The hottest and most trending news articles for this week in all categories are captured in one shot. Find articles ranging from News to Sports, to Politics, to Entertainment, to Economy, to Metro plus, and many other categories. See below the top news for the week:
NEWS
- IGP Directs Deployment Of Security Personnel To Schools, Hospitals
With the rise of insecurity in Nigeria, the Nigerian Police has ordered that security should be tightened at schools and hospitals and conduct stop and search operations in a bid to stamp out increasing gang attacks, the force Inspector-General of Police (IG), Usman Alkali Baba said on Sunday. A statement by the Force headquarter said that the IGP gave the directive while reviewing the general security situation of the nation via reports from commands and formations across the country.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, fdc, has ordered the deployment of water-tight security arrangements to cover all schools, hospitals, health workers, and critical national infrastructures around the country. The IGP has equally ordered regular patrols, stop and search, raids, and show of force by tactical commanders to clamp down on pockets of crime and criminality recorded in some states of the federation.
“The IGP has however tasked strategic police managers at various levels to prioritize the use of intelligence gathering networks, particularly traditional/local intelligence to locate criminal hideouts and flush them out before they strike. He has equally charged all officers and men to be on the offensive, and take the fight against crime to the doorposts of suspected criminal elements, including bushes and uncompleted buildings, profile them, and charge those found wanting to courts accordingly.
- Declare State Of Emergency On Security, Ndume Tells FG
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security. Ndume spoke in an interview on Channels Television, saying the government should prioritise the security of Nigerians.
“The earlier we prioritise this seriously and even declare a kind of state of emergency in the areas of security and welfare of citizens, the better for us because that is what the government is all about,” he said during the show. The constitution is very clear that the purpose of government is security and welfare of its citizens. The earlier the government and people of Nigeria in all the arms of government concentrate on making sure that our country is secure and our citizens’ welfare is taken care of, the better for us.”
Nigeria is battling a myriad of security challenges. From banditry in the North-West to terrorism in the North-East, kidnapping for ransom in the South-East to oil bunkering in the South-South, cultism in the South-West to rape, security forces are grappling with securing the lives and properties of over 180 million Nigerians. While successes have been recorded in the fight against criminal elements, Ndume believes better equipment for the Army will aid their fight against insecurity.
The Senator representing Borno South Senatorial, is, however, confident that the Armed Forces have all it takes to fight insecurity. He added, “I will say again that the Nigerian Army I know is up to the task if given what they need. And if they are given what they need, they should be given a timeline. As for the action taken by the army, that is an action expected of them but that goes to show in total that if the army has the number, the modern equipment that they require, they can tackle this problem within the shortest possible time.”
- Buhari To Present 2023 Budget Bill In September
Barring any change, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the 2023 appropriation to the National Assembly in September. The Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at training on budget preparation using the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System. Reports have it that a two-day nationwide training on budget preparation is organised for over four thousand budget officers drawn from about nine hundred ministries, departments and agencies of the government.
Akabueze who was represented by the Director, Expenditure (Socials) in the Budget Office, Mr Fabian Ogbu, said the federal government under Buhari is determined to ensure consistent and timely preparation, submission and approval of annual budgets as part of its Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms. He, however, lamented that MDAs do not study the Budget Call Circular in detail and as such make mistakes that should ordinarily be avoided if they had complied with the relevant sections of the Budget Circular.
He said the 2023 budget is also being prepared in tandem with extant federal government policies and guidelines as articulated in the 2023 Budget Call Circular and other relevant laws/regulations.
To address this, Akabueze said one of the modules at the training would address key items and sections to note in the 2023 Budget Call Circular.
- Termites allegedly eat up documents on N17.128b expenditure at NSITF
The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has put the current and past management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) under scrutiny. The committee said it discovered that the fund’s management failed to produce relevant documents to justify alleged spending of N17.158 billion in 2013. Some of the documents to back the expenses were said to have been eaten up by termites. The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF), in its 2018 audit report – now being considered by the Senate panel chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South) – had queried the agency over the disbursed sums without appropriate supporting documents.
In his report, the AuGF said the N17.158 billion represented the total sum of money, transferred by the agency from its Skye and First Bank accounts, into various untraceable accounts belonging to individuals and companies between January and December 2013. The OAuGF had, in its 2018 audit report, raised 50 different queries bordering on alleged misappropriation of funds against the agency.
