FRESH FM TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

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

• Prepare for worst fuel scarcity, petrol marketers alert Nigerians

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has asked Nigerians to prepare for the worst fuel crisis. To avoid this, the petrol marketers association asked the Federal Government to prevail on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to pay its members their outstanding bridging claims amounting to over N500 billion. The IPMAN chairman in Kano State, Bashir Danmalam, made the remarks while addressing a news conference in Kano State on Monday.

He said the failure of the NMDPRA to pay the the bridging claims, otherwise known as transportation claims, had forced many of its members out of business as they couldn’t transport the commodity due to high cost of diesel. He lamented that non-payment of the claims by NMDPRA for over eight months had crippled the businesses of many of their members as they couldn’t transport the commodity even though it was available.

He noted that after the amalgamation of DPR, PEF, and PPRA to NMDPRA, the agency had paid them only two times. Danmalam, therefore, called on the Federal Government to intervene before the situation degenerated into a serious fuel crisis and spread to other parts of the country.

“As leaders, we have to come out to say the truth because our members are suffering from the failure of the agency to pay the fund. This Petroleum Equalisation Fund is our own money we contribute to each litre. This agency is doing more harm than good to us,” Danmalam said. He said Nigerians should not blame their members for the fuel scarcity but rather ascribe it to NMDPRA.

• Appeal Court vacates judgement voiding 84(12) of Electoral Act

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, vacated the judgement of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, which voided the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices led by Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, held that the high court, acted without jurisdiction.

It held that the Plaintiff, Mr. Nduka Edede, lacked the locus standi to institute the action. According to the appellate court, Edede, failed to establish any cause of action that warranted him to approach the court on the issue, noting that the plaintiff was unable to prove how he was directly affected by that section of the newly amended Electoral Act. Consequently, it struck out the suit marked: FHC/UM/CS/26/2022, which Edede filed before the Umuahia court.

Nonetheless, the appellate court, while determining the appeal on the merit, held that the said provision of the electoral law was unconstitutional because it is in breach of Section 42 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, stressing that the section denied a class of Nigerian citizens their right to participate in election.

It will be recalled that the High Court in Umuahia, had in March, struck down section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and ordered that it should be deleted by the Attorney-General of the Federation for being inconsistent with the Constitution.

• Senate amends Electoral Act to allow President, NASS Members, Govs, others vote at party congresses, primaries

The Senate, on Tuesday, amended the Electoral Act, 2022, to allow ‘statutory delegates’ – all those elected – to participate and vote in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties.
This followed the expeditious consideration of a bill during plenary which scaled first, second and third readings, respectively, and was passed during plenary by the chamber after consideration by the Committee of the Whole.

Those identified as ‘statutory delegates’ include the President, Vice President, Members of the National Assembly, Governors and their deputies, Members of the State Houses of Assembly, Chairmen of Councils, Councillors, National Working Committee of political parties, amongst others.

The bill to amend the 2022 Electoral Act No. 13 was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central). Omo-Agege, in his presentation, said the bill seeks to amend the provision of section 84(8) of the Electoral Act.

• 18 Political Parties Seek Extension Of Deadline For Primaries, INEC Rejects Plea, Insists On June 3

The 18 registered political parties, under the aegis of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), have appealed to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend deadline for conduct of primary elections. IPAC National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, who made the appeal in Abuja, yesterday, during an interactive session between political parties and INEC, urged the commission to shift the deadline by 37 days.

Stating reasons, Sani said the Sallah holiday, forthcoming Ekiti and Osun States governorship elections and screening of an unprecedented large number of aspirants were issues that could hamper timely and strict compliance with the timetable. He maintained that the time allotted by INEC for the conduct of primaries was too short, in view of efforts required by political parties for scrupulous screening and selection of quality flag bearers.

But INEC insisted that the June 3 target for parties to conduct primaries and pick candidates for the 2023 elections stands.
Earlier, INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, reminded political parties of the necessity for strict compliance with timelines for party primaries. According to him, there are many inter-related activities that are associated with the timelines, which must be carried out.

• 2023: There’ll be no credible election, unless… — Bishop Kukah

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, has warned that the 2023 general elections will not be free, fair or credible, unless those at the helm of affairs were able to create a sense of common citizenship among Nigerians. Bishop Kukah said he was concerned that the Nigerian population had been polarized, with most of the electorate deeply divided along ethnic and religious lines.

Speaking at a national discourse organised to mark the 60th birthday of the Executive Director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Center, PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, Bishop Kukah maintained that dysfunctional system of governance in the country and failure of the state to fulfill its obligations to citizens was responsible for the polarization.

Decrying that religion and ethnicity “have become weaponized”, Bishop Kukah said the country must find a neutralizing institution.
Besides, he accused both the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of using the high cost of nomination forms to sideline poor citizens from contesting for elective positions.

