Tuesday, January 31st, 2023 Edition

L-R: Board Member, IFES and former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega; President, IFES, Mr. Anthony Banbury; Board Member, Ambassador Ken Blackwell and INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, when a delegation from IFES paid a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

351,022 Candidates register for UTME within two weeks -JAMB

By Maryam Abeeb

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has stated that a total of 351,022 candidates have registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME) in a period of two weeks. It would be recalled that

the sale of the 2023 UTME application documents commenced on Saturday, January 14, 2023 and will end on February 14, 2023.

JAMB in its recently Weekly Bulletin also revealed that 92,196 candidates registered for the UTME-Mock examination while 258,826 opted not to.

The Bulletin added that

Lagos State so far has the highest candidates with 51,533 candidates followed by Kaduna State with 28,104 candidates and the Federal Capital Territory with 27,854 candidates.

Zamfara State has the lowest candidates with 1,260, followed by Sokoto State with 1,435 and Bayelsa with 1669 candidates.

Meanwhile, the Board

has revealed that it has paid registration service charge of N180,972,400 to Computer Based Test(CBT) Centres and Professional Testing Centers (PTC) where the UTME will be held.

The payment is N700 service charges from each candidate’s registration for the past two weeks.

2023: Obi promises to improve agriculture, business activities in Jigawa

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) Mr Peter Obi has promised to provide enabling environment for better modern agriculture and

business in Jigawa state.

Obi dropped the hint yesterday while delivering his speech at his campaign rally held at filin Samba area of Dutse local government area of Jigawa state.

He explained that, as part

of his seven point agenda, if Jigawa people voted for him in the forthcoming general election, he will do all his best to reduce terrorism and provide enabling environment for easy life.

Other promises he made

included: food security, fighting corruption, leapfrogging Nigeria from an oil-dependent economy to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) with massive investment in new technology and expanding physical infrastructure.

Yoruba leaders seek divine intervention for Nigeria

Chairman of Yoruba Council of Obas and Chiefs in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, Ambassador Muhammad Arigbagbuwo has enjoined Nigerians to earnestly seek God’s intervention for credible leaders to emerge in the 2023 elections.

He noted that divine intervention is more crucial than ever because the nation yearned for leaders that will effectively address its current challenges.

He asserted this during a special prayer organised by Yoruba traditional rulers and

Religious leaders held in his palace yesterday.

The Royal father called on Nigerians to fervently seek God’s intervention in choosing the next set of leaders that will engender good governance at local, state and federal levels. With Nigerians to go to the polls in the days to come, the Monarch urged Nigerians to be circumspect in their choices, especially bearing in mind that their choices may ensure progression or retrogression of the nation’s fortunes.

Ambassador Muhammad Arigbagbuwo declared that

Nigeria is presently at a crossroad and would need divine intervention to overcome its present challenges.

He also decried the worsening economic situation in the country.

“Our nation today is at a crossroads and will need divine intervention and wise counsel to meander through these challenging times,” he said

Speaking at the occasion Shiek Khalifa Ahmed Yunus stressed that Nigerians, in choosing their next leaders, must show that they are passionate about the betterment and

advancement of the nation.

Noting the need for leadership to face challenges of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurities, the Cleric cautioned Nigerians against simply selling their voters for fleeting pecuniary gains.

In his remarks pastor Eleyele Onoiwasu Agbaye said Nigeria need to seek divine intervention for the Almighty to bring an end to the challenges.

“I am very happy with this initiative. Indeed, our Royal Fathers in the North are doing well in seeking divine intervention .”

L-R: Chief Technology Officer, Wakanow,Oyedeji Ojo; Chief Commercial Officer, ValueJet,Trevor Henry ; Chief Executive Officer, Wakanow Nigeria, Adenike Macaulay, and Managing Director, ValueJet,Capt. Omololu Majekodunmi, during the courtesy visit of the Wakanow team to ValueJet office to commence the partnership of both organizations at ValueJet Head Office, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, yesterday.

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Personal email compulsory for UTME registration from Jan 31- JAMB

By Maryam Abeeb

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that as from January 31, 2023, no candidate would be registered without the provision of an email address.

A statement signed by JAMB’s Head, Public Affairs and

From L-R:

Ambassador Bolaji

Akinremi, Director Economy, Trade & Investment, Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, H.

E. Mr. Clem Agba, Hon. Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Nigeria, Dr. Adelana Olamilekan, MD/ CEO, Zenith Carex Intl Ltd, and Matsunaga

Kazuyoshi, Ambassador

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to ECOWAS at the ongoing Nigeria Japan Business Forum in Tokyo

Protocol, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, stated that the review of its Advisory on the ongoing UTME registration is to ensure that best practices are followed in the process of capturing all relevant data pertaining to the candidates.

It added that the latest Advisory aside from aiding in eliciting relevant and up-to-

date data of candidates, is also imperative for facilitating the transmission of urgent and vital communication to candidates cheaply and efficiently.

“Furthermore, the e-mail provides more flexibility in communication and is a more professional way of reaching out to candidates,” the statement said.

JAMB urged advised prospective candidates to get their genuine e-mail addresses before proceeding for UTME registration. It also urged candidates to ensure that their passwords are kept securely as the Board does not retrieve lost e-mail passwords or change e-mail addresses once registered.

2023: Opposition will suffer defeat, Gombe gov

From David Hassan, Gombe

Gombe state governor

Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has assured of the defeat of the opposition at the 2023 general elections.

He made the declaration while canvasing for votes at Gona, Pindiga and Kumo in Akko local government area of Gombe state.

While calling on supporters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to enable them vote candidates of their choice, the governor said all is set to go out for voting.

He assured them of transparent government if elected into office for second term.

According to him, you can only find a shadow where you will rest than staying in a sun that will cause your death.

FCT Okada union forum gets new executives

By Usman Shuaibu

Cleric seeks end to gender discrimination, says is against humanity

ACatholic Priest in the Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Unamba, has condemned gender discrimination in the society, describing it as injustice against humanity.

Fr Unamba said this at the inauguration of a community project hosted by Princess Perpetual Ebokhasomi -Godwin and Priscilla Nnedinmah Agha.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is part of activities to graduate their fellowship programme at the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP) at Community Secondary School, Kabusa ,Abuja.

Speaking on the topic “Gender Equity: An Instrument of Peace” the Priest said that humans had introduced series of unjust distinction among the people and particularly to the topic,“ unjust distinction between men and women”.

According to him, the discuss on gender equity is a discuss on justice. No sex should be deprived of the opportunity, which others have. And no sex should be treated in a discriminative manner.

He explained that, “for God, there is no sex that is a first class citizen or second class citizen,” even as he affirmed that gender equality is raising an opposition to why God created human beings differently.

According to the Rev. Father, equality means being the same,

therefore, gender equality is a fight against nature, while gender equity is a fight for nature.

“God did not make a mistake when he created a woman to be a helpmate to the man. In the woman, the man finds completeness.

“Similarly, there is peace in the home and by extension the society because women are playing their path. A world with only men will be a battleground.

“We see how women mediate between their children and their father, between their husbands and families, and between their husbands and the neighbours.

“When we observe seeming injustice against women even from our holy books, we must read them within their context, we should understand it within the context of law and culture.

“Women over the ages were made to feel inferior and unconsciously they disposed themselves to it. (lion cub that grew up with cow).

“Women themselves should struggle to be given equal rights and privileges with men because sometimes the greatest promoters of women oppression are the women themselves,” he said.

Speaking at the event the Chief of Kabusa Community, His Royal Highness, Samuel Kpowu, said that peace could not be achieved if people didn’t tolerate one another.

He said that no religion should

claimed supremacy over the other because all humans access one God.

He admonished the people of the community to take away their differences and see each other as one to enable peace reign, even as he acknowledged that it is possible.

While appealing to them to live in peace and harmony with great tolerance, he urged the people to emulate Princess Perpetual and Priscilla for their efforts and goodwill to help the people of Kabusa.

“If all Nigerians would be thinking like them, Nigeria would be better,” he said.

On her part, the monitoring and evaluation Officer of COFP, Mrs Augustina Richard, urged the beneficiaries to make use of the training they had received during the three day peace workshop, skill acquisition and empowerment.

She appealed to them to produce quality products to attract patronage from costumers, even as she noted that the foundation would be happy to hear and see their success.

In her address, Princess Perpetual, explained that the goal and vision of the project was to build up the mindset of individuals at the community level that living in a peaceful society was the only way one could learn, work and live together as God’s creation to promote brotherliness, friendliness and oneness.

“This is no time for religious

rivalry and futile blame games. What is needed and necessary is for us all, Christians and Muslims to join our hearts, minds and hands together to deal with this common menace.

“We need a high dose of optimism and conviction to work for interreligious harmony and cooperation in our community today,” she said.

As fellows of the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation, we conducted a study session on gender equity. “Nigeria being of a diverse economy, culture and religion, there are bound to be crisis and conflict.

“Today with the support of the foundation, we have come here to sensitize the community of Kabusa on the advantages of using mutual respect to understand different religious background or different religion and diverse beliefs today.

“And, to empower the women to be able to fend for themselves so that they can have other source of income to be able to support their husbands,” Priscilla said.

The duo thanked the foundation for the support given them to finance and execute the project.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman, Persons with Disabilities, Kabusa Ward, Peter Afranyu, thanked the project host and their sponsor for remembering them in Kabusa.NAN

Alegal luminary, Barr Andrew Ofoji has sworn-in the newly elected officials of Gwagwalada Okada Union Forum in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Some of the newly elected officials are: Mallam Yushua Hassan Akula; Chairman, Mr Owudah Hassan; ViceChairman, Mr Abubakar Muhammad; Secretary-General, Mr Sani A. Isah; Treasurer and the position of Assistant Secretary went to Mr Emmanuel Moses.

Speaking at the occasion, the Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji who was represented by the District Head of Gwagwalada, Mallam Muhammad Lakai, advised the okada riders to carry out their duties with the fear of God.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Hon. Abubakar Jibrin Giri, who was represented by his Protocol II at the occasion, said his administration would take the okada riders along in the affairs of things in the area.

In an interview, the Chairman of Okada Union Forum in Gwagwalada, Mallam Yushau Hassan Akula, said he would provide purposeful leadership capable of satisfying the aspirations of okada riders in the area.

Akula, therefore, appealed to the administration of Gwagwalada Area Council to assist the union with a bus for the smooth running of the union.

On his part, the Unit Head Operation of FRSC in Gwagwalada, Mr Salihu Abubakar Gada, charged the okada riders to avoid riding in one-way, as he counselled them against riding at 11pm.

Kwara South SDP senatorial candidate meets FCTbased constituents

Prof. Wale Sulaiman, the Kwara South Social Democratic Party (SDP) Senatorial candidate, has expressed readiness to meet with his constituents resident in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Feb 2.

The senatorial candidate said this in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

He said the meeting became necessary to acquaint the people of his manifestoes ahead of the February general lections.

Sulaiman said that he had earlier met with the people of his constituency living in Lagos State to show support for his candidacy and tell them about his aspiration to become their representative at the red chamber.

The Professor of neurosurgeon and spinal surgery said he wanted to become their senator because of his passion for development, while promising the people of the district a better deal if elected.

Sulaiman promised to change the face of development in the senatorial district by showing example from previous representation.

He expressed worry over the level of under-development in the district, adding that it was akin to poor leadership recruitment.

He said his coming out as the candidate of SDP would change the face of representation in the district, while calling on Kwara South living in Abuja to attend the meeting.

According to him, I have heard series of complain from my people in Kwara south how as soon as they elect their senator they become a total stranger to them.

He said, “I have the expertise to attract jobs for my people and provide workable healthcare, and education, I will be the people’s senator, who constituents can access without recourse to undue protocol. (NAN)

“The driver must pass through that checklist and has to successfully pass the certification exercise before the driver can be used and the same thing with the vehicle.

Resettlement: NASENI trains Borno youths, distributes 500 stoves

to women

From Shehu Abubakar, Maiduguri

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) , Prof. Mohammad Sani Haruna, yesterday said the commencement of the training of over 100 youths in Borno State on modern skills was part of the ongoing resettlement of those displaced by insurgency.

He said the agency also distributed 500 smokeless stoves to women in the state in line with the Federal Government’s climatechange mitigation efforts.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the agency to collaborate with Borno State on poverty alleviation and restoration of full socio-economic activities of the people of the state.

Haruna, who spoke at the opening of NASENI Skill Acquisition Training and Youth Empowerment in Maiduguri, said the renewed peace fast returning to Borno State was commendable.

He said 100 youths from different parts of the state will undergo training on modern methods of vulcanizing.

He said the scope of the training was on “Train the trainers” and

Catholic

Church,

From: Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in collaboration with Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has treated over 2981 victims of snake bites in the State.

Out of this number, 64 deaths have been recorded while

“Train the users”.

He said: “NASENI is identifying with the giant stride and achievement of the government of Babagana Zulum in the establishment of technical and vocational education for job creation, agricultural mechanization, and development of cottage industries.

“The approval for establishment of Industrial Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (IMEDI) in Maiduguri in line with the mandate of NASENI by President Muhammadu Buhari is deliberately designed to ensure realization of these goals and objectives outlined above.

“These are also areas of specialization of NASENI and the agency is directed by the Chairman of the governing board, President Buhari to partner with Borno State Government for poverty alleviation and restoration of full socioeconomic activities of the people of Borno State. God bless NASENI, God bless Borno State and God bless Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Haruna, who listed the gains of the training for Borno youths, urged participants to take the scheme seriously.

He added: “ The training

programme will expose the beneficiaries to new skill sets that will be required to make fortune and maintain a competitive edge in the vulcanizing business. The training programme will be fully practical in scope with hands-on engagements that will produce new set of Vulcanizing technicians who can provide necessary services on modern vehicles with more electronic components and smarter technologies compared to hitherto manual based vehicles.

“ As the trends in vehicle manufacturing continues to advance, the service providers that will be able to cope with technological advancement in the vehicle maintenance including the vulcanizing technicians must be well trained to cope with the new dynamics.

“I urge the participants to take the training seriously as a mean of their sustainable livelihood full of potentials for job and wealth creation. The context of the training will be both “Train the trainers” and “Train the users”.

“By this training module, beneficiaries can develop multiple strategic business units by leveraging the outcomes of the training namely vulcanizing service provider, training in modern

vulcanizing equipment or both with expanded stream of incomes.

“NASENI is equally ready to support enterprise when the upcoming consumer App being co designed by NASENI SPENN Ltd is launched in Nigerian market soon. The block chain technology backed by financial engineering solution will provide financial inclusion possibilities as well as business support funding for your enterprise development.”

The Executive Vice Chairman also distributed 500 smokeless stoves to some women to mitigate climate change.

He said: “We are also here to extend the tentacles and benefits of NASENI’s climate action to selected women from all the local government areas in Borno State.

“In line with the Federal Government of Nigeria climatechange mitigation efforts, we have co- designed save 80 efficient, smokeless and climate smart Cook Stove with a German Nongovernmental Organization –The Atmosfair Germany. NASENI is distributing 500 units of these stoves approved for Borno State to the beneficiaries. This is in support of Borno State resettlement programme.”

L-R: The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) , Prof. Mohammad Sani Haruna, the Head of Service in Borno State, Barr. Mallam Fannami, Borno State Commissioner for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Babagana Malambe Mustapha and the Director of Procurement in NASENI,Dr. Mohammed Mohammed Aminu(Right) presenting a smokeless cooking stove to one of the beneficiaries after the flagoff of a skill acquisition programme by NASENI in Maiduguri yesterday. PHOTO:

Benue Governor

over 2917 persons survived.

Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Wilfred Chirkpa Anagbe disclosed this during the commissioning of a new Ultra Modern Laboratory at the Bishop Murray Hospital under the Makurdi Catholic Diocesan Global Integrated Health Initiative.

treat over 2981 snake bite victims

He observed that partnership of government with the church for humanitarian services has helped to a large extent to save many lives.

He however, lamented over the destruction of their hospitals and schools in Agagbe, and Udei in Gwer West and Guma local governments

respectively,where their hospitals and schools were destroyed by suspected herdsmen, threatening to institute cases against the herdsmen uptil the Vatican.

Governor Samuel Ortom disclosed that over 680 million has been expended on snake bite victims.

NASENI

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023

By Usman Shuaibu

T

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed conveyed the position in an opening remark yesterday at the 20th edition of the Buhari administration Scorecard Series 2015 to 2023.

Lai Mohammed said unlike the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which sought a third term during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Buhari will like to hand over to a president democratically elected by Nigerians.

While reacting to the decision by the United States of America to slam a visa ban on some Nigerians who are undermining democracy, Lai said whatever action that is taken against anyone who undermines this democracy that has been watered by the blood of many of our patriots is right and justified.

he Federal Government has again ruled out any tenure extension bid by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in pursuit of a third term in office.FG: Buhari wants to hand over to president elected by Nigerians

•Insists he has no 3rd term agenda

"For us as a government, we are proud to say that no Administration since Nigeria's return to democratic rule in 1999 has shown more fidelity to the democratic process than ours, and no President since 1999 has been as unambiguous as President Muhammadu Buhari, in word and in deed, with regards to leaving office after the constitutionally-stipulated two terms," he said.

According to Lai, President Buhari has left no one in doubt of his dogged determination to ensure free, fair and credible elections, handover to a successor elected by Nigerians and then return to Daura after

the May 29, 2023 handover date.

"As recently as this past Friday, when he visited the Emir of Daura, Mr. President still told the Emirate that he would return and settle down in Daura after handing over on May 29, 2023," he said.

The President, he added, has also given unprecedented support to INEC while also signing into law the Electoral Bill 2022 that Nigerians have hailed as a reason to have confidence in the electoral process.

"You must also not forget our firm response on this same podium on Jan. 10th 2023 to inquiries from the media over a widely-circulated report,

credited to an INEC official, that the 2023 general elections face a serious threat of cancellation due to insecurity. We said the position of the Federal Government remains that the 2023 elections will be held as planned. Nothing has happened to change that position.

"What we are doing here with our Scorecard Series is another indication of our Administration's determination to leave office on May 29, 2023. With our Honourable Ministers telling Nigerians what we have done since assuming office in 2015, we are in essence presenting our handover notes to those who elected us as an

Administration as we prepare to leave in May.

"We are therefore proud that we have sent unambiguous signals to our people and indeed to the world that we will leave office come May 29, 2023. We have not been mired in any third term controversy like was witnessed under the PDP.

" In fact, we are creating the template on a smooth transition of power that will guide future Administrations. Let those who undermine our democracy be sanctioned, and let them carry their own cross. As a government, we have no reason to worry because our hands are clean," Lai said.

DSS intercepts syndicates selling new currency notes

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

DSS stated this in a statement issued on Monday by Peter Afunanya, its Public Relations Officer.

The statement said the arrest was made in the course of its operations in some parts of the country.

“It was also established that some Commercial Bank officials are aiding the economic malfeasance.

“Consequently, the Service warns the currency racketeers to desist from this ignoble act. Appropriate regulatory authorities are, in this same vein, urged to step up monitoring and supervisory activities to expeditiously

address the emerging trends.

he Department of State Services (DSS) said it has intercepted some members of organised syndicates involved in the sale of the new redesigned naira notes.“It should be noted that the Service has ordered its

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yakubu Chonoko

Maikyau SAN, has said that the judiciary had at a large extent contributed to the issues facing the nation.

Maikyau apologizing, held that what the country is currently experiencing is a direct result of the legal profession’s abdication of the duty to provide direction and leadership to the people.

According to him, the apology is necessary because, no other group of professionals is called to the privileged position as the lawyers, which also comes with corresponding

Commands and Formations to further ensure that all persons and groups engaged

responsibility to provide leadership.

The NBA president made this known, in his welcome address at the NBA, State of the Nation Dialogue held in Abuja with the Theme: Security, Economy and Administration of Justice.

