2027: PDP GOVERNORS TURN AGAINST ATIKU
Dons Eze
- October 21, 2024
PRICES OF RICE, BEANS, EGG, BREAD STILL HIGH – NBS
PRICES OF RICE, BEANS, EGG, BREAD STILL HIGH – NBS At the backdrop of significant reductions recorded in the prices of some food commodities since last month, the prices of local rice, beans, egg and bread have remained on steady increases. The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in its report titled, “Selected Food Price Watch for August 2024” released yesterday, said, the commodities recorded between 2.5 and 5.5 percent price rises in the month of August. The report stated: “The average price of 1kg beans brown (sold loose) stood at N2,574.63. This indicates a 5.31 percent rise in price on a Month-on-Month, MoM, basis from N2,444.81 in July 2024. “On a MoM basis, the average price of Agric eggs medium size (12 piece) rose by 5.48 percent to N2,289.19 from N 2,170.17 in July 2024. “On a MoM basis, bread (sliced) increased by 2.28 percent to N1,459.85 from N 1,427.25 in July 2024. Furthermore, the average price of 1kg Local rice sold loose went up by 3.65 percent to N1,831.05 in August 224 from N1,766.64 in July 2024 on a MoM basis.” According to the Bureau, the prices of these food items increased by over 100 percent year-on-year. It added: “The state profile analysis in August 2024 reveals that the highest average price of 1kg of Beans Brown (sold loose) was recorded in Akwa Ibom at N3,276.79 while the lowest was in Adamawa state at N1,710.92. The highest average price of Agric eggs medium size (12 piece) was recorded in Niger State at N2,996.92 while the lowest was in Jigawa State at N1,786.01. “Regarding the average price of bread (sliced), Rivers state recorded the highest price at N1,850, while Yobe recorded the lowest price at N908.81. Kogi recorded the highest average price of 1kg local Rice (sold loose) at N2,680.29, while the lowest was reported in Benue at N1,206.84.” However, the Bureau also said the prices of tomatoes and yam declined MoM in August when compared to that of the previous month. The NBS said that the price of tomato 1kg declined by 11.07 percent MoM to N1,506.35 from N1,693.83 in July 2024. It added that the price of 1kg of yam tuber decreased by 7.8 percent to N1,661.80 from N1,802.84 in July 2024.
HARDSHIP: CIVIL SERVANTS GO TO WORK TWICE IN A WEEK
HARDSHIP: CIVIL SERVANTS GO TO WORK TWICE IN A WEEKMany civil servants at the federal, state and local government areas now go to work twice or three times a week to cut down the cost of transportation, Daily Trust’s findings have revealed.Cost of living has risen in the last one year due to several economic policies of the government, especially the removal of fuel subsidy.However, in order to save costs in the face of stagnant salaries, many civil servants have resorted to self- help. Lagos, Ogun and Osun governments, respectively, have approved two-day work-from-home policy for junior civil servants, while those on senior cadre were given a day.Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu introduced the policy in February and extended it by three months on September 4.He directed that workers on grade levels 01 to 14 were allowed to work from home for two days a week, while those on grade levels 15 to 17 were allowed to work from home for one day a week. Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, adopted that Lagos template on September 11.Osun’s Governor Ademola Adeleke followed suit on Tuesday in a circular from the Office of the Head of Service.“By this circular, therefore, and until another directive is given, the working day schedules for public servants in the state have been approved as follows:“Public servants on GL.01 to GL.10 – three days a week; public servants on GL.12 to GL.17 – four days a week,” a statement from the government reads.A Labour leader in Lagos, Comrade Yusuf Bello described the work-from-home directive as an admittance of the failure of policy.According to him, “If the policy of the government is working and it is working for the welfare of the people, they wouldn’t move in that direction.“To pronounce that kind of policy suggests that the government itself understands that its policy is not working. Because when workers are supposed to work for five days or six days as the case may be but they are only able to work for two days, something is lost not just to the workplace but the economy in terms of the informal workers who trade around offices, who live on people who come to work. So there is a multiplier effect on the economy that is lost.“What I would rather add is for the government to rethink its policies in a manner that those policies would address the welfare of the workers and the people generally, not to look for quick fix temporary solutions. We need an enduring long term solution that would address the challenges of the economy and the welfare needs of the people”, he said.Other govs silentDaily Trust reports that other governors have been silent on the work-from-home policy but civil servants in those states have resorted to ‘self-help’ to cut down cost of transportation.BornoSpeaking in Maiduguri, Mallam Baka, who works with the state government, lamented that life has been unbearable due to the high cost of living.“My take home is N87,000; I have been working for 14 years now, but things are very difficult for us as workers. We have family and aged parents who depend on us for everything, including feeding, which is increasingly becoming difficult,” he said.Babagana Mohammed, an assistant director said his salary is a little above N100,000.“In the last one year, the prices of food items have quadrupled; unfortunately, our salary has not increased,” he said.Reacting, the Chairman of Borno State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Yusuf Inuwa, explained that the workers enjoy transportation N50 per drop, which significantly reduces their expenses.He added that N2 billion loans given to workers were part of the palliatives of the state government to reduce hardships faced by workers in the state.“The state government rolled out metro transit,…
