The President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Festus Osifo has explained the reasons behind the recent fuel scarcity experienced across Nigeria.

Osifo, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, identified the issue of ‘bridging funds’ between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and truck drivers who deliver the Premium Motor Spirits (PMS) as central to the problem.

He said: “The NMDPRA are the ones administering a bridging fund. At a particular time, they agreed with truck drivers that the bridging fund is going to be about N10 per litre depending on the destination you’re going to all over the country.

“As at when they agreed, the cost of diesel was about N250 so it was fashionable and the N10 was a bit okay but today, the cost of diesel is over N700. It has tripled. So, the expectation from the tanker drivers is that since the cost has gone up, instead of paying me N10.40 as the case may be, you have to multiply it by three.

“At the end of the day, that is the first problem.”

According to Osifo, there are at least two billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, available contrary to the belief that the product is scarce.

“As at today, we have close to 2 billion litres of PMS, so the problem is not the stock,” he said.

He explained that while the stock is available, most of the truck drivers are not willing to move these products “because of the previous problem I just enumerated”.

“One of the issues again is that today, NNPC is the sole importer of PMS, so they import PMS into the country, and this PMS is brought to the high sea. So they rent some smaller vessels to bunker the PMS and take it to the various tank farms or depots.

“So, if it’s the NNPC depots and you are loading from the NNPC depots, you are going to pay about N148 as the ex-depot price. But some of the PMS are also stored in private depots and those private depots don’t sell to the retailers for N148; they add some premium to it. At the end of the day, they sell between N152, N155, N160 and N162.

“So, if they sell at that amount, it will now be difficult for the retailer to go and sell at the same amount.”

For over one month, between February and March 2022, Nigerians experienced fuel scarcity as a result of the importation of contaminated fuel which was later taken off the market.

So, the current fuel scarcity is the second time Nigerians would experience it this year. 

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Sesugh Akume

A Nigerian human rights activist, Sesugh Akume has accused Justice Augustine Ityonyiman of Makurdi High Court in Benue of being biased in his treatment of a suit filed against him by the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom.

Ortom had instituted a N150million libel suit (MHC/284/2021) against Akume and the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.

Sesugh Akume

The activist in a letter dated March 18 had asked the Chief Judge of Benue, Justice Aondover Kaka’an to reassign the case to a neutral judge.

He accused Justice Ityonyiman of impunity, bias and violation of the code of conduct.

However, three months after, the judge refused to recuse himself from the case and it was not reassigned, Akume said in a statement released on Wednesday.

He said, “The Chief Judge of Benue, the Honourable Mr Justice Aondover Kaka’an, has given the Honourable Mr Justice A. I. Ityonyiman, the bias judge, the authority to continue in the libel suit instituted against me by Benue governor, Samuel Ortom.

“In a letter dated and delivered on 18 March 2022, I applied to the honourable chief judge to kindly reassign the matter (with suit number MHC/284/2021) to a neutral judge.

“My reason was due to a rather unsavory experience with this judge in another case and the outcome, I not only took it up to the appellate court but referred the judicial bias I suffered and other misconduct of the judge in the case to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for interrogation and disciplinary measures on the judge, in a petition dated and submitted on 22 October 2021, a petition still pending before the NJC. A copy of the petition to the NJC was attached.

“In the light of the above circumstances, it was expected that the trial judge, would going by standard practice, quietly recuse himself from this matter involving me.

“I referred his lordship to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rule 12(1)(a) which states: 12.1 A Judicial Officer should disqualify himself in a proceeding in which his impartiality may genuinely and reasonably be questioned, …where: (a) he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party.

“I further called his lordship’s attention/memory to the matter of Sesugh Akume v Government of Benue State and 4 Others (MHC/294/2020) dated and filed on 27 August 2020, which being first assigned to the Honourable Justice J. M. Ijohor, and going by Rule and normal convention, recused herself and returned the case file to the chief judge for reassignment.

“I informed him that the judge, in this case, having not done that which ought to have been done, an application was brought before him for recusal, but was vehemently denied and dismissed.

“I respectfully called the honourable Chief Judge’s attention in this letter to the impression created in the mind of the reasonable person of a judge insisting on himself hearing a case where there is a clear conflict of interests; the negative impression it creates of a teleguided judiciary, of a judicial officer taking partial decisions to please certain quarters and/or descending into the seeking to exact personal vendetta; all having the negative potential of bringing the judiciary to disrepute.

“I, therefore, appealed to the honourable Chief Judge, in the interests of justice, to use his good offices to avoid these and reassign this matter to a neutral judge. I assured him that assigning this matter to a neutral and disinterested judge will in no way be prejudicial to the plaintiff nor imperil his case.

“I have received no response from the Chambers of the Chief Judge of Benue. The Honourable Mr Justice Augustine Ityonyiman continues to sit on the case whose next adjourned date is 28 June for the continuation of hearing.”

Legal News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Educational Institutions (NASU) have extended their ongoing strike by another two months.

The Joint Action Committee of the two unions, in a statement dated April 21st, 2022, by the National President, SSANU, Comrade Mohammed H. Ibrahim and General Secretary, NASU, Prince Peter A. Adeyemi respectively, informed members that the strike has been extended by one month.

The statement said it was unfortunate that the government had remained indifferent to the demands of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU.

SSANU and NASU started their agitation with a 14-day warning strike in Nigerian universities on Sunday, March 27, 2022, but that was later extended.

