TINUBU’S MINISTER BUYS N150M CAR AMID WORSENING ECONOMY
TINUBU’S MINISTER BUYS NEW N150M CAR AMID WORSENING ECONOMY A fresh revelation has emerged about the Minister of Sports, John Enoh, who recently purchased a brand-new Toyota Prado LC300 3.5L Twin Turbo Auto leather seat valued at N142.7 million. This extravagant spending comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with the effects of economic hardship. According to documents, the payment for the luxury vehicle was made on July 8, 2024, to QLS Global Services Limited, the company responsible for supplying the vehicle. An additional N7,137,137.36 was paid to the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) as a 5% tax on the vehicle purchase. Further investigations revealed that the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, also benefited from similar largesse. On May 21, 2024, the NFF splurged N87.3 million on an official vehicle for the federation’s president. The funds were paid to Mujaf Automobile Nigeria Ltd. It can be recalled that the Minister planned to spend N300 million on two vehicles – a Toyota Prado and a Lexus Jeep RX 570 – as captured in the 2024 budget. The Toyota Prado has now been acquired by the Minister. Records show that the NFF spent N37 million on auditing services over the past two years. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) received N18.8 million on May 8, 2024, for auditing the federation’s 2023 accounts. An identical sum was paid for auditing services for the 2022 accounts, and N9.4 million was paid in July 2021 for auditing the 2020 records.
ICPC ARRESTS EL RUFAI’S FINANCE MINISTER
ICPC ARRESTS EL RUFAI’S FINANCE MINISTER Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have arrested a former Commissioner of Finance and Accountant General in Kaduna State, under Nasir el-Rufai’s administration, Shizzer Joy Nasara Bada, at the Lagos Airport.Bada was reportedly travelling out of the country on Sunday when ICPC operatives apprehended her at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.The ICPC officials said there was rising suspicion of a potential escape in the wake of mounting corruption allegations against the ex-governor el-Rufai, and herself.Sources close to the government indicated to The Guardian that the ICPC had been tracking Bada’s movements after receiving an intelligence report suggesting that she might leave the country to evade investigation.The arrest came as part of a broader crackdown on officials who served under el-Rufai’s administration, with multiple figures now under scrutiny for their roles in the alleged financial mismanagement of the state.Already, el-Rufai has been indicted by the Kaduna State House of Assembly in its committee report of allegedly syphoning N423 billion from the state treasury. While the specific allegations against Bada remain under wraps, insiders believe they are connected to large-scale financial irregularities, including the mismanagement of public funds and alleged embezzlement.Bada’s arrest has sparked widespread interest, with political observers questioning whether this could be the beginning of a wider probe into the former governor’s administration.The Commission is expected to provide more details as the investigation unfolds, potentially exposing a web of corruption that could implicate several top figures.Recall that Nasir El-Rufai, had also initiated a legal action against the Kaduna State House of Assembly following its claim that his administration misappropriated N432 billion during his eight-year tenure, resulting in significant state debt.A fundamental rights suit was filed at the Federal High Court in Kaduna in June by the former governor’s attorney, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
WHY I COULDN’T TRAVEL TO AMERICA – TINUBU
WHY I COULDN’T TRAVEL TO AMERICA – TINUBU President Bola Tinubu has revealed that he cancelled his planned trip to America due to the recent flood disaster in Borno State. “I was going directly to America, but I had to cut off the trip to be with you, if only for five minutes,” Tinubu said during a visit to the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar-Garbai El-Kanemi. The president, who was abroad on official business, changed his plans after receiving news of the devastating flood that affected over 23,000 households in Maiduguri. According to the president, Vice President Kashim Shettima briefed him on the situation but he vowed to go ahead with the emotional visit to Borno State. Tinubu assured the victims of the federal government’s support. He said, “I am just here to sympathize with you. I know your palace was overtaken by flood.” The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) attributed the disaster to the overflow of the Alau Dam, triggered by heavy rainfall. President Tinubu pay a condolence visit to shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba. He mentioned that he altered his travel plans, which initially had him heading straight to America from the UK, in order to personally express his condolences to the Emir and the people of… pic.twitter.com/cJHo84bXf6 —
Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- September 17, 2024
- 170 views
VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOWS MAN WHO TRIED TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP
VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOWS ARREST OF MAN WHO TRIED TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP Body cam footage of Ryan Wesley Routh’s arrest has surfaced following his alleged attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life. The video, released by Martin County Sheriff’s deputies, shows the dramatic moments after Routh was pulled over on a Florida highway on Sunday. In the footage, deputies are seen shouting orders at Routh, who is shown walking backwards with his shirt raised above his head to demonstrate that he had no concealed weapons. Routh, allegedly involved in an assassination attempt on Trump while he was playing golf in West Palm Beach, surrendered calmly and was handcuffed by several deputies holding rifles. The arrest confirms earlier remarks made by Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, who described Routh’s behaviour as “perplexing” during the stop. In an interview with CNN, Sheriff Snyder noted, “His facial affect was so flat. His demeanour was relaxed. I honestly thought it looked like somebody that just left the church picnic and was on his way home.” Routh became the prime suspect after Secret Service agents noticed an AK-style rifle in shrubbery about 400 yards from Trump’s golf course. An agent fired into the area after spotting the weapon, prompting Routh to abandon the rifle and flee in a nearby SUV. He allegedly left behind two backpacks, a scope, and a GoPro camera at the scene. Following an alert from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department, the Martin County Sheriff’s office dedicated all available resources to locating Routh. He was eventually apprehended and will remain in custody until his arraignment on September 30. Routh faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, with additional charges expected.