‘’I dare say, with utmost respect, that to a large extent, our experience today as a country is a direct result of the legal profession’s abdication of the duty to provide direction and leadership to the people.

‘’I must therefore, as one who is privileged to lead the Bar at this time, apologise to Nigerians for the abdication of our role.

“Today, as members of

in the illegal sale of the notes are identified. Therefore, anyone with useful information

relating to this is encouraged to pass the same to the relevant authorities.”

the Bar, we are reputed more for how much fees we charge our clients as opposed to the discharge of our primary call to offer guidance and/or offer ourselves for the advancement of the cause of our country.

repositioning of our nation Nigeria” This is my call on all the members of the legal profession in Nigeria.

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

P

In his remarks, the Managing Director and the Chief Executive officer of the

resident Muhammadu Buhari on Monday commissioned a $15 million (N120billion) 10 megawatts solar project in Kano While commissioning the project, Buhari said that it would help to revive ailing industries in the state, which depends on electricity to power their giants plants.Nigeria sovereign investment Authority (NSIA) Aminu Umar Sagir, described the project as a progress for the people towards adding value to the economy.

“all the necessary support and funds were provided for the implementation of the project and hopefully the impact of the project would be felt via creation of fresh employment opportunities”

He also said that, when the project comes on stream it would put a smile on the face of families through employment

opportunities created for individuals and collective families.

“At the close of the day peace and security would reign Supreme as Nigerian masses would no longer starve over lack of food because they would be paid emolments at the close of the end of the day.

“The project is to be supervised and managed by the Nigeria (NSIA) which is jointly owned by the federal government, Kano state government and the host

Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau SAN

community”

“The project is currently the largest grid-connected solar PV plant and is proof of successful mid-sized solar PV deployment in Nigeria. This would catalyst growth in the power sector as it shows that renewable projects of this magnitude can be successfully delivered.

“It also builds Nigeria’s creditials in the fight against climate change and our commitment to attaining net zero carbon emissions by 2060.”

Buhari commissions $15m 10MW solar plant in Kano

•Backs US resolve to punish democracy saboteurs

From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) is set to deploy about 100 observers for the coming general elections in Nigeria.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the EU-EOM Chief Observer, Barry Andrews, said the observers would be deployed to all of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja on election day.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled 25 February for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and 11 March for the Governorship and States Houses of Assembly elections.

Mr Andrews said the mission would not interfere with the electoral process or

2023: EU election observer mission to deploy 100 observers

make statements that could be seen as interfering with political conversations around the election.

The objective of the mission, he said, is to help develop democracy in Nigeria as the largest democracy on the African continent.

The mission will, therefore, focus on observing the processes leading to the election and on election day as it relates to the implementation of the Electoral Act and INEC’s commitment to delivering a credible poll, he added.

“It is absolutely against

all of the principles of our methodology that we will in any way interfere politically with the election debate that is going on,” he said. “That is absolutely a matter for political parties and Nigerian citizens.”

“Our job here is to assess the robustness of the election process itself, to make sure that it is inclusive to the greatest extent possible, that all technologies are as transparent and possible. We will not in any way make statements that could be perceived as politically interfering. And that is the methodology that

has been the case for many, many years,” he added. Deployment of observers Mr Andrews said the mission has since 29 January deployed 40 long-term observers to follow electoral processes in all of the states.

He said his team comprises 11 experts with competencies in several aspects of elections including a media analyst, social media analyst, and technology, political as well as legal analysts.

He added that seven members of the EU parliament will be joined by 40 locally

recruited observers from 25 EU member states.

“In total, around 100 observers will observe the voting, counting, and tabulation procedures on 25 February and 11 March,” he said.

“The EU EOM will issue a preliminary statement two days after each election day and will remain in Nigeria until the completion of the entire electoral process including complaints and appeals processes, and any possible second round of the presidential election.”

Buhari commends Ganduje over multi-billion naira cancer centre

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

President Muhammadu Buhari, after commissioning the Kano multi billion dollar Caner Treatment Center, said Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, has taken care of the most needed aspect of human lives which is health.

President Buhari said Ganduje has taken care of not only medical tourism, but also infrastructural tourism with his projects spread around Kano”.

After commissioning the N5 billion project that would accommodate over 100 patients per day, the President then thanked the governor for constructing the ancer treatment center for not only Kano people, but Nigerians.

Governor Ganduje, in his remarks, said the project is the biggest owned by a state government in the country, adding that it is aimed at reducing frequent medical tourism by Nigerians.

Recall that the project was conceived by Ganduje in -2020, who Nova Uncle Buckvowed to execute same in Kano, to reduce the scourging increases in Cancer Cases in Kano and great beyond.

Governor Ganduje signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some companies which led to the commencement of the project early 2020 insisted that the project was concieved to overcomes the prevalence of Cancer Cases in Nigeria.

The Governor said the project was of international standard.

The project has an Energy Radiation Bunkers which were specially designed Emmit’s Radiation to the Patients without unecessarly wasting it’s to general Public.

Speaking, Engr. Kabir the

project manager said the project is now at 50 percent completion stage after it had been redesigned, adding that it would have been at 80% completion stage before it was reviewed.

He added that the project had been stalled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the state, coupled with alterations on its initial plans, which includes creating third floor and some additional compartments.

He disclosed that the project

initially was planned to gulp N2.3 billion, but had now reached over N5 billion due to the addition of the third floor, a bridge and other compartments in the project.

According to him, the machines, which include Halcyon, True Beam and Brachy are used to treat all kind of cancer in human body.

He explained that the Halcyon and True Beam, which are external beam radio therapy

machines, are used to kill the cells of the tumor, making it flatten gradually.

“The Brachy is used to emit its radiation internally without beam to treat cancer by killing the cells of the tumor internally,” he said

He said the cancer center is the only one owned by a state government in Nigeria, as the only three cancer treatment centres in the country are owned by the Federal Government.

He further explained that the cancer treatment center can treat all kind of cancer and equipped with testing laboratories to make it comprehensive.

“This cancer treatment center could treat 60 to 100 patients a day. It is the only of its kind in Nigeria. It is the only center owned by state government.

“ We are up bit that the contractors would meet the deadline to complete the project as they stated,” he said.

Euroafrica inaugurates Polish language centre in Nigeria

The Management of Euroafrica Educational Services has inaugurated its language centre, Euroafrica Polish Language Centre to promote legal migration and bilateral ties amongst others.

The Founder of the Centre, Mr Olakunle Alayande, who made this known on Monday in Abuja, said the purpose of the Polish Language Centre was to transmit the language and culture of Poland to the youth in Nigeria.

“The centre will ensure once you choose our language centre, you will be fully prepared for your further education in the territory of Poland,’’ he said.

Alayande said the centre was the first Polish centre established in Nigeria.

“Opening our Polish Language Centre is a blessing as the students may progress in learning and stepping ahead in life; they will find new ways and methods to make life better for the future,” he said.

He said that if students chose to study in the language centre, they would get a chance to learn intensive courses in Polish language.

The founder said this was aimed at enabling fast understanding of polish sentences, constructions on semester and yearly basis to completely flow into the language.

“After students complete a course in our language centre, they will have to get through an exam that shows if they have mastered the language.

“It will go with a certificate that includes the courses, the results of their courses and the certificate will be recognised in the territory of Poland,” he said.

Amb. Akinremi Bolaji, the Director of Economics Trade and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the centre was a welcomed idea.

He described the centre as a private initiative with a public interest.

“People connecting people is what the countries look out for; Europe today need Africans and vice versa, and from the ministry we are giving all our support.

Bolaji said establishing the centre had cultural and economic benefits to Nigeria.

He said Nigeria was not against the “Japa’’ syndrome but wants Nigerian to do the right thing which was using legal and regular migration as citizen’s right would not be infringed on.

He said government placed emphasis on movement within the ambit of the law.

“Countries want you to come planned, prepared and well

documented.

“If you patronise such centres and get a means of relocating, you are duly registered and issues of maltreatment can be traced and dealt with by the government.

“Such avenues encourage legal migration and labour migration as a result of knowledge acquired,” he said.

The Co-founder of the Centre, Mrs Aleksandra Alaynade, said the benefits of learning Polish or more than one languages could make one’s résumé stand out where there were competitions.

“In addition to the position, relevant experienced companies often look for candidate who can offer more cultural diversity,” she said.

She said learning to speak Polish “is absolutely necessary if one intends to run a business in Poland.’’

“Poland’s economy is one of the strongest in the region, so the language is in high demand,” she said.

The co-founder said another advantage was that Polish language would provide one a great opportunity to study many interesting faculties in polish language.

“We have marketing and management, computer sciences,

medicine and nursing.

“Students gain the possibility of using the acquired knowledge in Nigeria, as education in Poland is at a very high-level.

“On the average, Poland is one of the best countries in the world in quality of education,” she said.

According to her, Poland’s education institutions score high in international rankings.

“This is one of the reasons lots of polish people are able to find well-paid jobs in other European countries or places like the U.S. or Australia.

“Students’ internship is obligatory at polish universities and majority of it are in Polish,’’ she said.

She said studying Polish language helped in enjoying the rich culture and travel experience as language would not be a barrier.

The co-founder said the foundation of any language was its community, adding that Polish was spoken by almost 50 million people world-wide, “which makes it the second most widely spoken Slavic language’’.

She said the polish communities could be found around the globe, including English speaking countries like the UK, Australia and Canada.

(NAN)

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for pragmatic collaboration among stakeholders toward eliminating leprosy in 120 countries by 2030, in synchrony with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target.

The NMA President, Dr Uche Ojinmah, made the call in a statement by Dr Sebastine Oiwoh, the Chairman, National Committee on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) of NMA, on Sunday in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NMA had issued the statement in commemoration of the World Leprosy Day 2023, an annual event celebrated every Jan. 29.

Ojinmah had joined medical doctors in reiterating the need to “ACT NOW and END LEPROSY” on the occasion of the 2023 World Leprosy Day.

The NMA president said that through pragmatic collaboration among stakeholders, it was possible to eliminate leprosy.

According to him, we have the power and tools to stop transmission and defeat this disease.

He said that the timely

NMA seeks collaboration to eliminate leprosy

prevention or early diagnosis from the time patient had the painless skin discoloration would help prevent the disability which later occurs.

Ojinmah commended the effort made at controlling and eliminating leprosy, calling for more concerted efforts to meet the target of zero leprosy in 120 countries by 2030, in synchrony with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target.

“Through pragmatic collaboration among stakeholders, it is possible to eliminate leprosy, but the time to start is NOW as we have the power and tools to stop transmission and defeat this disease.

“Timely prevention or early diagnosis from the time patient has that painless skin discoloration will help prevent the disability that later occurs,” he said.

The NMA president said that

there was need to prioritise leprosy, using the needed resources, commitment and the political will so that the unreachable could be reached.

He also stressed the need for sustained funding from the States and Federal Government to ensure adequate manpower as well as the availability of drugs at all times.

Ojinmah described leprosy as an ancient, stigmatising and infectious neglected tropical disease of man caused by Mycobacterium leprae.

He also described it as one of the oldest diseases of mankind that, in spite of the previous successes, had recently seen a downward global trend of diagnosis following the simultaneous COVID-19 pandemic.

“This caused a 30 per cent drop below the 200,000 people annually diagnosed with leprosy before COVID-19, according to the World

Health Organisation (WHO).

“This disabling disease has plagued mankind for at least 4000 years through respiratory droplet infection as well as by prolonged contact.

“Depending on the burden of infection, it affects the lining of the upper respiratory tract, the skin, the peripheral nerves and the eyes, among others,’’ Ojinmah said. According to him, it is not spread through casual contact like shaking hands or hugging, sharing meals, or, sitting next to a person with leprosy.

“However, it is curable and preventable, if adequate health education, early presentation to the hospital with prompt diagnosis followed by timely treatment initiation and adequate and sustained surveillance are ensured.’’

Hon. Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikod right) Igwe (Eze) Odum Okumonso 1, His Royal Highness Amb. Prof. (Sir) Fire Agada (left) Governing Board Chairman NBRRI, His Royal Highness Eze Dr. Uche Egenti (2nd right) and others at the FCT Igbo Annual Praise/Worship and Prayer Summit,med: “TRUST and OBEY” held over the Weekend at the Chief M .K .O Abiola Stadium, Abuja. Photo: Min. Of Science and tech.

Naira swap: CBN deploys over 200 super agents to Jigawa rural communities

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

No fewer than 200 super agents are deployed by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to various rural communities in Jigawa state for old naira notes swapping.

This was disclosed by the

Naira swap: CBN deploys over 200 super agents to Jigawa rural communities

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

No fewer than 200 super agents are deployed by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to various rural communities in Jigawa state for old naira notes swapping.

This was disclosed by the director Human resources and also team leader currency swap of Central Bank of Nigeria Hajiya Amina Habib while briefing news men on the measures taken by Central Bank for smooth swapping of old naira notes to new naira notes.

She explained that, as part of effort made by CBN to meet the 31st January deadline without pushing Nigerians into hardship situation, super agents are deployed to swap old to new naira notes with maximum amount of N10,000.

The team leader added that, the super agents will also open an account to those that don’t have bank account for better financial inclusion.

According to her, the team also embarked on 24 hours monitoring of banks operations to ensure that banks comply with new policy of despence new notes and receive of old notes.

director Human resources and also team leader currency swap of Central Bank of Nigeria Hajiya Amina Habib while briefing news men on the measures taken by Central Bank for smooth swapping of old naira notes to new naira notes.

She explained that, as part

of effort made by CBN to meet the 31st January deadline without pushing Nigerians into hardship situation, super agents are deployed to swap old to new naira notes with maximum amount of N10,000.

The team leader added that, the super agents will also open

an account to those that don’t have bank account for better financial inclusion.

According to her, the team also embarked on 24 hours monitoring of banks operations to ensure that banks comply with new policy of despence new notes and receive of old notes.

Yoruba leaders seek divine intervention for Nigeria

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Chairman of Yoruba Council of Obas and Chiefs in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, Ambassador Muhammad Arigbagbuwo has enjoined Nigerians to earnestly seek God’s intervention for credible leaders to emerge in the 2023 elections.

He noted that divine intervention is more crucial than ever because the nation yearned for leaders that will effectively address its current challenges.

He asserted this during a special prayer organised by Yoruba traditional rulers and

Religious leaders held in his palace yesterday.

The Royal father called on Nigerians to fervently seek God’s intervention in choosing the next set of leaders that will engender good governance at local, state and federal levels.

With Nigerians to go to the polls in the days to come, the Monarch urged Nigerians to be circumspect in their choices, especially bearing in mind that their choices may ensure progression or retrogression of the nation’s fortunes.

Ambassador Muhammad Arigbagbuwo declared that

Nigeria is presently at a crossroad and would need divine intervention to overcome its present challenges.

He also decried the worsening economic situation in the country.

“Our nation today is at a crossroads and will need divine intervention and wise counsel to meander through these challenging times,” he said

Speaking at the occasion Shiek Khalifa Ahmed Yunus stressed that Nigerians, in choosing their next leaders, must show that they are passionate about the betterment and

2023: Opposition will suffer defeat, Gombe gov

From David Hassan, Gombe

advancement of the nation.

Noting the need for leadership to face challenges of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurities, the Cleric cautioned Nigerians against simply selling their voters for fleeting pecuniary gains.

In his remarks pastor Eleyele Onoiwasu Agbaye said Nigeria need to seek divine intervention for the Almighty to bring an end to the challenges.

“I am very happy with this initiative. Indeed, our Royal Fathers in the North are doing well in seeking divine intervention .”

Gombe state governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has assured of the defeat of the opposition at the 2023 general elections.

He made the declaration while canvasing for votes at Gona, Pindiga and Kumo in Akko local government area of Gombe state.

While calling on supporters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to enable them vote candidates of their choice, the governor said all is set to go out for voting.

He assured them of transparent government if elected into office for second term.

According to him, you can only find a shadow where you will rest than staying in a sun that will cause your death.

By Albert Akota

Brigadier General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed yesterday in Abuja, resumed duty as authentic Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

President Muhammadu Buhari has earlier approved the appointment of Dogara Ahmed to takes over from Mrs Christy Uba who was named the overseer of the NYSC in November 2022.

It could be recalled that President Buhari in a letter, with reference number,

New NYSC boss resumes duty

SGF.50/S.10/37, November 21, 2022, sacked Brigadier General Muhammad Fadah, barely six months after his appointment on allegations of corruption, nepotism, religious bias, qualifications and age falsification.

President Buhari, therefore, ordered that the most senior director should take charge

pending the appointment of a substantive DG.

In her keynote address, the outgoing director general, Mrs Christy Uba, said the management and staff have agreed to support the new director general to succeed in his endeavors.

She praised president Mohammadu Buhari for given

her the opportunity to served in the capacity of director general of NYSC.

Speaking earlier, Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, said lauded the management of the scheme for the success recorded despite it numerous challenges.

He urged for cooperation of the management, general public and staff to succeed in the skill

acquisition of the scheme as well as his initiatives to move NYSC forward for the betterment of Nigeria.

Dogara Ahmed, who had served in the NYSC as a military Assistant to previous DG and had also served as a commandant, at Command Secondary School, Ipaja, Lagos resumed duty yesterday.

Gbajabiamila mourns as container kills 8 in Surulere area

By Christiana Ekpa

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep.

Femi Gbajabiamila, has described as unfortunate and sad, the killing of eight people by a container in the Ojuelegba area of Surulere, Lagos on Sunday.

Gbajabiamila said he received the news of the falling of the 20-feet container on a commercial minibus, popularly known as Korope, with indignation, and was pained that innocent people lost their lives in such a manner.

The Speaker lauded the quick efforts of the officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), FRSC, Police and others in evacuating the victims and rescuing one person.

Gbajabiamila called for immediate action and an

I will make Kaduna State industrial hub

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Kaduna State governorship candidate of People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Mal. Hayatuddeen Lawal Makarfi has promised to make Kaduna an industrial hub that will be envied by the rest of the country and the world.

He asserted this during an interactive season with Kaduna League of Veterans Journalists in Kaduna yesterday.

According to him, Kaduna has been a destination for industrialization, saying for decades, it has attracted many industries.

Makarfi vowed to leave a legacy that will serve as a model for any government that means well to the people of the state.

investigation into the incident.

“I was sad and shocked at the news of the killing of the eight innocent people by a container. I became more brokenhearted when I saw the gory images of the incident. This is unfortunate and unacceptable.

“This is not the first time such incident is happening in Lagos. I, therefore, call for immediate

temporary installation of barriers as the case on Oba Akran - computer village, Ikeja to prevent trailers from using the bridge and compelled to use the under bridge alternatively to avert future occurrences. It is unacceptable for people to die in such a way at same spot multiple times,” Gbajabiamila said.

The Speaker said such

an unfortunate incident was one of the reasons why he sponsored the Federal Highway (Amendment) Bill which amongst other things provided for latching of containers and access to container trucks on overhead bridges at only restricted hours, and stiffer penalties for those that kill innocent Nigerians on the road.

Speaker Gbajabiamila sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people of his constituency, Surulere, and the Lagos State Government.

He prayed to God to repose their souls and give their families the fortitude to bear the loss.

NUJ removes NOA staff, LG information officers from its membership

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has removed the National Orientation Agency staff and Local Governments Information Officers from the list of its members.

The NUJ took the decision at its two-day delegates conference in Kano State on Thursday.

During the Constitution Review Session, the delegates agreed that NOA staff would no longer be accorded NUJ membership.

The delegates also noted

agreed that the elected officials of the NOA Chapel would however be allowed to serve out their term of office as members of the NUJ.

The gathering also passed a new law barring staff of ministries of information adjudged as non-practising

journalists from being accorded NUJ membership.

Delegates in session also concurred that Local Government public relations officers should no longer be handed NUJ membership status.

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

L-R: Some beneficiaries receiving tools from both Borno State Head of Service, Barr. Mallam Fannami (Centre) and the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) , Prof. Mohammad Sani Haruna (with microphone) during the flagoff of a skill acquisition programme by NASENI in Maiduguri yesterday.