For instance, it was extended by one month in April.

“Deriving from the feedback received from our branches in respect of the resolutions conducted which supported fully the ongoing strike and other actions taken by the leadership of JAC, this is to inform members that the strike has been extended by one month to commence on midnight of Sunday, 24th April 2022, pending when the Federal government would have change of heart and be favourably disposed to our demands as highlighted in our letters dated March 1st, 2022, to the representative of the government, the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment,” a statement had read.

However, in a statement signed by the National President, SSANU, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, and General Secretary, Mr. Peter Adeyemi on Wednesday, the unions informed their members that the strike has been again extended by two months.

The statement partly read, “In view of the fact that government is still a long way from effectively resolving the issues in contention, it is only expedient that we allow the process to be fully concluded before directing the end of the strike. Consequently, you are hereby informed that the strike has been extended by two months, within which we are hoping that all the contentious issues would have been effectively laid to rest. The two-month extension is with effect from Friday, June 24, 2022.’’

ACTIVISM Education LABOR/WORKERS' RIGHTS News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does not hope to secure the votes of Nigerians but to hack the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2023 general elections.

According to him, PDP will not be a stumbling block to the APC in 2023.

“PDP is nothing to talk about as far as the 2023 general election is concerned, although we are watching them keenly based on their past records because we already know their plans and what they are banking on are their Dubai connections and Hushpuppy strategies,” he said.

Nabena called on the INEC to protect its server as “The only hope for the PDP is to hack the INEC server, not the votes of Nigerians to win the election”.

“You can see practically that even in the recent governorship election in Ekiti State, PDP lost its usual second place and I doubt if it can regain that second position anymore in the coming 2023 general elections,” Nabena said.

Nabena also mocked supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, saying that the “so-called Obedient movement” only exists on social media.

The APC former Deputy National Publicity Secretary who spoke with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the Obedient Movement would cease to exist when Obi loses in the 2023 presidential election.

“I can tell you that the so-called ‘Obidient movement’ only exists on social media and after the coming elections, they will naturally turn to ‘disobidient movement’, and later obituary because the movement will naturally vamoose,” he said.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The presidential candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, have been described as unfit to end corruption in the country.

According to a Bloomberg report, the duo's past records show that neither of them is free of corruption allegations, adding that seven years after President Muhammadu Buhari promised to swiftly defeat corruption, corruption in Nigeria has become worse than it was in 2015. 

According to the report, the history of graft allegations surrounding the two candidates means neither is likely to curb corruption in the run-up to February’s vote.

"Front-runner Bola Tinubu, who secured the ruling party’s nomination earlier this month, was being investigated by the country’s anti-corruption agency as recently as last June. Three decades ago he fought a lawsuit in which the US government accused him of laundering the proceeds of heroin trafficking and eventually reached a settlement.

"Atiku Abubakar, his chief rival, brought tens of millions of dollars of ‘suspect funds’ into the US when he was Nigeria’s vice president in the 2000s, according to a US Senate report, and was implicated in a bribery case that resulted in the imprisonment of an American congressman. Neither episode resulted in charges against Abubakar.

The Spokesmen for Tinubu and Abubakar didn’t respond to requests made by Bloomberg for comments.

The report noted that Nigeria’s next president will face a daunting challenge to turn around Africa’s largest economy. 

It further noted that falling oil production threatens Nigeria’s place as the continent’s biggest crude producer.

It lamented how inflation is soaring in the country with more than half of the working-age population either unemployed or underemployed. 

"The local currency has depreciated steeply under outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, falling from around N220 to the US dollar on the widely-used parallel market when he was first elected in early 2015 to about N600 this week.

"Nigeria vies with India as the country with the highest number of people living in extreme poverty despite having a seventh of the population. Meanwhile, secessionists, Islamist militants and armed criminal gangs terrorize large swathes of territory.

Efforts to restore security and fix the economy alone will likely fall short because there’s an unavoidable connection between financial graft and government dysfunction in Nigeria, said Leena Koni Hoffmann, an associate fellow at Chatham House in London. 

Corruption “hollows systems out and cripples them from the inside,” she said.

"The race will see the two wealthy septuagenarians mobilize impressive political machines built over more than 30 years pursuing power in Africa’s most-populous country. Voters in Nigeria are often offered cash, food or clothing to persuade them to cast their ballots for particular candidates.

The report recalled how on the eve of the last election in 2019, two armoured bank vans were photographed driving into Tinubu’s home. 

“If I have money to spend, if I like, I give it to the people for free of charge as long as it’s not to buy votes,” Tinubu told reporters when asked what the vehicles were transporting.

"Tinubu and Abubakar have cultivated deep systems of political patronage, according to Hoffmann. Both men excel at “engineering and expanding political networks through co-optation, through channeling and redistributing money and positions and favors,” she said.

"Tinubu, 70, who lives in Lagos’s wealthiest neighborhood, says he made his fortune before going into politics by investing well and working as an accountant for companies including Deloitte LLP. 

“Abubakar, 75, who splits his time between Nigeria and Dubai, spent two decades working for the government’s customs department and co-founded a large logistics and oil services firm that has operated concessions at Nigerian ports,” the report added. 

It recalled a report published in 2010 by the US Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which said one of Abubakar’s wives helped her husband bring more than $40 million in “suspect funds” into the US while he was Nigeria’s vice president.