• Buhari signs anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism, crime proceeds bills

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, signed into law, three bills; the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2022, the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2022, and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Bill, 2022.

According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the pieces of legislation are meant to improve the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing/proliferation financing framework in the country.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at the Council Chamber, State House, the President described the bills as being in tandem with his regime’s commitment to fighting corruption and illicit financing activities, as well as critical to the governance agenda and the development of Nigeria.

He said, “The new laws have provided enough punitive measures and containment strategies against abuses and compromises. We will not rest until we rid the nation of the menace of money laundering, terrorism, and other financial crimes.

POLITICS

• SAN threatens 1,000 cases against Emefiele over APC form

More condemnations on Tuesday trailed the move by the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to contest in the 2023 presidential election on the All Progressives Congress while presiding over the apex bank. Emefiele had in his clarification said he had not taken the decision to run for the Presidency in 2023.
On Monday, his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, filed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/610/2022 challenging the legality of Section 84(12) of the amended Electoral Act and to prevent its application to him (a government appointee) in his aspiration to vie for the APC Presidential ticket.

A legal practitioner, Dr. Remi Olatubora (SAN), on Tuesday threatened to galvanise Nigerians and the civil society to institute not less than 1,000 cases against Emefiele, should he go ahead with his 2023 presidential ambition on the platform of the APC.
According to him, he would ensure that in the next 10 years, the CBN governor would be jumping from one court to the other and inundate him with litigation, “the kind that has never happened in the history of legal profession in Nigeria.”

A former Deputy Governor of the CBN, Prof Kingsley Mogahalu, also took a dim view of Emefiele’s action, describing it as a breach of the CBN Act. He accused Emefiele of using public office to attain his personal interest, urging Nigerians not to reward such an act.

• Jonathan’s backers seek adoption, southern APC aspirants disagree

Some All Progressives Congress leaders have stepped up moves to adopt former President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s consensus presidential candidate in 2023. Newsmen on Tuesday learnt the moves formed part of the discussions between the former President and the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, in Abuja on Monday night.

It was gathered that already, the party leaders, including two northern governors, had reached out to other members of the National Working Committee to ensure the adoption of Jonathan as the consensus candidate. But it was learnt that the moves by the former President and his supporters had generated a groundswell of anger from other contestants, who felt the plan would amount to injustice if it sailed through.

The ex-president and his backers were demanding that he should be adopted as the consensus candidate without going through indirect or direct primaries. Jonathan is also insisting that he should be saved the rigour of facing founding APC members including the national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha and the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, during the party’s presidential primaries.

A source, who was privy to the meeting between Jonathan and Adamu on Monday night said the ex-President had signified interest to join the APC presidential race.

• Emefiele heads for court as anger spreads over presidential ambition

The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele’s alleged involvement in politics on Sunday attracted more strong condemnations, with senior lawyers and other eminent Nigerians calling for his immediate resignation. Senior lawyers and top politicians, who spoke to newsmen stated that Emefiele’s continuous stay as the CBN governor was dangerous to the economy.

Meanwhile, Pastor Tunde Bakare is officially declaring his intention to run for the presidency in the 2023 election. The ceremony was held in Abuja as Bakare joined the growing list of aspirants under the All Progressives Congress (APC) vying for the seat.

• 2023: Court rejects Emefiele’s motion for restraining order against INEC, AGF

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, rejected an ex-parte application the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Godwin Emefiele filed to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, from disqualifying him from contesting the 2023 presidential election.

Emefiele had through his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, prayed the court for an order of status quo ante bellum to be made against INEC and AGF so that he would not be made to resign from office until 30 days to the general election.

He contented that not being a political appointee but a public servant, he could not be compelled to resign in line with section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022. He prayed the court to invoke section 318 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and bar the defendents from asking him to vacate office until 30 days to the Presidential election.

However, in a ruling, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, declined to accede to the prayers, even as he directed the plaintiff to go and put the defendants (INEC and AGF) on notice and also serve them with all the relevant court processes in the matter.

• ‘An Insult’: Jonathan Rejects APC Presidential Form

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has rejected the presidential form of the All Progressives Congress purchased for him on Monday by a group of his supporters from the north. Dr Jonathan’s Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, said in a statement hours after the news that the group had bought the form for him broke that the former did not authorise the purchase and consider the move by the group ‘an insult’.

“We wish to categorically state that Dr Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorise it,” the statement read in part.
We want to state that if the former President wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door.”

In recent months, there have been increased speculations about whether the former President will run for his old post in in the 2023 general elections and there have been calls for him to do so.
Although he is not a member of the APC, speculations have intensified in recent weeks that he is set to switch from the Peoples Democratic Party to contest for President in 2023. But the former President has yet to state whether he would contest or not, neither has he spoken about the possibility of switching parties.