Both past and present managements of the agency were summoned by the chairman of the Senate panel, Matthew Urhoghide. When confronted with the queries from the audit report, no official could give a satisfactory explanation for the spending. Mr Urhoghide, thereafter, mandated both members of past and present management of the NSITF to re-appear before the panel with all necessary evidence concerning the transactions unfailingly on Thursday, September 22, 2022.
Inexplicable expenditures are few of many queries issued by the OAuGF every year. In the 2017 report, the OAuGF exposed how some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would pay salaries to dead or retired staffers, purchase vehicles and other properties without proper documentation. Although the Senate committee queries agencies indicted, no concrete penalty has been given.
- Zamfara gov bans motorcycles, orders shoot on sight
Governor Bello Mattawale of Zamfara State has banned motorcycles’ movement from 8p.m. to 6a.m. in Gusau town. Matawalle gave the directive during a broadcast in the early hours of Tuesday in Gusau. He directed the security personnel to shoot on sight anyone found violating the new order. The measure, according to the governor, was taken by the security council following reports on the use of motorcycles by bandits and other criminals to perpetrate their criminal activities within the state capital and its outskirts.
The governor stressed that, the security of lives and property of the citizenry was the basic function of any government. ‘My administration is doing everything humanly possible in accordance with the laws of the land to ensure the discharge of this responsibility,” Matawalle said. The governor also directed the task force on security to embark on house-to-house search to flush out criminal elements in the 19 emirates of the state. He said the measure was part of effort to restore law and order and ensure peace in the state.
He urged the emirs who are part of council meeting to be vigilant and report suspicious persons or strange movements in their respective domains to security agents. The governor also ordered hotel operators to scrutinise their guests by means of valid identification before accommodating them.
Meanwhile, the council charged security operatives, particularly military and police, to scale up effort in combating banditry and other criminal activities in the state. The council noted that peace was gradually returning to the state, but tasked the security operatives on synergy and coordination to tackle the pockets of banditry and kidnapping in parts of the state.
- Expose Kidnappers, Other Criminals, Get Monetary Reward — Governor Akeredolu
Desirous to stem the spate of insecurity across Ondo state, the state government, has placed the sum of N50,000 as reward for anyone who exposes or reports incident leading to the arrest of criminals in the state. This was part of the decisions reached at the weekly State Executive Council meeting, held in Akure, the state capital. Briefing newsmen, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, said the development was to further encourage citizens to give useful and timely information about criminal activities in any part of the state.
Ademola – Olateju said that “From now on, anyone who reports a crime and we follow the trail, and it leads to a successful prosecution of the criminal, that person will be offered a reward of fifty thousand naira. “We want people in Ondo state to say something when they see something. We want our people to be proactive in the area of security to rid Ondo State of criminals, bandits and terrorists”.
The Commissioner also added that the Council acknowledged the appreciation and commendation from the residents which followed the good initiative of the government to have a toll free line. “The Toll Free line is 0800-555-5555. Anybody can call to give security tips and report any criminal activities in his or her area. She called for timely reportage of criminal activities, saying the government would protect anybody who reports or gives useful information about criminal activities in his area”
- Debt servicing gulps N13.17tn under Buhari, education suffers
The Federal Government spent nothing less than N13.17tn between 2016 and March 2022 under the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, an analysis by reporters has revealed.
Findings also showed that during the same period, the government budgeted N4.4tn for education amidst constant criticism by stakeholders, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, about the low funding of the sector.
According to the information from the Debt Management Office, from 2016 to March 2022, servicing local debts gulped N10.77tn, while the government spent N2.40tn ($7.84bn) to service external debts. The amount spent on external debt servicing was converted to Naira at the CBN’s exchange rate for the year. For instance, the naira-dollar average exchange rate for 2016 was N197 and N305 in 2017 respectively. It was N305 in 2018 and N360 in 2019. It closed at N380 and N420 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
From January to December, a total of N1.23tn was spent to service the country’s domestic debts in 2016, during the same year N369.60bn was budgeted for education. The figure for domestic debt servicing rose to N1.48tn in 2017 while the budget for education in the same year was N550bn. In 2018, the country’s domestic debt servicing bill rose to N1.8tn with education at N605.8bn. The cost of domestic debt servicing came down a bit in 2019 to N1.69tn with N620.50bn budgeted for education.
In 2020, debt servicing rose again to N1.85tn with education gulping N671.7bn. By 2021, domestic debt servicing rose to N2.05tn with education gulping N742.52bn.