This included at least $1.7 million in bribes paid by Siemens AG. Abubakar and his then-spouse previously have denied any wrongdoing.

Former US Representative William Jefferson was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2009 for taking bribes from American companies interested in doing business in Nigeria and Ghana. 

In July 2005, Jefferson told a cooperating witness that Atiku Abubakar had also agreed to accept a bribe in exchange for his assistance, according to the Louisiana congressman’s indictment. 

Atiku, however, denied the allegations, saying he had no personal or business relationship with Jefferson.  

Abubakar’s hopes of succeeding President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 were torpedoed when the EFCC declared him unfit to hold public office and a Nigerian Senate panel recommended his prosecution for allegedly diverting government funds. 

But Atiku has described it as political persecution.

Both Tinubu and Atiku will focus on issues other than corruption while campaigning, said Hoffmann. “They know it’s not part of their political image,” she said.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has stressed the need for members of the church to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) before the deadline.

The church has also approved that some of its buildings can be used for registration in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC had given June 30, 2022, as the deadline for voter registration across the country but a Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the electoral body from ending voter registration on the said date.

Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, on Monday, granted an order of interim injunction following a suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and ‘185 concerned Nigerians’.

However, a letter dated June 17, 2022, from the Intercontinental Youth Pastor/PICR, Belemina Obunge, and addressed to pastors in charge of provinces, read, “We refer to the above and wish to kindly inform you that we have received a directive from the Mission Authority to ensure a high level of sensitization in all our parishes on the need for all our members to get their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

“Based on the above, Provincial Hqtrs and Mega Parishes are encouraged to use their parish as a centre for one or two days to facilitate their members’ & interested neighbours’ registration considering the closeness of the deadline (June 30th, 2022) of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise. 

“Provinces will be required to send a summarized report of parishes’ compliance with the above directive to the office of the undersigned, stating the number of adult members versus the number of PVCs counted.

"The report is expected on or before Tuesday 27th, June 2022 for onward compilation to the Mission Authority.”

RCCG is a Pentecostal megachurch and denomination founded in Lagos, Nigeria. Its General Overseer is Pastor Enoch Adeboye and the church in Lagos has an average church attendance of 100,000, with millions of members nationwide.

The church recently generated controversy when it created the Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance to engage members willing to be involved in politics.

In a memo addressed to all regions, provinces, zones and other levels of the church, the mission said the directorate would educate members about politics.

Christianity Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Haruna Ibn-Sina, commandant, Kano State Hisbah Board, has been accused of diverting some of the state government-sponsored slots allocated to officials of the commission to his household.
 
Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Hisbah Affairs, Mujittaba Rabiu Baban Usman told Sahelian Times, that Ibn-Sina replaced the names of top government officials with his wife and brother on the hajj slots.

Usman was quoted as saying, “I am one of the seven people who first submitted their passports for the Hajj visa. However, during a meeting on Monday, when a list of officials who will be embarking on the holy trip was called, my name was suspiciously missing.
 
“When I enquired about his, I was told by a director that the Commander forwarded the names of his wife, brother and SSA to be included, and when he was told that he had to exclude one person from among the three he presented, he chose to include his wife and his other (sic) on the trip.”
 
The official added that when he confronted the Commander on his exclusion, he assured him that he would seek an allocation increase from the state governor and he would be included.
 
“I further gathered that when he (Ibn Sina) was presented with the choice of picking between the SSA and his brother, he opined that it wasn’t his obligation to take the SSA on the trip, and went ahead to take his brother.”
 
Meanwhile, the Hisbah commander denied the allegation, saying that the replacement was from the pilgrims’ board.
 
Also commenting, the chairman of the commission’s Board of Directors, Sheikh Shehi Shehi has promised to launch an investigation to unravel the circumstances leading to the alleged replacement without due process.
 
The allegation comes amid claims by the Hisbah board that it upholds moral standards according to the dictates of Islam. Hisbah has continued its push for the Islamic agenda in the North.
 
The group is notorious for destroying truckloads of alcoholic drinks.
 
The agency, established to enforce Sharia law in some states in the region, recently placed a ban on the use of mannequins.
 
It also banned stylish haircuts, sagging of trousers and playing of music at social events by disk jockeys.

Islam News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Nigerian Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the upper chamber would screen the seven ministerial nominees whose names had been submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.
 
President Buhari after the resignation of some of his former ministers to pursue their political careers, forwarded seven names to the upper legislative chamber.

The ministerial nominees, if successful, will take up the vacant positions.

At the close of the plenary on Wednesday, Lawan disclosed the date for the screening of the nominees.

“The ministerial nominees will be screened on Wednesday, next week,” he said.
 
President Buhari, in a letter dated June 15, 2022, requested the Senate to confirm the nomination of seven ministerial nominees.
 
He said the confirmation request was made in accordance with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
 
The nominees for confirmation are Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh – Abia State; Umana Okon Umana – Akwa Ibom State; Ekumankama Joseph Nkama- Ebonyi State; Goodluck Nanah Opiah – Imo State; Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub – Kano State; Ademola Adewole Adegoroye – Ondo State; and Odum Udi – Rivers State.

The nominees will be screened individually by the upper chamber during the plenary on Wednesday.
 

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

A Special Offences Court, Ikeja in Lagos has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of embattled socialite, Ismaila Mustapha, aka Mompha on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
 
Ismaila Mustapha is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 8 counts bordering on alleged conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of over N6 billion, along with his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited.