PHOTO: NASENI

•Calls for restriction of container trucks to ojuelegba under bridge passage

Unity of Nigeria paramount in electioneering era -NCPC boss

By Albert Akota

The Executive Secretary Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission Rev. Dr Yakubu Pam, has said that the unity of the country was of top priority in the electioneering era.

Rev Pam made this known while addressing the 5th batch of intending pilgrims comprising Delta, Borno and Kogi State at the Departure hall of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja. The Executive Secretary

CNNC urges Christians to vote credible candidate

Congress of Northern Nigerian Christians (CNNC) has directed its members to vote credible candidates.

The group stated this in a press statement read by its director of information, Dr Iliya Yusuf after a meeting on 25th January, 2023 in kaduna.

The meeting had in attendance, the national president of the association, Elder Steven Baba Bangoje, national secretary of the association, Pastor Aminu yusuf, chairman kaduna state chapter Elder Bulus Emishe Dogara and other stakeholders.

They called on all northern Christians to stick together both at local and national level to speak with one voice.

While answering questions from journalists, he reiterated their support on CAN’s stand on muslim - muslim tickets.

The body also advised its members and all northern Christians that their votes should be for peace, development and justice.

said unity of the nation was what the Commission stands for, adding that Pilgrimage was the platform through which Nigerians can get more united.

He charged them to be proud Ambassadors and good

representatives of the country and Christ as they embark on the spiritual journey.

In his words, Delta State Executive Secretary, Apostle Samuel Okoh said nation building was incomplete

without the Church, hence the need for the exercise.

Okoh said he was optimistic that the Pilgrims would impact upon the nations and their various families.

On his part, the Executive

Chairman, Kogi State Christian Pilgrims Commission advised them to be of worthy character and pray fervently for the nation and enhance the unity that every Nigerian had longed for.

Obi allays students’ fears on planned educational loans

From: Shehu Abubakar, Maiduguri

The Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, has told Nigerian students that he will not be afraid to take loans from his government to finance their education if he is elected in the 2023 elections.

Obi was addressing students and youths at a townhall

meeting, Saturday, January 28 in Maiduguri where he also pledged to pull the 20 million out-of-school Northern children into production to boost the country’s economy.

Responding to questions from students on school fees during the townhall meeting, Obi said jobs would be guaranteed for graduates in the productive society his administration would

ensure to enable them pay their educational loans.

He also reiterated his promise to ensure end to university lecturers strike, saying, “four years of your academic programme will be fours, and five years will be five years.”

At the campaign rally, later, Peter Obi expressed regret at the 20 million Northern children

out of school.

“These 20 million children have learnt the Quran, and are, therefore, educated,” continuing, “is pull them out of the streets and equip them with skills to liberate them from poverty.”

Obi stressed: “With skills, I will launch them into production to boost the economy of the country.”

Group calls for more involvement of women in water sustainability

By Maryam Abeeb

Agroup known as Fem –in-wash, has called on stakeholders UNICEF, World Bank, Water aid to partner with gender focused organizations such as the Network of Female professionals and member organizations to ensure the needed change for women and their children in the

water and environmental sector.

The Convener of the group, Boluwaji Onabolu in a press briefing in Abuja, explained that that the Network of Female Professionals in WASH should be supported to partner with the Project Team of WASHMATA initiatives, to take a preventive management approach to assess other major programs with a gender equity

lens to ensure sustainability and prevent wastage of resources.

According to her, the WASHMATA initiative in partnership with Federal Capital Territory, FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA implemented action research in 2022 to obtain new data not captured in any existing survey.

She disclosed that a study found that the percentage of non –functionality of water supplies was two times higher when women were absent in the WASH committees.

Onabolu added that 65% nonfunctionality indicated that for every 100 boreholes provided, the projected loss is $517,524, $478,950 (motorized boreholes) and $38, 574(hand pump boreholes).

Mr. Obaro Odeghe Executive Director, FCMB, Ms Felicia Obozuwa, Divisional head Corporate Services, Dr. Ken Opara, Ph.D, FCIB, President Chairman of Council CIBN, Mrs. Yemisi Edun, FCIB, Managing Director, FCMB, Dr. Uche Olowu, FCIB, Past President, CIBN, Mr. Akin Morakinyo, HCIB, Registrar/CE, CIBN at the CIBN stakeholder engagement with FCMB recently

UK PM fined, you don’t say!

The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, recently was fined by the British police for not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a moving car while on a trip to northern England. Sunak was seen turning in his seat without a seatbelt on. The PM’s office at Downing Street said the incident was a “brief error of judgment”, but Lancashire constabulary announced they were fining Sunak for the infraction.

The force said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seatbelt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire. After looking into this matter, we issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”

Reacting, a spokesperson for Sunak said: “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will, of course, comply with the fixed penalty.” A fixed penalty means Sunak can pay a fine to avoid a court hearing. The police did not disclose how much they had fined the prime minister, but according to the government’s safety campaign, any driver or passenger not wearing a seatbelt is breaking the law and is liable to be fined up to £500 if the case goes to court, according to The Guardian UK.

Sunak’s transportation habits were already a talking point in the United Kingdom before the incident, a report by AFP says. His political rivals have taken aim at his use of a private jet to make multiple short flights in recent days. This is not the first time Sunak has been slapped with a police fine. He was fined while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer for attending a Downing Street party in June 2020 that violated the government’s rules on social distancing, according to an AFP report.

As Buhari adds another feather to his cap

The latest fine makes Sunak the second Conservative prime minister to receive a police fine in less than 12 months. The Metropolitan police, in 2020, issued a fixed-penalty notice to Boris Johnson for attending a party during lockdown. Sunak was fined for attending the same event as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The prime minister of a powerful country fined for not wearing a seatbelt! Points to note. Firstly, the police didn’t identify him by his position. They only said “an individual”, “a 42-year-old man from London”. They were simply reminding everyone that the law is no respecter of position and all are equal before the law. Secondly, the prime minister readily accepted he was at fault and would pay the “fixed penalty” the police had slapped on him. “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”, his office said.

Fast track to Nigeria or another Third World nation. It is unheard of that the police have found a prime minister/ President guilty of offence and penalized them. The police, by their training, are taught certain stereotypes, including the law is not meant for the powerful but the weak. This confers on the latter a certain degree of impunity to break the law and damn the consequence. Indeed,there will be no consequence because no crime has been committed as far as the police are concerned.

This is why the British case has fascinated millions of Nigerians. Yes, Muhammadu Buhari refused to drive through the “stop” red light after he was elected president in 2015. He would not begin his presidency with a blatant breach of a traffic law. But he only was/is one in a million that would respect the law. Will the British example ever happen in Nigeria any time sooner. Your guess!

By Musa Ilallah

Historywas made in Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania on Tuesday, January 18th 2023, when President Muhammadu Buhari received the ‘African Award for Strengthening Peace’ bestowed on him by an assembly of African leaders under the auspices of Abu Dhabi Peace Forum.

The Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina had said in a statement before the event that President Buhari wass being honoured for his “leadership role in promoting peace on the continent, through regular interventions, counsels and conciliatory position.”

The Abu Dhabi Peace Forum was established in 2014 to pursue new ways to embrace inclusive citizenship, promote lasting peace, and work towards a safer and more sustainable world for everyone.

Speaking after the presentation at a private meeting, President of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum, Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, described President Buhari as “a symbol and icon of leadership and integrity,” who would remain an inspiration even after leaving office as President.

While lauding the efforts of the Nigerian President to eradicate religious extremism, he stressed that it was something the world must collaborate to do in order to bring lasting peace to the world.

Inviting the Nigerian leader to visit Abu Dhabi within the short time left for him in office, the Shaykh stated, “You have had varied experiences, as a military leader, a democratically elected leader for two terms, and your input will be appreciated in any society. We will be glad to receive you.”

Prior to receiving the award as an international recognition for serving Nigeria and the larger interest of peace in Africa, the President also participated in the Programme of the Third Forum of the African Conference for Peace, where he delivered a fairly long all-encompassing speech on his administration’s milestones and gains in the African peace process.

The President’s African Award for Strengthening the Peace, was described by the Shaykh as “a symbol and icon of leadership and integrity,”

President Buhari confidently recounted efforts made to annihilate the Boko Haram ideology in Nigeria, wondering why the group, along with Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP wanted to split the country.

“Boko Haram is false. You say Western education is ungodly. It is fraudulent. Whoever is financing them just wants to split the country.

”All the grounds they seized before we came in 2015 have been recovered, and the rebuilding process is going on well,” he added.

In explaining the financial costs of dealing with insurgency in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari unequivocally revealed that his administration had invested over $1 billion in the acquisition of weapons from the United States and other countries in the fight since he assumed office in 2015, accusing some Nigerians of using personal religious beliefs to champion their political and economic interests.

“Ideally, these are resources that could be spent on education, healthcare, infrastructure and other social services; but without peace, we have learnt the hard way, that our children cannot go to school or seek good healthcare.”

As his recipe for lasting peace and development of the African continent, Buhari put forward a number of cogent, workable and implementable proposals among which are charging African leaders to take immediate steps to find lasting solution to the over 10-year-old instability in Libya, which is having telling effect on neighbouring countries around that country.

He also stressed the need for the next Summit of the African Union to take a holistic review of the challenges that continued to fester in Libya with the hope of finding pragmatic African approach to resolving the instability in the country.

In the wisdom of President Buhari, the move was necessary to ensure that Libya no longer served as a safe-haven for all kinds of weapons and foreign fighters, whose profound impacts stared all in the sub-regions and Africa.

According to him, “Global terrorism, banditry and other trans-national crimes continue to pose

enormous challenges not only to Africa but to global peace and security.” He furthet noted that the phenomena have become perennial threats to sustained economic development and growth.

In further reassuring the world, PMB said that Nigeria and other regional bodies in Africa and the rest of the world are working assiduously to deal with these existential threats to the very existence of humanity, adding “for us in Nigeria, we continue to engage bilaterally and multilaterally to comprehensively win the war against Boko Haram insurgency and other related terror groups through kinetic and nonkinetic approaches.”

Expressing his concern posed by the shrinking of Lake Chad had and dire consequences for the people of the region, PMB in the strongest of terms, told the assembly of African leaders that the situation had culminated in the easy recruitment of the youth by the terrorist groups, as they desperately sought means of livelihood under difficult economic conditions.

Buhari furrter explained that the scenario created serious instability and served as a litmus test for member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC to devise means to restore livelihoods lost within the region.

He stated, “As a corollary to containing this development, the LCBC has begun implementing programmes to safeguard the ecosystem of the basin, including seeking global support to return the lake to an economic hub it was known for in the past.

“We must, therefore, support peace initiatives to bring political stability in crisis-ridden areas such as Libya, Central African Republic and other parts of the Sahel region in order to discourage the spread of insurgency, other criminal groups, as well as arms and foreign fighters in these locations and continent-wide.”

President Buhari expressed the hope that the next African Union Summit scheduled for February this year, under the leadership of President Macky Sall would revisit this matter, in a comprehensive and pragmatic manner, to free our regions and continent, the cycles of violence, instability, lack of development and progress in the sub-regions of Africa that are well-endowed with resources that can easily sustain not only the continent, but most of the world, and refocus our attention for indigenous and sustainable solutions under the entire Peace and Stability Architecture of our continent.”

As an acknowledged global peace awardee, PMB opened up the space by stressing the need for African stakeholders, including governments, the private sector and the Civil Society Organisations to make concerted efforts to support existing mechanisms and initiatives to build strong and virile institutions that effectively support good governance thus leading to the development and progress of our countries and continent.

President Buhari paid tribute to the relentless drive and courage of Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, for his initiative to promote peace through the process of combating extremists’ ideas that incubate violence in societies noting: “Your scholarly teachings should be given due dissemination to counter the terrorists’ narrative misrepresenting Islamic thoughts.”

The president stated that it was his strong belief that if leaders were able to re-commit themselves in the right directions, with strong political will, Africa would be the better for it.

President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, said: “We want to raise awareness among African elites, spiritual elites and the youth, of the absolute priority that must be given to peace, and the need to implement concrete actions to promote and entrench it.”

Indeed President Buhari has paid his dues to Nigeria in particular and the African continent in his efforts to bring lasting peace and development to the country and the African continent.

This award is a further confirmation that previous awards by the African Union, AU on PMB as champion of Anti corruption and the ECOWAS award on PMB as champion of the fight against Covid 19. All of them are honours well deserved.

Indeed PMB is undoubtedly Africa’s premium peacemaker.

ILALLAH wrote in from EMEKA ANYAOKU STREET, ABUJA musahk123@yahoo.com

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The latest fine makes Sunak the second Conservative prime minister to receive a police fine in less than 12 months

2023 elections, hopes and fears, Nigeria’s rebirth

By Abdu Abdullahi

The fiece assault on these mechanisms has resulted in institutional collapse, consummate decomposition of national development and the country has inevitably been rendered the republic of mass dislocations and destructions. And the eventual remnant of this is the evolution of two distinct nations within the same polity. But a country of two conflicting nations is not feasible and unfit for consistent sustainance.

Nigeria, this beloved country of tremendous endownments and resources, is passing through the worst turbulent times of its history. Like a dying patient, it is struggling very hard for survival after it had been injected with the vaccines of bad governance by the quack political doctors, who are incapable of diagnosing the symptoms let alone the deadly infection. The laughable thing is their demonstrated pomposity and notorious insistence on being the most crafty as the condition deteriorates!

This year’s elections, therefore, are like a clinical operation in a democratic theater for the convalescence of Nigeria or otherwise. Twisted emotions of hopes and fears are already and consistently hiked unabated as the day of political reckoning gathers momentum to finalise who will be the outstanding political therapists to recover and reposition Nigeria appropriately. The attractive stage we are about to observe must ensure eroding the scams of those who mix morality with factual lies and wrongful truths to attain the status of political lords.

It is this judgement day that is putting many politicians asunder and the voters watching with keen interest. It is this golden chance that the voters ought to manipulate and assert their arrogance, kingship and real power to bestow on Nigeria the journey of a fresh and healthy living. It is the right time to discontinue paying political subsidy to those politicians who are not passionate to subsidize our lives through selfless services for which they are mandated and will be accountable to both Allah and the people. It is the material time to save the next generations the dooms and ruins of poor selections of leaders.

We would have to be influenced by the more realistic word

‘select’ instead of ‘choose’ in matters of elections because the former is politically indispensible owing to the fact that it is more discerning, while the latter is contextually dormant and too mild that cannot invoke the required political spirit of thoughts and scrutiny. In this busy election era and process, voters should cunningly select between re-writing a new history for Nigeria or consolidating on the eerie and shocking narrative. In summing the protracted dooms, our dysfunctional systems that have inflicted untold hardships on the masses are the products of mainly corruption and unjingoism perpetuated with impunity overtly by the reactionary pundits.

The fiece assault on these mechanisms has resulted in institutional collapse, consummate decomposition of national development and the country has inevitably been rendered the republic of mass dislocations and destructions. And the eventual remnant of this is the evolution of two distinct nations within the same polity. But a country of two conflicting nations is not feasible and unfit for consistent sustainance.

We must fight those who facilitate and condone inimical disparities between the secured and the unsecured ; between ubiquitous deprivation and conspicuous ostentation; between a juggernaut political class conquering national vision and a systematic and overwhelming assail of the wretched of democracy. We must sack the political country where nothing is functioning except corruption, the only kingmaker that has remained unconquerable, the long time evil of the land albeit a loyal ally of millions of Nigerians. Who will not often find it unbelievable that we will stand on this despicable position?

Against this backdrop therefore, 2023 election is the father of all elections in the history of polls in Nigeria for obvious reasons. Nigeria is yearning a paradigm shift from adversity to prosperity. Nigerians, for the first time, are fervently praying for good leaders regardless of party affiliation. It is also a sign of protest that ethno religious and regional dichotomies will not be a catalyst for voting behavior. Some electorates have become politically wiser and will outrightly denounce the syndrome of ‘ stomach infrastructure’. It will also be to the credit of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) that an improved technological devise for curtailing rigging is going to be operated to enhance election validity.

But on the other hand, there are elated fears of rising

insecurity which may hamper the smooth conduct of the elections in some parts of the country. There will also be the danger of votes buying by unscrupulous Nigerians. There will be a demonstration of public apathy by some of the electorates as their yearnings and aspirations have been decimated. As usual, the menace of political thugs will not be a forgone conclusion.

We are already witnessing the highest climax of character defamation amongst most of the opposing sides. I find it extremely difficult to understand the political value of character assassination. It will also be a season of the merchants of religious chauvinism as they have started deploying their weapons of faith destructions that the presidential election will be a referendum between Muslims and Christians to establish numerical power and so on and so forth.

2023 polls can be defined in terms of what Nigeria deserves and what certain aspiring politicians do not deserve in connection with power and its misuse. This paradoxical hypothesis best suits the general atmosphere of the elections vis-a-vis the rapid drifting of the country to an unknown destination. If Nigeria’s tomorrow is worth preserving and revering, then the next election will be a political bulldozer to wreak enormous havocs on the enemies of progress. If on the other hand, the country is surrendered to the politically unfitted rulers, there will definitely be a more complicated illness and Nigeria’s chance of survival cannot be guaranteed.

By historical revisitation to generate great lessons therefore, next elections will be a trial of political errors of the past to eschew the mistakes of tomorrow on the part of the voters. It is often said that machines never make mistakes, but they make errors. This is succinctly modelled in the sense that voters should not be liable to committing mistakes that they will regret forever in the next polls and they will be persecuted if they allow the ghost of yesterday’s errors to reincarnate, horrify and rob their constructive voting idiosyncracy in the next elections.

Nothwitstanding the encroaching agencies of hopes and fears on our political space, 2023 election stands as the rebirth of Nigeria through the effective utilisation of votes by Nigerians.

Abdu Abdullahi is a Public Policy Analyst.

The rubles after the storm: Our fuel scarcity sorry story

By Kareem Itunu Azeez

Payment of staff is also to be made promptly, to avoid strike actions by the marketers association as well, without forgetting the provision of security to all these people.

Going deep into the threshold of the average home in Nigeria, and how they have continued to trudge along amidst the various challenges and difficulties ascribed to the common man cannot be overemphasized, from the trouble of putting food on the table to getting basic health, and the challenge of having proper education if, at all the number of out of school, children are to go by. Somehow all these are affected by one essential commodity, the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit, (PMS). Something we never experience until the civil war, under the General Gowon administration, the first recorded fuel scarcity that had taken place.

Nigerians’ various challenges are like a tray of food, you pick yours and face your Goliath, however much more than these challenges is the daunting trouble that faces us all, it is the trouble of getting the premium motor spirit, otherwise known as fuel. While the problems are in their series, the first was the removal of subsidies, another time, it is oil theft, some other times, it will be due to strike actions by marketers, and the usual prospect of the devaluation of the naira. And these troubles affect the poor citizens of Nigeria who are hopeless in the selection process, of a system they hope would work

Let us take a journey into the problems of fuel scarcity in Nigeria, the Whys’ When’ and the Hows’ maybe these should tell us where we are headed in the closest of times.

Our country is largely on a mono-pedal, of sustenance, we run majorly on the proceeds of crude. But this crude is not even enough for the home, a country that has, and ship out to the foreign country for

refining. Hence the Genesis of our troubles. But don’t fret too long, this scarcity tale is as old as a man in the history of our country, and there have been various reasons from time to time.

As far back as 1973, when the fuel subsidy was introduced, it was seen as a welcome development to a country of this magnitude and a way to make sure it is readily available to all homes irrespective of status, especially considering the price hike of the early 1970s, which was the Why, of its introduction. The last estimate of our subsidy price is quoted to be around 3.9 billion dollars as per the International Centre for Tax and Development ICTD. yet the subsidy was never our solution to stop the waters of trouble we are in.