BANDITS ATTACK KADUNA CHURCHES, KILL THREE WORSHIPPERS
BANDITS ATTACK KADUNA CHURCHES, KILL THREE WORSHIPPERS At least three Christian worshipers have been killed following an unprovoked attack by daredevil bandits in Bakinpah-Maro, a community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. About 31 persons including a pastor were also kidnapped when the assailants launched the attack targeting ECWA and Catholic churches in the community. The incident occurred on Sunday during church service. According to LEADERSHIP, a former chairman of Kajuru LGA, Cafra Caino confirmed the unfortunate incident. Caino said the bandits who arrived around 10 am in large numbers, shot sporadically targeting the two churches in the community. He disclosed that a pastor of one of the churches Bernard Gajera, was among those kidnapped by the criminal elements. Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Munir Hassan, were unsuccessful.
ENUGU TO ASSEMBLE 1,000 TRACTORS LOCALLY BY 2025, 300 READY IN 2024 – GOV MBAH
ENUGU TO ASSEMBLE 1,000 TRACTORS LOCALLY BY 2025, 300 READY IN 2024 – GOV MBAH As part of the effort of his administration to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn and ensure food security, tractors needed for farming in Enugu State will be produced in the state before the end of the year, governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah has announced. The governor stated this when he received the newly elected President of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, and other leaders of the association at the Government House, Enugu, at the weekend. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating a business-friendly environment and helping to de-risk investment in the state, calling on investors to key into the growing investment revolution in the state. “We are ready for business and we are open for business. You could not make a better choice than Enugu when you are thinking about where to invest or where to grow your wealth because you are dealing with a government that is business-friendly and we do not only think about creating the environment for businesses to thrive, we are also interested in working with you collaboratively either as a Joint Venture (JV) or Private Public Sector Partnership (PPP) or even helping you to de-risk the investment flow. We are interested in listening to you, knowing what areas that would make it possible for you to invest. “We have just signed an order with a Danish company that is coming here to manufacture their tractors. So, our target is that before the end of the year, we would have been able to assemble over 300 tractors. Our ultimate target in the medium term is to get up to 1,000 tractors before the end of next year. “What this means is that you would not have to import the machinery and the implements you need to be able to farm in Enugu State. “Again, we are interested in value addition and processing too. We are building a Special Processing Zone where we expect that as we plan to scale up our production in the agricultural space, we have produced cities where those things can be processed. It is not just producing and exporting them raw. We are planning to add value, create and capture those values,” Mbah said. He added that the government was taking measures to ensure the availability of the necessary infrastructure, ranging from urban roads to access roads to farm, power, and water, while also making huge investments in security and collaborating with security agencies to sustain and strengthen the relative security attained by the state in the last 15 months. “In the area of roads, our target is to make sure that all our streets, all our roads in the city are paved and we are already achieving that. Just recently, we completed the 71 roads we awarded last October and we again awarded another 141 roads. We are also making sure that we also get our rural roads paved, most importantly the access road to the farmlands because we have some ambitious target in our agricultural sector where we now have over 300,000 hectares of land in our landbank,” he said.
