BREAKING: ATIKU BACKS PROTEST, SLAMS TINUBU’S GOVT OVER PLANS TO SUPPRESS PROTESTERS
BREAKING: ATIKU BACKS PLANNED PROTEST, SLAMS TINUBU’S GOVT OVER PLANS TO SUPPRESS PROTESTERS Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has backed the planned nationwide protests against hunger and widespread hardship in the country, scheduled to begin on August 1. In a statement, Atiku slammed the government of President Bola Tinubu for attempting to suppress the protesters, saying it is an exercise in futility. He noted that Nigerians, including supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC, are affected by the hunger, anger, and hopelessness caused by the government’s incompetence and cluelessness. Atiku stressed that the right to protest is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by the courts. He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association. He described it as ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012. Atiku called on the government to ensure a safe and secure environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful protest. He warned that any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to democracy. Atiku’s statement reads, “For the avoidance of doubt, the rights of citizens to protest are ENSHRINED in the Nigerian Constitution and AFFIRMED by our courts. Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as altered) unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association. “Chasing shadows and contriving purported persons behind the planned protests is an exercise in futility when it is obvious that Nigerians, including supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC, are caught up in the hunger, anger, and hopelessness brought about by the incompetence and cluelessness of this government.“It is deeply ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012. A responsible government must ensure a SAFE and SECURE environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to PEACEFUL PROTEST. Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy.”
BREAKING: SENATE PASSES N70,000 MINIMUM WAGE BILL
BREAKING: SENATE PASSES N70,000 MINIMUM WAGE BILL The senate on Tuesday passed the new minimum wage bill for a third reading. The bill passed first (President Bola Tinubu’s request), second (debate on general principles), and third readings on Tuesday — all within an hour. The legislation seeks to raise the country’s minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000. While leading a debate on the bill, Opeyemi Bamidele, majority leader of the senate, said N70,000 was agreed upon by all the parties after negotiations. “This is part of the federal government’s short term measure to mitigate the situation in the country,” Bamidele said. On his part, Tahir Monguno, chief whip, said there is a need to review the minimum wage in line with economic realities. “The review of the minimum wage used to be after every five years. It is now every three years,” Monguno said. “There is a need to review it and bring it in tandem with the realities of society.” Thereafter, the senate dissolved into the “committee of the whole” to approve clauses of the bill. Last week, Tinubu asked the national assembly to increase the 2024 appropriation Act by N6.2 trillion. The president said N3.2 trillion is for infrastructure projects and N3 trillion for recurrent expenditure.Defending the president’s request before the house of representatives committee on appropriations on Monday, Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, said the N3 trillion is intended to cover the new national minimum wage.
NORTH ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE – GOV RAISES ALARM
NORTH ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE, GOV RAISES ALARM The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has expressed concern over the rising cases of out-of-school children, poverty and other socioeconomic problems in the North, stating that the region was on the brink of collapse if the leaders do not come together to find solutions to the challenges. Sani raised the alarm during a courtesy visit of the National Chairman of the Arewa Consutative Forum (ACF), Mamman Osuman to Kaduna State. He said, “This new executive committee has emerged at a time of great challenges. We are confronted with difficult developmental and security questions. Criminal elements have been laying siege to communities in the North and reversing our progress on multiple fronts. Our development deficits are scary and require urgent attention. “In 2022, the Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Bureau of Statistics launched its most extensive measure of multidimensional poverty. The survey revealed that 63% of persons living within Nigeria (that is about 133 million people) are multidimensionally poor. 65% of the poor (that is 86 million people) live in the North, while 35% (nearly 47 million) live in the South. “The North is not faring any better in the area of Education. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) puts the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria at 18.3 million. Of this outrageous number of out-of-school children, about 70% are in the North of Nigeria. This is quite disturbing and must worry all of us who still care for the North and Nigeria in general. “As I mentioned, insecurity in the North has retarded developments in the critical sectors. a lot of farmers cannot access their farms. Food insecurity now confronts us directly. Child and maternal mortality are on the increase. Our infrastructure has decayed. The moves to address our infrastructural deficits are equally threatened by insecurity. “For the North, we need to move decisively to change these negative development indices. Unfortunately, what we see in the North is the promotion of toxic politics, opposition for opposition’s sake, and pull him down syndrome.” “We indulge in endless blame games, devoid of attempts at soul searching or introspection. We have failed to ask ourselves some vital questions. Where did the rain start beating the North? Who are those complicit in the underdevelopment of the North? “What have we done individually and collectively to find solutions to the challenges facing the North? We must take a hard look at ourselves, tell ourselves some home truths and move together to fashion a common strategy to address our developmental challenges, and confront the criminals making life unbearable for our people.“The Arewa Consultative Forum has a major role to play in building this required consensus for the best approach to tackle the multifaceted challenges facing Northern Nigeria. ACF must make efforts to refocus the attention of our people. Let us de-emphasise politics and focus on development. Let us gear our efforts towards overcoming the threats with all the energy we can muster”.
Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- July 23, 2024
- 81 views
KAMALA HARRIS SECURES VOTES NEEDED TO BECOME DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
KAMALA HARRIS SECURES VOTES NEEDED TO BECOME DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE Vice President Kamala Harris successfully moved Monday to shore up the support she needed to secure the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, potentially avoiding a bitter internal party dispute one day after President Joe Biden announced he’s backing out of his own White House campaign. A USA TODAY count of delegates shows the 59-year old Harris has secured endorsements in excess of the 1,976 delegates needed to become the party’s nominee in the first round of voting. There are 3,936 Democratic delegates in total, including former presidents, state and local party leaders, members of Congress and governors, but only about half get to vote in the first round. California’s delegates put Harris over the top Monday evening when they voted unanimously to back the state’s former U.S. Senator for president. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the vote. “Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top,” Harris said in a late-night statement Monday. “I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.” She expressed thanks to Biden and others in the Democratic party who support her. “I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people,” Harris said. “This election will present a clear choice between two different visions. Donald Trump wants to take our country back to a time before many of us had full freedoms and equal rights. I believe in a future that strengthens our democracy, protects reproductive freedom and ensures every person has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead.” After announcing Sunday afternoon that he no longer sought the nomination, the 81-year-old Biden endorsed Harris, a move that likely inspired delegates pledged to him to endorse her. It will ultimately be up to delegates to pick the nominee. The Democratic Party on Monday laid out plans to hold a virtual vote to pick a nominee before August 7, weeks before the Democratic National Convention that’s scheduled to run August 19-22 in Chicago. Other candidates could put their name in for consideration at that time, but if Harris has secured the necessary votes any challenge would be short lived. The vice president has already largely gathered the support of the governors, Capitol Hill Democrats and others who would vote in a second round. Per Democratic National Committee rules, a candidate must receive pledged support from 300 delegates to appear on the ballot at the convention. Harris has been working the phones since Biden announced Sunday night he would no longer seek the nomination. Tennessee was the first state to pledge all its eligible delegates to Harris on Sunday. South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Florida followed behind. John Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College politics professor, said the speed in which Harris has been lining up delegates was still “quite surprising.” He added that Harris would benefit from getting to Chicago with the nomination in hand rather than get mired in a floor fight where the party’s fissures would be exposed on issues like Israel’s war in Gaza. “The sooner she wraps this up, the better,” said Pitney, who has followed Harris’ career for decades. “And I think that’s going to happen in fact sooner than anybody expected.” On Monday, that list expanded to include the more than 250 delegates from Florida, as well as delegates in Alabama, Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa. On a press call Monday to announce that Florida’s delegates will back Harris, state House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell called Harris “battle tested.” “She’s the most qualified vice president we’ve…
TINUBU GOVT HIRES NORTHERN GROUP, PAYS EACH MEMBER N1500 TO DESTABILISE PROTEST