On the other hand, external debt servicing gulped $353.09m in 2016. It went up to $464.05m in 2017 and jumped up to $1.47bn in 2018. In 2019, the country spent $1.33bn on external debt servicing. In 2020, external debt servicing gulped $1.56bn. By 2021, it became $2.11bn. Between January and March 2022, Nigeria spent N668.69bn on domestic debt servicing, while it spent $548.79m on external debt servicing while education gulped N923.79bn.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has recommended a benchmark of four to six percent of Gross Domestic Product or 15 to 20 percent of a country’s budget for education. However, in the seven years of the Buhari regime, the highest allocation was in 2017 when a total percentage of 7.38 was allocated to education.
- National Assembly probes Buhari’s minister of agriculture, Mohammad Mahmood for awarding N18bn contracts for clearing bush
The lower chamber of the National Assembly has subjected Buhari’s minister of agriculture, Mohmmad Mahmood Abubakar to investigations for awarding of contracts totaling over N18.9 billion to numerous contractors to clear bushes during the COVID-19 shutdown. The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts committee’s chairman, Oluwole Oke, disclosed this on Tuesday, August 17, 2022, at an inquiry hearing in Abuja. It was gathered that the House was curious about the location and importance of such projects. He revealed that the ministry and the involved corporations had thus been invited by the committee. It then invited the firms in which the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments claimed to have given the contracts, however, the firms conspicuously skipped the hearing without giving a valid excuse.
Oke lamented that the companies were excited to “appear before the committee on investigation of contracts awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of roads, bush clearing, land preparation and rehabilitation of soil and plant laboratories video utilisation of funds from Service Wide vote between 2013 and 2021 totalling N18,924,004,359.38.” According to him, “during the lockdown of the country as a result of COVID 19, some companies took contracts worth about N18 billion for bush clearing from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for land preparation, rehabilitation of soil plant lab and others. We cannot shave their head in their absence.
Meanwhile, the incumbent Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Micheal Akabagum, who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021 has told the Senate that termites have eaten most of the vouchers containing details of how N17.158 billion yet to be accounted for was spent. Recall that the present and past management of NSITF came under fire in the Senate for failing to justify its spending of N17.158 billion in 2013 with required evidential documents, some of which were alleged to have been eaten up by termites.
The N17.158 billion, as stated in the 2018 audit report, was the total amount of money transferred by NSITF from its Skye Bank and First Bank accounts into various untraceable accounts belonging to individuals and companies from January to December 2013. The auditor general’s office had in the 2018 audit report raised 50 different queries bordering on alleged misappropriation of funds by the management of the agency, which is under probe by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.
Specifically, on the N17.158billion unsubstantiated transfers made by NSITF, the query reads: “Management of NSITF as shown in statements of Account No. 1750011691 with Skye bank plc, for the period 1st January 2013 to 20th December 2013, and Statements of Account No.2001754610 with First Bank Plc for the period 7th January 2013 to 28th February 2013, transferred amounts totaling N17,158,883,034.69 billion to some persons and companies from these accounts.
- NBC Revokes Licences Of Silverbird, AIT, Raypower, Rhythm FM, Others
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has revoked the broadcast licences of Silverbird TV, AIT, Raypower FM, and Rhythm FM amongst others over failure to renew their licences amounting to N2.66 billion. A statement by NBC on Friday noted that the move followed the publication of a list of stations yet to renew their licences. It said a two-week waiver was given to them in May to do so after which they risked the revocation of their broadcast licences.
But three months after the publication, the Commission explained that “some licensees are yet to pay their outstanding debts, in contravention of the National Broadcasting Commission Act CAP N11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, particularly section 10(a) of the third schedule of the Act. “Therefore, after due consideration, NBC hereby announces the revocation of the licenses of the…stations and gives them 24 hours to shut down their operations. Our offices nationwide are hereby directed to collaborate with security agencies to ensure immediate compliance.”
The broadcast regulator said the continued operation of the “debtor stations is illegal and constitutes a threat to national security”. It called on other broadcast stations yet to renew their licences for the present duration to do so within the next 30 days or risk punishment. According to NBC, Friday’s list is the first batch of offenders. A second tranche will soon be released, the regulator said.
POLITICS
- Bandits, IPOB members threats to 2023 elections – Dambazau
A former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau, has said activities of terrorists and members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra constitute a major threat to the 2023 elections. He spoke while delivering a paper titled, “2023 Politics: National Security and Nigeria’s Stability” at the Blueprint Newspapers’ annual lecture in Abuja on Tuesday.
Dambazau questioned, “Would insecurity affect the 2023 elections?” before responding that, “Surely it would, because some of the community would still be displaced and the terrorists would likely continue attacks on soft targets. INEC officials and ad-hoc staff would be highly apprehensive despite the assurance by the government to protect them. Access to polling units in border communities may pose some difficulties. This is one more reason why adequate security must be provided.”