In 2012 under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, thousands of us who couldn’t bear the brunt stormed a nationwide protest notably at the #occupynigeria, the administration’s reason was that it needs these funds for another aspect of the nation’s development. A poor new year gift for many Nigerians, considering the time of its implementation. Moreover, it was a hardship walking hand in hand with over 80% of Nigerians. This ultimately proved too costly a mistake to the Jonathan administration, ushering 2015 said savior of Nigerian, President Muhammadu Buhari. It’s now a quarter to go, and the many hikes have refused to let us be.

Today, we are faced with the worst fuel scarcity in the country’s history, with no permanent solution in sight, various proclamations have been reported by the minister of state for petroleum, Ine kachikwu, and the NNPC chief, Maikanti Baru, without forgetting the Minister of Petroleum, himself, President Muhammad Buhari, which was a sign at the beginning that our woes would end, but the reverse is the case. Two months ago, the scarcity had hit home, with some depots and marketers selling for as high as #250 per liter, except for some places in Abuja which sell for #180 and #175 respectively, according to various reports. And this has

continued to wreak havoc in the average Nigerian home, like Bob Marley, it is a natural mystic going in the air.

Now, where are we headed with this trouble of fuel scarcity, the projections by various economists, and the bureau of statistics had predicted a troubled economy that hinges on a possible recession, we know the causes but are we ready to act on them for a better economy? There may be some lights ahead, due to the promise by the president that the Warri refinery would start operation in the first quarter of 2023, plus the possible completion of the Dangote refinery these will help in the reduction of the cost of processing crude away from home.

We should also hope that the value of the naira is stable or even gaining some ground against the dollar, these as well affect the price ranges, if the landing price of a liter is #350 without subsidy you can imagine what price a liter would be.

Secondly, we can only suffer to enjoy in the large sense, this means the fuel subsidy would be removed, and be replaced by general legislation indicating a universal pump price, in as much as the enabling environment is created. But this idea hangs on the level of the Nigeria naira status.

Payment of staff is also to be made promptly, to avoid strike actions by the marketers association as well, without forgetting the provision of security to all these people.

Without being the best economist or strategist the procedures aren’t the problem but the implantation process may be the issue, but as Nigerians, we believe in the power of hope and this is the only thing that is left of a man when all others are gone. There is light at the end of our PMS crisis, but only if the necessary routes are followed.

Kareem Itunu Azeez is a Public Policy Analyst.

Sergey Lavrov embarks on geopolitical lecturing tour to Africa

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov begins his four African nations tour, Russia’s future is what matters the most especially in the emerging multipolar world. Russia continues to enlist African leaders’ support for its ‘special military operation’ in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, expresses overwhelming support against the growing neo-colonial tendencies in Africa and, at least, intensifying efforts to strengthen its hyperbolic political dialogue with Africa.

Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Egypt, Congo-Brazzaville, Uganda and Ethiopia last year and attempted to justify Russia’s correctness of waging war on Ukraine. As he embarks on another round of lecturing tour to Southern Africa (South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana and Angola), the popular focused themes include geopolitical changes, growing neo-colonialism and creating multipolar world order. After Southern Africa, Lavrov would return to North Africa in February to visit Tunisia, Mauritania, Algeria and Morocco.

Since his appointment on 9 March 2004 by President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov has occupied this position for nearly two decades (20 years). Throughout these several years of his official working visits to Africa, unlike his Chinese counterparts Lavrov hardly cut ribbons marking the completion of development projects in Africa. Most of his trips were characterized by impressive policy rhetorics full of many pledges and countless initiatives, and geopolitical lectures.

During his marathon three-hour media conference, summing up foreign policy achievements and way forward on 18 January, Africa only appeared at the bottom of the discussions. And yet Africa is considered as a priority in Russia’s policy. Lavrov made little response, reminding of the forthcoming summit planned for late July 2023. He mentioned that there were drafted documents to reset cooperation mechanisms in this environment of sanctions and threats, and in the context of geopolitical changes.

“There will be new trade and investment cooperation tools, logistics chains and payment arrangements. The change to transactions in national currencies is under way. This process is not a rapid one, but it is in progress and gaining momentum,” he told the gathering in closing the media conference that day.

Nevertheless, African leaders are consistently asked for support for Ukraine. Since the symbolic October 2019 gathering in Sochi, extremely little has happened. With high optimism and a high desire to strengthen its geopolitical influence, Russia has engaged in trading slogans, and many of its signed bilateral agreements have not been implemented, including all those from the first Russia-Africa summit. The fact-files show that 92 agreements and contracts worth a total of $12.5 billion were signed, and before that several pledges and promises still undelivered.

Since his appointment in 2004 as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov has succeeded in building high-level political dialogues in Africa. He will, during the first quarter 2023, engage in his geopolitical rhetoric and anti-Western slogans, often unremittingly smearing and attacking other countries especially the United States and France. His political lectures have largely overshadowed Russia’s achievements in Africa.

These three decades, hardly Lavrov cuts white-ribbons marking the handing over or completion of concrete development projects in

Africa. Of course, Russia could choose to maintain its state-centric approach since it is also an admirable foreign policy instrument to push for influence in Africa. While currently, Russia seems to be soliciting the support of Africa to lead the emerging new multipolar world, Russia does not still recognize that it needs to adopt more public outreach policies to win the minds and hearts of Africans. Its economic footprint on the continent is comparatively weak.

Historically Africa has attained its political independence and currently need to transform its economy to provide a better living conditions for the estimated 1.3 billion population. That’s the factual situation now for Africa. The fight against growing neo-colonialism requires investing in the critical sectors, building needed infrastructures, modernize agriculture, production facilities for manufacturing, and add a bit of value to products by industrializing. That’s the main reason and the conditions necessitated the creation of single continental market.

Our monitoring shows that the Russian business community hardly pays attention to the significance to, and makes little efforts in leveraging unto the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which provides a unique and valuable platform for businesses to access an integrated African market of over 1.3 billion people. Nevertheless, Russia brings little to the continent especially in the economic sectors that badly need investment. Undeniable fact is that many external players have also had long-term relations and continue bolstering political, economic and social ties in the continent.

Almost all African countries are looking for building and creating new incorporated economic situation that takes care of the growing young generation. These further involve the availability and accessibility to necessary technologies and innovations. In order to realize these novel transformations, African leaders need credible external partners with funds to invest, external partners to support large-scale projects in the continent. Days of political sloganeering are long ago gone.

It has taken three decades to finally make its return journey back to Africa. It is still at the crossroad, and worse thinking indecisively which way to turn in order to reach its the final destination. At the crossroad, there are truly four options: turn left, move ahead, choose right or go back especially this time, in the context of dramatic geopolitical changes.

Russia has to concretely design its comprehensive policy with Africa. It has to show, in practical terms, its great confidence, powering strength and clean determination in various ways to support economic sectors, to win the minds and hearts of Africans. Multipolar in its basic meaning, is creating an integrative conditions. Today’s Russia is a closed country in the world. For years, Africans have heard of ‘neo-colonialism’ and ‘Soviet-era assistance’ through lectures, speeches and official statements from Russia’s officialdom. These are archaic playing gamecards.

Russian International Affairs Council, non-government organization and policy think tank, published an opinion article authored by Kirill Babaev, Director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor at the Financial University. He made an excellent analysis of the relations between Russia and Africa. The article highlighted future perspectives based on the existing successes cloaked in building political dialogues during the previous years. On the other hand,

he exposes for serious consideration by authorities some existing obstacles and weaknesses.

Going forward, Russian officials have to note: Russia’s return to Africa has been discussed in the media and at various levels of power for two decades. That the African elites, especially those who studied at Soviet institutes and universities, still have memories of the struggle for the freedom of Africa.

During the Soviet times, at the height of fighting against Western colonialism, there were economic offerings of the Soviet era. However, all these cards are a matter of the past, while in the present it has been difficult for Russia to offer Africa anything of value that could compete with large-scale Western investment or Chinese infrastructure projects (until recently), Professor Kirill Babaev wrote in his article.

Going forward, Russian officials have to note: That in another publication headlined “Russian Business in Africa: Missed Opportunities and Prospects” in the journal Russia in Global Affairs, Professor Alexei Vasilyev, former Special Representative of the Russian Federation to African Countries and Director of the Institute for African Studies, wrote in that article that Russian companies are pursuing their various economic interests in Africa.

But, Africa still accounts for just 1.5% of Russia’s investment which is a drop in the ocean. It must be admitted that Russia’s economic policy grossly lacks dynamism in Africa. “African countries have been waiting for us for far too long, we lost our positions in post-apartheid Africa and have largely missed new opportunities. Currently, Russia lags behind leading foreign countries in most economic parameters in this region,” he underlined in the article.

Going forward, Russian officials have to note: Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said Russia’s Western opponents are trying to prevent African states from taking part in the second Russia-Africa summit, scheduled to take place in July 2023 in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg.

Moreover in Senator Kosachev’s opinion, the first RussiaAfrica summit held three years ago was successful, “but, in many respects, its results remained within the dimension of politics” and were not translated into additional projects in trade, economic, scientific or humanitarian cooperation. “I’m sure it will be a very serious miscalculation on our part if the next year’s summit is not prepared in a drastically different fashion, providing each of its participants with a concise roadmap of our bilateral relations, with clear incentives to participate and conclude practical agreements,” argued Senator Kosachev.

In November 2021, the ‘Situation Analytical Report’ compiled by 25 Russian policy experts vividly highlighted some spectacular pitfalls and shortcomings in Russia’s approach towards Africa. The report noted Russia’s consistent failure in honouring its bilateral agreements and several pledges over the years. It decried the increased number of bilateral and highlevel meetings that yield little or bring to the fore no definitive results. In addition, insufficient and disorganized lobbying combined with a lack of “information hygiene” at all levels of public speaking.

Kestér

Kenn

Klomegâh

Let’s take care of government projects in our areas

By Ahamefula Israel

Hitherto, the heavens seemed to be shut against Abia in terms of provision of democracy dividends and development with particular reference to Aba, the commercial center of the state. Today, like students of history, we should know where we are coming from and where we are going.

The enthronement of Ukwa-Ngwa born Clinical Biochemist, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, PhD, as Governor of Abia State, has relatively improved the aesthetic beauty of Aba in particular and the State in general.

Today, Aba, Umuahia and its environs now wear a new look with magnificent roads and street lights that shine like galaxy of stars at night. According to testimonies by scholars and technocrats, during the presentation of a book, The Scholar In Governance, written by Abia State University in honour of our Governor, under the watch of the Seventh Substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University, Eminent Professor Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, “ Governor Ikpeazu has fixed his eyes on the ball which has triggered massive road construction and rehabilitation, Education, Agriculture, Health, Security, Youth Empowerment and above all Small and Medium Enterprise which has earned Abia, the capital of SME in Nigeria”.

In view of the commitment and diligence in the execution of the social contract and in the spirit of

Ahunanya Ekwe, Ndi Abia should join hands with the Governor in developing the state. We can achieve this by ensuring government projects sited in our communities are taken care of and even protected by the indigenes, especially since the community members are the direct beneficiaries of such facilities. It is also the responsibility of the communities to monitor ongoing projects in their domain to ensure compliance with specifications and report back to government.

Again, we must desist from our attitude of dumping refuse into the gutters and erecting structures on the water ways. We cannot continue to erect shanties that undermine environment aesthetics. If we consider ourselves partners in progress with government, we cannot leave our shops inside the market and engage in nauseating street trading, waiting for law enforcement agencies to whip us out of the street.

The Ministry of Trade and Environment as well as the Abia State Environmental protection Agency (ASEPA) have demonstrated in clear terms their penchant for a clean and aesthetically rich environment through demolition of shanties, desilting of drainage channels, and decongestion of traffic along the city centers for easy flow of traffic among other measures.

The issue of security cannot be seen as sole responsibility of government but should be a collective effort between the government and the governed.

is a Public Policy Analyst.

To this end, traditional Rulers should play active roles in addressing the security challenges in their communities. Furthermore, people should report suspicious movements and suspects to security operatives or their community vigilante for prompt intervention.

If we go down the memory lane when kidnapping, armed robbery and other security challenges were the order of the day in the state, when people dared not to return home for festivities for the fear of being kidnapped or robbed, we will not hesitate to assist security operatives and government to maintain security in the state. We should supply them with the necessary information to work with so as to continue to safeguard our lives and properties.

Our dear Governor Ikpeazu has no doubt impacted positively on all the communities though a lot needs to be done. Posterity will not fail to judge us harshly if we fail to make these projects our jewel and ornaments of life by guarding them jealously.

Let us therefore, have a rethink by galvanizing families and the society at large, irrespective of sub-ethnic group, religion or party affiliation, to support government programmes and policies as partners in progress in the overall development of the state.

Ahamefula Israel, a Bureaucrat, sent in this piece from uturu, Abia State. Email- anyameleisrael@gmail. com

Rivers senatorial poll: Court orders INEC to recognise Atteng as SDP candidate

AFederal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept and publish Fred Atteng’s name as Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s candidate for the Feb. 25 Rivers South East Senatorial District election.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a judgment, held that the refusal of INEC to recognise Atteng’s name as sent to it by the party for substitution was contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Justice Nwite said that going by the provision of Section 29 of the Electoral Act, a candidate can only be substituted either as a result of death or withdrawal from a poll.

The judge agreed with the plaintiffs that Gokana Geoffrey, having withdrawn his candidature and resigned his membership from the party as its candidate for the senatorial district poll, and the party, having conducted another primary within 14 days of the action and monitored by INEC, the commission ought to have recognised the new candidate sent to it.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SDP and Fred Atteng had sued INEC as sole defendant in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2205/2022.

In the amended originating summons dated Dec. 14, 2022 and filed Dec. 15, 2022 by their team of lawyers, the plaintiffs sought a court declaration that by virtue of Sections 65(2) (b), 106 (d), 177(c) and 187 (1) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), INEC cannot recognise Gokana Geoffrey, who had withdrawn his candidature and resigned his membership from SDP as their candidate for the Rivers South East Senatorial District election.

Besides, they averred that the commission cannot refuse to accept the name of Mr Atteng submitted to it as party’s candidate after a validly conducted and monitored primary.

They, therefore, sought an order, directing INEC to allow the party submit Atteng’s name as represented by it, following Geoffrey’s withdrawal from the race and his subsequent resignation from the party, among others.

Though the matter was slated for judgment last Friday, the judge adjourned the matter due to a counter affidavit earlier filed by INEC dated Dec. 30, 2022.

NAN

Biafra Referendum: Court adjourns CNG suit to March 30

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

AFederal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, adjourned the hearing on the suit filed by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) seeking a referendum to determine the fate of Biafra and other selfdetermination agitations to March 30, 2023.

Recall that, CNG had in June 2021 dragged the National Assembly and the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation to Court, asking it to compel the defendants to halt the ongoing constitutional review exercise and in its place, conduct a referendum to ascertain what determines Nigeria and who populates it.

The case was adjourned after the court presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo could not sit as scheduled.

Counsel to CNG, Barrister Sufiyanu Gambo Idris, while briefing journalists, said, “The case is slated to 30th of March 2023, even though they informed us right from the time that the court is not going to seat, but as

we are not informed of any day, I decided to come down to ensure that I take the date, but even before I arrived, the date was already slated”.

In his remarks, the Counsel to the Ibom nation people movement, Barrister Adesina Oke, said “We are here, having realized there is a suit which has to do with the issue of selfdetermination of which of course the people of the movement have always been yearning for and we felt the best things to do is to ensure we join in the suit for determination of that selfdetermination that we have been asking for.

“The Ibom people, they have been there for many years and is one of the ethnic groups that has such a history and it is important they can always see to the effects that the court could determine whether that self-determination is something that could be granted to us or not.

“Why we are joining of course, the application is before the court and the court is here to determine the joining of the Ibom people’s movement in the suite that is

presently constituted, but we are hoping that by the time we are been added, we are likely just like any other applications from other ethnic nationality; we are going to have a bite of the cherry for this issue that is pending before the court.

“A lot of ethical nationalities are also asking the same question to have a referendum of their self-determination and to have unhindered access to their resources.

“You can always imagine that a lot of resources are within the confines of Ibom, Akwa Ibom people of over nine million, but few of them are integrated into the Nigeria system, and this is why self-determination is determining, and one must be determined, so people can know how to go about it.

“Just like it has been said, they are several instruments that point to that, both internationally and even within the confines of the national law, so this is what we want to try before the court and see whether we can have the law on our side because we are peaceful people and we don’t

want violence in the country, but we have the right to ask for this and we hope that the court will uphold our argument with respect.”

On his part, the Coordinator of Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community, and member of the Ibom People Movement the group seeking to be joined in the suit, Barrister. Clifford Effiong Thomas, stated that the Ibom people who are in excess of 16 million persons and found in Akwa Ibom State majorly, Cross River State, Bakasi, Cameroun, Equitorial Guinea and elsewhere, are a set of peace-loving and industrious people.

Thomas lamented the current structure of Nigeria which frustrates the aspirations off ethnic nationalities from realizing their full potentions.

He said: “There is no useless nation within Nigeria. True federalism with help nations bring out their best for the prosperity of Nigeria. The Ibom people have what it takes to operate as an independent set of nationalities. NAN

African CSOs task FG on lingering fuel scarcity, ahead of general poll

The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) on Friday called on the Federal Government to address the lingering fuel scarcity, ahead of General Elections for smooth logistics delivery.

The WADEMOS team made the call in Abuja at the end of its solidarity mission to Nigeria, ahead of the General Elections.

Mr Kojo Asante, the Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development who spoke on behalf of the WADEMOS team,said the mission was in recognition of the shared democratic values by people across the ECOWAS subregion.

Asante said the call became imperative for the government to tackle the fuel shortage to mitigate the effect it could have on the election.

He said that this was because it has the tendency of increasing voter apathy and turnout particularly for voters who would travel long distances to their polling stations.

He added that it also has implication for the movement of security personnel and patrol teams that would be deployed to provide security for the election.

Asqnte said that following initial debriefing by CDD-West Africa on developments around the elections, the mission met with an array of election stakeholders in Nigeria.

He said that some major observations by the mission and thereby made some recommendations.

“Major concerns were raised on the collection and issuance of PVCs, also, any large-scale malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) on election day could cause anxiety and panic among voters .

“Observations have been made about multiple security concerns that could significantly threaten the smooth conduct of the elections.

“Another issue of concern is around the deployment of materials and logistics ahead of the election; this fear is exacerbated by the current longrunning incidence of fuel scarcity in the country.

“We strongly note the postponement of previous elections in Nigeria, partly due to logistical concerns,” he said.

Asante said that the WADEMOS team also noted some key issues in the media which included cyber bullying, hate speech and misinformation.

He said that the Peace Accord endorsed by all political parties and presidential candidates had been blatantly violated by political actors who chosed to use insults, hate speech and personality attacks on opponents instead of focusing on campaign issues.

He said that to this end,WADEMOS made some

recommendations urging the government to resist the temptation to abuse incumbency in its administration of the election and avoid election violence.

He also called on the government to ensure increased participation of women in politics and governance through affirmative polices and programs.

Asante urged INEC to provide clarity on the electoral law which stipulated that the winner of the presidential race should attain majority of total votes and 25 per cent of votes in at least two-thirds of states in Nigeria and the FCT.

He said this was against the backdrop of multiple interpretations assigned to the law and expected competitiveness around the 2023 presidential race.

He called on INEC to consider further expanding the deadline for distribution of PVCs and also expedite the disbursement of the cards to all registered voters to avoid disenfranchising voters due to the proposed “No Verification No Vote” requirement for the election.

He said there should be commitment on the part of security agencies toward ensuring that known hotpots of violence and conflicts were prioritised for adequate security coverage and interventions ahead of the election and on election day.

Asante said security agencies should be properly equipped and

adequately resourced to provide security for the election.