Mompha was arrested on January 10, 2022, by EFCC, arraigned and granted bail.
 
He was then taken into custody by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for being on the EFCC watchlist.
 
He is alleged to have used his companies to receive illicit funds on behalf of internet fraudsters, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo boys’ from across the world in return for commission/percentage.
 
However, the defendant has failed to appear in court on two scheduled dates for his trial.
 
At the last adjourned date, the defendant’s matter could not proceed due to his absence.
 
At the resumed proceedings on Wednesday, Justice Mojisola Dada stood down the matter for a while in expectation of the defendant’s arrival, yet he failed to appear in court again.
 
The EFCC lead counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo asked the court for further stand down, but the request was turned down by the judge, who subsequently asked, ‘Where is the defendant?’
 
Addressing the court, Oyedepo told the court that he was shocked by the development.
 
At that point, Justice Dada, said, “The excuse that was given that he tested positive for COVID-19 was found to be false.”
 
The prosecution counsel, Oyedepo thereafter, urged the judge to issue a warrant of arrest to ensure the defendant is produced in court.

Subsequently, Justice Dada revoked the defendant’s bail and ordered his arrest.

She adjourned further proceeding till June 30, 2022.
 

Legal News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Executive Council of the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to Lagos State Government over the non-payment of the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions bursary.
The students’ union threatened to shut down Lagos State should the government fail to release the money before the expiration of the ultimatum.

This was stated in a statement jointly signed by the union’s national president, Shasanya Akinola and its Public Relations Officer, Hassan Abdulsalam, which was made available to SaharaReporters.
The statement reads: "Solidarity greetings to all students of Lagos, the national leadership of the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) appreciates all members for their trust and belief in the administration so far.
"No doubt Mr. Governor has been making sure that the welfare of students is his priority, we appreciate him for approving over a 200 million naira for the bursary and scholarship payments.
"However, it is a pity that the money has not been disbursed to the students and beneficiaries of the money after months of publishing the approval.
"As a union, we have been in constant engagement with necessary bodies that are responsible for the disbursement but no positive action despite various assurances.
"It is important to note that what's worth doing, is worth doing well. The delay of the Lagos State Scholarship Board (LSSB) activity is not tantamount to denial, the delay came into place to address the iniquities, and unhealthy coordination at the Board.
"We are only left with the last C of Aluta which is Confrontation after exhausting the first two Cs of Aluta (Consultation and Consolidation), the option is by hitting the streets of Lagos with thousands of students’ rights proponents if the government does not meet up with our demand in the next 15 days.
"We hereby issue 15 days ultimatum to the Lagos State government to disburse the approved money for the Bursary and Scholarship.
"Bursary and Scholarship is our birthright and is one of the ways the indigenous students should be supported to have a smooth academic journey.
"Most of our members depend on the funds to support their education and no positive response after waiting for months.
"The Lagos State Scholarship Board (LSSB) since February has been taking applications for Bursaries and Scholarships in which the scholarship examination was scheduled for February 5th. Unknowingly, the Board postponed the scholarship exam indefinitely and stopped the process.
"Upon communicating to the Scholarship Board, it was made known that the Executive Secretary heading the Board has been deployed to another agency.
"The NULASS national leadership has been reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the Lagos State Government led by His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to respect the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the state and also continued solidarity with the people of Lagos in his aspirations for improved and sustainable democratic governance.
"We are resolute about our demand and hereby call the attention of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to look into our demand before the next 15 days or face the masses turning out of over nine million (9,000,000) Lagos State students in the next 15 days.”
 

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

A report by SBM Intelligence has noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s delay in setting up his cabinet when he assumed office in 2015 crippled Nigeria’s economic potential.

The report titled 'Nigeria's history of inflation: a history of the destruction of value', released in June 2022 highlighted historical antecedents of major economic incidents in the country.

The research organisation asserted that the two different recessions experienced by Nigeria under Buhari's government could be related to the late appointment of his ministers.
 
In 2015, it took Buhari 166 days to appoint ministers after he took over from the former President, Goodluck Jonathan. 
 
The report reads in part: "Mr Buhari returned to power on the back of a high amount of hope and goodwill. However, a delay in constituting the cabinet saw uncertainty creep into the economy.

“Two recessions in quick succession hampered economic growth. In response, the Buhari government has expanded government borrowing to the pre-debt forgiveness levels, ignoring the important safeguards put in place by the Obasanjo government in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“As of 2021, debt servicing consumed more than 90% of federal government revenues. In addition, policies such as the border closure of 2019, high import tariffs and restricting foreign exchange for key import items have seen supply stifled while demand continues to increase.

"A third issue is the retention of the petrol subsidy which is now ten times what it was annually compared to when Mr Buhari took over. Finally, the exchange rate regime has seen the Central Bank desperately trying to control the exchange rate officially including using a desperate measure like the Open Market Operation (OMO), while only succeeding at fostering a parallel market where the dollar has traded at a rate between a 30% and 70% difference at different times in the last seven years.
 
"All of these have ensured that inflation remains firmly in the double-digit realm under the Buhari administration, while purchasing power has more than halved, wiping out large sections of the middle class. These policies have also seen to it that most of the institutional safeguards put in place after the return to democracy to foster responsible fiscal and monetary policy as well as put inflation in check have been disregarded and rendered redundant. In addition, there have been no new institutional frameworks or improvements to the existing ones under the Buhari administration.”