- Atiku-Wike Rift: PDP Chieftain Urges Ayu To Resign For Party Unity
A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and ex-presidential candidate, Sam Ohuabunwa has urged the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign if it will end the animosity between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. Mr Ohuabunwa made the call on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Mr Ayu had reportedly agreed to resign when he was elected as Chairman last year if the party chooses a Northerner as a presidential candidate. After the emergence of Mr Abubakar as the party’s presidential flagbearer, it was expected that Mr Ayu would honour his word and exit the seat for a Southerner as part of efforts to massage zoning considerations within the PDP.
According to persons familiar with the matter, Mr Ayu’s resignation is also a condition given by Mr Wike for peace talks to succeed with Mr Atiku. Mr Atiku defeated Mr Wike in the PDP presidential primaries and passed him over for the post of Vice-Presidential candidate but the latter is believed to be key for the party’s success in the 2023 presidential poll. However, Mr Ayu has maintained he has no intention of resigning.
Mr Ohuabunwa lamented the prolonged rift between Mr Atiku and Mr Wike, noting that it was a distraction for the PDP as the 2023 polls inches closer. He said the inability of the party to settle the conflict shows a lack of conflict resolution capacity.
- Internal Crisis: As A Principled Politician, Wike Will Not Leave PDP – Dele Momodu
A former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dele Momodu, has weighed into the crisis rocking the PDP, saying Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike will not dump the main opposition party. There has been a crisis rocking the main opposition party since the emergence of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
But Momodu, a PDP chieftain, and publisher of Ovation Magazine said Wike will not abandon the party because he is a principled politician.
“For me, governor Wike is a very principled man; if there’s one thing he has been consistent about, it is his love for PDP; I believe he will not leave PDP. He is playing a mind game and he’s good at it. What shall it profit him if he joins APC?” he asked. According to Momodu, the development in the party following the outcome of the presidential primary has made the governor of Rivers a force to be reckoned with. He stated that the PDP presidential candidate should have a one-on-one meeting with Wike to resolve the crisis rocking the party.
Momodu added, “What I would advise Atiku Abubakar to do today is to sit down one-on-one without no other person present with governor Wike and agree on deliverables, If possible, sign an agreement. “Governor Wike believes that the party should have respected the zoning principle, number two, he believes that zoning would have favoured a southern candidate. Three, he believed that of all the southern aspirants, he is the one that has the capacity to deliver victory to the party.
“The situation in PDP shows what Wike is in the equation of things in Nigeria. If you have a man who is your best governor across the board, across party lines, Wike stands out as a fantastic performer. Today, the fear of Wike is the beginning of wisdom in PDP, there is no question about that. Wike is smart, he knows the game he’s playing, and what he wants to do is to force a deal with the party. That’s my own reading of the situation.” The conflict in the PDP after the party’s presidential primary appears to be deepening.
- No Law Forbids Me From Serving As APC Campaign Spokesman – Keyamo
The Minister of state for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has said he is not in violation of any law by accepting to be the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council. Following his appointment as the APC presidential campaign spokesman, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), had asked Keyamo to resign his ministerial position. But in a statement, the minister said the civil society organisation (CSO) is being sponsored by opposition parties.
The minister also said opposing his appointment as the party’s spokesperson is denying him of his fundamental human right to freedom of association. “What does the law say? Section 84 of the Electoral Act clearly states that political appointees are to resign if they are to contest for any party position or any public office. No mention was made of ad hoc appointments for party activities. So, strictly speaking, no law is being violated here,” he said.
“I am a full member of my party, the APC, and I am entitled to participate in party activities. My dues to my party is deducted every month from my meagre salary and sent to the party. Being a director in a campaign council is like every other party activity. They want to deny me my fundamental human right to freedom of association because I am a minister. There is no conflict of interests. I fail to see any. Am I using public resources to campaign? Not at all. We have an APC campaign office and I have my well-furnished private chambers, better equipped than my minister’s office.
“This is now on record and my permanent secretary can attest to this. I grant interviews after my day’s work or at weekends or at break time. Campaign directors are volunteers; at least I am. We are not paid a single salary or allowance for our work, so the allegation of double privilege (whatever that means) is incorrect.”