He added that security agents should respect and protect the rights of citizens especially media, voters, election staff and observers in general before, during and after the election.

He advised political leaders and parties to go about their political campaigns with a very high degree of responsibility towards ensuring that the sanctity and integrity of the electoral process was guaranteed.

He urged political parties and their candidates to eschew violence and avoid all forms of incitement as tools for mobilising and canvasing for votes among their supporters.

Asante called on CSOs to leverage on cooperation among themselves and with state institutions to champion participation and inclusion during the elections.

He urged the media to be on high alert to intercept and counter any instances of disinformation and misinformation particularly on the day of election and be apolitical and prone to the sensitivities surrounding this election in its reportage.

He urged ECOWAS, the AU and the international community to continue to monitor proceedings in the lead-up to the elections and maintain their support for a free, credible and fair elections in Nigeria.

(NAN)

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Five governorship candidates in Akwa Ibom State have signed an Open Government manifesto at the governorship debate organised by the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The signing of the Open Government Manifesto―aimed at showing the candidate’s readiness to run an open government agenda if elected into office―was facilitated by the Non-Governmental Organisation, Policy Alert.

The debate, held at Ibom Icon and Golf Resort, Uyo, hosted the governorship candidates of the African Action Congress, Iboro Otu, African Democratic Congress’ Ezekiel Nyaetok and Dr David Essien of Action Democratic Party. Others were New Nigeria Peoples Party’s Senator John James Akpanudoeghe and Senator Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressives Party.

Why I joined politics – ExUnical Vice Chancellor, Epoke

By Musa Baba Adamu

Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof James Epoke has explained that the appalling sociopolitical situation of Nigeria is what compelled him to join a political party as a way of helping to salvage the situation.

Prof Epoke, before now, was appointed an electoral umpire during general elections.

Now a member of the Labour Party and member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Epoke spoke to journalists in Calabar over the weekend, where he said Nigeria cannot continue to wallow in mindless corruption, poor administration, insecurity of lives and properties and consumption economy.

“I took time to study the Nigerian situation and found the emergence of Mr Peter Obi as the LP presidential candidate for next month’s general election as the best thing that has happened to Nigeria yet.

“I used to be an electoral umpire but [I] have decided to come out fully to contribute to national political development,” he said.

Epoke who lamented that “there has been terrible corruption in the country,” avowed that Peter Obi as president “will tackle it headlong, restore and reshape the economic fortunes of Nigeria.”

He urged Nigerians not to miss this opportunity for posterity’s sake, saying “our children need to grow up within their country.”

Akwa Ibom guber: Five candidates sign open government manifesto

The governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Pastor Umo Eno and Akanimo Udofia of All Progressives Congress were absent.

Speaking during the presentation, Senior Programme Officer of Policy Alert, Mfon Gabriel, explained that the

Open Government Policy was an initiative targeted at making government more transparent, accountable and participatory.

He disclosed that since Nigeria signed on to OGP in 2016, only 25 states have so far signed on to the policy, regretting that Akwa Ibom is one of the three states in the

Niger Delta that are not yet signed on to the partnership.

Mfon noted that the Niger Delta presents an interesting case for subnational open government implementation as states in the region currently receive high federally-allocated revenue compared to other states.

According to him: “The signing of the manifesto is part of an OpenGovTownHall series implemented by the Niger-Delta Open Government Observatory (NOGO), a civil society cluster working to strengthen the uptake and implementation of OGP in the region.”

2023 election: Vote me for better security – Atiku begs in Zamfara

By Musa Baba Adamu

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has promised that he will end terrorism if elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Atiku made the pledge while addressing the people of Zamfara State.

“I will reposition Zamfara

State in terms of security network, agriculture and solid mineral resources if I am voted into power,” he said.

He also, in the same breath, condemned the political leadership of the APC, the ruling government in the state, saying that it has not done enough to salvage the economy and security situations in the country.

“I am surprised that the APC

is still campaigning in spite of its failures to bring Nigeria under one united entity,” Atiku said.

According to him, insecurity will be history in Zamfara State if he wins the February 25 election, stressing that he has no intention to cause division in the polity.

“Nigeria is one united entity and nobody has the monopoly to separate what God has joined

together; I am calling on Zamfara State people to, as a matter of fact, vote me in and see the differences,” he appealed.

Atiku who further stated that he was aware of the socio-economic challenges being faced by Nigerians due to bad leadership in the country, reminded the electorate that [now] they have the constitutional right to vote for their choice of leaders.

Obi in Jigawa says he will unlock the potentials in the state for development

By Christiana Ekpa

The Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi was in Jigawa state on Monday spreading his message of unlocking the potentials in the North through agriculture and quality education.

Obi who addressed various stakeholders in the state, the youths, Women, traditional rulers before the rally in Dutse, the state capital, told the people that he and his Vice Yusuf Datti Baba- Ahmad if elected will develop Jigawa state

turning its various arable land for production of goods for export.

He also reiterated his position on securing the country and turning it away from consumption to production and engaging the youths who are in their productive ages.

Obi assured the youths of quality education and that they should be ready and willing to take back their country and take their destiny in their own hands.

At the Palace of the Emir of Dutse, His Royal Highness, Dr

Muhammad Nuhu Sanusi, Obi explained he came with his Vice to honour him and seek his blessing in their quest to seek the peoples mandate to build a new Nigeria where justice and equity prevail.

He told the Emir that He and Datti are in the race believing that they have what it takes to build a new Nigeria away from the worsening situation where poverty is increasing every day.

Obi said that this country has no business having over 133 million Nigerians living in multi

dimensional poverty with the abundant human and natural resources in the country.

The LP flag bearer also talked about developing Jigawa state and opening the borders and preparing the state for export.

He repeated his earlier message since his campaign that this election should be driven by the people’s desire to enthrone the most competent person with capacity and antecedent. Persons they can trust with verifiable records.

By Musa Baba Adamu

As the campaigns for the 2023 general elections continue, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno has raised concerns over what he described as a “high level of political mudslinging and blackmail” by the opposition parties.

Eno who did not mention the name of any politician or political party said the practice of

Appeal Court reinstates

Murtala as Katsina PDP House of Reps candidate

By Christiana Ekpa

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the verdict of the Federal High Court Katsina which nullified the primary election that produced Muritala Shehu as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for Malumfashi/Kafur Federal Constituency, Katsina State.

Murtala filed the appeal against the decision of the Federal High Court Katsina, which on November 23, 2022, nullified the primary election in which he emerged as winner against Nasiru Sa’ad Ahmed.

In a unanimous decision delivered on the 27th of January, 2023, the Court of Appeal set aside in its entirety the judgment of the Federal High Court, affirming the PDP primary election conducted for Malumfashi/Kafur Constituency and declared Muritala Shehu who scored the highest vote as the House of Representatives candidate for the party.

However, the appeal was heard on the appellant’s brief of argument only, as the respondent, Nasiru Sa’ad Ahmed did not file anything before the court to defend the appeal until he was out of time to do so.

Reacting to the judgement, Katsina PDP Legal Adviser, Barrister, Mahutta Mustapha, said: “The judgement represents the true position of the PDP primary election conducted on 22 May, 2022 wherein the appellant, Murtala Shehu emerged the winner.

“It also represents the true wish of the delegates from Malumfashi/ Kafur Constituency who voted for Murtala Shehu wherein he had 34 votes in the primary election, while his opponent had 29 votes.”

He added that, “certainly, cases between members of the party do not result in anything beneficial to the party. They should unite and support whoever emerges.”

PDP guber candidate, Eno condemns blackmail, mudslinging in A/Ibom politics

running people down, lying and blackmailing would never build Akwa Ibom.

Speaking at a Town Hall meeting, tagged, “Umo Eno Town Hall Series season 1,” organised by Connect Initiative”, Eno urged politicians to rise above biases and focus on issues ahead of them.

He said, “please let us further this discussion and run away from things that debase us, we should rise above biases and look at the issues ahead of us. Fighting each other and running people down, blackmailing people, telling lies

will not build Akwa Ibom of our dream.”

He listed his priorities to include job creation, stability in the prices of food items, improvement in the standard of living of the people, environmental sustainability, agricultural development, security and tourism development among others.

In the area of Agriculture, the governorship candidate said his administration would put in place the necessary machinery to revolutionalize agriculture in the state.

He said, “Global warming is seriously taking its toll in the world today, we need to put our hands together. Everywhere, we went on campaign in the local government areas, most of the challenges facing the people are erosion and these are part of our environment and we need to do a lot of work in that area”.

The organiser of the event, Dr Frank Ekpeyong who spoke on behalf of Connect Initiative, said, “The town hall meeting was aimed at providing a platform to directly engage with critical stakeholders on the concerns and

challenges facing the different sectors of the society and provide the opportunity for the stakeholders to converse, inquire and secure commitments from the candidate as regards his plans for Akwa Ibom State”.

Our correspondent reports that leadership of various professional bodies and associations including the Nigeria Medical Association, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigeria Society of Engineers, Academic Staff Unions of Universities, Nigeria Bar Association and a host of others were in attendance.

Southern Kaduna Christians, Muslims commit to violence-free 2023 elections

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association and Southern Kaduna Council of Imams and Ulamaa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure peaceful coexistence in the area before, during and after the forthcoming elections.

The MoU signed by Emmanuel Nuhu Kure and Chief Imam Muhammad D. Kassim, on behalf of the two religions said

both groups are committed to promoting peaceful co-existence.

“Having identified stakeholders (Christians and Muslims) committed to the promotion of peaceful co-existence among communities in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria, the above leaders do undertake to sign this MOU as a mark of their commitment towards sustaining peaceful coexistence for progress before, during and after the February/March 2023 General Elections.”

The two groups agreed that in the event a crisis erupts in other places, they would jointly ensure that it does not consume Southern Kaduna and that their members are not involved.

It added that in a situation where anyone attempts to aid outsiders to create or start a crisis, they would jointly release their members to protect the land from both external and internal trouble before, during and after the 2023 General Elections.

“This MOU is meant to serve

as a reminder of the commitment of the undersigned in support of a crisis-free 2023 general elections in Southern Kaduna. It also establishes a basis for ongoing dialogue and cooperation between the participants, so that future interventions and areas of mutual interest may be brought under this framework,” the statement explained.

The groups urged community members to be vigilant and ensured a peaceful atmosphere during the forthcoming general elections.

Thousan Supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) walk out Rally Ward by Ward, during the Member House of Represetative underbPeoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tudun wada ward Flags Up their Ward by Ward Campaign at Tudun wada, ward kaduna Souths, on Monday 30/1/23

2023: Why Obasanjo, Clark endorsed Peter Obi – Adamu Garba

Achieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adamu Garba, has alleged the reason former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Elder statesman, Edwin Clark endorsed Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, was because they can easily bully him to do their biddings.

Garba also claimed Atiku Abubakar, the presidential

I’ll return Kano to trade and industry hub if electedObi assures electorate

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and his campaign train arrived at the North’s commercial nerve center, Kano on Sunday, where he assured the people that Kano will regain its old enviable status in trade and industry.

Obi told the jubilant crowd in the ancient city that he drove round Kano before coming to address them and he found all the industries in the City shutdown, promising that if elected in February, he and Datti will restore them.

He said that the trading status of Kano will return and will remain the center of cash, adding “Before, if you want cash, you come to Kano, but what you see today is poverty everywhere. Datti and I will restore the old glory of Kano.

“We will secure and unite Nigeria where people will be proud to say I am a Nigerian. We will kill the sentiments of tribes and religions which they have been using to deceive us.”

The former Anambra Governor told the people amidst shouts of ‘Sai Obi’ that under the Presidency of he and Datti, there will be one Nigeria where the people will be free to move and do their business unmolested.

Obi said that they will be able to do what they are preaching because they have done it in public and private sectors and succeeded, referring to his record in Anambra state where he was governor for eight years and no kobo was missing.

“Datti and I will not allow wastages. We will do exactly what we are saying”, Obi stressed.

He told the people that this election is going to be about character you can trust not people who will come to talk about religion and tribe which they have been using to deceive us.

candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, got the support of the elites because they knew he could share the country with them.

The claims were contained in a

post via his verified Twitter handle on Monday.

He said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, enjoys the support of the youths

because they know he would protect their future.

He wrote, “Elders like Edwin Clark, Obasanjo, etc support Obi because they know he can be bullied to do their errands.

“Elites support Atiku because they know he can share the country with them.

“Youths support Tinubu because we know he can protect our country’s future.

2023 is time for North to repay Tinubu’s support – Shettima

By Musa Baba Adamu

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim

Shettima said President Muhammadu Buhari would not have been the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without the support of Bola Tinubu.

Shettima stated this while addressing supporters at the APC presidential rally in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa at the weekend.

He said 2023 is a payback time for the northern part of the country for what the APC

presidential candidate did to the region in the past.

Shettima explained that since 2007, Tinubu has been supporting northerners.

According to him: “Tinubu in 2007 backed Atiku; he also supported Nuhu Ribadu in 2011, and in 2015, if Bola Ahmed Tinubu didn’t support Buhari during the APC presidential primary election, he would have not been the president,” he said.

He said that 2023 is a payback time and northerners must prove that they are promisekeepers.

Shettima said Nigeria needs somebody who has vast experience and can solve all the problems of the country like Tinubu.

He said President Buhari has done remarkably well in the development of the country and Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has also achieved a lot, therefore, they need somebody who will continue from where they stopped.

The APC vice presidential candidate urged the electorate in the state to vote for all APC candidates as a token of appreciation for what the APC administration has achieved in the last seven years.

L-R: The Immediate Past Acting Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs. Christy Ifeyinwa Uba handing over the NYSC flag to the new Director General NYSC, Brig. Gen. Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, during the handing / taking over ceremony, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

NRC

to

resume Abuja-Kaduna train service on Today

Abubakar

Yunus Abuja

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it would resume train services on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor on Tuesday, January 31,2023.

This is coming a few days after NRC was suspended operations on the route following the derailment of a train.

Niyi Alli, director of operations, NRC, announced the resumption of the Abuja-Kaduna train services in a statement on Monday.

“The board and management of Nigerian Railway Corporation are pleased to announce the recommencement of the AbujaKaduna train service,” the statement reads.

“The service was suspended on January 27, due to the derailment that occurred at Kubwa station on the same date.

“Subsequently, the service will resume on January 31, with the following daily schedule — KA2 departs Rigasa at 0700; AK1 departs Idu at 10.00; KA4 departs Rigasa at 13.00; AK3 departs Idu at 16.00.

“However, on Wednesdays, only KA2 will depart Rigasa at 0700 and AK 3 will depart Idu at 16.00.”

Alli also said NRC “regrets any inconvenience the corporation’s passengers might have experienced as a result of the temporary suspension of the service.”

He, however, expressed the federal government’s commitment to providing safe and better services to Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the Warri-Itakpe rail service which was suspended after a train derailed at kilometre 30 Ajaokuta-Itakpe section of the track is yet to commence operations. Alli also said NRC “regrets any inconvenience the corporation’s passengers might have experienced as a result of the temporary suspension of the service.”

He, however, expressed the federal government’s commitment to providing safe and better services to Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the WarriItakpe rail service which was suspended after a train derailed at kilometre 30 Ajaokuta-Itakpe section of the track is yet to commence operations.

ECOWAS approves new regional electricity market regulations

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The Economic Community of West African States Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) has approved key guidelines for the development of the sub-regional power market.

ERERA is the regulator of regional cross-border trade of electricity in West Africa.

Kokou Tossou, chairman, ERERA, spoke when he visited Qun Yang, chairman, Sunon Asogli Power Plant, in Kpone, Greater Accra region, Ghana.

He said the authority was committed to protecting the interests of investors and participants in the region’s electricity market, adding that it would ensure profitable investments in the industry.

Tossou noted that electricity production was vital to the viability of the market.

He said ERERA has approved critical documents for the development of the regional power market, adding that there will also be profitable investments in the energy sector.

“Approved documents include the regional electricity market procedures for the West African power pool, the WAPP operation manual, the tariff methodology for regional transmission cost and tariff, and the WAPP regional market rules,” he said.

“Others include the WAPP transmission service access and use procedures, which describes the conditions and procedures for access, as well as use and payment of transmission services in the electricity market.”

Tossou said ERERA had also

secured the approval of strategic documents such as the directive on the organisation of the regional electricity market.

He noted that the directive requires member states to amend their laws to allow for open access to the transmission network while allowing third-party access to eligible customers.

Meanwhile, Tossou commended Asogli Power Plant, a member of the West African power pool, for its investments in West Africa and its high efficiency in power generation.

UN projects Nigeria’s economy to grow by 3% in 2023

By Abubakar Yunus Abuja

The United Nations says the Nigerian economy will grow by 3 percent in 2023.

In its report titled ‘2023 world economic situation and prospects’, the intergovernmental organisation said despite high inflation and poor power supply in the country, the economy would benefit from robust commodities trade and dynamic consumer goods and services markets.

The report was produced by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and five United

Nations regional commissions.

“High inflation and power supply issues are impacting growth in Nigeria, but the economy will benefit from robust commodities trade and dynamic consumer goods and services markets, bringing growth to 3 percent in 2023” the report reads.

The organisation said aggregate output in Africa is projected to remain subdued amid volatile and uncertain global environment compounding domestic challenges.

The UN also said favourable export prices would benefit commodity exporters in Africa but a slowdown in global demand would pose challenges.

It added that African mineral exporters — Botswana,

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe– would likely receive increased investments, with Europe looking for alternative sources of critical minerals, metals, and precious stones.

“Inflation pressures are expected to ease in 2023 as monetary policy tightens across the continent. Yet, rapidly rising borrowing costs and debt-servicing burdens pose significant risks along with electoral instability and food insecurity,” the report reads.

The UN said 17 countries including Nigeria will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2023, and 13 others will be preparing for national

elections in 2024.

It added that rising popular dissatisfaction in many of these countries, driven by worsening socioeconomic conditions, including subdued wage growth, the escalating cost of living and food security concerns, could prove challenging for incumbent or new administrations.

The organisation said, although a slow decline in political and military tensions is expected, if insecurity should persist or rise, the economic outlook for affected and surrounding countries could worsen considerably.

Earlier this month, the World Bank downgraded Nigeria’s 2023 economic growth projection to 2.9 percent from a previous projection of 3.1 percent.

L*R. Deputy Editor Sunday Vanguard Mr. charles Komolu, Editor Sunday Vangaurd Mr. Wale Akinola, Head External Relations Department Securities and Exchange Commission Mr. Mohammed Bagudu Waziri, Editor Vangaurd Newspaper Mr. Eze Anaba, Head Corporate Communications SEC Mrs Efe Ebelo, Saturday Editor Vanguard Onochie Anibeze and Tuoyo Amuka during a visit of the SEC team to Vanguard in Lagos yesterday

Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

Profit before taxation climbed 29.5 per cent to N100.6 billion, the company said.

ByRonald

Adamolekun

January 30, 2023 Reading Time: 2 mins read

Abdul Samad Rabiu’s BUA Foods on Monday reported a profit surge boosting its bottom line for 2022 by 30 per cent compared to the preceding year, backed by a sales growth that shot revenue to a record N417.8 billion.

The food company, which seized the prime spot from Nestlé Nigeria as the country’s biggest consumer goods firm by market value last January, currently

UBA

BUA Foods’ annual profit surges by 30% as sales hit N418 billion

carries a market capitalisation in excess of N1.3 trillion.

BUA Foods went public barely a year ago after combining its flour, sugar, edible oil and pasta businesses, listing 18 billion ordinary shares in Lagos.

According to details of its financial reports posted on the Nigeria Exchange’s website on Monday, revenue grew by more than a quarter at N417.8 billion, 65.5 per cent of that contributed

appoints

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The Board of Directors of the United Bank for Africa Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, Monday announces the appointment of Abiola Bawuah as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBA Africa.

Mrs Bawuah will also join the Group Board as an Executive Director, overseeing the Group’s operations across the African continent, outside Nigeria. UBA operates in 19 African countries beyond Nigeria, in addition to global operations in New York, London, Paris and the UAE.