IT’S SHAMEFUL, KWARA HAS ILLEGITIMATE COUNCIL CHAIRMEN, COUNCILLORS – SARAKI
IT’S SHAMEFUL, KWARA HAS ILLEGITIMATE COUNCIL CHAIRMEN, COUNCILLORS – SARAKI Former President of the Senate Bukola Saraki said it is a shame that the 16 local government areas in Kwara State now have chairmen and councillors who would be in office without legitimacy and people’s mandate. The statement comes after the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission, KWSIEC, had declared the candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winners of the local government elections held yesterday in the state. The chairman of the KWSIEC, Baba Okanla, who announced the results, said APC won all 16 local government area chairmanship positions and secured all 193 councillorship seats. However, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Saraki stated that the people have sent a clear signal to the state government that it has not made any significant, positive impact on their lives after 64 months in office. The ex-governor maintained that the people mobilised themselves to the polling units for Saturday’s local government election but met the absence of electoral officials and shoddy preparations by the electoral body. He, therefore, hailed the people for standing firm against what he described as deliberately concocted frustrations. “Last Saturday, in a manner that went beyond partisan consideration and gave expression to the protection of community interests, people from Kwara mobilised themselves to the polling units and met the absence of electoral officials and shoddy preparations by the electoral body. “Whatever results the electoral body eventually declared, our people have sent a clear signal to a government that has not made any significant, positive impact on their lives after 64 months in office. It is a shame that the 16 local government areas now have chairmen and councillors who would be in office without legitimacy and people’s mandate,” he said.
EDO GUBER: I’LL CONTEST AGAIN – OLUMIDE AKPATA
EDO GUBER: I’LL CONTEST AGAIN – OLUMIDE AKPATA Olumide Akpata, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the just concluded governorship election in Edo State, has said that he will continue to contest the number one seat in the state. Akpata stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election. But during the interview, Akpata said that vote buying, apathy and mayhem characterized the governorship election. “I have said it over and over again. We are here to fix Nigeria and Edo State. We joined hands with like-minded people to ensure that we fix our country and my state. “I am here speaking to you that I am ready to continue with this. I want to be able to tell my grandchildren what I did when Nigeria was at this difficult time. So, it’s going to take more than one election. When asked if he would challenge the outcome of the election in court, kpata said, “I have the benefit of seeing this as an insider, and a practitioner within the justice sector. It is a decision that the Labour Party and I have to take jointly whether or not we will challenge the outcome of the election. “I am going to be meeting with my lawyers and the Labour Party will also be meeting with its lawyers. Then we will come to a decision whether or not we will be challenging the outcome of the election.”
REAL REASON WABARA WAS DENIED JOB SLOTS – FCC
REAL REASON WABARA WAS DENIED JOB SLOTS – FCC The Federal Character Commission has said that former Nigerian Senate President, Adolphus Wabara was denied job placement because the request was not within its mandate. This statement comes in response to Wabara’s recent claims that the FCC refused job placements for individuals in his constituency because he refused to pay bribes. The former lawmaker had alleged that efforts to secure employment for his people were thwarted by some persons in the FCC over his refusal to “drop any money.” “You won’t believe that up till now nothing has been done for the simple reason that I have not dropped any money and that they cannot even ask me to drop money,” he alleged. However, reacting to Wabara’s claims, the Spokesperson of FCC, Dr Chuks Okoli clarified that the FCC Executive Chairman, Dr Muheeba Dankaka, in March 2023, had told Wabara during his visit that the commission was not functioning as a recruitment agency. The Commission challenged Wabara to prove his claims, urging the public to disregard his claims of a “bribe for FCC job slot,” stating that the Executive Chairman had maintained a strict adherence to the principles of Federal Character in the recruitment since taking office. “For this weighty allegation, it will be appreciated if His Excellency, the former Senate President can mention the name(s) of the person(s) that asked him to pay a bribe to enable him to secure FCC job slots for his children and grandchildren or substantiate his allegation. “The general public is hereby asked and encouraged to disregard this unsubstantiated allegation of ‘bribe for FCC Job slot’ made by former distinguished Senator Adolphus Wabara. “The Executive Chairman, since she assumed office, has been very strict in the application of Federal Character principle in staff recruitment by the MDAs.”