ECONOMY
- Blackout Looms As Electricity Workers Threaten Indefinite Strike
Nigeria’s electricity supply crisis could worsen from Wednesday as the organised labour has directed workers in the power sector to down tools and commence an indefinite strike over pending labour issues with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The National Union of Electricity Employees on Tuesday picketed the headquarters of the Transmission Company of Nigeria in Abuja. They complained about the alleged failure of the Federal Government to pay the entitlement of former staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in December 2019.
The aggrieved workers under the aegis of the national union of electricity employees NUEE said this is a prelude to an indefinite strike action expected to commence on August 17. In a circular entitled “call to action”, the general secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, directed them to ensure total compliance, vowing to paralyse operations of TCN nationwide over anti-masses activities. This means the nation’s electricity supply crisis could worsen from Wednesday following this impasse.
On May 18, the union issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, MD/CEO. In the circular titled “Unresolved issues on the year 2021 promotion exercise and others,” the union threatened to down tools at the expiration of the ultimatum if its grievances were not addressed.
- Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Surges To 19.64%
The country’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the level of price change in goods and services, hit 19.64 percent in July 2022 from the 18.60 percent recorded in the last month.
This means a 1.82% month-on-month hike, according to the (CPI) report for July 2022 released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday.
“On a month-on-month basis, the Headline inflation rate in July 2022 was 1.817 %, which was 0.001% higher than the rate recorded in June 2022 (1.816 %),” the NBS added. The percentage change in the average CPI for the twelve months period ending July 2022 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 16.75%, showing a 0.46% increase compared to 16.30% recorded in July 2021.”
According to the NBS report, the country’s urban inflation increased by 2.08% to 20.09% in July 2022 from 18.01% in July 2021. On the other hand, the rural inflation rate reached 19.22% from 16.75% in the corresponding period of 2021.
HEALTH
- Buhari Launches Nigeria End Malaria Council In Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday launched the Nigeria End malaria Council at the State House in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The Council is expected to drive the Federal Government’s commitment to end malaria in the country. In attendance at the launch was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire among other ministers and top government officials.
Speaking to a 16-member council headed by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote who accepted to be an ambassador for malaria, the President maintained the quest to eliminate mallards remains a priority for his administration. According to Buhari, beyond improving the quality of life, health and well-being of Nigerians, the strategy adopted had public health and socio-economic benefits for the country.
The President urged the council to deploy best practices in its dealings in order to reduce significantly Nigeria’s malaria burden which according to the WHO now accounts for 27percent of all cases and 32 percent of deaths globally.
EDUCATION
- ASUU-FG Meeting Ends In Deadlock, Strike To Continue
Tuesday’s meeting between the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government has again ended without an agreement. This means the six-month old strike by public university lecturers is set to continue. The striking lecturers had met with the Professor Nimi Briggs Committee on Tuesday at the National University Commission in Abuja with high hopes of resolving the impasse.
A senior member of ASUU, who craved anonymity told newsmen that members of the Briggs renegotiation committee did not come with any new offer on the table. Instead, the ASUU source said, the committee plead with the lecturers to suspend the ongoing strike, with promises that their concerns will be included in the 2023 budget. According to the source, the meeting, which started at about 12pm, lasted for about three hours without any agreement reached.
ASUU embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14. On March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another two months to allow the government meet all of its demands. A 12-week extension was announced on May 9. Since May 9, the union has remained on strike, vowing to persist until its demands are met. The academics are seeking improved welfare, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy among other demands.
One bone of contention for the academics is the non-payment of university revitalisation funds, which amounts to about N1.1 trillion. But the Federal Government has said it doesn’t have the money to pay such an amount, citing low oil prices during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The agreement was struck in 2009. Another is the issue of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). The academics have proposed an alternative payroll system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
- Strike: No arrears, no resumption, ASUU dares FG
The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Thursday said it would not call off its strike until the salary arrears of its members were paid. The university lecturers also said they would not teach students to make up for the six months they had been on strike if the Federal Government failed to pay for the “period of strike.” The union’s national president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, disclosed this to newsmen in response to a statement by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, that the Federal Government would not concede to ASUU’s demands for the backlog of salaries withheld within the period.
ASUU embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14. However, the union has extended the strike several times in the past six months. Other associations such as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions and National Association of Academic Technologists later followed suit, shutting down public universities nationwide.
Adamu had told State House correspondents on Thursday that the government would not pay the lecturers for the period of strike. But reacting to the government’s position, Osodeke said, “He is joking. If they fail to pay, we will not teach those students; we won’t make up for that period. We will start a new session (2022/2023). We won’t conduct examinations; we will start a fresh session totally.
