities to warn people of the punishment they face if they are suspected of colluding with the security forces.
PEOPLES DAILY AUGUSTWEDNESDAY,,24,2022 26 Feature
“The constant frying of popcorn has driven everybody away,” says a waitress using a metaphor to describe the never-ending sound of gunfire. She says it has also prevented those who live abroad from coming home. Known as “bushfallers” - a Pidgin term for hunters (in this case seeking greener pastures) - those in the diaspora were responsible for Bamenda’s economic heartbeat, sending back money to invest in the once-mushrooming building trade and coming back at Christmas to share their largesse. But the authorities accused them of bankrolling the Anglophone rebellion. Visiting returnees soon found themselves arrested - some are now in the maximum security prisons of Yaoundé or Doualawhile others simply disappeared.
“It is a blessing to be buried at all, let alone by family and friends,” says a cemetery worker as he comes to pick up 10 cheap coffins from a funeralDemandparlour.has dropped for the once-popular elaborately designed coffins - shaped like bibles, cars or beer bottles to reflect the lifestyle, interests or last wishes of the dead.
For Marie Clair Bisu, there is a silver lining - she sees more of her husband, because he gets home before“Hecurfew.hasnow discovered his children. This is a man who used to come back late sometimes drunk and would just head to bed. Now he can play with the kids and check their books. This conflict has reunited us,” she says. “The only problem is that the gunshots always spoil our nights.”
“What would we eat if we keep running? I have children to feed,” a vegetable seller says. “We simply dive for cover and get back to business when the gunshotsAnotherstop.”woman says her child has got so used to the sound of gunfire that she knows who is shooting.“Mydaughter is seven and she can tell whether the sounds are from machine guns of the army or the AK-47 rifles of ‘The Boys’,” she says, referring to the separatist fighters. Some nuns who I meet by a road in the city centre say they are waiting for a taxi to go to the Abangoh Orphanage. The war has seen an explosion in unwanted teenage pregnancies, they say - with girls who have been forced to flee their homes becoming victims of sexual violence and exploitation by both sides. One angrily says: “Rape as a weapon of war is despicable.”
Bushfallers’ money has dried up and none of them now visit. Long-time resident Peter Shang, who once loved life in the city, says people now take one day at a time: “Life is a lottery. Too many things remind you about untimely death.
At every corner, there is evidence that the very fabric of this once-glitzy city, where piles of billowing rubbish now tumble, has been permeated by the stench and misery of what many here regard as an unnecessary war. Cameroon - still divided along colonial lines: Source: BBC
Soldiers get a proper burial - unlike many people
“ With the government ordering the security forces to crackdown on the protests rather than entering into talks to resolve their grievances, young men took up arms the following year to demand the independent state of Ambazonia, as they call the two English-speaking regions.
This woman says her child was shot by police Civilians often end up paying the highest price of the conflict
Workers seek review of National Housing Programme
“I can see the reconstruction work. You have achieved a lot. That is appreciable despite some challenges . The work will continue to progress.Weintend to complete this road hopefully before the end of this year,but you said next year but I want us to challenge ourselves and try to finish the project before the end of the year because you have done more work,” said the minister.TheDirector Highways, North West Engr. Adetayo Taiwo said the road project inspected had progressed smoothly leaving no stone“Theunturn.contractor has left no room for any form of condemnation, they are working the way they should work,” he said.
“If you are lucky, you get your money back. There is really no hope in the system,” he said.
“Let’s have the hope that whenever we retire, we will have reasons to be happy and proud,” he said.In Borno, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said its members are not befitting from the Federal Government’s housing programme in the past three years. NLC Chairman in the state, Yusuf Inuwa, attributed the trend to misunderstanding resulting from monthly deductions for those who had benefited from the programme. He said that while deductions were being made from beneficiaries’ salaries, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) claimed it has not been recieving the required remittance from government.
L-R Engr.Wasiu Adetayo Taiwo, Director Highways North West FMWH, Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub, Minister of State Works and Housing and Ren Ushao Shuai, Project Manager CECCC at the inspection of the dualised Kano - Katsina Road Phase 1 Kano Town recently.
“The deduction of over N40,000 from my salary is much, If I agreed to it, I won’t be able to fend for my family.“Again, according to the National Housing Fund website, the prices of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, threebedroom and Duplex houses range from N7 million to over N16 million.