EMILOKAN CAPS, TINUBU’S SYMBOL OF HOPE NOW RELIC OF DISAPPOINTMENT – ATIKU’S AIDE
EMILOKAN CAPS, TINUBU’S SYMBOL OF HOPE, NOW RELIC OF DISAPPOINTMENT – ATIKU’S AIDE In a sharp critique of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has likened the fate of Tinubu’s once-celebrated political symbol, the broken shackle, to the swastika’s historical transformation from a symbol of good fortune to one of oppression. In a piece titled “De-cap-itated!”, Shaibu drew parallels between the swastika, which was used by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, and the broken shackles symbol that Tinubu and his supporters adopted during the 2023 presidential campaign. Historically, the swastika symbolised nationalism and good fortune, representing hope across various cultures. However, its association with the Nazi regime turned it into a global emblem of fascism and hate. Similarly, Shaibu argues that the broken shackle, initially seen as a representation of freedom and human rights, has now morphed into a symbol of oppression under Tinubu’s leadership. “President Tinubu, in a campaign soapbox in Ogun State where he made the infamous Emilokan remarks, which is a selfish and arrogant ownership claim to power, has since made the broken shackle a symbol of oppression and political rascality,” Shaibu stated. The Emilokan mantra, which translates to “it is my turn” in Yoruba, was once celebrated as a rallying cry for Tinubu’s supporters. It was worn proudly on caps adorned with the broken shackle symbol, known as Emilokan caps. During the campaign, these caps symbolised Tinubu’s promise to protect human rights, boost the economy, and replicate Lagos’s success across Nigeria. His supporters believed in his democratic credentials and ability to transform the nation into a prosperous economy. However, as Shaibu suggests, the reality has been far from the initial promise. “Everyone now knows that Emilokan is not about shared prosperity for all but about a rabid appropriation of state assets to personal ownership,” Shaibu remarked. He further accused Tinubu of building personal wealth by exploiting Lagosians, debunking the widely held belief that Tinubu’s governance was responsible for Lagos’ economic growth. “Tinubu didn’t build Lagos. Rather, Tinubu built his wealth through the sweat of Lagosians,” he added. The disillusionment with the Emilokan symbol has become so widespread that the caps, once proudly displayed by vendors and supporters, are now gathering dust. “The once-eager vendors who proudly displayed the Emilokan caps at bustling traffic lights and strategic street corners now find themselves burdened by them,” Shaibu pointed out. Once a sought-after item, the caps have become an embarrassing relic for many of Tinubu’s supporters, representing broken promises and a political regime that has shifted towards authoritarianism. In his analysis, Shaibu also compared Tinubu to the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, an iconic figure in Nigerian politics known for his progressive ideals. According to Shaibu, Tinubu’s supporters initially likened him to Awolowo, believing he would follow in the legendary leader’s footsteps by delivering a prosperous and inclusive government. However, Shaibu dismisses this comparison as a “political impersonation fraud of grand proportions.” “Everyone now knows that Tinubu is not Awolowo,” Shaibu asserted, arguing that the notion of Tinubu as a progressive leader has crumbled in the face of his administration’s actions, which appear more focused on personal gain than on the collective good. The disappointment with Tinubu’s administration extends beyond the political sphere. Shaibu claims that the Emilokan caps, once a potent political symbol, have now become a source of embarrassment for many Nigerians. Just as the swastika was banned from public display after the defeat of Nazi Germany, Shaibu believes that the Emilokan caps have become relics of “political deception and disappointment.” For Shaibu, the transformation of the Emilokan symbol is emblematic of Tinubu’s broader failure to deliver on his promises. What once represented hope, freedom, and prosperity has become a reminder…
- Biafra News
- September 17, 2024
- 246 views
NNAMDI KANU’S HEALTH WORSENS, NO LONGER RECEIVES TREATMENT AS DSS FAILS TO MOVE HIM TO HOSPITAL – OPARA
NNAMDI KANU’S HEALTH WORSENS, NO LONGER RECEIVES TREATMENT AS DSS FAILS TO MOVE HIM TO HOSPITAL – OPARA The health condition of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has reportedly worsened after Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) rejected requests to move him to Heartland Cardiovascular Consultants Limited for treatment and close examination. Maxwell Opara, one of the Kanu’s lawyers disclosed this in a video recording posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. Just came back from DSS now where I went to visit Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, just to inform the members of the public that the Cardiovascular Consultant who was consulted to handle the medical issues of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has written to the DSS stating that pic.twitter.com/6eg3sR3K0E Opara was overheard in the video saying: “Just came back from DSS now where I went to visit Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The condition I saw him is not something to write home about. “The cardiologist who has been treating Nnamdi Kanu has told the DSS that