SBM Intelligence is an Africa-focused geopolitical research and strategic communications consulting firm focused on addressing the critical need for political, social, economic and market data, and big data analytics.
 

Economy Politics News Reports AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday said that it intercepted a Toyota Camry car laden with assorted explosives and ammunition in Cross River State.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, who disclosed this in statement, said its troops of 13 Brigade under the command of 82 Division intercepted the car which was en route Utanga village towards Obudu Mountains in the state.

Nwachukwu, who did not disclose whether the driver of the vehicle was arrested or killed, said the incident happened on Tuesday.

According to him the troops attempted to stop the vehicle at their checkpoint but the driver evaded the checking and zoomed off. They however, on reasonable suspicion opened fire on the tyres of the vehicle and demobilised it.

The statement partly read, "Troops of 13 Brigade operating under command of 82 Division, Nigerian Army on Tuesday 21 June 2022, intercepted a Toyota Camry car with registration number JAL 492 AA, laden with assorted ammunition while en route Utanga village towards Obudu Mountains in Cross River State.

"Troops deployed at Forward Operating Base Amana attempted to stop the vehicle at their checkpoint but the driver evaded the checking and zoomed off. The driver’s recalcitrance compelled the troops to open fire on the tyres of the vehicle, thereby immobilising it.

"A thorough search conducted on the vehicle revealed it was conveying 72 Improvised Explosive Device chargers, 121 Dynamite Liquid, 200 rounds of 7.62 mm (NATO) and 82 rounds of 7.62 mm (Special) ammunition. Other items recovered in the intercepted vehicle are military uniforms and kits.

"Members of the public are please urged to continue to support our troops with credible information that will lead to stemming the tide of insecurity across the country."

Insecurity Military News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has slammed President Muhammad Buhari for calling on Western countries to designate the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.

SaharaReporters had on Tuesday reported that President Buhari in an interview with Bloomberg urged “the international allies to take additional step to proscribe the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) – as a terrorist organisation."

Ohanaeze Ndigbo

It had also been reported that Buhari “pleaded with Nigeria’s international partners, especially the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK) to block the group from the international financial network."

But Ohanaeze in statement issued on Wednesday, signed by its Spokesman, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said that IPOB was a product of injustice, which Buhari's government actions and inactions fuelled.

Ohanaeze in the statement titled: "IPOB Is A Product Of Injustice", said "It is most expedient to enlighten the general public that what IPOB is asking for is the parting words of a Nigerian Titan: the Maitama Sule imperatives to President Buhari when he led the Northern Leaders Forum to congratulate him shortly after his victory in the 2015 general election."

It reminded the President that Sule had while congratulating him, admonished that “justice is key to good governance,” and that he should “extend justice to all and sundry, irrespective of religion or tribe."

"Sule reminded Mr. President that an infidel with good conscience and equity can govern successfully, far better than a believer devoid of sense of justice. Sule added that the solution to Nigerian problems can never be achieved by force, nor by fear, nor by power but by equity and justice to all.

"The prophetic Sule urged him to do justice to all parts of the country because according to him, peace and stability are a product of justice and equity. He added that in the absence of justice and equity, there can never be peace and development. Sule among others stated that in absence of development, there will be mass unemployment, poverty and that the idle men are the devil’s workshop.”

Ohanaeze however, noted that President Buhari knew that he ignored the eternal advice from the Nigerian foremost patriot, whom it described as "democrat and diplomat".

It wondered how the president would be calling for the proscription of IPOB when his tribal kinsmen were murdering thousands of Nigerians, sacking indigenous communities and taking over their lands, while his regime do nothing.

The statement partly read, "What, I think, the IPOB is asking for is very clear: Treat us as partners in the Nigerian project or allow us to go. On the other hand, how can one explain the obvious lopsidedness in the appointment of military and paramilitary personnel to head the followings organisations with little or no South East considerations; Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Security (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigeria Customs Service; and several others. 

"On the other hand, as Maitama Sule predicted, the orchestrated alienation of the South-East from the centres of power is the basic cause of the agitation in the South East.

"The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor has repeatedly stated that a people denied justice may not have interest in peace.

"The request by Mr. President to the West is most unachievable because the West watches with keen interest and utter resignation the pathetic governance paradigm in the country. For the avoidance of doubt, democracy all over the world requires justice, equity, mutual toleration and institutional forbearance all of which are in short supply in today Nigeria.

"Mr. President is reminded that the British profound sense of justice, fortitude, restraint, civic virtues and forbearance are the hallmarks that sustain their enviable government with an unwritten constitution. In a similar vein, what sustains the US democracy is not just the constitution but democratic norms and values anchored on justice and patriotism."

It added, "As I am writing, the sad news of another Benue massacre flew in: “No fewer than 16 kinsmen of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State were, Monday, reportedly murdered in a fresh attack by suspected armed herdsmen, who invaded Udei and Yelwata communities in Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of the state".

"According to the report which is viral, “the latest attack is coming about 10 days after a similar attack claimed several lives in Igama village, Edumoga Ehaje, Okpokwu LGA and four days after a lawmaker and his sibling were also murdered and beheaded by the marauders in Orokam, Ogbadibo LGA of the state.”