Another worker, Mr Alhassan Usman, described the concept of the NHP as welcome initiative, adding that if effectively implemented, it would address the wide gap of housing deficit in the country.
“ I understand you have enough materials at your disposal to do the markings and the signages. We expect to see that is done because they are very essential in ensuring smooth and safe driving on roads,” saidHeEl-Yakub.reiterated that the Ministry would not relent in ensuring that the quality of work on all road projects across the country are in line with acceptable standards. As the 73.10km dual carriage road project is now being funded by Sukuk, the Minister added that funding is no more a challenge. He promised the contractor that all the necessary support needed would be given for timely completion of the project.
“I have since given up because these houses are too expensive for a low-income earner,” he said. A staffer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in Damaturu, Rabiu Haruna, also said he could not afford the 20 and 30 per cent down payment as required under the scheme. Saleh Mohammed, who is with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said the over N12 million price-tag for the scheme’s two-bedroom flat was on the high side. “I can get a land and build a twobedroom flat here in Damaturu with half of that amount,” he said.
“This to us is a problem between the bank and Ministry of Finance, and should not affect workers,” he said.He said workers in the state were disturbed, particularly those eager to access house refurbishment loan.
A worker with Federal University, Gashua, Yobe, Adamu Saleh, said the houses were built in the outskirts of the town, which he felt was Also,unsafe.Haliru Ibrahim, a retired worker in Bauchi, said Nigerians could not access the houses due to cumbersome processes.
“ The Federal Government has solved the funding problem by putting the project under SUKUK funded projects,” he said. The Minister of State encouraged the contractor to keep up with the pace and the quality of work on ground. He further urged them to intensify more efforts to complete the road project on or before the agreed completion date.
Some workers in the NorthEast have advocated for review of the Federal Government’s National Housing Programme (NHP) to enable more Nigerians to own decent houses. The workers and other stakeholders made the call in Bauchi (Bauchi State), Damaturu (Yobe State), Dutse (Jigawa State), Gombe (Gombe State), Maiduguri (Borno State) and Yola (Adamawa State) while responding to a survey on NHPTheyimplementation.saidthecallwas imperative to mobilise participation and fast track successful implementation of the Theprogramme.NHP is the housing component of the President Muhammadu Buhari Economic Sustainability Plan to deliver affordable housing and millions of jobs for Nigerians. The programme seeks to construct 300,000 houses across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for low-income earners and create up to 1.8 million jobs in the Construction Value Chain.Itis also designed to increase domestic production of construction materials through economies of scale as well as increase access to home ownership for low-income earners through reduced housing cost and alternative financing options. However, high cost of the houses has been a source of concern to the workers as most of the respondents said they could not afford the exorbitant prices.
The Project Engineer Messrs China Engineering Construction Company Ltd (CECC), Engr. Ren Shao Shuai said the project would be delivered on time. He added that they were working in line with the laid down specifications. He thanked the Federal Government for the opportunity to work in the country. Another road inspected was the construction of a 38.7km contractor.StateLocalSingleBadune-Damargu-MarkenYakasai-ZaklliCarriageWayinBichiGovernmentAreaofKanobeinghandledbythesame
He said workers were not getting the houses in spite of monthly deduction which was being effected from the salary of a worker and remitted to the NHF account from the point of entry to retirement.
“We appeal to the management of the bank to come to aid of workers.
PEOPLES DAILY AUGUSTWEDNESDAY,,24,2021 25Property
Available data on the NHP verified portal being handled by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing indicated that several the houses were currently on sale across the Accordingcountry. to the ministry, prices of the completed houses in Dutse indicated that one-bedroom bungalow costs over N9.268 million, and two-bedroom bungalow N12.398 million while threebedroom bungalow costs N16.491 millionSomerespectively.workers in Damaturu bemoaned the high cost of houses built by the Federal Government under the NHP. They said the houses were beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerian.Mohammed Alka of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) said he did not apply for the houses under the scheme because it would attract high deductions from his salary.