A coalition of northern groups purchased the APC presidential nomination form and the expression of interest form at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, informing journalists that it was for Dr Jonathan.

• Obasanjo, Adebanjo support South-East presidency, says Ohanaeze

The apex Igbo socio-political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Tuesday said former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, have declared total support for the South-East presidency in 2023.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday in Enugu by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, the two leaders reiterated their support for the South East region to produce the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 when the organisation’s Political Action Committee paid them visits on Monday.

They were quoted to have said that to ensure peace, justice, fairness and sustainable national development in the country, the next president must come from the South-East zone.

Reports have it that the Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide had sat last Thursday in Enugu and reached some resolutions, among which was the mandate to PAC to reach out to leaders of the six geopolitical zones of the country for collaboration to ensure that a politician of the South-East extraction is elected president in 2023.

• INEC says 1.4m online registration invalid

The Independent Electoral Commission has announced that 1,126,359 out of 2,523,458 Permanent Voters Cards registered online between June and December 2021 are invalid. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of Zamfara State, Prof Sa’idu Babura, disclosed this while speaking to journalists in his office in Gusau on Thursday.

Babura said, “After the authentication exercise, it was discovered that out of the 2,523,458 registrants nationwide, 1,390,519 are valid while 1,126,359 are invalid. This means that 44.6% of all those registered between June and December 2021 are multiple registrations.”

He maintained that in Zamfara State, as of December 2021, 33,090 people have registered online, stressing however, that only 19,469 are valid, while 13,600, representing 41.1%, are invalid. On the issue of polling units, Babura said there were 2,516 polling units in the state in 2019 and with the addition of 1,013 polling units, the figure has risen to 3,529.

• INEC may relocate sensitive materials from CBN, says Yakubu

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday said it would employ both the manual and electronic methods in the transmission of the 2023 elections results. The commission also said there is a possibility of moving sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria to another location. The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said these during a consultative meeting with the media in Abuja on Thursday.

Responding to a question on the political ambition and partisanship of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, Yakubu said the commission might be forced to find another arrangement for the handling of sensitive materials. He said the CBN is responsible for the storage and movement of sensitive materials, adding that the commission has never doubt the capacity of the CBN to discharge that responsibility.

He said, “But I understand the context in which the question is asked. But you should also understand the context in which events are unfolding. As we speak, our director, litigation and prosecution is in court. we are already started talking about what alternatives are available to us in case we need to change the arrangement for the handling of sensitive materials. We have started thinking about it. We are aware of the situation. We will watch the situation. We still have 9 months before the next general elections.

“Things may be addressed before then. I want to assure you that we will not jeopardize the conduct of the election by creating a misconception around the situation in the process.”

• 2023: Female Professor picks NRM Presidential Nomination Form

A Canadian-based Professor of Education, Benedicta Egbo, yesterday joined the presidential contest as she picked the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms of National Rescue Movement, NRM, in Abuja. The Professor and author of many books was accompanied to the NRM secretariat by her husband.

Speaking after being presented with the forms by the National Chairman of NRM, Ambassador Isaac Ude, represented by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, North, Abubakar Jikamshi, Professor Egbo said she was not in the race to make up the numbers but rather to give the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a run for their money.

She opined that her aspiration was grounded in hope and restoration, saying that Nigeria which she described as too beautiful, is at a crossroads and that the situation does not require complacency.
According, “I am running as a proud and patriotic Nigerian. You can take me out of Nigeria but you can’t take Nigeria out of me. The issue of Nigeria keeps me awake at night. I will give others (PDP and APC) a run for their money.

ECONOMY

• Nigeria, 10 ECOWAS countries in debt distress – Report

A new report by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa has disclosed that Nigeria and 10 other Economic Community of West African States countries are currently in debt distress based on debt sustainability analysis.
The 10 other countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

The report, titled ‘Debt Management, restricting and Sustainability in ECOWAS’, was recently launched at the Debt Management Office in Abuja.According to the report, a financial crisis in Nigeria can threaten other countries in the ECOWAS region.

It was further disclosed in the report that public debt accumulation in the region is unsustainable, and the need to address and avert the looming debt crisis is emphasised. The report also highlighted the high debt service to revenue ratio in the region, particularly in Nigeria.

• Reps Secure 6m Litres Of Aviation Fuel For Airlines, Seek Permanent Solution

The House of Representatives on Monday secured the cooperation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to make available six million litres of JetA1 (aviation fuel) to aviation fuel marketers chosen by the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON). The deal was struck at a meeting with AON representatives at the National Assembly.

Stakeholders present at the meeting included the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Aviation, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), NNPC, Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), among others.