TINUBU GOVT HIRES NORTHERN GROUP, PAYS EACH MEMBER N1500 TO DESTABILISE PROTEST A pro-government group, the Coalition of Northern Youths Leaders Forum has been recruited by the government to dissociate itself from the planned #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest slated for August 1 across the country after paying each member a paltry sum of N1500. The aim of the group is to create impression that Northern youths had withdrawn from the mass action and rubbish the genuine intention of the protest, SaharaReporters learnt. The hired group led by one Murtala Mohammed (Gamji) National President disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja. He also castigated the promoters of the protest noting that they did not mean well for the country. He however just admitted the fact that the Bola Tinubu government had inflicted pains, hardship and abject poverty on Nigerians since it came on board. Meanwhile it was gathered that some of the members of the group were paid the sum of N1500 each to attend the event. Findings also revealed that some government officials made efforts to bribe some youths leaders in Northern with the view to truncate and frustrate the planned protest. In a Facebook post by one of the participants and beneficiaries, he wrote, “Nigeria can’t get it right again. Northern youths leaders invited me for a meeting at Royal Continental hotel zone’ 4 in Abuja at the end of the meeting the sum of N1500 was given to each and everyone of us saying that there’s no protest again.” According to a statement by the group obtained by SaharaReporters, it reads, “The Northern Youths leaders forums wishes to dissociate its members and the entire youths of northern Nigeria from the planned protest against the Federal Government of Nigeria by some disgruntled elements who do not mean well for the country. “Based on our finding, it was discovered that the groups of people involved in the process of airing our opinions have different opinions such as sinister motives to cause mayhem and economic sabotage by blocking federal roads in Jos, Kaduna State and federal capital thereby increasing the hardships faced by the ordinary people. “Northern Youths leaders forums appreciate the fact that there is hardship in the land, but at the same time, acknowledge the effort of the government in tackling them, e.g the recently granted local government autonomy which will take government to the grassroots, and the creation of a livestock ministry which is one of the most important aspect needed over time which will solve the centuries old farmers herders crises.” Recall that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) had on Monday cautioned President Bola Tinubu and security agencies against hunting the leaders and promoters of the upcoming nationwide protest, ‘Day of Rage’ against economic hardship in the country.The labour union had pointed out that millions of Nigerians are angry about the state of the national economy just as it advised the government to invite the leadership of the protests movement for discussions on their grievances.
NIGERIA FAILING BECAUSE SOMEONE TRANSFERED LAGOS TEMPLATE TO ABUJA – DELE MOMODU
NIGERIA FAILING BECAUSE SOMEONE TRANSFERRED LAGOS TEMPLATE TO ABUJA – DELE MOMODU Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said that Nigeria is failing because someone transferred Lagos template to Abuja. Momodu, who did not mention name, stated this during an interview on Channels TV. He criticized the composition of the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu, who was Lagos governor from 1999 to 2007, and touted as laying the development structure in the coastal state. The former PDP presidential aspirant stated that he would struggle to name 10 current ministers alongside their accomplishments before their appointment, adding that those close to the president could not tell him the truth because their lives depend on him. Momodu said, “Today, God is my witness, if you ask me to name 10 ministers in Tinubu’s cabinet and to tell you what they did or did not do before they were appointed, I will struggle. “That is the truth. Look, what we have today is that someone transferred the Lagos template to Abuja and that’s why we are failing. “Nigeria parades some of the greatest human beings on planet earth. I have travelled a bit. There is nowhere up to Australia that I did not meet Nigerians doing great things. Where are those people?“In today’s Nigeria, it’s either you are the son of, the daughter of… Nigeria cannot continue to operate on the basis of compensation. I must compensate my friends and former schoolmates. No!”
HYPOCRICY: I INTEND TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT TINUBU’S ADMINISTRATION FOR NOW – WOLE SOYINKA
HYPOCRICY: I INTEND TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT TINUBU’S ADMINISTRATION FOR NOW – WOLE SOYINKA Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has said he intends to keep quiet for now about the performance of the Bola Tinubu’s administration. Soyinka said this while responding to questions in an interview session by a team from The NEWS magazine in commemoration of his 90th birthday. The team had asked Soyinka when he would fulfil the promise he made about speaking on the performance of President Tinubu after after the administration marked one year in office. The literary giant made the promise during his visit to Tinubu in Lagos late last year. However, the Nobel laureate told the team from TheNews magazine that he knew that there are many people waiting for him to speak about the Tinubu’s administration just for the sake of jumping at his throat, but he will disappoint them by keeping quiet for now. Soyinka said, “First of all, understand that I don’t live on an alarm clock. And I hope nobody is so naive as to think that on the dot of one year I am going to speak. That’s number one. “Number two, you asked that question nicely: Do I have anything to say and so on, which is the way it should be. I know that there are some people out there, who are waiting for Wole Soyinka to speak. Whatever he says, they are going to jump at him. “If you read my Baiting Igbophobia, I narrate a conversation, which was transmitted to me, in which these people sent one of their marching orders to somebody that he should go and deal with me. The man said you know I don’t understand what Soyinka says. “They told him, Who says you should understand? Any time he opens his mouth, jump in his throat. That’s the way they put it. I’m quoting them. And my response to that, of course, is that I have swallowed more toxic nonsense in my life, anybody who jumps in my throat I would swallow and excrete it in the rear end, and go back to my business normally!So, they are there, salivating, waiting for Wole Soyinka to speak. After cutting my American Green Card, I did not announce it for several months, the same way I intend to keep quiet for now and not make any public statement. As far as I am concerned, they can go and commit suicide, wherever they are, or come and jump in my throat as they have been directed. I know those who are waiting. I want to disappoint them.”
INVESTIGATOR COMPLAINS OF DEATH THREAT OVER DANGOTE GROUP $3.4B PROBE
INVESTIGATOR COMPLAINS OF DEATH THREAT OVER DANGOTE GROUP $3.4B PROBE In the wake of the recent launch of a probe into alleged illegal foreign exchange dealings and money laundering amounting to a staggering $3.4 billion reportedly carried out by the Dangote Group over the past decade, President Bola Tinubu’s appointed Special Investigator, Jim Obazee, finds himself facing an increasing barrage of death threats from anonymous callers, according to reliable sources. Prior investigations by First News had already unveiled that Obazee, along with his family and team members, had been subjected to threats from unidentified vested interests, including influential figures within the powerful Aso Rock cabal. However, these threats to Obazee’s life, his family, and his committee members have intensified significantly in the past few days, coinciding with the commencement of the investigation into the latest petition against the Dangote Group. These threats have primarily been communicated through direct phone calls and SMS messages. Impeccable sources reveal that these anonymous callers were demanding Obazee and his team redirect their investigative focus away from the allegations against the private conglomerate and other high-profile cases. Instead, they are being pressured to discontinue the ongoing probe, with the callers making veiled threats against the lives of Obazee and his loved ones. Furthermore, these anonymous callers have indicated their intention to use financial inducements to influence top Presidency and Federal Government officials into pushing for the termination of Obazee’s ongoing investigations. Since his appointment, Obazee’s tenacity and determination have raised concerns among top officials of certain Federal Government agencies, as well as those in various Government Business Entities (GBEs) and influential individuals involved in the probe of the apex bank and the GBEs. These entities have sought the help of powerful politicians within the Presidency to shield themselves from potential exposure by the Special Investigator. Unable to intimidate or financially compromise Obazee, some Presidency officials who allegedly received substantial sums from those under investigation have resorted to discrediting Obazee’s integrity. The Aso Rock cabal, in particular, has initiated a campaign to spread a rumor that Obazee received a substantial N8 billion from the embattled ex-CBN Governor, Emefiele, through a serving Senator from one of the South-East states. The objective is to coerce Obazee into halting his investigation into high-profile corruption cases or exonerating those who have allegedly paid bribes to some officials. Despite their inability to pressure or compromise Obazee, the cabal and other influential figures are determined to bring down Obazee and his team at any cost and persuade President Tinubu to disband the committee to conceal their misconduct. Their ultimate goal is to prevent the Special Investigator from delivering his full report, which President Tinubu had promised during his Independence Day broadcast on October 1, 2023. Remarkably, the work of the Special Investigator’s team has garnered international acclaim. Sources have revealed that the massive fraud allegedly committed during the tenure of the former CBN governor, Emefiele, within many GBEs is now being uncovered by the Obazee-led Committee, and these revelations are expected to shock the nation. The Special Investigator has traced approximately N8 trillion of looted funds from the CBN and GBEs to various bank accounts held by individuals and private businesses. These findings are part of the preliminary report submitted by the Special Investigator to President Tinubu. An estimated N400 trillion looted from the CBN is anticipated to be recovered by Obazee’s investigative team. The alleged illicit forex dealings by the Dangote Group were purportedly facilitated with the complicity of the Central Bank of Nigeria under the former governor, Godwin Emefiele, and certain major commercial banks in the country (whose names remain undisclosed). These entities aided the Dangote Group in transferring $3.4 billion in proceeds from their illegal forex dealings out of the country to…
PRO-WIKE LAWMAKERS ASK POLICE TO ARREST LG CARETAKER CHAIRMEN
PRO-WIKE LAWMAKERS ORDER CLAMP ASK POLICE TO ARREST LG CARETAKER CHAIRMEN Fresh tension is brewing in Rivers State following the new directive given to security agencies by the pro-Nyesom Wike lawmakers in the state Assembly. The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule directed the police to arrest individuals falsely claiming to be caretaker committee chairmen for the 23 local government areas. This action follows Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s failure to disband these unlawful committees despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating their dissolution. The Assembly’s directive came after reviewing the Supreme Court’s recent judgment, which granted autonomy to local government councils. During their 7th legislative session, lawmakers discussed the ruling’s implications and issued a resolution signed by House Committee on Information Chairman Enemi Alabor George. The resolution, known as a Public Notice, condemns the ongoing illegal activities of these self-styled caretaker chairmen who continue to impose taxes and levy charges on residents, in violation of the Supreme Court’s decision and the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law of 2023, which prohibits unauthorized individuals from holding such positions. The Assembly has called on banks, government entities, NGOs, traditional institutions, and the public to cease interactions with these unauthorized figures. They warn that dealing with these unelected individuals undermines democracy and disobeys the Supreme Court’s orders. “They are by this notice further informed not to deal or transact business with these unelected individuals, who want to truncate our hard-earned democracy and are currently in contempt of injunctive orders of the Supreme Court. “The police and other law-enforcement agencies have also been informed to commence the arrest of these impostors,” the House stated.The lawmakers emphasized that their actions align with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees local government administration by elected councils, and Section 64(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law of 2018, which authorizes the Assembly to oversee local government affairs through elected officials only.
- Entertainment
- July 23, 2024
- 110 views
BRAIN JOTTER TO GIFT MIKE EJEAGHA N2M AFTER GOING VIRAL WITH HIS SONG
BRAIN JOTTER TO GIFT MIKE EJEAGHA N2M AFTER GOING VIRAL WITH HIS SONG After going viral by using the old man’s music, Brain Jotter decided to share his success. He reached out to Influencer, Tunde Ednut to connect with Gentle Man Mike Ejeagha and has 2 million Naira for him. Popular skit maker Emmanuel Chukwuebuka Amuzie, also known as Brain Jotter, has been trending on social media with his new dance video which has gotten 30 million views on Tiktok, his highest viewed video ever. Mike Ejeagha’s song released back in 1983 was used in Brain Jotter’s new dance video. Brain Jotter used the catchy part of the original song “gwo gwo gwo gwo” in his new dance video that has become a challenge, with many Nigerians, including celebrities, making their own versions of it. Mike Ejeagha, fondly known as “Gentleman, Mike Ejeagha” is a Nigerian folklorist, songwriter, and musician from Enugu State, Nigeria. Born on April 4, 1930, he has been a prominent figure in the evolution of Igbo music for many decades. Ejeagha started his music career in the mid-20th century, and his first hit song was released in 1960, the year of Nigeria’s independence. He has contributed significantly to the development and popularization of Igbo music, with over 300 recordings to his credit. These recordings, produced during his fieldwork, are archived at the National Archives of Nigeria and showcase his investigation into Igbo folklore and highlife music. Mike Ejeagha’s music is characterized by his storytelling style, accompanied by guitar and lyrics laced with igbo proverbs. His lyrics are in the Igbo language, and his music has a didactic style, making him a unique and influential musician. He writes his own music, and his songs often convey meaningful messages and teachings.Mike Ejeagha will be 94 years old in August 2024.