- Pay Salary Backlog Or Forget Unfinished Academic Sessions, ASUU Tells FG
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted on the payment of the salary backlog to lecturers, maintaining that without the move, unfinished academic sessions should be forgotten. President of the union Professor Emmanuel Osodeke made the remark on Friday, explaining that though public varsities have been shut since February, the lecturers should be paid since they have to teach to make up for time lost during the closure.
Osodeke was speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily following the government’s insistence on non-payment of the lecturers over the industrial action. “If we agree on that, therefore, the lectures we should have given [to students] for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 [sessions], should be allowed to go so we start a new session, 2022/2023, in September,” Professor Osodeke added.
“Therefore, by July next year, I would go on my leave as we used to have in those days so that the backlog is gone. All the lectures that remain; all the two sets of admissions that JAMB has given that are waiting should become irrelevant.” He explained that when “other unions go on strike and come back, all those periods for which you are on strike, you don’t need to do the backlog of work.
The ASUU chief also said the union does not need a pity party over the government’s withholding of the lecturers’ wages, maintaining that the union “can take care” of its members.
WORLD
- European Gas Prices Surge To Six-Month Peak
European gas prices surged Tuesday to a six-month peak, exacerbating recession fears as the region faces the prospect of rationing following cuts to Russia supplies amid the war in Ukraine.
Oil prices, meanwhile, extended losses a day after tumbling more than five percent on fears demand will subside due to recessions or slow growth in major economies such as China. Stocks mostly advanced despite the gloomy economic news on hopes central banks will let up on interest rate hikes.
In Europe, the natural gas reference price Dutch TTF rallied around 10 percent at one point to over 250 euros per megawatt hour — the highest level since the start of March, or not long after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Spiking gas prices would likely push European nations into recession, hitting demand for other goods such as oil.
Signs that Iran is moving towards a nuclear deal added to the downward pressure on prices, with an agreement seen as allowing the country to restart oil sales into the world market. Analysts said Tehran could provide 2.5 million barrels a day, giving a much-needed shot in the arm to supplies, which have been hammered by sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Libya has also boosted production, helping prices drop to six-month lows and wiping out the gains seen after the Ukraine war started. But analysts warned that there might still be some way to go on an Iran agreement, owing to upcoming US elections.
- WHO Turns To Public For Monkeypox Name Change
The World Health Organization, which is looking to rename monkeypox, called Tuesday for help from the public in coming up with a less stigmatising designation for the fast-spreading disease. The UN health agency has for weeks voiced concern about the name of the disease that emerged onto the global stage in May. Experts warn the name can be stigmatising to the primates it was named after, but who play little role in its spread, and to the African continent that the animals are often associated with. Recently in Brazil, for instance, there have been reported cases of people attacking monkeys over disease fears.
Monkeypox received its name because the virus was originally identified in monkeys kept for research in Denmark in 1958, but the disease is found in a number of animals, and most frequently in rodents. The disease was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the spread among humans since then mainly limited to certain West and Central African countries where it is endemic. But in May, cases of the disease, which causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, began spreading rapidly around the world, mainly among men who have sex with men.
Worldwide, over 31,000 cases have been confirmed since the start of the year, and 12 people have died, according to the WHO, which has designated the outbreak a global health emergency.
While the virus can jump from animals to humans, WHO experts insist the recent global spread is due to close-contact transmission between humans. The UN health agency announced last week that a group of experts it had convened had already agreed on new names for monkeypox virus variants, or clades.
Until now, the two main variants have been named after the geographic regions where they were known to circulate, the Congo Basin and West Africa. The experts agreed to rename them using Roman numerals instead, calling them Clade I and Clade II. A subvariant of Clade II, now known as Clade IIb, is seen as the main culprit behind the ongoing global outbreak.
ENTERTAINMENT
- 2Baba’s manager debunks singer’s rumoured affair
Efe Omorogbe, popular Nigerian music executive and manager to iconic singer, Innocent Idibia alias 2Baba has debunked rumours of the star cheating on his wife. Claims that the artiste had impregnated a certain banker went viral during the week. This was days after Idibia posted a public apology for being an embarrassment to his wife and family.
In the statement posted via his Instagram page on Monday, Idibia wrote, “This is no stunt. I’m sorry for all the embarrassment I’ve caused my wife, my kids, my mother and all our families and my management team. I’m not looking for no sympathy I’m not trying to make myself look good. This is no reverse psychology bullshit. I simply just don’t want to be the one that always apologise. I’ve been a shty father and a shty husband and sh**ty baby daddy. I have no excuses. I just want to do right by my wife, and my kids and their moms and my mom and all families and my manager and friends.”