FG will complete more road projects
The Federal Government has reiterated it’s determination to complete more highway projects across the country for the benefit of Nigerians and members of the Public before the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari led Theadministration.Ministerof State for Works and Housing, Umar Ibrahim ElYakub gave the assurance in Kano, Kano State during an inspection tour of phase one of the KanoKatsina dual carriage way at the weekend.Thiswas contained in statement signed and issued by Blessing LereAdams Director(Press & Public Relations).El-Yakub said, “We will give all the necessary support to ensure all road infrastructure projects across the country are completed so double your effort to deliver on time.”El-Yakub noted that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is known for investment in highway infrastructure development. The Minister added that road and other infrastructure development projects have generally gotten more boost from this administration than previous ones.“I believe that most roads and other infrastructure development projects in the country have gotten more boost from this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari who is known to invest in infrastructure development and to ensure completion of infrastructure projects that were started by previous administrations in this country.”TheMinister stressed the need for the installation of road markings and signages on the already completed sections of the road for smooth and safe driving on the road.
“We want them to resolve this matter with the ministry so that our members can start benefitting from the loan again,” Inuwa said. Responding; Controller of Housing in Yobe, Mr JCN Wannang said that 38 blocks of houses had been completed under the scheme in Damaturu. He said 24 of the houses were two-bedroom, 12 three-bedroom and two blocks of one-bedroom bungalow.Wannang said all the necessary facilities were installed in and around the houses which would soon be inaugurated and released to successfulAdditionally,applicants.the Federal Government had so far inaugurated 76 housing units in Dutse under the first phase of the NHP.
By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Chairman of Chinese Liaoning Huaye Group Development Ltd, Anshan, Ma Liming disclosed during the working visit to NASENI that Nigeria and China had a long lasting relationship which led to the signing of the agreement on building of the first transformer manufacturing plant in Nigeria. He said the partnership also resulted in the training of Sixty (60) NASENI Engineers on Transformer Production Line and High voltage Testing Laboratory Plant.
PEOPLES DAILY AUGUSTWEDNESDAY,,24,2022 28
Prof. Haruna also announced that 98 NASENI engineers will soon be trained on Solar Cell Modular production in China. “The Engineers will leave by September this year. If we have the Solar Cell production plant in Nigeria, we will have steady light and even transmit to other African countries. The benefits of having local Solar Cell Manufacturing plant in the country are enormous.”
writes SUNDAY
Focus Reawakening Nigeria’s quest for industrialization
According to Prof. Haruna, for any nation to offer permanent solutions to the issue of power supply, it must have its own high voltage testing laboratory, which, he said, is what this project is expected to achieve for Nigeria. He added: “NASENI had already trained since 2019 about 60 Engineers in these areas to ensure that when the plant effectively takes off, it will be the best and will be run by trained Nigerian engineers and scientists.
NASENI, he said, is deliberately driving the project now in line with its mandate to provide capital goods and equipment including machinery in order to offer a solid foundation for the industrial development of the country.
Appearing as a guest at the weekly briefing by MDAs, packaged by the Presidential Communication Team recently, Prof Haruna said the agreement was first signed in 2013 between the Federal Government and People’s Republic of China, but due to some technicalities, the project could not take off.He disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had given a fresh directive concerning the three projects which, according to him, must take off nextThemonth.NASENI boss also disclosed that more than 50% of the 15 percent counterpart fund to be paid by the Federal Government on the establishment of transformer plant in Nigeria has been fulfilled and the ground-breaking and foundation laying ceremony of the project will be done by Mr. President in September,2022. He said this particular round of visit by the Chinese technical partner to Nigeria was to ensure that all the finishing touches on the commencement of construction work about the projects was done with for effective take-off in September.
The third component of the project is the establishment of a solar cell manufacturing plant in Nigeria aimed at popularizing renewable energy in the country. And when that is achieved, Nigerians will heave a sigh of relief from the long night that poor power supply has“NASENIorchestrated.and China would continue to work together to ensure the attainment of the industrialization agenda of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which the three projects have as targets to be kick-started with the building of a first class Transformer Plant in Africa which will be located in Nigeria.“We will work together as good partners to ensure that Nigeria has the best transformer plant in Africa”, the Chinese partner said.
“For any nation to have steady power supply, it must have these three important projects, Solar cell production plant, high voltage testing laboratory and transformer production line. You cannot have a permanent and steady power supply when you import all the components of electricity as currently obtained in Nigeria”, he said.