The AON had threatened to shutdown local airline services on Monday but withdrew the threat on Sunday under pressure from the Federal Government. The airline operators say rising cost of key inputs such as aviation fuel necessitated the intended shutdown.

Part of the resolutions reached at Monday’s meeting, which lasted for over three hours, include that, as a long term solution, the airline operators must commence, as soon as possible, the process of securing a license for the importation of aviation fuel to avoid suspicion over the landing cost of the product and other associated logistic issues.

• Aviation fuel: NNPC, airlines agree on three-month supply at N480/litre

The House of Representatives on Monday held a stakeholders meeting to resolve the crisis trailing the aviation fuel price increase, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and domestic airline operators reaching a deal. It was agreed that the NNPC would supply Jet-A1 to marketers nominated by airline operators for a period of three months at N480 per litre, pending when the carriers would be granted licences to import the commodity. This is just as the AON said it had nominated 10 marketers for the purpose.

The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, presided over the meeting that lasted about four hours, with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; and the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, among others in attendance.

Airline operators had last week threatened to halt their services over soaring aviation fuel prices, effective Monday (yesterday).
They had given a notice to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; and the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Nuhu. The AON said the price of aviation fuel had risen from N190 to N700 per litre.

• Prepare for worst fuel scarcity, petrol marketers alert Nigerians

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has asked Nigerians to prepare for the worst fuel crisis. To avoid this, the petrol marketers association asked the Federal Government to prevail on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to pay its members their outstanding bridging claims amounting to over N500 billion.

The IPMAN chairman in Kano State, Bashir Danmalam, made the remarks while addressing a news conference in Kano State on Monday. He said the failure of the NMDPRA to pay the the bridging claims, otherwise known as transportation claims, had forced many of its members out of business as they couldn’t transport the commodity due to high cost of diesel. He lamented that non-payment of the claims by NMDPRA for over eight months had crippled the businesses of many of their members as they couldn’t transport the commodity even though it was available.

“For failure of the NMDPRA to pay the outstanding claims for about nine months, many marketers cannot transport the product because their funds are not being paid. Despite the high price of diesel, they manage to supply the petroleum products nationwide. The resurfacing of fuel queues in Abuja is just a tip of the iceberg with regard to the petroleum scarcity. Out of 100 per cent, only five per cent of the marketers can supply the petroleum products because of the failure of NMDPRA to pay them.”

He noted that after the amalgamation of DPR, PEF, and PPRA to NMDPRA, the agency had paid them only two times. Danmalam, therefore, called on the Federal Government to intervene before the situation degenerated into a serious fuel crisis and spread to other parts of the country.

• Refineries probe: Reps kick as Kyari keeps mum on oil swap deal

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, on Tuesday, finally appeared before the House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on the State of Refineries in Nigeria. However, Kyari could not answer some of the critical questions posed to him by members of the committee, urging the lawmakers to allow him to come back with documents containing the details.

The details sought by the lawmakers include the actual cost of rehabilitating the refineries, especially the Port Harcourt Refining Company. This is just as the committee and the GMD failed to disclose the quantity of crude being taken from Nigeria and the volume of petroleum products being delivered to the country on a daily basis, under the Direct Sale Direct Purchase or oil swap deal with firms.

In his presentation, Kyari said, “We recognise that today, none of our refineries are operating “Needless is to say that the refineries were essentially not properly managed over time, not just today but in the last 20 to 25 years. The turnaround maintenance processes were clearly mismanaged over time. We clearly admit that those turnaround maintenances were not properly done in the past, leading to where we are. When we took over, the refineries were clearly in situations where ordinary turnaround maintenance would not solve the problem.

Kyari also noted that the refineries were shut down as the country was running at a loss using them. He also said the NNPC shopped for “the best of class” contractors to rehabilitate the facilities.

• Electricity: FG targets 10,000 mini-grids for rural farmers

As part of efforts to boost food production in the country, the Federal Government has begun a scheme that would see the deployment of 10,000 mini-grid solutions to power rural farmers by the year 2030.

The scheme, Energizing Agriculture Programme which would be anchored by the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, with the support of Rocky Mountain Institute and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, is expected to accelerate the deployment of energy-agriculture solutions to farmers.

Speaking at the launch of the programme in Abuja yesterday, the Managing Director of the REA, Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad said the scheme would unlock various opportunities in the sector by developing projects that will accelerate the productive use of electricity in rural communities.

EDUCATION

• ASUU Extends Strike By 12 Weeks

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has extended the ongoing strike by twelve weeks, the president of the union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke said on Monday. In a statement he issued after an emergency National Executive Committee meeting of the association at the University of Abuja on Sunday, the ASUU president said the decision was to give the government enough time to resolve all outstanding issues with the lecturers.