In a statement released via Omorogbe’s Instagram account on Saturday, the talent manager tagged the reports “fake news” and asked the general public to disregard same. “It is understandable for fans, friends, and concerned members of public to get curious and seek to know why @official2baba posted an apology to his wife @annieidibia, family and management a few days ago,” the statement read.
“We would like to put it on record that the ‘why’ is exactly what was explicitly spelt out in the same post – the pressure of almost a quarter of century of superstardom, and a wish to focus on making music without the burden of high expectations as a role model. Reports of him getting anyone pregnant are totally false and malicious and we urge well meaning media platforms and members of the public to completely disregard such. It is fake news.”
- Kizz Daniel stages free show for Tanzanian fans
Singer, Oluwatobiloba Anidugbe, aka Kizz Daniel, fulfilled his promise to perform for free for his fans in Tanzania on Friday, August 12, 2022, after he had earlier disappointed them. The singer put up an impressive performance to the excitement of his fans as they sang along to some of his hit songs including Buga, Oshe, Mama and Yeba.
At a point during his performance, he paused and said, “I want to know if I have the real Kizz Daniel fans in the building tonight. I am talking about the fans from 2014 because I want to test you guys and you have to pass the test. Are you ready to pass the test?” He then performed some of his other hit songs such as Woju, Laye and One Ticket.
However, his performance had some disruptions due to the poor sound from the technical crew. He had to abandon his live band and rely on the disc jockey for the rest of his performance. One of the highlights of the show was when he brought out the flag of Tanzania on stage, and apologised for failing to perform last Sunday. Also, his outfit was in the colours of the country’s flag. After he performed Buga, he said, “I think I have to come back because I owe you guys a proper show because this sound is not making me enjoy my performance tonight. I promise you guys that I will come back. I love you and I thank you and the promoters for coming out tonight.”
SPORTS
- Tuchel And Conte Charged After Battle Of The Bridge
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte have been charged with improper conduct after their explosive clashes in Sunday’s stormy 2-2 draw. Tuchel and Conte were embroiled in two angry exchanges as tempers flared in the Premier League showdown at Stamford Bridge. Both managers were booked for the first bust-up, which was sparked after Conte celebrated Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s equaliser close to Tuchel’s technical area.
Tuchel and Conte clashed again when an aggressive handshake between the pair, who were both shown red cards, sparked further ugly scenes involving players and coaching staff from the London rivals. “Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have both been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3, following the Premier League fixture between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022,” an FA statement said on Monday.
Tuchel could also face further charges from the FA, who are probing his post-match comments about referee Anthony Taylor. Tuchel said “maybe it would be better” for Taylor not to referee Chelsea again, with the German incensed about both of Tottenham’s goals. He felt Hojbjerg’s effort should have been disallowed for offside against Richarlison, as well as a foul on Kai Havertz several seconds earlier.
Tuchel also insisted Tottenham defender Cristian Romero should have been punished for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair, with a VAR check ruling out a red card for an incident that came just before Harry Kane headed the visitors’ stoppage-time equaliser. Both managers could face a ban as a result of their antics, with Tuchel already conceding he might be absent from the touchline when Chelsea face Leeds next weekend.
- FIFA Suspends Indian Football Federation Over Third-Party Influence
FIFA has suspended the Indian football federation meaning that the country will not currently be able to host the under-17 Women’s World Cup in October. Football’s world governing body said its council unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation “due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA statutes”. Federations must be free from legal and political interference, according to FIFA rules.
The AIFF is in disarray and being run by administrators after former chief Praful Patel stayed in office beyond his term without fresh elections, which courts ruled invalid. Fresh elections are to be held on August 28 and the poll process began last week after India’s Supreme Court approved a timeline prepared by the administrators. India is due to host the U-17 tournament on October 11-30 but FIFA said on Monday that because of the suspension it “cannot currently be held in India as planned”.
FIFA said that it was “in constant constructive contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and is hopeful that a positive outcome to the case may still be achieved”. Indian men’s and women’s national teams also cannot play junior or senior international games during the suspension. Former men’s captain Bhaichung Bhutia called the suspension “very harsh”.
- Ten Hag Demands Attitude Change From Man Utd
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag lambasted the attitude of his players in an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Brentford last weekend as he demanded a response in Monday’s clash with Liverpool. The Dutchman is off to the worst start of any new United manager in over 100 years after losing both his opening games to leave the Red Devils rooted to the bottom of the Premier League for the first time in 30 years.