"Ohanaeze contends that if Mr President confronts the menace of the Fulani herdsmen who have been terrorising several states, communities and individuals for over seven years now with similar obsession and commitment deployed to IPOB, Nigeria will be a better place."

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has met with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, behind closed doors in Port-Harcourt.

The former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party had left the party 72 hours to the party’s primaries and joined the LP.

On arrival on Wednesday, Obi was taken inside where he had meeting with the governor behind closed doors.

Both men, however, did not speak on the purpose of the meeting, as journalists were not granted access.

Obi’s visit comes four days after the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, also met with Governor Wike at about 9pm behind closed doors.

Wike had during an interview on Channels TV said he told PDP delegates not to vote for Obi during the PDP presidential primaries.

Wike is widely rumoured to be plotting an exit from the PDP following his loss at the presidential primaries and failure to emerge as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the party’s 2023 presidential flag-bearer.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

 

Recently, in an unprecedented manner in the 58 years annals of the Supreme Court of Nigeria Nigeria, all the 14 serving Justices of the Supreme Court protested their horrific welfare and deplorable conditions of service to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). In a world that has since become a global village, the memo leaked. Who did this to this revered institution? Who caused this national ruckus and bedlam?

 

The CJN, taking the issues seriatim through Isah Ahuraka, his spokesperson, said replied inter alia, that the apex court does not exist outside the economic and socio-political environment in white which every the country has found itself. It affects the apex court just as it bites everyone.

The CJN may be right, based on facts available to him as the head of the third arm of government. However, it must be noted that the entire annual allocation meant for the Supreme Court is like a drop of water in an oasis. That is not all. The N110 billion yearly allocation to the Supreme Court has not changed in the last four years (since 2018). This means that every year, in spite of the hyperinflationary trend which has become geometrical and not merely arithmetical, the allocation to the apex court remains static. It also means that since the time when the exchange rate was about N180 to N250 to a dollar, which is today about N612 to the dollar, the apex court's allocation has not changed. It also means that the Justices' quality of life has thereby been receding, rather than appreciating.

 

These Supreme Court Justices are members of the same society that we live in and they reside in it. They have their wives and husbands to care for; they have their children and teeming dependants to take care of.

 

I do not believe that the CJN was arguing that because the parlous economy affects everybody, the Justices of the Supreme Court should perish. No. He may not have put it quite reassuringly.

 

What I expected the CJN to have done is to have balmed their oozing bruises; bandaged their bleeding economic sores and say ‘'Ok, I have heard you loud and clear. I am going to take up your complaints and champion your cause before the executive and legislative arms of government, arms that have turned themselves into rampaging bulldogs. As the head of the Judiciary which is the third arm of the government, I will make sure that you have more allocation, your welfare enhanced and your life made better.’' Sikena.

 

It was Alexander Hamilton in his Federalist paper number 78, who once said the Judiciary is the weakest of the three arms of government; and that it has neither purse, nor sword to enforce its judgments.

 

Are we going to say that the Judiciary should remain forever in the doldrums, trampled upon by the two other arms of government? I think not. When I read about the entire annual allocation of the Judiciary, I wept. My heart bled. The entire allocation is like what some governors in this country simply pocket as security votes and walk away as if nothing has happened. The allocation is less than ¼ of what some ministries have in this country, and we have more than 30 ministries in Nigeria. Yet, we are talking about the head of the whole third arm of government – the Supreme Court. Yet we expect these Justices to be aliens from another planet, maybe from Saturn, Mars, Uranius, Neptune, Pluto, Mercury, Venus, or Jupiter so that they won't be corrupt. We expect them to act like Archangel Michael or Angel Gabriel, who must not touch money with a ten-foot pole, even when they are hungry and starved. So, when we are crying that some Judges are corrupt, we also have to look at it from the angle of the rotten milieu within which they operate. Whilst not advocating for corruption (God forbid; very far from it, because I believe that any corrupt element within the judiciary should be kicked out and dismissed after proper investigation and trial), 

I also believe that we must not allow a system where corruption becomes so attractive as to form a clear and present danger and become a fundamental objective and directive principle of state policy. We have a proverb in my language, which translates to say that you must keep away the white cloth from the palm oil, just the same way you must keep the palm oil away from the cloth. If you bring an insect-infected piece of firewood into your house, you have requested a visitation of a colony of lizards. So, you must not complain when you see a colony of lizards descend on you because you asked for it. If you starve Judges and Justices, and you make them believe that they don’t matter and will never have a house to retire to, and some justices of the Supreme Court, in spite of the danger inherent in their job are renting houses inside towns, living amongst people, some of whom have been tried and jailed by these same Judges and Justices, then you are begging corruption to embrace them. You are not even giving them enough protection and security.

 

The society must not appear to be telling the Justices to either take it or leave it; to either kow-tow and agree with their present perilous, impoverished, sorry situation, or resign. It should never be like that. 

I expect the CJN to engage them more and pacify them. I want to believe that before they wrote that letter, they must have complained several times, and serially quietly in secret, in the underground, without being heard, or their complaints being remedied. That must apparent apparently why they went so formal by writing that historic letter. Everyone knows the spirit of camaraderie that works in the Supreme Court and in all superior courts, where they have to hold several meetings to decide upon a case before a final judgment is written. If that is the case, as I want to believe it is, the CJN must go ahead and take up their grievances and fight it through with the executive arm of government that is holding on to more than 70 per cent of our national resources, with the legislature holding on to the rest.