“After extensive deliberations, noting the Government’s failure to live up to its responsibilities and speedily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the additional eight-week roll–over strike period declared on 14th March 2022, NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for twelve weeks to give Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues,” the ASUU president’s statement read. The roll-over strike action is with effect from 12.01 a.m. on Monday, 9th May 2022.”

ASUU also expressed dissatisfaction with the three-man panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari in February to resolve the lingering industrial action. The union was also full of commendations for the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), students’ groups, and civil society organisations “who have taken steps towards resolving the current labour dispute with the Nigerian government”.

The planned trip by spouses of vice-chancellors, ASUU said, is “despicable and condemnable”. The advertised five-day conference in Istanbul is a waste of scarce resources of our universities; it is insensitive and provocative, particularly at a time like this when lecturers are denied their salaries for daring to struggle to improve the lot of our public universities,” ASUU maintained.

• ASUU Strike: NANS Directs Students To Block Airport Roads, Others Daily For 3 Hours

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has directed all its structures and organs to block all federal roads in protest against the continued shutdown of public universities in the country. Against the backdrop of the extension of the warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), NANS asked the students to ensure the roads are blocked daily for at least three hours until the Federal Government resolves its impasse with the aggrieved lecturers.

NANS National Public Relations Officer, Victor Ezenagu, declared the mass action tagged ‘Operation Test Run’ on Tuesday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“We are poised at ensuring that our campuses are reopened and as such, the instruction has gone out to all the 36 states and the FCT calling on all our structures to begin (the mass action) immediately, starting from today, by barricading and blocking every federal road, every road leading to the airports, and ensuring they remain on the street for at least three hours every day until the Federal Government does something as regards to settling their impasse with ASUU for us to return to our campuses,” he said during the breakfast programme.

• ASUU: Reps intervene as students shut down Lagos-Abeokuta road

Scores of students in Ogun state, on Wednesday, blocked the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway to protest the ASUU strike. The students, under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Student, Ogun State Joint Campus Committee, invaded the Obada axis of the highway with placards chanting anti-government songs.

The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as “End ASUU Strike now”, “Enough is Enough”, “Nigerian Students are suffering” and “FG listen to ASUU”.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednseday ordered relevant committees of the chamber to intervene in the crisis between the Federal Government and the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Wase, who presided over the plenary on Wednesday, mandated chairmen of the House Committees on Education and Labour to resolve the crisis, failing which the leadership of the parliament would step into the matter.

• ASUU Strike: Protesting OAU students shut down Ife-Ibadan road

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, have, on Thursday, taken to the Ife-Ibadan express road as they protest school closure resulting from the ongoing strike action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.The students who converged at their campus gate this morning marched down to the major highway which connects commuters traveling from Ife to Ibadan and vice versa.

Newsmen gathered that the students, who converged under the aegis of Fund Education coalition, vowed to continue the protests from today till their demands would be met by the Federal Go0vernment.
The students held placards bearing various inscriptions like “Fund Education Now”, “Education is not a Scam” among others, as they chanted “End ASUU Strike”. They equally seemed to be proceeding towards a major roundabout, the popular OUI roundabout at Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu.

• ASUP Declares Two-Week Strike, Says Decision Considerate

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government so that the polytechnics across the country are not shut indefinitely. The union’s National President, Mr Anderson Ezeibe, made the call on Wednesday after declaring a two-week strike, which would commence from May 16, 2022.

Ezeibe said ASUP took the decision after an emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Wednesday. The polytechnic lecturer’s strikes come a day after their counterparts Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) extended their ongoing strike by three months.

• Buhari to ASUU: Call off strike

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to consider the plight of students and call off the ongoing strike. Disclosing this in a statement Femi Adesina quoted Buhari as urging students in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions to exercise patience as the government strives to address the nagging issues in the nation’s university system within the ambit of the resources available.

He made the appeal at the 19th National Productivity Day and the conferment of the National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM) on 48 eminent Nigerians and organisations in both the public and private sectors, for their high productivity, hardwork and excellence.

President Buhari recalled that he had earlier directed the Chief of Staff, Hon. Ministers of Labour and Employment, Education, Finance, Budget and National Planning to immediately bring all parties to the negotiation table to again critically look at the grey areas in the demands of ASUU and in fact all other University based labour unions.

Highlighting notable achievements in the education sector including the drastic reduction of the number of out of school children from 10.1million in 2019 to 6.9 million in 2020, automatic employment for graduates of education, review of the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years, among others, the President said more still needs to be done.

• Strike: FG, ASUU meeting ends in deadlock

The Federal Government and the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council on Thursday failed to convince the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off their industrial action during a meeting called by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Agboola Gambari, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. The meeting which was also co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Christian Association of Nigeria’s president, Dr. Supo Ayokunle, could not persuade the ASUU leaders to return to the classrooms while negotiations were ongoing to meet their demands.