COUNT US OUT OF DANGOTE, NNPC CONTROVERSY – FG
COUNT US OUT OF DANGOTE, NNPC CONTROVERSY – FG The Federal Government has distanced itself from the ongoing controversy between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Dangote Refinery over petrol pricing. However, there are expectations from some quarters that involvement by the government would lead to a reduced price of the commodity. President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the fresh declaration while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja. Onanuga clarified that since the petroleum market has been deregulated, both Dangote and NNPCL, as oil refiners and marketers, are free to set their market prices. “The PMS price regime has been deregulated. Dangote is a private company. NNPCL, you should not forget, is a limited liability company,” Onanuga stated. “Whatever controversy both of them are having is their own problem.” The controversy began when NNPCL announced that Dangote Refinery sold petrol to them at N898 per litre. However, Dangote countered that the price was misleading and that his refinery sold petrol to NNPCL at a lower rate than the cost of imported fuel. Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Refinery eventually added recently that the removal of subsidy is totally dependent on the government, not on his company. The lowest pump price of petrol currently stands at N895 per litre. Onanuga reiterated that the government will not interfere in the dispute, allowing both parties to operate according to market forces. “You can see that the private marketers have said that they find the NNPC or Dangote price too much for them, and they may resort to importing fuel.” “If NNPC fuel is too much, the public market can go to the market and bring in their own fuel and sell at the price that they think is very reasonable and profitable for them,” Onanuga noted.
WHY YAHAYA BELLO WAS TURNED BACK AT HEADQUARTERS – EFCC
WHY YAHAYA BELLO WAS TURNED BACK AT HEADQUARTERS – EFCC The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday justified why former Governor Yahaya Bello was not attended to at the commission’s headquarters last week. The commission, in a statement on its X account, explained that Bello had played up several antics to garner public sympathy and evade due process. The anti-graft agency maintained that Bello’s visit to its headquarters with a retinue of aides and a sitting governor was why he was rebuffed. “To date, Bello is yet to take his plea in the alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges preferred against him before Justice Nwite. His invasion of the corporate headquarters of the commission with a retinue of security details, hand-to-hand cahoots and carriage with a sitting governor having immunity, unwarranted media blitz, scripted sleight of hands unknown to the public and other backend intelligence available to the commission, compelled a tactical rebuff of his touted surrender offer. “The incident of Wednesday, September 18, 2024, regarding the orchestrated antics of the former governor to surrender himself to the EFCC, having denied being invited by the commission and operating underground as a fugitive for several months, expectedly raised concerns and curiosity of many Nigerians who had been waiting frantically for his arrest and trial,” the anti-graft agency said in the statement titled, ‘Yahaya Bello Must Have his Day in Court’. The commission maintained that it wouldn’t be deterred by the former governor’s antics, assuring Nigerians that it would ensure the he had his day at court. It added, “It is public knowledge that a former governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello, had made several unsuccessful attempts to throw spanners in his ongoing trial through some irresponsible and utterly rascally efforts. “The appropriate place of surrender would be before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before whom his legal team had undertaken to produce him to answer to the 18-count charges of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. “Yahaya Bello should be more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crying persecution, where none exists. To even insinuate that he was the target of a phantom assassination attempt because the EFCC made efforts to effect his arrest at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge where he had been hiding, is preposterous. “It is the first time in the commission’s more than two decades of existence that such a jejune claim would be made. This is no more than scaremongering, intended to scandalise the commission. “But EFCC is not deterred by this, and other shenanigans by the ex-governor. The commission remains committed to ensuring that the law takes its course in the money laundering charges already filed against Yahaya Bello in court.” Controversy surrounded the visit of the former governor to the EFCC headquarters last week. While the ex-governor’s media team claimed that their principal honoured the invitation, the anti-graft agency countered these claims, insisting that Bello remains a wanted person. A statement on Thursday morning by the Director of the Yahaya Bello Media Office, Ohiare Michael, asserted that the former Kogi governor arrived at the EFCC headquarters to honour the agency’s invitation. According to Michael, Bello’s decision followed consultations with his legal team and political associates.