 

Have you not heard how much senators receive every month? Some receive between N10 million and N14 million every month. Compare that with Justices' salaries and those of Judges of High Courts, where Judges are receiving salaries of about N500, 000 per month, a sum that is not everyone even enough for local government chairmen to fuel their fleet of cars.

 

When you see some ministers or governors move, they go in convoys of between six and 20 vehicles. To fuel those vehicles alone is more than N500, 000 in a month.

 

If you treat Judges so shabbily, then we must be ready to go and invite our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is sinless, to come and sit over judgment in Nigeria. This is why I support the case filed recently by Sebastian Hon (SAN). I am part of that epochal case which came up about two weeks ago, asking for better salaries and welfare packages for Judges across the board. I feel very sad that a critical arm of government that is dispensing judgment and justice; that is the sentinel that watches over our fundamental rights, the rule of law and good governance, is so lacking in funds that it has become the whipping child. So, I expect the CJN to take up this matter with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. The urgency of yesterday.

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  CHIEF MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN. Disable advertisements : 

The Oyo State Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, has shunned the state House of Assembly by refusing to respond to the five-count allegations levied against him by the lawmakers.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Oyo State House of Assembly commenced the process to impeach the deputy governor of the state, Olaniyan.

The process was initiated during a plenary session last Wednesday.

It was gathered that this was after the reading of a 5-point petition and notice of allegations against the deputy governor at the plenary presided over by the Speaker of the Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin.

According to a copy of the petition dated June 9, 2022, seen by SaharaReporters, the lawmakers accused Olaniyan of gross misconduct, abuse of power, financial recklessness, abandonment of office/official duty, insubordination and other offences.

The petition, which was addressed to the Speaker of the Assembly, was signed by 24 lawmakers.

Hence, the Speaker instructed the Clerk of the House, Mrs Yetunde Awe to write the deputy governor mandating him to respond to the allegations within seven days, which elapsed on Tuesday (yesterday).

However, Daily Post gathered that the deputy governor is yet to respond to the allegations.

This was confirmed by close sources to the deputy governor and some of the lawmakers who noted that the deputy governor did not respond to the allegations within the seven-day period.

“We did not see the deputy governor. As at today (Wednesday), we have not seen him,” the source said.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Kazeem Olayanju, said only the deputy governor could confirm if he had responded to the allegations or not.

“You can only confirm that from him. You can call me back in the next few hours. Presently, we are not in Ibadan. We will come back next week. We will call a press conference. Like I said earlier, the deputy governor is the one that is in the best position to answer your question," he told Daily Post.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

At least 920 persons have died from the impact of a powerful earthquake which struck a border region of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening.

According to officials, another 1,500 persons got injured from the 5.9 magnitude quake. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers dig through collapsed buildings, AFP reports.

The incident comes at a time when Afghanistan is already battling a severe humanitarian disaster, worsened by the Taliban takeover of the country.

Aid agencies and the United Nations say Afghanistan needs billions of dollars this year to tackle the crisis.

Meanwhile, the death toll has climbed steadily all day as news of casualties filtered in from hard-to-reach areas in the mountains, and the country’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, warned it would likely rise further.

“So far the information we have is that at least 920 people have been martyred and 600 injured,” Sharafuddin Muslim, the deputy minister for disaster management, told a press conference in the capital, Kabul.

A leader from Paktika province, Yaqub Manzor, told newsmen that survivors and rescuers were scrambling to help those affected.

“The local markets are closed and all the people have rushed to the affected areas,” Manzor said.

A senior Taliban official, Anas Haqqani, said, “The government is working within its capabilities.

“We hope that the International Community & aid agencies will also help our people in this dire situation.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan tweeted, “Inter-agency assessment teams have already been deployed to a number of affected areas.”

Tomas Niklasson, EU special envoy for Afghanistan, tweeted: “The EU is monitoring the situation and stands ready to coordinate and provide EU emergency assistance to people and communities affected.”

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes — especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Scores of people were killed and injured in January when two quakes struck rural areas in the western province of Badghis, damaging hundreds of buildings.

In 2015, more than 380 people were killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan when a 7.5-magnitude earthquake ripped across the two countries, with the bulk of the deaths in Pakistan.

From the Vatican City, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the latest quake.

“I express my closeness with the injured and those who were affected,” the 85-year-old pontiff said at the end of his weekly audience.

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has agreed to extend the ongoing Continuous Voters' Registration (CVR) exercise by 60 days.
The exercise was initially slated to end in June 2022 before the calls to extend the CVR exercise came, following the increase in registrants.

SaharaReporters had reported that there was surge of registrants in various voters’ registration centres across the South-East states, Lagos and Kano states.
It also reported that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had stopped the electoral body from ending the exercise until all eligible voters had been registered.

But briefing lawmakers on Wednesday, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Jibril Dukku, told her colleagues that the Commission had agreed to extend the CVR to 60 days.
“The Committee held a meeting with INEC yesterday (Tuesday) and they agreed to extend the CVR, all our resolutions were approved,” she told members of the House at plenary on Wednesday.

The House of Representatives had last Wednesday urged INEC to extend the deadline for the continuous voter registration by an extra 60 days from June 30, 2022, to enable more Nigerians to register.

The House also called on the Commission to deploy additional staff and voter registration machines across the country to meet the objective.