Mrs Bawuah, a Ghanaian national, is the first female CEO of UBA Africa. Her appointment further demonstrates UBA’s commitment to diversity. The UBA Group Board now includes eight female Directors.

Prior to her appointment, Mrs Bawuah was Regional CEO, West Africa, supervising the Group’s operations in nine subsidiaries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. She previously held the role of CEO, UBA Ghana.

by sugar sales. Administrative expenses shrank by 22.5 per cent as the company pared down general expenses and bank charges, helping to cushion the impact of costs on earnings.

Mr Rabiu, Africa’s fourth richest man by Forbes’ estimate, controls BUA Foods, holding a 92.6 per cent stake in the company. Finance income declined

by as much as 98.6 per cent to 39.9 million from N2.9 billion. Conversely, finance costs advanced to N8.2 billion, reflecting a jump of 61.6 per cent.

Profit before taxation climbed 29.5 per cent to N100.6 billion, while net profit grew from N69.8 billion to N90.4 billion, representing a 29.6 per cent increase year on year.

Total assets as of the end of the review year were N612.1

billion compared to N593.5 billion a year earlier.

Net profit margin, the metric that measures how much of revenue has turned into profit, was 21.6 per cent relative to 20.9 per cent in 2021.

This month, BUA Foods was admitted into the NGX 30, the equity index that tracks Nigeria’s top 30 public companies in terms of liquidity and market capitalisation.

first female CEO for Africa

•also announces six other executive appointments

Speaking on the new appointment, the Group Board Chairman, Tony Elumelu said, “Abiola has contributed significantly to the growth of UBA Africa for close to a decade. She brings a wealth of experience in commercial banking and stakeholder engagement. It also gives me great pleasure that with her appointment, the UBA Group Board has now become a majority female board.”

The UBA Group also announced the following executive roles:Chris Ofikulu becomes the Regional CEO, UBA West Africa. Mr Ofikulu has over two decades of banking experience spanning corporate, commercial, and retail banking.

Uzoechina Molokwu will take on the role of Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of UBA Ghana, subject to local regulatory approvals. He was previously the Executive Director, Business Development – UBA Côte d’Ivoire and has over 23 years of banking experience.

Ayokunle Olajubu will be the Managing Director/CEO of UBA Liberia, subject to

local regulatory approvals. He currently drives compliance across African subsidiaries and comes with 30 years of banking experience in Nigeria and other African countries, including Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire and the Gambia.

Theresa Henshaw has been appointed as CEO of UBA UK, subject to local regulatory approvals. She was previously the DMD, Business Development, UBA America and joined the Group as ED, Business Development at UBA UK.

Usman Isiaka, currently CEO, UBA Sierra Leone, will be the Deputy CEO of UBA America, subject to local regulatory approvals.

Adeyemi Adeleke, the former CEO of UBA, UK is now the Group Treasurer. Mr Adeleke will be working to unlock the immense value in the Group’s multi-jurisdictional balance sheet, leveraging on its presence in 24 countries within and beyond Africa.

In addition to the executive appointments, UBA has

announced the retirement of Samuel Oni, an independent non-executive Director, from the Board following the expiration of his tenure. He joined the UBA Group in January 2015 and served on the Board of the Group for eight years.

The Group Chairman Mr Elumelu expressed his appreciation to Mr Oni, for his commitment, leadership and extensive contributions to the UBA Group and on behalf of the Board, wishes him the very best

in all his future endeavours.

Operating in twenty African countries and in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, United Bank for Africa provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology. UBA is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees groupwide and serving over 37 million customers globally.

Eni signs $8bn gas deal with Libya amid political unrest

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

Eni, an Italian oil and gas firm, has signed an $8 billion offshore gas development deal with state-owned Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC).

Claudio Descalzi, chief executive officer (CEO), Eni; and Farhat Bengdara CEO, NOC, signed the agreement on the development of ‘structures A&E’, a strategic project aimed at increasing gas production to supply the Libyan domestic market as well as to ensure export to Europe.

The agreement was signed in the

presence of Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of Italy; and Abdul Hamid AlDbeibah, prime minister of the Libyan government of national unity, according to a recent statement issued by Eni.

“Structures A&E is the first major project in the country since the early 2000. It consists of the development of two gas fields, namely Structures ‘A’and ‘E’, located in the contractual area D, offshore Libya,” the statement reads.

Eni said the combined gas production from the two structures will start in 2026 and reach a plateau of 750 million standard gas cubic feet per day.

“Production will be ensured through two main platforms tied-in to the existing treatment facilities at the Mellitah Complex,” it said.

“The project also includes the construction of a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facility at Mellitah, allowing a significant reduction of the overall carbon footprint, in line with Eni’s decarboniastion strategy.

“The overall estimated investment will amount to 8 billion USD, with significant impact on the industry and the associated supply chain, allowing a significant contribution to the Libyan economy.”

Speaking on the development, Descalzi said the agreement will enable important investments in Libya’s energy sector, contributing to local development and job creation while strengthening Eni’s role “as a leading operator in the country”.

Meanwhile, Libya was awarded the gas development contract despite the political unrest and insecurity in the northern Africa country.

Since the NATO-supported revolt that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been in chaos, and many armed factions now control large portions of the nation.

The Acting Director General of NYSC, Mrs Christy Ifeyinwa Uba presenting a copy of NYSC publications to the Deputy Director, Information Technology Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Habib Yusuf when he led a delegation of some staff on a courtesy visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, yesterday in Maitama Abuja . Photo; NYSC

BU$IN€SS

Transafam to add 240MW generation capacity to national grid

Transcorp Group, the parent company of Transafam Power Limited has said it is planning to add additional 24 mega watts of electricity to Nigeria’s power generation capacity this year 2023.

Transafam Power Limited has said it is planning to add additional 24 mega watts of electricity to Nigeria’s power generation capacity this year 2023.

Transcorp President Mrs Owen Omogiafo, disclosed this yesterday while commisioning the newly rehabilitated GT20 in Afam, headquarters of Oyigbo local government area of Rivers

State.

Omogiafo said currently, the Transafam Power is generating 188 mega watts, stressing that the major challenge facing the company was gas supply.

She said: “All over the world, tansformation is powered by power. Our first investment on power was Ughelli power plant in 2013, when we acquired it was 160 mega watts but as we speak we are generating over 600 mega watts of electricity and we are contributing very strongly to Nigeria’s power sector.

“And it is the success of that investment that encouraged us to invest in Afam power plant despite the challenge of

gas supply. It’s on record that we recovered Afam V GT20 on September last year. We have added another 188 mega watts to the national grid.

“We have we have four more gas turbines ready to operate as soon as we have gas. Discussions are on with stakeholders for gas to be provided.

“I have just been informed that we are heading to Afam III fast power which is aerodynamics technology which is expected to bring additional 240 mega watts this year.

“Our target is for us to be the leader in the power sector space and we are looking at the entire value chain. When we started

we were looking at 25percent, we have invested billions. It’s a very expensive venture.

“We are liking ahead and we want to build local capacity. Before Now to repair a gas turbine you will have to fly abroad but now, we have built and Commissioned our own clean room for the maintenance of these turbines. It about fulfilling purpose which is improving lives and transforming Africa.”

Also spekaing, the Managing Director of Transafam Power Limited, Engr. Vincent Ozoude, said the company has saved capital flight by building its own “clean room” for the repair and

maintenance of gas turbines’ components.

Ozoude said: “We have just Commissioned the generator clean room to repair gas turbines. We use the facility to repair generator rotors that will help us minimize the timeline of getting generator rotors out of the country to repair and then bring them back to Nigeria.

“We have saved the cost, time, logistics, labour and capacity development by having this clean room here. We took over this plant at 48MW of power generation and in less than a year and nine months we have grown it to 188MW out of the 966MW installed capacity.”

SSS arrests currency traders selling new naira notes, says banks complicit

While millions of Nigerians scramble to get the new naira notes, currency traders have turned the sale of such notes into brisk business and are working in cahoot with bank officials, the State Security Service (SSS) has said.

SSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya, in a statement Monday, said some of the currency traders involved have been ‘intercepted’ and have confirmed that they

are working with officials of commercial banks.

“The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby informs the public that it has intercepted some members of organised syndicates involved in the sale of the new redesigned naira notes.

“In the course of its operations, in this regard in parts of the country, it was also established that some Commercial Bank officials are aiding the economic malfeasance,” Mr Afunanya wrote.

The SSS, also called DSS, warned the

“currency racketeers to desist from this ignoble act.”

It did not, however, say if those ‘intercepted’ and their bank collaborators would be prosecuted.

“Appropriate regulatory authorities are, in this same vein, urged to step up monitoring and supervisory activities to expeditiously address the emerging trends.

“It should be noted that the Service has ordered its Commands and Formations to further ensure that all persons and groups engaged in the illegal sale of the notes are

identified. Therefore, anyone with useful information relating to this is encouraged to pass the same to the relevant authorities.”

The statement by the SSS comes a day after PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria extended the deadline for the validity of the old N200, N500 and N1,000 naira notes from 31 January to 10 February.

Many Nigerians had called for the extension due to the scarcity of the new notes, despite the claims by the CBN that it had circulated enough of such.

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

Queue at the ATM machine at Central area, yesterday in Abuja.

METRO

Abuja rail to resume before Buhari’s exit - says FCT Minister

By Stanley Onyekwere

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has assured residents that the Abuja Light Rail would resume service before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in May, 2023.

Bello gave the assurance yesterday, when he featured the 20th Edition of the President Buhari’s administration Scorecard Series, organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, in

Abuja.

He said: “Another important milestone achievement of President Buhari’s administration is the infrastructure development of the Abuja Light Rail. When we can in 2015, about 52 per cent of the projects were done and we pushed it to 100 per cent.

“ And many of you will want to wonder why the Abuja Light Rail is not working, it is not working now because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“ We had to stop the operation because as you know the light train system

basically is a mass movement, so if you don’t have much sitting capacity many people will stand up and when you stand up you face each other.

“ So, it was obviously very difficult to maintain social distance but we are done with that all the carriages are here and by the grace of God before we leave it will resume.”

Also, the Minister disclosed that about 12 stations have been completed and about five of them the roads are under construction.

“ These are works we do in the satellite

town because the structure of the FCT is that we have development in the Urban area that is the Federal Capital City as well as development in the satellite towns.

“ But the standards we maintain for infrastructure for the Federal Capital City (FCC) itself is the same that we maintain in the satellite towns no difference whatsoever.

“ Because the whole area is to encourage residents to stay in the satellite towns so that you chunk of the city that we have been able to do to a large extent,” Bello said.

Naira swap: FCTA sustains sensitisation drive in Abaji, Kuje, G/Lada

By Stanley Onyekwere

The FCT Administration has stepped up its sensitisation and advocacy campaign to residents across its six Area Councils, with the aim of ensuring that no one was left out in the ongoing currency swap of the redesigned Naira notes.

To this end, the FCTA sensitisation team took the campaign to stakeholders mainly traditional and community leaders as well as traders in Abaji, Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils respectively.

Recall that following the redesigning of N1,000, N500 denominations of the Nigerian Currency, the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had set a deadline of January 31, 2023, later extend to February 10, 2022, for all old Naira notes to cease as the country’s legal tender.

Explaining the initiative, the Ag. Director, FCT Reforms Coordination and Service Improvement Department (RC&SID), Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, stressed the need to ensure that the message was passed across in all the indigenous languages of FCT and the major languages in Nigeria.

She assured that the team would ensure that all public places, market areas and highly populated areas were duly covered.

During the visit of the Sensitization team to the Kuje, the Gomo of Kuje, HRH Haruna Tanko Jibrin, in his remarks, expressed his appreciation and applauded the Administration for taking up the

initiative to carry the people along.

He pointed that for the exercise to be effective, the more needed to be done, as the new notes were yet to be readily available to citizens in the area.

According to him, “We don’t have access to these new notes, in fact, so many of my subjects have not seen the new notes with their eyes”.

Similarly, Ona of Abaji, HRM Alh Dr. Adamu Baba Yunusa heartily welcomed the team, however drew the attention of the Government to the inadequacies of the process.

He said: “Before people can adhere to this deadline instructions, the Government first of all, have to play their part in ensuring that the new notes are

readily available because as I speak to you, banks do not have these notes to give out.

“ I personally had to go to the bank and requested to be paid in the new notes but sadly, I was informed that it was not available.

“Unfortunately, because of the fear of not being able to get the new notes in exchange, the old notes are already being rejected, and this

is double jeopardy”. Not left out, Aguma of Gwagwalada, HRH Muhammed Magaji, made an appeal for the Government to as a matter of urgency, make sure that at least Banks and ATMs are fully stocked with the new notes, so that people will be encouraged to take their old notes to the banks, not minding the long queues.

Court nullifies Yakubu's sack as AMAC -IPDC boss

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) presided by Hon. Justice M. O Olajuwon has declared the sack of Hon. Yakubu Adamu, former managing director of AMAC Investments and Property Development Company (IPDC) as unlawful, null, and void.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Olajuwon on January 16, 2023, between Hon. Yakubu Adamu and the immediate past chairman of AMAC, Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido and AMAC-IPDC, the court declared that they cannot lawfully remove Yakubu Adamu as director of AMAC-IPDC.

The court also declared that the decisions taken at the AMAC-IPDC board of directors meeting held on August 31, 2021, to revoke the appointment of Hon. Adamu as managing director/chief executive officer is wrongful, unlawful, invalid, null

and void, and incapable of having any legal consequence.

Also, any purported implementation of the outcome of the AMAC-IPDC board meeting of August 31, 2021, including constituting of a caretaker/interim management or otherwise by whatever name or appellation called to manage the affairs of AMAC-IPDC is unlawful, null, and void.

"A declaration that the decisions taken at AMAC-IPDC Board of Directors' meeting held on August 31, 2021, revoking the appointment of Adamu as the managing director/ chief executive officer of AMAC-IPDC is null and void and of no legal consequence.

“A declaration that any purported implementation of the outcome of the AMAC-IPDC board meeting of August 31, 2021, including the constitution of a caretaker/interim management or otherwise by whatever name or appellation called, to manage the affairs of the AMAC-IPDC,

Hon. Yakubu Adamu

is unlawful, null, and void", the judgement read.

The court also gave an order of injunction restraining the former chairman and AMAC-IPDC from giving effect or continuing to give effect to any of the decisions taken at the Board Meeting of AMAC-IPDC held on August 31, 2021, which meeting has been declared a nullify by the court.

Adamu, who hailed the judgment expressed gratitude to Justice Olajuwon for being fair in

giving justice to the case, saying that his share of the company as a shareholder has been restored by the court.

"I am happy that the court has given me victory and declared that I am still a shareholder of AMAC-IPDC and that all the benefits that I am supposed to benefit from when I was wrongfully removed till today be paid. I am very grateful to the court for the judgment," he stressed.

FCT Minister advises land applicants to approach estate developers

By Usman Shuaibu

The minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Mal Muhammed Musa Bello has advised applicants for land in the FCT to approach estate developers who have already put some infrastructure in place.

Bello spoke yesterday at the 20th

edition of the Scorecard Series of the Buhari administration in Abuja.

He said land is no longer available for allocation in the areas that people would like to build, especially around the city center and the Municipal areas.

All the land in phases 1, 2, and 3 have been allocated, he said, and admitted that one of the most difficult assignments of the FCT Minister is land allocation and

administration.

He said land in Abuja is no longer going to be easy as it was before, especially that the whole idea of land is for you to build, and as such the template has to change in accordance with the new realities.

The infrastructure has not been put in place in the new phases that are being opened up, making development in such

phases difficult.

He said the FCT administration now allows the private sector to develop estates and provide some of the needed infrastructure within those estates, because it is better and easier to get land in an estate that is already developed.

“There is no need to get land in areas that you may not be able to develop even in the next twenty or so years,” he said.

world news

Antony Blinken in Jerusalem: Urgent steps needed for calm

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for Israel and the Palestinians to take “urgent steps” to restore calm amid escalating violence.

Speaking in Jerusalem, Mr Blinken reiterated US support for a two-state solution as “the best way” to bring security to the two sides.

Israel’s new government opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.

The visit comes after two gun attacks by Palestinians in East Jerusalem at the weekend killed seven Israelis.

At a news conference following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Mr Blinken expressed his condolences for what he called the “horrific terrorist attack”.

The attack by a 21-year-old Palestinian targeted worshippers near a synagogue on Friday night. Hours later a 13-yearold Palestinian opened fire on a group of Israelis, wounding a father and son.

Two Palestinians were also shot dead in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank ahead of Mr Blinken’s arrival.

An 18-year-old armed with a gun was killed by an Israeli security guard near the northern West Bank settlement of Kedumim on Saturday night. On Monday morning troops opened fire on a vehicle which they said drove away after hitting a soldier, killing the 26-year-old driver, in Hebron.

Mr Blinken said the US had “an enduring goal of Palestinians and Israelis enjoying equal measures of freedom, security, opportunity, justice and dignity”, which he said could best be achieved by “realising the vision of two states” - an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Failure to do so, he said, would be “detrimental to Israel’s security and to its long-term identity as a Jewish democratic state”.

“That’s why we’re urging all sides now to take urgent steps to restore calm, to deescalate - we want to make sure there’s an environment in which we can... at some point create the conditions where we can start to restore a sense of security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Mr Netanyahu did not respond to Mr Blinken’s declaration of support

for a two-state solution. His newly formed government comprises parties which resolutely oppose the concept of a Palestinian state and support the expansion of Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians claim for a hoped for state of their own.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

The Israeli prime minister has vowed to take tough measures in response to

the attacks at the weekend. Israeli forces have been bolstered in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the homes of both attackers have been sealed off in preparation for demolition.

The government has also pledged to expand and accelerate the issuing of gun licences to Israeli citizens, as well as to take measures against “the families of terrorists that support terrorism” including removing members’ residency and social security rights.

Ukraine war: Germany won’t block export of its Leopard 2 tanks, foreign minister says

Germany’s foreign minister Anna Baerbock has said she “would not stand in the way” of Poland if it were to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Ukraine has called on the West to provide the German-made tanks which they say will help them defeat Russia.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the BBC that Germany had the power to “save the lives of many Ukrainian soldiers”.

But Germany is yet to agree and its export laws have stood in Poland’s way.

On Sunday, Ms Baerbock said Poland had not yet asked for export permission.

“For the moment the question has not been asked, but if we were asked we would not stand in the way,” she told France’s LCI TV.

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday the government would request authorisation from Berlin. But he said Poland would send the tanks to Ukraine, even if it was not granted.

“Even if, ultimately we did not get this consent, within the framework of a small coalition….we will still hand over our

tanks, together with others, to Ukraine,” Mr Morawiecki said.

In a BBC interview on Monday, Ukraine’s Mr Kuleba appealed to all countries willing to send Leopard 2 tanks to “immediately, officially request the German government to allow delivery of these tanks to Ukraine”.

“This is the move that will make the whole situation crystal clear and we will see where it takes Germany. This is something that needs to be done right away and everything will become obvious,” he added.

A spokesperson for the German government said on Monday it had not yet received any requests to authorise the delivery of the Leopard 2 tanks.

Last week, Mr Morawiecki said Poland was ready to provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.

On Monday, the Polish president’s foreign policy adviser, Marcin Przydacz, said he welcomed Ms Baerbock’s announcement, but would prefer to hear Germany’s position confirmed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“It turns out that through talks

and diplomatic actions, Poland is able to change the German position,” Mr Przydacz told Polish Radio.

However, Warsaw ultimately wants Berlin and Nato allies to also send their own Leopards because government officials admit that 14 tanks will have a limited impact on Ukraine’s fighting capacity.

The Leopard 2 tanks were specifically designed to compete with the Russian T-90 tanks, which are being used in the invasion.