It was gathered that the FG and NIREC attempted to persuade the union to return to the classrooms during the closed-door technical session, promising that their demands would be met, but the ASUU leadership reportedly said the government had to meet part of their demands which they could use in convincing their members to call off the ongoing strike. The meeting, which was held at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was attended by other registered trade unions in universities, as well as identified interest groups and civil society groups.

But providing an update on the meeting, Ngige said that the Federal Government had reached an agreement with the union, adding that certain timelines had been set and that specific parts of the agreements would be implemented from next week. According to the minister, the issues of wage review and renegotiation of the 2009 agreement would be addressed soon.

• WAEC returns May-June timetable, fixes WASSCE May 16

The West African Examinations Council, Nigeria, has said the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates, 2022, will take place between May 16 and June 23 2022 in Nigeria.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the Head of Nigeria Office, WAEC, Patrick Areghan, said the exam would take a period of six weeks, adding that the revert to May/June period for the conduct of the examination should be celebrated.

“This shows a massive recovery from the devastating effects, disruptions, and confusion caused by the pandemic. We must give kudos to the Honourable Minister of Education and his Ministry for this wonderful feat.”

He explained that the final International Timetable for the conduct of the examination had been sent to all schools for their proper and necessary guidance. Areghan also said a total of 1,607,975 candidates from 20,221 schools had registered for the examination.
Areghan also warned operators of rouge websites to desist from their heinous acts.

HEALTH

• Smoking shisha makes breasts sag, expert warns

A public health physician, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, has warned women against smoking shisha, noting that indulging in the act can make their breasts sag. Dr. Egemba also noted that those smoking shishas are equally more at risk of looking older than their age. According to him, smoking shisha can trigger the destruction of collagen and elastin which are important for skin health and function.

Egemba, popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor’ revealed that when shisha breaks down the elastin, it can cause sagging breasts. In a video on his Instagram page @aproko_doctor, he said, “I just hope you know that aside from many things that shisha causes, which we have been shouting all around, but it doesn’t seem to enter your ear, that shisha can also break down elastin, which is a component of the body that can cause sagging breast.

Experts have stressed that contrary to the belief held by many people that shisha is less harmful than cigarettes, a puff of shisha contains more toxins than a cigarette. Shisha, according to experts, is a single- or multi-stemmed instrument for heating or vaporising and then smoking either tobacco, flavored tobacco, or sometimes cannabis, hashish, and opium. The smoke is passed through a water basin—often glass-based—before inhalation.

• Lagos governor’s wife promises to lead campaign against drug abuse

The wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has promised to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other stakeholders to fight the war against drug abuse in schools and communities across the state. She said drug addiction, especially among the youth, had become worrisome and no one can pretend about its existence.

According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Office of Lagos State First Lady, Olubukonla Nwonah, on Thursday, Mrs. Sanwo-Olu made this known on Wednesday at a strategic meeting with the NDLEA and other critical stakeholders, held at Lagos House, Ikeja.

She added that the time was ripe for real action to tackle the war against drug abuse, and not just mere rhetoric, adding that in the coming weeks, she would be leading a series of initiatives to advance the fight against the menace in schools and in communities across the state.

WORLD

• Aljazeera Journalist Killed During Israel West Bank Raid

Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was shot dead Wednesday as she covered an Israeli army raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

The Qatar-based TV channel said Israeli forces shot Abu Aqleh, 51, deliberately and “in cold blood” while Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was “likely” that Palestinian gunfire killed her.

Abu Aqleh, a Palestinian Christian who also held US citizenship, was a prominent figure in the channel’s Arabic news service. Another Al Jazeera journalist, producer Ali al-Samudi, was wounded in the incident, the broadcaster added.

An AFP photographer at the scene said Abu Aqleh was wearing a press flak jacket when she was shot. The photographer reported that Israeli forces were firing in the area and then saw Abu Aqleh’s body lying on the ground. The Israeli army confirmed it had conducted an operation in Jenin refugee camp early Wednesday but firmly denied it had deliberately targeted a reporter.

• Palestinians Honour Slain Journalist, Reject Joint Probe

Thousands of Palestinians on Thursday honoured Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh at a memorial service in the occupied West Bank, a day after she was shot dead during an Israeli army raid. Israel and the Palestinians have traded blame over the killing of Palestinian-American Abu Akleh, 51, a veteran of the Qatar-based network’s Arabic service, during clashes in the Jenin refugee camp.

The United States, European Union and United Nations have backed calls for a full investigation into what Al Jazeera labelled a deliberate killing “in cold blood”, but the Palestinian Authority has rejected holding a joint probe with Israel.

In a sign of Abu Akleh’s stature among Palestinians, she received what was described as a full state memorial at the Ramallah compound of president Mahmud Abbas, attended by foreign diplomats and prominent Arab Israeli politicians. Thousands lined the streets as her coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was driven through the city.