FG FILES FRESH 16-COUNT CHARGES AGAINST EX-KOGI GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO
FG FILES FRESH 16-COUNT CHARGES AGAINST EX-KOGI GOVERNOR, YAHAYA BELLOThe federal government has filed a fresh 16-count charge against Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state.The charge, filed before a federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, borders on alleged criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110,446,470,089, contrary to sections 96 and 311 of Penal Code Law Cap.89 Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963 and punishable under Section 312 of same law.The former governor, who is the sole defendant in a 19-count charge earlier preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is to face this fresh 16-count charge alongside two officials of the Kogi state government — Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha.The defendants were alleged to have used funds from the Kogi state treasury to acquire properties in high-brow areas within the federal capital territory (FCT) and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to the charge sheet seen by TheCable.THE ALLEGED OFFENCESCount one of the charge alleges that Bello, Oricha and Hudu, sometime in 2016 in Abuja, agreed among themselves “to cause to be done an illegal act to wit: criminal breach of trust in respect of the total sum of N110,446, 470, 089.00 (One Hundred and Ten Billion, Four Hundred and Forty six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Eighty Nine Naira) entrusted to you”.In count two, the defendants were said to have used the total sum of N950 million in 2023 “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja”.Count three accused the defendants of using N100 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 1160 Cadastral Zone CO3, Gwarimpa I District, Abuja” in 2021.In court four, they were accused of using N920 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja” in 2020.The defendants, in count five, allegedly used N170 million “for the acquisition of a property known as Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja” in 2022.In count six, they allegedly used N100 million to purchase a property known as No: 1773 Guzape District, Abuja in 2018.In count seven, they allegedly used another N100 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: A02/176 Block 488B, Lome Street, Wuse 1, Abuja” in 2020.In count eight, they were said to have in 2020, used N66 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 739 Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 at No. 13 Citiscape-Sharriff Plaza, Abuja”.Count nine alleges that the trio used N550 million for the acquisition of a property known as No: 2934 A Cadastral Zone A06 also known as No.1 Ikogosi Spring Close, Maitama District, Abuja”, in 2020.In count 10, they were said to have used N650 million to purchase a property known as No: 1058, Measuring 1450.77 sqm in Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse 2 also Known as No. 2 Durban Street Abuja, in 2021.In count 11, the accused persons were said to have used 5,698,888 Dirhams in 2022 “for the acquisition of a property located at Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, lying, being and situated at Plot 160, Municipality NO 345-7562, Sky View Building No.401, Floor4, Dubai U.A. E.”Count 12 accused the defendants of using N60 million for the acquisition of a property known as Block 18 (337) Flat B Gwelo street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja in 2016.In count 13, the defendants were alleged to have “dishonestly used the total sum of N310,443,450.00 to tastefully renovate a property known as No: 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja” in 2017.Count 14 alleges that the defendants “dishonestly sent the total sum of $570,330.00 to account No. 4266644272 Domiciled with TD Bank, United States of America” in 2021.In count 15, they were also alleged to…
TINUBU ACCUSES MINISTERS OF NOT BROADCASTING HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
TINUBU ACCUSES MINISTERS OF NOT BROADCASTING HIS ACHIEVEMENTS TO NIGERIANS During a press briefing at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, disclosed the President’s concerns about the communication gap between ministries and the public. Onanuga stated that while significant progress has been made across various sectors, many Nigerians remain unaware of such due to a lack of media engagement. “The President has directed ministers to be more proactive in publishing the activities and achievements of their ministries,” Onanuga said. He stressed that the reshuffle would help reposition the government to better serve Nigerians, while urging ministers not to shy away from media interactions. “The President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet and he will do it. I don’t know whether he wants to do it before October first and he will surely do it. That is what I will say, but he has not given us any timeline,” Onanuga said. Speaking on the performance of the present administration, Onanuga said, “The President has given an order to all his ministers at the last Federal Executive Council meeting to go out there and speak about the activities of his administration. “Some of them have been media shy, television shy, radio shy, and he wants them to overcome all that and go out there and speak about what they have been doing. “Because the feeling out there is that government is not doing enough and the government has been doing a lot. And it is up to them to go out there and blow their own trumpet. They should go out there and talk about what their ministries have been doing. Commenting on the administration’s performance, Onanuga stated, “At the last Federal Executive Council meeting, the President instructed all ministers to actively engage the public about the government’s achievements. He said some have been hesitant to engage with the media, but he wants them to overcome this and communicate their work effectively. “There’s a perception that the government isn’t doing enough, but the truth is much more has been done. It’s their responsibility to go out there and showcase the work of their ministries.”