“We are in this for the purpose of ensuring that Nigeria becomes one of the countries in the world with steady power supply which is an essential foundation for a genuine industrialization dream by the country” he noted.
“ We are in this for the purpose of ensuring that Nigeria becomes one of the countries in the world with steady power supply which is an essential foundation for a genuine industrialization dream by the country HarunaCui Jianchun
The establishment of transformer production plant will not only put paid to frequent power outages but also boost the nation’s industrialization dream, ODE. President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to perform the ground breaking ceremony of first class transformer plant in Nigeria. The project is being powered by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). First of its kind in Nigeria and second in Africa, this ambitious project is expected to address the perennial problem of epileptic power supply in the country; in line with the industrialization agenda of the Federal Government. This news will, no doubt, be a great delight to Nigerians given the fact that electricity power supply has remained a teething problem in the country in the past three decades, with successive administrations promising to address it but to no avail. So endemic is the situation that promises to boost electricity supply has topped the agenda of presidential campaigns since the return to democracy in 1999. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had, through his Power Minister, Bola Ige, promised to address the knotty issue in six months; but by the end of his two terms of four years each, no solution was in sight. The supposed magic wand However,failed.that administration can best be remembered for spending a whopping 16 billion US dollars on power infrastructure contracts with scanty or no commensurate results. Angered by that development, the House of Representatives through its committee on power instituted a probe into how the whopping 16 billion US dollars was spent. The committee headed by Ndudi Elumelu embarked on a factfinding mission, touring all the projects sites where the humongous sum was said to have been spend and came out with startlingrevelations of corrupt practices in the award and implemention of the contracts. Their report sent the nation into a Morefrenzy.than a decade down the line, however, Nigeria has not moved significantly away from that circle of electricity supply stagnation. The country currently depends on a mere 5000 megawatts for all its power needs. Frequent collapse of the national grid coupled with poor distribution network has worsened the situation over time. But like the saying that where there’s a will, there’s a way, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has shown willingness to turn the tide of electricity supply in the country through huge investments in power infrastructure across the country. One of the most significant steps being taken by government in that regard currently is the establishment of first class transformer production plant. Experts have posited that three major projects must necessarily be put in place before any nation can boast of steady power supply. These, according to them are, solar cell production plant, high voltage testing laboratory and transformer production line. And that is to say that all along, Nigeria’s leaders have been groping in the dark and making empty boasts about steady power supply for the citizens. In a pragmatic demonstration of that will by government, a visit to Nigeria and official meeting with the management of NASENI by the Chinese team took place recently in Abuja. Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna said the visit was aimed at putting finishing touches to the agreement in order to meet the September 2022 deadline for the commencement of work on the project as directed by President Buhari, who doubles as the chairman of the governing board of the agency.
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NFF Blames Falconets U-20 World Cup elimination on poor officiating
Four players from Niger and Kastina States are currently flying Nigeria’s flag at the six Nation African under 17 Badminton championship in Cameroon.Thethree days African zone 3 Championship is holding at Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital and is featuring five African nations along with host. The participating Countries are, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, DR.Congo and host Cameroon in the zone 3 of the Championship slated for Tuesday 22nd of August to Wednesday the 24th of August.Nigeria team is been represented by two players each from Niger and Katsina State who has qualified for the semifinals of the championship.
Onazi, who has enjoyed quality training time with the 2018 CHAN runners-up in Abuja says he is comfortable with the quality of players and their fitness, as well as the quality of the coaching crew. He said: “I think the coaches have put together a very strong team that is capable of nicking the ticket at the expense of Ghana.Ihave seen the players are very fit and good enough to make Nigeria proud. I know Coach Salisu Yusuf is well-informed in the domestic league and has assembled the best players in the league, and I can also see that the other members of the technical crew are positioned to help the Head Coach.” The former Lazio player featured in the team’s first friendly match against Mahanaim FC which the Eagles came from two goals down to win 3-2. “It was a very good test for the Eagles. They are preparing for a very big game and I liked the level of the game. We had to fight back to win,” he said about the Onazigame.is warming up in Abuja for another club outside the country.“Iam actually here to collect my passport to travel and then I heard the team was training here. I like the opportunity to train at this high level and so I grabbed it. It is the best way to stay fit.”