Many held flowers, wreaths and pictures of Abu Akleh, who has been widely hailed for her bravery and professionalism and was well known to Arabic audiences since she covered the second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, from 2000 to 2005.

• COVID-19 Deaths In Europe Pass Two Million Mark – WHO

The number of people who have died from Covid-19 in Europe, the long-time epicentre of the pandemic, has passed two million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.

“A devastating milestone has passed as reported confirmed Covid-19 deaths from countries in the WHO European Region have exceeded more than 2 million people,” the UN health agency said in a statement.

• Couple Files $650,000 Suit On Son For Not Giving Them Grandchildren

An Indian couple are taking their son to court demanding that he and his wife produce either a grandchild within a year or cough up almost $650,000. Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad say that they exhausted their savings raising and educating their pilot son and paying for a lavish wedding. Now they want payback. “My son has been married for six years but they are still not planning a baby. At least if we have a grandchild to spend time with, our pain will become bearable,” the couple said in their petition filed with a court in Haridwar last week.

The compensation they are demanding — 50 million rupees — includes the cost of a wedding reception in a five-star hotel, a luxury car worth $80,000 and paying for the couple’s honeymoon abroad, the Times of India reported Thursday. The parents also forked out $65,000 to get their son trained as a pilot in the United States only for him to return to India unemployed, the paper said.

“We also had to take a loan to build our house and now we are going through a lot of financial hardships. Mentally too we are quite disturbed because we are living alone,” the couple said in their petition. The couple’s lawyer Arvind Kumar said the petition will be taken up for hearing by the court in northern India on May 17.

India has a strong joint family system with many generations including grandparents, nephews, aunts and uncles often living in the same household. However, in recent years the trend has shifted, with young couples preferring to move away from their parents or siblings, and wives — such as in this case — opting to work rather than focus on having children and staying at home.

ENTERTAINENT

• Davido, Burna Boy to release songs off next albums same day

Internationally-recognised Nigerian singers, Davido and Burna Boy, are both set to release songs from their respective next albums on the same day, May 13, 2022. Born Damini Ogulu, Burna Boy announced that his new song, “Last Last”, off his next album, Love, Damini, will be released on May 13.

The Ye crooner tweeted late Tuesday, “Finally, breakfast will be served midnight 13/05 WAT #lovedamini”, as he shared an image with the words, “Last Last”. His announcement came a few hours after Davido announced his first song, “Stand Strong”, off his next album.

• American rapper, Future, hails Tems’ vocal prowess

American hip-hop star, DeMun Wilburn, better known as Future, has applauded Nigerian singer, Tems for her vocal prowess. This follows a collaboration by both artistes and Drake titled “Wait For U,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot100 charts.

Future took to his Twitter page on Thursday, where he wrote in all caps, “@temsbaby voice is amazing.” Speaking of their collaboration, the rapper said he felt a connection after hearing her voice over a beat by ATL Jacob, one of the producers on his new album, I Never Liked You.

“As soon as I heard the @temsbaby sample over @atljacobbeatz, it instantly connected to my soul,” he tweeted. Tems also replied to the rapper, “Appreciate you! @1future.”

• Why my marriage to Don Jazzy crashed – Ex-wife

Michelle Jackson, the ex-wife of ace Nigerian music producer, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has revealed why their marriage crashed. Reports have it that Michelle, who is a United Kingdom-based model, returned to Nigeria in late April, 2022.

In an interview with Naija FM published on Friday, Michelle noted that music “got in the way” of her union with Don Jazzy, leading to the end of their two-year marriage. “He just needed to go and be himself and go and do his music. Music got in the way of the relationship. We were very young as well,” Michelle said.

She added, “If I were in the same situation now, it might have been very different.” The model noted that she was almost 22 years old at the time of the union. When Don Jazzy first broke the news of his marriage in April last year, he revealed that he got married at 20 and ended the marriage when he was 22.

• Don Jazzy reunites with ex-wife in Lagos

Ace Nigerian music producer, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy has linked up with his ex-wife, Michelle Jackson, in Lagos.
The Mavin Records boss shared a video of their meeting on his Instagram story late Thursday, where he hailed Michelle as a “Naija girl.”

Michelle, who is a United Kingdom-based model, returned to Nigeria in late April, 2022. In Don Jazzy’s video, the duo was smiling at the camera with another lady, as the producer went on to hail his former wife. He jokingly asked her what she had learnt since she came to Nigeria and the duo laughed about the question.

“I loved love and I loved marriage. Michelle is so beautiful inside and outside with such a soft heart. But then, me being so young and full of dreams, I went and messed it up because I was giving all my time to my music. Music became a priority instead of my family.
We got divorced when I was 22 and it hurts. I am still very much in love with my music and I wouldn’t want to marry another and mess it up again.” He later revealed that Michelle had remarried and also had a son.