Brentford players covered 13.8 kilometres more in a famous win for the Bees and Ten Hag reportedly responded by cancelling a planned day off to make his squad run that distance the day after defeat last Saturday. “I was definitely not happy,” Ten Hag said at his pre-match press conference on Friday. “The basic stuff has to be good and that has to start with the right attitude.
“You need fighting spirit on the pitch and I didn’t see it from minute one. The players didn’t play good, a lot went wrong. You don’t have to talk about anything (tactical) when the attitude is not right.” United’s disastrous start to the season on the field has followed a frustrating summer in the transfer market as a drawn out pursuit of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong looks set to end in failure.
However, the English giants do seem set to land another midfielder from La Liga with Real Madrid’s Casemiro on the brink of a move that could rise to 70 million euros (£51 million, $61 million).
METRO PLUS
- Police arrest 37-yr-old kidnap kingpin, 7 other suspects in Oyo
A 37-year-old man, who allegedly wrote a threat letter to a private university in Oyo town to kidnap three of its students, has been arrested by operatives of the Oyo State Police Command alongside seven other armed robbery suspects, who have been terrorising Oyo town and its environs. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, who disclosed this, yesterday, explained that the suspect, who wrote the letter to the university on Thursday, threatened to kidnap three of its students if N10 million ransom was not paid within a stipulated period.
He said the suspect’s mode of operation was to run detailed background checks on unsuspected victim, and then inform them through writing of his intentions to abduct them unless a stipulated ransom was paid to him. According to him, “on August 11 at about 0800hrs, members of a notorious kidnapping syndicate sent a hand-written note to the management of a private university in Oyo town. In the note, they threatened to abduct three of its students should the management fail to pay N10,000,000 within a stipulated period. The threat as expected, disrupted academic activities within the university, stirring up panic and uncertainty among the university community.”
The spokesperson said under the euphoria of a presumed successful scheme, the syndicate similarly notified a branch of a new generation bank within Owode area, Oyo, with the intention of invading it later in the week. He disclosed that investigation by the police led to the arrest of one of the members whose phone numbers were inscribed on the hand-written notes to the school management and the bank. Osifeso said the suspect confirmed that the phone number on the note was his but denied being the author of the document.
He, however, said further investigation conducted led to the arrest of the 37-year-old suspect who confessed being the author of the hand-written notes. He explained that the first suspect arrested was used as a decoy for the purpose of concealing his direct involvement. Speaking to journalists, the suspect confirmed being the author of the notes and that his intention was not to kidnap but to threaten the institution.
- Four students celebrating WASSCE at Lagos beach drown
Tragedy struck on Tuesday at the Elegushi Beach, in the Lekki area of Lagos State, after four teenagers drowned while swimming in the water. It was gathered that 10 secondary school leavers, aged between 14 and 15, went to swim at the beach to celebrate the completion of their West African Senior School Examination. They were said to be pupils of the Kuramo Senior College, Lekki.
The spokesperson for the Elegushi Beach Management, Chief Ayuba Elegushi, in a statement on Tuesday, said the pupils were not properly registered. He noted that the incident happened at an unmanned section of the beach not open to the public.
He said, “We initially sent them away from the area of the beach they wanted to swim in. Then, they went to another place that was not for the public at all. It was the child of our kinsman, Abass, who took them from school to the beach and those kids followed him. They did not pay any gate fee to access the beach. Abass used the leverage that he was one of us to take them through another place.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing. He said, “The teenagers were from Kuramo Senior College, Lekki. Four of them are missing. They are two males and two females. Efforts are on to recover their bodies. We have yet to meet with the parents of the victims.”
- Wike gifts Odili mansion on 74th birthday
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has gifted a mansion to former governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili, on the latter’s 74th birthday. Media aide to the Governor, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri, in a statement, said the residence was built and donated to Odili by the Rivers state Government.
According to Ebiri, Wike spoke on Monday during the 74th birthday reception organised to honour the former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, at the private residence built and donated to him by the State government in Old Government Residential Area, Port Harcourt.
Wike is a political godson to Dr. Odili, who was the state Governor from 1999 to 2007 and is commonly referred to as the golden governor of Nigeria. Governor Wike was the executive chairman of Obio/Akpor local government Area of the state when Odili held sway as Governor. Wike had in several fore eulogized Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili (retd) for their role in his political career and success in life.
While further eulogizing the sterling qualities of the ex-governor, Wike said he had been well schooled by Odili in politics, saying his present political ordeals were not surprising. Although the cost of the multi-million naira was not disclosed, Wike said Odili gave him and others everything and prepared them for the future.