Sports PAGE 29DAILYPEOPLES sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 >>>PG32PG30PG30
Eagles B to overpower Ghana’s Galaxies
Speaking on the state representatives, the Chairman of the Niger State Badminton Association, Hon Nma Kolo who is also the Special Adviser, politics and strategy to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said the game of badminton is growing in leaps and bound in the State. He disclosed that the State decided to sponsor the two youthful players to represent Nigeria at the Championship to expose them to major international championship and prepare them for bigger championship.“ourpolicy of catching them young is yielding positive result as our player are all home grown product that doing so well in the country“Win ir loose, this boys must have gathered enough experience from this tournament and we will not relent in our developmental effort
Algeria 2023: Onazi
Katsina to
Nigeria in
The Eagles B have continued their build-up for the matches against the Galaxies of Ghana billed for Sunday, 28th August in Cape Coast and Saturday, 3rd September in Abuja. The winner on aggregate will qualify for Algeria 2023. backs
By Albert Akota N igeria’s World Cup midfield star Eddy Ogenyi Onazi is fully backing the Super Eagles B to overwhelm the Black Galaxies of Ghana when both teams clash for a spot at the 7th African Nations Championship coming up in Algeria early next year.
Cameroon
Niger, represent five Nation African under 17 Badminton championship in
By Yakubu Mustapha Minna
In the 15th minute, Sabastine again pulled away and let fly, 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 deficit 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 Rofiat Imuran’s cross in the 62nd minute, but the ball floated 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 five goals and conceding only one.” 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. It is the first 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.
CSED, South-East Badminton zone hold training in Enugu Poverty Fighters Handball Club being addressed by their official Poverty Fighters lose narrowly to Niger United in North-Central Handball Championship classic
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 officials in Makurdi, Benue State, the Poverty Fighters lost the grip of the game, out of respect though, in the first period with a score of 17-10. 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 first period, they narrowed the scoreline to 29-27 in the final 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. “We keep growing along in the competition and will continue to push ahead,’ he said. 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 official 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
PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022PAGE 30 S P R T
NFF Blames Falconets U-20 World Cup elimination on poor officiating
Students from five boys’ schools and five 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
“I want to first and foremost commend the players and technical crew for the great job they are doing there in the competition.
poor finishing, hard luck and dodgy officiating by Costa Rican official 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 quarterfinal 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 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 finishing The Falconets who were optimistic of a semi-final berth succumbed to a two first-half goals by the Europeans and got their already flourishing campaign punctured. In a release after the match signed by its head of communication, Ademola Olajire, the federation noted that poor finishing, hard luck as well as unfavorable decisions by the Costa Rican official Marianela Araya saw the Nigeria U-20 bow out of the tournament “A litany of factors, including
Flourish Sabastine stopped inside the box but referee waved it aside
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 the CAFyear President, Patrice Motsepe who disclosed this on Wednesday, said the money would be part of $100 million USD to be shared from the accruing financial benefits of the Africa Super League, ASL which takes off next year.
Enyimba International FC is the only Nigerian side that will participate in the maiden edition of the Africa Super League next year.
“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 confident that it will change the face and competitiveness of CAF and African football.
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 finish strong.Mark in a statement on Monday in Abuja, commended officials 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 finish strong.
“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.
“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.”
NFF President, Amaju Pinnick FIFA World Cup displayed.
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
Speaking during the launching of the ASL in Tanzania, Mostepe said the continent’s football umpire is committed to the development of football.
“Holland’s game is now not going to be the first 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.”
“Ticket holders will be duly notified by email that the relevant matches have been rescheduled and their tickets will remain valid irrespective of the new date/time.
“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 first game but the South American federation were in favour of it.
Mark Igoche hails Team Nigeria on Commonwealth Games feat
PAGE 31PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 S P R T
FIFA changes opening date of 2022 Qatar World Cup
“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 first 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.
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 first 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 21 November The change 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.
“The CAF Executive Committee (“EXCO”) took a decision to launch the CAF Africa Super League in August 2022. This League will officially 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.
Africa Super League: NFF to tarn N420 million from CAF next year
“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.