There are believed to be more than 2,000 of them worldwide and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 300 of them would help ensure a Russian defeat.

Many allied countries have become frustrated with Germany over its reluctance to send its own Leopard 2 tanks.

Under current regulations, Germany must also sanction any re-export of its tanks by other countries, such as Poland.

Following a meeting of more than 50 allied countries on Friday, Germany had not yet committed to supplying the tanks

nor releasing their export licence. But it denied unilaterally blocking the tanks’ export.

In a joint statement on Saturday the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania told Germany “to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now”.

Why are Leopard tanks so in demand?

The Leopard 2 tank is a world-class weapon used by more than a dozen countries.

Ukraine sees tanks as another vital part of its defence against Russian forces and Leopards have seen combat action in Afghanistan and Syria.

What makes them particularly attractive to Kyiv is that nearly twothirds of all Leopards produced are still in Europe. So physically getting Leopards to the fight is relatively straightforward. That also makes maintenance and repair - vital aspects of any weapons systemeasier too.

It is worth remembering in all this that Germany is giving Ukraine vital air defence systems, such as IRIS-T and Patriot surface-to-air missiles, as well as armoured personnel carriers.Source: BBC

Mr Blinken said a two-state solution was the best way to bring peace

N ews F rom A F ric A

Antony Blinken in Jerusalem: Urgent steps needed for calm

South Africa has defended its decision to hold a joint military exercise with Russia and China next month.

Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor condemned the “double-standard” which says some countries can perform such exercises but others are not.

“All countries conduct military exercises with friends worldwide,” Dr Pandor added.

The comments came at a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Pretoria.

The event attracted a small group of protesters outside the venue, waiving Ukrainian flags.

Dr Pandor went on to slam the suggestion that South Africa cannot conduct the military exercises it wants to as an “abuse of international practice”.

“This is just a natural set of exercises that occur between countries,” she said.

Last week South Africa’s military announced it would hold joint naval drills with Russia and China off its coast next month.

But there has been some criticism that the exercise is not appropriate, given that it coincides with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Not much information has been given about the exercises, but the state-owned Tass news agency reports that a Russian warship armed with hypersonic cruise weapons will take part.

The Ministry of Defence has also defended the planned drills, saying that

Raila refuses to recognise Ruto’s presidency in Kenya

Mr Ruto beat him in last August’s poll, but Mr Odinga - who appeared at Nairobi’s Kamukunji Stadium along with his running mate Martha Karua, and other allies - repeated claims that the results were manipulated. Claims that had already been rejected in court.

He declared that he and his movement “reject the 2022 election result totally”, which was received with great cheers and applause from an adoring crowd.

“We cannot and we don’t recognise the Kenya Kwanza regime,” he continued.

The 2022 election was Mr Odinga’s fifth attempt at the presidency, but he was beaten by Mr Ruto who was declared winner in the absence of four election commissioners who dissented and accused the commission chairman of delivering what they called “opaque” results.

Mr Raila then rejected the results and took the case to court .

But the Supreme Court upheld Mr Ruto’s victory. The aftermath has been dramatic with accusations and counter accusations.

Election chief Wafula Chebukati has claimed he was under intense pressure from unspecified forces to announce different results, and most recently, President Ruto sensationally said there had been an assassination plot against Mr Chebukati.

Some of Mr Odinga’s partners in his Azimio Coalition have since decamped and declared their support for the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Others have remained steadfast with him in this renewed fight for what they call electoral justice.

South Africa has in the past hosted similar exercises with France, the US and countries from the Western Nato military alliance.

The drills will run for 10 days from 17 February to 27 February in the port city of Durban, and Richards Bay.

The aim is to share operational skills and knowledge, the South African National Defence Force said.

Despite pressure from Western countries to condemn the Russian invasion, South Africa has remained neutral - to the disappointment of Ukraine.

Speaking at the conference, Mr Lavrov said he appreciated the “well balanced” and “considerate” approach of South Africa to the Ukraine war, which South Africa’s Dr Pandor said must be resolved diplomatically and through negotiation.

Officials in South Africa have repeatedly said they do not condone the invasion but will not be forced into choosing sides and are continuing to engage with both countries in a business-as-usual manner.

Critics of South Africa’s stance have accused the country of playing coy.

South Africa’s leaders have a connection to Russian dating back to the fight against white-minority rule, or apartheid, when some members of the country’s liberation movement received military training in Russia.

In recent years that relationship has grown into business ties through the Brics bloc of emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Mr Lavrov was also in Africa in July 2022, when he visited Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville, and South Africa is not alone in refusing to take sides in the war in Ukraine.

Many African nations - including Nigeria

and Kenya, the economic powerhouses of West and East Africa respectively - voted in favour of a UN general assembly resolution in March last year, condemning Russian “aggression” and demanding its withdrawal from Ukraine.

Arsenal fans arrested in Uganda after celebrating Manchester United victory

By Jacobs Odongo Seaman

At least eight Arsenal fans have been arrested in the Ugandan city of Jinja after celebrating the club’s win against Manchester United in the English Premier League.

The fans were wearing the club’s red jersey and carrying a symbolic trophy.

Police said they didn’t have a permit to hold the procession which is a public order offence.

Arsenal scored a dramatic last-minute goal to win 3-2 in Sunday’s match against a fierce rival.

The result gave the Gunners a five-point cushion at the top of the table, giving hope to fans around the world that the club could end its 19-year wait to win the English Premier League.

The Arsenal fans were travelling in a convoy of five vehicles on Monday morning when they were intercepted by police. One of them was carrying a trophy they had bought at a local store.

“I don’t know what we have done but we were simply celebrating our victory over rivals Manchester United,” Arsenal fan Baker Kasule is quoted as saying by the local Daily Monitor news site.

James Mubi, the regional police boss and a self-declared Arsenal fan, told the BBC he had not reviewed the fans’ charges but wondered why they were celebrating when only half of the matches in the season had been played.

“What would happen if an altercation with rival fans broke out? They did not inform police to provide security for their procession,” Mr Mubi said, dismissing

the suggestion that the arrest was linked to the frequent arrest of members of an opposition party who also wear red.

Rights groups say the Public Order Management Act has given police discretionary powers that have been used to stifle citizens’ rights.

Agather Atuhaire, a lawyer and rights activist, told the BBC that Uganda’s police continue “to be high-handed even after the Constitutional Court nullified all the draconian provisions that gave them unfettered powers to restrict the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association and assembly”.

Arsenal and Manchester United enjoy huge support in Uganda, and across Africa, and when they play makeshift video halls in Uganda are always packed to the rafters.

Source;BBC

Both parties described the other as a friend, with Naledi Pandor describing their talks as “wonderful”

One

fan was carrying a symbolic trophy which they had bought at a store

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Pakistan mosque blast: Police targeted in attack that kills 59

At least 59 people have been killed by a bomb that apparently targeted policemen praying in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The mosque is within the tightly-guarded police headquarters area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said “terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan”.

No group has said it carried out the attack, but it has been linked to the Pakistan Taliban.

The group ended a ceasefire in November, and violence has been on the rise since.

In December it targeted a police station - like Peshawar, in the north-west of the country - leading to the deaths of 33 militants.

Early unconfirmed reports said a bomber had blown himself up in the mosque on Monday.

A hospital spokesman told the BBC the death toll stands at 59, while 157 people were injured.

Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told local media that between 300 and 400 police officials were in the area at the time.

The mosque is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, which includes police headquarters and intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus.

In a statement, PM Sharif said those behind the attack “have nothing to do with Islam”. He added: “The entire nation

is standing united against the menace of terrorism.”

The blast took place around 13:30 (08:30 GMT) during afternoon prayers in the northwestern city, near the country’s border with Afghanistan.

A video circulating on social media and verified by the BBC showed that half of a wall caved in. The mosque was covered in bricks and debris as people clambered over the rubble to escape.

A rescue operation is continuing inside the mosque and “more bodies are being taken out,” Peshawar city Deputy Commissioner Shafiullah Khan said.

“Currently our priority is to save people buried under the debris,” Mr Khan added.

Hours after the blast, BBC News witnessed a facility full of the injured, many still wearing their police uniforms.

Some were covered in burns cream, their skin red with burns from the explosion. Others have broken bones from being hit by falling rubble.

One man said he still couldn’t hear because of the sound of the blast. Another man said he had been rescued after being trapped under the rubble for almost an hour.

The prime minister travelled to Peshawar on an emergency visit, where he will be briefed by local officials and visit those wounded by the blast.

A man, still wearing his police

uniform, receiving treatment in hospital in PeshawarUN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack, with his spokeswoman saying: “It is particularly abhorrent that such an attack occurred at a place of worship.”

The attack on the mosque took place at the start of a key week for Pakistani diplomacy.

On Monday, the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was due to visit Islamabadalthough the trip was cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather.

On Tuesday, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is meant to visit Pakistan as part of the process to unlock a bailout

loan to prevent the country from defaulting.

Last March, Peshawar was the target of another bombing, which killed dozens in a Shia mosque.

In the capital, Islamabad Police issued a security highalert and said security at all entry and exit points to the city had been increased.

Covid in China: Officials say current wave is ‘coming to an end’

Chinese health officials say the country’s current wave of Covid-19 infections is “coming to an end”.

The number of severe Covid cases and deaths is trending downward, the country’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report.

It also said there had been “no obvious rebound” during Lunar New Year holidays last week, where millions reunited for family gatherings.

There have long been questions raised about China’s Covid reporting.

But experts say the decline reported now corresponds with the expected timing of an end to this major wave.

The virus tore through Chinese cities and towns after authorities lifted zero-Covid restrictions in December. However fever clinic visit rates have dropped over 90% through January and hospitalisation rates are down over 85%.

Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the

pandemic remained a global emergency, saying it was too early to lift the highest level of alert which it declared three years ago.

It said the weekly Covid death rate had been rising in recent weeks and that more than 170,000 Covid-19-related deaths had been reported globally within the last eight weeks, adding that a lack of surveillance now made it more difficult to track down variants.

But the WHO acknowledged that the world was in a better position than during the peak of the Omicron wave a year ago.

Covid losses mount in rural China: ‘There are just too many’

Fears that the virus could surge again during the festive period have also not yet been realised.

The CDC said: “There has not been an obvious rebound in Covid cases during the Lunar New Year holidays.

“In this time, no new variant has been discovered, and the country’s current wave is coming to an end.”

It also reported a sharp decline in the daily Covid death toll reported by hospitals - from a peak of 4,300 deaths on 4 January to 896 deaths on 23 January.

Infectious diseases expert Hsu Li Yang told BBC News: “This drop in deaths follows the decline in the first huge wave of cases after China relaxed its restrictions, which is understandable and has been seen in virtually every country experiencing a large Covid wave.

“We will know soon if the Lunar New Year celebrations will trigger another surge in China cases, but it is unlikely to match what was experienced in December and the earlier part of January 2023.”

One of China’s leading epidemiologists - and former head of the CDC - Zeng Guang had earlier this month warned that cases would surge in rural areas during the new year.

BBC News has also found evidence of a considerable number of Covid-related deaths in China’s rural regions, as the

virus spread from big cities to more remote areas with older populations.

However, the CDC said there had been no immediate spike following the festive period.

It’s estimated that 226 million passenger trips were taken during the Lunar New Year festive season from 2227 January - a 70% increase from last year when pandemic restrictions were still in place across many parts of China.

According to CDC data, Covid deaths halved in consecutive weeks in January. A total of 12,658 deaths were recorded between 13-19 January, while 6,364 deaths were recorded the following week.

In December, Beijing abruptly ended draconian Covid curbs that had seen millions of its citizens locked down over the past three years.

That led to a severe spike in Covid infections and deaths, with some experts estimating a majority of the population contracted Covid in the weeks following.

A Peking University study said that as of 11 January, some 900 million people in China had been infected with the coronavirus, amid multiple reports of overcrowded hospitals and crematoria.

However, Chinese authorities initially maintained that there had only been seven deaths since the end of zero-Covid on 7 December, after narrowing its definition of what counts as a Covid death.

The National Health Commission later reported almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths between 8 December and 12 January, after it began including deaths from underlying conditions as well as respiratory failure caused by Covid.

China’s official Covid data is believed to be vastly underreported, and authorities stopped releasing daily caseload reports last month.

Beijing has said it has been sharing Covid data in “a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law.”BBC

Chaotic scenes inside mosque after blast kills at least 32

Court discards suit seeking to sack Buhari

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

A

This is contained in a statement by President of SECSD, Onu Ikenna and Secretary, Uchechi Mgbidi, on Monday in Abuja.

The group said the military had embarked on school rehabilitation projects, improvement of laboratories in schools, provision of portable water and other nonkinetic measures in the region.

They said it was a promise kept by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, to ensure Nigerians had peace, adding that the initiative should be appreciated by the people of the South East region.

They lamented that recent activities of enemies of the region had affected socioeconomic development, hence the need for a rethink.

The group urged the youth to eschew all forms of violence, saying that development could not thrive where there is disorder.

They also urged the people of the region to cooperate with the armed forces to deescalate the violence and wanton killings going on in the region.

According to them, on assumption of office, the Chief of Defence Staff promised to use all available means for peace to reign in the country.

“We are grateful that the Armed Forces under him have gone ahead in the the implementation of activities aimed at having the people of the region live in peace.

“We plead with our people to support the military as the development strides associated with the Igbos is being eroded by the activities of a few.

“We cannot continue in this violence and wanton killings that is beginning to make us look like cannibals.

“We also welcome the promise by the CDS that the military and other security agencies will not tolerate any threat to the 2023 general elections.

civil society group, South-East Coalition for Sustainable Development (SECSD) has commended the Armed Forces of Nigeria over its non-kinetic approach towards peace and stability in the region.Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court Abuja, has thrown away a suit by a former presidential candidate of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, seeking to sack President Muhammadu Buhari from office.

Justice Ekwo, in his judgment held that the suit constituted a gross abuse of court process, statute barred and was an affront to the Supremacy of the Supreme

Court of Nigeria.

Besides, Justice Ekwo held that the suit was baseless, frivolous, irritating and vexatious in the entirety.

Owuru, a presidential candidate in the 2019 election on the platform of HDP instituted the legal action against Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asking the electoral body to declare the presidential seat vacant and swear him in as the authentic winner of that election.

He further prayed the

court to determine the legality or otherwise of the INEC’S decision in 2019 during which it shifted the election from Feb. 16 to Feb. 23, 2019.

He claimed that INEC acted against the constitution in the illegal and unlawful way and manner the presidential poll was shifted and that declaration of Buhari as winner of the unlawful act should be declared null and void and of no effect.

According to him, his petition at the Supreme Court was unjustly dismissed following his absence in the

apex court due to discrepancies in the hearing dates conveyed to him.

He therefore, prayed the court to remove Buhari and declare him (Owuru) the authentic President and that Buhari should be compelled to refund all monies he collected as salaries, emoluments and security votes.

Consequently, he prayed the court to order his inauguration for a four-year tenure of office upon removal of Buhari from office and stop INEC from conducting the 2023 election.

Lagos PDP guber candidate tasks IG-P on spate of attacks during campaigns

The PDP Governorship Candidate in Lagos, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor), has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, to take measures to check incessant attacks on his campaign trains.

Adediran, at a news conference on Sunday, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intervene in the attacks.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adediran’s campaign train had been attacked by political thugs in Badagry, Ikorodu, Agege, Kosofe and Surulere, leaving some of his followers wounded and vehicles smashed.

It was also reported that the attack on Friday in Surulere was the third attack in succession where suspected hoodlums were said to have fired guns and destroyed some of the campaign vehicles in Adediran’s convoy.

Clearing issues around various attacks, Adediran noted that his change of campaign strategies by going to the people through his ward tours to sell himself to them had exposed him and his followers to huge threats and harassment from political thugs.

“I have constitutional backing to go everywhere to campaign for this election.

“Many of the people attacked are here because these attacks are not about me but the people, hence the

account we are giving now.

“At Surulere, the moment I stepped out of the mosque, these boys came and began to shout “where is Jandor?”, and started to shoot everywhere. I quickly entered my car and we drove away.

“The thugs hijacked one of our cars. Before we knew it, all our campaign vehicles were damaged and the party secretariat was also damaged.

“We still want the IGP to take these happenings in Lagos State very seriously. Police should please live up to its constitutional responsibility of protecting our lives and property,” he said.

Adediran, who noted that his team had severally reported all the attacks to the police, said that there were video clips and pictures of the attacks.

He lamented that in most of the places, political thugs were also in the habit of harassing and dispersing people waiting to receive him.

Adediran explained that his running mate, Ms Funke Akindele, was also chased out of the Fruit Market in Kosofe by thugs while some others mounted a road block against his passage in the same council and resorted to hurling stones and bottles at him.

“We will go out there and continue with our campaign. We don’t want anybody to harass us, we don’t want to be intimidated.

“I have been speaking to the people, interacting with artisans, professional and religious groups as well

as various associations and stakeholders.

“We were attacked in Badagry, Agege, Kosofe and Surulere in Lagos.

“All these happened in Lagos. Our expectation was that the Chief Security Officer of the state would have addressed the people of Lagos and condemned the attacks in its entirety, but nothing of such happened.

“We believe that they (the ruling party) actually want to use that to scare us away from embarking in the wardto-ward tour. We will forge ahead,” he said.

Urging no one to twist the story, Adediran said that his followers could not have attacked the people he wanted to sell his manifestoes to, as was being alleged.

According to him, his team will not succumb to any threat from anywhere but will got out and engage the people at the grassroots, telling them what he would do differently if elected.

Adediran said that political actors should not resort to violence but allow the people of the state to select their leaders.

Stressing that the party had written an official petition to the IGP on the attacks, Adediran urged the police to do the needful.

Also speaking, Mrs Aduke Akinde, a PDP leader at Iponri in Surulere, said that party members were preparing and waiting to receive Adediran and his team when masked political thugs drove in and

destroyed the rented canopies and chairs on Thursday.

In her comment, Mrs Idowu Adeniyi (Iyalaya), a trader at fruit market in Kosofe, who is a PDP member, said that since the foiled attempt of Akindele to campaign in the market, the market authorities had not allowed them to enter their shops.

“Up till now, no opportunity to enter the market. We plead for help; we are being threatened since Tuesday. Our fruits, apples and bananas must be rotten now,” she said.

In his remarks, Pastor Philips Aivoji, the Lagos State Chairman of PDP, said that there were so many other attacks on PDP members in the state not reported in the media.

Aivoji, who noted that many PDP members in rural places were being threatened, said that election should not be a do-or-die affair.

“These cannot deter us. We will continue to forge ahead because we believe we are on the side of the people. We are not going to be intimidated,” he said.

Reacting to the alleged attacks in a statement on Saturday, Mr Seye Oladejo, the Lagos APC Publicity Secretary, accused Adediran of unleashing terror on innocent residents in the course of his campaign in Surulere.

Oladejo condemned the resort to violence on the citizens of the state in the name of electioneering campaign. (NAN)

Inside the world of organised crime and extreme dog breeding

Organised crime is moving into the lucrative market of extreme dog breeding, a BBC investigation has found. Bulldogs, including the new American Bully breed, are being bred with hugely exaggerated characteristics - such as excessive skin folds or large, muscular frames.

The RSPCA warns criminals are breeding and selling these dogs to launder money and make huge sums, often at the expense of animal welfare.

Reporter Sam Poling went undercover to investigate the extreme dog breeding trade.

I’m shocked when my phone pings with a message from the Facebook account of Thomas Rayment - a convicted county lines drug dealer I know to be in prison.

“Hi. Is it a male or female you are wanting. We have some pups available.”

For months, I’d been using a false name, pretending to be bulldog-loving businessman Stefan Delaney, hanging out in Facebook groups dedicated to bulldogs and American bullies.

My goal was to find out who the main players were in the world of extreme dog breeding.

Now it looked like it was beginning to pay off.

Rayment has been in prison since 2021, serving six years for running a prolific county lines drugs gang, supplying heroin and crack cocaine to the north of England.