he cannot be coming to DSS every time, every week to be treating Nnamdi Kanu, that it is against their medical ethics. He is a US trained Cardiovascular Consultant and he said that he needs to have Nnamdi Kanu in his clinic; at least to monitor him for two weeks. But the DSS said no that except it is through court order. “I can’t see the reason while the judiciary should be allowed themselves to be used by the executive. We have seen the best international practices that once somebody is sick even in the prison and if it is discovered that the person needed to have best medical practitioner, they will release the person. But the one of Nnamdi Kanu the case is quite different. “Is it because he is an Igbo? Is it because he is Nnamdi Kanu? It is only a living that can face trial. Look at a letter written to the DSS. This letter was written by Heartland Cardiovascular Consultants Limited, signed by Onye Godfrey Achilihu, the medical director, and he is a fellow American College of Cardiology. “And in the letter he said, “Based on symptoms communicated to me, I strongly recommend that he be brought to my clinic so that a proper and focused examination, including all necessary tests will be carried out to address his complaints.” “Now after the letter was rejected, the man said he will not be going to DSS. Dear Nigerians; is that the way to treat somebody? The judiciary is no longer the judiciary we know because here is somebody you refused to release him, you refused to reinstate his bail, Supreme Court said he never jumped bail, you refused to send him to prison where we have professionals. You detained him in DSS custody and they don’t have adequate medical facility to address his case. I must continue to talk whether they like it or not.” Meanwhile, the letter signed by Onye Godfrey Achilihu, Interventional Cardiologist, which was addressed to the Director General, Department of State Services, Abuja, is dated 16/07/2024. It partly read: “Re: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. “I am a United States Fellowship trained Interventional cardiologist, practicing in Abuja. I was accredited to visit him today on health grounds but the DSS could not attend to this request. “Based on symptoms communicated to me, I strongly recommend that he be brought to my clinic so that a proper and focused examination, including all necessary tests will be carried out to address his complaints.”
TINUBU DIDN’T SIGN PEACE ACCORD IN 2023 – BISHOP KUKAH
TINUBU DIDN’T SIGN PEACE ACCORD IN 2023 – BISHOP KUKAH Matthew Hassan-Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto State and one of the conveners of the National Peace Committee, has said President Bola Tinubu did not sign peace accord in 2023. His comment is coming in the wake of the refusal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to sign the peace pact to shun violence in the Edo State gubernatorial election scheduled for September 21. The PDP shunned the exercise termed as a pre-election ritual last week over some allegations levelled against the police. The APC, PDP and Labour Party are among the 17 political parties fielding candidates for the elections. Speaking at a townhall orgamised by Channels Television, Kukah said while the peace committee headed by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar can’t force any candidate to sign the peace pact, the action sends a wrong signal in the polity. He said, “What the committee is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbour. “If you go back to the 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the PDP, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign. “What is also very interesting is that the current president (Tinubu), when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it. “It’s a pity but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the Peace Accord. “The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition,” he added. In September 2022, former Lagos governor and 2023 APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, did not sign the Peace Accord. He was reportedly represented at the event by his then running mate and now vice president, Kashim Shettima.
- Foreign Affairs
- September 17, 2024
- 264 views
CHOOSE LESSER EVIL BETWEEN TRUMP AND HARRIS – POPE FRANCIS TELLS VOTERS
CHOOSE LESSER EVIL BETWEEN TRUMP AND HARRIS – POPE FRANCIS TELLS US VOTERS The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis has told Catholics in the United States to choose ‘lesser evil’ between Trump, Kamala Harris Pope Francis condemned both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for their positions on some key topics, and labelled them “against life.” Pope Francis, while condemning Trump position said, migration is a right described in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the Biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a “grave sin.” The Pope also criticises Kamala Harris on abortion, and urges Catholics to pick ‘lesser evil’ in elections, emphasising migration as a Biblical right, and abortion as killing He slammed both US presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming US elections. “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,” Francis said. The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholic voters during an airborne news conference while he flew back to Rome from his four-nation tour through Asia. Francis stressed that he is not an American and would not be voting.