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL
State
OF NIGERIA! . . . putting the people first Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite
Cameroon Football Federation FECAFOOT, President, Samuel Eto’o, believes that an African country can win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to take place between November 20 and December 18 this Noyear.African country has ever gone past the quarter-finals of the quadrennial Mundial. Only three; Cameroon at Italia ’90, Senegal at Korea-Japan 2002 and Ghana at South Africa 2010 editions, have reached the However,stage.Eto’o who happens to be the Qatar Legacy ambassador Graphic online, while in Ghana opined that this could be the year for Africa to not only surpass her quarter-final record but possibly win the FIFA World Cup title. “First of all I feel at home and I don’t need a reason to be back home,” Footballghana.com quoted Eto’o as “Howeversaying. I came with our brothers from Qatar for our national teams to get the best possible information so that they give us the best results, and why not? Win the World Cup for us,” Eto’oEto’osaid.also took to his Twitter and Instagram platforms on Saturday to further tout his belief in the ability of African teams at Qatar“Great2022.to be here in Ghana speaking about the limitless potential of African football. This World Cup will be our World Cup. Who agrees?,” his Twitter and Instagram posts read. Eto’o represented Cameroon at four FIFA World Cups; 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014. The five teams representing Africa at the 2022 FIFA World Cup are Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia. African Country Can Win 2022 World Cup - Cameroon FA Boss
After the charade exhibited at the just concluded Nigeria Bar Association conference in Lagos, and the implication on the already decaying national consciousness on issue-based politicking, I took it upon myself to reexamine what the organisation stands for, for the purpose of educating the organisation and help it to salvage itself back to its original callings. The NBA is by its establishment status, a non-profit professional association with a core objective of promoting the welfare, security, economic, and professional advancement of legal practitioners in Nigeria.Inno place in its rule of engagement was it written that the association would serve as an appendage of any choice political party or candidate or to use its platform and machinery of operations to enhance the chances of such party or a candidate to win election. What obtained in the just concluded NBA program was an eyesore and a disservice to the nation and Nigerians who expected much from the association in a nonpartisan role.
The 2022 Nigeria Bar Association Annual General Conference and the programs as they unfolded has shown vividly that the association and the organisers of the event are not only partisan but were out in grand style to promote certain candidates while pulling others down. The association, more than any other group should know better that according to the new Electoral Act 2022, election campaign cannot begin at any date more than 150 days to the election; so, the association indirectly converting its conference to an electoral debate platform should not have ensued but for the vested interest of the organisation to play politics with its platform. Not limited to that error of decision in allowing the platform of the conference to become a political debate of some sort, the leadership and organisers displayed the highest level of unprofessionalism and partisanship gathering when they watched the members affording certain participants preferential treatments over others. Some of us were of the opinion that getting interested in political development of the nation by any functional group and association in the country, and convening a program that gets involved in politicking should patriotically be to engage political office contenders to an intense issuebased discussion that presents the members of the organisation and the wider members of the society a ground for the choice they would make at the polls; but the NBA gathering in question was a far distance from that. In a nation where over the decades since independence, and more prominent since 1999, we have totally deviated from issuebased politicking and have grossly embraced emotional biases as the main elements of canvassing for electoral supports and supporting political parties and candidates at the expense of quality, committed, and competent leadership in the country, which has been responsible for the perennial underdevelopment of our nation at all level; one would expect a national association like NBA to take up the responsibility of reordering and returning the system to what it should be and what is obtainable in all saner communities andButsystems.then, it was the opposite that we witnessed in Lagos over the weekend. We witnessed emotional attachment that could not be hidden, outbursts against certain candidates, and a complete jettison of quality presentation for the usual emotional bias status quo. We saw the organisation and apparently the entire audience at the program taking more interest in the dress code of an invitee more than in the quality of his deliveries. We got to the point that no one is talking about the quality of the presentation of all the presidential aspirants that were present at the event, objectively analysing them for the substantial benefits they are capable of bringing to the table for Nigeria and Nigerians. When the nation’s peculiar political default was doing