SPORTS

• Why FIFA Ordered NFF To Pay Rohr N157 Million

Director of Communication, Nigeria Football Federation, Ademola Olajire, has shed more light on why world body FIFA ordered the Nigeria Football Federation to pay former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, compensation after the federation parted ways with the Franco-German last December. Olajire revealed this on a WhatsApp platform, ‘Family United By Sports.’

FIFA Monday ordered the NFF to pay the former Eagles coach $377,879.46 (N157m) in compensation after he was shown the exit door just a month before the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January.

Despite moves by the NFF to pay his salary until the end of his contract, which should have expired in December 2022, Rohr, the Eagles’ longest-serving coach, took the case to FIFA, demanding an additional £1m for breach of contract “without just cause” but FIFA instead approved $377,879.46. The NFF spokesperson said the federation had already agreed to pay the coach a major chunk of the cash before FIFA’s intervention, adding that part of the money would also be used to pay Rohr’s assistants’ bonuses.

METRO PLUS

• Outrage as students beat, burn female colleague for ‘blasphemy’ in Sokoto

Nigerians on Thursday demanded justice for Deborah Yakubu, a 200-level Home Economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, North-West Nigeria after she was mobbed and burnt by some students of the school for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This is as the school’s management also directed the immediate closure of the school following the incident.

The incident was said to have taken place on Thursday morning. The female student, it was learnt, was beaten to death and subsequently burnt by fanatical Muslim students in the school for alleged blasphemy.

The school’s management in a circular dated May 12, 2022, while announcing the immediate closure of the college, described the incident as an “early morning students rampage”. Outraged by the incident, Nigerians on Twitter asked the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure justice is served.

• Kukah demands justice, says murder of Sokoto student criminal

The Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, on Thursday, described as criminal, the gruesome murder of Deborah Yakubu, a 200-level Home Economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, North-West Nigeria. The revered cleric, in a statement, tasked authorities at all levels to fish out the perpetrators and ensure justice is served on the matter.

The female student was mauled, killed and burnt on Thursday by a mob of Muslim youths who accused her of blasphemy on social media against Prophet Muhammad. The young lady’s killers posted videos of their action on social media attracting wild spread outrage and condemnation.

The police in Sokoto said two suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the student’s killing. Reacting in a statement, Kukah said the perpetrators no matter their motive must be punished.

• Nigerian Army disowns portal announcing 83 successful candidates

The Nigerian Army has disowned a portal purportedly announcing the list of successful candidates for the 83 Regular Recruit Intake, describing it as fake. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, warned the public to be wary of online scammers.

Nwachukwu stated that the said publication was fraudulent and the handiwork of online scammers, who were hell bent on defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

“Members of the general public are please enjoined to note that the portal for 83 RRI was opened on March 7 and is still ongoing. It will be closed officially on Friday, May 13. Therefore, the publication currently being circulated in online and social media is fake and should be disregarded in its entirety,” he said.

• Kidnapped Kaduna Catholic Priest Dies In Captivity

A Catholic Priest, Rev Fr Joseph Aketeh Bako abducted eight weeks ago by bandits at his residence in Kudenda area of Kaduna metropolis has died in captivity. This was disclosed by the Chancellor, Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, Rev Fr. Christian Okewu Emanuel, in a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday. 

Recall, that the now late Rev. Fr Bako was kidnapped at his residence in Kudenda community of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on March 8, 2022. The statement disclosed that the catholic priest had died between April 18 and 20, 2022.

“Fr. Joseph (aged 48) was kidnapped from his residence in St John Catholic Church Kudenda, where he was serving as Parish Priest, on the 8th of March, 2022.”  According to the statement, “Fr. Bako was ill before the abduction and his abductors didn’t allow him to go with his drugs.

“His own brother was killed there in his presence and after his brother was killed, his condition worsened and he died. We have not recovered his corpse but we have confirmed his death. People who were kidnapped together with him saw him die.”

• EFCC nabs YahooYahoo Academy owner, 16 ‘trainees’ in Abuja

Operatives of the Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested one Afolabi Samad, owner of a Yahoo Yahoo Academy in Abuja. The 24-year-old was arrested in a sting operation on Thursday alongside 16 of his students.

The youngsters between the ages of 18 and 27 years, were arrested at their hideout located in Peace Court Estate, Lokogoma, a suburb of Abuja. The owner of the alleged ‘Academy’ reportedly rented the 3-bedroom flat for N3 million to impact the tricks of cyber-frauds on his apprentices for undisclosed fees.

Item recovered from the suspects include laptops, phones, charms and two vehicles: a Lexus RX350 and Toyota Highlander. A statement by EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.