But could he really be brokering dog deals from behind bars?

Rayment claims to run the UK arm of a big international dog breeding business called Muscletone Bullys UK. He’s frequently tagged in posts by other prominent figures in the American Bully network.

From his Facebook account I’m sent photos of two extreme American bullies - Brandon Blockhead and Kleo - who have just had a litter of puppies.

“This boned-up Gorilla is no joke he’s extreme as they come,” reads the description of Brandon Blockhead on Rayment’s website. He has “one of the best headpieces we have ever seen all on a super short compact frame”.

The tops of his ears have been cut off - an illegal practice in the UK called ear cropping.

The penalty for doing this can be up to five years in prison for causing suffering to an animal. It’s a practice I see time and time again during my months of investigating.

Reporter Sam Poling goes undercover to reveal the increasingly close relationship between organised crime and dog dealing.

In the past three years, more

than 1,000 incidents of illegal ear cropping have been reported to the RSPCA. Some dealers do the cropping themselves, without using anaesthetic on the dogs. Most cases involve American bullies.

This kind of extreme dog breeding is big business. On the Muscletone Bullys UK website, pups are on sale for tens of thousands of pounds.

After some back and forth with Rayment’s account, I finally receive the message to my fake Facebook profile that I’ve been desperately waiting for. My alter ego Stefan Delaney is invited to a meeting in Wigan to discuss a deal.

My plan is to pose as Stefan’s girlfriend and say he’s running late.

I arrive at the address. It’s a dog fertility clinic. A man lets me in and shows me around. He’s called Ryan Howard. He tells me he’s Rayment’s business partner.

I feign confusion about Rayment and that’s when Howard breaks the news.

“Tom’s not here because he’s in jail,” he tells me.

“I don’t tell everybody but you lot know who he is so I’m not going to lie to you. You have been speaking to Tommy.”

Howard tells me he has about 120 dogs in his business but he only looks after 15 of them.

The other dogs are housed through a network of what’s known as “co-owns”.

In a co-own, a dealer gets someone else to house the dog. That person then gets paid a percentage from the sale of any pups.

It means the dealer can have a massive network of dogs which they can continue to profit from without the authorities having any idea how many they have.

In a statement to the BBC, Muscletone Bullys UK said:

“We are well-known for breeding the highest quality extreme American bullies without compromising the dogs’ health or well-being. Thomas Rayment does not communicate with anyone illegally and has others running his socials. We do not condone or take part in illegal ear cropping.”

The statement added that the business has “never co-owned a dog as a deliberate ploy to… escape the scrutiny of the licensing authorities.”

Ian Muttitt, a chief inspector with the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit, says over the past five years organised crime gangs have become increasingly involved in the extreme dog breeding trade.

But what is the appeal of dog dealing to criminals? First, he says, it’s lucrative. Second, it’s useful for money laundering.

“It’s anything where illegal money has been obtained. So drugs, firearms, other organised crime.

“It can then be laundered through the sale of these dogs or vice versa.”

The legal risks are also far less serious. Muttitt explains that dealing drugs, for example, carries much higher penalties than animal cruelty offences.

I logout of Stefan Delaney’s fake Facebook profile one last time. It’s clear the network I’ve uncovered is

Howard tells me he has about 120 dogs in his business but he only looks after 15 of them. The other dogs are housed through a network of what’s known as “co-owns”. In a co-own, a dealer gets someone else to house the dog. That person then gets paid a percentage from the sale of any pups. It means the dealer can have a massive network of dogs which they can continue to profit from without the authorities having any idea how many they have.

not only huge, but sophisticated. That’s going to make cleaning up this trade very difficult for the authorities as profit-driven dealers

continue to put wealth over health at all costs.

Source: BBC

Reporter Sam Poling posed as a bulldog-loving businessman on social media

Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union was the first man into space

Ryan Howard said he has about 120 dogs in his business

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Flamingos To Receive Leadership’s Sportsperson of the Year Award

U-17 AFCON: Nigeria, 11 others to know group foes on tomorrow

By Amaechi Agbo

The draw ceremony for this year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations will hold on Wednesday at the Cercle Nationale d’Armee in Algiers, capital city of Algeria.

Five-time world champions Nigeria is one of the 12 countries whose names will go into the pot for the draw, as all participating teams get to know their group phase opponents for the tournament scheduled for 8th – 30th April in Africa’s largest nation.

All the 12 participating nations are now known: Algeria, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia, South Africa, Cameroon and Congo.

By Amaechi Agbo

World Cup bronze

medallists, Flamingos have been named the Sportsperson of the Year 2022 by Leadership Newspapers Group Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading media companies.

The honour will be bestowed on Nigeria’s U17 girls at the 2022 Leadership Annual Conference and Awards scheduled for the Abuja International Conference Centre on Tuesday, 31st January 2023.

In its notice of the Flamingos’ selection after a diligent process by the Awards’ Nomination and Selection Committee, the newspaper company wrote: “Amid several nominees with excellent credentials, you have been selected for this prestigious award for winning Nigeria’s first-ever medal at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, the second African team to achieve the feat after Ghana in 2012… the selection board found the team most qualified as the LEADERSHIP Sportsperson of

the Year 2022.”

It can be recalled that the Flamingos arrived in India for last year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup having chalked up 15 goals in six African qualification matches, and having played in all previous editions of the tournament bar the 2018 finals in Uruguay.

In India, the Flamingos lost narrowly 1-2 to Germany in their opening match, before hammering New Zealand 4-0 and edging Chile 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals. In the quarter-

finals, they defeated USA 4-3 on penalties after both teams ended regulation and extra time 1-1.

In the semi finals, Colombia proved too tough on penalties after a 0-0 draw following regulation and extra time, and in the thirdplace match, the Nigerian girls outclassed Germany 3-2 on penalties following a 3-3 draw. Incidentally, Germany were Ghana’s victims when Nigeria’s fierce West African rivals won Africa’s first medal (bronze) in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan in 2012.

The 12 teams will be drawn into three groups of four teams each, with the four top-placed teams qualifying to represent Africa at this year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals taking place in Peru later this year.

Flying Eagles, Young Chipolopolo now to play on Saturday

The international friendly match between Nigeria and Zambia at the U20 boys’ level will now hold at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Saturday, 4th February.

Initially, both countries’ football-governing bodies had agreed on a two-match tour for 27th and 30th January

respectively. However, issues of logistics and the compunction on the Young Chipolopolo to process their entry visas into Egypt for the forthcoming Africa U20 Cup of Nations before leaving Zambia forced a postponement.

Zambia’s U20 delegation is still in Lusaka and will now

only be able to play one match against the Flying Eagles, before proceeding to Dakar for a game against Senegal on Tuesday next week.

Both Nigeria and Zambia will face a country from the other’s region in Egypt, with Nigeria drawn against Mozambique (alongside host nation Egypt and Senegal)

in Group A, while Zambia will face Benin Republic (alongside Tunisia and The Gambia) in Group C. Uganda, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Congo make up Group B.

Seven-time African champions Nigeria will fly to Morocco on Wednesday next week for their final round

of preparations. Coach Isah Ladan Bosso’s wards have been in flaming form in recent weeks, lashing a slew of teams in friendly games.

Bosso’s wards were worthy champions of the WAFU B U20 Championship in Niamey, Niger Republic in May 2022, winning all their five matches in the competition.

Nigeria U-17 girls celebrating their World Cup bronze victory in October

S P R T

Nigeria athlete caught in doping scandal cries for help

Before he travelled to America on scholarship a few years ago, high jumper, David Aya, promised his auntie, who, despite her health challenges, was able to raise some money for the junior athlete to travel, that he would do ‘small jobs’ in America to raise money to support her.

Rather than keeping to his promise of studying and doing ‘some small jobs,’ Aya allegedly started doping and was caught .

“I am so concerned about my auntie, who gave me money to travel,” Aya said, while narrating his ordeal.

The world seems to have crashed on him after he tested positive to banned substances. He has been slapped with a four-year career ban, the scholarship he won to study in an American university has equally been suspended, and now, he is pleading with Nigerians to come to his aid to pay for legal services to reduce or quash the ban and resume his career and studies.

Aya was handed a four-year ban, a long time for a high jumper to be out of action. Being out of action for that long could lead to weight gain, which could make it difficult for him to return to fitness after serving his term.

“As a first offender and a junior athlete, I believe that four years is long,” Aya said. “I am not yet an elite athlete, I have not been to the Olympics yet. It is harsh and I want Nigerians to help so that I can pay for legal counsel.”

Aya revealed that he volunteered to do the dope test on his own, because when the Nigerian junior team was going to the World Athletics Junior

Championships in Colombia, they were ordered to undergo dope tests before they could be part of the team.

“I did three dope tests and it was the middle one that gave me this problem. Before we went to Colombia, nobody told me I had issues with my test. I did not know anything. It was when I got to America that they sent me a letter that I had failed a test and my world came crashing.”

The high jumper said: “I was like banging my head on the wall trying to know exactly where things had gone wrong, because I know very well the implications of using drug enhancing performance.

“It was then a doctor asked me if I had eaten pork. I told him yes. He said to me that pork meat can cause a spark of steroids in the system if it is mixed with some other healthy supplement I might be taking.

“A nutritionist friend of mine also asked me the same thing. All the vitamins I have been taking are not on the WADA list, and so, it was a rude shock to me. I didn’t have all this information.

“They say ignorance is no excuse in law. I just hope that I can get a good lawyer that can help get me out of this mess,” he said.

Speaking on Aya’s case, Athletics Federation of Nigeria Medical and Doping Director, Prof. Ken Anugweje, described what happened to Aya as regrettable.

“But rules are rules made by the World Athletics and these rules are adapted from WADA.

UNILAG retains Peter Aluma Memorial Intercollegiate Basketball Championship crown

“It is based on the substance found in the system more than any other consideration. Some substances warrant only public warnings, but what was found in Aya’s body warranted the lengthy ban. These are prescribed sanctions by the athletics body. “The claim that he ate pork is a long story because it is no longer valid. It is a claim that has been made before by athletes who tried to hold on to something that

UNILAG basketball team has retained the Peter Aluma Memorial Intercollegiate Basketball Championship.

The students from Akoka in Lagos, Nigeria retain the 2nd edition of the championship which ended over the weekend at the Warriors Basketball court in Ilupeju, Lagos.

Four tertiary institutions including - University of Lagos, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State University and Lagos State University of Science &

has to do with clenbuterol.

“In the past, some countries used steroids to fatten their cows and pigs. Those are no longer an excuse. Where did he eat the pork and who sold the pork to him?

“We know Aya very well. He used to come to the High Performance Centre in Port Harcourt to train. It is very unfortunate what happened to him,” Anugweje stated.

Technology

(formerly Laspotech)

- participated in the competition

In the qualifying games for the finals, Unilag defeated Lasu 42-36, while in the other game Yabatech grinded out a win over Laspotech 25-24.

During the final game, which pitched two silver medalist NUGA vs NIPOGA against themselves, The Unilag team defeated the Yabatech team 28-23 to retain her title and also confirm her superiority as the elite collegiate team

David Aya

UNILAG students who who the basketball championship in Lagos

Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi joins Olympique Marseille

Novak Djokovic defeats Minaur to reach Australia Open quarter-final N

ovak Djokovic made light work of home hope Alex de Minaur as he continued his pursuit of a record-extending 10th men’s title at the Australian Open.

Serbia’s Djokovic, 35, still had his left thigh strapped but he looked in no trouble as he won 6-2 6-1 6-2.

The fourth seed will play Russian Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.

Rublev, seeded fifth, saved two match points - and fought back from 5-0 down in a final-set tiebreak - to beat Danish teenager Holger Rune.

Later on Monday, the 25-yearold discovered he would face Djokovic after the former world number one had too much quality for 22nd seed De Minaur.

On the prospect of facing Djokovic, Rublev joked: “No-one wants to face Novak, I want to be in the other half of the draw.”

Djokovic has been wearing strapping all tournament to protect a hamstring injury and asked for treatment in a medical timeout during his third-round win over Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov.

But, despite the concerns of his fans, he moved freely in a confident win against De Minaur, which took two hours and six minutes.

“I kept my focus all the way through to play my best match of this year so far,” Djokovic.told BBC Sports

French club Olympique de Marseille have signed Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi from angers

According to media reports last week, the deal is valued at $10 million.

The Moroccan player became one of the most sought-after footballers in the European market following his stellar performance

in the Qatar World Cup, where he helped his team become the first Africa to reach the semi-finals.

Observers reported that the midfielder’s impressive performances at the Qatar World Cup have placed him on the shopping list of a number of elite European clubs.

Ounahi’s market value had markedly increased following

his World Cup performances, going from €3.5 million in early November to €15 million at the end of the World Cup, according to Transfermarkt.

President of Ounahi’s former club, Said Chabane, stated in December that the midfielder was likely to leave Angers during the winter transfer window.

“We have offers from

everywhere: Italy, Spain, England, France. Our wish is to find an agreement in January,” Chabane said.

The Angers president went as far as to admit that while they would’ve loved to keep the Moroccan playmaker, the club is “ready for everything” as they predicted it will become much harder to retain the widely acclaimed midfielder.

Zambia, Morocco FAs extend technical pact

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) and the Morocco Football Federation have extended their football development agreement for another two years.

The two associations have had a technical agreement for the last seven years that has seen both Zambia men’s and women’s

teams hold training camps in the North African nation.

FAZ President Andrew Kamanga and his Moroccan counterpart Fouzi Lekjaa renewed the memorandum of understanding in Rabat.

“It is yet another milestone in our football development agenda with the MoU offering

opportunities for knowledge transfer and support to grow youth and women football as well as technical support,” Kamanga said.

“In March, we are sending three coaches for the CAF Pro License course. Additionally, Morocco has a huge pool of qualified coaches who are

available to support some of our Super League teams who may seek technical assistance.

“Under this agreement, Zambia and Morocco will organize international friendly matches for senior men and women’s teams as part of preparing for international engagements.”

“Tonight it wasn’t obvious I was dealing with an injury. I didn’t feel anything today, today was great.”

De Minaur, who became the final Australian player to fall in the singles, was unable to cope with Djokovic’s quality and precision from the baseline.

Rublev should provide a sterner examination - of Djokovic’s fitness and his incredible record at Melbourne Park - when the pair meet on Wednesday.

Djokovic infamously did not play last year after a row about his vaccination status which led to court hearings and his eventual deportation.

On his return, he has continued from where he left off at what he calls his “second home”, extending his winning streak there to 25 matches.

As well as a 10th Australian Open, Djokovic is going for a record-equalling 22nd men’s Grand Slam title.

Everton name Sean Dyche as new manager

Tinubu and the blueprint for the North

Outspoken northern politician and a former Presidential Campaign Council Director for the Civil Society Organization of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Naja’atu Bala Muhammad has said that the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not have a blueprint for the North’s development.

Naja’atu was quoted to have said “I met with Tinubu in London and he told me he doesn’t have a blueprint for the North”. In short, Naja’atu implied Tinubu doesn’t know what to offer to the north.

Zayyad I. Muhammad

in the north and assist them directly in their area of competence or choice. Imagine the impact new billionaires would have in the business sector like new industries in the manufacturing and agricultural value chain, ICT, media, trading, etc.

English Premier League side, Everton have named Sean Dyche as their new manager on a twoand-a-half-year contract until June 2025.

The Toffees sacked Frank Lampard last week with the club 19th in the Premier League and two points from safety.

Dyche, 51, had been out of work since he was dismissed by Burnley last April after almost 10 years at the Clarets.

He is Everton majority owner Farhad Moshiri’s seventh managerial appointment since buying into the club in February 2016.

Dyche guided Burnley to two promotions from the Championship and two tophalf Premier League finishes, including a first European qualification in 51 years, after they finished seventh in 201718.

His immediate task will be to guide Everton out of the relegation zone and to safety with 18 games remaining.

Everton are next in action on 4 February, when they host Premier League leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park, with a game against Merseyside rivals Liverpool on 13 February.

Former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa was also a contender for the job and held talks with Everton’s hierarchy.

In its response to Naja’atu, APC Presidential Campaign Council, through a statement by Mahmud Jega, its adviser on Public Affairs said- Naja’atu, was sacked for incompetence, quarrelsomeness, and after being uncovered to be a mole planted in APC’s winning campaign.

To many people in the north, Naja’atu’s accusations were ‘heavy’ -‘Tinubu does not have any agenda for North’s progress’. However, Naja’atu’s accusation became ‘weightless, because, less than 48hrs after, she resigned from the APC and quit partisan politics, and accused Tinubu of having no blueprint for the north, she was seen at Atiku Abubakar’s residence and joined the Atiku’s campaign train.

Political pundits are of the view that no serious presidential candidate, whose candidature was by 75% made possible by the Northern APC Governors Forum, will carelessly open his mouth and say he doesn’t have a blueprint for a particular region especially the north with its massive attractive votes.

Naja’atu Mohammed was just playing politics. Nevertheless. Let’s ‘keep’ Naja’atu aside, the big questions are: does Tinubu actually have any blueprint for the north? If yes, is it what the north needs after 8 years of being in power at the center.

The basic issue facing the north is insecurity- banditry, farmers-herders conflict, and poverty. To be fair to President Buhari and the APC, they did some well-done jobs in the agricultural sector, restoration of security in communities

in the northeast, provision of new infrastructure, and the rehabilitation of the old ones, including the successes in the social intervention programs; especially petty cash distribution to the masses.

On October 17, 2022, Tinubu at Arewa House, told the north, his blueprint for the region. He said he will fight bandits and terrorists with technology which Buhari just started in 2022. Tinubu said, he will turn the North’s fertile land into grain fields- the North will become the hub of agriculture. The dairy economy and agro-allied industries will be promoted.

He said he will accelerate the Mambila Project and rejuvenate the existing power Stations. He assured to exploit of the gold in Zamfara, and iron ore in Kogi State. Tinubu also promised to bring back to school the millions of North’s out-of-school children through incentives. He further promised to create a special commission for Almajiri education including employing Almajiri’s teachers.

Are Tinubu’s promises to the north enough and in line with the region’s needs and wants? Some political pundits believe that the promises are good, but development experts say the north needs more and

a new approach, thoughts that resonate with this writer. Apart from these promises, the north extremely needs some strongwilled approach to the current monster of banditry in the northwest – a calculated crime that is as complex as Nigeria. A deployment of massive force and technology against the bandits in the villages where they operate is compulsory.

The North also needs a special economic recovery program in the area of youth empowerment, poverty reduction, and the uplift of business people.

President Buhari, in his own intuition, tried to tackle these issues by appointing many seasoned northerners into various positions of authority. But this has not worked. in fact, this political patronage strategy has failed. Most of the president’s appointees from the north have not served as a link between the president and his support base nor effectively reach the poor, who formed Buhari’s 12 million supporters, which APC is still banking-on.

As part of the agenda for the North, Tinubu in his campaign promises for the region should also promise the north that- he will identify 50-100 business people and business enthusiasts

Tinubu’s promise to North’s youth is still hazy. Since the North’s young people have lost in their quest to clinch the APC Vice Presidential candidate ticket, though, few young people have benefited from the APC Youth Wing appointments, but most of the positions were not influential and direct, like the appointment of Abdulrasheed Bawa as EFCC Chairman, which got massive commendation throughout the country, with young northerners feeling wellrecognized. Tinubu should directly ‘talk’ to the North’s youth via important and strategic appointments in his campaign council; bringing on more youngsters from the north would be a joker card in the north.

Most people support Tinubu in the north on the belief that he is a ‘builder’ of people. So the north expects from Tinubu, three more things on his blueprint for the north,- a promise to ‘build’ some people who can as well build thousands of others and new businesses, to have direct contact with the youth – meaning using his today for their tomorrow; lastly, to confront head-on the senseless insecurity in the northwest, which is not just mere banditry.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, 08036070980, zaymohd@ yahoo.com

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu