Dons EzeCAF INVESTIGATES SUPER EAGLES ORDEAL IN LIBYA
CAF INVESTIGATES SUPER EAGLES ORDEAL IN LIBYA The Confederation of African Football has expressed deep concern over the troubling ordeal faced by Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, at a Libyan airport. The federation highlighted immediate steps to engage both Libyan and Nigerian authorities, following reports that the team and their staff were left stranded under distressing conditions for several hours. The incident is now under investigation by CAF’s Disciplinary Board. This was contained in a statement obtained from the CAF website on Monday afternoon. It was titled, “CAF Views the Disturbing and Unacceptable Experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team (‘Super Eagles’) at an Airport in Libya in a Very Serious Light.” “The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it was informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘Super Eagles’) and their technical team were stranded in distressing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land at by the Libyan authorities. “The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation, and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” it read.
NIGERIA WAS NOT HUMILIATED AT UNHRC ELECTION – PRESIDENCY
NIGERIA WAS NOT HUMILIATED AT UNHRC ELECTION – PRESIDENCYThe presidency has denied claims that Nigeria failed to win votes at the United Nations Human Rights Council election held at the UN General Assembly last Wednesday (9 October).In a statement posted on X, the Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, stated that the African regional group nominated five countries namely, Benin, Gambia, Kenya, DRC, and Ethiopia for the five seats allotted to the continent. He said this move eliminated the need for an election.“There was no competition in the African regional group, as the continent fielded the same number of candidates as available seats. Contrary to information circulating, Nigeria was not snubbed in this election, as some reports have falsely claimed.“The country did not stand as a candidate for this cycle of elections, just like it did not stand for election in 2023 when a Nigerian medium sensationally reported that the country earned three votes,” he stated.Mr Onanuga said just like in 2023, Nigeria focused on offering support to countries who have been nominated by the African regional group. This he said, mirrors President Bola Tinubu’s leadership strategy in fostering unity on the African continent.“The regional bloc endorsed Benin and Gambia, both members of ECOWAS, for the 2025-2027 term. Given Nigeria’s continued leadership in fostering African unity, the nation focused on supporting the endorsed candidates to promote collective African representation.“This has been the hallmark of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership on the continent. This strategic approach aligns with Nigeria’s long-standing diplomatic efforts to ensure Africa speaks with a united voice on the global stage,” he added.Explaining how Nigeria got the few votes, which triggered the speculation of Nigeria being snubbed in the election, he said, “Whatever vote was recorded for our country must have been cast in error in the secret balloting by some countries which thought Nigeria was on the ballot.”The Human Rights Council electionThe United Nations General Assembly elected 18 members to the Human Rights Council for a three-year term from 1 January 2025 to December 2027.The Human Rights Council is a vital part of the United Nations system, comprising 47 member states that work together to promote and protect human rights globally. Its primary goal is to address human rights violations and make recommendations to improve human rights situations.Those elected to the council using a secret ballot system are Benin, Bolivia, Colombia, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Iceland, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, North Macedonia, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.They will join Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Maldives, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Sudan and Vietnam.Reports suggesting that other countries think Nigeria does not deserve a seat on the Human Rights Council cast a shadow on President Tinubu’s administration.Members of the UNHRC are expected to uphold human rights, and members who are deemed to violate these rights lose votes and are not elected into the council.In extreme cases, the General Assembly may vote to suspend membership when gross violations are recorded.Nigeria has been a regular UN Human Rights Council member since 1967. However, the country experienced two significant interruptions between 1982-1987 and 1991-1999. These periods coincided with a time of military rule, widespread human rights violations, electoral violence, and repression.Although Nigeria has successfully maintained a democratic form of government for 25 years, the country’s human rights record has not improved significantly.
NIGERIA IN DARKNESS AS NATIONAL GRID COLLAPSES AGAIN
NIGERIA IN DARKNESS AS NATIONAL GRID COLLAPSES AGAIN Darkness has hit Nigeria as the National grid recorded another collapse on Monday. The Spokesperson of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Emeka Ezeh confirmed the grid collapse in a statement on Monday evening. According to him, the general system collapse occurred at 18.48 hours on Monday. The Disco said the development had led to a loss of power supply across its franchise. “The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) wishes to inform her esteemed customers of a general system collapse that occurred at 18:48 hours today, 14th October 2024. This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the EEDC network. “Consequently, due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide services to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. “We are on standby awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo”, he said. Also, Eko Distribution Company confirmed the grid collapse. It wrote, “Dear Valued Customer, “Kindly be informed there was a system collapse at 18:48hrs which has resulted to a loss of power supply across our network. “We are currently working with our partners as we hope for speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as power supply is restored. “Kindly bear with us.” Power supply was interrupted around 6:50 pm on Monday. In August 2024, the grid recorded partial failure which resulted in a blackout. The national grid also collapsed in July this year. Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria showed that the country’s national grid has collapsed about 227 times in the last 14 years. This comes amid the hike in electricity tariff in April by 240 percent which has worsened the hardship Nigerians are facing.
MOB BURNS EDO POLICE STATION OVER ALLEGATION OF ORGAN HARVESTING
MOB BURNS EDO POLICE STATION OVER ALLEGATION OF ORGAN HARVESTING Edo State Police command of Nigeria Police Force has confirmed an attack on a police division and some suspects at Agenebode, the Etsako East Local Government Area headquarters by irate residents of the community. The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident on Monday, said the incident happened on Sunday when the attackers stormed the police station, set it ablaze along with some suspects accused of kidnapping and killing. The police spokesperson said the police command was still investigating the incident and could not confirm the number of suspects burnt to death, exact level of damage done to the station or the allegation that the irate residents attacked the police station over alleged cover-up of suspects caught by community members for kidnapping and organ harvesting. “I can confirm to you that the Police Division at Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area was attacked yesterday and the station was set ablaze. But the situation is currently under control. Some suspects of alleged kidnapping and murder were burnt but we are still on an on-the-spot and fact-finding assessment and I will give you all the facts when we are done,” Yamu said. Meanwhile, The PUNCH reported that a source from the community familiar with the incident said several persons were killed and vehicles inside the police station were burnt. According to the source, the attack was ignited by the allegation that some suspected herdsmen were kidnapping and killing people of the community for organ harvesting, and were allegedly being protected by the police. The community source was quoted as saying, “The incident that led to the issue was the case of a young boy who was said to have been kidnapped some weeks ago and after a ransom was paid, he was still not released. It was later discovered that he was killed. “The youths in the community were able to track the phone and the user was arrested and handed over to the police. The user was traced to the head of the Fulani community in the area. “Apparently not satisfied with the way the police were handling the matter, the youths stormed the police station and took away the suspect, led him to the house of the Fulani leader where on prodding, he allegedly confessed to them that several kidnapped victims had been killed and buried in shallow graves after parts of their bodies were harvested. “The infuriated youths dug up the decomposing body of the young man in the compound of the leader of the Fulani who had fled with his family and in the process of digging up the decomposing body, saw several bones believed to be those of human beings. “In anger, the youths burnt down the building and then the business centres of several other Hausa/Fulani youths and then stormed the police station and set it ablaze.” Another resident of the community was quoted as saying, “Enough is enough. This must stop. “The police kill our children and still collect money from us. These kidnappers will abduct our children, collect money and still kill them. They will collect N2.5m, sometimes N3m from us and still kill the victims.”
SUPER EAGLES BACK TO NIGERIA AFTER LIBYA ORDEAL
SUPER EAGLES BACK TO NIGERIA AFTER LIBYA ORDEAL The Super Eagles of Nigeria have arrived in the country from Libya.The players and their officials landed at the Aminu Kano International Airport on Monday night. The contingent were stranded at the Al Abaq Airport in Libya for several hours after arriving in the North African country on Sunday. The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF took the decision to pull out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matchday four encounter following the inhumane treatment the players were subjected to in Libya. The encounter was earlier scheduled to hold in Benin on Tuesday.
FG TO RECRUIT 74,OOO TEACHERS NATIONWIDE
FG TO RECRUIT 74,000 TEACHERS NATIONWIDE The Federal Government has said that it is considering the employment of 2,000 teachers per state annually to address shortage of teachers in the country. This sums to 74,000 teachers in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. According to the Ministry of Education, the government was considering December 2024 as deadline for the implementation of the policy. This was disclosed on Friday in a roadmap of the Ministry It was observed that 18 states of the federation had failed to recruit teachers in five years. This comes amidst the outcry over the shortage of teachers across the country. The Universal Basic Education Commission has also lamented the shortage of teachers in public schools. To combat the shortage, the Ministry of Education’s roadmap stated, “states to recruit minimum of 2,000 qualified teachers and certified by the TRCN annually; the Minister of State for Education to meet with the state governors and get their buy in.” The ministry set December 2024 as the deadline for implementation of first phase.
NIGERIANS GROAN OVER HIGH ELECTRICITY BILLS
NIGERIANS GROAN OVER HIGH ELECTRICITY BILLS When the Federal Government announced in September that it would start paying the proposed minimum wage of N70, 000, with a promise to pay civil servants the areas from July and August, not many Nigerians were excited about the news.And the reasons were obvious, one of them being the recent hike in electricity bill.A recent report quoting the FIJ calculation clearly indicated that average minimum wage earners spend at least 57.3 percent of their salaries on electricity bills if they use only seven appliances for a month.The FIJ report noted that while the wage increase was a good development for workers, the cost of living has rendered the wage increase almost insignificant.The report spotlights the cost of electricity alone and its impact on workers’ wages.According to a National Income, Salaries and Wages Commission (NISWC) document, civil servants under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure would earn N930,000 per annum. This means that a minimum wage earner would go home with a salary of about N77, 500. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced a 300 percent increase in electricity tariff for those in the B and A service category in April.According to the Vice Chairman of the NERC, Musliu Oseni, the tariff hike meant that customers who formerly paid N66 per kilowatt per hour would now pay N225 for the same unit of electricity.In the announcement, the NERC also said that only users in the band A service category, about 15 percent of the entire customer population, would be affected.Surprisingly, a few months after the announcement, Nigerians were faced with flagrant and unsolicited transfer to Band A service category without prior notice.Some people protested the move, while others took to social media to vent their anger and frustrations.Decrying the move on his X handle, a financial expert, Joe Abah wrote: “I have confirmation that @aedcelectricity has now put me in Band A with no notice at all. So, N100,000 electricity top-up now lasts just seven days. I have been paying. Who has a gadget that can help me monitor whether I am getting a minimum of 20 hours of light a day, please?”A small scale business owner, Chidi Adum equally lamented, saying, “How can you want to squeeze us to pay such (a) ridiculous tariff? And switch us to Band A without notice?”According to Ayodele Dipo, a civil servant with the Lagos State Government, who lives around Amuwo Odofin area of the state, he was taken to Band A without notice and ever since that development, almost all his earnings have been consumed by electricity bills.He said: “Before this latest development, if I buy N5000 credit, I will use it for two to three months. But since I was taken to Band A, the N5000 doesn’t last for one week.“At least in the last 20 days, I have bought N5000 credit thrice. You can imagine the effect on my income.“In fact, it has made a mess of the new minimum wage. The government should do something about this. When you include the cost of fuel to that, you will understand the plight of low income earners like us.”Kenneth Enobong, a security guard with one of the security firms in Lagos, also lamented that the new minimum wage of N70,000 has not impacted on him in any positive way, instead things seem to have worsened.“It is like these electric distribution companies were waiting for the new minimum wage because with this recent hike in electricity bill, the minimum wage doesn’t take us anywhere.“Some of us have chosen to remain in darkness most of the days because our salary cannot cope with the electricity bills and other bills.“We need to feed our families, take care of the health needs…
FG MOVES TO GROUND 60 PRIVATE JETS
FG MOVES TO GROUND 60 PRIVATE JETS As a last resort to recover billions of naira in unpaid import duties, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), is set to ground over 60 private jets owned by high-profile individuals and companies across the country. The NCS has written to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to deny flight clearances until duties are paid. The enforcement exercise, commencing today, follows a thorough verification process conducted between June and July this year. The NCS has identified private jets that have evaded paying import duties, exploiting loopholes in the regulation. The one-month verification exercise aimed to identify improperly imported private aircraft without documentation and ensure maximum revenue collection. The exercise revealed that most private jets in the country have not paid import duties. Documents reveal that private jets belonging to prominent business moguls, bank chairmen, and executives are among those to be grounded. The majority of affected planes are foreign-registered private jets owned by Nigerians. Some of the luxury aircraft on the list include Bombardier Challenger 604 CL-600-2B16, Bombardier Challenger 3500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500. Each of the Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500 jets costs over $70 million, while the Global 6500 and 6000 versions cost over $50 million. Eleven private jet owners have received notification of the grounding, while 55 others will receive their letters today. Meanwhile, it is understood that some operators have lobbied the Presidency, although they have refused to interfere. This has led some operators to begin settling the import duty. The enforcement exercise is expected to generate a good amount of revenue for the government, with estimates suggesting over N260 billion.
ALLOW THE DEAD TO REST IN PEACE, SHEHU SANI SPEAKS ON ENUGU MORTUARY TAX
ALLOW THE DEAD TO REST IN PEACE, SHEHU SANI SPEAKS ENUGU MORTUARY TAX Former Senator, Shehu Sani has voiced his disapproval of the Enugu State government’s decision to impose a mortuary tax on corpses, humorously suggesting that this policy means “people can no longer rest in peace.” Sani made this remark in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter) using his handle @ShehuSani on Sunday, while reacting to the recent announcement by the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS). According to the state’s revenue agency, a sum of N40 is to be charged as mortuary tax for every day a corpse remains unburied beyond 24 hours. Sani’s post read, “Taxing dead bodies in Enugu finally means people can no longer rest in peace.”
PDP BLASTS FUBARA, SAYS HE REJECTED OFFER TO CONTROL PARTY STRUCTURE
PDP BLASTS FUBARA, SAYS HE REJECTED OFFER TO CONTROL PARTY STRUCTUREContrary to the widespread impression that he was denied control of the structures of the party in Rivers State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has blasted Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, accusing him of whining after initially rejecting an offer to control the party machinery.The party maintained on Sunday that it had done everything possible for the governor but he had failed to mobilize his co-governors and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for support.The acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ibrahim Abdulahi, who revealed this on Sunday to Tribune Online, recalled that when a vacancy existed for the post of the Rivers State chapter chairman of the party, the NWC requested Fubara to forward a nominee but he turned down the chance on the grounds that the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, should provide the nominee.The party spokesman wondered at what point the Rivers governor realized that he had to take control of the party structure in the state.He denied that the national leadership of the party had taken the side of the former Rivers State governor against the incumbent.Asked why the PDP could not support Governor Fubara in his struggle with Wike for the control of Rivers PDP, he explained: “It’s a very, very long story that we will not be able to make sense of now. The kind of opportunity given to Fubara by this party is the sort that you never imagine exist from any political party to any of its members, not a governor, not a president.“It is the sort that you would not believe any member will enjoy, any person no matter his status, whether in former president, because if I start now talking, I’ll dig out what we have been keeping in the cooler, the opportunities, the chances, the repeated chances given to this governor for him to take the leadership and take control of the structure.“He was the first person that came to meet this NWC when they requested for the replacement of the state’s chairman of the PDP. He said no no no no, nobody should call him that they should call oga in Abuja, let oga give the person, anyone oga gives he is comfortable.“This was the beginning of the whole of this problem. He was the one who said he cannot take decisions when Nyesom Wike is still alive. That was before the relationship went sour. So, at what point did you now stop recognizing him as your boss, that you start taking all of those decisions?“See, why we don’t need to delve too much into the back and forth of a River State, what is important is that at the point that we have reached now, the summary of it all is that a governor with a state like Rivers, it was the same state Wike occupied that he was able to give PDP the required opposition it confronted the Buhari-led federal government for eight years.“Fubara is sitting on that same saddle now and yet, cannot be able to rally his colleagues, governors behind him. He cannot be able to hold the National Working Committee to identify with him just because his predecessor is a minister in Abuja.“All of us, we thought he was worthy of the attention, but the more you look the less you understand. You can’t be crying like a baby all the time. You cannot provide leadership, fight it out.“Do you think all the governors are comfortable? Why are they in charge of their respective state except him? Something is missing about this guy. So, please, at the risk of sounding immodest, we have done the best we can…