more to redirect the 2023 elections campaigns towards myopic and sentimental discussions, rather than the much needed issue-based campaigns that would afford the citizens and the electorate the opportunities to size up the candidates and make their choices, an NBA conference major contribution to the system was taking us temporarily away from the usual sentiments of religion and ethnicity to the triviality of fashion in such an important national event. It is so bad that in the midst of the much needed national reawakening, our emphasis could still be on the dressing of a politician rather than the substance of what they have to offer. Making an issue out of the particular candidate’s dress code at the expense of the substance of the issues, and judging in between their speeches. Again, we lost on the positive of that event; we are satisfied hailing those full of theories and textbooks knowledge, while mocking a man standing on unequal antecedents and capacity for a practical approach to issues. In a saner community, dress code would be a non-issue, of course; what would a Kashim Shettima mode of dressing have to do with what he has to deliver? Right now, no one is talking about his brilliant presentation or perusing that of others because for this week, our myopic emphasis has been shifted from religion to fashion trivialities. This is but a sober reflection of how low we have become as a people including a supposedly professional association as the NBA. I listened again and again to the strong presentation made by Kashim Shettima at the event and I could not but become worried the more for this country because, by design, those bent on rerouting the campaign away from discussing benefiting issues and presenting antecedents and candidates capacities that make them worthy of the positions they aspire for, have almost succeeded in taking away the Kashim Shettima’s presentation from going viral and replacing it, as usual, with the emotion ridden dress code which is now the trending meme over social media.Indeed, Kashim Shettima grandly and systematically presented the antecedents of both his principal and himself, exerting their wellestablished capacity to effectively administer the nation’s resources for the benefit of the country and its citizens, and with a silent mention of a cogent ingredient of national development: the capacity to develop talents at all levels. He succinctly buttresses similar by crediting his principal when he said “I am a Muslim, I won’t change my name from Ahmed to Joshua but I have changed Lagos from N600 million monthly IGR to N45 billion monthly today. Lagos is Africa’s 5th largest economy today. This is not a bricklayer’s job.” Kashim Shettima indirectly poses a challenge to all to compete with himself and his principal in the capacity to identify and develop talents; that, no one sees, and no one is talking about. We had an evening that exposed Atiku Abubakar’s non-readiness for governance; his well-rehearsed and versed solution to the lingering ASUU problems is the handing over of all the federal government universities and polytechnics to the states for their administration. As unrealistic as that is and coming from a man who has been contesting to rule this country since 1993, it should constitute serious worry for Nigerians and calls for serious further engagements, but we are more interested in dress code rhetoric.Peter Obi, as usual, gave us a whole lot of textbook presentations, reeling out baseless figures that add nothing in reality to the solution to the Nigeria problems and challenges; and in the usual manner, appealing to the emotional calls of programmed followers who are mostly satisfied with jargons once it is coming from their emotionally preferred candidates. This is a time, Nigerians, all of us, should be busy scrutinising all their presentations to sieve out what makes sense and throw away the unrealistic bombardments that are gesticulated only for fame in the manner of Peter Obi. Like someone said, his speech at the event on economy was built on a shop-based minimalist system, devoid of basic understanding of statecraft economic system, and a recipe for disaster; but because what the emotionally biased followers want is not fact and workable ideas but touching speech and paper rhetoric. Right now, the NBA, functioning as it wants to function as it delves into the nation’s political sphere, should be busy analysing and enumerating the contents of the various deliveries and presenting a paper representing the association’s stand on the character, competence, antecedents, capacity and the candidates commitments to deliver well for the country. 2023 is the year Nigerians would demand more than listed manifestos from politicians and their parties; but we would want to hear what the extensive, coherent and realisable procedures to actualising the presented manifestos are. In 2023, it would be obvious that Nigerians have heard enough of “I will, and textbook presentations without presentation of visible mental and political will to deliver on promised projects. REPUBLIC Kano House
of Assembly. Lagos Office: 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 ADVERT: 0806 564 8620 BUSINESS: 0704 385 9705 NEWS: 0814 292 9046 LAGOS: 08074420617 SPACESALEFOR DAN GAYE Security: Kogi people will appreciate me when I leave office –Governor Bello In one way or the other! DAN GAYE WEDNESDAY COLUMN USSIJU MEDANERBy justme4justice@yahoo.cominfo@medaner.com, LATEST SPORTS Is NBA the latest partisan in Nigeria? PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2022 PEOPLES DAILY www.peoplesdailyng.com