The chairman, House Committee on media and publicity, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, through a motion, had noted that the ongoing CVR by INEC was scheduled to end on June 30 ahead of the 2023 general elections.

  Breaking News News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

The Peace Corps of Nigeria has said the organisation and its founder, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, are not under any criminal investigation or facing trial anywhere in the world.
Jessica Nwakonobi, spokesperson of the organisation, added that its leadership is ready to be investigated by any anti-corruption agency or face trial if it has skeletons in its closet.

SaharaReporters had reported how some youths vowed to drag Akoh before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over alleged fraudulent activities under his watch.
The youths also threatened to mobilise a 22-million-man protest against him, accusing him of defrauding them by misrepresenting the status of the organisation.
They had claimed that millions of youths were caught up in the web of extortion and exploitation during their bid to join the Peace Corps of Nigeria as they were made to believe they were being recruited into a statutory paramilitary outfit belonging to the government.
In messages shared on the social media groups, the aggrieved peace corps members said they are ready to recover the money they paid to join the organisation, which is N60,000 each.
“We were made to pay N60,000 each as fees before being invited for training. People only get invited after they have made the payment, which forced us to part with the money,” a former member of the Peace Corps of Nigeria had told SaharaReporters.
Reacting, the spokesperson of the organization said recruitment form was sold at the rate of N1,500.
She added that intending members were also asked to pay N50,000 uniforms and kits, accommodation for period of one-month, medical care for one-month, honorarium for guest lectures, training materials, t-shirts and faz cap and others.
The statement read, “At this juncture, I make bold to state without any fear of contradiction that neither the organisation nor Prof. Akoh is under any criminal investigation or facing trial anywhere in the world. Also the organisation and its leadership are ever ready to be investigated by any anti- corruption Agency or face any form of trial for the umpteenth time as it has no skeletons in its closet.
“On the allegation of fraud exploitation of the youth, its pertinent to say that the source of income for the organisation, which include: Membership Enlistment Fee, Annual Development Fee, ID Card Renewal Fee etc, being paid by bona fide members of the Corps are clearly spelt out in Article 21(1a), page 33 of the enabling Constitution of the Corps as incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission under the Companies and Allied  Matters Act 19990, CAP C20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. (2004). The core mandate of the Corps include: To Develop, Empower and Provide Gainful Employment for the Youth in other to Facilitate Peace, Volunteerism, Community Services, Neighborhood Watch and Nation Building.
“This phantom veil, wild and unsubstantiated allegation has been subjected to thorough investigation by Nigeria Police and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, both of which gave organization a clean bill of health. Extract of the investigation report by the Nigeria Police, after a painstaking enquiry nationwide on the directive of the Presidency revealed, and i quote “Discreet Police Enquires conducted on the activities of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (formerly known as international peace Corps) among other things, to ascertain the legality of its existence, its activities and motives, its formation as well as the identity of its promoters, did not reveal any negative motive or threat to the security.”
“Similarly, at the instance of the Presidency, the Independent Corrupt and Other Related Offences Commission yet again conducted a thorough investigation into the activities of the Corps.
“The report went further and I quote “it has therefore become necessary that the Ministry, being the supervising Agency of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, put a notice about the N40,000 collected by the Corps from all new intending members, for what the money actually is, a ‘voluntary donation’, and is by no means mandatory. This we believe will clear the air concerning this payment.”
“To give credence to the preceding paragraph, there is an avalanche of judgement in the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal which vindicated the organization and its leadership of any wrong doing. Particularly, the landmark judgment of the then Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justices I. N. Auta in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/232/2010, Hon. Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji in a Suit No: FCT/HC/M/1169/2010, Hon. Justice E. S. Chukwu ina Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/481/12 and the most recent, Hon. Justice G. O. Kolawole in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/176/2017 upholds the legality and activities of the Corps. Furthermore, the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division in Appeal No: CA/OW/171/2016 on Friday 13th April, 2019 yet again delivered a landmark judgment in favour of the Organisation and its leadership in an appeal filed by the Department of State Services.
“It is imperative to inform the general public that the PCN does not bear arms. Its process of recruitment and training the youth is open and transparent. The corps notifies and invites relevant Government Ministries/Agencies, Religious Institutions and Paramilitary Agencies to deliver lectures on topical issues and border on building the capacity of the youths for self-reliance and nation building. Worthy of note, is that all the training programmes take place in government-owned facilities such as the NYSC Orientation Camps, Youth Development Centers and public schools.”

News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements : 

Senator Haliru Dauda Jika representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday announced resignation of membership of the party.
Also, the Senator representing Imo East Senatorial District on the platform of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewusi, announced his defection from the party.

Whereas the now former APC Senator, Jika joined the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), his PDP counterpart, Onyewusi joined the Labour Party with former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as the presidential candidate.
According to the two senators, their decision was based on injustice and inequity being practiced in their former political parties.
They noted that the high level of injustice and inequity by the two major political parties in the country made them fail the primary elections in their respective states.
The decision of the two senators was announced on the Senate floor on Wednesday by the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan during the plenary.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the ruling APC and the main opposition PDP have been witnessing exodus of their members to NNPP, Labour Party and few other political parties.
Recently, Senators Ahmad Babba Kaita representing Katsina North, Senator Lawal Yahaya Gumau representing Bauchi South, and Senator Francis Alimikhena representing Edo North, left the APC, while amongst others, the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe representing Abia South Senatorial District recently dumped the party.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements :